An article by David Kupelian caught my eye this week .... It was titled "Americans 'Snapping' by the Millions'
.... and it starts out by saying ..... "Terrorism. Chaos. Fear of the Future .... America is undergoing a 'fundamental transformation' ... that much everyone knows."
He goes on to say that this transformation is being caused by the sheer stress of living in today's America and is driving tens of millions to the point of illness, depression and self-destruction ... but that amazingly, few seem to realize this! .... He then shares the following trends:
*Suicide has surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of injury death for Americans. ... Even more disturbing is that more U.S. soldiers died last year by suicide than in combat.
*Fully one-third of the nation's employees suffer chronic debilitating stress, and more than half of all 'millennialists' (18-33 year olds) experience a level of stress that keeps them awake at night, with many being diagnosed with depression & anxiety disorders.
*Shocking new research from the federal centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that one in five of all high-school aged children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with ADHD ... and one in five pre-teens have been medically diagnosed with either ADHD, anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder.
*New research concludes that stress renders people susceptible to serious illness.
*Incredibly, 11% of all Americans aged 12 and older are currently taking SSRI antidepressants - those highly controversial, mood-altering psychiatric drugs with the FDA's "suicidality" warning label and alarming correlation with school shooters.
Mr. Kupelian goes on to share many more alarming statistics, and then puts much of the blame on the current political climate, naming Mr. Obama as the worst president in U.S. history, and how his policies are contributing to the accelerating 'evil climate' that is tearing this land apart.
While this may be true, I would rather put the 'politics' aside and focus on the Bible prophecies that pointed to the conditions of our day. ..... There is no doubt that America is in a rapid decline in most all areas ... and the reason is simple ... This nation has turned its back on the one and only true God of the universe. .... Think about it for just a minute! ..... We have nearly succeeded in removing God from all aspects of public life .... We
have accepted life styles that are clearly defined as sin in the Holy Scriptures, one example being homosexuality. No matter how much we try to rationalize it, IT IS SIN (See Romans 1:27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Jude 7- all New Testament). .... There are many more examples and anyone with any common sense and basic Bible knowledge knows what they are ....
Let me share this thought with you, and I hope it makes as much sense to you as it does to me .... We as a nation have chosen to live under the banner of 'Separation of Church and State' .... Now think about this for about one second .... As true and dedicated followers of Jesus Christ, can we really separate Him from ANY aspect of our life? ... Let me use this example ... one I've used several times in the past ... Let's say I was to run for public office and am a 'practicing' Christian ... and I win! .... In order for me to fulfill the duties of my elected office, I would have to pray this prayer .... "Lord, I promise to do my best in all that I do ... but there is one small problem ... I can't take you to work with me. ... But I guess we don't have to worry .. I'll see you most evenings and certainly most every Sunday. ... I hope you are OK with this arrangement." ....
So what do you think about that? .... I can tell you as a student of the Bible that this is NOT acceptable to our Lord ... He doesn't expect us to be a part-time follower! ... We either are, or we're not! ... We are either in, or we're out! ....
Sadly, in my journey over these past 12+ years, I've experienced many 'Christians' who choose to live this way. ... And as for the conditions Mr. Kupelian's article points out, I've witnessed many in the Church who are suffering from the conditions he points out ... depression, stress & fear ... In fact, one Church I attended for a period of time was so stressed out that many, including the pastor, were taking anti-depressants. ...
Let's see what the Bible has to say .... 2 Timothy 3:1-4 says it about as clearly as possible ... "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful,
proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3) without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4) treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God ... " ................ Sounds about accurate, wouldn't you think?
Tragically, we in America have placed our values in all the things that are of no value in the eyes of God ...
personal wealth .. popularity ... what we wear & drive .... being the best "me" I can be .... But what happens when things start to unravel around us .... when the world begins to seem unstable to the point you can no longer ignore it .... How valuable then are all these "me" things? .... What part of any of that stuff will sustain you when all appears to be falling apart? ......
Jesus said in Matthew 6:19 .... "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."
So, if you are feeling any, or all of the 'symptoms' previously pointed out .... uncertainty, fear, depression, lack of joy .... what can you do about it? .... Well, first of all, realize that you have most likely placed your values in the wrong places ... and the ONLY way to resolve this problem is to turn yourself back to the Lord Jesus Christ ... and I mean ALL OF YOU! ....
We know 'the world is under the temporary control of the evil one' ... (1 John 5:19) ... and that the 'the wisdom of this world is foolishness' (1 Corinthians 3:19) ... and that the 'friend of the world becomes the enemy of God' (James 4:4) ... so what do we need to do? ... Depend upon "Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath." (1 Thessalonians 1:10) ....
Jesus Himself told us in Matthew 24, Mark 13 & luke 21 that this is how the world would be just prior to His return ... a world full of the threat of war ... famine .... pestilences such as volcanoes, illnesses & crazy weather..... earthquakes .... signs in the heavens .... but that we who are His would recognize these things.
Matthew 24:33 says this, "Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door."
He is at the door ... right now! ... and He is waiting for each of us with open arms! .... Jesus said this to the lukewarm Christians of Laodicea in Revelation 3:20 ... "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me."
Wow! It doesn't get any clearer than that! ....... Are you living in fear/ ... Are you depressed? ... Have you lost your joy? ... The answer is simple ... take your eyes off the world and gaze upon the saving grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. .... He will not fail you! .....Peace & joy is waiting for you, right now! .... Hallelujah!!!
Until next time,
Red