November 2021 – Page 2

30.c. From Pathway to Victory, Dr. Jeffress

Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
–2 Timothy 2:22

Recently I visited with a man whose dad had become addicted to an enslaving habit, a habit that had destroyed the man’s family. I asked the man, “Is your dad a Christian? He said, “Oh, yes. He’s a Christian. When I was growing up, he would insist that we go to church every week. But then it was discovered that the pastor of our church was having an affair, and my dad became so disillusioned that he quit going to church. He fell away from God and fell into this addiction, and he’s never darkened the door of the church since.” I doubt that pastor said, “I am going to spend three years training in the seminary and give my life to the ministry so that I can see how many people I can disillusion and cause to fall away from the faith.” That pastor probably wanted to make a difference for the kingdom of God, but for a moment he forgot his true purpose, and because of that he fell into sexual immorality.

Even if you do not receive your paycheck from a church, you are no less a part of God’s kingdom purpose. We are all on planet Earth for the same reason, and that is to expand the kingdom of God. When you understand and live out that purpose in your life, you will find it much easier, when temptation comes, to choose purity over immorality. Think about it: What effect would sexual immorality have on your life purpose? If you are the leader of a small group or a Sunday school class, how would the news that you were leaving your mate affect your influence in that group? Or let’s say there is a group of fellow employees you have been trying to witness to. How would they react if it was discovered that you had pornography on your computer at work? How would it affect your mate or your children you are trying to influence for Christ if they found out you were involved in a sexual affair?

You see, the reason most Christians fall into immorality is they forget the mission. They think that the mission is to please themselves rather than to serve God and expand His kingdom. That is why in 2 Timothy 2:3-4 Paul said, “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” If you are going to be a soldier in God’s kingdom, you have to keep the mission in mind. It is not to please ourselves; it is to please God, the one who enlisted us. In verse 22, Paul went on to say, “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Do you want to avoid the trap of sexual immorality in your life? The best deterrent against sexual immorality is to remember your purpose in life and to live out that purpose. Understanding our purpose is a strong motivation to choosing purity over immorality.

30.b. “To whom shall I speak and give warning”

Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

Matthew 5:20     For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 11:39-44   And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

Psalms 58:3-6    The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.  They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear,

Isaiah 57:4    Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, the offspring of deceit,

Jeremiah 6:10   To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it.

2 Thessalonians 1:10   They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

Being a follower of and lover of God is so much more than an outward observance of doing acts believed to upgrade your worth before God. The Pharisees believed that one was made righteous by keeping the law, and they believed themselves to be righteous in this way. They believed they were made right before God by what they did and what they were doing. It is as if they were keeping a ledger of all the good they did and the practices they followed. True repentance is so much more than words spoken and religiously followed actions.

Repentance comes from a heart, mind, and soul that has been awakened to the Holiness of God and their sin and sinful nature. Many will have their mind awakened but their heart and soul are not. They, like the Pharisees, give lip service to God and continue to do what they think is right in their own eyes. There is no total reliance and trust in God. They trust in what they say and do to make themselves right before God.

No act of man thought of man, and wisdom of man employed to their righteousness will make them right before God or cleanse their sins. It is only when the heart, mind, and soul have been awakened by the Holy Spirit is there an understanding of what must be done. In Acts over 5,000 people cried out, “what must we do to be saved?” They were cut to the heart by the Word of God and their souls awakened to the need for salvation. They, in humbleness they surrendered to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and believed, relied upon, followed, and obeyed. True repentance comes from a humble spirit. Belief comes by faith in God alone. Reliance comes from trusting In Jesus Christ. Obedience comes from a desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. Our single purpose in life is to do that which honors and glorifies Him alone. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people speak and they seem to want to share in what should be only for Jesus Christ.

In all that you say, think, and do, make sure that it honors and glorifies Jesus Christ for His honor and glory alone.

30.a. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Matthew 4:17   From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 11:20    Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.

Matthew 12:41  The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Matthew 21:31-32    Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

We can’t come to the kingdom of heaven unless we leave our sin – turn away from it – believe in Jesus Christ and have faith, trust, and reliance in His sacrifice on the cross for our sin. We are born with a basic understanding of God. Rom 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

We have free will to choose to repent, believe, surrender, serve, follow, and obey Jesus Christ. Every single person is born into sin. We have a sinful nature. Try as hard as we might we will never be able to cleanse ourselves of this sin stain. We can try to be good and do right, but all of our efforts apart from Jesus Christ fall short and do nothing to make us right before God. The Judgment for sin is eternal torment in Hell. Without repentance from sin and faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ our destination is eternal hell.

The light of the Gospel is life to the lost. It gives them hope and faith in eternal heaven. Those, who’s have seen and securely taken hold of the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (believed in, trusted, rely on, cling to and repent). I am at a loss for words that can explain how the conversion, new birth, takes place upon repenting and believing in Jesus Christ. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. We are born again and the eyes to our hearts and minds are opened and we see right and wrong, good and bad, love and hate, peace and fear, mercy and anger ……. We see it through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Heaven and Hell await the free will choice that each and every person makes this side of eternity.

30. “Their feet run to evil”

Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Proverbs 27:3-4 A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.  Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?

Daniel 3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king.

Daniel 3:19  Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated.

2 Kings 8:12   And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.”

Proverbs 28:15   Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

Isaiah 59:7   Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways.

We never understand the minds of those who carry out very wicked acts of violence. It is if they have no regard for others or the pain they are causing. Across history, there have been leaders and individuals who give no thought to the lives they are destroying. It is as if their hearts and minds have been incased and filled with hatred, anger, and unyielding fury. There is no compassion or love other than for fulfilling the destructive desire of their deep-rooted anger. Pride, selfishness, and self-worth drive them. No life has meaning other than theirs. Their acts are cruel. There is no thought of God or the power of God, or judgment of God. They are lost and doing things that the most wicked of the lost do.

We can think we are better than these wicked people and if we used human judgment our conclusion is true, but in the eyes of God, all are lost. The eternal judgment for the lost is all the same – eternal punishment and torment forever and ever. Our human thoughts might say this is not fair, but who are we compared to God, the creator, and author of all there is and all there ever will be. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, and is full of love, mercy, and grace. All of His judgments are right and true. The lost – those who have not trusted in, relied upon, followed, obeyed, and humbly surrendered to His offer of salvation and redemption – all end up lacking and will be cast into eternal hell. There is no partial ground with which to stand. No reliance upon our own good and good things we have done that will make us right before God, only faith and trust in Jesus Christ. There are no degrees of “lostness” in the eyes of God. Being separated from God has the same end for all without Jesus Christ.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

29.z. “An Angel of the Lord”

Matthew 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Matthew 1:20   But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit

Matthew 2:19    But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

Acts 5:19    But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

Acts 10:7    When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him,

Acts 10:22  And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”

Acts 12:11    When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Joseph responded immediately to what the angel said. I don’t know how God uses His angels but uses them He does. He is able to send them to convey a message, open locked doors, or allows them to be seen in some physical form. We know they were created by God and are used by God. The message they convey or the acts they perform are directly from God and for His purpose and will. I certainly do not know how this all works other than to say they are real. We are given examples of acts carried out by angels and the corresponding acts of those who were witnesses to these acts. Joseph took Mary to be his wife, fled to Egypt, and returned from Egypt. apostles were led out of prison, Paul, Peter, Cornelius, Martha, and Mary are examples of angels being used by God for their good. We do well to understand that in all things God is more than able to exceed our needs. He is not limited in any way. Note that these people were followers and believers who trusted in and relied upon Jesus Christ. They were not lukewarm in their belief, trusting, following, or reliance. Their hearts, minds, and souls were fixed on Jesus Christ and to honor and glorify Him continually.

29.y. ““The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.””

Matthew 2:7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Job 5:12-13    He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.  He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.

Psalms 33:10    The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

Proverbs 21:30   No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.

Lamentations 3:37    Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?

1 Corinthians 3:19-20   For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”  and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

“Those who look for Jesus will see him: those who truly see him will worship him: those who worship him will consecrate their substance to him.” (Spurgeon) Note the difference between Herod and the wise men. The wise men went looking with a sense of urgency but Herod had none. The wise men came to the baby Jesus with gifts and worshipped, Herod had other plans. The plans of man will never alter the plans and purposes of God. Man will try to put a spin on their intents and try to hide it in a cloak of deception but God knows the intents and purpose of their hearts. As hard as a man will try, as conning and deceiving as they can be, and as much worldly and fleshly wisdom they can display, none of it will hinder even the tiniest portion of God’s purpose and plans.

When our heart and soul’s desire is to find Jesus, He will be found. When He is found our hearts and souls will worship Him and no longer claim anything more worthy than Him. Lip service to our searching and worship will leave us void of satisfaction.

29.x. “For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him”

Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

I read “wise men from the east came to worship him”, “for we saw his star”, and I wonder how long these wise men were looking for the “Star” that pointed to the birth of Christ. We don’t know much about them or how it came about that they were looking for the birth of the king of the Jews. We do know that they believed there was to be born a King of the Jews and that it would be confirmed by a special star indicating both his birth and the place of his birth. The fact they were aware of such an event and believed it and recognized it and then out of an act of faith went to worship Him should not be lost on our reading of this passage. We are told Christ will return and we are to be ready. These wise men were ready and expectantly looking with belief that it would happen. They did not have a day or time given to them on when it would happen, but they did have knowledge of what sign there would be when it did and they were ready. We don’t know the day or time of Christ’s return but scripture gives us signs to indicate His return is soon approaching. “But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

Christ’s return should not find us unaware, not looking, not expecting, or not prepared. When our heart, mind, and soul’s deepest desire is to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we say, think, and do, it is then we will have expectation and longing for his return – a form of worship birthed out of faith and lives lived with an intentional expectant purpose and meaning.

29. w. “Faith was completed by his works”

Matthew 1:20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Genesis 6:22     Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

Genesis 22:2-3   So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Exodus 40:16    This Moses did; according to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did.

John 15:14   You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Hebrews 11:7-8   By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:24-31   By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,  choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.  By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.  By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.  By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.  By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

James 2:21-26    Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;

Joseph had made up his mind to divorce Mary in a just way, quietly. Do you wonder how hard it was for Joseph to fall asleep that night? He made up his mind, and I have to think it was a disappointing time for Him. He did not go to bed mad or angered but rather wanted to do what was right and God-honoring. Then when his mind was made up an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and says, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.

Joseph had a heart, mind, and soul wanting to do what was right before God. It does not say He pondered over this visitation in a dream and what was said. He made the decision to obey immediately. He was immediately obedient. Do you ever wonder how many times the Holy Spirit is speaking into our lives each day and we are not listening or even wanting to hear those quiet whispers of leading? If our hearts and minds are not being consumed with things of God and desiring to do what honors and glorifies Jesus Christ, then those quiet whispers of leading from the Holy Spirit will not be heard and obedience will not happen and our lives will be void of the hope and joy that comes from obedience and trusting in Jesus Christ.

29.v. “And her husband Joseph, being a just man”

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Deuteronomy 22:21-24 then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel. “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Psalms 112:4-5 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.

“Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly”. I can’t imagine what was going through the mind of Joseph when he learned that his wife was pregnant and that it was not by him. Rage, anger, hate, confusion, worry, embarrassment, etc…. would all seem both normal and appropriate. However, Joseph chose not to go down these paths. He chose to discard these thoughts and actions. He chose to be just in a time where it certainly would have been very easy not to be. He did not allow his hurt to overshadow and block doing what would honor and glorify God. That is not something that just happens. It is from living and choosing that way. We always have a choice. There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end, it leads to death. We have free will to choose to live to honor and glorify God or not. When we allow what seems right to overshadow that which is right God is not honored and glorified. Living to honor and glorify God is not a singular event or two during our life. It is a way of life where the presence of God is so real in our hearts, mind, and souls that every thought, every word, and every act is done in the light of His presence. I heard someone say you don’t want to have God catch you doing something wrong. The fact is God already knows. He knows our thoughts and actions before they even occur. Let our thoughts and actions, therefore, be in this light with our deepest desire to always think, speak, and do that which honors Him alone.

29.u. Pathway to Victory, Dr. Jeffress

Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
–Genesis 3:9-10

This week we are looking at Satan’s four favorite lies, all of which can be found in Genesis 3. First, Satan tempted Eve with the lie that is the foundation for every sin: “You do not have what you need to be happy.” Once Eve fell for that lie, Satan used a second lie: “You are in control of your destiny.” Eve felt that to experience happiness in life, she had to move out from under God’s control of her life. And that led to Satan’s third lie to Eve: “You are all alone.” The great irony is that independence from God does not produce confidence; it produces fear. You see, all it takes is a disloyal mate or a maverick cancer cell or a random accident to quickly sober us up to the fact that we are not in control of our lives. That realization brings fear. It is no accident that the first negative emotion in the Bible was not jealousy, bitterness, or lust–it was fear. Adam and Eve decided that God could not be counted on to give them what they needed, and so they acted independently of God and ate fruit from the forbidden tree. Yet instead of being filled with confidence, they became afraid and hid themselves from the presence of God. When God called to Adam, he said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself’” (v. 10). Up to that point, Adam and Eve had never experienced fear, but acting independently of God produced fear. And it continues today.

As atheism takes hold in our culture, the result is not unbounded confidence, but increasing fear. Several years ago, the late writer Michael Crichton wrote an article called, “Let’s Stop Scaring Ourselves.” In it he catalogued some of the wildest fears that have seized our culture in the last few decades. He said in 1975, “Newsweek” warned that global temperatures were falling, and could result in worldwide famine. Within ten years, scientists had to revise those predictions as temperatures had begun to rise instead of fall. In the 1960s, we were warned of the dangers of overpopulation, with one think tank predicting that by 2030, the world population would be at least fourteen billion people. Yet by the end of the twentieth century, fertility rates had fallen to half of what they were in 1950. We were warned that power lines cause cancer. Then it was discovered that not only are power lines not harmful, but the magnetic fields that were feared to be carcinogenic can actually be helpful in some medical treatments. There were also threats of killer bees, giant asteroids–and who can forget the hysteria surrounding Y2K? Yes, catastrophic events do sometimes occur. But the relationship between society’s increasing fear and decreasing belief in God is not coincidental. You see, whenever you free yourself from the notion that there is a sovereign God who is controlling everything, it is only natural for you to begin calculating everything that could go wrong in your life. You are seized not with confidence, but by fear.