Act Like God's Alive

Don't give way to the terror of the current thing.

Before I get into today’s post, I am excited to announce that the podcast Jonathon and I recorded with Dave Warn a few weeks back is now live! You can watch it here:

Today (September 11, the day I wrote this) is a day full of the remembrance of dread and infamy. People are on edge for all sorts of valid reasons. A presidential election is around the corner. From all accounts, the presidential debate surpassed the limits of absurdity. Families are having a terrible time buying food due to inflation. Fear is in the air. Dread is palpable.

Even so…act like God’s alive.

I am living through a time in history where I am watching both the right-wing and the left-wing dive headlong into each side’s version of absolute insanity. You see it happening in real time on X, and it’s sped up significantly since Elon Musk took it over and lifted the censorship. I am, as you know, a huge proponent of free speech. I think it is better to let people say exactly what they think without fear of punishment so that we know exactly where we stand. Censorship censors truth, for sure, but it also forces hideous ideas underground where they fester and erupt to everyone’s surprise later on. I think Musk took a nice sharp blade and lanced the boil a couple years back and I have been a bit gobsmacked at the eruption of putrid ideas spewing forth on that platform ever since. I have been especially surprised by the things I’ve heard professing Christians say there. Yet, it’s good to know where we stand.

There is so much fear in the atmosphere, and when there’s this level of existential dread hovering in the air (for reasons both legitimate and preposterous) many fall down rabbit holes looking for the reason behind everything. Every conspiracy theory in the book is discussed at length on X now. Old hatreds have been given expression. There is nothing new under the sun, but it has been a long time since these old things have been permitted to see the sun.

The conspiratorial part of me begins to wonder if it isn’t all a massive trap. Take consequences away for the expression of naughty thoughts. Let people indulge in them without reprisal for a time and then…wham! Drop the guillotine. Time will tell, eh?

Christians, please be wise as serpents. Don’t indulge in your deepest fears. Act like God is alive. How can we do this? I have a few suggestions.

Spend more time in your Bible than you spend scrolling X and other social media, listening to theo-bro podcasts, and spending time online in general. This metaphysical world is, as Jefferson might have put it were he to foresee the online soup we’re simmering in today, “a seething hive of scum and villainy.” Just because some guy is a pastor on X doesn’t mean he’s legit or theologically sound.

Read your Bible. Read it from Genesis to Revelation. Listen to your own pastor. You see him every week and observe his demeanor, his character and his family. He knows you and the ways you struggle. He loves you. The guys on the podcasts don’t. Not because they’re bad people, but because they can’t possibly. They don’t know you.

If someone brings up some new claim about, let’s say, “the Genesis 6 conspiracy” or “the tricksy Jooooos,” search the Scriptures and ask your pastor to give his advice. If you don’t have a pastor, go get yourself one. A flesh and blood pastor that you have to shake hands with every Sunday at church. A Lone Ranger Christian is a dead Christian.

Spend more time with people in the flesh than you do with people online. The virtual reality world of the internet is very different than the world of flesh and blood people. You can’t handily block your neighbor with a click of a button. You have to deal with him, be he ever so annoying or nice. This is healthy.

A certain subset of humanity is drawn to the social media world like flies to a pile of poop. If you stay there with them more than you stay with your flesh and blood family, friends, and neighbors, you will begin to think that everyone’s like that. In reality, very few people you interact with in the real world are like that. Don’t get stuck in a silly echo chamber.

Rejoice in the Lord. It is impossible to rejoice in the Lord and remain perpetually outraged. It is impossible to rejoice in the Lord and allow yourself to be baited into saying something truly wicked. Rejoice in the Lord because of who He is. Think about who He is. Read about who He is. Revel in who He is. To do any of this, you must spend more time in His Word. This is the kind of time you will never end up regretting, because it is the most maximally good thing you could possibly do.

Think on these things. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Difficult to do somedays, I will confess, as we are inundated with horror stories, fear mongering, and reports of rising crime by the hour. Some of this is true. But “think on these things” anyway, or be overcome with despair. Which makes the most sense to you?

Sure, if an immigrant Haitian comes sniffing around after your tasty cat morsel, go ahead and bonk him over the head. But you’ve never met a Haitian immigrant. You likely never will. When the horror comes to you, deal with it then. Don’t die a thousand deaths thinking it up before it happens.

And yes, I know there are greater issues at work here than cats and dogs disappearing. I know there are big problems with dumping 20,000 occupants of the third world flush with cash from the government into a small midwestern town. Don’t take my feeble attempt at injecting some humor into a dark situation as apathy. My point is this: don’t borrow trouble. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Speaking of, about now would be a good time to take my advice about plugging into your local government seriously. That is how the Springfield, OH situation will be resolved…by the people in that town holding their local officials accountable. I wrote about that here:

God is currently in control. He won’t be in control later when heroic Christians have taken over the government and the legal system and everything else. He’s in control now. His eye is ever watchful. He has already crushed the serpent’s head. The end is determined. He has won. He died and rose again. It’s finished. So…what is preventing you from living like all that is true? Why do you fail to do good now, because “well…I don’t know how the election will turn out? What good is it to make plans if everything’s going to crash next year?” I say, do good now even if America crashes next year. Make a plan. Execute the plan. Whatever it is, as long as it’s good, do it. I, for one, am planning to learn how to knit socks. This is a very good thing to do. People always need socks. And because God is in control, I will learn how to knit socks. Stop waiting for conditions to be perfect before you do something good.

Act like God’s alive. Stop moaning and groaning and quivering and lashing out. What are you doing? Act like God’s alive. For He is.

As a parting thought, let me share one of my favorite old American hymns, “God Is My Strong Salvation.” To hear it sung, you can hit the play button at the top of the page and skip to a little before the end.

God Is My Strong Salvation

Lyrics by James Montgomery, 1822

God is my strong salvation: What foe have I to fear?

In darkness and temptation, My light, my help is near.

Tho hosts encamp around me, Firm in the fight I stand;

What terror can confound me, With God at my right hand?

Place on the Lord reliance; My soul, with courage wait;

His truth be thine affiance, When faint and desolate.

His might thy heart shall strengthen, His love thy joy increase;

Mercy thy days shall lengthen; The Lord will give thee peace.

That’s all for now. Until next time, folks…

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