“Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?” (Matt. 7:9) “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
For the most part, people tend to be polite and even kind to each other, depending of course on their ability to control their emotional state and the current circumstances that surround them, they are generally even tempered and sociable. There are of course “those days” the ones that for one reason or another turn us into backbiting individuals, ill-tempered, but they do not usually last for long, and once again we begin to “fit into” society, perhaps not in a jovial way, but we at least begin to tolerate those around us as best we can. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18)
These last several months on the planet have been made to modify that, we are told to fear all of those that we meet, we are to place apps on our phones and carry documentation on our person at all times, we are being told to yell “Unclean” as it were, and it is not by accident. No matter your opinion of where the flu started, no matter whether you believe it is deadly or not, this one fact stands as truth, they are attempting to separate the herd of mankind.
“They” of course is our adversary, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:12) And he is attempting and being used by the Lord to usher in great days of sorrow and pain. The two opening verses in this short letter to you are there to help you to understand that everything that is happening today is good for those who have placed their lives and their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, He is in control, He always has been in control. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
The world around us at the moment seems to be in turmoil, the people in it are either deceived or being deceived, (2 Tim 3:13) and many are either living in a form of constant fear or are beginning to become more than just a little antagonistic, they will begin to become violent. This is what fear does, this is what happens to those behind the walls while the enemy waits patiently outside of those same walls, they will begin to destroy themselves.
It is not in our human nature to see the good behind the bad, what is in front of us is what we can see, and the majority of the people on the planet cannot see through these days as we can, we see hope, they see desperation, we see a minor inconvenience, they see the possibility of death, we experience patience and peace, they are anxious and fearful.
Our adversary has always exploited the weaker parts of our human nature, he rarely exhibits his traits in a straightforward manner, the best attacks are those that attempt to manipulate us in ways where we are the weakest, where we have the least experience in the battle. For the lost, this battle has arrived in the form of fear, for those who know Christ as Lord, it is in patience and peace that the attack is brought upon us. Peace because, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18) And in the attempt to remove our patience from us, we watch as the world begins to tear itself apart, as two new classifications of human beings are being produced, as we try to tell them of the truth of these days, and as usual, they continue to deny the truth.
We are, as many were that have come before us that stand in awe of the Almighty, living Luke 21:19, “In your patience possess ye your souls.” The rules and regulations will increase, those outside the wall will continue to add to the pressure being felt by most on this planet, we are to remain calm, collected and in peace possessing the patience to wait upon our Lord, and to continue to serve Him as He calls us to.
