Conspiracy Theories, what does the bible have to say about it?

Who killed JFK? What is the Illuminati? Was there equipment on the space shuttle that caused earthquakes? If God reveals the answer to any of these speculations, we should be thankful He has brought light to our mysteries. If not, we should leave well enough alone—especially if dwelling on those mysteries brings fear.

On one level, conspiracy theories are entertaining. Trying to connect the dots through disparate historical events brings a sense of order to chaos. Speculating about mysteries incites a titillating anxiety of the future that relieves boredom and distracts from more pressing dilemmas.

Speaking up and uncovering the truth is certainly biblical. The prophet Nathan uncovered David’s conspiracy to cover up his sin of murder (2 Samuel 12). Paul’s nephew uncovered a plot to assassinate Paul, and his knowledge foiled the attempt (Acts 23). Wickedness likes to hide.John 3:20says, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” We should always seek the truth. “Love truth and peace” (Zechariah 8:19).

Two warnings concerning conspiracy theories: first, we should never get ahead of what God wishes to reveal to us.Godreveals the truth in mystery (Daniel 2:30;Genesis 40:8). He will tell us what we need to know in His time, and there are things we do not need to know (Mark 13:32;Revelation 10:4). We should not indulge in useless speculation that takes time and effort away from our work for Christ (1 Timothy 1:4).

Second, we should not fear. “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Many conspiracy theories feed fear and prey on ignorance and gullibility. God has called us to something better.

One problem with conspiracy theories is that they place too much emphasis on worldly matters. It’s good for political intrigue to come to light, but that is not a necessary condition for the Christian life (2 Timothy 3:12). It is right for corruption to be brought to justice (Isaiah 1:17), but it is still possible to live a godly life, even if justice never happens. In our search for truth,Romans 8:31should always be in mind: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

Exposing the truth is good. Obsessing over rumor and hearsay and half-proven theories is harmful.Ephesians 5:11-14is an excellent guideline. Verse 11 says to expose “the fruitless deeds of darkness.” But verse 12 says not to mention them. How do we expose them? Not by conjecture or worry or fear or never-ending deliberation, but by waiting on the words of verses 13 and 14: “Everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible.” Speak the truth and wait for God’s timing.

Endless speculation about conspiracy theories is, at best, a waste of time. At worst, the obsession induces paralyzing fear as our attention is drawn away from Christ. Avoid the mysteries God hasn’t chosen to reveal yet. Let Him work according to His timing. Rest in His plan, which can never be thwarted (Job 42:2).

Above all, do not fear. “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed.” But “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:2,4).

Where is your home?

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. (John 17:16 )

We live here, we walk here, we eat and drink here, but may we never call it home. The ground beneath our feet and sky above our heads are the scenery we enjoy momentarily, but they will pass away (Matthew 24:35). Our family is more than people with the same last name (Mark 3:35), as believers we are united by blood, literally the shed blood of Jesus the risen Savior. We, the family, walk as sojourners (1 Peter 2:11), as travelers, loving and serving the people around us, all the while remembering we will one day be home. A home that has been prepared for us (John 14:3), where we will live in ever increasing joy.

Our lips will never again say, “It was fun while it lasted”, as the smile fades from our face. In our home there is no sorrow, there is no disease, there is no end to joy (Revelation 21:4). In our home our treasure does not fail, there is no thief to steal, no moneybag to grow old (Luke 12:33). In your heart, and in your head, where is your treasure and your home? For “there will your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34).

Where is your home?

Time to thaw out

John 7:37-38 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

An estimated 500,000 tons of water go over Niagara Falls every minute. On March 29, 1948, the falls suddenly stopped. Those who lived near enough heard the overwhelming silence, and immediately they thought it was a sign – the end of the world had come! However, after thirty hours had passed – the flow of water resumed.

What happened? Heavy winds had set the ice fields of Lake Erie in motion and tons of ice had jammed the Niagara River entrance near Buffalo. The ice blocked the flow of water until finally, there was a shift in the blockage and the river began flowing again.

The river had stopped flowing because of ice.

If we really want the flow of God’s love, peace, joy, and anointing in our lives – we cannot allow our hearts to become like ice. If we do, His life-giving current will stop.

Let the Lord search your heart for those areas where the ice has built up and needs to thaw out. He will show you where they are if you ask. Our hearts should be burning for Him, so let the river flow…. once again.

Do we complain about, or pray for, our bosses and those in leadership?

I don’t expect this to be the most popular of my blogs, but I don’t mind because it’s a very important topic that most people in the work force fail to realize….praying for those who lead us.

Yesterday as I left the workplace, I saw my boss poised over just one of the many problems that he faced that day. Earlier I had watched his wife, who also runs the company, running around trying to settle personnel problems and accounting issues. Yet both of them had the added burden of trying to keep the employees motivated and trying not to look stressed. While they pulled this feat off well, I couldn’t help to think about all they go through.

Today is Friday and throughout the world, employees everywhere are elated because of the upcoming weekend. But the problem that business owners and others in charge have, is that most of them never quit working. They have a lot of responsibility that goes home with them. It doesn’t stay at the office because it’s 5 O’clock. They have invested everything they have in it. Their livelihood depends on the success of their business. So maybe we as employees can help them out. How? By praying for peace and success in the business that we are employed by. By becoming better employees and allowing Jesus to shine though us by having an exemplary work ethic. By not getting mad if they initiate a policy that we think is unfair. Policies are not always easy to institute because the person doing the enforcement will become very unpopular. Let’s try to walk a step in their shoes. And this includes our political leaders as well.

I am blessed to have two Christian bosses who are wonderful people. If you’re not, and am less than thrilled to be working for them, don’t be angry and hate, pray for them. Maybe that prayer will change their lives and business around. Believe me, they are stressed, and they need prayers for peace just like anyone else. Having said all of this I have posted a prayer below and ask that you pray this for your bosses before and during work today or whenever (since this blog is read around the world). If you can’t think of a prayer consider the one below, or just simply say a brief one. Our leaders need it.

 

1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

 

Dear God, our Creator,

We come to You today praying for our boss, our supervisors and for those in authority over us in the workplace.

We begin by requesting that you will give our boss and supervisors your wisdom, guidance and the ability to lead well.  Help them to seek out and listen to sound advice and to decide how to take action in timely and efficient ways that are good for the business and good for the customers and clients who are served.  Here are some specific special requests I now make for my boss…

We pray for the family life of our boss and supervisors that they will be able to balance work and home life in healthy ways.  We pray for their spiritual life that they might come into a stronger faith in You.  We pray for their social life that they might partner with and support worthy causes in our community as You prosper them in business.  Here are some specific prayers I offer for my boss…

We intercede for them about the things only you can provide.  We pray for their physical health that it might remain strong.  We ask that they will be able to maintain a healthy physical and moral lifestyle.   We pray for Your forgiveness and mercy in any ways they have erred.  We pray for Your blessings upon them as You open new doors of opportunity before them. We stand against any emotional or spiritual attacks they might be facing and we plead the blood of Christ over them in their times of stress and crisis.  We pray that you will increase their ability to bear the responsibility of running a business.  Give them grace and fairness in dealing with employees.  Grant them a spirit of inclusiveness, respectfulness, teamwork, and self control.   Lead them not into the temptation of seeking bottom line profits through questionable or unethical means.  And deliver them from the evils of ruthless competitors.  Here are some specific needs my boss has today…

We conclude our prayer by offering out thanksgiving for our boss and supervisors.  Thank you for their ability to handle daily problems, for their experience and leadership, for their vision and dedication.  Thank you for the jobs they have provided for us and for the income these jobs provide.  May we learn how to express our gratitude to them for their guidance and mentoring.  Here are some specific ways I am thankful for my boss…

Amen.

How quickly we forget

They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.—Psalm 78:11

It’s amazing how many times God’s people were blamed with “forgetting” the Lord and all he had done for them. Deuteronomy 32:18 says, “You forgot the God who gave you birth.” And Judges 3:7 says something that continues throughout their history: “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God.” As our reading today puts it, “They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.” God’s people could be so forgetful!

God intends, however, that we use the gift of Sabbath to remember him, taking the opportunity to tell of his goodness and recount his faithfulness. Sabbath is a time for celebrating the freedom he has won for us in Jesus!

Decay theory says  that a memory trace is created in our brains with each new piece of information or each new experience we take in. These memory traces, though, begin almost immediately to fade and disappear. If they’re not retrieved and rehearsed, eventually they’re lost. In short, if we don’t use it, we’ll lose it!

Sabbath gives us time and space to simply sit and reflect. It provides us the opportunity to muse over and ponder God’s wonderful love for us in Jesus and to give him thanks!

Prayer

Gracious God in heaven, it’s so easy for us to lose sight of the grace and love you’ve shown us in Jesus. Help us to develop the Sabbath discipline of “remembering.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A Tuesday (Or whatever day) Prayer

Lord, for many the circumstances in life are so uncertain.  The solutions to our problems can be very perplexing and seem beyond our grasp.  There are many things about tomorrow that we don’t seem to understand.   But we know Who holds tomorrow, and we do know Who holds our hand.* Thank you, God, that You don’t expect us to have all the right answers or to fully understand all that concerns us.  You simply want us to trust You as we hold on to Your unchanging hand while You go before us making our paths straight.  Grant us the grace to trust You more.  In Jesus name, Amen.

What kind of talk comes out of your mouth, putdowns, or praise

Love … rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.—1 Co-rinthians 13:6-7

Conversation often flows freely when gossip worms its way in. But try shifting a negative conversation toward delight in someone’s goodness, and the lively banter will often end with a thud. You’ve stopped the fun. But that’s fun bent on savoring rumors, speculating on half-truths, and spreading lies.

Instead, why not celebrate people’s good points and accomplishments? Not to set them up as so much better or greater than others. But it can be good to build people up, to celebrate the true and noble and right and admirable things they have done. Everyone needs praiseworthy examples to look up to.

Think of the great discoveries of science and explorations of nature that have helped us understand the world God has given us—and how best to live in it. Think of the good ways people can live together, grounded in the virtues of honesty, truth, courage, hard work, sacrifice, and making excellent use of our talents and gifts—all to the glory of God.

When you love people, you delight in their good. You speak well of them. And you show compassion and forgiveness if something has gone wrong in their lives. You speak carefully to protect and defend the truth and the ones you love. You don’t gloss over wrongdoing, but you promote justice and “right-doing”—all based on truth that yields joy-filled living.

Prayer:

Keep us, Lord, from twisting the truth and cutting others down. May we all grow up together in you. In Jesus, Amen.

I life unfair?

As for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.—Psalm 73:2-3

Sometimes life seems unfair. Sometimes you look around and wonder why some families experience one hardship after another while other families prosper.

Why is it that so many of us have everything we need while others have less than nothing?

Why is it that some people who care nothing about God live in luxury, while millions of people dedicated to the Lord are persecuted?

These are the very questions that torment the writer of Psalm 73. He did not understand: “As for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

He’s not alone. Many Christians wrestle with that issue. A wife standing next to the casket of her husband whispered to me, “This is not right.”

So many things in life don’t seem right or fair. That’s why we need to keep our eyes on the Lord.

It was only when the psalmist focused on the Lord and came into God’s presence that he began to understand. He did not find an answer to his questions. But he found peace in knowing that our lives are in the hands of the loving God who has become our Father through Jesus Christ. When life seems unfair, be sure to come into his presence.

Prayer:

Lord God, be close to all who struggle with hard questions today. Draw them into your presence. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Simple kindness

Love is patient, love is kind.—1 Corinthians 13:4

A man went to the airport only to find his flight delayed, so he sat down near a restaurant. It was in the middle of the afternoon, and the restaurant was mostly empty. Only one person was there, a homeless and shabbily dressed man with his head resting on the tabletop. Suddenly a man who appeared to be the restaurant manager walked toward the table. The observer thought, “He’s going to throw him out.” But instead, as the manager walked past, he set a hot dog on the table. On the way back he set a cup of coffee next to the hot dog.

It was a simple kindness. But in effect the manager was saying, “In a few minutes I’m going to have to ask you to leave. But for a moment let us act like we are in heaven: ‘Welcome to God’s feast.’”

In a beautiful sermon on kindness Professor Tom Long suggests that biblical kindness is an act of civil disobedience. It’s a refusal to treat people according to the customs and traditions of the status quo. It insists on seeing people and treating them in light of who they will be in God’s future. It means treating people the way God in Jesus treats us: “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Whom can you treat with kindness today?

Prayer:

Father, show us how to do simple acts and say simple words that lighten people’s loads. In the name of Jesus, who carries all our burdens, Amen.

The fool says…I don’t need or believe in God

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”—Psalm 14:1

Some time ago someone who was raised in a Christian family mentioned that she no longer believed in God. She had just come home from a funeral, and what she had heard there clinched it for her. Her teenage son, standing next to her, said that he no longer believed in God either.

The question: How does it happen that someone brought up in a Christian home could come to that conclusion?

A recent news article reported on a group of some 400 baby boomers who came together to sing some of the psalms and hymns they had been taught as children. They came not because they believed in what the songs said, but simply to remember their past. The article stated that these singers had been raised in Christian homes but had given up on the faith of their parents. One person was quoted as saying that some of the lyrics they were singing were sheer nonsense.

How sad! How arrogant! How foolish! Sad, because they chose to go through life without God’s nearness. Arrogant, because they refused to accept what God has revealed to us in the Bible and in creation. And foolish, because without God people have no hope.

Pray for all who refuse to believe in the Lord. Take every opportunity to tell them about the living God, who reaches out in love through his Son, the Lord Jesus. Show through your life that God is alive!

Prayer:

Lord, give us the faith to believe, and help us to show others that you are alive in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.