Fear is not of God

Friends, for the past four or five months we have been experiencing Life in a much different way. We've seen our schools and churches close. We've been isolated in our homes. There have been lay-offs and shut downs. We've seen police brutality, rioting and looting. There is fear and panic circulating. 

Fear.is.not.of.God. 

It's just not. 

How to get peace? We have to put God first in our lives. And we have to understand there is an enemy of God and he wants to steal, kill and destroy life. 

​Now, I am going to make a little jump here, so stay with me.  

I recently wrote a post, “Thinking Deeper About Black Lives Matter,” and it seems that most Americans are like me and have taken the “black lives matter” mantra at face value. We’ve supported it without question. 

What I didn’t know (and I am willing to bet most Americans don’t know), that there is an official Black Lives Matter organization and its leaders are blatantly Marxist. The founders have not tried to hide that fact. They have said they are "trained Marxists." 

What is Marxism? Well, it is a political group that is anti-American and anti-family in its values, and its views are frightening to anyone who believes in the American Constitution, capitalism, and society as we know it. 

It seems that these trained Marxists more or less hijacked the black lives movement. How? That's a good question. 

Now, a major part of me just wanted to quietly take down my post on BLM, knowing that I am one little blogger in a big world. My thoughts aren’t going to shape America.

However, I am not about that life. As Christians, we must take a stand and be strong in our convictions. And we must teach our children and nieces and nephews and neighbors! 

I am not about Marxism. I am pro-life, pro-family, pro-capitalism, pro-America. I love this beautiful life we have the privilege of living in the Land of the Brave and the Free. 

And I will be honest. I also felt fear for our country. Why fear? Hmm...well, I grew up in the 70's, where Communism and Socialism were understood and guarded against. It seems that people of today want to throw away their freedom. 

Left on my own, I can tailspin into a very bad place really quickly. But that's not what God wants of me. I am HIS CHILD and I trust in HIS CARE OVER ME.

So, yes, there is a lot of crap going on in our world right now. There is great tension. One woman recently asked this question, "When will this world change? When will people understand?"

The quick response (from a very holy woman) was this, "That's not what we should be asking. Instead, we need to ask ourselves, 'When will I change? When will I understand?' We cannot put the blame on others. We need to start with ourselves and only then can we help others."

That resonated with me. If I want to make change, it has to begin with me. 

So, I began to spend more time in prayer. And, this shocks even me, I have begun to fast. Why fast? Well, when you empty yourself of food, you very quickly find God. Trust me, it just happens.  

I have been praying for my deeper conversion. I want to love better. I want to let go of all of those things I hold dear, all of those things that I think will give me security.

I have been praying for the grace to love God with my whole heart, with my whole mind, with my whole soul and with my whole strength. 

I have been praying to love every single person, to see JESUS in everyone. 

And that means I pray for those that have hijacked the BLM movement. I must pray and fast for those that are intent on evil. May their hearts be converted towards The Greatest Love. May they have a RADICAL change of HEART.

In Medjugorje, Communist guards (in the 80's and 90's) were told to intimidate and put fear into basically everyone. The villagers were afraid, yes, but they understood that the guards were beloved children of God so they started doing these things. They would offer them cold drinks on hot days, home cooked meals and such. The LOVE of the villagers converted many of the guards!

"True conversion means the purifying or cleansing of the heart, because a corrupt or deteriorated heart is the basis of bad relations, which in turn brings social disorder, unjust laws, and base constitutions. Without a radical change of heart, there is no peace." ~Fr. Ljudevit Rupcic

So, if any of this resonates with you, start with yourself. Begin to pray more. You can do this in whatever way you feel best, but I love prayers from the heart, conversations with God.

"A prayer only needs to be done with heart. It's simple....first, we should feel God as our father who is always near us and who loves us. Only when we feel this way can we pray....Ask for God's help throughout the day and thank Him for every little blessing you receive. Everything comes from God." ~Mirjana Soldo

That's not too hard; just ask God to be with you throughout your day. Ask Him to keep showing you what love looks like. 

P.S. We must build the FAMILY unit. If you would like to spend some focused time with your daughter this summer, join my free (and fun!) course, “The Daughter Dare.”