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This is a continuation of my previous thoughts about our nation being POW’s-Prisoners of Words.

Because of the tumultuous atmosphere that has been created in our nation by words that are divisive, we live in an environment of unrest.

A short while ago, I posted on Facebook the thought that I believe that the Body of Christ does not fully realize that it MUST intercede at this time for this nation. If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, then you should understand the necessity of prayerfully interceding for this nation and its leadership.

However, I fear, that many believers are POW’s in this nation. They are prisoners of words. They have been incarcerated mentally making it difficult, if not impossible, for them, and/or the Body of Christ to focus on meaningful intercessory prayer because they are mentally distracted by the words that they are repeatedly exposed too, especially the excessive political rhetoric.

How is an individual freed from this mental incarceration? The simple answer is to focus on Christ; but the rehabilitation can be difficult. I know from personal experience. I have been deeply involved in listening to the daily diatribe against our administration and our government avidly participating in voicing verbal criticisms. To be blunt, I have ‘bad-mouthed’ the President and our elected officials criticizing their conduct and behavior. Over a period of time, I discovered that what I was doing was affecting me negatively, and I was becoming a POW (Prisoner of Words). I listened to the talk show hosts, watched the news, and sporadically read the print media.

I really believed that I had a rational grip on what I was absorbing and understood the truth and error of the issues. Little did I realize the imprisoning effect that it was having on me.

Graciously, the Lord confronted me with my sin of speaking against those in authority over me. Having been forgiven, He freed me from my mental state of incarceration. The first thing that I had to do was to ‘turn off’ the numerous voices that I was listening too, and listen to one voice, His.

Listening to multiple voices brought me into confusion. Confusion was what the Lord allowed to awaken me to the fact that something was wrong. God is not the author of confusion. I despaired over knowing who was telling the truth. I was constantly agitated mentally and on edge listening to the daily rhetoric, rationalizing the spin I was hearing and putting my own spin on things. I found myself in pursuit of only listening to ‘words’ that conformed to my personal biases and listening solely to oppositional words to gain verbal ammunition to fortify my mental resolve.

This all came to a head while trying to prepare a teaching sermon for the home church that was being held in our home. The thrust of the teaching was to confess the error of my way. In doing do so, I was free to pray for this nation’s leadership in the right spirit.

To Be Continued

I am adding to my blog several articles that I typed directly into Facebook when the website was incapacitated. These articles can be found on Facebook in my timeline. These articles were originally posted in the summer of 2019.

As a teacher, there were times when I wanted to tell a student to sit down, shut up and be a student. Recently there have been several occasions when I have wanted to say the exact same thing to a person who was piously pontificating their personal rhetoric on television or the radio assuming that their audience was hanging breathlessly onto their every word with great expectation. ( I am sure that there have been many who have probably wished to say the same thing to my face when I have been waxing eloquently.)

So what is really on my mind?

We are a nation of POW’s. What do I mean?

We are ‘Prisoners of Words’.

Today (summer of 2019), I heard an advertisement to attend a conference entitled, ‘The War For the Soul of America’. I must admit that I believe that this accurately states what were are facing as a nation.

This nation is bombarded daily with words that coerce and challenge our thinking, seeking to persuade us by constant repetition to adopt a certain position deemed to be the truth. It is interesting how the wording is communicated massaging our mentality claiming clarity, rationality, and completely in the best interest of the nation, while at the same time verbalizing vehemently against their opposition.

The intent of these words are to conform us to a thought process that provides a progressive way of thinking that frees us from the shackles of the past, enlightens our future with their ideology, and completely refutes any opposing thought that stands in stark contrast to their beliefs.

My concern is that many in our nation have embraced this dialogue of words and thought to heighten their political persuasion to a place where they have incarcerated themselves in a political prison resulting in becoming POW’s-‘Prisoners of Words’.

How many voters will cast their ballots having been mesmerized by the words that they have been exposed too for the past several years? Are we as a nation losing our ability to think on our own two feet relying completely on someone else to dictate our thinking?

For me it becomes an easy transition to understand why some people see a battle for the ‘Soul of America’ is at risk. It is, as if, we are being so programmed that we are losing our ability to think for ourselves. Is it possible that there are forces at work that do not want us to be able to think for our self?

Do words matter? Absolutely. They have the power of life and death; they can build up or tare down; they communicate good or evil; they influence positively or negatively. They are like leaven. They have an energizing influence.

Student’s of the Word of God know that much is taught in scripture about how we use our tongue; our choice of the words; and how we control our speech.

Are you free from the tyranny of the words that dominate our society? Or are you incarcerated by the overwhelming influence of the negativity that assails this nation?

I have a major concern for the Body of Christ. How immersed are you in listening to the volatile rhetoric that is spewed out daily? Are you free in your spirit? Or are you anxious, distressed, disturbed, discouraged, and/or angry by listening to what fill the air ways, is shared over social media, or reported in the print media?

In short, what is your outlook on life, at this time, for yourself, your family, this nation, this world? The fact is that we must recognize that what we are watching and listening too is no surprise. It is all part of what it means to live in the ‘end times’.

Maybe, a more penetrating question might be, what is the mental health of the Body of Christ? I am not a psychologist; and I certainly do not have any knowledgeable insight into psychology; but I am concerned for the Lord’s people.

Let me encourage you to read and meditate on the following:

Philippians 2:1-11; 4:4-9; James 3:13-4:12; Romans 12:1-2.

I would like to close with Hebrews 1:1-3b, 2:1

“Long ago, at many time and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things through whom also he create the world…and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…Therefore, we must pay closer attention to shat we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

To Be Continued.