Heart palpitations and Jesus

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

[John 16:33]

Take heart, Jesus said. In other words: be encouraged, be comforted, cheer up. Oh, how we need to hear these words. The crazier the world gets, the more we need to hear His voice, the more we need to guard our heart and keep His perfect shalom.

I was reading in a medical article that heart palpitations are a very common experience. If you surveyed 100 people, about 90 of them would have reported heart palpitations. It's usually harmless, but stress and anxiety (as well as caffeine and medication) can cause our hearts to act funny.

We cannot change what is happening in the world; the wars, the disasters, the drama. But we can change how those happenings affect our hearts. Colossians 3:15 says:

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Did you notice the word 'rule'? Peace rules, not in this world, but in our hearts. That is where the change begins, for everyone! Jesus is the Prince of peace and He wants to reside in us. His residency in our lives makes all the difference.

Warning: There is a side effect! A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body [Proverbs 14:30a].

A wave of the sea

I am currently working on the final stages of my new book (yeah!). People are proofreading, I am editing, making corrections, and rewriting sections here and there.

My new book will be the tenth and final book in a series about the Ten Commandments in the 21st century. The book is based on the first commandment that tells us not to have other gods before Him.

It will probably come as no surprise that the title of this new book will be 'No other gods' and it basically deals with the importance of undivided loyalty towards God and His Word. My free translation of 'no other gods' would be 'no compromise.'

👉Undivided loyalty will make us stand firm, especially in a world that is getting crazier by the day! We see new ideas, trends, and philosophies popping up like mushrooms and people are being tossed around like ragdolls trying to follow all that is 'new'. 

I will not be tossed around for I am standing on solid ground and I hope the same is true for you. We need to guard our position, however, and pray for wisdom. James 1:6 says about such prayer, But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.

Aha, we will be blown and tossed by the wind if our loyalty is divided. We should therefore ask ourselves if we feel like a ragdoll because of everything that is going on in the world. If the answer is yes, we should check our loyalty towards God and His Word. Does the Good News still stand above all the bad news in our lives?

James continues: Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. Ouch. Instability is the result of divided loyalty. I have the feeling that it's time for a faith check-up for many believers. Let's do it now!

Dwelling place, or how to escape the chaos

Constant noise

Have you ever been in a busy city where traffic flies by constantly, where sidewalks are crowded, and where there is constant noise?

I have been to many such cities all over the world, traveling with my husband. From New York to Calcutta, from Mexico City to Cairo, and from Kuala Lumpur to Santiago de Chile.

Change of scenery

In order to escape the chaos we would often enter a church, even at a time when we were not really interested in finding God. The change of scenery and atmosphere when we stepped into a church or cathedral was often dramatic. Just one step would take us from total mayhem to serene silence.

Kingdom atmosphere

I have read somewhere that the architects and builders of many old churches purposely wanted to create a Kingdom atmosphere (in sharp contrast with the world outside) where the peace of God ruled and where beauty and art were the norm. Somewhat like in Biblical times when David wrote:

I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where Your glorious presence dwells.

You can find this in Psalm 26;8. Some translations say: the house, the temple, the dwelling where You live. I don't know what David had in mind, there was no temple at that time. A  sanctuary, a tabernacle... it doesn't really matter how we picture it; it is the place where His presence dwells (abides).

Our body, our responsibility

Today I was thinking about how blessed we are to live in a time and era where God's presence is with us, all the time... well, if you believe in Jesus. Our body is a house of God (a temple) where the Holy Spirit lives. We carry Him within, wherever we go (1 Corinthians 6:19). We don't have to wait till Sunday to meet with Him 😁

This privilege gives us responsibility as well. We must take good care of our temple, since we belong to God, no longer to ourselves.

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👉 In my book 'In My Name' I discuss the presence of God in more detail!

A committed life (or, how to live in this evil word)

Committed to the cause!

Politicians, athletes, activists, and businesspeople are committed to their cause, whether that is serving people, winning a medal, reaching a goal, or making millions. They are people willing to give their time, energy, and devotion to something. They are often totally focused, loyal, and dedicated. 

What about Christians?

What about us? Are we committed to the cause, to a life that pleases God? Are we focused, loyal, and dedicated or are we standing with one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom? I pondered those questions the other day, wondering why so many Christians are being influenced (and sometimes end up being paralyzed) by everything that is happening in our world today.

Our instructions are quite clear

The Bible calls us to live a certain way. 👉 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God (Titus 2:12). It doesn't say we should live in this evil world with fear, worry, and anxiety. Quite the contrary.

Maybe you say, 'Marja, that's not easy.' Well, no one said it would be easy. If we continue to read in that same chapter we will find out how it is possible to live that way. We are called to look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

A committed life

So, we can and should live a life devoted to God while looking forward to what is to come. And then comes verse 14: He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. Totally committed to doing good deeds. It is the antidote to being sucked into the dramas of this world if you ask me!

Rush or linger?

The other day I joined a breathing exercise class at my work. The teacher asked how people arrived at work that day.

To my surprise most had arrived in a rush. Some because of chaos at home, children to drop off at school, and leaving too late. Others because of chaos on the freeway, parking challenges, and appointments waiting.

For many life is a rush.

We rush through our tasks, we rush to get groceries during lunch break, and we rush home. Yeah, we might even rush through Bible reading. A scripture here, a scripture there, a quick prayer, and off we go again.

I strongly believe the Lord is looking for people who dare to linger. For people who are not afraid to stay in His presence without agenda, who want to listen, and who are not afraid to be silent.

Who dares to linger?

Exodus 33:11 intrigues me: So the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Joshua lingered in the tent of meeting, in the place where God's presence was so tangible. He was young, and he wanted that close connection with God that Moses had... face-to-face. About Zacharias the priest, it is written: And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. He experienced the presence of God.

Do you seek His presence?

The choice is ours and the crazier the world gets, the more we need to linger, to sit with the One who loves us. The One who loves us says to you and me today: 'Sister, you are worried and troubled about many things', just as He said to Martha when He came into her house (see Luke 10:41-42).

Are you worried and troubled about many things?

Maybe it is time to reconsider. Maybe it is time to master the art of lingering. Not just when on vacation, but maybe even more so in times of turmoil. Jesus explained it to Martha:

There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.

Will you discover it?

How to stay positive in a negative world

It's been a while, but back in the summer of 2022 I posted a series of videos on Youtube and Instagram entitled 'How to stay positive in a negative world'.  

Are we called to be positive amidst trouble and mayhem? Yes, I believe so. 👉We are called to be different, to shine when all is dark.

The Bible says it like this in Philippians 2:15: Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

We are called to be bright lights! It saddens me when Christians are negative and without hope. I talk with a lot of people who find it difficult to remain positive when many things seem to go wrong, whether it is the politics in their country, the economic situation, or the spiritual climate.

And yes, sometimes world events and traumatic happenings can get to our nerves; but let's go back to the Bible again and again and find encouragement.

Realizing how difficult it can be to remain hopeful, I taped 15 videos with practical tips you can start implementing today. They're just two minutes each and the messages will encourage you and lift you up. I don't have all the answers, but I realize we need to rise above our circumstances... all the time.

If you haven't seen the videos, here's the link and let me know what you think!

A balanced Christian life

Extremism, radicalism, and polarization (whatever name we give it) seem to me a result of a lack of balance. Yeah, in every area of life, whether that is in politics, religious views, social issues, or ideologies.

Sometimes I read or hear stuff that makes me wonder how people got there, somewhat like the turtle on the fence post 😏

It seems to be getting more and more difficult to live a life of choices without being put in a box immediately. My goodness, it is possible to enjoy meat and vegetarian food, sunshine and snow, sports and reading, just to name a few.

It is horrific to see that even Christians struggle to find balance in life. We either act like everything is perfect while it isn't, or we cry over everything like there is no Comforter. Well, maybe it is just me...

The other day I was reminded of what is written in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8,

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

I realize I am somewhat radical in my worldview and if it wasn't for the teachings in the Bible I would be all over the place, probably. 👉But knowing that God wants me to learn to live well under ALL circumstances helps me a lot. The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13,

I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

I am curious, how do you keep the balance?

In, but not of this world (2)

In my previous blog post, I mentioned the prayer request of Jesus: I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one (John 17:15).

It is God's will that his disciples/followers are in this world, but at the same time... not belong to it (John 17:16). I hope you took the time to read John 17:10-20 a few times. It is such an interesting prayer.

Maybe you are thinking 'Well, I never belonged to the world. I was born in a Christian family, and I've always been to church.' Whether we belong (or not belong) to the world has nothing to do with the way we grew up but everything with God's calling.

In John 15:18-19 Jesus told His disciples: If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Jesus called the disciples out of the world into His Kingdom and He is still calling people today. 👉As a matter of fact, Jesus has chosen all of mankind to come out of this wicked world and enter His Kingdom. All we have to do is say yes to Him and to His plan of salvation.

Is it that simple, Marja? Yes, it is. Let's take a look at Galatians 1:4-5 where it is written, Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

This is the rescue plan! It is possible to live in this world (as long as we're breathing) but at the same time belong to the Kingdom of God. Yeah, with our feet on the ground and our head in the clouds, so to speak 😁

In, but not of this world (1)

We live in a strange world, a world full of opposites... beautiful and heart-wrenching, breathtaking and cringing, wonderful and cruel. We love this place, but we hate what is going on. We long for heaven and yet we want to stay here.

In this new blog series, I want to stop and pause and take a closer look at this awesome, crazy, amazing, rotten, wicked, fantastic world Jesus tells us to go into...  in order to share the good news!

It might be opposed to popular Christian thinking, but Jesus actually prayed to God the Father and asked Him not to take us out of this world. We are not supposed to live on a spiritual island, safe within our little Christian circles. It is His will that we are in this world, but not without protection.

I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one (John 17:15).

Don't take 'm out of this world, Jesus prayed, because the world needs to see My disciples. Just make sure You keep them safe, Father. Just think about that, we are supposed to be in this world. However, we do not belong to it. Jesus made that very clear when He prayed: They do not belong to this world any more than I do (John 17:16).

👉Please, read John 17:10-20 a few times (preferably in different Bible translations) and let that precious prayer really speak to you. It is a prayer for all of us, for today.

If we are in this world, but not of this world, how then shall we live? How do we keep ourselves from being polluted by worldly thinking, talking, and habits? A friend of this world is an enemy of God, the Bible says.

I hope you will join me in this new blog series! Feel free to share your thoughts and comments.

Why a change of scenery is good

"A change of place, a change of luck."

This phrase can be found in the Jewish Talmud and it reflects the idea that when we have a change of scenery, our luck (or at least our perspective) can change as well.

I do agree! A change of scenery or, according to the dictionary a move to different surroundings, can be really refreshing. It is often a great way to bring more joy and novelty into our daily life.

Last weekend we rented a wooden cabin in the forest. It was a delightful place, and although we were only there for a few days, it was truly an enchanting and very inspiring experience. Most of all, there was silence.

A change of scenery, no matter how big or small, is like stepping back and viewing a painting from a different angle, which really helps give us a fresh look. In Genesis 15:5 we can read how the Lord took Abram outside his tent (his immediate surroundings) and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

Abram needed to broaden his perspective, his view. He was way too focussed on the impossibilities of life. Don't we often do the same? 👉We keep watching or reading the same news items over and over again, day in day out, and we just don't see how God is going to change things. But He can and He will.

Turn off the tv. Step outside. Go for a walk. Breathe. Give thanks. But most of all... let's look up. Our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth! He will give us a fresh and hopeful perspective!

We own nothing and yet...

'You'll own nothing and you'll be happy'.

It's a slogan ascribed to an elite group's ideology (I'll spare you the details). A group whose members don't include themselves in their slogan, they are above it. 'You' instead of 'we'. I hope you get the point.

Whether the slogan is really theirs doesn't really matter. One of the predictions on their agenda is that by 2030 all products will have become services. Think about that, whatever you need someone will provide for you. At first, it sounds great, just snap your fingers and it will be brought to you. 

But in reality, it will make us very dependent on the people who provide those services. In reality, it is rephrasing the slogan I started with. A slogan straight out of the mouth of Satan. Why? Because it is twisted truth, it is a deception. 

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:10, Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Now this, dear friends, is the truth. Everything belongs to God, the Creator of the Universe. So, in that sense we own nothing indeed, we never did. If it wasn't for the breath in our lungs that the Lord gives us each day we wouldn't be able to work for money to buy a car or a house.

Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 10:14).

God owns everything and we get to take care of it, which makes us stewards. This goes for the earth and all that is in it as well as for spiritual riches entrusted to us (believers). It all has been given to us to take care of as long as this earth exists.

👉We can do so joyfully, honestly, and productively (no matter how great or small our influence is) and that will make us happy indeed because we will bring glory to God!

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all (1 Chronicles 29:11).

A mandate to shine

The other day I came across a sentence in one of the books I am currently reading, that really stuck with me... I mean like glue. 

Shine where you are.

Shine where you are. Four simple words that made me wonder what would happen if we all did that? Just imagine... we would live in a different world!

What if we would shine exactly in the place or position we are in right now? Not when things get better, not when we have it all together, not when we are healed, not when we are out of trouble, not when our government changes... but now, right where we are.

Maybe you don't want to shine, maybe you prefer complaining and grumbling. 👉 But for believers it is different, we have a mandate to shine! Think about that.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be innocent and pure as God's perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky (Philippians 2:14-15, GNT).

Just imagine...

Teach me (2)

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.

I love that verse (Psalm 90:12)! In order to grow in wisdom, the cry of our hearts must be 'teach me!' This basically means admitting that we do not have the answers to all of today's issues and problems.

Society today expects us to have strong opinions, to take sides, to understand complicated matters, and to know the politically 'correct' responses to every occurring problem.

Despite all the drama and confusion in our world today, many people do not believe the Bible could be relevant and useful in order to keep us on the right path. But what was written two thousand years ago has eternal value. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says:

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 👉God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

This earth could be filled with good, benevolent works (which would make it a much better place if you ask me) if we would be open to the instructions the Bible gives us. We need to be taught to do right, because human nature wants to do wrong.

Just look at little children... we often regard them as innocent, but parents have to teach children to do right, while the wrong things come naturally (being jealous, selfish, disobedient, etc.). This is because we are born with a sinful nature, in desperate need of forgiveness and change!

What if we would fill up on spiritual truth instead of earthly knowledge? What if...?

Living by the Book in 2022

Before I was a believer, I thought that living according to biblical principles and values would be hard, that most fun things would be forbidden, and that life would be predictable and boring....

Oh, how wrong my thinking was! The opposite is true. Of course I had to renew my thinking on thousands of topics, followed by corresponding words and actions.

This new life turned out to be a completely different adventure than the ones I had lived until then, and I had lived many adventures, believe me.

The Christian life has many ups and downs and the Bible even warns us to expect trials and tribulations!  Which, by the way, will strengthen our faith and build endurance. But in a certain way 'living by the Book' has made my life easier.

Yeah, really. How? Well, there is no need for me to join every new hype and fad the world can come up with. Sticking with the Word of God means that opinions I have about creation, the climate, mankind, marriage, family life, work ethics, and so on, and so on, are based on that very same Word. They are not mine, they are His and that makes them eternal and thus extremely valuable.

👉What has living by the Book brought or taught you?

Hopeless or hopeful view of this world?

The devil is a defeated enemy, he has no more power. I often hear Christians say that. Then I look around and I can only conclude that reality is just slightly different.

Yes, Jesus has defeated the enemy, that's for sure. But the devil is still trying to exercise power in this world, you have to be blind not to see that all around us every day. There is murder, abuse, violence, and misery... everywhere.

He has power because people give it to him. Satan is always looking for people through whom to do his destructive work. That doesn't sound very encouraging, of course.

And frankly, it would be very depressing if we didn't understand (or know) that God is also always looking for people through whom He can do His redemptive work! We need to understand those two things. In 1 John 5:19 it says: We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

This was written some 2,000 years ago! The whole world is under the power of the devil. That may sound very frightening, but it is exactly why it is so important to know whether you are a child of God. We are all part of God's creation, but not automatically His child.

In John 1:12 it says that we have been given the right to become children of God. 👉How? By accepting Jesus and believing in His name, it says. That's not very complicated. With that in mind, it is very good to continue our read in 1 John 5:20,

And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

From such a perspective, we can look at this world full of hope!

Our viewing is too small

My previous blog 'Managing our thoughts' reached quite a few readers. Apparently, the content spoke to you.

Today I'm writing a follow-up, because it's not only important what we think about, but also what we look at, because that's pretty much where it all starts.

The people behind the mainstream media understand this like no other. It doesn't really matter what an article is about, as long as there is a suitable (stock) photo that attracts attention. 👉After all, images speak louder than words.

Just ask yourself what it is that gets your attention first when you open a page, whether in the newspaper or on the Internet.

Yes, of course, headlines by themselves do scream. However, the combination with an image that touches people emotionally makes the story complete! An image can be etched in our memory, an article not… just think about that.

It probably won't surprise you that the Bible tells us to purposely direct our eyes as well as our thoughts. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 it says: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Fixing our eyes on unseen things... That's easier said than done. The things we see around us are the reality of every day. No one will deny that. But those things are also temporarily... they pass! (sometimes you wonder what we're all so worried about)

The things we cannot see, are truth and therefore eternal. Love, grace, forgiveness, breath, God himself. Read through all of that chapter 4 and you will see how the writer compares everything he experiences with eternity.

Our viewing is too small, I think that often. The distance between our eyes and a screen or newspaper is at most 60 cm. It would do us good to step outside regularly to view the infinite starry sky. A simple step that can put everything back into proper perspective.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:4).

Is your love growing cold?

That we live in 'turbulent times' is probably an understatement, although I believe each generation has its share of ups and downs, blessing and drama, prosperity and pain. There is no such thing as a constant in life...

You may think whatever you like about everything we are experiencing in our world today. The opinions, thoughts, and interpretations of the current state of affairs are endless and quite diverse. I strongly believe each human being is entitled to voice his or her thoughts on any topic, as long as we listen to each other and respect the fact that not everyone thinks the same 😁

As Christians, we are warned (more than two thousand years ago) for times like this. Jesus clearly spoke about the future (which is now) and the things to expect such as wars, earthquakes, and pestilences. 👉Read Matthew 24 for yourself and see how accurate His predictions are.

I want to focus on verse 12 in that chapter, where Jesus says: Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. To me, that is the scariest thing of everything He had to say that day. Our love growing cold, a very troubling thought... and yet we see it happening every day, right in front of our eyes.

People divided and hating each other over politics, over mouth masks, over conspiracies, over religion, over about everything. And if that isn't enough, 'social distancing' is being preached as the new norm which is somehow accepted by many, many people as something to get used to. Really? Synonyms for distancing are dissociation, separation, isolation, segregation (!), alienation, disengagement etc. etc. Think about that, please!

Sin (everything that goes against God's moral standard for living and thriving) will be rampant everywhere (some translations say there will be an increase of wickedness) and at the same time our love for God, country, and each other will grow cold. We must be careful not to go with that flow. Do NOT let your love grow cold, guard it, exercise it, share it! 1 John 4:18 says there is no fear in love.

Let's keep fear at a distance, not each other!

Hope brings life

Hope brings life. That thought came to me last week. And with that another thought, a simple conclusion really: Without hope, there is no life.

We all need hope. Hope for recovery, hope for better times, hope for the future. Without hope, a person withers away. We can see that when someone is seriously ill and there is no one who dares to speak words of hope.

If you read/see most news stories today, one would almost believe that the world is hopeless. We suddenly found ourselves on this escalator of increasing madness ... an escalator that keeps moving, even when we are standing still.

But you know what? We are not supposed to be dragged away like that. A person is not meant to live without hope. We can all make the decision to either let ourselves be dragged away passively or to take steps actively.

The most important step we can take in life is to turn our backs on hopelessness and to put our trust in God and no longer in the world, its systems, leaders, and programs. The hope that God gives does apply to our earthly existence and even more so to our eternal future. 👉Biblical hope is always focused on Jesus the Messiah, not on improving worldly conditions.

The times we are living in right now, calls for a decision: do you want to live without hope or do you want to surrender your life to the God of all hope? He will bring peace and tranquility to your heart and,  above all, He will give you hope for the future; here on earth and in the world to come!

Come to me, you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

Power games

In Him we live, we move, and have our being (Acts 17:28).

One of my favorite Bible texts. Such depth in a few words! The 'Him' being Jesus Christ Himself.

For the biggest part of my life (well, up until now) I did not know or understand this. I thought I was the master of my life and my future. I had one life to live and wanted to make the best of it. Nothing wrong with that of course, but without the Giver of life... such goals are unattainable 😉 I know now!

No matter how good and lofty our intentions are to make life great, we will find opposition, we will encounter immense struggles. As long as we do not acknowledge the One who holds the universe in His hands, we will keep bumping into obstacles in our limited little world.

In my previous blog I wrote I wrote about and commented on the vicious battlefield we find ourselves in nowadays, whether we like it or not. We are seeing immense power games in our world today. Political leaders, nations, organizations… all acting as if the world would stop to function when they are no longer there. Such arrogance and misconception.

The truth is: the whole world exists because of Jesus, the whole universe is sustained by Him and by His powerful Word. This is our foundation, this is our hope for today and the future. The world may crumble, but the powerful Word stands forever. I love how it is written in Colossians 1:15-17,

Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.

👉We do not need to learn more about the world, we need to learn more about the Word!

Why do conspiracies exist?

Nowadays there is a lot of talk about conspiracy theories and just as many warnings to stay away from them because they mostly fall in the category 'fake news'... well, so we are told.

The more information that is available, the harder it gets to filter true and false stories. It seems that with every secret revealed, a contra-theory rises up. It is a vicious battlefield we find ourselves in, whether we like it or not, whether we follow conspiracy theories or not.

May I point out that the Bible speaks clearly about conspiracies. 👉The question thereby is not whether a conspiracy is true or false, but rather why it exists. Let's take a look at one of the most intriguing questions in the Bible, as found in Psalm 2:1,

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?

It could be a question asked by many people today. WHY do nations (corporate level) and peoples (private level) engage in plots and schemes? Why can't we live in peace together? Why all this uproar? David answers the question in verse 2: The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

In the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) it is written like this: Why are the nations in an uproar, the peoples grumbling in vain? The earth’s kings are taking positions, leaders conspiring together, against Adonai and his anointed.

Kings are taking positions, leaders conspiring together against Adonai, against God and against the Messiah (Messiah means anointed one)... Somehow David received this insight, that all the violence, wars, and uproar of nations were acts of rebellion against God. I mentioned it in one of my previous blogs: ultimately this is all a battle between good and evil, between light and darkness, between God and satan. It would be dangerously ignorant to deny this, simply because it plays out right in front of our eyes, every day!

Yes, there is an evil plot to overturn all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. Yes, there was, is, and will be a plot against Jesus and what He stands for: love, grace, righteousness, peace, forgiveness, purity, and joy. The early believers acknowledged it: Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed (Acts 4:27).

The other day I saw a picture of an individual in a big demonstration. He was holding up a sign that said, 'if Jesus comes back, kill him again'. The sheer hatred against the Son of God who went around doing good and healing all who were sick and oppressed, plays out on an individual as well as a corporate level. Yes, there is a conspiracy (a huge one), there is no denying it.

Our reaction? We should pray as the early believers did (Acts 4:29-30): Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.