Don’t know about you, but….

I think I could almost make an entire “category” on here named “Is it just me, or…?”

I continue in that vein of thought.

It’s getting so crazy on planet Earth. Life is downright bizarre!

Where to begin? I’ll be 62 in a couple months. It almost seems like the brain fog issue I have dealt with 30 years is morphing into something more quantifiable. Can’t hold more than one concern/thought/task in my mind at any given time. Couched in computer imagry, we always have multiple tabs open, running in the background, we’re intending to go back and close those as we complete our task. (IE, a running “to-do” list).

Well my rate of failure to finish tasks and go close those tabs has me crashing all day long. Low bandwidth? Creeping toward old age? Yup. But also tech and the things we are increasingly forced to use it for, has near about gotten beyond my capacity to keep up. (Does “The Singularity” have a personal, aspect?, idk).

Brain fog fluctuates. Mine was at it’s worst at age 32 with fibro and 2 untreated sleep disorders, so I might ougtta just be thankful. Then again, even my kids, age 30 and 28, seem to be terribly forgetful and scattered, so who knows? Smart tech is for sure undermining critical thinking skills, attention spans and memory. Add in aging, poisoned food- air- water.

The vax many (not I) took one or several of, the now seventy-something childhoid immunizations being pushed on kids from birth.

Unsustainable! All the present state of this world. Period.

My inbox is fraught with stuff to be cautious about, that looks important, but must be scrutinized to be sure, but also handled carefully, because scams grow more sophisticated by the day.

I have to log into different “portals” for each doctor I see, and increasingly that is the only means of contacting them, while nearly everything requires referral and prior auth, and there are fewer and fewer doctors “to go around”, thus wait-times are 9 mo or more depending on the specialist needed to consult with.

I get letters notifying me of my info having been exposed in a data breach at a rate of one every 2-3 weeks. I then have to wonder if signing up for the offered data monitoring is not just one more way to expose all my most sensitive data and ID, and merely compounding the liklihood of my “sensitive info” being further compromised.

(Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication, present your requests to God, and the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus).

How many passwords do you keep track of? Remember when they told us “never write them down”. Yeah, right! Now it’s a 3 step authentication process for every sign-in, and I gotta have a Pin# for my taxes.

We have to actively look for skimming devices at every card reader, ATM, and gas pump. Even the most knowledgeable folk about those things, can’t keep up with the newest ways crooks come up with to steal from us.

How about “peopling”? What are you experiencing? In interpersonal interactions?

Two of my “lifelong” friendships imploded in a 2 month period this year.

All “close-like-family” friendships entail quirks and peeves each accepts about the other, but each of those “lifelong” friends violated boundries that have irrevocably, irreperably shattered my ability to trust them again. One not open to talking things out. The other moved to another state without so much as saying bye, or letting me know at all (for the second time). No imminent danger hanging over her.

It’s painful to discover that just because someone “means the world to you” does not gaurantee you “matter” to them in the same way, if at all.

I cried. Alot.

Most who know me personally would say it takes a lot more for me, to give up on anyone, than your average individual. But over time, I have been hurt pretty bad by people I loved on many occasions and though I forgive,(our battle is not with flesh and blood) the trust is gone and reconciliation to the former degree of closeness, is not possible. I (historically) tenaciously strive to mend rifts even when the other party doesn’t make much effort, because to me, relationship is THE most precious gift that life in this world offers. But anything that gets stretched a lot eventually loses it’s resiliancy.

It’s beyond that, though. Something fundamental seems to have shifted in people post-Covid.

It takes certain things and some time for any discerning person to implicitly trust someone, a little skepticism is wise, but lately it seems like “suspiscion” has progressed to paranoia and is permeating society as a whole. Not even saying it’s entirely unwarranted, but still! It seems like people’s reflex is to assign malicious motives to the slightest things said or done. Has benefit of the doubt gone extinct? Communication has broken down and mutual understanding seems nearly unattainable.

And as prophecied, love has grown cold.

Being we are in those perilous times Jesus spoke of in Matthew, I know I should not be surprised, but like a lot of things that we knew to expect, the reality of those things is a shock to the system nonetheless. As they say, there is knowing a thing is coming, but a whole other knowing in the experiencing of that thing.

I pray for all Christians everywhere, that we will stay in the word (faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word- which includes faith sufficient for whatever the day may bring) that we will pray without ceasing, and go about our days clad in the Ephesians 6 armor, because I suspect it is not just me who is feeling the warfare against “all who would live Godly in Christ Jesus”. IE, any born-again believer who genuinely wishes to live an obedient life and hear “well done”:

Lord you are Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals, You promised to never leave or forsake us, whether in the cumulative minutae of day-to-day doings, in the heat of battle, or the valley of the shadow of death. Principalities and powers cannot separate us from your love. I cry, just as the father in the multitude whose son had a spirit causing him to be deaf and mute: “I believe, Lord, help thou my unbelief”. Grant me discipline in spiritual hygeine! Help me not underestimate the gravity of Your warnings. I see “as through a glass darkly”. I ask that like Elisha prayed for the young man, you will open my eyes that I may see, literally, those chariots of fire doing battle on behalf of Your own. “I am but dust.” Spiritual laws are as real and immutable as the laws of physics, and obedience is important but weariness undermines vigilance and erodes diligence. Lord reach the prodigals each of us have prayed for, and send that one who will get through to the lost loved one we have pleaded for. Make me sensitive to any in my circle of influence who are “ripe unto harvest” and grant me boldness to proclaim the gospel.

Spiritual attacks come in myriad forms, each insidiously and meticulously customized to our specific weaknesses and greatest fears.

God does not give us a spirit of fear. Satan does. We are commanded to take every thought captive, put down vain imaginations, and not to “borrow” trouble from tomorrow (which may or may not come to pass).

Anyone involved in intercession, privy to requests for prayer, can testify that requests indicate there are many who are enduring multiple difficulties stacked on top of each other. Unbelievable, inconceivable burdon upon burdon. I believe one likely reason God is allowing it is because when we are struggling we seek God, when we are not struggling we can tend to grow complacent. Evil is rising, and we can less and less afford to let down our guard, and drift aimlessly through life. Intentionality is imperitive.

God wants to strengthen our faith muscles. Just like physical strength, some are more disciplined than others, and indeed some are also endowed with a “gift of faith”, or with a greater capacity to study which builds “faith muscles”. Hardship forces us to remember those faith muscles. God knows each of his kids intimately and handles each according to how he “wired us”, and what motivates us.

People are often quick to judge someone, for example, as a “worrier”, when actually God made the judged one sensitive to recognize trouble coming long before others will, and what looks like worry, is actually warranted concern toward preventative action. It serves a God-ordained purpose, but yes, the significance and urgency can be legitimately taxing for the watchful discerner.

Other folks might be judged “aloof”, when actually they are designed by God to be the one to maintain impartiality in conflict, and be the level head when everyone else is panicking. Two sides to every coin, and a role and purpose for every member of the body.

There is a growing remnant who have no one to fellowship with in person. But that remnant finds one another in the comment section of Christian Youtube, Substack, X, etc. The same tech that will become the beast system, God is using now for His own good purposes and meeting our needs. Fewer scripturally sound teachers and preachers reach more and more, because the internet gets the seed (or bread) further afield. Iron can sharpen iron even from the other side of the globe.

Perspective is everything for the weary watchman. It’s easy to lose.

How does one put on the armor, in practice? I typed that question into an AI named Grace, which has been trained* in the King James Bible from a Fundamental Baptist perspective (*for lack of my knowing the terminology involved in AI and programming in general.) Here’s what came back:

“Putting on the armor involves faith, obedience, reliance on God’s word and Holy Spirit”

That resonates very well with the passage, but I would also add that prayer is key, and we overlook an element of that passage that bears emphasising:

“Having done all, stand” (verse 13)

We often think our troubles, and the anxiety that comes with them, indicate insufficient faith, or some failure on our part.

But God only asks us to stand.

If you’re still in the fight, still appealing to heaven, despite how hard it’s gotten, despite all you have endured, despite occasional doubt, despite disillusionment, abandonment and betrayal…If you, like Peter, would say

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”.(John 6:68)

That means you are doing just that. Standing. Keeping faith. Still looking to HIM for the answer/relief/strength/will/endurance/comfort/way through, around, over, under or out of your trial.

Keep holding on, one day at a time, one hour at a time, one moment at a time, one blow, one disappointment, one overdue bill…

The Lord and His invisible chariots of fire are in that unseen realm fighting for you right now. Blessed are those who having not seen, do believe. (John 20:29). Soon our faith will become sight!