No place to rest

[Nancy]

And this is what it’s all about.....in Eden, when humans abandoned God, he allowed the “god” they chose to rule over then without his intervention. (Luke 4:5-8) God wanted the humans to experience first hand what a world without Him would become....and here we are at the end of this exercise, and for the majority, none the wiser, still looking to man under satan’s Influence to guide them....”the blind leading the blind”.

They are just “like their father the devil”....thoroughly corrupted by their power and vainly kidding themselves about their ability to create and maintain peace on this earth by their own rulership. It was always done with violence.....and it was doomed from the start, because God already knew how it would end, but the record of human history is now there for all to see....there is no nation on earth who serves the interests of the Creator....all are thieves and corruptly looking out only for themselves. They have never really cared about the people they were supposed to serve, but reversed that and had the people serve them......such is the corrupting influence of power over others. It’s the one thing God never gave humankind.....He was to be their King, law giver, and arbiter of all things because he is incorruptible.

Jesus taught us to pray for God’s “kingdom to come” and his “will to be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven”....humans have been mindlessly repeating this prayer for centuries without comprehending what it is that they are actually praying for. This is the prayer for the re-establishment of God’s rulership over mankind....the perfect rule of God that the first humans threw away at the lying suggestions of the first rebel. All this time we have been showing ourselves how pathetic we are at governing ourselves with sin as the driver and the devil and his henchmen as rulers.

The end of the lesson is approaching and those vainly clinging to man’s rulership will go down with it.
Those clinging to false worship will go down with it.
And those putting faith in their wealth or position will go down with it. All these systems will crumble under God’s incoming Kingdom. (Daniel 2:44)

Where will we find ourselves? Will we be on the receiving end of Jesus’ utter rejection of those who thought that they could combine true worship with any of the above?

Complete separation from the world as Jesus said, would mean ostracism and hatred from those who want to keep supporting it. (Matthew 7:21-23; John 15:18-21) God’s kingdom is the only rulership we can support. There is no dual citizenship. (John 18:36)

Time is running out and the devil is no longer subtle in his approach.....if we fail to see things for what they really are....and people for who they really are, we will not survive the greatest tribulation in the history of mankind that is fast approaching. (Matthew 24:21)

We must choose our path wisely. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Agreed, and well put.

"And this is what it’s all about.....in Eden, when humans abandoned God, he allowed the “god” they chose to rule over then without his intervention. (Luke 4:5-8) God wanted the humans to experience first hand what a world without Him would become....and here we are at the end of this exercise, and for the majority, none the wiser, still looking to man under satan’s Influence to guide them....”the blind leading the blind”.

Yes indeed, they chose the wrong "god"...and it is palpable anymore, satan's wiles. Everywhere I look something from scripture comes to mind and reveals.
"Trust no man"

 

[Bob Estey]

When I look with a broad sweep over the last few years I see people going this way and that way, like they’re looking for where to rest or what to lean on and finding nothing but wind. First this is good and right, this person is good and right, that thought is good and right. Then it’s, no, that’s not right , this person isn’t what we thought and hoped, they’re out of favor, cancelled. Now THIS is good and right. Now, THIS person will bring us better days.
It’s painful to watch. People keep putting their hope on different humans like…okay, now YOU lead us out of this mess.
Maybe it’s just always been this way and I didn’t really see it…it reminds me of that flock of murmurating birds caught on video recently. All in unison, they crashed into the ground, a whole huge swarm.

I don't know if the world has always been this way. It seems to me it's gotten a whole lot worse over the last decade.

 

[Aunty Jane]

I don't know if the world has always been this way. It seems to me it's gotten a whole lot worse over the last decade.

Satan has ruled this world since Eden...he preys on those who are sin laden and weak willed. But even these ones can gain strength from God if they put in the effort to obey his commands. Obedience is all God has ever asked of his children.....and those of us who are parents can understand why.

Humans have given allegiance to their human rulers, sometimes willingly, and sometimes with no choice, but never with joy.....because "power corrupts....and absolute power corrupts absolutely"....this is what we have witnessed down through time, and through all manner of human endeavor to control their fellow man with various political, religious or economic ideologies.....these are the devil's "trinity". All humans, no matter what nation they inhabit are controlled by one or more of these aspects of his rulership.

The devil has always been subtle in supposedly democratic nations where it suited him, and not so subtle in other nations who were accustomed to cruel or harsh dictatorships. This master of deception knows exactly where to place the knife and how to twist it for maximum benefit.

In these "last days", the devil is no longer subtle...he is right in our faces every day wearing down our resolve to fight him and the grinding systems he has created. He knows his time is short. (Revelation 12:7-12)

Christians are getting tired of fighting, but we must never give in or give up doing what God has told us to do through the teachings of his son and according to the wisdom of his word. There is only one truth and one source of knowledge that Jesus provides....his "faithful and wise servant". (Matthew 24:45) We have to find him and feed at his table.

If we can identify those three main avenues that the devil uses to take people away from God.....only then will we hear the voice of the "Fine Shepherd" and not have his voice drowned out by those counterfeit systems of the devil's making.

The whole world is under satan's control. (1 John 5:19) No part of it is immune to his interference. Politically, economically and religiously, satan controls everything. This is why we are seeing mass destruction of lives through pestilence, a variety of natural disasters and threats of all out war between the superpowers. This was all foretold in Daniel's prophesies.

But the end will come...swiftly and without warning for those who have not learned who God is, and what role Jesus plays in the big picture. (John 17:3) And we need to know what God's Kingdom is for....unless we have availed themselves of that knowledge, we will be caught unawares.

As Jesus said.....
"Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
43 “But know one thing: If the householder had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have kept awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 On this account, you too prove yourselves ready, because the Son of man is coming at an hour that you do not think to be it." (Matthew 24:42-44)

Are we ready?

 

[doxley]

When I look with a broad sweep over the last few years I see people going this way and that way, like they’re looking for where to rest or what to lean on and finding nothing but wind. First this is good and right, this person is good and right, that thought is good and right. Then it’s, no, that’s not right , this person isn’t what we thought and hoped, they’re out of favor, cancelled. Now THIS is good and right. Now, THIS person will bring us better days.
It’s painful to watch. People keep putting their hope on different humans like…okay, now YOU lead us out of this mess.
Maybe it’s just always been this way and I didn’t really see it…it reminds me of that flock of murmurating birds caught on video recently. All in unison, they crashed into the ground, a whole huge swarm.

I tend to hide away from people and places. I suffer from some form of depression/anxiety disorder. I dip my toes into the world now and again and I try to ‘fit in’ but end up withdrawing just as fast. I struggle with debate and negativity, not because it scares me but because I can have a very sarcastic tongue and can be pretty harsh with people. But then I only end up punishing myself because I know that God wants me to contain it and be kind. The turmoil within Christianity is definitely not a safe place to be for me.

I push people away and try not to form attachments. I get engrossed in my own thoughts to the point where I don’t even want to talk. My long suffering husband and two wonderful children seem to accept me for who I am, a lone wolf who howls at the moon now and again.

People who don’t fit in usually have a story to tell, we can be quick to judge them but they are just trying to navigate this strange land they find themselves in. Sometimes it may make them jump from place to place, just trying to find a safe place to rest their head.

 

[quietthinker]

I tend to hide away from people and places. I suffer from some form of depression/anxiety disorder. I dip my toes into the world now and again and I try to ‘fit in’ but end up withdrawing just as fast. I struggle with debate and negativity, not because it scares me but because I can have a very sarcastic tongue and can be pretty harsh with people. But then I only end up punishing myself because I know that God wants me to contain it and be kind. The turmoil within Christianity is definitely not a safe place to be for me.

I push people away and try not to form attachments. I get engrossed in my own thoughts to the point where I don’t even want to talk. My long suffering husband and two wonderful children seem to accept me for who I am, a lone wolf who howls at the moon now and again.

People who don’t fit in usually have a story to tell, we can be quick to judge them but they are just trying to navigate this strange land they find themselves in. Sometimes it may make them jump from place to place, just trying to find a safe place to rest their head.

Be encouraged doxley ...'blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted'.....Jesus

 

[stunnedbygrace]

I tend to hide away from people and places. I suffer from some form of depression/anxiety disorder. I dip my toes into the world now and again and I try to ‘fit in’ but end up withdrawing just as fast. I struggle with debate and negativity, not because it scares me but because I can have a very sarcastic tongue and can be pretty harsh with people. But then I only end up punishing myself because I know that God wants me to contain it and be kind. The turmoil within Christianity is definitely not a safe place to be for me.

I push people away and try not to form attachments. I get engrossed in my own thoughts to the point where I don’t even want to talk. My long suffering husband and two wonderful children seem to accept me for who I am, a lone wolf who howls at the moon now and again.

People who don’t fit in usually have a story to tell, we can be quick to judge them but they are just trying to navigate this strange land they find themselves in. Sometimes it may make them jump from place to place, just trying to find a safe place to rest their head.

A good portion of this sounds like me. Remarkably like me.

 

[bbyrd009]

I don't know if the world has always been this way. It seems to me it's gotten a whole lot worse over the last decade.

ha well adults always say that i guess, Bob; it’s how we experience entropy i think

 

[doxley]

A good portion of this sounds like me. Remarkably like me.

We have problems lol

 

[stunnedbygrace]

We have problems lol

Lol. Well, part of my problem is that being around other people exhausts me. It literally does.

 

[doxley]

Lol. Well, part of my problem is that being around other people exhausts me. It literally does.

Yep. Same

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Yep. Same

Have you read anything about introvert vs extrovert as to how they recharge their batteries? (And introvert doesn’t mean shy, it just means you recharge differently.)
It helps to know you aren’t an awful person but are actually wired differently.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Have you read anything about introvert vs extrovert as to how they recharge their batteries? (And introvert doesn’t mean shy, it just means you recharge differently.)
It helps to know you aren’t an awful person but are actually wired differently.

Have you heard of High Functioning Anxiety Disorder?

High-Functioning Anxiety: What It Is, Symptoms And Treatment.

My daughter suffers with this......

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Have you heard of High Functioning Anxiety Disorder?

High-Functioning Anxiety: What It Is, Symptoms And Treatment.

My daughter suffers with this......

oh, no, I’m sorry, I’ve never read about it. I don’t have anxiety. I just don’t like to be around people too much. One on one isn’t bad but in a big group I get exhausted in 10 minutes! And especially if it’s all just social chatter and no important conversations, I can’t participate much. I don’t get the whole…desire to chatter about stuff. I’ve never had that desire.

 

[Oseas]

When I look with a broad sweep over the last few years I see people going this way and that way, like they’re looking for where to rest or what to lean on and finding nothing but wind. First this is good and right, this person is good and right, that thought is good and right. Then it’s, no, that’s not right , this person isn’t what we thought and hoped, they’re out of favor, cancelled. Now THIS is good and right. Now, THIS person will bring us better days.
It’s painful to watch. People keep putting their hope on different humans like…okay, now YOU lead us out of this mess.
Maybe it’s just always been this way and I didn’t really see it…it reminds me of that flock of murmurating birds caught on video recently. All in unison, they crashed into the ground, a whole huge swarm.

Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. Micah 2:v.10

 

[CadyandZoe]

oh, no, I’m sorry, I’ve never read about it. I don’t have anxiety. I just don’t like to be around people too much. One on one isn’t bad but in a big group I get exhausted in 10 minutes! And especially if it’s all just social chatter and no important conversations, I can’t participate much. I don’t get the whole…desire to chatter about stuff. I’ve never had that desire.

When I was a boy, my parents took me to an airshow. As is typical of large families, inevitably one of the kids will be left behind. Perhaps I was distracted and didn't know my parents had walked away. Eventually, with the help of the MP's they found me. But from that moment, I was very uncomfortable in large crowds. In order to cope, I have developed the ability to focus my attention on a 10 foot diameter (3 meter?) circle. And I pay extra-special attention on the person in front of me.

What is exhausting? Is your attention drawn to everyone? That would exhaust me.