Manipulating Fear

1 Kings 3; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalms. 78; 2 Thessalonians 2

“…we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way…”

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

Prophecies about the return of Jesus have been used by many over the past two thousand years to manipulate and control people by fear. Paul warns about this strategy of the enemy and the various ways in which he can communicate with us. Those who know the Lord personally are not moved by fear- based manipulation. They trust the Lord as their Shepherd and ‘they shall not want’. They trust that a home is being prepared for them and one day the bridegroom will take them home with him. They trust that their lives, their every breath, and their eternity are in the hands of the Lord and nothing can take them out of those hands.

“Lord God, thank you for your promised return and more importantly, the reality of your presence now. Thank you for your peace, for your glory.”