Stress & the Coronavirus

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Steve Foster

Feeling stressed?

I think we all are.

Stress is defined as “the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response.”

And we are all in a time of change that is requiring major adjustments.

Life has changed…and seems to keep changing every day…and we are not sure for how long this crisis will last.

We all respond to stress in different ways. My wife and I have discovered this fact over the past few days. When I am stressed, I tend to move inward. I read, study, journal, think, worry. My wife, on the other hand, tends to move outward. She manages, organizes, makes lists, gives instructions, cleans out closets, and starts throwing things away.

For the most part, our stress responses coordinate well. I don’t get in her way and she doesn’t get in mine. But sometimes our stress paths cross.

She gets frustrated that I am not helping her clean.

I get frustrated that she keeps interrupting my reading to ask, “Can I throw this away?”

I look up from my book and she has my old blue cassette case in her hand…precious cassettes from my early days as a believer…Petra…Michael W. Smith…Steve Camp…Mylon Lefevre & the Broken Heart.

I am broken-hearted that she would ask.

Of course, she does have a point. We don’t have a cassette player any more…and I am not even sure if they still work. But how can you just throw them away? They might be worth something…at least to me if no one else!

Our frustration levels hit a point that we needed to talk. We had to acknowledge our stress, come to understand each other more, learn to show patience and kindness to each other in the midst of the “weirdness” of this time.

That night we got together as a family and talked about stress. It’s a good discussion to have. How do you know if you are stressed? How do you tend to respond to stress? How can you show grace to a person who responds to stress differently than you?

Stress is a reminder that life is bigger than us…that we are not in control…that we need a strength beyond ourselves.

Stress is a reminder that we need a relationship with God…that we need Jesus Christ.

A year ago, my stress levels hit a peak. My anxiety increased. My blood pressure spiked. I took a three-week “monk retreat” (no internet, media, or smartphone) and reconnected with God…recalibrated my life…reordered my priorities.

During that time, I instituted some changes in my life that have progressively lowered my stress levels…and my blood pressure. Perhaps they could be a help to you as well.

Here is the BEST way to reduce stress levels (with BEST serving as an acronym not as a hyperbolic commercial plug :).

Breathe.

I remember the first time that I started struggling with panic attacks. I read a book by Dr. Archibald Hart called The Anxiety Cure. I was looking for immediate relief and immediate answers…and one of his biggest pieces of advice was to learn to rest, relax, and breath better.

I dismissed it.

When you feel like your heart is racing out of your chest, being told to stop and breathe doesn’t even seem feasible.

But over time, I have come to see breathing, resting, and meditating on God’s Word as essential spiritual disciplines. They may not yield immediate results but they do lead to long-term spiritual health.

Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10a).

The Hebrew word for “be still” is raphah. It pictures a person letting their hands fall down. It is often used negatively in the Old Testament for people becoming slack or lazy or losing courage. But it also has the idea of relaxing, being quiet, letting your shoulders sink, and simply exhaling.

Take a deep breath and exhale.

Rest in God’s sovereignty.

Meditate on His Word.

Meditate on His greatness.

One of the best practices I have instituted in my life is to reserve the “firstfruits” of my day for Bible meditation, prayer, and exercise.

No internet. No media. No emails. No texts. No distractions.

I often simply listen to a portion of Scripture being read, meditate on its words, relax my shoulders, and learn to breathe.

This is not eastern meditation…emptying your mind…but rather biblical meditation…filling your mind with God’s truth.

It is being still each morning and remembering that He is God.

Exercise.

Paul says that bodily exercise profits little but godliness is profitable for all things (1 Timothy 4:8).

Paul puts bodily exercise in its proper perspective. When compared to spiritual growth, physical exercise has limited value…but it still has value!

We are embodied creatures and our physical health impacts our emotional health, mental health, and spiritual health…and vice versa. My body is the temple of the Lord and I want to care for it as much as I am able.

I am not a big “exerciser.” For the most part, I can’t stand it. But I have found that regular walking, times of jogging, and a short routine of exercise are worth the daily discipline.

Each morning (weather permitting), I walk the neighborhood… praying… listening… meditating… worshiping.

Walking is a great stress reliever.

But even if you can’t walk, try to find other ways to exercise your body…and find ways to exercise your mind as well. Read. Study. Learn a language. Pick up a hobby.

These things are infinitely more valuable than other things that we often turn to in times of stress…alcohol, addictions, drugs, binge eating, binge watching, etc.

Surrender.

In dealing with stress and anxiety, one of the hardest things that I had to come to realize was how often it was rooted in pride.

Many of us know the verse… casting all your care (anxiety) upon Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

But many of us don’t know the verse right before it… therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time (1 Peter 5:6).

Humbling ourselves before God is learning to cast our cares upon Him.

Thus, when we refuse to cast our cares upon Him, we are in effect saying to God, “I can’t trust You to handle this one. I’ve got it.”

Isn’t it interesting that when we feel stress, it is usually felt in the tightness of our shoulders? It is almost as if we are carrying an invisible load that we were not meant to carry.

Prayer is acknowledgement that we are weak and need God’s strength.

Prayer is realization that we are not in control and God is.

Prayer is surrender to the will of God.

Prayer is saying, “Not my will but Yours be done.”

And praying with others in the midst of your stress is a way of saying, “I don’t have it all together and I need God’s strength…and your encouragement.”

Being vulnerable.

Taking off the mask.

Humbling yourself.

And admitting that, of all things, you are human…a dependent creature made in the image of God…a weak person needing the power of the Spirit…a dysfunctional individual needing the grace and healing of Jesus Christ…just like the rest of us.

Thank.

Many of us who have struggled with anxiety have clutched onto Philippians 4:6-7:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

This is not a “magic bullet” prayer that instantly removes all worries. Rather it is a daily call to dependence on God in the midst of a corporate…and transparent…fellowship of believers.

And a key component in this anxiety-motivated prayer is thanksgiving.

In your stress and worries…be thankful.

Really?!

One of the hardest challenges for me has been to give thanks in my anxiety…even to give thanks for my anxiety.

I hate anxiety.

I hate the battle.

Sometimes I hate the fact that my body seems to be so out of tune with my mind…or that one part of my mind can be saying, “Calm down! This is crazy!” while another part of my mind can be racing down the road toward all kinds of irrational, out of control, worst-case scenarios.

But…as I look back…my battle with anxiety has deepened my walk with God…it has made me more dependent on the Spirit…it has impassioned my prayer life…it has given me more sympathy and empathy with others…it has humbled me…it has broken me…it has made me more vulnerable…it has made me a better pastor…a better person.

I think of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I wish there were a different curriculum. I wish I could learn humility, vulnerability, and transparency in a different way. But, in the end, I think God gives each of us a “thorn in the flesh,” something that we wish wasn’t a part of our lives, for His purpose and our good.

Not out of cruelty…but out of grace.

Learning to say, “I don’t like this, God, but I am going to trust You through it…and not only trust You…but thank You for it” is one of the hardest prayers that you can pray.

Sort of like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Not my will but Yours be done.

Thanking God enlarges our perspective. It reminds us of our blessings. It pulls us out of our self-pity and toward the grace and goodness of God.

Because when I am weak (and not afraid to admit it)…then I am strong.

So in the midst of your stress, anxiety, and uncertainty…

Breathe in God’s peace.

Exercise in God’s strength.

Surrender to God’s will…and…

Thank God for His grace.

Life may be stressful.

But God is good.

And in Christ, we can look toward the future and know that the BEST is still to come.

Posted in Coronavirus/COVID-19 | 3 Comments

Living in the Last Days?

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Steve Foster

With a pandemic spreading across the globe, a teetering worldwide economy, the ongoing fear of global warming, and gigantic locust swarms in Africa and the Middle East, it is enough to make you wonder if our world is coming to an end.

Are we living in the last days?

Biblically-speaking, the answer is “yes.”

After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the New Testament writers consistently looked for the imminent return of Christ and referred to their time, and thus our time, as the “last days.”

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:8)

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:11-12)

But the end of all things is at hand… (1 Peter 4:7a)

Of course, many people may scoff at the notion that Christ is returning. After all, Christians have been waiting for close to 2000 years and nothing has happened. But God’s timetable is different than ours. To an eternal God, a day is like a thousand years and thousand years like a day so Christians are encouraged to live both as if Christ could come back today and as if He may not come back for another thousand years.

It is expectancy tied to constancy.

Being hopeful for the future…being faithful in the present.

As Christians, we believe that we are part of a bigger story…that history is moving toward a climax…that what was lost in the Garden of Eden will be restored in the end…that Christ will one day reign on this earth…and that each day has meaning and purpose because God is the author of this grand redemptive story.

Have you ever wondered why there is a universal love for stories…stories that generally have the same plot line? Could it be because we live in such a story and it is planted deep in our hearts to stir us to know its Author?

If there is no Author…if there is no story…then there is no escaping the reality that you are a random, meaningless collection of molecules living in a random, meaningless world lurching toward a random, meaningless conclusion…whether by the universe contracting, a meteor strike, global warming, nuclear war, a virus pandemic, or your own individual death…and you have no real hope.

But back to the question, Are we living in the last days? Or more specifically, are we living in the last days of the last days?

It is certainly possible.

The Bible describes the days before Christ’s return as a time of…worldwide crises such as famines, earthquakes, and pestilences…a proliferation of information with an ignorance of the truth…an increasing breakdown of love in the family and in society…and a selfish love of pleasure rather than a humble love of God. The Bible also seems to suggest that near the end…Israel would be miraculously regathered and preserved as a nation…the economies of the world would be interconnected…and there would be an establishment of a one world government under the control of one leader.

But despite the claims of end times teachers who have it all figured out…many of these signs are hard to nail down and many of them have also described past times in history. If I would have lived under the persecution of Diocletian or during the time of the black plague or even right before World War II, I would have certainly considered it as the “last days.” But, unfortunately, every prediction made in the past about the exact date of Christ’s return has been wrong…along with being distracting and detrimental to the credibility of our Christian witness.

Here is what Jesus said to His disciples who were also extremely eager and curious to know when He would come back:

It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority (Acts 1:7).

Modern translation…it is none of your business.

It is not our job to try to figure out when Christ is returning.

End-time speculation is not to be our focus.

The apostle Peter, writing to believers undergoing intense suffering in the Roman Empire and longing for Christ’s return, wrote these words (mentioned above):

The end of all things is at hand…

But Peter didn’t stop there…he continued with a “therefore”…in other words, he told us exactly the way that we are supposed to live in light of the difficulties of this world and the imminence of Christ’s return.

Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:7-10)

Peter gives us our “last days checklist”:

  1. Think clearly. Don’t panic. Don’t react. Rest in the sovereignty and security of God.
  2. Pray fervently. Take note of the world around you and pray for the people and the needs around you.
  3. Love deeply. Don’t get irritated or isolated from others. Resolve conflicts. Forgive. Make your relationships a priority.
  4. Share freely. Don’t build a bunker and hunker down…or hoard toilet paper for that matter. Instead find ways to love your neighbor, open up your life to them, and be a witness to them.
  5. Serve faithfully. Whatever gift you have been given, from the overflowing abundance of God’s grace, use it to serve, help, and bless others.

It is a hard list to follow. It is much easier being a news-watching, date-setting, fear-feeling, stuff-hoarding, blame-casting, self-justifying person.

But Christ calls us to a different kind of thinking..a different kind of speaking…a different kind of living.

Because we have a hope…and we don’t have to fear.

The times are uncertain…but the future is not.

And even though we don’t know the date of Christ’s return…we know its certainty.

And that is enough.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).

Posted in Eschatology/Prophecy | Leave a comment

Fear & the Coronavirus

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Steve Foster

On Tuesday night, Liz and I went to Sams for our typical grocery run. (When you have four young adult sons, you need to buy groceries in bulk supplies.) As we approached the sliding doors, we watched as case after case of water and large packages of toilet paper exited the store.

“Why do people need so much water and toilet paper?” was the first thought that went through my mind.

I know the coronavirus is spreading but I am not sure why I would need hundreds of bottles of water when I have very good tap water at home. I also don’t know why I would need hundreds of rolls of toilet paper. (Of course, after installing a bidet on our toilet after our trip to Argentina, I rarely need much toilet paper any way. It’s looking more and more like a good investment at this point.)

But after rationally assessing the fact that I didn’t need bottles of water or massive amounts of toilet paper, there was a second thought that quickly entered my mind, “But if everyone else is buying water and toilet paper, I guess we should pick up a few cases of them as well.”

In the end, my wife talked me out of it since we had enough else to buy.

But that is the nature of fear. It is often irrational…and highly contagious. Much more than the coronavirus.

Deep down we all struggle with fear…unless we live in a naive, self-imposed ignorance of our real situation.

Fear is a realization that we live in a dangerous world…and that we are not in control.

And both are undeniably true.

Technology has a way of creating an illusion that we are in control. There is a sense of power when you can tell Alexa something and she answers immediately to your request (and secretly sends targeted ads to your email account as well).

Remote controls. Smart phones. Even self-customized pizza and yogurt places all give us a sense of being the center of the universe.

But natural disasters and virus pandemics have a way of breaking our illusion that the universe answers to our beck and call.

We are not in control.

Go outside and push against the biggest tree you can find and you are not going to make an ounce of difference with the rotation of the earth…or the orbit of our planet…or the speed of our universe.

Tell viruses not to come into your city…or your house…or your body…and they are not going to listen. And once they are inside, they are not going to leave when you tell them to either.

We are weak, limited, mortal humans living in an immense universe, incomprehensibly bigger and more powerful than us, and operating totally without our assistance or advice.

When you come to grips with all of this, fear is a natural response.

Some respond to fear with the “flight impulse,” wanting to run, isolate, retreat, hide, escape to endless entertainment, or numb themselves with addictions.

Some respond with the “fight impulse,” getting angry with life, God, politicians, the media or whoever else seems appropriately blameworthy. Behind our anger is fear…we are afraid of losing something. We realize that we are not in control and rage feels like it makes us powerful…even if it doesn’t usually do anything except raise our blood pressure, harm our relationships, and make us unbearable to be around.

There is a third option to fear.

Faith.

Not the cliche word but the real thing.

Surrender to a greater power…the Greatest Power…the Sovereign King of the universe.

Faith is a simple recognition that I am not in control but Someone else is. I may not understand His ways…or His timing…but I can trust His heart…and His power.

He demonstrated it on the cross…and with an empty tomb.

So what does all that have to do with the coronavirus?

Well, it doesn’t mean that I should ignore warnings…or not take simple precautions…or  go around licking countertops to show that I am not worried about getting sick. That is not faith, that is foolishness masquerading as faith.

Faith is wise as well as calm.

Faith means that I can keep things in perspective. Watch the news…and pray for discernment. Take precautions…and realize that ultimately my future is in God’s hands.

Faith is not easy. I am not saying this because I have this faith thing figured out. I still regularly give in to anxious thoughts and irrational panic.

But faith in a sovereign, loving God is the only real pathway to calm in the midst of a storm…serenity in the midst of a difficulty…and peace in the midst of a pandemic.

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah (Psalm 46:1-3)

That same psalm ends with these verses:

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah (Psalm 46:10-11)

So take a deep breath…turn your eyes to your Creator…and rest in Him.

And don’t worry even if Sams runs out of toilet paper.

Posted in Coronavirus/COVID-19 | 2 Comments

The Body Keeps the Score

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Steve Foster

“The greatest sources of our suffering are the lies we tell ourselves” (11).

This quote alone made this book worth reading.

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is the founder and medical director of the Trauma Center in Massachusetts and a professor of psychiatry at Boston University. He has spent numerous years working with Vietnam vets with PTSD as well as interacting and counseling countless other people who have experienced childhood abuse and trauma in their lives.

His book, The Body Keeps the Score, is a good read. Long in parts. Technical and hard to understand at times. But, overall, a good reminder of some key elements of true healing.

My takeaway from his book? Pain, suffering, abuse, and trauma impact our whole selves…brain, body, soul, and mind. To focus on only one part is to miss something fundamental in who we are and something vital in our healing.

The psychiatric community has turned to diagnosing symptom-based disorders and prescribing medications as the cure to trauma. “The brain-disease model takes control over people’s fate out of their own hands and puts doctors and insurance companies in charge of fixing their problems” (37).

Dr. van der Kolk is certainly not against medication. In many cases, it is the only thing that can help someone get back to some level of equilibrium where they can effectively address and deal with their pain. But to see medication as the solution is to ignore the other aspects of the person impacted by trauma, as well as the relational dynamics that often surround it. The very fact that prescriptions for depression have tripled over the past two decades with no noticeable dent in depression rates indicates that true healing must go deeper than mere chemistry.

“Medications, drugs, and alcohol can temporarily dull or obliterate unbearable sensations and feelings. But the body continues to keep the score” (46).

Trauma typically brings together two intense emotions…terror and helplessness. A traumatic event both grips us with fear and exposes our inability to stop it. We realize both the dangerousness of our world and our extreme vulnerability in the midst of it.

Trauma imprints itself deeply in our mind and body. A traumatic event has a way of taking on a life of its own. People who have suffered panic attacks or flashbacks to a traumatic event “often organize their lives around trying to protect against them” (67).

“…Panic symptoms are maintained largely because the individual develops a fear of the bodily sensations associated with panic attacks. The attack may be triggered by something he or she knows is irrational, but fear of the sensations keeps them escalating into a full-body emergency” (99).

The internal battle over past trauma eventually leads to a person feeling “unsafe in their own bodies.” “The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort” (98).

The battle within one’s own body often causes a person to disassociate from themselves… to depersonalize themselves… to numb themselves with drugs or alcohol… to cultivate an illusory sense of control in highly dangerous or destructive activities… or simply to shut down.

In van der Kolk’s experience, the healing of trauma involves at least four critical elements:

1. We need to tell the truth to ourselves.

Shame has a way of making us lie to ourselves. “As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself. Hiding your core feelings takes an enormous amount of energy, it saps your motivation to pursue worthwhile goals, and it leaves you feeling bored and shut down” (235).

Writing about the trauma, and the emotions you feel, can be the first step in truly facing it.

2. We need to learn to be at home in our own bodies.

“Trauma makes people feel like either some body else, or like no body. In order to overcome trauma, you need help to get back in touch with your body, with your self” (249). “One of the clearest lessons from contemporary neuroscience is that our sense of ourselves is anchored in a vital connection with our bodies” (274).

Numbing our body, denying it, abusing it, or running to virtual escapes do not lead to healing. We are embodied creatures and we must come to know who we are in our bodies. Learning to breathe…learning to exercise…learning to understand and care for our bodies…all go a long way toward healing.

3. We need relationships.

“Study after study shows that having a good support network constitutes the single most powerful protection against becoming traumatized. …Traumatized human beings recover in the context of relationships” (212). The paradox is that often our trauma is caused by betrayed or dysfunctional relationships. The pain tends to cause us to withdraw…to isolate…to enter our own world. But only in relationships can healing be found.

“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives. …[But] no doctor can write a prescription for friendship and love” (81).

4. We need to rescript our story.

“Isolating oneself into a narrowly defined victim group promotes a view of others as irrelevant at best and dangerous at worst, which eventually only leads to further alienation” (81).

“Trauma causes people to remain stuck in interpreting the present in light of an unchanging past” (307).

No one grows up under ideal circumstances. All of us carry the wounds and hurts of the past. But playing the victim only exacerbates the problem. We must learn to see our wounds from a bigger perspective and find a way to see a larger context for our lives.

As I reflected on van der Kolk’s thoughts, I began to filter them through a Christian worldview. Van der Kolk does not write from a Christian perspective. He acknowledges the importance of religion from time to time but this is not his paradigm. But what he discovered is not new.

1. We are embodied creatures, created by God with body, soul, and spirit.

Just as sin impacts all three aspects of our lives, healing must come to all three. We need a regenerated spirit, renewed mind, refreshed soul, and rested (and ultimately, resurrected) body.

2. We are created for relationships…but sin has brought pain, shame, betrayal, separation, and abuse into our relationships.

Our trauma is both caused by relationships and healed by them. Relationship with God…relationship with others…and peace within ourselves…are intricately tied together.

3. We need to see our lives as part of a bigger story.

Only the hope of redemption gives meaning to our trauma and suffering. No pain is wasted in the redemptive purposes of God. We can find a new identity outside of being a victim. We can find a new identity as a beloved, re-created, blessed child of God.

4. We need to tell the truth to ourselves.

Self-deception and self-medication offer only temporary relief from pain. We are broken people living in a broken world with other broken people. We all need grace. And true grace is only found in the One who suffered the most unspeakable trauma, injustice, betrayal, and abuse on the cross…for us.

“The greatest sources of our suffering are the lies we tell ourselves.”

Thus, the greatest source of freedom comes from hearing the truth from our Creator and the Redeemer of our souls.

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:31-32, 34-36)

Posted in Recommended Books | 1 Comment

Self-Deceiver…Grace Receiver…Kingdom Seeker

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Steve Foster

I am a self deceiver
Blind to my own sin
Trapped in my own mind
Stuck in my own ways
Hungering for control
Craving for comfort
Coveting stuff
Wanting
Whining
Winning at any cost
Self-protecting
Self-promoting
Self-conscious
Self-centered
Self-justifying
Self-gratifying
Self-lying
Even self-hating
Because I realize
Something is wrong with me
Though I find a way to
Blame others
Blame my past
Blame the world
Blame God
Imprisoned inside myself
Starved for love
Acceptance
Security
But too afraid
Too stubborn
Too cynical
To open up…

I am a grace receiver
Pursued by my Creator
Overwhelmed by His holiness
Humbled by His love
Entering my world
Dying for my sin
Conquering my death
Loving
Giving
Sacrificing at any cost
Forgiving
Cleansing
Regenerating
Reconciling
Justifying
Sanctifying
Glorifying
Even uniting
Himself to me
An eternal union
A new creation
New love
New life
New hope
New family
Adopted in Christ
Indwelt by His Spirit
Accepted
Secure
Never alone
Always loved
My imprisoned heart
Opened up!

I am a kingdom seeker
Rescued from sin
Given new citizenship
Submitted to my King
Who conquered sin
Conquered death
Conquered Satan
Releasing me
Redeeming me
Transforming me at any cost
Coming again
Judging sin
Destroying the proud
Resurrecting the dead
Reversing the curse
Renewing the earth
Reigning in Jerusalem
Even wiping away tears
No more sorrow
No more death
No more war
The lion and the lamb
Joined in harmony
Led by a child
Because of a Child
Who died as a Lamb
And will reign as a Lion
Peace with God
Peace with others
Peace in me
Peace on earth
The gates of Eden
Opened up!

Posted in Confessions | Leave a comment