Fear concludes, "I guess I have no choice."

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.- Galatians 5:1

Every Friday morning we broadcast LIVE in our private FB group, Peace Be Still Daily Prayer download (ask to join via FB!).  We discuss a prayer topic in parallel with a scripture, and then take time to pray for people in the group.  Normally I have a fairly easy time settling on the topic, but this morning I wrestled.

I woke at 4am; and didn't feel settled until about 6:45am on what to share.  

Part of my wrestling was thinking about a peaceful protest I attended on Monday, wanting to learn more about the healthcare workers standing for their right to make their own choices.  I wanted to hear some first-hand accounts and experiences.  I only conversed with 3 medical professionals.  They gave detailed information about their upset, clearly burdened not only for what they were feeling coerced to do, but for what their patients suffered after making personal choice to trust the process.   They've come away disheartened, and weary; but strong in conviction that they've learned too much at this point to trust the process themselves, at least at this point.  They have questions.  They want to give more time to see how things look further down the road.  They've faced it, worked the front lines of it.  They've exposed their families and endured tremendous pressure already.  Their experience should tell us something, and we should honor their choice.  But instead, they are being punished.

(Did you know that Uttar Pradesh (240m people) is only 5% inoculated, yet just hit 0% death rate?  Read that again. And then consider, how is that possible?  I've been to India and it's not a social distance kind of place.  It's also not a culture that practices regular handwashing  Over 334,000 children die per year, attributable to diarrheal diseases!  Think about that.  That is quite the test population with a lot of odds against them for controlling virus.  So why 0% death rate now?  Check me on it.  See how they handled it, and simply ponder why we aren't being given those options.  It's what many in the medical field see and are challenging.  A massive lawsuit has been filed by 10K doctors claiming "crimes against humanity" by fraud.  Strong words.  They've felt they have been hamstrung; unable to care for their patients and prevented from following their Hippocratic oath.   It's the largest group lawsuit ever.  Think about that.)

How are you responding to this so far?  Do you have love and compassion; or are you feeling upset and embittered?  For some of you it is helping because its based upon rational thought and you are fine with being challenged to question and explore more.  But if you have upset, have you talked to a medical person who doesn't want to be coerced?  Have you heard their perspective?  Are you willing to honor their choice as they have honored yours?

God wants us to be at peace with one another.  He does not want us consumed by fear and having harsh judgments within.  We need to bring that to Him and confess our fears and upset asking for freedom He promises.  If fear drives us we'll probably be upset and harsh with others.  But if faith has settled us and the Spirit has transformed us, we'll be compassionate and anger won't fuel us.

Remember--------- Jesus says that the love of many will grow cold in last days.  There will be a spirit of lawlessness behind this work.  It's sad, but it seems like we are in building up to ice cold hearts pretty rapidly.

So just check and see.  Are you judging those on the "other side" or are you compassionate and giving people freedom to explore and make decisions?  Do you make decisions from always believing what you are told?  Are you asking God to show you what is true?  He is Wonderful Counselor.  He promises to give us wisdom by faith, James 1:2-8.   

Rejoice!  We Christians are very special people endowed with supernatural promises!  God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind, 2 Timothy 1:7!  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!  Live as children of the free woman!

Galatians 4: 28Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.