First Line of Defense

I was talking to my good friend Dennis McDowell today about the current instability our country is going through. Economic bailouts, fuel crisis', unsure presidential candidates, increasing unemployment... times are tough, no question. And being in the church it's becoming much easier to see the spiritual fallout and influences easier: both Holy and unrighteous alike. Looking at these times through a lens of history and not of culture brings to light a new perspective.

From a military viewpoint, the smartest and first attack on an enemy usually occurs within the scope of a balance between "well defended" and "high priority". For example, yes, killing the leader would be the highest advantage, but getting to that person directly is almost completely unrealistic (unless you're Jason Bourne, in which case NO ONE is safe). At the same time, destroying their Mario Kart controllers, while it might prove easy with a electrical surge, wouldn't prove to have an enormous impact (unless you're Greg Varney).

It need not be understated that our enemy is really REALLY crafty and good at what he does. Therefore, the initial attack on us as a society and as individuals should be considered this "perfect first strike". And that attack, I've begun to notice, is on our hope. Our hope in this country is waning at an alarming rate. We've got no hope in our economy, we have no hope in our fuel reserves, we have no hope in our current job market. In fact, because our hope is beginning to lose it's grip, we've suddenly shifted it to the current presidential candidates; a move which has ALWAYS proven to be a good one (see: sarcasm). Should either candidate win by a landslide, the poor soul would immediately be seen as the great hope of a nation. And like all people who wear this moniker, they immediately prove us wrong. Thus leading us into further hope recession.

So I challenge everyone reading this: hold tight to hope. Defend it regardless of the current circumstance, regardless of any future circumstance (and there will be more). Hold fast to the hope our faith allows us and in the God who authored victory. The love of Christ has outlived instability and fear itself for millennia. And in His promises and foundations we may be able to offer real hope to a culture which is in dire need.

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