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Overcoming Fear with Faith: A Biblical perspective

The Lord Jesus and one of his prominent disciples, Peter.

FEAR NOT
What is fear? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it “as an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger” . Firstly, I will lay down some of the characteristics of fear, and then I will proceed forward to combating it and taking it head on. Fear is a crippling emotion. It is quite possibly the most negative emotion one can experience. The person who has fear can’t think well and his functionality gets paralyzed. Fear clouds our judgment, it brings us heaviness and debilitates our rationality. There are many forms and types of fear termed as phobias where people fear different things ranging from the common fear of heights to a quite unusual fear of being out of mobile contact.

Fear, for sure is terrible, but not all fear is bad. A reverential fear towards God, a healthy fear before an important exam are some examples of good anxiety. The enemy uses fear to his advantage. He attacks our mind with negative thoughts, fearful speculations and endless doubts. But know that though those thoughts look like they are permanent, they are one hundred percent temporary and they fade away soon. The Lord Jesus Christ encourages us to not feel intimidated by anything. He says, “Which of you can add an hour to his life by worrying ?”( Matthew 6:27). Worry is worship to the devil. We are called to worship the LORD alone and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. By being fearful, anxious and worrying over things we can’t control, we inadvertently lose our ability to worship God in spirit and in truth. We ought to fear God only, and not worry or fear about anything or anyone else. We human beings fear something or the other. We feel threatened by one thing or the other. This is where our God and man are different. God cannot feel fear. Nor can He feel intimidated, for He is El- Shaddai(All-Powerful). The Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ was revealed in flesh in the earth and though He was fully human, there isn’t one instance recorded in the Holy Bible where He felt fear. He was totally fearless.

Yes, my beloved, God is beyond fear and that’s the reason only he can help us. God is love. His perfect love drives out fear ( 1 John 4:18).

Fear is indeed ubiquitous among humans, but the good news is we don’t have to continually live in fear. There is redemption and hope. Fear indeed can be defeated, pinned down and won over. Yes, the antidote to fear is faith. And that kind of faith is found in the Living Word of the Living God. We need to speak faith, speak life, speak God’s word, and His Unstoppable Power will do the rest. The Holy Bible emboldens us not to fear 366 times, which is exactly the number of days in a year inclusive of the leap year. God says in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”.

The Holy Bible is replete with examples of God helping fearful people come out of their fears and anxieties. Gideon was fearful, God delivered Him; Peter walked on water, but suddenly fear gushed into his heart and God delivered him; Mary was afraid when she saw the angel Gabriel and the angel said “Fear not”; The same with Daniel and Zechariah who were also visited by angels and they both were given the same words, “Fear not”. Yes, though these two words appear redundant in the Holy Bible, they carry such weight and power and God reiterates and reinforces us that He is in full control. Nothing escapes His notice. Yes, my beloved, God reminds us and encourages us to live with freedom without fear. We ought to fill our minds with the Word of God and put on the armor of God and boldly resist the devil. If we resist him, he will flee and no fear is necessary.

Finally, I would like to conclude with a powerful verse which adds more impetus to the topic we are discussing. It consummates and encapsulates the entire topic. That is,” For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self- control(2 Timothy 1:7)”. So, let us bear in mind this verse and always acknowledge this fact and rely on God knowing that with Him on our side, nothing can shake us. Shalom.

A SONNET ON THE LEAGUE OF VEXATION

A SONNET ON THE LEAGUE OF COMPROMISE:

Like people bereft of common sense,

Masses tune in with faces that are tense.

Wasting their time, squandering their sleep,

Some matches finish soon, whilst some are taken deep.

Some athletes compromise integrity for money,

While our Indian cricket fans trade their health for this baloney.

While the league per se wasn’t evil since inception,

It has become so due to over commercialization.

Monopoly of cricket especially the flourish,

Of this opulent league has left other sports with nothing to nourish.

Our Olympic medal tally is proof enough,

That we don’t invest in other sports enough.

From what should have just been a relaxation,

The Indian Premier League has become a vexation.

Why India Needs a New Political Direction Now

Both of India’s major political parties have let their people down-big time. The whole world is watching tensions flare between Iran and Israel. It has become almost a full-fledged war now. Many Indians’ livelihood has become a question mark. But, this hasn’t stopped the BJP and the INC from slinging mud at each other, playing petty politics. Modi, who appears as a courageous leader outside has shown weakness by cowering to the Trump administration. The United States has announced that they have decided to ‘allow’ India to buy Russian oil for a short time. If this is not an international embarrassment, then I can’t say what is! He has compromised India’s sovereignty to a level where a foreign power is dictating our foreign policy. Modi’s foreign policy or should I say his ‘hugplomacy’ has failed to attract takers with none of the prominent countries supporting India after Pahalgam. What’s worse, Trump has said more than 80 times on record that he intervened and stopped a potential Indo-Pak Nuclear War. Then again, the Indian PM Modi hasn’t had the gumption to refute that claim. After several months, now as well the BJP has betrayed India by not providing its citizens a clear pathway of survival in the gas crisis after Iran’s closure of Strait of Hormuz.

Sensing incompetent leadership, the Congress, like a predator that pounces on its prey, tried to hound the Modi Administration. But this is nothing more than pathetic appeasement politics. Where was Rahul Gandhi when Christians in India were attacked during Christmas time? A more interesting matter is Sonia Gandhi writing an article urging Modi to raise the issue of the killing of Khamenei in the Parliament? Where was she when the Christians were and are still being persecuted on a daily basis in this great country? Sonia Gandhi hardly gives her voice to any social issues battering India. She has been silent on the farmers issue, her party’s self-implosion, to name a few. Rahul Gandhi is busy touring the world wasting his time meeting individuals like Ilhan Ohmar in the US. But suddenly, as the elections are near, the mother-son duo have woken up. The hypocrisy is as clear as the day.

It is time that this generation of voters bruises the ego and complacency of these two parties and vote for an alternative 3rd party. That leader or the party isn’t visible as of yet, but we hope that in the not too distant future, it will become a reality.

Analyzing the Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Trump vs Iran

US President Trump has threatened Iran after Iran's closure of the strait of Hormuz

We are living in turbulent times. And the constant negative news coming from the journalistic fraternity is a testament to it. The most recent development is US President Donald Trump attempting to straighten out Iran in the strait of Hormuz crisis. Iran’s new Supreme leader has vowed to not let a single drop of oil cross the strait. This has led to cataclysmic consequences of gas shortage across the globe. Trump obviously wasn’t too pleased with Iran’s decision prompting him to warn Iran severely via social media. The international community is divided over who is right in this matter. Many ‘journalists’ have lost their integrity. They have tried to sway public opinion to what they believe is right rather than the truth. Most of the media superficially showed Trump in the bad light while ignoring what is happening behind the scenes. Even after his resounding electoral wins, the media hasn’t learned, but has consistently tried to misrepresent him to the general public.

They are now saying that America and Israel are the engineers of the strait of Hormuz crisis. They dare not write the truth about the ground reality of Iran’s stubborn refusal to let the oil pass through the strait. It is important to know that the oil doesn’t belong to Iran. It has never been Iran’s as a matter of fact. Iran has illegally blocked international waters violating the UNCLOS(United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea). Article 38 of the UNCLOS states that, “All ships and aircraft enjoy the right of transit passage, which shall not be impeded”. Being ignorant of this, many have risen to question the US’ offensive stance against a belligerent Iran. They willfully ignore the larger picture.

Iran’s government despises America along with Israel with chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” daily. They have enabled proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah to attack Israel and harm her most important ally, America. These are valid reasons as to why America must not ignore such a violent regime. Therefore, Trump took timely action of wiping out their supreme leader for their notorious deeds, starting recently from October the 7th, 2023. While I would be the first person to welcome dialogue and debate of different perspectives, the left’s reasoning has dwindled to a horribly low level. News organizations around the world may try to alter the truth as if America is the aggressor and suggest that Iran has always been a good boy, but that is not the case. The strait of Hormuz must be opened soon for the greater good of the international community. Iran can’t withhold the world’s commodity as if its their own.

#israel #politics #iran #middleeast #news

The Power of Simplicity in Writing

“Simplicity is the glory of expression”- Walt Whitman.

Simplicity in writing should be the ultimate goal of any writer. Overloading sentences with complicated, misplaced vocabulary places a burden too heavy to carry on the reader. The average reader has a low attention span according to research. The writer therefore must be aware of it and then embark on his writing journey. Most readers don’t take the time to refer to unfamiliar words in a dictionary. That is the reason why any person who is into writing must use simple and understandable words.

Redundancy in any content is unnecessary, and the reader will lose interest in that content soon. This is why I feel simplicity in diction should be the mantra for any writer. Knowing the heartbeat of the audience is very essential. The blog or article must not be boring for the audience, but must be truly engaging with simplicity written all over it. In the profession of writing, political correctness can bring about harmful consequences. Mindfully using a complicated word instead of a simple word is one of the greatest sins a writer can commit. Being direct and concise is the secret to winning over the reader.

Many fear that using simple diction throughout their content would give the impression that they are a petty writer. But the reality is actually the opposite. My strong conviction has always been that there is no better vehicle other than simplicity to transport our ideas to everyone equally successfully. Clutter is a malady. Simplicity is its antidote. So simplify, simplify, simplify.

4 LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF THE LORD JESUS:

The Lord Jesus and one of his prominent disciples, Peter.


• When one of Jesus’ most loyal disciples, Peter, denied knowing him three times in public shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus didn’t take offense like many would have. He knew Peter’s heart, so rather than taking offense immediately he waited till the right moment came.
• Jesus instead sets out to restore him. Peter, strengthened by Jesus’ confidence in him, affirms his love for Jesus thrice(the same amount of times he denied him). Jesus would have obviously been hurt, because Peter was one of the closest disciples he had during his sojourn on earth. But Jesus, not being an impulsive leader, calmly talks it out with Peter and brings about a productive result.
• Jesus showed love and mercy. Many leaders believe that leadership often involves being hardline, and he didn’t look for opportunities to be high-handed, indulging in abuse of power. Jesus showed that true leaders don’t abandon people after one failure, but invest in their recovery. Because of Christ’s trust in Peter, Peter eventually died for his Lord proving his loyalty till his last breath.
• Jesus led, but didn’t coerce. That is also the mark of a genuinely admirable leader.

It’s sometimes staggering to think that someone who lived on the earth more than 2000 years ago could give us leadership lessons now and be relevant even today. But that’s how awesome a leader Jesus was.