HOW ARE YOU HANDLING ANXIETY, STRESS, AND WORRY? PART TWO
How are you dealing with anxiety, worry, and emotional stress caused by the pandemic? Last week, I suggested several dangerous avenues that people are walking. This week, I want to look at some more areas that are tremendously dangerous.
Occult practices have seen a big bump in interest during the past year. This industry is now valued at $2.2 billion in the US and growing rapidly.
Witchcraft has risen in popularity during the pandemic, particularly on TikTok. It appears that TikTok is a platform to which people are going for relief. The TikTok hashtag #WitchTok has $20.5 billion views. Frankie Anne shares her life as a witch with 1.3 million followers, and Val Louiee reads tarot cards to her 76,000 followers.
Adam Wethington reads tarot to 1.5 million followers. He says, “WitchTok content is so relevant because we learned last year, we can’t control things. Many of us were looking inward.” The problem is that when something is easily accessible to all people – particularly young people– it’s easy to get hooked on what they are teaching. It’s hard to discern the real truth. Guess what age group is the most vulnerable?
Different areas of satanic influence are offering solutions to dealing with today’s problems. Carmel High School in Indiana now has a “Satanic club.” Their document states, “The Satanic Club of Carmel wants you. We are here to help our community. We will have discussions about current events and how to offer help to solve these conflicts. We are here for all people, regardless of anything.”
Anxiety, worry, and stress provide an invitation to try something that people should have no interest in. Anxiety then becomes a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. Whenever it is encouraged, it will cut a channel into which all other thoughts are drained. What looks innocent can easily become extremely potent and destructive.
These approaches are extremely dangerous because they run counter to God’s plan for all of us. The way to deal with all issues of life is to go to God’s Word and find His plan. Again, I offer to you Matthew 6:24-34. This plan has worked for over 2,000 years and will work for the next 2,000 years!
Keep your eyes focused on Jesus and His plan. No need to worry or be anxious. Matthew 6 talks about the flowers of the field and the birds. If you happen to look out and see the birds getting organized to build barns so that they can be sure that they are going to have food for the future, and if you see the flowers of the field spending time in front of the mirror, then it might be time to worry. But you will never see that!
Seek first God’s Kingdom– and that means first. More than any kind of witchcraft or occult or satanic influence, God is in charge of this world. We need to trust Him. He can see us through. God can lift us above all of the circumstances. A high-flying eagle is never worried about crossing the next valley.
Choose wisely your response to today’s challenges!
