Terrorism - how to respond

Contents

• Summary
• Where to put your trust
• Don't fear!
• For Christians
• Conclusion

Summary

Unfortunately there are no guarantees in life.

The only way you can successfully battle the rising tide of fear, uncertainty and insecurity is to put you trust on something immovable and unshakable - otherwise you too will become a powerless victim of the terrorism on a personal level. You will be thrown around by the tide of public fear and panic if your core value, future and beliefs aren't grounded in a solid foundation.

Where to put your life trust

People tend to put their trust in these areas:

• Trust in other people - result is you will always be let down. The terrorism shows there are evil people who can take innocent people down.
• Trust in money - only 3% of the "money" is backed up by actual currency. The rest is created by banks as credit and the whole system survives on consumer confidence! A structure without foundation or substance! It only takes a loss of confidence and the world economies will be bordering on total collapse.
• Trust in themselves - people are resourceful and intelligent however we all have a limit. All the victims of the terrorist attacks were powerless in their greatest moment of need.
• Trust in the stability of society - Terrorism shows us that even what we believe to be secure can be destroyed.
• Trust in God - people put their trust in the only thing that is unchangeable and immovable.

Trust in God!

People who put their trust in God are not immune to trouble. When trouble comes however, the difference is that they are not alone, even when isolated from other people.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him". The Bible, Psalms 91:14,15

A conscious decision is required for you to begin to put your trust in God. When you play the childhood game of falling back into another person's arms, you decide to trust that they will catch you and prevent you from splitting your head open on the ground. You trust that person only because you have some knowledge of their character. To trust them in that situation means you have weighed up the situation and concluded they have your welfare at heart. You need to have determined too that the other person is not going to use you as a cruel joke and let you fall to the ground.

It is the same with God. Determine in your heart that He has your welfare as his priority and that He loves you. (The Bible makes that clear to us) Your children who love and trust you are totally safe when they are within your power to protect them. That same protective attitude is God's attitude to you when you choose to put your trust in Him. His power is unlimited!

Build your trust in God

Your level of trust with another person changes according to how well you know that person:

• No knowledge of the person - no trust
• Some knowledge of the person - some trust (you trust the pilot of the plane because you know he has been trained)
• Personal acquaintances of yours - more trust (you get to know their character over time as trustworthy - or not)
• Personal family and close friends - great trust (you have spent a lot of time with them and know them intimately)

Your relationship with God will coincide with one of the four examples above. To really enter into the peace that comes from trusting God, you need to enjoy the equivalent of the last two "personal" relationships with God. This link below tells how to start a personal relationship with God:

Don't fear!

Easy to say but hard to do when all around are finding good reasons to fear! The media continually gives us new reasons to fear!

There is every logical reason to fear. The threat of more terrorist attacks. The threat of another war. The threat of biological or nuclear war. The threat of economic recession all over the world.

The present level of fear in society is out of all proportion to the facts! Infinitely more people are killed by cars every year than terrorist attacks - are we ruled by a morbid fear of getting into a car?

"Do not fear" is one of the most repeated instructions in the Bible. It takes a conscious choice to reject fear. To be successful in removing fear, you need to replace the fear with something positive. You can adopt a positive attitude which will help, but it is only a small part of the answer. The small child in an unfamiliar situation is able to reject fear when they are close to the parents. Alone, the child would be overcome with fear. The child has confidence when the parents are there because they know the parent's care and protection is always available when the circumstances require it.

Once again it is the same with God. It is easier to look above the devastating circumstances of terrorism and rise above fear when you have your trust in God. You realize He is still in control. He loves you and cares for your well being. He will never leave you or forsake you.

For those who are personal with God (Christians)

Our response needs to be active:

Get closer to God

...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. The Bible, 2 Chronicles 7:14,15

Pray for the leaders of the countries.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. The Bible, 1Timothy 2:1,2

Pray for the terrorists!!

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Jesus' words in The Bible, Matthew 5:44

Remember Paul in the Bible? He used to persecute, imprison and help kill Christians. God intervened and spoke from heaven directly to Paul. He then became a believer and ended up one of the main writers of the Bible! The same could happen to bin Laden and other key terrorists! We must provide an attitude of faith and belief so God can move in power. Imagine how the terrorist network would disintegrate if their leaders became Christians!

Conclusion

You can't guarantee when your time has come to depart this earth.

The only solution: start a relationship with God while you can (become a Christian; make your peace with God) This is the most basic concept of your life and as such needs your highest priority.

• Trust in God.
• No Fear!
• Get closer to God each day and experience His peace

More about starting out with God