Spirit of fear

The World isn’t actually Going to Hell in a handbasket (Even Though Your Feed Says Otherwise)

OK, I need to get something off my chest.

I’ve been super interested in AI tech lately. Mostly podcasts and YouTube videos explaining new tools that are available for social media marketing and entertainment. But every time I bring up AI in a conversation, people lose it. Eyes go wide, somebody starts talking about robots taking over, and before you know it we're debating the end of civilization over lunch. And it's not just AI. Bring up politics, religion, the economy — same thing. This world is crumbling all around us and the future is bleak.

So I want to push back on that a little. Not because things are perfect — they're not — but because the world is no more broken today than it was thousands of years ago. The Bible is an incredible account of history pertaining to this, and we see all kinds of the same sexual sin we see today, not to mention child sacrifice, genocide, and all the most evil things you can imagine people doing to one another.

So what’s really different now? Is it that there is more evil in the world, or is it maybe that we’re more aware of everything going on in the world than ever before? Our constant connection to a firehose of information - much of which is highly sensationalized and monetized - is INSANE.

what are you putting into your brain?

If you know much about me, you know that I’m passionate about intentionality when it comes to what kind of music I listen to and I encourage others to do the same. When I listened to sad music all the time, I felt sad a lot. When I only listened to rap songs about smoking weed, that’s pretty much all I wanted to do. But it’s no different with the videos we watch every day on YouTube or the “news” station that we chose to watch. In the US in 2026, we are supposed to believe that someone with different political views than us is the enemy, and we hate them. They are everything that is wrong with this country and they are trying to ruin our kids future. If we’re not angry, we’re not paying attention. Right?

There's a researcher named Jonathan Haidt who wrote about how we make decisions. He describes it like this: imagine your intuition is a giant elephant, and your logical thinking is a little rider sitting on top trying to steer. Intuition is largely based on your background, and the elephant goes where it wants. The rider can suggest a direction, but if that elephant is already moving, good luck stopping it.

Many of us grew up hearing adults talk about how screwed this world is. Underlying fear came out in a lot of different ways, and it got baked into our elephant at a young age. So now even when our logical mind knows things aren't as bad as they seem, the elephant is already stomping in the direction of panic.

It's not weakness. It's just how we're wired. But it's worth knowing, because once you see it, you can start to work with it instead of just going along for the ride.

Nothing New Under the Sun

Here's what I keep coming back to: we've been through this before. Like, a lot.

Every major technological shift has sparked fear. The printing press, the industrial revolution, radio, television, the internet—people have repeatedly assumed the next innovation would unravel civilization. And yeah, each of those things changed the world — but they didn't end it.

AI is the latest version of that same conversation. It's going to change things dramatically. It already has. But a different world doesn’t mean a worse world.

The Bible has a ton to say about fear and anxiety and how to conduct ourselves accordingly. The command to not be afraid shows up 365 times! Jesus asked in Luke 12 “who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” These scriptures are important to me as someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression. But one of my favorites is "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” "(Luke 6:45). When all we can talk about is how everything is falling apart - that should tell us something about what's going on inside us. Fear has a way of taking over the conversation when we let it sit unchecked in our hearts. It’s not something to be ashamed of. But it is something to examine.

Here's the Hope (And It's Real)

Here's what I believe: God's timing doesn't work like ours. We see things linearly while God sees our lives like a painting he has created - a story. And if you've given your heart to God, you already know how the story ends. Redemption is the promise. That doesn't mean we check out or stop caring — it means we stop living in terror about things that are ultimately in His hands.

And beyond that, I think one of the most powerful things any of us can do is figure out our purpose. God put you here for a reason. Spending all your energy doomscrolling and arguing about the apocalypse is energy that could go toward actually living out what you were made for.

The technological advancements taking place right now are exciting! Certain industries are being revolutionized, and there are all kinds of cool new opportunities out there. And it’s as important as ever to stay prayerful and keep our eyes on the Lord.

Final Thoughts

The world has problems. It always has. But it's also full of people doing incredible things, making breakthroughs, loving their communities, creating art, raising good kids, and building something worth passing on.

You don't have to pretend everything is perfect to also refuse to live in fear. Those two things can coexist.

Constant exposure to bad news makes us feel like we're living in uniquely dark times, but history, Scripture, and human nature suggest otherwise.

Join me as I enter into a season of creating art, learning about new technologies and celebrating this place in history that God has chosen to place us.

Love y’all, peace!