The Solution to Terrorism

 

Would anyone have thought terrorism would ever be a dominant issue in our country?

We all know it has become a major issue, and it's only getting worse.

Yesterday on our radio program, I mentioned that The New York Post published a piece about a terrorist aligned leftist group that ran a summer camp in August here in the Northwest.

The Seattle chapter of Revolutionary Youth participated, along with chapters from Bellevue, Puget Sound, Bellingham, and Issaquah.

Teens waved terrorist flags and learned Maoist war tactics at the hidden Northwest location.

While the "summer camp" appeared to be a typical summer camp, it was not.

What is the solution to this growing issue of terrorism in our "City on a Hill?"

Be informed, not misled.

While the NYP didn't offer any solutions, they said, "High Schoolers are being led into a dangerous, violent ideology by groups associated with terrorist organizations."

Is there a solution?

Jimmy Levy found fame after appearing on American Idol in 2020. 

Although he did not win the title, Levy was still able to begin a musical journey in the entertainment industry. 

However, it would lead him down a very dark path before he found the answer to his despair.

He told Fox News, "When I was in the industry, I became very lonely, depressed, and I realized how dark it is." He said he witnessed other musicians engaging in 'witchcraft,' which influenced him to start dabbling in the occult.

At first, the singer said he didn't believe in Satan and was just participating to fit in with his peers. 

"I would put a stupid tattoo on my hand of the devil," Levy said, showing the image on his hand. "I started hanging out around people that would proclaim themselves as worshipers of the devil. And I just — I didn't understand what I was getting myself into," he admitted.

Via Fox:

But Levy said he soon started seeing negative ramifications from these choices. He now believes God was showing him "how real the spiritual war was and how real the devil in the industry was."

"That's when I started getting tormented at night by demons. There were times because I was smoking — I was doing a lot of things that were affecting my voice. And I couldn't even sing at some point. I started really getting attacked constantly, constantly. And I realized that Satan was real," he said.

At his lowest point he reached out to his friend Nick, who he said leads a popular online Christian ministry.

"He would always call me in the beginning and then through my career, all the times he saw me post some dark images or Satanist-looking things and he'd be like, ‘Jimmy, I want to tell you about Jesus.’ And I'd be like, 'I don't want to hear this. I'm Jewish. Goodbye,'" Levy said with a chuckle.

Eventually his friend's persistence paid off. Levy revealed that he turned his life over to Christ, began reading the Bible, and was baptized on July 4, 2021.

He found that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ was the answer he had been looking for.

Then he began to question.

No, not about God, nor how He had transformed his life. He began to question his own beliefs — his own worldview.  

The singer said he started questioning his political beliefs afterward, as well. He explained how he wrote an anti-gun control song for the Parkland shooting victims in the past and expressed sympathy for Black Lives Matter. After his faith conversion, he started to feel like he had been misled on these issues.

"I was just an artist, so – now I see from my perspective how all of these artists in the industry – they know not what they do, you know, and God forgives them for that. But like there's some point where God gives you the eyes to see, and you have a chance to turn from the past of the agendas that you're promoting… if you're given the eyes to see it, you have to deny that money. You have to deny that world. You have to deny the fame, everything, and just do what's right for God, for freedom, for America," he said.

Levy has spent the past few years writing anthems like "This is War" and "Welcome to the Revolution" used in anti-mandate rallies during the COVID-19 pandemic, before performing an anti-Target song and an anti-Pride song this summer that rose to the top of the iTunes and Billboard charts.

Jesus Christ was his solution. His answer.  He found his way home in Jesus Christ.

Mohamad Faridi has also found his way home.

I'm going to be sharing Mohamad's story today on our daily radio program.

It begins: "Growing up as a devout Muslim in a religious family, I was taught to fear Allah, obey the Qur'an, and strive to earn paradise through good deeds. But no matter how hard I tried, I never felt close to God or sensed His approval. After years of devotion, Islam left me broken, depressed, and nihilistic."

Takeaway

Join me today for the rest of this story. 

Our radio program can be heard on a number of radio stations, live-streamed, and on iHeart, and Spotify. Each day, the program is posted on our website, faithandfreedom.us.

Although both stories reflect men who were misled, their solutions were the same.

Terrorism is an act of rebellion and, most often, ignorance. 

As a youth pastor and later a senior pastor, I have dealt with these issues in the park and on school grounds with teenagers and their parents, from the pulpit. The issues are the same today as they were a millennium ago.

Jesus is the answer. He changes our lives and our worldview.

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Bold. Be Prayerful.