Many years ago I initiated a personal policy: Whenever anyone asked me how I was doing, I would answer with, “Excellent.” Whether I felt excellent in that moment or not, I would use it as an opportunity to speak blessing over myself; sort of a “dress for success” kind of confession. I’d remind myself of the many blessings I had and declare those things as excellent, letting them renew my mind and adjust my attitude.
There were many times this simply wasn’t possible, however. Heartache, death, pain, despair — they tend to render us silent, or just too hurt to fake it. When tragedy strikes, admitting we feel terrible and wailing a prolonged, guttural cry is a proper way to grieve our way back into health; we’ve probably all been there.
But most days aren’t punctuated by life changing tragedy. In normal day-to-day minutiae, I don’t want to make agreements with the enemy. When I’m merely tired, frustrated, down in the dumps, desperate for a victory, or just getting by on autopilot, I’ll still (usually) answer “excellent” when someone asks how I’m doing because 1) I don’t want to be that guy who’s always bleeding on people, and 2) it recalibrates me. I have much to be thankful for.
And yet, even though I’m constantly reminded of the Lord’s many blessings, I find myself increasingly hesitant to answer with “excellent” when asked how things are going lately.
Don’t get me wrong, many things are as excellent as they’ve ever been and some seem to get better every day. The marriage is strong, the kids are healthy, and I still haven’t been SWATTed yet — which is truly excellent, given that I’ve made a point since 2020 of poking the Federal bear at every opportunity.
What’s not so excellent is the inflated grocery bill and the skyrocketing fuel costs. These set me wondering how we’re going to keep food in the pantry and gas in the tank.
Also on my radar are the weekly Satanic actions perpetrated across the culture and at the highest levels of government. It makes me wonder how long God tolerates modern nations who mock Him while harming countless children with every means available.
I’m not feeling excellent when I read about that. The state of our union is far from good; race-baiters and corrupt officials drive the culture and I feel it in my bones. It causes me to consider flipping that flag upside down as many others have.
I’ve often felt like my role in this period of history is similar to what Thomas Paine was to his: Write about the injustice and provide clarity to my countrymen about complex matters, to spur them to action and join our cause.
But I don’t feel like Thomas Paine today. I don’t want to focus on all of that struggle.
I just want to smile and be content in my familial bubble. Deep inside my castle, surrounded by a thousand books, a beautiful woman, giggling kids, and enough ammo to protect it all, I feel pretty excellent. Let the outside world consume itself; we’ve got Jesus and plenty of coffee.
I want to watch sports again and not worry that every commercial will be laden with woke messaging. I want to visit to the movies, take a road trip, or go on vacation without the threat of yet another war or manufactured pandemic stranding me or my loved ones far from home.
I want to worship, hike a new trail, and eat, drink, and be merry.
Essentially, I just want everything to be excellent. But it’s not.
Things are tense, people are dying, injustice is rampant, children are disappearing, invaders are marching in, wealth is eroding, and as much as I’d like to supernaturally declare those things away (and I do, in Jesus’ name), ignoring them is not an option when confronted with them. Fighting them is.
Know Thy Enemy
I see my countrymen plagued with mysterious onsets of previously rare diseases and afflictions. Most of these people are unaware of the roots of these medical conditions, and are all too quick to seek healing from the same white-jacketed dispensaries whose blind allegiance to drugs caused the issues in the first place. We need to tell these friends that they have alternatives, that they don’t have to submit to Big Pharma’s deadly protocols.
I grieve seeing legions of people trumpeting the murder of children in the womb, and millions more clamoring for the right to sexually abuse children in audaciously horrific ways. Let’s educate our leaders (including President Trump), and inform our pastors and police that child murder is not a state’s rights issue the church can be silent about. Pray, and also do the research to bust those trafficking scumbags. If you’re a young person passionate about trafficking, perhaps consider a career in law enforcement.
I’ve watched elections continue to be stolen with impunity. We can meet with others who are fed up, and organize, research, and strategize on how to make hand-counted-only, paper-ballot elections great again. Our time is short so we need to get on that one.
Americans are still being rounded up and held as political hostages, for years without trial, without due process, and without assistance from the representatives who should be fighting tooth and nail for their release. Defend these prisoners to anyone who will listen, share their stories, donate to their legal funds, and send them letters to encourage them that they’re not alone or forgotten.
I see weak people compromising their souls at all levels of leadership. Contact them and hold them accountable. Maybe even offer to lead them in a prayer of repentance. If you’re in that rare fraternity of souls fortunate enough to have a good representative fighting the right enemies, call them up and tell them thank you.
Thank you, David Eastman.
Politically disinclined people block out the latest bad news in favor of anything fluffy and distracting. And while I agree with their motivations — nobody can live in Condition Red 24/7 without it destroying their psyche — ignoring the daily atrocities perpetrated on the innocent is neither biblical nor ethical.
We are obligated by the sacrifice made by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on our behalf to care for the prisoners, the children, and our neighbors. That means paying attention to the news and what’s going on in our communities, but it doesn’t mean dwelling on them.
Blessings and Curses
I started making that frequent declaration of “excellent” after reading Hung by the Tongue, a book (with an unfortunate cover) that explains the realities of curses and blessings, and the supernatural power of loosing or binding powers in the heavenly realms.
We are often cursing ourselves, our communities, and our children without even realizing it:
“You’re killing me,” we might say to a friend or child in jest.
“I’m stupid,” we might joke about ourselves.
Or, the one I’m often guilty of carelessly tossing around lately: “Alaska is one of the most corrupt states in the union.”
It’s so easy to get caught up in the negative. It’s equally easy to ignore the negative altogether and operate solely in the world of vapid distraction. Perpetually Angry Guy is just as lost as Blue-haired Tik-Tok Girl; both need a little more Jesus and a lot less Twitter in their lives.
Our mental health lies in striking the proper balance between bold action and necessary rest — forceful advocacy on the one hand, and surrendering the things we can’t control into the hands of God on the other.
On days like today — when I’m desperate for a victory, yet see none on the horizon — I need to stop and remember that though we can rarely choose our circumstances in life, we can always choose our attitude about them. Today I choose to focus on the blessings God has provided, the hope of what He promises to provide in the days ahead, and the way He challenges us to trust Him through the next big thing. Today if you ask me how I’m doing, I will answer “excellent” because, secure in the salvation of Jesus Christ, it’s always true, and throughout the course of the day I will trust He will once again orchestrate the victories to make it true in the physical realm as well. And I’ll also keep an eye on those not excellent things on the horizon. There’s always a battle ahead.
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