Wake Up, Look Up

[Applause]

[Music]

hello everyone thanks for listening to

wake up lookup a podcast where we

connect events happening in real time to

the Gospel of Jesus Christ I'm Zach

wrock and in this episode I'm telling

you don't stop shopping which also means

this is going to be my wife's favorite

episode listen this comes from an

article that was in the New York Times

this week about shopping Trends during

election season and basically the point

is this we all feel more anxious about

the election than we let on or maybe

even then we are aware and one of the

ways you know this is that

subconsciously we stop spending money

the way we normally spend money and you

see this almost entirely across the

board of the economy that in the weeks

leading up to an election buying and

spending slow down especially when it

comes to significant purchases and in

fact the more significant the purchase

the further out from an election we slow

down so for example the real estate

market in Miami one of the fastest and

most booming real estate markets in the

country in a non-election year is up

about 10% but but in an election year

it's down almost 3% that's a

133% drop you see the same thing in

Manhattan and in La across the country

east west south we buy less cars we buy

less clothes we go out to eat less and

the reason is because we're not sure the

ground beneath us is secure we have this

deep and abiding belief that if the

wrong person gets elected uh we might be

in trouble financially or maybe if the

right person gets elected Maybe will be

in on better ground so not only do we

shop less we also tend to save more

thinking that more cash in the bank will

insulate us from the election going in

the wrong direction whatever that is for

us I say all that to say if you're

feeling anxious about the election

you're not alone it's a Countrywide

thing and maybe if you have been

unwilling to admit that you're feeling

anxious uh it's okay to start admitting

that and even paying attention to the

way you're spending your money and I

guess I have two key biblical points in

response to this they're going to sound

paradoxical the first is that you're not

ever as secure as you think listen the

insecurity that we feel during an

election season is really closer to the

truth than we imagine only not because

of the election there's no amount of

money in the bank that will ultimately

secure you against everything life can

throw at you a cancer diagnosis a

natural disaster a divorce you weren't

looking for and weren't ready for life

can throw some pretty awful things your

way and cash in the bank ultimately

isn't going to protect you either those

things will be more expensive than you

were prepared for or the cost of those

things will be measured in something

other than money listen the the cure to

anxiety isn't pretending it doesn't

exist it also isn't an attributing it to

something like the election the cure to

anxiety at least According To Jesus in

The Gospel of Matthew is to admit we

aren't in control we aren't powerless

against the larger things that threaten

Us in this world but God isn't see the

cure to anxiety isn't making myself feel

bigger by cash in the bank it's by

realizing how big God is and how much he

loves me in Jesus that's my hope for

whatever life throws my way but the

second thing is this the presidential

candidate and I know this is going to

upset many of you on both sides but you

need to hear this the presidential

election is not fundamentally going to

change your life listen Republicans have

been president Democrats have been

president at the end of the day the

person most responsible for what's

happening in your life is you listen you

should be keeping cash in the bank and

you should be making smart purchases you

should live on a budget you should

invest for the future you should be

generous not because the right candidate

or the wrong candidates going to get

elected but because these are the things

the Bible told us are wise with our

money listen if you're feeling anxious

maybe the way out of that is not just to

look to God and him being in control but

also to realize that the Republican or

Democrat in the White House is not

fundamentally going to affect your life

you are still the most important person

on this planet for your life take

responsibility take have a plan be

strategic and know that even when your

plan isn't good enough God still loves

you and God is in control so listen for

the glory of God and as a cure for your

own anxiety go shopping hey thanks so

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