I live in Oregon. I have a special interest in what is happening in Portland because it lies within the State of my residence.

In the United States, we have an equivalent to the terrorist group Hamas. It’s called Antifa— a recently designated terrorist organization. Antifa members are not citizens who have a legitimate complaint to express in a peaceful public protest. They are anarchists who take over a legal protest to encourage people to engage in acts of violence and mayhem. The mission of an anarchist is to kill, steal, and destroy our cities and our nation.

Scripture has strong words to say about the virus of anarchy in Isaiah 24. “The chaotic cities are unlivable. Anarchy reigns. Every house is boarded up, condemned.” Habakkuk wrote, “Anarchy and violence break out, quarrels and fights all over the place. Law and order fall to pieces. Justice is a joke. The wicked have the righteous hamstrung and stand justice on its head.”

Not all of Portland is under attack. But a single neighborhood is, and it is the suffering of those residents who live in the immediate area of the protests that concerns me.

Those living in the neighborhood where the Portland ICE facility is located have been begging for someone to help. The nightly violence has been taking place for the last 100 days, with the sounds of tear gas canisters exploding, curses being hurled from Antifa at police officials, and bullhorns breaking the peace and silence of the night.

The Portland Police Bureau is not providing timely assistance when residents make a 911 call asking for help. Our governor and city officials have told police officers to stand down.

The photos being offered of Portland’s peaceful neighborhoods are not accurate for the entire city. Those who are suffering from the immediate effects of the protests are living in fear.

I listened to an interview with a black woman living near the Portland ICE facility telling a newscaster that she felt unsafe. Another woman, a white senior citizen, was afraid to leave her apartment just across the street from the ICE facility. She felt compelled to carry bear spray when she goes shopping. She spoke to a reporter with the sound of terror in her voice. What both these women are experiencing is chaos and danger that has crossed racial and social divides.

Paul wrote about the kind of behavior of groups like Hamas and Antifa.
“Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all” (Romans 3:13-18).

Groups like Hamas and Antifa share a similar problem. They don’t know where to find peace because they do not fear God. This lack of fear has led them to commit acts of violence. The results of their lack of fear are far larger than any socio-economic or racial issues, and the political forces that are complicit with their continued disruptive presence, allowing it to continue without being challenged.

The only solution for the cessation of the actions of these terrorists is for them to experience a reverent fear of God that only Jesus can provide. Without that fear, groups like Hamas and Antifa will become more emboldened and wreak even greater harm where they have been allowed to run wild without restraint. Those who approve of their evil will also be subject to the same kind of judgment because the restraining fear of God is not present in their thinking or their actions.

If you feel led to protest, it is essential not to let yourself become a naïve puppet of any group. The unhinged emotions expressed by groups like Antifa and Hamas, and those who support their actions, will lead people into a very dark place.

Only a life-altering experience with the risen Christ can remove that kind of judgment. A relationship with the living God is the only defense against such groups and the anarchy they spread. That kind of transformation will happen when one man and one woman at a time experience a personal encounter with the Prince of Peace and the Lord of lords. That is the mission of the Church. No government can bring that kind of peace, creating an environment where the people can live in peace and begin to flourish.

Without a redeeming encounter with Jesus, our cities will devolve even deeper into darkness, like what we are seeing displayed in a single neighborhood in Portland, Oregon.

If you want to be part of the solution, choose to become an intercessor and begin to pray for the peace of Portland and other cities in our nation that are under siege by unrestrained anarchical spirits.