Here’s a goal for 2026… Let go of your rancid hold on conspiracy theories.

“Uh oh, wait, Nick. Hold the (i)phone. The theories are proving to be true…”

Of course they are true. Some of them. But I’m not talking about the theories themselves. I’m talking about the intense anxiety and curdling anger behind the discussion. I’m talking about the way our fear turns people into enemies.

The apostle Paul dropped a massive bomb when he said, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood.” Our real battle is not with human beings. Something deeper is going on beneath the headlines.

Do you want to know what’s really happening with voter fraud, corruption in the medical industry, the rich getting richer, and other wicked schemes?

Imagine this.

A bunch of kids are playing baseball in a neighborhood field. (I’m a Sandlot fan, so bear with me on this analogy.)

One boy always insists on pitching. Soon enough, he starts changes the rules mid-game. He calls close plays in his favor. He pockets the ball at the end and decides when the game is over. Everyone knows he’s cheating, and everyone’s angry about it.

At first, the other kids talk about him like he’s the problem. If he weren’t here, the game would be fine.

Then one afternoon, a dad walks over from the edge of the field. Not his dad—someone else’s. He knows the boy. He knows what’s going on at home. He quietly explains to some of the others that this kid hasn’t seen his father in months. That when he does, it’s volatile. The control he’s exhibiting on the field is the only thing the boy feels he has.

Suddenly, the cheating doesn’t disappear, but the story changes.

The behavior is still wrong and the anger still makes sense. But now everyone can see that the corruption on the field is downstream from something broken off the field.

That’s all corruption is on the human level.

I’m not minimizing it. Nor am I saying to ignore real issues. Thank God for people who step into the mess in healthy ways: serving on school boards, shaping local policy, pursuing holistic healing, building community-minded businesses, creating ethical systems. These people release solutions into the world.

But woe to the one who sits the sidelines spewing out accusation and fear. 

That “deceived Democrat” or “close-minded Republican” is not a category—it’s a person. A person deeply loved by God. A person who has a true Name, even if they’ve forgotten it. And showing them the way Home is the only path toward real healing.

A final note…

Conspiracy theories tap into a real hunger in the soul, a desire to be caught up in something mysterious, complex, and bigger than ourselves. They also stir something unsettling. It’s connected to why people love roller coasters and horror movies. There’s a thrill in feeling out of control.

That appetite itself isn’t evil. It’s actually a hunger for something Scripture calls the fear of the Lord.

There is a holy unsettling—an awe that reminds us we are not in control, that the world is not neatly contained, and that reality is deeper than our explanations. But when that appetite isn’t directed toward God, it latches onto shadows.

The only way to satisfy it is to turn toward the One who is Mystery beyond comprehension. The One who cannot be decoded, mastered, or reduced to a theory.

Become fascinated with Him.

Let true awe and real wonder capture your attention. Let it displace the counterfeit thrill of outrage and suspicion. And let that awe send you somewhere. Because it will. Worship and encounter with the heart of God will always lead you back to being a solution in the midst of these dark and systemic problems. It will lead you to the Answer.

Jesus is the Answer—and as the Answer, he did not come to stand on the sidelines. He stepped onto the field itself. Then he said that the field is ripe for the harvest, and he sent us out to play a totally new game. He called this “the great commission.” It’s the call to go and reconcile, to announce good news, and to bring healing and restoration.

This year, I believe He is aligning us with this commission more than ever—and there will be deep joy and unexpected grace in it.

But much of it will flow out of renewed encounters with the fear of the Lord. Not fear that drives us apart, but awe that draws us home. In the end, this whole thing is about helping people finding home. It’s very simple. And richly rewarding. 

Pray this with me: “Lord, help me to get ready…”