Hearing Voices

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!" - Isaiah 5:20-21

It is so difficult to discern what is true and what is not. Martie and I have nearly given up watching the news. Fair and balanced is nowhere to be found. It seems everything is polarized based upon political preferences. One side is good and the other is evil, or is that the side that is good and the other side is evil? Is it possible that both sides are good? Or perhaps both are evil. It is a conundrum. (I love to use seldom used words - A conundrum, for those who are not certain, is a confusing and difficult problem or question.)

So how do we know what the truth is? With respect to life, facts fall into three categories. First are those where God has said "do these things". Second where God said, "Don't do these things." Third, God has remained silent. To not do what God says do - is sin. To do what God says not to do - is also sin. To do or not do what God has remained silent on - is not sin. Does that seem to simplistic? (Simplistic means - excessively simple or simplified : treating a problem or subject with false simplicity by omitting or ignoring complicating factors or details)

I don't think so. Now the world will disagree. Or it might say that we have misunderstood what God has said is right and wrong or upon which He has remained silent. You know that thinking and where it comes from.

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” - Genesis 3:1

We live in a secular society which is not bound by God's laws but by man's. The vast majority of the population is not motivated by the leading of the Spirit of God, but by the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life. Not everything done by people whose hearts do not belong to God is evil. They are capable of doing "good" things. Do you remember Jesus and the rich young man?

"And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.'" - Mark 10:17-18

Jesus was speaking from a spiritual - eternal view of what it meant to be good. The young man was speaking from a natural - worldly view of what it meant to be good. The young man thought he was deserving of eternal life because of what he had done. Jesus told him essentially that his heart was not right. That he has busy trying to fulfill the "second greatest commandment" through self effort when he was ignoring the first, upon which the second is dependent, which is to Love God. The young man loved money more than God.

So how do we Christians live successfully and unstained in a culture that is far from God. We must exercise spiritual discernment. We only have that when our hearts are right - fully devoted to God and His precepts. We must embrace God's Word as the source of eternal truth. Truth that spans across the generations. Truth that was truth before Adam drew his first breath and will remain the Truth when the last breath is breathed.  When this planet is no more. We must embrace that truth without apology and without compromise. And trust me, we all will be challenged to apologize for our faith and compromise our beliefs for the sake of inclusion in the culture we live in. Don't do it! 

 Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone