I was just looking out the window a bit ago; our apartment sits on top of a hill and the back balcony faces down towards the university’s sports fields.  I was mesmerized as I watched swirling flurries of snow—after living a number of years in central and southern California, I was captivated with this view!

I like snow, especially when I’m tucked up inside of a warm apartment looking out at it. As I’ve gotten older, comfort has become increasingly important to me. I won’t drive anywhere in the snow and ice if I don’t have to, though walking trips to the laundry facilities on site and to the dumpster are necessities. I’ve had a couple of falls in the last few months that have reminded me that I’m not as young as I used to be, and this body can ill afford that kind of treatment!

No matter our age, though, we don’t like to be uncomfortable. Amazon is an amazing resource for accommodating quite speedily (but not immediately) our needs and desires for things that will make our lives more convenient or comfortable.

We are 21^st century Christians who are quite used to being comfortable, having many conveniences and great technology to assist and amuse us. The thought of last days prophecies, persecution, and the unknowns associated with “the great reset,” one-world government, and increasing restrictions on personal freedom seem a distant call. However, when we do go out, we either see masks or wear then—and tickling at the back of our mind is the thought that things are not same as they used to be, and we cannot be sure they ever will be.

There are a couple of responses, I’ve noticed, that can work their way into our subconscious perspectives. One is to adjust and adapt just to get along with the direction
where the world and the government are going. Wear the mask, get the vaccine. It’s not much. Allow your children to be exposed to the “sex education” in the public school system, don’t go to church because the governor said not to… It’s not too far, not too much to ask.

So, I wonder, do we have a “line in the sand” that we will not cross? Is it government or society dictated or biblically sound? Are we listening to the Holy Spirit or to the intimidation and manipulations of the enemy? Is fear our response, whatever that response is, to the authoritative demands and mandates being foisted upon our ways of life? In the midst of the onslaught of voices nagging, demanding, and bullying, I believe that it is essential we know the character of God to recognize the voice of God.

Learning that truth was a big deal for me. With the family and religious background that I came from, my self-talk was less than stellar. Though the Bible assures us that “there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1), every time I made a mistake (the kind that all us humans tend to make), I would speak words of hatred, condemnation, and bullying to myself, feeling that I deserved them. It’s taken many years and a lot of Bible reading and study to learn to recognize truth and discern the voice of God. Here’s a fact to remember: The Holy Spirit is not a bully, so when you hear voices that sound manipulative and bullying, they do have a spiritual source, but not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts, He doesn’t condemn! Oh, how we need to remember that when the enemy sets about to challenge us.  

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Ephesians 5:22)

So how do we come to that place where we draw a line in the sand that we will not cross? There’s no “one size fit all” answer to this question—it would be nice if it were all so very clear cut, but I’m suspicious that the enemy (who has been known to use the words of God in devious ways) succeeds in getting us to make small compromises (leading up to bigger compromises) in the place that we normally would have set our boundaries.

Peter and the apostles summed it up quite well in the book of Acts, “We must obey God rather than people.” (Act 5:29) –and sometimes that can make things uncomfortable for us, particularly when people challenge our relationship with God and the Bible. …especially when the culture deems scripture “hate speech.”

We don’t know how difficult things are going to get before Jesus appears in the clouds to take His bride home—we also do not know when that will be: “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son—except the Father alone.…This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:36, 44)

But we do know that God will never leave us or forsake us.

“Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or abandon you.’ Therefore, we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6)