Sanity amidst confusion

[Jacob]

The philosophies and ideologies of this world are always in a flux,
and many new ideas that come up give way to other new ideas. Women's
lib caught the headlines years ago, but finally people knew that it
was better to be a female woman and a male man instead of obliterating
the differences (Ge.1:27). Now we are witnessing the chaos among the
children of those who believed that it was better to let a child
develop its own personality instead of being guided and moulded by the
parents (Pr.22:6). The current prominence given to same sex marriages
(Le.18:22) and live in relationships (1Co.7:2) will also get exposed,
once the effects of such concepts are seen openly. The problem is that
these people don't have any foundational principles that they can
build on. Any idea promoted by someone who pushes hard for it and
hyped up by the media is taken up, at least as being good enough to
experiment with. What happens in the bargain is that thousands of
individuals and families get disfigured, and the consequences follow
for generations to come.

What we have with us from the Bible is truth which God Himself has
revealed to us, regarding Himself, the way He has designed us and what
He expects from us. It is worth repeating what has now almost become a
cliche that the Bible is an operating manual given by the Creator.
Experience of thousands of years have demonstrated that those who
placed their trust in these truths have been able to stand steady in
the midst of changing ideas and practices.

The challenge is that it takes firm conviction and strength of
character to stand against the currents of society. This is not easy
because we are being pressurised from every direction, including from
within the church. We need to have a personal relationship with God,
His anointing that tells us when we come across something fishy, and
our own personal understanding of Biblical truth. We may be lacking in
any or all of these things, and then we allow ourselves to be moved by
preachers who speak and write with apparent confidence.

We must not forget that Satan is still the ruler of this world (Ep.
6:12), and that he is behind movements and media that promote immoral
and ungodly trends. There is even no guarantee that a Spirit-filled
person cannot go wrong on some points (Mt.24:24). The nearer we get to
the second coming of the Lord, these things are only going to get
worse.

Honesty demands an acknowledgement that we need something that is more
reliable than our own or other people's opinions. That is why God has
given us His word (2Ti.3:16,17). Our safety depends on our drawing
closer to God, learning to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit
coming in our hearts through God's word and through godly people, and
also making the effort to pass on the same seriousness and
understanding to our children. God's word is the major way through
which He reveals Himself to us, and trusting in it is a major part of
trusting in Him. Then we can stay sane in the midst of all the
confusion in the world.