Are You in the Midst of Wolves?

We live in a society that lives by its own defined morals. In such a society, Christians will be criticized or ostracized for following the word of God because His word is not culturally acceptable. It can be a challenging time and even more so when we receive criticism from fellow Christians.

When we are pressured on multiple fronts by being told that God’s word is wrong and hateful, how do we stay strong and not cave in to society? How do we protect our faith in God’s word? How do we redirect those misguided by society?

We must always remember that we are students of Christ, not students of the world as Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 2:8, “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.”

We must also seek wisdom and understanding from God so that we can discern the truth from the lies.

We read in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Jesus advises us to be wise in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Since we have been sent out in the midst of wolves, how do we confront those wolves? We must approach them with the sword of God's word and truth. Ephesians 6:17 tells us to "take up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God."

Jesus tells us not to worry beforehand how we will defend ourselves in Luke 21:14-15, "For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict."

In order to receive those words and wisdom, we need to know scripture thoroughly. As we grow our knowledge of God's word, the Spirit can speak those scriptures through us.

God's Word also teaches that we need to be tactful and wise in our interactions. In order to do so, we need to prayerfully ask for heavenly wisdom. We read in James 3:17, "the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive (to God), full of mercy, and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

Not everyone will have willing ears to hear the truth. All we can do is plant the seed as we follow Paul's example in 1 Corinthians 3:6, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow."

It is a challenging world and it is sad to see people falling victim to satan's deception. He has twisted their thinking to see good as evil and evil as good. Their state of delusion is a result of not placing their faith in God's perfect, eternal word. Instead they place their faith in man's definition of morality.

We read in 2 Timothy 4:3-5,

[3] For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. [4] They will reject the truth and chase after myths. [5] But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

It can be intimidating to be sent out in the midst of wolves, but God's Word encourages us in
2 Timothy 1:7-8, "... do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord...For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

And Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

So let us stand strong with unwavering faith in God’s word. Let us grow in our knowledge of the scriptures. Let us ask God for wisdom and understanding. Let us trust that the Spirit will give us the right words to share. Let us pray for those carried away by deception. And finally, let us trust that God will water the seeds we plant as we share His eternal truth.
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