Finding ... "It"

"Only be strong and very courageous;

be careful to do according to all the law 
which Moses My servant commanded you;

do not turn from it to the right or to the left

for then you will make your way prosperous.

and then you will have success.

"Have I not commanded you? ... Be strong and courageous!"

"Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:8-9

Why is it so important for all of us to be grounded in the Truth?

In the late seventies, a movement called EST Seminar Training reached millions as it spread across the United States. The teaching was deliberately complicated; but at the end of a full weekend the listeners were given the rather simple message that was the essence of this supposedly breakthrough new belief system. 

The teaching goes something like this:

“You must find IT.”

“All your life, society and your parents have given you rules and boundaries that they have never followed themselves.  These rules have brought you endless guilt and unhappiness. You must first clear you mind of all of this false programming. Free yourself from the rules and the guilt. Once you have emptied your mind. Take joy in your unlimited newfound freedom. Do whatever you decide is logical and whatever feels right to you. Now … you are the god of your life. Whatever you decide is right is true for you. This is IT. 

Lives were ruined and for many this was the most destructive message we can ever imagine. 

Unfortunately ... anything goes results in Chaos, pain and loss. Worse yet, when a person can redefine anything to mean whatever they decide it to be; the next thing you know they are calling this babble ... Christianity.

This message is clearly atheistic and is now being taught in our public schools and universities disguised as relative morality, political correctness, and tolerance. Many of today’s teachers and leaders were grounded in the EST philosophy of the past under another name, or guided by someone who was a devotee to this dangerous teaching. We now live in a society where millions of adults now mindlessly follow these ideas as truth.

So back to the question: “Why is it so important for us and our children to be grounded in the Truth? 

God’s Word explains this clearly: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. Ephesians 6: 11-12

Recently a friend who is a student at the university shared with me his confusion. Now free of his parents, he is able to test all of the beliefs and boundaries that they have passed on and charged him with. The honest question from him is: what am I to believe? From a human perspective based upon logic and feelings ... decisions like lying, cheating, fornication, adultery, immorality, abortion, homosexuality, false religions, and many others can be viewed in ways that would make them appear to be acceptable.

The way this works is first the kids are taught that we evolved and that there is no god. Next the message is that there are no absolutes beyond evolution, and that we each need to determine what the truth is for ourselves. This is America and we are all free to believe whatever makes sense to each of us ... so it goes. This all sounds good, but the end result leads each student to clear their mind of unwanted rules and boundaries, and this can result in all sorts of bizarre beliefs and self centered behavior. Next they are led to believe that all people and their beliefs have value and should not be questioned ... unless they are close minded Christianity, of course.

Biblical Christianity teaches moral absolutes ... 
and as a result, within this training it is absolutely to be rejected.

This is why our children being grounded in the truth is so critical. The best of kids are likely to fall prey to this teaching. This is the Strong and Courageous that God was explaining to Joshua. God was not talking about physical battles. It takes much courage to stand up for God’s Truth in the face of logic, feelings, pride, lust, friends, and deluded authority figures.

When we have moral absolutes there is no question of finding out what "IT" is? God’s truth is true whether we believe it or not. We cannot change the eternal truth by simply putting on a different mindset. God’s Truth is not subject to our mind and our thinking. This is where love, peace, joy, and redemption are discovered. God' Truth becomes the foundation of our belief system.

The scripture teaches: “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20

And God makes it clear what he thinks about the wisdom of the world: ”For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, "[He is] THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS"; and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS." 1 Corinthians 3: 19-20

Once our children are out in the world ... it is too late. They are like fish in a barrel waiting to be consumed. They go on a search for "IT" and fall prey to "IT" whatever "IT" might be, and wherever IT might lead.  But they are not to consider Biblical Christianity and moral absolutes.

All we can hope for at that point is that the Holy Spirit and God's Word will guide them into the Truth.  Unfortunately many are following their parents and the world’s sometimes hypocritical leading which is polluted by these atheistic beliefs and then in danger of falling into the politically correct trap that the enemy has set in place.

God Bless you my friends, Bob