Discernment is important as we move through the valley of the shadow of death. I see so many theories, statements, and ideas of what the future holds, and I can honestly say I have no clue how things will unfold. I have random thoughts of how things might look, what could potentially happen, and a pretty good idea of how the world will respond to the situation, but truly don’t know, and that’s why it is important to be able to discern in the moment.
Time is tricky, at once seeming to slow and escalate, and no one knows the day or hour, but we all feel that whatever it is, or whatever it looks like, it’s getting close. The media scrolling overwhelms us with ideas, images, and deflections, pounding into our brains, needing our attention, and sowing so much division it’s hard to watch. How can we see the signs when we’re always staring at a screen in our own hand?
I’ve been noticing the changes around me, and inside me, for quite a while, and for me time has escalated to a stunning pace, and I think that it is more than my dissociative nature of turning on auto drive and slipping away. I stay busy learning, doing, or creating, my eyes on the tasks before me, but the changes outside of me slip through and I ponder the meaning in both fear and awe. We’re blessed to be here at this time, and for myself I am completely humbled by the uncountable chances I’ve been given to get it right.
The world continues to pump out fear, a non-stop stream of ‘what ifs’ that end with each of us being victimized, hurt, or killed, from sickness to war and everything in between, and discernment has never been more important. Anger is at an all time high, and I’ve asked myself if everyone has always been so filled with it, and I’ve come to the conclusion, that no, something is definitely different. There’s a lot to wade through to find the nuggets of truth, and to stay focused on the path to the narrow gate.
I was blessed some years ago to move into a rural area with very spotty Internet and cell phone service, and although rather difficult and irritating at the time, it worked to my benefit. I was able to step away from the chaos. And then life handed me a few challenging and depressing situations that brought me to my knees, literally, and changed me yet again. My faith grew, my fear eased, and I learned that the only important thing is God, in the end and in the depths and in despair, He’s all we have. And if I know that, then the world knows that, and whoever is pulling the strings down here certainly know that and are working diligently to block the connection.
I personally think we may be in Satan’s little season where the next step is the battle of Gog and Magog against the camp of the saints and then judgment, but even if I’m wrong and the next steps are rapture or tribulation, discernment is still mightily important. The world will try to trick us, it will try to distract us, it will try to scare us, and it will try to drag us down into hell. Up to this point my rule of thumb has been that whatever the truth is it is opposite of what the world, the media, and the majority are saying, but things have changed, and now is when quiet and calm discernment will save your life.
Be careful who you follow, and be careful how much you trust man, any man. Look for the big picture, the strands running from point to point, not just the snippets and quotes and moments in time. Truth will be muddled with lies; everyone out for their herds to lead and claiming to have the secret knowledge they can’t share without committing to their ideas and accepting their dogma. Look at the fruits, the real fruits, not a three-minute segment from the world. Invest yourself into understanding the Word, not just a feel good Sunday sermon. Time has already escalated, events are happening quicker and quicker, and it’s not going to slow down. The world wants you overwhelmed and without the time and wisdom to judge the situation, the whole of the situation. The need for self-control is at an all time high when fear and chaos and delusions are coming at lightning speed, and the only control we have is of our selves, our actions, our thoughts, and our connection to God, everything else is simply distraction.
Remember, the world is a stage designed to entertain, possess, and distract, and at this point the world seems mostly invested in politics and furthering divisions. But we can’t change the world in that way, the stage is theirs, not ours, and we are not to conform to it, or waste our valuable time raging over it. They will do what they will do, but we must stay adhered to the narrow path, we must keep seeking the gate to salvation. You are special, the spark inside you is not in everyone, and your job is to make sure that it stays lit and grows into a flame. Only by lighting our own way do we help others see and find their way.
Keep seeking; we may be in for a bumpy ride.
