Stand for truth in times of the ‘legal’, ‘applaudable’ and ‘acceptable’

Evangelical Christian author Joni Eareckson Tada said, “Gradually, though no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And then applaudable.” This is indeed the time we are living in. A time where everything that is unacceptable in the eyes of God has indeed become tolerable, acceptable and sadly legal. The world applauds depravity, carnality, decadence, and perversion. The end-time remnant must be prepared to stand against such matters, even if it is acceptable, legal, and tolerable or applaudable in the eyes of the world!

For such matters deemed to be ‘legal’, ‘applaudable’, and ‘acceptable’, follow the wisdom of this world. Of such wisdom, James writes in chapter 3: “15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” Paul wrote of such wisdom in “27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

Paul also said in “1 Corinthians 2:14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” Indeed, the ‘legal’, ‘applaudable’, and ‘acceptable’ does not come from the Spirit of God, for it is foolishness and by design rebellious against God’s Kingdom. 1 Corinthians 3:19 says, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” The fool says there is no God (Psalm 14:1), and, therefore, walks in the wisdom of this age. Let us not forget Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), not because he is more powerful than God, but because the majority of people have placed him on the throne of their hearts. So this world will seek after all things unnatural, immoral, dark, and dangerous for they embrace the foolishness of the devil’s lies.

The famous opening lines from Charles Dickens' seminal novel on the French Revolution go as follows:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way..."

Indeed, this describes our perilous times, for some the days are great, and for some, it is not. We are indeed living in times of great darkness, and in great light. Times of great wisdom and in great foolishness. We are indeed living in times of hope, but also despair. We are indeed living in times where it seems everyone wants to go to heaven, but many it seems are heading the wrong way.

For this is I know, in such strange, weird and perilous times of deception, danger, apostasy, threats and ridicule, that those who remain with God, and those who walk with God, shall indeed know wisdom, the true light, the true way and true hope. Beyond His Presence, we are shrouded by darkness, by violent storms of disbelief and a deafening silence about our immoral failures.

This may indeed be a time of great belief, but also of great rejection, and the only One who remains true is the Great I AM. Glory to God. Great may be the revolution in man's heart, but God still calms the waters, feeds the hungry, quells the spiritual thirst and redeems the broken, the lost and the forgotten! Incredible times indeed, but know God above all. Yes, know Him, and by knowing Him we shall avoid the pitfalls of the tolerable, the acceptable, the legal, and also the applaudable.