Life in these days can be quite confusing and it's hard to know which voices to listen to and which to dismiss. The best choice is to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and see what He is communicating.
He is our indwelling connection to Yehoveh and Yehoveh's wisdom is greater than any human wisdom we might try to rely on. The Holy Spirit will always take us back to the Word of God and today He leads me to consider the day of the judges.
Back in the day of the judges, Israel refused to evict the Canaanites out of the promised land and instead decided to make peace with their enemies. Their peace making efforts led to accepting and then participating in Canaanite pagan rituals and worship of their Baals. This was not a complete rejection of Yehoveh but rather a duel worship of Him ALONG WITH the worship of foreign gods. Of course this was evil in the sight of God and carried a penalty with it.
Oppression by these other nations was a consequence of Israel's attempts at appeasement. When the oppression of untoward circumstances caused them to cry out for Yehoveh to deliver them, He sent human rescuers and these are the ones called "judges". Their role was not just to judge cases of conflict but more to exhort the people to align with Yehoveh and His ways. They were raised up as valiant courageous men and women as human rescuers, who would lead Israel to throw off the yoke of their oppressors and turn back to their God and His ways (the Torah).
In Judges 2:22, I find that Yehoveh put His people to the test (to confirm the loyalty of their hearts) by leaving the Canaanite nations inside the promised land for Israel to deal with rather than evict them through Joshua's military campaigns.
I wonder: Are we, Yeshua followers (the church), being tested in this hour through a foreign nation and foreign god (s) controlling things to see if/where we will stand or fall?
One example we all are facing on a personal level is the subject of vaccines. If forced vaccines and other violations of our freedom are implemented are they like unto "the mark of the beast", will we accept it? Is there a Divine consequence if we do?
For me, since the vaccines are developed and produced using aborted baby (fetal) tissue, a jab would for me be participating (however indirectly) in the abomination of the shedding innocent blood. Furthermore, for me, it would be a sure (direct) desecration of the temple of my body to inject these precious soul cells acquired by murder even for the "good" of myself or others and I must not allow that to happen.
There are many compromises we can point to today challenging us as we live in our faith, that if we do live in our faith will cause some heartburn or worse. Society endorses many things that Yehoveh finds unacceptable. We are penalized if and when we disagree. Are we then moved to participate? Will we open our eyes to see the compromises that grieve the heart of Yehoveh? Things that clearly violate His Word to us? Will we then repent if we have caved, stand firmer if we have not, and cry out for His deliverance so we can return or faithfully continue in His ways?
I believe it is critically important to rightly assess where we are today. We must think about where all this is leading us and then choose this day whom we will serve.
The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
