What is "culture."
"the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively."
When we go with whatever the culture is doing we are acting the way someone acts when in a cult. That is to do and say and be everything those in the cult expect of us rather than thinking rationally with our own minds.
Christ commands us to think with His mind. How do we do that? The only way to think like Christ is to be born again. After that, we must read His Word asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten us to understand what we read.
Christ in us also uses our life experience to further enhance HIs teachings. Experience is a grand teacher if it is interpreted through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Far too many Christian remain dependent on their own understanding rather than on the truths of the Bible.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding."
Psalm 146:3-7
"3 Do not trust in princes,
In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;
In that very day his thoughts perish.
5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea and all that is in them;
Who keeps faith forever;
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free."
Psalm 19:1
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Amos 5:8
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion
And changes deep darkness into morning,
Who also darkens day into night,
Who calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the surface of the earth,
The Lord is His name."
Isaiah 66:2
““For My hand made all these things,
Thus all these things came into being,” declares the Lord.
“But to this one, I will look,
To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word."
Foolish people used to say; "it must be true I saw it on the internet." My new mantra is this: "if I saw it on the internet its probably not true. " My plan is to ignore the news stories and concentrate on the Word of God.
I am learning my lesson about the media. For years I knew how they were but now I see their increase in deception far beyond what we used to see just 20 years ago. I have decided if I was not a witness or chosen for the jury I would not be making any judgments about what happens around us, no matter what it is.
Proverbs 6:16-19
"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."
People are fighting with one another over things they see on the internet. How utterly ridiculous is that!!!!!! We can be easily manipulated with emotion over something that may not be anything like what those videos are portraying.
The antichrist will be doing lying wonders, that is miracles, that people will think are real but are illusions.
We are experiencing this sort of thing right now when we watch something on the internet and then listen to the newscasts that portray it in a particular light, to mold an image in our minds that often have no basis in fact.
Think about it.....have you become angry with someone who does not see the same thing you see on the videos? If you have then perhaps you have been manipulated, entirely convinced about something that may not be true at all.
Perhaps it is best not to read the latest reports, after all, there is nothing you can do about it anyway. Just ignore them if they do not come into your sphere of influence. If they do, consult with God and do what He tells you to do. Leave all the other news items alone entirely so you will not be tempted to fight with someone else about what you think is true and what they think is true. Most of all, do not jump on any bandwagon to fit in with others.
Satan is baiting people into fighting with one another over things they have no control over anyway. If it's not your business stay out of it. When I have expressed my opinion about something on the internet a few times I found out that I had not seen the whole matter and had to vacillate back and forth for which side to take because the information kept changing.
John 8:44
"44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks [a]a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of [b]lies."
Doesn't it make sense in these last days that the devil would bring more lies than usual to cause stress and problems pitting one person against another over things they were not even involved in and may not even be true?
Born again believers of every people group have Christ in common. There will be no "racism" because we know there is only one race, the human race. We harbor no-nonsense of superiority over anyone else. Only Christ is superior.
Satan is always busy in the minds of non-believers stirring up strife wherever he can. He will also come against believers who are not submitted to the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 6:11-13 "…11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.…"
I have seen the devil continually causing ill feelings in ungodly people to be against one another and against Christians for no other reason than to bring chaos. He loves chaos and ruin the way children love candy.
1 Peter 5:8 "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
We cannot give into our feelings or our own perceptions. We must think with rational and reasonable minds full of the Word of God to be able to see the difference in right from wrong.
Isaiah 5:20
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"
How do we figure out what is right and what is wrong? Its simple ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you as you read the Bible, its all in there and clear for those hearing from the Holy Spirit.
Martin Luther King would not have been for rioting and looting. He was for peaceful redress of grievances according to the law.
He said; "I look forward to the day when a man will not be judged by the color of his skin but by his character." So many people leave off the "by his character."
Why do people forget that Martin Luther King was concerned about the character of a man? So many people read his quotes and completely forget that character does matter and character determines actions.
Proverbs 6:16-19
"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."
Psalm 1:1
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;"
The character of our companions tells us a lot about ourselves. We choose to be around those whom we prefer. Those who have constant wicked friends are themselves wicked. No one is comfortable around evil unless they too are evil. Those who have constant kind and good friends desire to be like that.
1 John 2:3-4
"And by this, we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,"
2 Thessalonians 3:6
"Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us."
There are criminals in the world today who will not obey the voice of God. There are police officers in the world today who will not obey the voice of God. There are irrational people who cannot evaluate things in righteousness because they do not obey the voice of God. There are rioters in the world today who will not obey the voice of God. This is the state of our world right now.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times (ragingly insane times) will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of [b]godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
What is the solution to this mess? It's quite simple everyone who walks in rebellion against God must repent and obey the voice of God.
How do we know the voice of God? God has shown us His heart in the Bible, all we have to do is read it and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten it so we interpret it correctly.
In order to hear from God, one has to be born again. That means that one has to admit they are sinful and incapable of changing their own heart. When someone confesses this to God and desires to be changed into a new person by Him, He will change them.
Those who have been changed by Christ will never again think the same way they did before. Their spirit has been replaced with the Spirit of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "…16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:……"
If you wish to learn how to think rationally with the mind of Christ this is the way to accomplish that, be changed by Christ, not of your own effort but through His work in you.
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
When a person walks in the power of the Holy Spirit not much that goes on in the world will make sense anymore. There is much evil, much pride, and much resistance to learning properly, that few will be able to think with the mind of Christ. 2 Timothy 3 mentioned above shows us why so much is so very irrational today. The only hope is to be born again, to walk in joy even with all that happens around us, nothing can take away that joy and peace that comes from Christ.
