The ideological landscape is shifting, revealing the atrocities that have been masquerading as gold standards.
Sifted is the gold plated from solid gold. The jesters’ parade was constructed upon a false reality, one that we were told to either join or, at minimum, celebrate.
For those living upon the cornerstone of faith, the past years may have seemed both scary and theatrical. We have been waiting for the play to end, the stars to retire, and the audience to stop buying tickets.
The stage is being swept, and “We the People” are actively being cast under God’s direction. We each have a role to play.
There are no small parts in the building of God’s kingdom.
Your ability not to participate in the lie is equally important as knowing when to speak the truth. And the manner in which you execute both will position you as an instrument of hate, love, or indifference.
There will be those you meet looking for a fight more than a conversation. Unfist your hands and pray for those who mistreat you so they may come to know the love of the Lord. Pray also to do His work with a clean heart — a heart that does not wish ill even upon the scoffers.
The devil pays attention to your reactions.
Standing firm does not mean remaining stagnant. Stand firm in active faith.
Do not invite further insult by entertaining the company of those who attempt to discredit you. Your first responsibility is to tend to your calling, not to convince others of your worth.
Reverence for God above and in all, including your wounded pride and desire for worldly justice, is a foundational crux of wisdom.
The devil will venture to bait you through half-truths, doubt, and distraction.
Do not allow God’s blessings that He has laid upon your table to spoil because you are chasing synthetic glimmers.
Know your worth, or you will search for it in a field of fools sifting pans of fool’s gold. Stay there too long, and soon you will find yourself greedy, even for that which you know holds little weight upon God’s scale.
Being without, left out, and laid out in exhaustion and worry can tempt us to bargain for an easier path.
We need only to look at Christ to see that the path to the cross can be brutal. However, I would rather suffer in this world for genuinely trying to follow Him than suffer in shame for appeasing the temporal.
The blood of Christ paid for my freedom from the certain death of sin. Eternity came by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of grace in the flesh — the Son of God.
God breathed life into each of us. Therefore, let us be mindful of the words formed from the very breath He gifted.
Listen! Listen to your voice. Hear your words and tone. Pay attention to your heart as you birth what you say.
Are you producing fruit that is nourishing, bruised, or rotten?
May we be authentic in our pursuit of honoring God.
We will fail at times. May we humble ourselves in this truth, ask for forgiveness, root out contaminated thoughts, and strive to be life learners of God’s Word, promises, and character.
In doing this, we will also gain discernment.
With discernment and wisdom, we can sit at the table of God’s blessings and be fully satisfied and sustained, not easily distracted by the devil’s crumbs.
We will also have enough to share with others, inviting them to the table of grace.
This column was initially published by CherryRoad Media. ©Tiffany Kaye Chartier.