It's when we fight the world's systems that we are most likely to be controlled by them. This is a hidden danger that we don't often recognize and many in the church have fallen to it.
We are to fight the systems of this world. Not for the sake of the fight but to free those who have been held captive by these systems, actions, and beliefs. This is an important distinction. If we lose it than our battle turns on people (flesh and blood) rather on the spiritual powers that create the deception (Eph 6:12). We begin to destroy people rather than strongholds. Sadly, that has too often been the practice today, and the gospel has been disgraced. But even when our focus is right, we are open to manipulation.
When we confront the beliefs and systems of the world, we must begin by stepping back and consulting with God first. The powers and principalities that entrap and deceive don't play fair. If they only lied, they would be easy to confront, but they make the task harder by mixing truth in with their deceptions. If we simply react before we consult with God, then we will inevitably throw the baby out with the bath water. We will reject the truth along with the error, and that is just what the enemy wants. He wants to unconsciously recruit us to his cause by tricking us into opposing truth as well as error.
God taught us the principles that led to scientific method, but because some people have misused science to try to prove there is no God, many Christians have rejected those God-given principles. The Scriptures have a great deal to say about the stewardship of nature, but because some extreme environmentalists have tried to diminish humanity through distortions of Biblical principles, many Christians have rejected Biblical stewardship. Even though social justice is perhaps the most reoccurring theme in both the Old and New Testaments, because some people have attempted to build new systems of justice based on worldly opinion, many Christian oppose social justice in general.
In each case, Christians have become pawns of the enemy when they thought they were doing the right thing. Why? Because they didn't stop first and consult with God. We must go to Scripture and test the challenges. We must separate the truth from error, so that we don't throw away God's truth while opposing the enemy's lies.
I know it's tempting to say that the issues are so important that we can't waste time with things like study. The perceived urgency of the moment is one of the enemy's greatest weapons. Who or what is in charge? Does the situation or God rule our lives? If it's God, then we can afford the time to consult with him. Not just try to find a few proof texts to support our preconceived ideas, but time to wrestle with the truth. God honors those who put in the time. The apostle Paul gives us a great example: "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11)
We live in a fast food world, and I think that has rubbed off on us. God's truths are not self-evident. Sin has blinded us. It takes work to throw off worldly common sense and replace it with the wisdom and knowledge of God. Too many today try to take on the world while their Bibles and theology texts gather dust. When that happens, God is no longer in control. Satan is now leading us by the nose as we react to his carefully laid plans. It's past time to repent and do the hard work of reclaiming God's truth and put away the false, fast food theologies of reaction.
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