21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word.
Throughout the Scriptures, we can read about the importance of making right choices. In Revelation, there is a warning about being "lukewarm." James discussed the instability of the double-minded person. We can choose to obey the principles of the Scriptures and insulate ourselves against compromise. We can become more adept at allowing the Word and Spirit to inform our decisions, rather that waffle between our own opinions and the dictates of Scripture.
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The people of Israel had a choice to put away the things of the world and devotion to so-called "gods" other than the one true God. In Joshua 24, we can read:
14 "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Until last summer, Jalene Hinkle was a member of the U.S. women's national soccer team, when she announced her resignation. Recently, she confirmed the reason why.
LifeSiteNews reports:
The Christian soccer player who bowed out of the U.S. women’s national soccer team last year has confirmed it was because her faith conflicted with wearing a jersey celebrating gay “pride.”
“I just felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn't my job to wear this jersey,” the player, Jaelene Hinkle, said in a new interview with the 700 Club. “I gave myself three days to just seek and pray and determine what [God] was asking me to do in this situation.”The story relates that Hinkle had said in the interview that while suffering from a blood clot while at Texas Tech, she had declared to the Lord that if He allowed her to play soccer again, it would be for Him.
Hinkle now plays for the North Carolina Courage, which is in the National Women's Soccer League. When the team played in Portland last week, according to the story, "she was greeted by angry attendees who booed and jeered when her name was announced."
She was not asked to re-join the U.S. national team, but that seems to be OK with her. Hinkle is quoted as saying, “If I never get a national team call-up again...that just is part of His plan and that’s okay,” adding, “And maybe this was why [I was] meant to play soccer. Just to show other believers to be obedient.”
Columnist Kevin Williamson, now with the Weekly Standard, called attention to the incident in Portland. He was quoted in the LifeSiteNews article, which said...
“...the kulturkampf brigades will have only conformity, abject and absolute. That is part of the doctrine of ‘inclusion,’ which, perversely enough, exists for the purpose of excluding certain people with unpopular political or religious opinions.”
“Hinkle chose not to play. Fair enough,” he wrote. “To her credit, she has not engaged in Colin Kaepernick-level grandstanding or done the usual thing and filed a lawsuit. She only declined to participate, to give her affirmation.”From Jaelene's story, we can be reminded that sometimes you have to make a decision that will not be popular, but you believe it is supported by Scriptures and directed by the Holy Spirit. We can be confident that if we have the Word on it and are following God's instruction, that His Spirit will give us the power to carry out what God had called for.
This unfortunate incident in Portland may likely be replicated in cities all across America where Jae's team plays. And, it's a sad reminder of our culture. As I said yesterday, two-thirds of Americans in a recent Gallup poll indicated that they believed homosexuality is morally acceptable. So, there is a prevalence of a view of sexuality that runs contrary to Scripture. But, there is a dangerous dynamic, in that contained within that two-thirds majority is a vocal minority who believe that Christians and others who hold to a traditional, Biblical view of marriage and sexuality should be not only ridiculed and silenced, but forced to adopt a contrary viewpoint to their deeply held convictions. This is why the term, "culture war" is appropriate, because the approach by some, rather than the compassionate communication of truth that Christians by and large adhere to, is to shame, bully, and mock people of faith.
So, believers, recognizing the territory, can measure how we are going to respond. When compromise is requested or demanded, it is important that each believer makes up his or her mind. The agenda has become so prevalent. It is a spiritual agenda, and should be dealt with certainly with spiritual tools, in prayer, and through the relating of Biblical truth.
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