Be Vigilant

https://odb.org/MY/2022/01/19/stay-awake

Accessibility has its advantages. With the Internet and YouTube, we can now experience worship services from all over the world without needing to physically travel there. In a way it is like teleporting although not quite. What happened in Acts 8 to Philip after evangelising the Ethiopian eunuch gives us the vision and hope that perhaps one day that is how we will travel the world in our glorified bodies.

Accessibility however also has its drawbacks. Without actually taking a flight, we could attend conferences and listen to preaching and teaching from practically anywhere in the world. That opens us up to all sorts of strange teachings and may inadvertently shape our spiritual thinking and cause us to make decisions in a certain way which may have long term harmful effects on us. For example, we could be so much taken up by the conspiracy theories spun by anti-vaxxers that we start to believe them to the extent that we ourselves resist and fight against vaccination. Perhaps it is possible that the vaccines have long term negative effects that are unknown right now. But oral medications also have long term negative effects on our liver and kidneys. Does that mean we do not take our medications? The risk of short term effects outweigh the long term impact and that’s the basis that medical science operates. We live to fight another day. Thus, to me, the same principle applies to vaccination – except that if we decide not to vaccinate, we are also endangering those around us and society at large. Unless of course if we self-isolate and completely cut ourselves from the world.

Therefore, be vigilant and pray constantly that the Holy Spirit will guard and protect our faith and hearts. During the end times, there will be a profileration of false teachers to deceive and draw believers away from the faith. Perhaps even the false teachers themselves may not be aware that their teachings are wrong. At the end of the day, check everything against the Word. Check every interpretation. Consult our elders and pastors and leaders. Check with the Holy Spirit in us. Does the teaching sit well within us, do we feel convicted and at peace? Pray and ask God to reveal to us if we are on the wrong track but at the same time, don’t make hasty decisions. Fast and pray, meditate, contemplate and do our research. What is God speaking to us? What is Jesus saying to us? Ask for the spirit of revelation and the word of knowledge to be upon us by the power of the Holy Spirit that our minds and hearts are open to the genuine move of God among us and help us to be vigilant against the wile, devious and cunning schemes of the evil one!