When we listen to the news, we are bombarded with a never-ending amount of “facts”—all aimed at telling a story from a certain perspective. And the select details that are brought to light are often based on the opinions of the speaker.  The truth of a situation in today’s political and social environment is designed to push people into a specific mindset.  The tendency of man is to build a narrative based more on ego and vanity than on verity.

This propensity for bias comes naturally when we allow ourselves to be guided by the anger of Satan, because acrimony is the source of Satan’s continual lashing out against God’s people.  We know this “because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). It was pride and arrogance that caused Satan’s desire to “ascend above the heights of the clouds” and “be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14).

The veracity of God’s Word is known by His people who have the Holy Spirit. However, mankind is easily tempted, and swayed by deception in the world. Paul tried to get this point across to the early church, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).  What leads man away from these truths and into the darkness of deception?  Paul continues, “…because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 20:21).

Mankind is easily ensnared as prey by the great devourer. Satan is relentless in this pursuit. He is the “accuser of our brethren, who accuses them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10).  All of our weaknesses and sins are brought before God on a continual basis.  Satan’s desire is to create a narrative that will lead to our condemnation and destruction.  But God knows the facts. He understands us. He forgives us when we repent. This is the way how to overcome Satan and his accusations (verse 11).

We must be careful to stay true to the path that leads to salvation. The deceit and hypocrisy so rampant in the world today is designed by Satan to cause many to fall. But we know that God’s Plan is unstoppable. The same eternal Being who cast Satan out of heaven looks to each of us with a wonderfully planned future.  In God’s eyes, that future is a fact.  Let us be sure we are doing our part in making it so.

It has never been more important to push towards eternal salvation than right now. While that statement is completely true for those of us presently called, it equally applied to Christians living throughout the history of the true Church.  Our calling hinges on choices we make today.  We cannot change our past actions nor can we direct our future with absolute precision. But today, we can point ourselves in a righteous direction and be assured, through the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit, that our path will lead to success.

Our decision to change and commit ourselves must not be with any reservations.  When Lot’s wife turned back, she lost her means to escape sin because she wasn’t fit for a life leading to Godly freedom.  From His disciples, Jesus required (and requires today) complete submission to His lead.

When Jesus walked the earth, many flocked to Him with a desire to become His disciples.  But He required proof of commitment above just simple desire. “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, ‘Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’ Then He said to another, ‘Follow Me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.’ And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:57-62).

The apprehension and wavering in their willingness to commit most likely cost those men a place as the firstborn of God.  But they weren’t alone in a reluctance, especially when difficulties arose in understanding.  When Christ talked about the necessity of eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood, “…many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?… From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:60,66).

When given the opportunity to change, we must have the willingness to do it today.  We cannot put our salvation on the back-burner, hoping to get to it when we feel better equipped.  We must have the same courage and zeal to change that the core disciples of Christ demonstrated.  “And as He [Christ] walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him” (Mark 1:16-20).

These men, by faith, stepped away from everything and followed Christ.  God is faithful and patient (see 2 Peter 3:9), but we must not test His patience in our own unwillingness to change. We must keep stride with Christ because His lead is all we have as a guide in this ungodly world.  Paul summed up this immediacy quite well, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 NIV).  Let us all demonstrate our zeal today, as though our choices determine our entrance into the Kingdom of God, because they do.

When Christ walked this earth with our eternity resting on His shoulders, He didn’t fail to address people’s present desires.  Even with the magnitude of His goal always before Him, He never failed to fulfill the needs of those that He met. These encounters, which might have seemed chance or diversions, were nothing of the sort.  Christ fulfilled His purpose and glorified God in all things that He did. He often gave what was needed in the short term but galvanized in His followers a desire for lasting nourishment.

In Matthew 14:13, Christ provided physical sustenance to the people: “But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat’” (Matthew 14:13-16).  Christ went on to perform a miracle and to feed five thousand hungry people.

Many of those following Christ left Him when He began feeding them the meat of the Word. “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you’… From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:53,66).

Sojourning through Samaria in order to reach Galilee, Christ came upon a Samaritan woman drawing water and asked for some. “Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, ‘How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water’… And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world’” (John 4:9-10,39-42).

What might have seemed a chance confrontation led to many more being called into an understanding of who Christ really was.  The difference of their conversions was a desire for everlasting food, not just temporary sustenance.

Through meeting people’s physical and spiritual needs, Christ always focused on the fulfillment of God’s Will. We must have the same focus, no matter the results of our efforts. Many walked away from the Truth that Christ presented, and many will scorn the Christ-like examples we set in this world. Take hold of your responsibility to be ambassadors of this Truth because God’s Will is going to succeed!