Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person- Colossians 4:5-6 NASB

In a very real sense, the world has been a chaotic muddle since the day Adam and Eve chose to go their own way and do their own thing (Genesis 3). In that instant the world (and the people in it) fell under the dominion of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-3, Ephesians 6:10-12). Consequently, no one should be surprised by the debauchery and folly of humans. 

That said. 

Things are getting worse.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s still good in the world (more on this later). Nonetheless, we are still solidly located in the heart of Satan’s territory and righteousness has lost a lot of ground in recent years. This means good is thought to be evil, and evil is thought to be good by the majority (Isaiah 5:20). It also means leaders lack wisdom and many folks have gone entirely feral. Leaders are moving towards greater control, less personal freedom and a more self-serving view of leadership. Many are okay with domineering leaders simply because they don’t see another way to manage the lawlessness (Matthew 24:12). 

These facts make it more critical than ever for Christians to live like we were called to live and to be wise in how we behave towards others (Matthew 5:14-16, John 8:12, Philippians 2:14-16, 1st John 2:9-10).  Today I want to share a couple of dos and don’ts that will help make that happen.

First and foremost: 

Pray like crazy-

Things are looking up in the spiritual realm. There’s been an uptick in folks repenting and committing their lives to Jesus. There is movement towards a more common-sense view of gender even amongst some non-Christians. Church folks seem to be taking God a lot more seriously. The word sin is making a comeback (at long last). Every single one of those things is an answer to some frantic prayers prayed between 2020 and 2024. That said, this is NOT the time to be complacent where prayer is concerned. Complacency is what got us into this mess in the first place. The enemy despises a spiritual victory and he’s certainly not going to let up because people are getting saved and/or embracing common sense (1st Peter 5:8). The enemy will double down on his agenda. These means we must double down on our prayers (Matthew 26:41, Ephesians 6:10-19, Philippians 4:6). Spiritual wins are never a result of what people do. Spiritual wins are always a direct result of prayer and seeking God’s empowerment. 

Don’t deify politics-

There is a drift in both conservative and liberal spheres towards a form of politics that looks and feels a lot more like religion than old-fashioned politics. Christians simply cannot go there.  I am not suggesting politics are irrelevant. At some point every Christians politics should begin to align with the Bible, if they don’t something is terribly wrong. However.  Politics never once saved anyone from their sin and depravity. Only Jesus can do that. Politics are a social construct corrupted by wrong thinking, self-interest, greed and a desire to control others. This means that if we cling to our politics with the same or greater passion than we cling to our God (Joshua 22:5, Matthew 22:23) there is zero chance we will ever really learn to think biblically about anything. We will also be guilty of idolatry.  God will not bless idolatry. If you live in a country where you can vote, do so. Stay informed on political issues, it’s good stewardship. That said, Christians must be a hundred times more passionate about spreading the gospel than about spreading political ideology. 

Don’t squabble about politics publicly-

Seriously. Just don’t. I have nothing against a lively political debate, I’m even okay with a wee bit of occasional squabbling. It’s how humans work tough stuff out.  However, when Christians bicker amongst themselves about politics online it sends the message that Christians cannot agree on anything, even dumb worldly things (John 17:20-21). If you wish to disagree with a fellow Christian over politics, do it the old-fashioned way. Take the argument offline and debate the issues over a nice meal or a cup of coffee. This keeps things much more civil. It also keeps family business in the family. This policy will assure Christians don’t just look unified. It will actually make us unified.

Seek unceasing and deep transformation-  

When we make a commitment to Jesus our focus should become making Him known. Making Jesus known to the world is the mission of Christianity (Mark 16:15). However, if our desire to make Jesus known is not coupled with an equal (or greater) desire to be transformed into the image of Jesus we will spread an understanding of Jesus that will be more of a hinderance to the gospel than a help (Romans 12:2). Therefore, it is imperative we seek God daily for His help in this area and ruthlessly obey the commands given in Colossians 3, Romans 12 and 2nd Peter 1:5-11. 

And finally, don’t be content with how things are. We must make a daily practice of asking God for more in our lives, our churches and our families.  We cannot let ourselves be content with a little bit of revival, a smattering of Bible knowledge or a dash of righteousness. This is not the time for half-hearted attempts at seeking God or doing His will. This is the time to go after God’s presence, His righteousness and His will for our lives with everything we have in is.