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The philosophies and ideologies of this world are always in a flux, and many new ideas that come up give way to other new ideas. Women's lib caught the headlines years ago, but finally people knew that it was better to be a female woman and a male man instead of obliterating the differences (Ge.1:27). Now we are witnessing the chaos among the children of those who believed that it was better to let a child develop its own personality instead of being guided and moulded by the parents (Pr.22:6). The current prominence given to same sex marriages (Le.18:22) and live in relationships (1Co.7:2) will also get exposed, once the effects of such concepts are seen openly. The problem is that these people don't have any foundational principles that they can build on. Any idea promoted by someone who pushes hard for it and hyped up by the media is taken up, at least as being good enough to experiment with. What happens in the bargain is that thousands of individuals and families get disfigured, and the consequences follow for generations to come.

What we have with us from the Bible is truth which God Himself has revealed to us, regarding Himself, the way He has designed us and what He expects from us. It is worth repeating what has now almost become a cliche that the Bible is an operating manual given by the Creator. Experience of thousands of years have demonstrated that those who placed their trust in these truths have been able to stand steady in the midst of changing ideas and practices.

The challenge is that it takes firm conviction and strength of character to stand against the currents of society. This is not easy because we are being pressurised from every direction, including from within the church. We need to have a personal relationship with God, His anointing that tells us when we come across something fishy, and our own personal understanding of Biblical truth. We may be lacking in any or all of these things, and then we allow ourselves to be moved by preachers who speak and write with apparent confidence.

We must not forget that Satan is still the ruler of this world (Ep.6:12), and that he is behind movements and media that promote immoral and ungodly trends. There is even no guarantee that a Spirit-filled person cannot go wrong on some points (Mt.24:24). The nearer we get to the second coming of the Lord, these things are only going to get worse.

Honesty demands an acknowledgement that we need something that is more reliable than our own or other people's opinions. That is why God has given us His word (2Ti.3:16,17). Our safety depends on our drawing closer to God, learning to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit coming in our hearts through God's word and through godly people, and also making the effort to pass on the same seriousness and understanding to our children. God's word is the major way through which He reveals Himself to us, and trusting in it is a major part of trusting in Him. Then we can stay sane in the midst of all the confusion in the world.