Introduction:
The other day, while sweeping up some small leaves and grass cuttings, the wind came up and blew them back toward the place from which I had swept them. It made me think how, in the work we do for God in the spiritual sense, it is often similar. We recognize that as we work with people, we are working against spiritual forces that seem to always be blowing, as is clear from Ephesians 2:1-3:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience– 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
There are forces that are working, and they have their effect on those who do not obey God’s word, the Bible. It is because of those forces that are always at work that we feel as if we working against the wind. Of course, we are not speaking of the physical winds of natural weather patterns, but ways of thinking that affect the minds of the people with whom we work and to whom we speak the word of God.
What are the winds that are blowing?
As we speak to others about the Word of God, we often notice that the word does not seem to make the impact that we would expect, and what we feel that we have accomplished is sometimes rather quickly reversed. That is what we are referring to as working against the wind. What are the winds that are blowing in our environment today?
Refusal to accept any authority
This is a wind that has been around for many years, but seems to be blowing more strongly as time goes by. It is the refusal of any authority, whether spiritual, or governmental. The attitude that says, “I will do what I want with my life, and no one will tell me what to do,” has always been around, but this idea has increased because of the growth of atheism and other godless theories that are taught, especially in schools and universities. If there is no God, no ultimate authority. Who then has the right to say what we should do or how we should live? This idea of extreme libertinism is a strong wind blowing in our time.
But, God says:
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. (Psalms 14:1)
Also, in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14:
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Nothing is right or wrong, as long is it feels right to you.
Actually, this wind is the result of the rejection of God, authority, and moral responsibility. It is the concept that, since there is no moral authority, there cannot be any “right” way for a person to live, Therefore, each person must determine what seems right for him or her. In the minds of such people, there are no universal rules that can take into consideration all the personal circumstances of one’s life, therefore no rule or law is adequate to guide their actions. So, they say that they must do what is right for them.
But, we find this in Proverbs 16:25: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” and in Jeremiah 10:23 “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” And, again in Ecclesiastes 11:9:
Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
The fact that one rejects the instructions of God does not exempt that person from suffering the consequences of his or her actions, any more than the rejection of the law of gravity exempts one from falling, if he throws himself off the top of a building.
You cannot judge me, I have a right to live as I please.
Many have come to the point that they reject any concept of right or wrong. This leads to the rejection of any attempt to judge the “rightness” or “wrongness”of any action or behavior. While it is true that we leave all judgment of those who do not accept God’s authority to God, we must be ready to decide between right and wrong when it involves members of the Lord’s church, as we see in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13:
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people– 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler–not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
The inability of members of the church to take these steps results in a congregation loosing its influence in the community, instead, it becomes a group that people point at and laugh about.
Everyone has their own beliefs, you have no right to impose yours on me.
This attitude does much to discourage the sharing of ideas concerning religion between people. Perhaps it has much to do with the “winds” mentioned previously. If there is no objective standard, there is no reason for one to be bothering another concerning what he believes. There are those who, although they have strong religious beliefs, are not willing to talk about them with others, especially with those with whom they do not have a strong bond of trust or if they suppose that the other person might have different views. Some consider it to be discourteous and even rude if one talks to others about personal convictions and motivations. This compounds the difficulty experienced when trying to teach God’s word to friends, family, and acquaintances.
Conclusion
All these “winds” are influences of the devil and make it harder to live and work in this world. It makes it especially hard to make help others to learn God’s will and put it into practice. Just as in nature, wind is invisible, but has a profound effect on us, sadly, these winds, though unseen, are having their effect, not only in the lives of people in the world, but even in the lives of those known as brothers and sisters.
Have these winds been affecting you? Have you accepted these false ideas? Recognize these influences, but do not be discouraged by them. Take them into consideration in your efforts to teach others God’s word and counter them with God’s word. God’s authority is real, His word is true, and it is the authority that guides our life and God’s word will judge us when Christ comes again.
John 12:48-50:
48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”