Special Ops instructors (I know 2) tell new recruits, “When the [defecation hits the ventilation], you will automatically default to your highest level of training. Your body will move into survival mode, which means you stand on your most solid training – the things that are muscle and mental memory because of continued training.
Christians, what is your default? It was easy to stand up and be counted when what was coming out of the White House aligned with our core values: life, Israel, nationalism, human rights. What happens after those things are challenged? What is your default?
If your highest level of habit – your spiritual core – is the government, you are in jeopardy when that ground suddenly begins to shake. What holds you up in a crisis? What is your default training?
Some Christians have been trained in social justice. That’s shaky ground; it moves at the whim of whoever is protesting whatever is popular this week.
Some have been trained to stand on a socially acceptable ‘gospel’ – no judgment, just love everyone as Jesus did, and embrace every lifestyle or preference or sinful practice (not what Jesus did btw). Those morays will shift with the newest list of sexes or that latest Hollywood tweet about what you should accept, or the latest book that tells Christians to stand down because you’re too divisive. When that happens, what is your default? Do you bow to the loudest voice or the latest court decision? Where do you stand?
God’s baseline does not shift. His Word is not subject to societal change; His Word was meant to change society, not be changed by society. The world and its values will always shift because they are houses built on sand (Luke 6:46-49).
Build your house and life and values and actions on solid ground. When the storms of life arise, and they will, you will default to the highest level of your faith, and that faith is not blind if it is established on the Truth. Faith is built on what is unseen (Hebrews 11:1). Unseen evidence eventually comes to light, and when it does, if your default is faith, your light will shine because the Truth of God’s Word is sure. You can stand on what is sure and solid.
Martin Luther said,
“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake his life on it a thousand times. This knowledge of, and confidence in God’s grace, makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and with all creatures.”
Truth stands when nothing else can because it is built on His eternal power over all things. God was not sitting in heaven stewing over the election results and wondering how it’s possible that some states have more votes than registered voters. He was not panicked over who would win. He’s not staggering about like a building in an earthquake because He IS the solid foundation – the Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).
If you trust God and believe His Word and have a solid foundation of training based on those things, you are defaulting to your faith today. Stand on what you know is right. An old song by the group Truth says, “When you don’t know what to do, keep believing what you know is true.”
When you’ve stood as long as you can stand, let your training kick in and default to the faith that is not based on today’s headlines or tweets or posts – “Put on the armor (your training) and when the evil day comes, stand. Then, when you’ve stood as long as you can stand…stand some more!” (Ephesians 6:13,14).
Trust the Lord today. If you have a solid Christian foundation, trust your training. Trust the armor of God. He will not fail because He cannot fail.
If you are missing any of those three, trust Jesus as your Savior today. Place your faith in Him and not in the world’s system of what will save you and make your life better today because it will change tomorrow. Put on the armor of God – not yours, His.
Default to the highest level of truth. That is a firm foundation that will not crumble when everything else fails.
