To Stay or To Go

I've been thinking about quitting facebook. After a year or so on there, the stream of stuff "friends" send out seems just as much a spiritual sewer as ever. I see daily the same kinds of belligerent forwards from "conservative" websites about their "rights" (especially "gun rights"), the same rebellious spirit towards government, the same idolization of America's military, the same violent hatred of their faction's enemies (especially President Obama), the same kinds of lies, anger, nationalism, repeated endlessly. My "friends" grieve me every day with their eager willingness to be manipulated by the enemy's spirit.

Interspersed with all of that, my friends also daily post scriptures: how great is God's grace, how much we should love one another as Jesus loves us, etc. I can't say with certainty where anyone else's heart is: but I don't see any evidence my "friends" are aware their violent "conservative" posts are of a spirit absolutely contrary to their sentimental "Christian" posts.

The commonsense reaction to standing in a flood of sewage is to get out. I've been considering it: but there's another aspect to the matter.

Among my "friends," there seem to be few voices challenging lies, or calling "conservative" filth to scriptural account. There's a temptation to feel sorry for "poor lonely me:" but I trust that God has yet kept thousands who have not bowed their knee to this Baal of our time (I Kings 19). Indeed, there are occasional friends who will "like" some comment I make challenging a lying post on facebook.

But the question isn't whether many or few agree. That's the guiding principle of "democracy." and has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God. God assured Elijah that he was not alone in serving God: and then told him to get on with it. (ibid)

So there's the operative question. Stand in the facebook sewage, or get out of it ? I feel like God is giving me assurance I'm not alone in hating the enemy spirit rampant there: so now, get on with it.

Reinforcing that decision: even if I were the only one on facebook witnessing to truth, it would be my place to continue doing so. The call on every Christian's life is to witness to Christ, "the Truth." And was there really only one witness to Truth, how extremely important it would be for that one to continue speaking out when all else was lies. I think God is telling me to stay on facebook, as distasteful as that is, at least for now.

There are certainly times and places when God calls us to flee the spiritual filth. There are certainly times and places He calls us to stay. It all comes down to discerning God's timing.

Discerning is always hard for me. It requires listening; and I'm deeply aware how flawed my listening, and my hearing, can be. So I'm deeply aware I may flat-out be wrong making this choice between staying and leaving. But I know I can trust God to correct me, if my attempts to discern and to choose come from an honest heart.

Praise Him !!