It's OK Or Is It?

It’s OK! Or IS IT?
By Ro Lashua

Probably one of the most common phrases today is, “It’s OK!” We live in a different world today, than even five years ago. We seem to crave to hear comforting words that it is OK or it is going to be OK. This can be reassuring. However, when it comes to our spiritual walk, the phrase “It’s OK” can lead us down a road we do not want to go. “It is OK” can be a warning sign of compromise in our spiritual walk.

False Comfort

Many avenues give false comfort to us in this lawless age we live in. Compromise seems to be the norm for so many today. When we hear the phrase, “It’s OK”, or “It’s just a little…” those are compromising come-ons. When we hear those phrases often from our own minds, we need to sit up and take notice. We need to realize these are the warning signs for the insidious evil of compromise.

Compromise is one of the main deceptions that Satan uses against us. First let me say that Satan does try to influence us. He broadcast into our thoughts. It is much like a radio station, we cannot see it in the air around us, but if we tune in to it we can receive it. We have all experienced the bad thoughts of Satan’s broadcasts. The sin is not hearing them. What we do with them is where the sin comes in. If we meditate on the evil thoughts, then we are NOT guarding our minds. We are NOT resisting the devil. We have promises from God that we can resist Satan, and he WILL flee from us. We can stand on those promises.

The compromise comes in when we hear the compromising thought, then we first entertain it, and then we run with it. This is one of the tactics that Satan uses against us that has been very powerful and effective. The primary reason this has worked is because we as Christians have not realized the enemy’s tactics. We have not realized these thoughts were from Satan.

In a close analysis of the whole compromising effect, we can see that Satan has evil tactics. First he pushes us to compromise, with thoughts like: “It’s just… (perhaps a ream of paper from work, or a few pens, or a few blank disks, or DVDs), whatever the enticing item or action, he cons us into the idea that it is OK, and just this once will not hurt anything or anyone.

If we listen to him and follow through, we have begun to compromise. The sin of compromising is evil, because it leads us farther from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It leads us closer to the enemy, Satan the devil and his way of thinking.

If we have compromised and followed the path of least resistance, the next thing we will experience is conviction. Ironically, right after he pushes us to compromise, and then we do it, he immediately says to us phrases of condemnation such as:

· “How can you call yourself a Christian?”

· “Look at what you have done.”

· “God doesn’t love you any more because you are not good enough”

· “If other Christians knew how weak you are they would condemn you”

· “If other Christians knew about your sin, you would be kicked out of your church”

· “If you were a real Christian you would not have done that”

· “You can’t go to God in prayer about this”

On and on the phrases will come. Satan does not fight fair. He pushes us into

Sinning, and then, when we do, he condemns us. As Christians we are probably already convicted in our hearts, if the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. Condemnation comes from Satan. Conviction of our sins is a good thing, because it brings about repentance and change. However, Satan does not want us to change he wants us to feel condemned, so we will not go to God for the forgiveness, or the power to turn from our wicked ways.

The important thing to remember is that Satan condemns Christians. God does not. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. God gives grace to the humble and repentant sinner. We are all sinners, saved by grace, but we have all sinned. If anyone says he has not sinned, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Satan has a plan against us. His plan is to lie to us, to steal our joy, especially the joy of salvation, to kill us, if we let him, and finally to destroy us for eternity through eternal death and separation from God. That is HIS plan for us. The good news is that is NOT God’s plan for us.

True Comfort

Even if we have already given in to the deception of compromise, there is hope for us. As a Christian we know Jesus paid for our sins. However, we must repent, take it to the Lord, and then He will give us the peace that surpasses understanding. That peace does not make sense in the flesh, but in the spirit it does. Sometimes, we also feel a need to tell someone else about our sin. This is biblical as well. When we do that, we take away more of the enemies ability to accuse us. One word of caution is to be sure whom you confide in, so it remains a private matter.

The true comfort comes from God. However, in the world today, that is not a popular viewpoint. The opposite of compromise is assurance and passion in our beliefs, so much so that we hold strong to them. As we have seen Satan does try to get us to think of evil things, and ultimately to act on those thoughts; however, if we have renewed our minds, if we have meditated on the words of the Bible, then we will be prepared for the enemy. We will see the attack as it is happening, and then we will be able to call on the name of Jesus. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will resist the devil, and he WILL flee from us. These are promises in God’s word that we can call upon. We can rest upon them.

As Christians we get accused of being fanatics when we speak about Jesus on a daily bases. Have we ever wondered why the name of Jesus upsets some people? There is power in the name of Jesus. He is our Savior. He is our Rock. He is our Redeemer. He is our Advocate. He is our Good Shepherd. He is our Teacher. He is our Wonderful Counselor. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Jesus is the way.

Whenever we are tempted to compromise, we must have already renewed our minds in the word of God, the Bible. We must have meditated on God’s word, and predetermined that we WILL do what is right, then when confronted with a compromising situation, we will be able to call on the name of Jesus, and rise from the situation as a victor and not a victim.

There is now, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…for those who are led by the Spirit will do the things of the Spirit, and those who are led by the flesh will follow after the things of the flesh (Romans 8:1).

As we keep our eyes and ears alert for the lies of the enemy, we will not be blindsided to stumble down the road of compromise. When the Holy Spirit of God leads us, and we listen, and resist the devil, then we will have true comfort. We will live a life of victory, with the joy of salvation and the comfort of the Lord daily.