What? Could it be? Please...Say it isn’t so!

I’m hearing the rumblings of ‘baaas’ amongst the aggravated sheep who refuse to wear masks if we are asked or required to do so again. A flurry of posts and comments have begun to surface in my social media feed. Swords are being drawn as well as ‘lines in the sand’, and voices of dissent are rising up. Defiance is in the air. Could civil war be looming? “WE WILL NOT BE CONTROLLED!” is the rallying cry.

Too soon?

And we are not even talking about the ‘Mark of the Beast’ finally becoming a reality either. It is the discussion of masks once again, as an uptick in Covid cases are manifesting; and it is reported that already a school in south Texas recently shut down due to a high number cases.

Let me assure you now that this post today has nothing to do with the wearing of masks (or not wearing them) or whether they are even effective or not. But I do feel compelled to talk about this issue of ‘control’, which is a word I hear used frequently in the same conversations pertaining to being ‘forced’ or required to wear masks.

“Nobody’s gonna control me!”, we hear so often.

Sounds like such a noble, brave, and defining declaration. And do you know which group of people declare this the loudest? Those who tend to view themselves as ‘conservatives’ and ‘Christians’. So it is to those who profess to be ‘believers’ that I offer up this simple, and relatively short Bible study that might be worth opening up and giving some prayerful thought to. And No, I’m not talking about ‘submitting to those in authority’ here today either; I promise. ;-)

Consider this, as I simply lay out some Bible verses for your consumption:

If a person is not abiding in Christ, then Jesus is not their Lord. (Luke 6:46; Matt. 7:21)

Which means they are serving another master. (Matt. 6:24). Care to guess who he might be?

We know the whole world is under the influence/control of the wicked one. (1 John 5:19; Rev. 12:9)

People have been taken captive to do his (Satan’s) will. (2 Tim. 2:26) That’s who Jesus came to set free. (Luke 4:18)

These people remain in darkness and captive to the power of Satan until their eyes are opened and they turn from the power of Satan to God. (Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 3:16)

This demon spirit(s), who is the prince of the air, works in them operating in and through their sinful flesh nature. (Eph. 2:1-3). Do you think it is remotely possible that might be the reason the Spirit begins right away leading us to put that earthly nature to ‘death’? (Rom. 8:13)

The god of this age has blinded them from seeing the light of the gospel which is ‘truth’. (2 Cor. 4:2-4).

Again, this is the state of all humanity, those in the world who have yet to surrender their whole heart to Jesus.(John 3:36) And we are not talking about those who ‘walk in a form of godliness but deny the power’ (2 Tim. 3:5), or who ‘honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him’. (Matt. 15:8-9)

So here are two quick tests to see IF you are abiding in Christ based on nothing but scripture:

1. You will bear much fruit given we cannot bear any fruit if we are not abiding in Him. This is how we show to be His disciples. (John 15:4,8). Also keep in mind when it comes to bearing fruit that a ‘good tree cannot bear bad fruit nor can a bad tree bear good fruit’. Jesus said that in Matt. 7:17-18 as did James in his letter- 3:10-12.

2. If we are abiding in Him, we no longer continue to sin as we are walking just like Jesus walked. (1 John 3:6; 2:6). His words, not mine.

And if a person continues to ‘commit sin, they remain a slave to sin and a slave does not abide in the house forever’; according to Jesus. (John 8:34). So we have further evidence that something else is already ‘controlling’ them besides a mask (or people who want them to wear a mask).

Masks are not our enemy. Nor are those who ‘decree’ (or maybe just strongly advise/suggest) that people wear them. I implore you...don’t make ‘mask mandates’ or the ones who issue them out to be the ‘enemy’.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12)

Personally speaking, how you choose to handle any potential ‘mask mandates’ (whether you wear them or not) is irrelevant to me. I only share this message today to point out that if you really want to be free of being “controlled”, you might want to reexamine whose control you want to free of. And the only way you can be truly free...is IF Jesus is your Lord. Only then will you not only know the truth, but you can walk in it as well and be free indeed. (John 8:32,36)

But if you want to make it about masks...have at it. But they are not your enemy.

Bottom line is this: What you do regarding wearing mask...or anything else that comes down the pipe in the future...is up to you. But if you think that refusing to wear a mask is some indicator that you will not be ‘controlled’, and you are not truly abiding in Jesus...then you are already being controlled and don’t’ even know it. Need proof? Re-read all the scriptures I just listed here.

One last thing I feel compelled to share: I realize how after carefully reading through those verses I provided here can create quite the dilemma for many sincere believers. They just don’t ‘fit’ with what or how you have always believed or been taught to believe. But just because they don’t ‘fit’ or line up with your doctrine, please...please...please...do not be so quick to dismiss them. Maybe it’s your ‘doctrine’ that needs to be adjusted and modified so that your heart can readily receive and embrace God’s word. Otherwise, you will be in the same danger of what the Pharisees did back in the day when they ‘laid aside the commandments of God and keep the traditions of men.” (Mark 7:6-16)

Have a great day :- )