Deafening Decibel of Silence

I’ve noticed an incredible shift in people’s inability to relate to one another in love, kindness, care, and sacrificial giving. In direct relation to the Sign of the Times, Jesus points out that people will have a heart shift. He very plainly states, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matthew 24:12.

We are in End Times, and the Bible teaches the devastating truth of the human condition that permeates directly from the heart. In a very salient and powerful description of how people will determine for themselves their true heart’s desires, here’s what the Bible says:

“For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” 2 Timothy 3:2-5.

In my daily interactions, whether with Christians or unbelievers, this hard-hitting truth has given me a perspective that all behaviors should be viewed in light of Scripture. When a person is outside of salvation and ignorant of the Word of God, there’s no barometer to gauge how one should be living out God’s standards. To put it bluntly, they are their own standard, and what a scary thought!

Let’s look at it closely.

There are weapons deployed every day used to control others, whether within families, friendship circles, or society at large. People, with this destructive arsenal, know exactly what they’re doing and why. It’s never by chance when they hit that proverbial RED BUTTON to detonate the various bombs. One that hits with devastatingly high impact is SILENCE. Dare I say, it feels like the most cruel.

Say you have a small request for a friend or family member to review some kind of writing or art. Your expectations are simple and not too intrusive - do a passthrough and maybe a "thumbs up" to move forward. A few days pass, and there has been no further communication. Through follow-up, you learn that they never intended to help. The tragic thing isn’t that they couldn’t help; it’s that they chose the careless act of SILENCE.

Or, imagine being put in the Deep Freeze by someone and not given a reason for such a perplexing act. The imagination accelerates to a host of mental images in an attempt to grasp the event. Say, over time, this relationship deteriorates and completely goes into the abyss of, “Now you’re just somebody that I used to know.” But, your heart is still with that person, praying and caring for their soul. And, with a very small glimmer of hope, maybe they’ll resurface. But sadly, you imagine they said to themselves, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

So, you take your feelings and stuff them into a backpack that will be schlepped around indefinitely. And during this period, you waste precious time trying to figure out the motivation behind such an unloving and stony act.

But, as Christians, we're rescued from despair, hurt, and unforgiveness toward the perpetrator. First, the act of forgiveness is powerful beyond words. It envelopes and dictates the negative thoughts of vengeance, retaliation, or even mirroring the behavior of the one who struck with that weapon of mass destruction!

How does a Christian manage to have this power? Jesus says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26.

We can be assured that when we take our hurts and heartaches to the LORD, He will supply everything we need to be able to continue in forgiveness and love so we can move on. Whether it's deaf ears to the Gospel or massive assaults of SILENCE, these words are for all Christians faced with this heavy-in-the-spirit scenario - "And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town." Matthew 10:14.

It may take a while however, healing and the ability to move on will happen. If there’s any weapon we can take in this war on SILENCE, it’s the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. It can be used most effectively in LOVE and to usher the unbelieving world to a loving Savior, Jesus Christ!