The gray areas

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Arial" ><B>Church of God, In Truth</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>   |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church of God, In Truth"><B>home</B></A><B> | </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Postponements and Hebrew Topics"><B>Up Level</B></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Why Count 177 Days Backwards?">Why Count 177 Days Backwards?</A>   |   <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dehioth: The Rules of Postponement">Dehioth: The Rules of Postponement</A>   |   <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Why was Passover a month late in 1997?">Why was Passover a month late in 1997?</A>   |   <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Did You Take the Second Passover in 1997">Did You Take the Second Passover in 1997?</A>   |   <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Have You Robbed God of Holy Time?">Have You Robbed God of Holy Time?</A>   |   <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Does It Matter to God?">Does It Matter to God?</A>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions to Ask?">Questions to Ask?</A>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Building Gods Calendar!">Building God's Calendar!</A>   |   <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Postponements and the Mark of the Be">The Postponements and the Mark of the Beast</A>   |   <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Which New Year do You Keep?">Which New Year do You Keep?</A>   |   <A HREF="id202.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="New Year Moon">New Year Moon</A>   |   <A HREF="id204.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Man made traditions">Man made traditions</A>   |   The gray areas</div> <div>    |   <A HREF="id235.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Why Passover April 14th, 2003?">Why Passover April 14th, 2003?</A>   |   <A HREF="id255.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ten reasons why Postponements are wrong">Ten reasons why Postponements are wrong</A>   |   <A HREF="id379.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Question about Postponements">A Question about Postponements</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#0000BF" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B>Church of God, In Truth</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Why Count 177 Days Backwards?">Why Count 177 Days Backwards?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dehioth: The Rules of Postponement">Dehioth: The Rules of Postponement</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Why was Passover a month late in 1997?">Why was Passover a month late in 1997?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Did You Take the Second Passover in 1997">Did You Take the Second Passover in 1997?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Have You Robbed God of Holy Time?">Have You Robbed God of Holy Time?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Does It Matter to God?">Does It Matter to God?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions to Ask?">Questions to Ask?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Building Gods Calendar!">Building God's Calendar!</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Postponements and the Mark of the Be">The Postponements and the Mark of the Beast</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Which New Year do You Keep?">Which New Year do You Keep?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id202.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="New Year Moon">New Year Moon</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id204.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Man made traditions">Man made traditions</A></div> <div> <B>The gray areas</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id235.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Why Passover April 14th, 2003?">Why Passover April 14th, 2003?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id255.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ten reasons why Postponements are wrong">Ten reasons why Postponements are wrong</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id379.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Question about Postponements">A Question about Postponements</A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>The gray areas</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>THE GRAY AREAS </B></div> <div> <B>THIS IS SATAN'S WORLD AND IT IS A WAR ZONE! </B></div> <div> In the late 60's, I spent a year of my life in South Vietnam, stationed at a South Vietnamese Air Force Base as an advisor and radar operator. The U. S. Military was primarily there to supervise the South Vietnamese military in their war efforts. </div> <div> I have to use the term "Air Force Base" loosely. It was actually just an area composed of a couple of square miles of sand that the U. S. Military had pumped out of the Mekong River. They build a narrow road around the perimeter and then placed temporary steel matting down for a runway. A small building was constructed for a chow hall and a row of a half dozen small plywood buildings were thrown up to use as barracks for the U.S. military stationed there. </div> <div> A series of mined fences were installed in an ever increasing circle around the base. The jungle was cleared away for probably half a mile in every direction around the fence line. Several old tanks were placed in strategic spots to provide artillery support for the small compound. </div> <div> We had a narrow road that led to another fenced compound, within the main fenced compound that housed our work area. Even when traveling this road that was perhaps a quarter of a mile long - we had to travel armed and with our flak vests and steel helmets on. There was little danger from within the compound, but there was ever present danger of long range sniper fire or mortar fire that our Vietcong enemy liked to use on us from the far tree line of the jungle - usually at night when they would lob a few mortar rounds at us under the cover of darkness. </div> <div> The compound was considered relatively "safe," or at least a "secured area." The area just beyond the mined fence line out to the jungle was considered a "no man's zone." Anyone caught in this area was considered "fair game" and was fired upon. It was even worse at night, when darkness could more easily hide the enemy. Special gunships would circle the compound all night, dropping flares and firing their Vulcan cannons at anything that moved. </div> <div> The "no man's zone" was kind of a "gray area." It wasn't part of the relatively safe compound and it wasn't part of the actual fighting war zone out in the jungle, but it was a dangerous area that anyone with a lick of sense avoided. I've given this little "military" background" story for a reason: We all know that we are in a spiritual 'war.' There is a spiritual lesson here and I hope I can convey that to you in this article. The primary lesson is this: As Christians, we need to stay out of the spiritual "gray areas." </div> <div> This is Satan's world and it is a war zone! Satan is a deceiver - a master of counterfeit, He knows how to make his ways - his world, look good and appealing to humans. Those of us who are blessed to live in the so-called "Western world" have material prosperity beyond anything available to third world countries. What we consider "poor" in this country, would be looked upon as comfortably well off in these third world nations. This prosperity and materialism can be effective tools for Satan though. He can inspire all kinds of wrong food, fashion, entertainment and life styles - that all appear so appealing and desirable. We have so much material prosperity, so much variety - to attract our attention and divert our attention. </div> <div> God is the author of variety - just look at His creation. Satan, however, has taken much of this variety and perverted it and counterfeited it to the point that much of it has become a snare even to God's people. Satan has created a whole world of dangerous "gray area." </div> <div> The Apostle Paul warned the prosperous Corinthian church that it was sometimes difficult to see these gray areas and recognize Satan's true colors. In 2 Cor.11:14, Paul says that "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." </div> <div> Satan is also able to disguise his world in the same way. He makes it so appealing, so entertaining. Mankind fails to see the real motive of insane anger, hatred and resentment that Satan feels toward every human being, but especially those called out by God. This world is about to feel the wrath of Satan during the Great T ribulation ! The devil wants to turn this whole world into a huge death camp and eventually destroy every living soul on it! </div> <div> Satan's world is a great "Babylon." Is it any wonder that God pleads with His people to come out of "Babylon," Satan's society? God wants us in the safety of His 'Compound." Paul tells the Colossians: "...giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Col. 1:12-13). </div> <div> God wants us to be solid, viable members of the Body of Christ. We are to be training to be rulers in the better, undeceived environment of the world tomorrow. But right now, that training - that path to the Kingdom of God, is in Satan's hostile world. </div> <div> Satan knows who we are. He knows we are trying to escape his evil, perverted system. And believe me, he's doing all he can to deceive us and subvert us into going back into his system (with the rest of humanity)! Satan would like to deceive even the very elect, but we are not to be ignorant of his devises. We must be sober and vigilant soldiers - ever wary of the dangers in Satan's world. That brings me back to the point of this article: Those spiritual gray areas that seem to be such an effective tool for Satan in this sick, glitzy world. </div> <div> So many of God's people have drifted away from the "the trunk of the tree" into gray areas. They have followed false prophets out onto twiggy, prophetic branches. So many have drifted away from God's Truth - from the "simplicity that is in Christ." They haven't really gone back into Satan's world yet, but they are lukewarm and dangerously close to losing their salvation! </div> <div> Let me give you some examples of how we can drift into the many gray areas that Satan has designed as traps for us: Most of God's people don't just suddenly and deliberately leap into Satan's darkness. They edge away from the light. It's not too far at first. After all, they can still see the light. They still retain some of God's truth and have a feeble amount of God's Spirit. </div> <div> But how close can we get to Satan's world and it's false glitter and allure and still be safe? How close can we get to lying, cheating, stealing, lusting or fornication? How much prayer or Bible Study can we miss without suffering a lethal under dose? How long can we neglect tithing, proper child rearing, or praying for God's people? How long can we look at so called "soft porn" on T.V., watch violent movies, eat wrong foods, or neglect our marriage or our children? How long can we be less than totally committed to God, or how many Sabbath services or Holy Days is it "OK" to postpone or miss altogether? Or, how dark does it have to get Friday evening before it's "sundown" for us? </div> <div> I think you get my point. All of these instances usually begin as a "gray area." It's not too serious at first, but it's not too long before 'longer' becomes "too long" or "occasionally" becomes "often" or "seldom" becomes "never." </div> <div> You see, the gray areas are like the "no man's zone." They are kind of between the safety of the compound and the obvious danger of the war zone in the jungle - Satan's world. You never know how far into the "no man's zone" you can wander, before it becomes TOO far and you become a casualty - in the case of a Christian, perhaps for eternity. Gray areas are not always clearly defined and easily identified. That's why they are called "gray areas." </div> <div> Christ has given His very elect a way to avoid the gray areas and stay on solid spiritual ground: It's the same basic, foundational things that the true Church of God has been teaching for centuries: Don't neglect the basics of Prayer, Bible Study, Fasting and Meditation. Hold on to the "trunk of the tree": </div> <div> The foundational doctrines listed in Hebrews 6, the plain teachings of Jesus, Peter, Paul, James, John and others have provided for us in the New Testament. And let's not forget the Old Testament. </div> <div> The Apostle Paul told Timothy, "and from childhood you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:15-17). </div> <div> In other words, get back to the basics, the trunk of the tree and stay away from the "twiggy" spiritual gray areas that Satan is all too eager to put in our path and deceive God's people with. None of us are perfect yet. We all still sin and fall short of the perfection of Christ, but we can't let ourselves stray too far into a gray area. </div> <div> If things start looking "gray," take steps to get back quickly. Because somewhere out there, the gray starts getting darker and darker and eventually turns black - where Satan and his demons are waiting for you. Take care that you don't step too far into a gray area! </div> <div> Pete Fleming </div> <bR> <div> Psalms 51:1-11 </div> <div> Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me." </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>