“But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and you commanded the prophets saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’ ” (Amos 2:12)
When the masses of Israel rejected God, they turned against the followers of God, too. It wasn’t enough for them that they should practice wicked things and live immoral lives, it was expected that everyone should do likewise. They were tolerant of every vile practice, but had no tolerance for righteousness. No more prophecy, no more vows before God, no more calling on the name of Jehovah.
Be not surprised when the world requires you to accept its ways. The end result of the devil’s schemes is the intolerance of Christianity and the tolerance of everything but. The world will scream “diversity” and “inclusion” while commanding Christians to sit down and be silent. Nebuchadnezzar did it with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and Israel did it to Amos.
It has always been this way, and if we are called to brave the same treacherous waters as those people of faith who have gone before us, we should consider ourselves honored. I pray we will have the bravery to speak boldly like they did.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites