LEARNING FROM "LEANINGS"

A professed Christian recently wrote to me and said, “I lean more Democratic than Republican . . . “ In our day there are no doubt multitudes of professed Christians who would say the same thing. People “lean” towards a great many things today that are disturbing and dangerous. We can discover a lot about ourselves and others based upon where we or they tend to “lean”

There are reasons why people “lean” towards what they lean towards. They do it because they’ve lost their balance, and they do it without thinking about what they’re doing. A lot of people are leaning towards ideas, political parties and movements because they are off balance spiritually, morally, politically, emotionally, etc.

People also often very deliberately lean towards the things they do because they want and expect support from whatever or whoever it is that they are leaning towards. What kind of support do they want? Well, this might involve any combination of things. They might want support financially. They may want support from people whose philosophy, morals, etc. are akin to their own. Birds of a feather naturally like to flock together. People seem to have an “inner, spiritually-set, radar” that causes them to gravitate towards people who think like they do and act like they act or would like to act. I have observed this throughout my life, and it is almost uncanny to see how this works. To put it simply, good people tend, inevitably to gravitate toward people or causes that are good, and not-so-good people tend, inevitably to gravitate toward people or causes that are bad.

People need to be very careful concerning who and what they lean towards, because it will either help you or hurt them. Proverbs 13:20 says, He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” “Fools” by definition are those who want to remove God as a Factor from everything that they or others do. Psalm 14:1 tells us that, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God, They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”

Here is something people need to understand: When a preacher or any Christian denounces and/or issues a warning concerning people and policies associated with Marxism, atheism, the Democrat Party, something much deeper and more consequential is involved than politics or a personal preference. The root of the matter is spiritual and the results will be spiritual. If this were not true, I personally, wouldn’t involve myself much in anything political. But this is true, and my calling and desire is to seek, speak and stand for truth, which is true of God’s will for everyone.

People need to evaluate all of their “leanings” politically, religiously or otherwise on the basis of what God says; not simply on what looks good or feels good to them. To do anything else is disobedience in God’s sight and is to court disappointment and disaster. Amos 5:19 tells of a man who “leaned his hand on he wall, and a serpent bit him.” There are a lot of places towards which we can “lean” where a serpent – “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan “ (Rev. 12:9) – is waiting to bite us. Our own understanding is one of these places. But, there’s a better, safer Person and place towards which we can and should lean.

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them

upon the table of thine heart:

So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and

man.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

—Prov. 3:1-7

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

—John 8:32