I recently received an email from one of the many podcasters/educators that I listen to as a resource for my publishing business. In the subject line, the title said something like, “How to make more (expletive) money!” My first thought was, “How tacky?” and my second thought was, “When did we get to a place where businesses try to attract clients by sending these emails with such unprofessional tag lines?” I would never dream of approaching potential customers with such profane statements in hopes of grabbing their attention. It’s just not classy and it doesn’t foster my confidence in their ability to serve my company’s needs appropriately. I’m no angel, I have been known to say a few choice words, but I would never approach anyone in that way with the intent of selling them a service or product. So, I immediately sent my unsubscribe notice and trashed the email. I won’t be needing anything from this particular business in the future. And that’s a shame because they had provided some good information in the past. But, as with many businesses out there, they’ve relaxed their standards to blend in with society and to aid in their pursuit of the almighty dollar. That’s just not indicative of integrity and it doesn’t impress me.

Now, if you’ve read my posts in the past, you know that I am not interested in being popular in today’s society. I have no interest in furthering the narratives or in advancing the devil’s mission here on Earth. He has plenty of people who are willing to do this for him, unfortunately. He certainly isn’t getting my support. I don’t care who thinks it’s stupid or outdated, I believe in supporting God’s mission and in doing my best to uphold His values and directives. This is why you don’t see me promoting things like Pride month or any of the holidays or social initiatives that appear to be in support of things that go against God’s will. I support patriotism and love of country as it is part of the hierarchy that includes, at the very top, loving God. I do not support BLM or any of the hateful organizations that have been at the heart of so much strife in this country. And I won’t change my views on those things.

For some reason, there are those out there who have let a small group of people convince them to overlook the egregious sin that is their normal behavior in the interest of keeping the peace with one another. God never said that we shouldn’t stand up for what is right in His sight. He never said that loving one another as He loves us meant to allow each other or even encourage one another to continue a life of sin rather than cause hurt feelings. As Christians or at least as God-fearing, Jesus-following individuals, it is up to us to model behaviors that reflect His word and teachings. The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is a sin and that we are not to participate in any sexual activity that isn’t within the context of a marriage between a man and a woman (as he designed them, not as they decided to transform into through surgery or other intervention). That’s what it says and that’s what He means. You can’t twist it to fit what you believe over what God intended. And you can’t justify your unwillingness to follow the rules He has set by trying to shame or guilt others into not seeing your lifestyle as something God would not want for you. This goes not only for homosexuality, but for any sinful lifestyle choice we make including addiction, dishonesty, deceit, or any other behavior that God has deemed as inappropriate or not of His will. It doesn’t matter if we like His design or not, if we profess to be believers and followers of Christ, we cannot turn a blind eye to sin or allow it to overtake us or others. We cannot be complacent in protecting our children from being taught that living by someone’s revision of God’s word will cover them should they choose to follow a path that isn’t in line with His directives for their lives. There are those who say that the Bible itself is not necessarily the original Word of God, but the original intent of His word is clear and there is a big difference between semantics and word choice versus flipping an entire theoretical precept until it becomes the opposite of the message He originally conveyed.

As I said before, I don’t really care if you agree with me on this. There are things that are right and things that are just wrong. And once our standards become relaxed in one area, that complacency seeps out into other areas and easily begins to cover what was once good with something that is decidedly less than acceptable. But the more we see it, the less strange it begins to look and for some, that’s all it takes for a trend or a passing fad to become the accepted norm. Too many people are content with just letting someone tell them how to think and they go about their day doing what they please without thinking about how their actions or inaction impacts others. God did not call us to be silent when evil is threatening to overtake others. We are supposed to look out for one another whenever possible. I’m not talking about bashing someone over the head with the Bible. I’m talking about not caving to pressure from those who ask you to willingly and broadly help them promote sin or sinful lifestyles. Those who would have you advocate for behaviors that clearly are out of line with God’s word are not acting as good neighbors and they should not be trusted with your heart and soul. If you are being asked to support things that are clearly not what you believe God would want you to support, ask yourself why you aren’t fighting back or telling those people why you disagree. Do you really feel that their actions aren’t hurting anyone? Can you not see the damage that the consistent degradation of Christian values has caused in today’s society? Whatever happened to conducting oneself with a bit of class or composure? When did depravity and the profane become our desired modus operandi?

I never would have thought that I would see a day when teachers would be pushing their sexual preferences on young children or schools would be hosting what are basically sexually driven performances geared at endearing young kids to behaviors that they shouldn’t even be aware of until they’ve at least hit puberty. But that’s where we are. So, when I get an email that says, “Let’s make some (expletive) money!” you’ll just have to forgive me if I take a moment to remind that particular sender that I choose not to do business with people who have so little respect for others that they insist on using bottom-of-the-barrel language to try and provoke a sale. You’ll also have to get over the fact that I will not openly profess support for any behaviors or activities geared toward normalizing the profane as those acceptances leave us all open to attacks that do irreparable damage to our soul. For example, if your kids stop seeing pedophiles as threats, they are left wide open to molestation or abuse from the very people who are supposed to provide protection and leadership to them. They need to understand, from a Godly perspective, what behaviors are appropriate between adults and children, not what some sick individuals want them to believe are okay if it makes them feel good. Sadly, there are many depraved souls out there who have no interest in preserving anyone else’s spirit once theirs has been damaged. They don’t want to heal, they only want to draw other people into their darkness so that the light isn’t quite so blinding to them. And while we don’t really want to leave them there in that darkness, we don’t have to join them in it. Doing so only stops them from seeing that there is a better way to live and that healing is possible.

Don’t play into all of the crap that you see on television. Just because they are parading the sin in front of you as something that everyone thinks is fun doesn’t mean that it isn’t damaging. Drinking to excess isn’t a party, it’s an addiction that kills the soul slowly and breaks apart families and the fabric of society. Taking drugs isn’t an escape, it’s only a temporary distraction from problems that will still be there when you run out of pills. And sexual depravity may feel good in the moment, but there is no substitute for true love and real, meaningful connection to the person God made to be your mate. When we get caught up in the gratification aspect of living instead of understanding that our lives have deeper purpose and meaning than how good we can make ourselves feel, we have lost our way. We need desperately to get to a place where people are living for God and not for this world. We need to remember our purpose and that our creator wants better for us than the devil does. The devil’s only purpose is to create a society where he can thumb his nose at God because he knows that he can never be what God is. If you choose to follow his rules instead of God’s, that’s something you’ll have to answer for later. You won’t answer to me, but you will answer to God. Even if you don’t necessarily believe in Him or respect Him. So, it’s your choice. Today, my choice is to be unpopular here on Earth and to do as God has shown me to do.

Rebecca Benston is the owner of Higher Ground Books & Media and the author of over twenty titles currently available through Amazon and other outlets. Her books include a mystery series (The Rona Shively Stories), empowerment resources such as Wise Up to Rise Up, Don’t Be Stupid (And I Mean That in the Nicest Way), and From Judgment to Jubilee, children’s books including Grumble D. Grumble Learns to Smile, All the Scary Things, and See How Strong You Are. Benston lives in Springfield, Ohio with her awesome daughter, Mya and enjoys traveling, reading, writing, and telling it like it is. She enjoys being able to help other authors get their stories out there through Higher Ground and has recently expanded her freelance services to offer more extensive guidance as a writing coach and social media manager. For more information, you can contact Benston at highergroundbooksandmedia@gmail.com.

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