There was a time when a generation sang about the dawning of the “Age of Aquarius”, but it feels more like the “Age of Morons” has come instead. Yes, I know, nowadays pastors aren’t supposed to use strong words like “moron” for fear of being labelled mean and intolerant; however, the Apostle Paul used such a word (or the root of it to be exact), so I’m choosing his description over political correctness.

Here’s what I mean. Like many others, you’re probably scratching your head about the steady abandonment of common sense in recent years and the appearance of outright insanity in the mainstream media, classrooms, legislatures, courts of law, and social media feeds. And the main question is, “What do we do now?”

Well, before the question of “What do we do?”, let’s think about the question of “Why are we here?”. In Paul’s amazing letter to the church in Rome, he articulates all the components of the gospel message. At the beginning, while describing mankind’s condition, he makes a strong statement about people rejecting the truth of God;

“Professing to be wise, they became fools.” – Romans 1:22 NKJV

The original word we translate as “fools” is “mōros” (the root for our word “moron”). He doesn’t use it as derogatory slang, he’s describing their decline into broken thinking. He explains that broken minds facilitated such ridiculous things as worshipping idols made by hands and their descent into sexual immorality. So, as I look around our culture today, I see a lot a “mōrosity” happening as truth is being abandoned for lies. Even within church circles there are troubling trends, and the question remains, “What do we do now?”

First of all, there’s no benefit whatsoever to worrying about things you can’t change. In other words, there are certain realities of a “fallen” world that we’re going to have to live within, while sharing and demonstrating hope in Christ. With that being said, here are three things to remember as a “survival guide” going forward:

1. Remember the authority of the Bible – It may sound cliché to start by mentioning the Bible, but making a cognitive decision that the scripture is not only true but also “authoritative” to speak into our lives is the starting point. As our God-breathed resource, the Bible isn’t subject to cultural re-interpretation, it’s to be used to interpret the culture (2 Timothy 3:16). True hope is found in the truth, not lies.

2. Remember to “connect the dots” – The second thing is, we must be willing to connect the dots in our own thought process. It’s vitally important to consider “cause and effect” as we make decisions. Choices have consequences and our world of today is desperately trying to erase all negative consequences that result from personal decisions. Whether it’s parenting, coaching, church attendance, hiring, firing, or business dealings, we must be willing to frame things within a “cause-and-effect”.

For example, if you’re one who always makes excuses for your children’s bad behavior instead of choosing godly discipline, then that reflects a cultural norm instead of biblical truth. And if your church attendance is subject to many other things, it doesn’t really matter if you say, “Church is important.”, your kids will grow up to realize that it really wasn’t (what I do matters more than what I say).

3. Remember to keep the focus small – The “survivors” job isn’t to change the trajectory of the entire country (although that’s a noble goal), it’s to focus on the circle of influence you realistically have. For example, if you have kids or grandkids, make the effort to discuss foundational Christian teachings, accurate American history, how to recognize propaganda versus facts, and current events. Ask questions of them and really listen to see what the logic is of their response.

In your non-family circle of influence, be the friend you would want others to be to you. Be a person who stands by their word, follows through on their commitments, prays specific, bold prayers for those around them, and always strives to represent Christ well.

Yes, we live in challenging times (to say the least). Discouragement is one of Satan’s favorite tools, but we must not let our joy be stolen. It would be nice to reset the clock, but as much as I would like to, the clock will keep moving forward and we must to. Let’s choose the joy of the Lord and not only survive, but thrive!