Illustration: I have a friend who has never been in the military but he is an American patriot and a Christian. We are on opposite sleep schedules. I go to bed early and rise early. When I woke up recently at my normal hour I had a text from him waiting on my phone. He was asking for my thoughts on the continuing destruction across the nation by various insurrectionist groups. I texted him back after I drank my coffee, saying I was unfamiliar with the latest destruction. He later asked about Portland, Oregon, about cities in Minnesota, and whether America’s Guardsmen would continue to be called up and put on duty to protect Americans from Americans. I wrote back saying, “I don’t know, brother; it appears to me the train has left the tracks. Just keep your head on a swivel and your powder dry.”

Segue: Few qualities are more important to me when it comes to understanding than clarity. One of my favorite maxims is, “Clarity is more important than agreement.” When folks are clear about what they believe and why they believe it, that can make life so much easier. Of course, many wicked people are crystal clear in their thinking; they just choose wickedness, so I am aware of the perils of oversimplification. A common issue, however, is that many folks don’t know what they believe. They’re “all over the map,” so to speak. Their worldview is a hodgepodge conglomeration of inconsistent and often contradictory ideas. Picture a Jackson Pollock piece—a little bit of this and a little bit of that, a pastiche ostensibly suggesting chaos rather than order, cacophony rather than harmony, strife instead of peace.

How long will Antifa continue their Sherman-like method of burning almost everything they can? Will America allow the defunding of her own police? In short, will the thugs be allowed to win because law-abiding citizens are afraid to stand up to the mobs? I don’t know. However, I do have clarity regarding this: we continue to disintegrate. That is, we are dis (not) + integrated (together). Scripture phrases it thus:

 “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” (Isaiah 57:21, ESV)

Our spiritual house is divided against itself:

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 3:24-25)

These are part of the inevitable consequences of suppressing God and his revelation for us. These are consequences of reaping what we have sown. This is the law of the harvest:

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:7-10)

Encouragement: Again, clarity is so helpful. What is to be our governing authority? Will it be secularism? How is that working out for us? Will it be the overthrow of biblical morality? How is that working out for us? Will it be identity politics? How is that working out for us? Will it be judging people based upon the amount of melanin in our skin? How is that working out for us? You see, beloved, we are witnessing what happens when a ship has severed her moorings. She has severed her moorings and failed to explain why she is to sail at all—or even where or how. She is being tossed by tempests that come from not thinking through the consequences, of not being clear. How much clearer must things become?

And yet the God of Scripture calls out to all who will hear, “do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:8a). May we be mature and clear in our thoughts and in our actions. My friend is both clear-headed and courageous. The time for such men (and women) has long been upon us.