2Timothy 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
1Timothy 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.
2Timothy 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

As Christians we nod our heads in agreement to the apostle’s description of the last days and agree that we see these signs all around us. We are the good people and we have to guard ourselves against being unduly influenced by the multitudes of bad people. And the cities are strogholds of the bad people, we are so much safer in a rural setting.

Is that really what we think? I hope not, because I fear there is a seducing spirit at work in that kind of thinking. As Christians we do good things, but it’s not because we are good people. We are no better than the people doing bad things; the only difference is that we are following a different spirit, the Holy Spirit.

The biggest difference between Christians and non-Christians is that Christians are aware of the reality of sin, and of our own sinfulness. When I finally surrendered to God’s call I not only acknowledged that I had done bad things, but it became clear as day to me that I did them because I was a sinner and that I was powerless to do anything about it. That admission is the key to repentance and God forgave me on the basis of that repentance. After a few weeks I realized that I had lost interest in some things that I used to do, had found some new interests, thought differently about other people. At that point I was not going to church and had no instruction other than the Bible, but I realized that the Holy Spirit was now guiding my life.

The difference between us and other people is that they are led by a different spirit. The Bible tells us that Satan is the god of this world and that his demonic spirits may appear to us as angels of light. The principal goal of the spirits of darkness is to divide people from one another, to create mistust between husbands and wives, between parents and children, and in every other human relationship, until each one stands alone, unable to trust anyone but himself.

But can we really trust ourselves? I have not observed good results, in myself or anyone else. That way leads to doubt, confusion and despair. We need to find help in someone outside of ourselves, God the Father first of all and then in other people who are children of God.

Living in a rural setting is not a guarantee of moral purity. A lot of things are hidden in an isolated rural setting. People in street missions say that most prostitutes are girls who have been sexually abused in a rural setting, usually by a family member or a trusted friend of the family. They run away trying to escape the abuse and come to a city where they know no one. It takes an average of two days for a pimp to find such a girl, befriend her and then begin to groom her to sell herself on the street.

And where do her clients come from? Twenty-five years ago a couple of studies in our nearest city revealed that 60% of the clients of these prostitutes came from farms and small towns within a 100km radius of the city.

Our flesh is as prone to corruption as that of any of the sinful people around us. Neither our family heritage nor our location can protect us from that corruption. It starts in our thoughts and those thoughts will come to anyone, anywhere. It is only by the grace of God that we can escape the corruption that is in the world. The world around us needs to know that the grace of God is available to them, also.

Jesus said that Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt is a preservative, the only substance known in Bible times that would protect food from corruption, The law required that sacrifices be sprinkled with salt, because it would be an abomination to God to offer meat on the altar after it began to rot. How can we be the salt of the earth if we keep that salt shut away behind closed doors? How can we be the light of the world if we are careful to put a heavy shade around the light to avoid having it offend someone?