Loyalty
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In our political world there are some leaders who demand absolute loyalty. They expect their followers to bow to them, to express how wonderful they are, and to do everything in the leader’s best interest. And to never criticize them or point out their inconsistencies. When any person or organization is considered disloyal, they become an enemy and are targeted for attack. They are delegitimized, threatened, and sometimes actually physically assaulted.
There are two things we can learn from this. Firstly, this total heart-mind-soul allegiance, this complete obedience is how every Christian should respond to our God. Jesus modeled this for us (Hebrews 10:9). As F. F. Bruce wrote, “Wholehearted obedience is the sacrifice that God really desires, the sacrifice which He received in perfection from His Servant-Son when He came into the world.” (The New International Commentary On The New Testament: Hebrews). We are called to follow Jesus’ example of complete loyalty and obedience to the Father. Secondly, we can see why, when we are single-minded in our devotion, only being loyal to God, those other forces that demand our loyalty will consider us as the enemy. This is why so many have suffered since the time of Christ in totalitarian nations. Any country that slides into authoritarianism will demand complete loyalty from all and will attempt to crush Christians who give their allegiance only to God. Be ready for this. As Peter said, it is not unusual (1 Peter 4:12). It is inevitable.

We get vaccines to prevent infections. We wash our hands and use hand sanitizer to keep from spreading germs to ourselves or others. So what are the infections that Christians must guard against?
​       Echo-chambers.
     An echo-chamber is a world created in a bubble. It has its own look, feel, vibe, vocabulary, community, and shared purpose. There are political echo-chambers (Trumpism, Fox News, Right-wing media, and Bidonites, MSNBC, CNN, and their media machine). There are commercial echo-chambers run by large corporations to win allegiance from their consumers. There are racial subcultures, class subcultures, and cliques of all kinds. These echo-chambers reinforce feelings of fear, inadequacy, being slighted, etc. They offer a sense of belonging and identity. They promise to make you someone.
       There is only one echo-chamber that Christians should belong to. That is the echo-chamber of faith, reinforced by our personal relationship with God, the Word of God, our faith rituals, and the fellowship with have with other saints. This is an eternal echo-chamber--the only one that will endure forever.
       We are called to be in the world, but not of it. We are not to be worldly. This means that we are not to become part of any other echo-chamber. We are to stand aside, disconnect, keep our distance from all of these in order to remain faithful to Christ. Only then can we begin to present something of the Kingdom of God to others, inviting them to leave their echo-chamber, which offers life but cannot deliver, and join Christ's Kingdom, an echo-chamber of hope, love, and true identity. Oh, the riches that are ours in Christ!

Use the brain God gave you. I see so many Christians and others who are mindlessly going through life, swallowing every conspiracy and making themselves (and often God) look stupid. John Stott wrote a wonderful little book called, You Mind Matters. It showed with Scripture that Christians are called to  be thinking people. Some Christians act as if God wants us to risk everything (even our lives and souls) on the slimmest of evidence possible. The less the evidence, the more the faith. Nothing could be further from the truth. God calls us to faith in Him, then He goes on to prove that He is there (the Bible), that He wants to be with us (Jesus), and that he values us (Jesus dying on the cross). All this happened in history. He is not hiding from us. What honors God is when we have better answers than those in the world. The Bible gives us a higher wisdom--God's. Jesus was never at a loss for words. He knew just what to say. So should we. Paul didn't give up his mind when he accepted Christ, he reasoned with it in God's service. Ask yourself what you think and believe. Then see if there is sufficient evidence to believe it. This will mean reading and listening to those who disagree with you. They might be right. If they are, follow truth. If you follow truth, you will always find God. Beware of those with agendas--who need your vote, or your money. People around you have opinions. They will challenge you. What do you think will raise your esteem in their eyes--if you shrug your shoulders and say, "I just believe it." Or if you can give real reasons backed up with facts for the things you believe? God gave you a brain and the answers. Use them!