Discerning the Spirit of the Age

The world changes, but the enemy's tactics don't.

In this episode, I talk about discerning the spirit of the age and how many of today's cultural norms are really just ancient lies dressed up in new packaging. I discuss the church's desire to "stay relevant" is a ploy of the enemy to entice us to lean on our own understanding instead of fully trusting in Christ. 

Thanks for listening!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:23

Hey everybody, welcome back to the Dissatisfied Podcast. I am Rochelle Smith, and we are on episode 22, which is just crazy to think that I've done 22 episodes. So be ready for more because I'm not going to quit, just so you know. Okay, so today I am going to start off with two scriptures. The first one is Ephesians 2, verses 1 through 2. And it says, Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil, the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. And then 2 Corinthians 4, 4 says, The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Those are powerful verses. They say a whole lot in just a little bit. But it's interesting, isn't it? The God of this age, the God of this age is the spirit of this age. And it's it's the enemy, it's Satan. And in our current age, this spirit of the age has infiltrated our culture at an alarming rate. And what it's doing is it's reshaping attitudes and it's redefining the truth. And I'm going to give you a little definition. It says the spirit of the age is whatever a culture celebrates, normalizes, or pressures people to embrace when those things conflict with God's character and truth. So it's whatever a culture celebrates, normalizes, or pressures you into to embrace or to accept that is actually against God's word. And we need to be aware of this. We need to be alert to these things because there's a whole lot of influential people who partner with the spirit of the age, and they use their big platforms to feed it. And here's one example. So have you heard of this new movie, Disclosure Day? So this was just released on June 12th, and it's a movie about a government cover-up of alien life. And I thought, oh gee, well, that's convenient timing, isn't it? When that's all we've been hearing about the last few months of the government UFO files being released. You know, I'm sure that's just a coincidence, everybody. They're not trying to push a narrative at all. So anyway, Steven Spielberg is the one who directed this movie, and he has directed quite a few alien movies. But I think this one, apparently by far, is one that is kind of sacrilegious, I guess you could say. And this is a quote by Steven Spielberg. He said, What does this do to the fundamental beliefs that many of us have? Is God our God only on this planet? Or is God a God for every system where there's civilization, intelligent life, or even developing life? So, you know, I hear stuff like that, and I think this is just such a push to believe in aliens. And that in and of itself is part of the spirit of the age. And now I am going to spend just a couple minutes reading you this condensed movie review that I found on Facebook. So it's a movie movie review of Disclosure Day. It's by a guy named Steve Deese, D-E-A-C-E. If you want to read the entirety of it, you could go to his Facebook page. So, okay, he starts off by saying because of how intentional I believe this film is in attempting to deconstruct Christianity, and because I want to warn people about not seeing it, this will be a very spoiler-filled review. Okay, pause. This is me, Rochelle, now. So I want to say this. I have seen my share of alien movies over the years, and I've seen my share of shows that glorify man-made ideas and point to everything but God as the reason for our existence. So I'm not necessarily scared to see this movie because I know what it is. Like I know what I'm looking for here, right? I know what the agenda is. But I also want to see just how sacrilegious it is compared to some of these other films that I've seen. So I might actually watch it. And if I do, I will report back. Okay, let's continue here. So he goes on to say this is a rather blatant attempt to evangelize into a new religion. At first they start off in wonderment about what else is really out there in the cosmos and whether we're alone in the universe, but they always end up at the aliens or really our saviors to show fallible human beings the way to salvation. It becomes obvious they are really selling a religion. Here are some examples of how this film intends to deconstruct Christianity. The main character's love interest is a former nun. She tells him earlier in the film that she left the convent because she lost her belief that God is divine. There's a scene where the former nun grabs her crucifix and tries to invoke its power to resist the alien technology. However, the crucifix is rendered powerless in the face of the superior alien technology. The entire story is unfolding under the backdrop of nuclear war and annihilation. In other words, we are in the end of days and lost as a species, unable to save ourselves. We learn the aliens specifically choose a male and a female to be the vessels of this next step of our evolution, which the aliens are here to guide us into. The largest of the aliens is brought in by several humans and the alien pronounces blessings on the new Adam and Eve. The film makes it clear that the climatic day of disclosure is being felt globally, but the only religion wrestling with it is Christianity. At the convent we see several nuns desperately clinging to their rosaries, but no other religion is even depicted. The movie makes it clear that humanity needs saving. Enter the aliens who check all the boxes of what is required. Okay, that's the end of the review. But do you see what's at work here? This is part of the spirit of the age. It's a direct attack on Christianity, it's an affront to God. And, you know, this is nothing new. This is just a drop in the bucket of what the world spews out against the truth of God. It's just one thing. But it's still there. We still need to see it. We still need to pay attention and know what we're dealing with. And it's the spirit of the age. And, you know, in this instance, it's using entertainment to try to manipulate and push a demonic narrative. But it's not just entertainment. The spirit uses modern ways to keep selling the same old ancient lies that have been around forever. It's the same spirit in a different age. And its goal is to always pull people away from God. But here's my personal opinion. If your faith is strong and you're grounded in the truth, then you could probably see this movie and you'd see it for what it is. You'd see the demonic propaganda in it. But I'm not telling you to see it. Don't be like, oh, Rochelle told me to see it. Because I'm not telling you that, because I do believe that Hollywood uses brainwashing techniques, including frequency, in music and movies, to brainwash us. So we need to be strong in our faith if we're going to go watch movies like this. The good news is there's a guy named Kevin Shipp, who is a former CIA agent, and he said in a recent interview, he said Christians are the only ones who cannot truly be controlled. And why do we think he said that? What would cause him to say that? Well, we know that government agencies are involved in some crazy stuff. And sometimes we're their guinea pigs when it comes to mind control. So have you ever researched or read about MKUltra? Have you ever researched or read about Project Bluebird? These were all CIA mind control operations. And do we think that these things have stopped? No, of course they haven't. But because of the Holy Spirit inside of us, we have the ability to discern and understand what is at work around us. We have the ability to understand and discern what spirits we're up against, even when it comes to government agencies. So there's always an opposition to the spirit of God in the earth. And that opposition comes through lots of different channels. And the Bible says this. The Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is never changing. Now the enemy does change. The only thing about the enemy that doesn't change is that he's a liar. Jesus said he's the father of lies. That's all he can do is lie. So that never changes. But he does change. He morphs and he transforms himself in new ways in order to use our modern ways of living to influence people. So the enemy doesn't change in the fact that he's a liar and there's no truth in him. But you better believe that he morphs himself into different things over the ages so that he can continue to manipulate and lie to people. So the enemy will change with the ages in order to stay relevant. That's why I don't like when I hear Christians, especially leaders, say things like, Well, you know, the church needs to be relevant. The church needs to stay relevant. And I think, well, what does that mean? And they mean we need to be relevant to the current culture. I guess because somewhere along the road, they started to think that being relevant would make them more impactful, or staying relevant would somehow reach more people? I don't know. But the problem that I see with that type of thinking is this. Isn't God's word always relevant? Isn't his truth always relevant? Isn't Jesus Christ always relevant? I mean, you know, he goes, he goes pretty far back. The Bible itself has withstood the test of time. It is still the best-selling book of all time. So I would say that that's the only thing that has stayed relevant. So when the church tries to stay relevant to the current culture, we're actually being enticed by the spirit of the age because it wants to reshape and remold the truth. And, you know, the spirit of the age, it's not just about the current cultural norms, although that's part of it, but it's about the lies that are perpetuated through them. So what is a current cultural norm? Well, we talked about that movie earlier. So movies, right, that have an antichrist spirit in them. And of course, it's not just alien movies that have that. There's many others. Another example would be the hypersexualization in our culture, especially of women and even children. You know, everything is about sex and gender and what's your sexual identity, to the point that the public school systems now are being corrupted with all of this confusion. So that's the spirit of the age at work. We also have a cultural norm where it's become acceptable for women and young girls to wear barely any clothing in public. And swimming pools and beaches are our next level in this stuff. And this is not about being prudish. This is about recognizing an issue that is part of the enemy's agenda. It's being used to feed a pleasure-hungry society, it's used to propagate lust, which ultimately starts to tear at the fabric of the family unit. It just does. You know, when you can no longer take your children to a family swimming pool or a family beach without there being full-on butt cheeks, barely their bikinis, literally barely there, barely enough fabric covering the JJ, boobs falling out everywhere, all those things. And we're taking our children. It's like taking your kids into a strip club. Those things are absolutely being used by the enemy to weaken the strength of men and also weaken women. And when that happens, it weakens families, and that is never good for a society. One more example of a cultural norm these days that the enemy uses is instant gratification. Everything is literally at our fingertips. We are being entertained 24-7 by our phones. That's not good. Lots of studies coming out showing that constant phone use is literally causing anxiety and depression. You know, with a few clicks, we can get our groceries without ever going into the store, which, you know, I've got to say I do like that one. Let's keep that one. But we don't have to wait for anything. You can pretty much order anything on Amazon and it'll be at your house in a day or two, sometimes the same day. If there's a new song you like or you've heard, you don't have to wait. You can download that song in seconds. I mean, there was a time, not too long ago, that we would have to wait until an album was released and then physically go to a record store and purchase the entire album for the one song we liked. And honestly, there was something fun about that. I miss those days. You don't have to wait in line for a lot of things anymore. You know, if you want a coffee, call ahead. It's going to be waiting for you on a shelf. You want food, Uber Eats, delivered right to you. You want to watch a movie, you don't have to go to the video store anymore or to the movie theater. Just pick one of the many streaming platforms and watch it immediately. You need to write a report for school or for work. You don't need to go to the library to do research. You have everything right at your fingertips on the internet. And, you know, there's a prediction that at some point physical books will be obsolete, and that will not be good. That's when the powers that be will have complete control of information and it will make it a lot easier for them to rewrite history, which they are already doing. But at that point, no one's going to be able to stop them. There will be no truth to seek out that's written. But the point is, instant gratification has produced an impatient, anxiety-filled, sometimes lazy society. It's created a lack of peace. It's removed the joy of certain things that used to take some time. I mean, there was joy going to the video stores to pick out movies with my kids. There was a peace and a slowness to it. And we've lost that in so many things. I think that it's caused relationships to look different, even affecting our relationship with God. So the spirit of the age is definitely using those things amongst many others to weaken us in so many ways. But I would say that the church has actually done a good job of staying relevant in all those things I've mentioned. I don't think that there's many churches at all that look much different from the world. Because what they're doing is they're mimicking the world standards. So the world has influenced the church more than the church has influenced the world. And I think God wants to change that. The reality is the church should not want to be relevant to current cultural norms. Relevance should have nothing to do with who we are as the body of Christ. And if the church is hung up on that, on being relevant, that's actually saying that God's word is not enough. And I look around at some of these churches and it does feel like they're just trying to fit in with the cool kids. And that points to the fact that we're trying to use man's stuff to lure people into church. So, you know, I guess we don't need God for that. What happened to truly trusting completely in the power of the Holy Spirit to draw people? What happened to relying fully on the word of God to bring conviction and to change people? Hebrews 4 12 says the word of God is living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts to dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. So the word of God is what does that. The lights, the fog, the music, the trendy outfits, the cool building won't do that. Only God's word. So in the things that I've mentioned, there's this cultural mindset that is opposed to God's truth. And that mindset is everywhere we look. I mean, we have countless influential people who boldly share their opinions on religion and God, and it's not to point people to God, it's to tell us how stupid we are to believe in God. Just recently I heard Jennifer Aniston say this in an interview. She said, religion is something that divides people based on absolutely nothing factual about the human being and their heart. Okay, well, number one, she's wrong about nothing factual. There is factual evidence to support the claims of the Bible, but she doesn't want to take the time to look into that. And you know what? There's a lot of people like that. They will make these claims without ever doing any research on their own. So she mentioned that religion divides people. Well, in Luke chapter 12, listen to what Jesus said. Listen closely to this. He said, I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning. I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other. Wow. I think that's pretty clear about how it's Jesus that causes the division. It's truth that causes the division. It's not religion that divides people, it's the truth. And then in Matthew 10, Jesus says, Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Jennifer Aniston also has said this. She says, I don't have a religion. I believe in God. I don't know what it looks like, but it's my God, my own interpretation of the supernatural. And listen, I'm not really picking on her because she's just one of many people who are under that type of delusion. And it's the delusion that the spirit of the age pours out. Right? It's the same old ancient lie of you, you are your own God. You can have your own truth, which is a big fat lie. So is this the culture that we're trying to stay relevant to? This is what we want to be relevant with. To lies, deception, fakeness, a bunch of stuff that doesn't matter, ego, pride. No, we are supposed to be set apart. And you know what? That does not mean we have to be weird. It doesn't mean we can't have good music and cute outfits. But it means this: it means that if a church is more known for their kids' program or their worship or their coffee bar and donuts, or their cool-looking building, than they're known for teaching the Bible and discipling people, then sorry, that's not it. There's something off. And it's my opinion that the spirit of the age has a lot of influence in the American church. And it has caused a watered-down gospel that is powerless. And that's exactly what the devil wants. He wants a powerless church, powerless Christians who have no clue how to engage in spiritual warfare and use their authority. And I believe that the Lord is calling us out of relevance, and he's telling us to take our positions. So that's how we're going to end it today. And that's how I'm going to encourage you is to take your position. Take the authority that Christ has given you and start to war in the spirit against the spirit of the age that is deceiving people. I believe that's a calling that each of us has to enter that type of battle in the spirit against the lies and the deception. So go get in the word, put your armor on, and pick up your sword. Thanks for listening. I hope you join me next week.