Caving has become the order of the day in the USA.

To cave means to give way; give in; submit under pressure; yield; capitulate.

For example, there is widespread corporate caving.  Dick’s Sporting Goods and Mills Fleet Farm have decided to no longer sell AR-15 rifles due to pressure from ridiculously misguided gun control/confiscation advocates.

Chick-fil-A recently yielded to pressures from LGBTQ+ activists and dropped their financial support of The Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes because of the firm stance of these ministries on biblical, heterosexual marriage.

After Chick-fil-A’s cowardly announcement, Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee tweeted: “In August 2012 I coordinated a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day after they were being bullied by militant hate groups. Millions showed up. Today, Chick-fil-A betrayed loyal customers for $$. I regret believing they would stay true to convictions of founder Truett Cathey. Sad.”

Hallmark recently offered profuse apologies to the LGBTQ+ community for what they generally described as hurtful errors in judgment in pulling one of their TV ads depicting the wedding and kissing of a homosexual couple.  They decided to re-run the ad despite the protests of One Million Moms, part of the American Family Association. Facing further threats of a LGBTQ+ inspired opposition and boycott, they caved.

In nearly every arena of public education, movies, theater, TV, talk shows, corporations, politicians, along with many churches and denominations, there is enthusiastic and treacherous commitment to the mainstreaming of homosexuality and transgenderism in America and around the world. Some of these organizations and individuals caved long ago, rejecting the Word of God, and are now given over to and tirelessly advocating the most vile and rebellious perversions, which are poisoning the very core of our nation and many other nations as well.

Biblical history includes its share of cavers too. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of bean soup, (Gen 25:29-34). Samson caved to a seductress named Delilah, (Judges 16:1-22). Many Old Testament false prophets were cavers telling their sinful nation only what they wanted to hear instead of what they needed to hear to call them to repentance (Jer. 14:13-15; 23:9-40).

Old Testament history also records those who were tempted to cave, but didn’t. They faithfully moved forward in their God-given course without capitulating: Jeremiah (Jer. 20:7-9), kept declaring the hard message of repentance; Daniel kept praying to the LORD God when to do such was declared illegal by a pagan king (Dan. 6); Daniel’s three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Dan. 3:8-30), who remained true to God and refused to worship the idols of the day; Nehemiah, who refused to yield to the treachery and intimidation of the enemies of God and led the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh.6:1-16); Esther, who risked her position and her life to save her people the Jews (Esther 4-6).

In the New Testament, Demas caved leaving the Apostle Paul and the gospel ministry because he “loved this present world” (II Tim. 4:10). Five out of the seven Churches in Revelation 2 and 3 caved, or were caving, in one way or another, the only exceptions being the Church at Philadelphia and the Churchat Smyrna. The Churchat Ephesus caved by leaving their first love for Christ, Rev. 2:1-5; the Churchat Pergamos caved by tolerating false teachings in their midst, Rev. 2:14-17; the Thyatira Churchcaved by allowing a seductive false prophetess named Jezebel to exert her influence in the Church(Rev. 2:20-23); the Churchin Sardis caved by living on their reputation for being an alive congregation, not realizing they were actually dead in the eyes of God (Rev. 3:1-3); and the Churchat Laodicea caved to a spirit of lukewarm, loveless self-satisfaction (Rev. 3:15-19).

However, in the New Testament, we also have examples of non-cavers like John the Baptist, who boldly spoke the truth to a corrupt King Herod. John kept his testimony, though he eventually lost his head for refusing to compromise the truth (Mk. 6:14-29); the Jerusalem Churchin the Book of Acts refused to comply with the civil law against preaching the gospel of Jesus (Acts 4:13-31). Then of course there is the greatest non-caver of all—Jesus Christ! Jesus never once capitulated to incessant temptations of the evil one. Jesus Christ powerfully spoke and demonstrated the truth no matter if it was received or rejected. He “loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (Jn. 13:1), and He was fully obedient unto death“…even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:5-11.

The haunting and lingering question for us as we enter 2020 is, “Who will cave next?” Will it be another corporation, a “conservative” politician, a public or Christian school, an evangelical church denomination, or perhaps an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher, a husband, a wife, a single adult, a teenager—or maybe even me or you?

Fact is, the ultimate destiny of cowardly, unrepentant cavers is the “lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 21:8).

It’s time for a generation of non-cavers to arise; those who will not yield to the wicked spirits of the present time; those who will boldly, wisely speak and demonstrate the truth in love; those who will stand courageously and move forward aggressively in “the whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:10-18), no matter how great the opposition and personal cost.

With no more caving will come more saving of multitudes in America and around the world who are now lost. Jesus came to earth “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). That’s a main reason why we are still here too.

Caving against such a holy calling and assignment must never be considered an option!