Ezekiel prophesied during a time of spiritual decline. In a vision God gave to him, a man was told to “…Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.” (Ezekiel 9:4). The passage goes on to say that those who have this mark will be spared, but those without it will meet their doom.

There is a timeless message for God’s people in this Scripture. We are warned not to stoop to the level of society. We must uphold God’s moral standards. We live in the world, but we are not of the world.

There are many things happening in our country that go directly against the commands of God. I need not list them because you know them very well. It is our duty to stand firm for the Lord. We must grieve and lament the moral atrocities that are committed all around us. As we do, we will, in a very real sense, receive a mark of protection from God. This doesn’t mean that nothing bad will ever happen to us. It simply means that when everything is said and done, we will be blessed and kept by God.

Many people are aware of the “mark of the beast” that is put on those who rebel against God. Let us be reminded that there is also a mark that will be given to God’s people. Each person gets to choose his or her mark.

Choose wisely.