Normalcy Bias: the desire for the common; an innate resistance to anything outside the norm (normal). The desire for social and spiritual normalcy is as old as man. Because of the normalcy bias, human beings automatically resist that which is not familiar. Unfamiliar people, places and situations are all approached with a degree of caution. We like things we are accustomed to, that make us feel at peace. “Don’t rock the boat” is a common expression that reveals the human need to keep things as they are–to maintain the status quo. It is for this reason that military people must undergo “boot camp”–a series of physical and psychological actions and circumstances designed to prepare the future warrior for a totally different life walk. Where he once lived in a state of peace surrounded by those who wished only for his well-being because he was like them, he will soon be living in a state of war surrounded by those who wish only for his demise because he is different from them. This website is in reality a written form of spiritual bootcamp.

It is to prepare the God-seeker for the future that I repeatedly remind him of what he will experience if he chooses to unite with the Lord and obey Him–persecution, ostracism, rejection, etc. from friends and former churchmates, as well as from those of his own family. A true God-seeker must first and foremost overcome the need for normalcy. When one becomes a child of God the days of being accepted and treated as “one of the guys/gals” is over. Jesus called His followers His “little flock”–emphasis on the “little.” As one soon learns, true disciples of the Lord are few, just as He said in Matthew 7:13,14. In response to the question of who constituted His “brethren,” Jesus pointed to His disciples, not His family members, and proclaimed: “… whoever does the will of My Father is My brother, My sister and My mother”–His brethren (Mk. 3:35). Jesus knew who was for Him–the 12 disciples–and who was against Him–the thousands that either knew Him or knew about Him. Those numbers will in all likelihood describe the God-seeker’s friend-enemy quotient for the remainder of his life. After many years of speaking and writing God’s Word I can count on one hand the number of people with whom I have a spiritual relationship. And I know many, and am related to many extremely religious people from a variety of religious organizations. As a true God-seeker soon discovers, all that glitters is not gold. In the spiritual realm, most of it is fake. If, that is, we can take God at His Word.

It is in deference to his normalcy bias that religious man tends to go with the flow when it comes to his relationships. In the vast majority of cases, his relationship with his Maker takes a back seat to his relationship with his fellow man. Even among the uber religious, being accepted and keeping the peace is of utmost importance. But were the rules of engagement practiced by the prophets, Jesus and His apostles focused on good relationships? Recall that many of the prophets, Jesus and all of the apostles except John were martyred. Being popular played no part in their spiritual lives. As Jesus said in Luke 12:51–53 and Matthew 10:34-39: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but (rather) a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies will be they of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his (social) life (by being socially accepted) will lose it, and he who loses his (social) life for My sake (by obeying Him) will find it.”

Religious man, like those among whom he lives, tends to give in to the normalcy bias. He likes things, situations and people that he is accustomed to, who make him feel comfortable–people with whom he feels a sense of oneness. Like his worldly counterpart, the last thing religious man wants to be is different. However, the distinct differences between God’s true saints and everyone else identify them as God’s people. And therein lies the problem. Church people want to wear a common one-size-fits-all “Christian” garb without living the unique, all-fit-one-size Christian life. Having been convinced by Satan that normal “church life” is in fact Christian life, churchman avoids the unpleasantries of true Christianity. See Persecution. This website describes that life, which is why so many have tried to hack into it in order to destroy it. Satan knows that a few people are believing what they are reading. He will do everything in his power to keep from losing them. To be continued. L.J.