Acclimate means to accustom or become accustomed to a different climate, environment, or circumstances, as by physiological or psychological changes. In other words, a person is prone to adapt to his surroundings over a period of time.

A child is born into a God-fearing, God-loving, and God-obeying home. His speech, habits, and desires reflect his upbringing. After graduation from school and beginning his own family, secularism seeks to acclimate him to inappropriate speech, destructive habits, and harmful desires. If he does not keep his mind centered in Christ, acclimation will gradually erode his relationship to the Lord.

This truth is seen in churches around the world. As I was looking for a church on the Internet, I accidentally brought up a church in Alabama. This church was started by people with a deep love for the Lord Jesus Christ and a longing to walk with Him obediently. Today, however, idolatry and wicked music characterize their website. Why? Societal and religious acclimation. In other words, as a result of watching fake television religion, they have become acclimated to it.

Acclimation also confronts Christian academies and colleges as a fourfold attack and threatens their obedience to Christ. This attack can come from students. As potential parents gather information about College Lakes Christian Academy, they are thrilled with the quality of the student body. Nonetheless, most parents find our Christ-centered policy too stringent. So they try to acclimate us to their desires.

This attack can come from money. Several years ago as I was talking with Dr. Gilbert Stenholm, a former seminary professor, he described the spiritual shambles of some church academies, and he contributed their spiritual decline to their thirst for money.

This attack can also come from a desire for acceptance. Every person and every institution is born with a yearning for acceptance. If a school goes wrong, it seeks acceptance by the wrong people; if a school stays right, it prefers the Lord’s approval.

Finally, this attack can come from declivity. The condition of a church school depends upon the life of the pastor. If spiritual declivity enters a pastor’s life, spiritual decline will be evident in the school. On the other hand, if the pastor maintains spiritual acclivity, the school will continue to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

Since destructive acclimation will exist until the Lord places Satan in Hell and creates a perfect universe, believers must maintain a policy to deflect and resist acclimatization.

• Pray daily.

• Read the Bible.

• Memorize verses.

• Interpret each experience by the Bible.

• Admire righteous people.

• Make godly friends.

• Depend upon Christ.

• Analyze the acceptors and rejecters of acclimatization.

I Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

I Timothy 6:20-21, "O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen."

II Timothy 1:13, "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

II Peter 3:17-18, "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen."

III John 4, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."