Whispers In The Quiet

One Degree Off: A Whisper from the Wilderness

There was a season in my life when I was walking… but not seeking. I had become passive in my pursuit of Kingdom glory. I still believed in God, still loved Him deeply—but somehow, subtly, I began to drift. It wasn’t rebellion. It was distraction. Life was heavy. I was tired. And the enemy doesn’t need to steal your Bible or shout curses in your ear. He only needs to nudge you a single degree off course to set you on a path that leads away from intimacy with God.

It took a gentle yet sovereign move of God to wake me up.

That move though gentle was lightning. It came in the quiet moment of a conversation, when a young man confided in me and I responded—not from some lofty place of righteousness, but out of my own brokenness. In telling him the truth, the Spirit convicted my own heart. The words I gave to him… were the very words God wanted me to hear:

“You sound angry or at least hurting… It’s not easy facing our mistakes, but it’s worth it, truly. For me, being separated by my sin from God is the loneliest place in the world. I’m not where I once was, because without realizing it I started thinking I was at a safe place in my walk. But without practice, reading, being, and doing right, you—or we—start slowly becoming like the world, and it separates and hinders the personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. I pray with an earnest heart that God restore my walk beyond my former glories. Because I miss waking up to the sound of my Lord whispering to me, and throughout my whole day, giving me direction. I miss the Holy Spirit talking to me, as the Lord is my best friend… And that’s my fault, because I stopped making Him first priority—even above my heart’s desires. I pray He helps me surrender me from me and put more of Him in my place.”

Those words stopped me in my tracks. I realized I’d been walking in a dry place, a desert, thinking I was okay… but I wasn’t pursuing God the way I used to. I was passive, like Adam in the garden.

John 15:13–15 (NIV)“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.
Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV)

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

The Danger of Passivity

Adam wasn’t the one who reached for the fruit first, but his failure wasn’t about action—it was about inaction. He was silent. Still. Passive. He did not step in, did not guard, did not say “Not my wife.” And in that moment, his passivity became his sin.

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” – James 4:17

This same passivity is what the spirit of the antichrist counts on. He doesn’t have to launch a full-scale assault to destroy a believer. He just needs to lull you to sleep, to get you to stop reading, stop praying, stop seeking, stop listening. That’s how he deceives even the elect—slowly, subtly, deceptively.

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” – Matthew 24:24

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” – Hebrews 3:12

The Antichrist Spirit Is After the Believer

We often think the enemy is after the world—but the world is already his. The antichrist spirit is after you, the believer. The one who once walked in light. The one who once heard whispers from the Holy Spirit. That’s who he fears. And that’s who he targets.

“Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have arisen.” – 1 John 2:18

He doesn’t always come as a horned figure in red. Sometimes he comes in the form of something beautiful, something desirable—something that speaks to your human nature but pulls you away from your spiritual calling.

That’s why we must guard our hearts with diligence. We must not be passive in our pursuit of Jesus. We must be willing to look foolish, to be called “fanatical,” to cling to the Lord with a desperate, daily love.

“The antichrist only needs to move us one degree to get us off the path we are called to walk.”

“Let us not grow weary in doing good.” – Galatians 6:9

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” – Matthew 25:13

God Lets Us Miss Him

Sometimes God allows His chosen ones to walk through wilderness seasons—not to punish us, but to stir up a holy hunger. To cause us to miss Him. Because in missing Him, we remember why we must cling to Him.

We were not made to be passive. We were made to be purposeful. To seek. To pray. To worship. To live in close relationship with the Spirit who calls us sons and daughters.

And when we drift, even a little, we can come back.

Let This Be the Whisper That Brings You Back

If you find yourself in a dry place today… not in rebellion, just distracted… don’t stay there. Don’t wait until the drift becomes a fall.

You were made for intimacy with your Creator.

If you miss the whisper of the Lord… you can hear Him again.

If you’ve stopped putting Him first… you can start today.

If you feel like you’ve walked one degree off course… turn your heart fully back. He’s waiting.

And let this be the prayer of our hearts:

“Lord, help me surrender me from me, and put more of You in my place.”

Gentle Wisdom — side note:
A powerful and often-overlooked truth embedded in the Genesis account. Let me expand on this for my readers to understand some of my scripture context and thoughts in my signature tone of gentle wisdom, weaving it into my original message with scripture and theological reflection.

Genesis 3:6 – The Silence of Adam

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” – Genesis 3:6 (NIV)

The phrase “who was with her” is small but deeply significant. It tells us Adam was present. He saw. He knew. And still… he said nothing. 

Adam wasn’t deceived the way Eve was (see 1 Timothy 2:14), but he also didn’t protect. He didn’t speak. He didn’t stand in the gap. His passivity was as dangerous as Eve’s disobedience.

Adam, though silent in the moment of temptation, appears to choose love, responsibility, and spiritual alignment in the aftermath. While the text doesn’t spell this out explicitly, the narrative implies that Adam’s second choice—to follow Eve into the wilderness rather than leave her in isolation—is one of restored obedience, not rebellion. It aligns with his original charge: to care for her, to tend, to guard.

That interpretation doesn’t elevate Adam above Eve, nor condemn her. Instead, it shows God’s heart for partnership, repentance, and redemptive purpose through flawed but willing vessels.

Here is a recap closing reflection “Gentle Wisdom” — keeping the tone, vision, and theological depth intact as its worth repeating !

Gentle Wisdom

A powerful and often-overlooked truth lies within the silence of Adam.

Though scripture names Eve as deceived (1 Timothy 2:14), and the fruit as pleasing to the eye (Genesis 3:6), we must also see what happened next: God gave Adam the choice—to stay in the garden or walk with his bride into exile. And Adam chose to go.

This was not rebellion, but perhaps a quiet repentance. A recognition of his first sin—passivity—and a determination not to repeat it. He chose to walk with Eve, to guard her this time, and to face the consequence together rather than abandon his post again.

He followed her into the wilderness, and there, they bore fruit—not of trees, but of the womb. From their union came children, nations, and eventually redemption through Christ, the second Adam (Romans 5:14–15).

It may not be called a sin by name, but Adam’s silence had a cost. His second choice, however, points us toward something beautiful: when we acknowledge our failure and return to the role God gave us—not in pride, but in humility—we partner with heaven’s redemptive plan.

When I was about seven years old, walking home just a handful of blocks away, I chose to walk down the ditch bank as my winding pathway home. As I walked, daydreaming along, I came across an unusual sight — a tree, full-grown, growing in the middle of that dry ditch. It had beautiful fruit on it. You guessed it: a persimmon tree. I gathered many up in the skirt of my dress and carried them home with me.

Just before arriving home, the temptation grew too much. I bit into one of those lovely orbs. And goodness — I was caught by surprise! It was so bitter. My mouth was suddenly so dry, and I wasn’t sure bringing these pretty fruits home to my mother was going to be welcomed.

My mother, having seen me from the window, was smiling and met me on the porch. She took the fruit from my dress and said,
“Oh Spring, these will ripen, and we can add sugar to them to make bread or cookies. Then they will taste sweet.”
I said in a quizzical tone,
“Are you sure, Mom? They are so bitter — my mouth tastes like cotton.”
She said, “Yes, I’m sure.”
And I went on my way to bathe and take my afternoon nap.

I never forgot that day, and when I drive through Farmersville, California, I wonder if that tree is still there.

My heart honors the place, role, and position God Himself gave each member of a household — according to their gender, place, positions, and titles — and the call to be active in our pursuits for obedience and cultivating our love of Kingdom glory.
May my words not stir up strife, but allow a perspective of reflection, that we may draw nearer to our Lord God. Amen.

Why The Imagery — the persimmon is a beautifully fitting symbol for this message.
Pleasing to the eye – just like the fruit in Genesis 3:6:
“…good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom…
” A persimmon is often vibrant, glossy, and rich in color — it draws you in with beauty, just as temptation does.

Bitter when unripe – representing deception and the consequences of disobedience:

Biting into an unripe persimmon leaves a dry, puckered, chalky bitterness, much like the bitter fruit of sin that seems sweet at first but brings displeasure and often painful awareness.

From my quiet heart to yours , may you hear His whisper…

 — Spring Lynn Booth

http://Whispers-in-the-quiet.org
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