Your Safety First: How to Read and Get in Touch Wisely
Being wise about protecting yourself is not a lack of faith. Here are simple steps for reading about Christ and writing to us with care, along with honesty about the limits of what we can protect.
A traveller on mountain roads knows that the route that looks shortest may be the most dangerous. So he asks about the road before he takes it, chooses when to travel, and knows where to stop. No one calls that cowardice; it is wisdom. And you know your home and the people around you better than we do. This article does not tell you what to do. It helps you think calmly: how to read, how to write to us, and how to reduce the risk to yourself and to those you love.
Wisdom is not a lack of faith
When Christ sent out his disciples, he did not hide from them that the road held danger. He said to them:
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
Notice that Christ asked for both together: wisdom and innocence. Innocence means keeping your heart pure and sincere before God. Wisdom means paying attention to what is around you and not putting yourself in needless danger.
The book of Acts gives a clear example. When some plotted to kill Paul in Damascus, he did not stand in the street and defy them; he let the disciples help him escape: “But his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.” (Acts 9:25) This was not weakness in his faith; he went on to serve Christ for many long years. And wisdom says in the book of Proverbs: “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” (Proverbs 22:3)
Being careful does not mean you are ashamed of Christ, and the Gospel does not ask you to throw yourself into danger. There is an important difference between keeping quiet and denying: staying silent about your faith where speaking would put you in danger is wisdom a believer may need, but disowning Christ is something else. And if one day you feel you have given way under fear, do not despair. Peter himself denied Christ on a night of fear, and then the Lord restored him in love and returned him to his service (see Luke 22:54–62 and John 21:15–19). God's grace is greater than our weakness.
As for when to speak about your faith, to whom and how, do not rush it. Talk it through calmly with your spiritual companion, or write to us about it, even under a pseudonym, and we will pray with you so you can find the way.
Your device keeps more than you think
What exposes a person most is often not what they say, but what stays on their device. Before you read or write, think about these things:
- Who else uses this device? Does it have a lock that no one else knows? If you think your device has monitoring software on it, do not use it to contact us.
- Private (incognito) browsing does not keep the pages you visited in your browser history after you close the window, but it does not hide your visit from your internet provider, or from whoever runs the network at home or at work.
- The “Quick Exit” button at the top of the site's pages takes you straight to an ordinary website, but it does not clear your browser history.
- If you message us on WhatsApp, we will see your number. The chat stays on your phone, and automatic backup may save it. Delete it if your phone might be searched, and do not save our number under a name that points to the church.
- Photos taken on a phone can carry the place where they were taken. Do not send us pictures of your face, your home or your documents.
Practical steps for each device, such as clearing your history and WhatsApp settings, are set out step by step on the Your Safety First page.
What you write to us
- You do not need to write your real name in any form or message. A pseudonym is always fine.
- Do not mention your town or village, or the names of other people, especially the names of other believers.
- The automated assistant on this site is a program, not a person, and it can make mistakes. Do not write anything to it that you would not want to be stored.
- We do not watch messages around the clock, and our reply may be delayed. If you are in danger now, do not wait for us: call the emergency services in your country or someone you trust who is near you, and read What to do if you are in danger.
What we cannot promise you
We want to be honest with you. No online system is completely safe, and we cannot see or protect your device. Nor can we promise you physical protection, travel or asylum, work or financial support. What we do promise is to pray for you, to treat what you write with discretion and love, to answer you from God's Word when we can, and to tell you the truth about our limits.
God keeps us, and we walk wisely
“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
This promise does not mean a believer will never go through hardship; the Bible itself is full of believers who suffered. But it does mean your life is in God's hands, and that he walks with you in every going out and coming in. Trusting God does not contradict being careful. It gives carefulness a calm heart that panic does not drive.
What does this mean for me today?
Do not try to change everything in one day. Choose just one step: find out who uses your device, or open the site in private browsing next time, or check your WhatsApp settings. A small, wise step is better than great fear with no action.
Prayer
Lord, you know the place where I live, and you know the people around me. Give me wisdom to know when to speak and when to stay silent, and a simple, honest heart before you. Keep my going out and my coming in, and keep those I love. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Next Step
Read the Your Safety First steps one after another, and start with what fits your device.
Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV).