Is the world so powerful in these days that its ability to hide the truth is so great that the majority of Christians do not even realize that they have been captivated by it allure. So many believe they are free not realizing how thick the prison walls of worldly desires are around them. Sadly one of the thickest walls is that of religion. Praise God for His Word – let us not stop professing it in the Authority & Power of Jesus Christ.
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith]. As it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith.(A) For God’s [holy] wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative. (Rom 1:16-18 AMP)
Holiness has seemed to have become a challenge for most people to obtain.
Our salvation is the power which affords us the ability to live, not just a life of faith, but a life of faith that is based upon godliness.
There are some terms that most people shy away from today, which speaks of their relationship and stand with God that seem to segregate them from the common population. Terms such as holiness, sanctification, righteousness, perfection, peculiar, and consecrated are not common in the Body today, yet many of the worlds wisdom is spoken of and portrayed as a holy revelation.
“The world has taken captive in many churches the powerful message of Biblical characters”
We start using TV programs and characters to relate to rather than the people of the Bible as though they are now out dated.
Most people do not want to be looked at as being different; we try so much to assimilate, until we assimilate ourselves to spiritual compromise. Some things, some of us, would never see as being unrighteous or compromising, because we choose to keep God out of that part of our lives.
There is an element of unholy control that we like to have over certain areas and we resist any efforts of change and ultimately label others as being either fanatical, weak, or religious when challenged to change in those areas.
I have learned that no matter what is preached, unless individuals allow the Holy Ghost to penetrate their hearts, they never see the errors of their ways. Therefore, in these last days, the church has become too compromising and that has lead to a frustration of its purpose.
There was a day that there was a distinct difference between those who were sanctified and those who were not. Yet now the mention of true sanctification is shunned away as legalistic.
Many of us have forgotten the admonition by Paul in:
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.(C) So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor,(D) And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.(E) (2 Cor 6:14-18 AMP)
Paul is literally speaking in this passage about compromising our spiritual values and assimilating with the unrighteous philosophy of the world.
What makes it so difficult for the people of God to sanctify themselves for God only?
Have you considered why the world seems so attractive to people, when it was the world that caused them to run to Christ?
Oh my friends, many of us are in denial having allowed the lust of our eyes, the lust of our hearts, and the pride of life to cause us to become more attracted to the world than to please God.
We need to turn back to the roots of our beginning and realize that the Lord birthed something in our Jewish heritage that the enemy knew if he could sever our ties to it, would cause us to be a weakened church. Now is the time that we need to turn towards the Lord our God whole heartedly, we must learn to sacrifice ourselves, our agendas, and our philosophies to the sole authority of God, the Father. If not, I believe that some of us are in for a rude awakening at judgment time.
Speaking of shunned words this is but another thing that people do not like to talk about, judgment. We all will have to give an account for all that we do in this flesh.
The Jewish people were taught from a young age to know only study and recite the Torah, they were taught to have a holy reverent fear of the Lord and His Word. The truth is today, we have not seen, nor realized the drastic outcome and punishment of divine judgment, because we have allowed the world to justify ill conditions to fate and not attribute them to the hand of God.
I believe that God is highly disappointed with the church today and, as the scripture states; He is shortening these last days so that the very elect will not be fooled.
So let us pose this question today of “how are we fooled”? We are fooled when we choose to outdate the scriptures; when we choose to justify our actions; when we choose to compromise our values and standards; and the like.
Because we allowed the things of the world take rule in the church, walls of separation and segregation were imposed. Today because of the error that has traditionally become a “false” truth has left us with actions that are not necessarily denominational dependent, but are direct in violation to the word and will of God. God’s word never changes, nor does God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Because of all the hype and counterfeit moves of God today, I believe that most people have had a religious experience, but all are not truly filled and baptized with the Holy Ghost.
The very Word itself has been consistently manifested before our very eyes, yet not knowing the Truth of the Word we have been blind to the fact that we have birthed a generation of “believers” who have a form of godliness, but deny the very power of the God they state that they serve.
God is not weak; the blood of Jesus is not powerless; the power of the Holy Ghost has not diminished; prayer still works; so does, fasting, studying, and submitting to the word of God.
Let us read what the Master stated in gospel of John:
If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever– The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you. (John 14:15-17 AMP)
Jesus’ words in this passage allow you to take an individual spiritual assessment and to measure your spiritual development based upon your love for Him.
Just as He said in Luke 7:47, “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” Many of us have not properly valued His forgiveness of our sins. And, what you value little, you respect little.
“Worldly wisdom says to disregard the ways of the world and that everyone can believe the Word according to your own understanding”.
Again I want to touch base on how our being cut off from our Jewish heritage in the church has left us prepared to disregard the world’s wisdom and hold strongly onto the Truth of the Word. When one studies the early church, we find a group of people who were prepared to be those whom the Lord would birth the Bride through. Their culture of honoring and holding to the scriptures as a life source allowed them to transfer this into the next generation. At an early age they could recite the Torah, today many in the church can not recite more than a handful of scriptures.
Fathers can not pass on the knowledge of the Word when they themselves know it not. The enemy sought to replace this important aspect of the family and replaced the ‘fathers’ with the clergy or priest, even to the point that for decades and in some cases in our day they are still referred too as “father”.
The Fathers were use to being the spiritual leader of the homes and this custom was passed from one generation to the next. Even today many even though they do not believe that Jesus was the Christ, they are reaping the reward of holding to the Word of God and given God is correct place of authority and ruler-ship in their lives. They know what it means to be a spiritual family.
Like the people of the first church, our love for God should cause us to obey all of His commandments; they are not grievous, except to those who desire to do wrong.
The reason why some of our lives are so spiritually weak is simply because our lack of true love for Christ, the Word and the WAY of God diminishes the effectiveness of the Holy Ghost, which is given to us.
Our love and obedience empowers us with the comfort of the Spirit in every situation of our life.
So, what will you give or surrender in exchange for your soul? Will it be a little pleasure; a little recognition; a little fame; a little popularity; a little compromise; a little here and a little there?
Back to what the Lord said earlier, “Consider your ways.” Living for God is more than about blessings and prosperity, but it involves righteousness, holiness, consecration, sanctification, and sacrifice.
What you do now determines the strength of your relationship. God has already given us everything that pertains to life and godliness through the working of His Holy Spirit. But, it will do us no good if we never obey.
Let us repent and turn to the Lord God adhering to the Masters call to” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as you love yourself.” and begin with removing the lust of this world, replacing its ruler in our lives and start with the first commandment “You shall have no other gods before Me”.
We are living in the days when the Lord is seeking radical disciples – those who have heard not only the message of the cross, but the call to bare ones cross as well.
For indeed we serve an Awesome & Holy God.