Romans 1:28
"28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,"
When we resist God He will not continue to pursue us forever, at some point, when we have continually rejected Him and His principles over and over and over again, no matter how many warnings he brings, He will turn us over the our own minds.
What would that look like? Read 2 Timothy 3:1-5 to find the answer. When left to our own devices, pridefully thinking we can ignore God while having things the way we want them, we are placing ourselves and those we influence in grave danger.
The protection of the Lord is removed when He turns us over to ourselves and the devil.
1 John 5:19 "We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one."
When God turns us over to ourselves we are not in control, we come under the power of the wicked one as it says in 1 John. All those people who think they can run from God and live their lives as they please their own way, are under someone else's power, not their own. The power of the devil.
When we are under the power of the wicked one, we no longer have the ability to think in ways that help us. All our thoughts are under the sinful flesh and the devil.
Genesis 6:5 "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
The only solution for those who are running from God is to confess your sinfulness, trust Christ and let change your thinking.
Isaiah 55:9 ""For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts."
If we have no fear of God, we have no love for Him. At the core of loving God is the fear of displeasing Him. Our culture no longer reverences Him nor do they fear what He can do. Notice the BEGINNING of wisdom is the fear of God. Understanding God's power and majesty should make us quake in our boots when we are disobedience.
Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Matthew 10:28 - "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Deuteronomy 6:5 ""You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
Matthew 22:36-37 "36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
The problem with the modern church is not that they are not more involved with politics, it is that they are not engaged in admonishment, correction, rebuke in their lives with those around them.
The fear of man has caused the modern church to remain silent in the face of every day violations of the Word of God. Those who are politically active tend to look down on those who speak boldly about God's principles that are not popular.
Proverbs 29:25 "The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted."
When relatives who claim to be "Christian" are endorsing shack up relationships, through acceptance of them, praising others while engaging in sinful activity and complimenting others on superficial matter such as appearance, activities of pleasure and accomplishments in their life, rather than teaching and training according to the Scriptures, they are validating all the useless and sinful acts of those around them. And, we know that the only reason to remain silent is to avoid the rejection we expect when correcting anyone in this culture.
There is nearly an absence of correction when it comes to divorce and remarriage. Leaving our culture to believe that second marriages are valid ones blessed by God, when God's Word clearly condemns the practice of divorce and remarriage.
In one conversation a couple of years ago, I was bludgeoned by a "Christian youth group", for chastising the young women for wearing bikini's at the beach to be seen by men there. The thing that amazed me was the complete lack of shame, the anger that emerged was shocking.
When a person is born again, they become ashamed when confronted with their sin, they think about it and eventually repent. When a person who is not born again but claims to be a Christian, is confronted with sin, their first response it rage. They work to attack the character of the rebuker, while claiming "you don't know my heart." When given Scripture to show that we can know a person's heart by their deeds, they continue with character assassination, claiming that we were unloving, judgmental and rude. They refused to addresss the bikinis at all, ignoring all the scripture while continuing to attack the messenger.
Jeremiah 6:15 ""Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the LORD."
Matthew 15:9 ""For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders."
We feel proud of ourselves as a Christian culture for standing against same sex marriage and abortion, but violate so many other principles of God that it must be said, our stand against "the big stuff", makes us feel special and we know there are many others on our side. However, standing against the other violations will only get the true believer mocked and excluded from family, friends and even in their own churches.
The modern church has learned which things they can stand against that will bring them much adulation and even praise. When it comes to the other violations of Scripture the modern church mocks and isolates anyone who would stand against the sin that has permeated the church gathering.
To dare to suggest that most people who go to churches are not born again and must once again hear the gospel, is to bring down the wrath of church leaders and fellow parishioners. Often the leaders themselves are not born again, which is why we hear so much of a watered down cultural form of preaching that has little if any value in uplifting the people in holiness.
The point of this article is to show that most people who claim to be Christians are violating more of the Bible than they are obeying. When our Christian culture claims to be "Bible believers", in most cases it isn't true. Many not only violate His principles but they twist them to mean what they want them to say and live as though it were true.
Matthew 15:8 "'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME."
The gist of this discussion is that all true believer must study for themselves, ask the Holy Spirit to guide them and then boldly proclaim the truth no matter who listens. Most people will not listen, but we are still responsible to warn. We can leave their response to God.
2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,"
AND!
The times we live in are rebellious and hostile to truth even in church gatherings. God said this would happen in 2 Timothy 3. Many believers are coming out of the organized church gatherings because they are being shunned for speaking truth.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
