Idolatry is Rampant in the Modern Church

When we do or say something different from what God commands or instructs in His Word we are counting our own ways better than God's ways.

When someone lies against God's Word claiming something that is not true to satisfy ourselves and the culture we are saying God doesn't know best or that He is the foolish one.

1 Corinthians 3:19

19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is the one who catches the wise by their craftiness”;

Every time someone twists God's word or believes psychology over God, they have an idol of their own making. They idolize human wisdom and their own thoughts.

The worship of anyone or anything over and above God is idolatry that is forbidden by God.

Group-Think a Self-made Prison

Most "Christians" are not following the Bible, they are following the cultural Christian beliefs based on psychology. God said; "Question all things."

2 Timothy 3:13

"But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived."

Colossians 2:4

"I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive arguments."

2 Timothy 4:3-5 "…3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.

4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.…'

Every time you hear phrases like; "do not judge", "never stop praying for family", "divorce for adultery", "remarriage is allowed", "ask the pastor", and many other cultural Christian phrases, go to the Bible and pray the Holy Spirit to show you the truth.

If you merely believe what everyone is saying then you have an idol, that idol is the group. Do not become entangled in "group-think", with people who pressure others to think the way they do.

"Group-think" is behind every false way often negating the truth of God while elevating the lies of man.

Mark 7:13

"13 thereby invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

Stop the group-think and begin to think with the mind of Christ through Bible study and prayer! You will be amazed at how free you feel from the pressure and influence of the "group-thinkers." You will begin to develop wisdom and personality.

Group-thinkers do not have their own personality nor are they free, they are in bondage to those in the group. These group-thinkers walk in fear of man continually assessing if they are measuring up to the group expectations. Its sort of a "trauma-bond", no matter how the group treats them they cannot break free. These group-thinkers are weak pretending to be stong. They cower at the hearing of the name of Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 29:25-26 "25The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high. 26Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the LORD.…"

Those in the greatest bondage are those who cannot do their own thinking, make their own decisions or move forward in wisdom without guilt. They are in a self-made prison.

Everyone is a prisoner to someone, either to their worldly group and society or a prisoner of Christ Who is the greatest source of freedom anyone could have.

Ephesians 4:1-16

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ..."

Praying According to God's Will

Sometimes God does tell us to stop praying for people. All our past prayers still count, no need to keep begging God for what He already knows about.

We do not always know the heart of those we pray for, they may refuse to hear God no matter what He does. It is best to seek the Holy Spirit about who to pray for rather than placing our trust in how many times we pray.

Matthew 6:7-8 "7 And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.…"

God never tells us in His word to never stop praying for someone. In fact He did tell Jeremiah to stop praying for Israel at one point.

Jeremiah 11:14

14 “So as for you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster."

I count all the prayers of the past 50 years for my family as still counting. Sometimes I feel weary of thinking about the people who have clearly rejected Christ. If the Holy Spirit brings them to mind again I will hear Him, but I do not feel compelled to pray often for them anymore.

It is lack of faith to think that we must continually beg God for our desires for someone. He knows our desires and He knows His own will, He will not withhold answers to prayer because we didn't pray one more time.

It is possible God has already decided that someone is lost and refuses to trust in Him, then our prayer is one against His will. We must always pray in the will of the Holy Spirit.

1 John 5:14-15

"14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, IF WE ASK ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."

Asking according to His Will is the command!

"According to His Will" will drive us to pray when prompted by the Holy Spirit, not just in our own flesh.

The Persecution is Intense but our Reward is Far Greater

My husband expressed this morning that it feels like we are living in an insane asylum. His comment brought to my mind more about this topic.

It feels as though we have been placed in a room with only insane people. When we are let out of the room to move to the main area where the asylum orderlies and wardens are, they too are insane.

In this asylum, we cannot trust anyone to think rationally, reasonably or even intelligently, everyone in the room is ragingly insane without relationship skills, without compassion and without help for anyone else in the room.

All problems are dealt with through force, intimidation and manipulation. Anyone who does not comply to the mandates of the wardens or orderlies is emotionally bludgeoned until they can no longer endure the attacks, finally giving in to extinguish the pain.

Becoming lethargic and completely indifferent to the environment is the only way to survive this carnage to the human soul.

If there are difficulties and problems in the room filled with insanity there is no way to resolve them. No one can agree on any solution nor can they even logically discuss the details and nuances of a proposal for a solution.

When everyone in the room sees an attempt to fix a problem as a personal attack there is nothing that can be done. Not only does the problem grow worse it morphs into something so big that it is nearly impossible to correct or even improve to the slightest degree.

As we see the insanity of the nation growing exponentially it is clear what is happening when we know God's Word. 2 Timothy 3 and 4 say everything we need to know about what is happening and what to do about it.

2 Timothy 3: 1-5 (Difficult means "ragingly insane)

Difficult Times Will Come

3 But realize this, that in the last days ragingly insane times will come.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, 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 people as these."

Pretenders in the church are a larger number than authentically born-again believers.

2 Timothy 4:1-8

"1 I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction.

3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,

4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

5 But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

8 in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."

Every authentic believer can say what Paul says here in 2 Timothy 4, we are being poured out like a drink offering. We carry on in spite of the world around us, remaining untainted by the world while awaiting our departure from this world. Our loneliness and persecution by others is intense but our hope and joy is far greater.

When we know what God said is happening to us and the world we have no worries or fear because we know Christ keeps us from the evil one in the midst of the fire.

I am convinced we are going home soon. When we go we will have more loving and kind friends than we could imagine at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb when we all focus our gaze on Jesus Christ, together in oneness of heart. We can't know what that will feel like now but I can imagine the intense joy at going to be with our real family, the family of Christ. Hallelujah!!!!