I have heard many people declare their giving up on the fight. They say things like, “What difference does it make!” But today I just want to give a divine PS, it’s all our fault! WHAT?! Yep, all our fault.
You may say, “What are you talking about John, we fought.” And many of us have. But the question is with all our activity why didn’t we receive our desired prayed for answers? And believe me, I have had these very questions before God. “How could I have prayed so hard and yet seen no apparent answer?“ This morning I think I have seen at least part of the reason why.
Our Fault!
During our window of grace, and we all know who that is, we didn’t fight. Quite the opposite, we debated whether or not to ordain immorality in the church. Hmm! While we were given a timed platform to advance the kingdom, we instead allowed members of our churches to tear it down. And then we wonder how God could so heartlessly refuse to answer our prayers. Maybe it’s time to look at own actions rather than blaming God of neglect. Maybe He heard our hearts more than our words and answered accordingly.
I know this is when people start squirming in their seats, but look at the reality. We chose our idols, our sin, and our inactivity over advancing His Kingdom. And now, as a consequence of that which we have sown, our religious liberties and American freedoms are being torn to shreds. Hard words but truth that can set us free.
His Desire and Our Choice
This is the tragedy of all of this, the Lord spoke His Will through His prophets. It is like God showed us door number two and we chose to leave the house instead. Do you think that God always fulfills His prophetic words? Look through your Bible, whenever God’s children choose idolatry, lies, and death over His glorious Life we reap the awful consequences.
Again, I don’t speak this like I haven’t had tear-filled conversations with God. I have cried out “Why!!!” But this morning I had 20/20 vision. Hindsight gave me perspective on why it seems our prayers fell on deaf ears. Many of us chose the hard way to learn the lessons, and God allowed us to trek it out. He is not to blame, and in actuality neither are the godless powers now wielding the sword against us. It is all our fault!
We human beings tend to be rather short sighted. We judge the circumstance by the moment without thought of all that preceded it. I know this has been true of me. How quick I was to question Him why “He failed to answer us“ rather than how “I failed to respond to Him.”
Maybe It’s Just Me
OK, so let me not generalize, I’m not going to lump you into the mix. Perhaps you stood as a godly sentinel against the godless torrent. But I know that the church is a body with many members. And if one is off, we all are off.
Let me ask some interesting questions. Has anyone questioned the deeper reason why churches have been prevented from meeting? Why singing worship songs was considered a super spreader event? Why we have had to social distance rather than fellowship? Why we all have to cover our faces as if in fear and shame? I wrote posts earlier last year speaking about our need to question Him about what He was doing. I still think it is a crucial position even today.
Has God prevented us from meeting because we were more toxic than beneficial? Was our focus on self more than Him? Could it be our worship is for us rather than for Him? Did we stand for our will and convenience over His righteousness? God doesn’t toy with us, but He will give us our choices and the consequences thereof.
Is it Them or US?
Why does it seem that our leaders betray the vows they make to get elected? Have we kept our vow to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness or do these leaders actually reflect us? Sure, we have some fighters in there, but where are the fighters in the church? Organized religion is just as political as our US politics. Look at it, they’re debating idiocracy and so are we. I think we need to see that the corruption reflects us like a mirror. We have members who claim to be in the game who are simply not. Social justice, political correctness, and situational integrity. Our country’s morality is in question because the church is immoral.
Christ made this life very simple to follow Him. We don’t need high minded debates, we need the Life of the Most High. Our world is upside down because we are living backwards. While these consequences don’t have to be a death sentence we will have to choose rightly to see them reversed.
I tend not to make a black and white statement as to the group known as ‘the church’ in the world today. Who is in ‘the church’ in our society, our culture, or the entire world? We have the ‘Seeker Friendly’ churches’, the ‘Emerging’ churches, the ‘Social Justice’ churches, the established denominational churches that have forgotten their historically established Christian doctrine, and devotions to God. Feelings and knowledge have replaced faith and wisdom; prayers are the pastor or worship leader’s quick spiritual-sounding phrases, and our service to God is exactly an hour long. Finding a church that loves God with… Read more »
Amen.
Through an equal number of years of following my Lord both inside and outside the church, I can’t tell the difference between the “church” and the world anymore. Each side possesses the same inadequacies and sins, all while projecting those inadequacies and sins upon each other. Neither walks in love, but in hate of their neighbor. Both sides suffer for their choices, both believe there will be little to no consequences from their actions, and both are now suffering from the fruit of their faithlessness.
We can still choose, but time is running out.