Cedric Fisher: "earnestly contending for the faith."

Growing Accustomed to Egypt and Darkness

A notorious liberal once said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” He was referring to the fact that while people are focused on and distracted by a crisis, the Government could sneak in their unpopular and harmful agenda.

So I was wondering what Satan does when most of Christianity is distracted. What did that old serpent accomplish Super Bowl Sunday night?

Consider the follow eschatological scripture.

“But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.” – Matthew 24:43

To be perfectly honest, I wonder how many Christians truly understand the dangerous period we are in. How many understand about keeping themselves unspotted from the world system (James 1:27)? And how many even care about anything spiritual except whatever makes them feel good?

I am not in any way a legalist. However, I have lived long enough to observe certain activities and distractions that true Christians once avoided that are now beyond acceptable. By “beyond acceptable” I mean that those activities and distractions are now elevated to the status of “privileges”.

It does no good to warn them because they are committed to their world-centered interests, which may very possibly be devices of Satan. Even the hint that they should reject one of those interests causes them to go into a resistance mode so powerful that you may as well be squirting water from a toy water gun at a fully involved house fire.A deep sense of sorrow washes into my spirit when I realize that if the Holy Spirit cannot convict them, I certainly will not succeed in warning them. Warnings are either taken with alarm or scorn, depending on the sense of security in the individual. I can say without fear of exaggeration that one of the greatest accomplishments of Satan is to assist someone with feeling secure and comfortable with sin or compromise. Greater still is the old serpent can foster in them a sense of entitlements based on the popular interests and activities of their compromising peers.

But there’s no danger—right? We have a president that is going to make America great again. We can still go to church and the shopping mall. There is plenty of food to eat. Our cable bill is paid. We have health insurance (a misnomer). Further, when we burn up our oil by submitting flesh to a veritable feast from the world system, we can go on Social Media and engage in an argument (The resulting adrenalin feels almost like spirituality).   Or we can “go to church” next Sunday and the emotionalism will pump us up.

Yep, we’ve got lots of ways to wash over the sense of self-inflicted, dry, empty, religious banality. Satan doesn’t have to shoot a fiery dart at us. He can just give us a match and we’ll set fire to ourselves.

However, God is a consuming fire. He wishes to burn out all the chaff and build us into spontaneously responsive servants.   But we say “wait” more often than we say “yes”. We push the Holy Spirit as far down in our souls as possible lest He expose our thoughts and untoward desires of our hearts. We are not as Joshua who desired to remain in the Tabernacle because of the glory of God. Instead, we bask in the glory of men. Their feeble accomplishments in the temporal realm excite us to the extent our emotional systems become callused to the presence of God.

The trees of the field clap their hands, the hills skip like lambs, and the mountains like rams, when the God goes passing by. But we punch our remotes without acknowledging Him.

Oh, I know what the response to all that sarcasm might be.   “But we have to have some entertainment. We cannot put our flesh in a straightjacket.” True, and that is what legalism tries to do, put flesh in a straightjacket. However, the more you dwell in the Holiest of All, the less entertainment you desire. Further, God’s word does not mention a straightjacket for the flesh, but mortification. Someone once said, “Dead men rattle no chains.” But the chains are rattling everywhere today in Christendom.

Finally, please consider this scripture. Decide whether it and other ones like it are still viable for Christians today. The next time you plan to turn control of your emotional system over to manipulation by the world system, consider that modern “Delilah” has but one purpose—to discover and destroy your strength.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” – 1 John 2:15

 

4 Comments

  1. Chris

    Pastor,
    Thank you for this serious reminder. Today, I read this from grace gems website and the author addresses the same scripture and teaching. https://www.gracegems.org/30/separation_from_the_world.htm

  2. Cheryl

    AMEN AMEN AMEN X A MILLION! Professing Christians have gotten so used to carnality they think it’s normal and right. Oh the deception of living as close to the darkness as you can when you could just as easily walk in The light.
    Very good article Truthkeepers.

  3. Lydia

    Amen!
    You just described my sentiments exactly.

    What I noticed is the closer we walk with God, the more we annoy other Christians. I am one of those who tries to do the whole checklist. If I find out something new or the Holy Spirit reveals another thing that must change, I am eager to do just that. Right there, I get accused of legalism. Why? Because I am eager to live as God intended me to? First of all; motives. My motive is not anything other than a sincere desire to please God, and that out of love. Then, I may likely get accused of bragging. If I leave the accusation standing, then I’m ‘innocent,’ of course. Second of all, they do not understand the true definition of legalism. Legalism is not holiness. We are called to holiness. I know, it comes as a shock to most professing Christians. Legalism we are to avoid. Legalism defined is the misapplication of Old Testament law to the New Testament church. (Example: circumcision.) It can also be a ‘works salvation’ mindset. But the compromisers take it to mean that all those instructions in the New Testament, to the New Testament church, can all be discarded lest one ‘look’ too ‘holy.’ It’s all a scapegoat excuse so they don’t feel accountable, but they are. And when they see a Christian walking in obedience (as God intended, what a thought!) they recoil in annoyance and hurl all sorts of these quips and labels at us.

    They want their sports frenzy. Their pop culture. Their ‘entertainment’. Their love of the things of the world. Their secular music and movies and books that promote sin. They want their shopping spree. They want the day spa full salon package. They want their halloween, and other pagan rituals that infiltrated with Constantine long ago. They want their sex, their porn, their cigarettes, booz, and even drugs. They want their outbursts of profanity (when the other guy deserves it, of course), they want their worldly fashions, their materialism, all all things this sinful, worldly culture can offer them. But when you abstain, they accuse you! Even if you don’t bring the sin to their attention. You don’t even need to, the Holy Spirit already did it by your example, and that is why they lash out at you.

    And then they want to be able to do anything they want and have it all still be ‘okay.’ Adultery? Drunkenness? Abortion/murder? Sexual immorality? Condoning sin? Rainbow flags? Denying your faith to save yourself? Even taking the mark of the beast (according to some ‘hip’ theologians)? All this and they still think they will be ‘okay.’ But the second you bring out a bible and start quoting it, look out! Especially while you easily contradict their bad theology! The minute you mention that there might not be eternal security, and there are consequences for denying Christ (as He even said), duck for cover! How could you dare suggest such an unthinkable?! You just took their security blanket away and there will be hell to pay… And how could you say that we must stand before a judgment throne of Christ?! Isn’t all that future sin on the blank check too? Surely we won’t give an account for that (gulp.) !?
    Look again, but there is a judgment seat of Christ. Oh, and one of my favorites: calling the righteous ‘hypocrites.’ This, of course; by the unrighteous ‘non-hypocrites,’ because they are merely ‘saved sinners’ not trying to be ‘holy.’ Another definition lesson is in order. A hypocrite is one who claims to be godly (i.e. a Christian), but is NOT. A non-hypocrite is one whose walk matches their talk; and they are living righteously (a Christian walking in obedience and holiness). We are not called to be ‘self-righteous,’ but we are called and expected to be holy and righteous in Him, because He gives us the power to live as a true overcomer in His victory once it is applied. How? By surrendering and allowing the Holy Spirit to sanctify us.

    I see this rebellion all the time and it is thoroughly disgusting. Everything you wrote resonates and reverberates with me deeply. I am at a loss also as to desiring to contend with them any further.

    I parted with all that long ago and life is much better without it. It is like coming out of a polluted city, up into a fresh hillside; and looking back down again. You can’t help but think “how could I ever have enjoyed that filth?”
    Speaking of the superbowl, that half time performance was another dive into debauchery, evil, and sin. Some websites do a good exposure of these ‘entertainments’ and satanic performances. I’m sure that will send a crowd of professing Christians gawking and gasping that I could dare criticize these things that are all ‘in good fun.’

    In a nutshell; these ‘Christians’ need to repent before they are met with a rude awakening.

    • ken hall

      Amen to everything you said, Lydia !!!!

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