“…you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32 NKJV
Today most churches are not only poor—spiritually (also financially) but they are blind. (Rev. 3:17)
They can clearly see the prosperity of the world, the enticements the world has to offer, the idol worship and addictions that results from lusting after the world. But fail to see the deception used to lure them.
“Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.” 1 John 2:15-17 Message Bible
Sadly, many church goers want to live with one foot in the church and one foot in the world. They want to look and act like Christians on Sunday morning while the remaining time they desire to fit in with the world.
Naturally, they do not see anything wrong with ‘fitting in’ because after all, “how can we reach the world for Jesus if we aren’t involved?”
Justification is deception!
We can reach the world by living for Jesus totally---100%= 24/7!
However, to walk the walk and live for Christ does not always fit into the lifestyle of everyone, hence show-Christians.
Therefore, our words prove what is really in our heart and our actions confirm our true feelings.
We hear people say, “I love you,” but their actions show differently.
We can label ourselves as “free” but our attitudes, actions …or lack of actions, reveal EMPTY WORDS!
How can a person sit in the middle of a church that claims to be full of God’s love and feel isolated, snubbed or ignored? They leave feeling unloved, unnoticed or unappreciated even when told, “they are in the presence of God.”
So if God is love and the Church is the body of Christ, how can people leave “God’s presence” feeling unloved?
We see this type of action in the world everyday but why is it happening in the Church?
Where is the TRUE love of God? Where can it be found?
We say we love , but we don’t!
We reflect resentment, revenge, hard-feelings, offenses, anger, jealousy, control and hatred.
Our mouth speaks the opposite of our actions and our ‘eyes’. We allow our actions to speak for us and our eyes to give out “the look.”
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” 1 John 4:20-21 NIV
We hear sermon after sermon about “love” and we are told we are loved, yet……
To sum it all up: Emotions rule over us not God.
The easiest entry point in our lives for Satan to get a stronghold is through our emotions. We have good intentions to love and be Christ-like as long as everything goes our way and everyone does what we want them to do.
That is selfish-controlling cultic love.
God is unconditional love!
Jesus Loves Me!
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