09/29/2024
Let me be so bold as to say, there is a separation occurring right now in Christian churches everywhere. There are those who call themselves Christians, but there is very little difference between them and the world. They “have a form of godliness, yet deny His power”. They indulge their flesh, and they justify it, saying we have no right to judge.
They may have gifts and talents that could be used for God’s glory, building His Kingdom, but instead they either waste them on things with no eternal value, or bury them in the ground and walk away.
They will always give lip-service about how good God is, keeping up appearances based on who they are around, but then they deny Christ with the way they live, even bringing shame on the cross or leading weaker believers into sinful situations. (They have been deceived by the enemy…and I still love them and pray that they will choose Christ with their entire being.)
And then there is this group of people who dare to believe that God’s Word is true. They are “Christ followers”, who don’t just want to say they believe, but they want to live it. They are radical. They believe their God is who He says He is.
They get called crazy, because they actually have the audacity to believe in a LIVING God, who means what He says and does what He says, and He’s bigger than any devil or evil assignment that comes against them. They walk in holiness because they love the Lord more than they love sin. They overcome and crucify their flesh, because they walk by the very Spirit of God.
They operate in a power that is not their own, and it flows from them through total surrender. Their hearts beat in time with God’s, and they see people through His eyes…even those who would be considered their enemies. Because they see beyond the person who is loved dearly by God, to the enemy that hates and manipulates them. They know the TRUTH, that our real enemy doesn’t wear flesh and blood.
So they don’t go out looking for snakes to handle, but if one presents itself to them, they can be confident in God’s Word. They don’t drink poisonous things on purpose, but they bless their food and drink, and they trust the Lord and his Word. And everything else the Word says, they believe that, too. So they can have FULL CONFIDENCE, in the one they believe in.
They speak the name of Jesus, and demons bow the knee. Illness, too, must obey. They speak what they hear the Lord speaking, and they follow Him and obey Him without compromise. When the world hates them, they rejoice, because the world hated Jesus first. It was never meant to be easy…in fact, you can expect it to be hard. But here’s the thing you won’t understand unless you’ve lived it: Christ can make the most difficult things easy. There is a peace that surpasses all understanding and a joy that overflows, even in the middle of the storms of life!
So yes, there is a dividing line in the sand, and those who would call themselves Christians must decide which side of the line they will be on. Will you stand with the world, with no power to save you, only claiming the name of Christ as a title? Or will you stand with Christ on the firm foundation of His Word, believing that EVERYTHING He said is true? If it’s true, will you walk in it? Will you surrender to the Spirit of the LIVING God, and become an overcomer?
I pray you will choose HIM, in all His fullness. He is the Living Water, the well that never runs dry. He satisfies. He is pure and holy and yet loves us with His entire being. But He loves us too much to leave us in our mess. We give our mess TO Him, and then We live IN Him, and He lives in us.
