The Lovers

Friday, October 31, 2014, 4:13 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “For Our Nation.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Timothy 3 (NASB).

Lovers of Self

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.

The “last days,” from what I understand, actually began with Jesus’ life on this earth, and yet it is also a reference to the final days on this earth before Jesus Christ’s return for his bride. Although what is described here concerning people’s attitudes, mindset, and behaviors has always existed, because we are all born with sin natures, the indication here is that, near the end of time, this type of evil will be much more prevalent.

I believe one of the main reasons for the increase in wickedness in our day is that our generation has been inundated with sinful attitudes and actions, and worldly values and perceptions, via TV, movies, the internet, music, and social media sites, et al, and especially due to the proliferation of home computers, tablets (IPads) and smart phones in people’s homes and now in their pockets and purses. Even children now have smart phones and IPads and have around the clock access to the internet, oftentimes unguarded and unprotected against all the evil available to them at their fingertips.

Handing a child a smart phone or an IPad, and thus giving them private internet access, even in their bedrooms, is a lot like handing them a stack of pornographic magazines to take with them back to the privacy of their bedrooms. Even if a parent is conscientious enough to put parental controls on these devices, children are a whole lot smarter than us in knowing how to use these devices, and there are always ways around these types of controls. As well, semi-pornographic images can be found most anywhere on the internet, including on news sites, YouTube, social media sites, and even on Christian song lyrics sites.

This evil has always existed, yet because we now live in a generation where all sorts of evil is so readily available to people of all ages 24/7, and in the privacy of their own homes, and because so many people spend so much time on these various devices and on these various media sources, many people, even those who claim to be followers of Christ, have adopted the mindset, attitudes, values and behaviors of this ungodly world. As well, all this has infiltrated into the church, and the church is disseminating much of this ungodliness and worldly attitudes and behaviors, too. The church is barely recognizable as the church anymore, and there is not much difference between the church and the world at all. And, the thing is, this has been so gradual and so subtle that many are deceived and have become desensitized to all the evil they are taking into their minds and hearts day in and day out.

My husband and I attended a marriage retreat a year ago. The retreat center was in the mountains and it had facilities which appear much like hotels with hotel rooms. Most public hotels supply TV sets in every room they rent, so for someone who has never been to a Christian retreat center, but who has stayed in a hotel, the expectation might be that the rooms would have TV sets, but they did not. One young couple sat at dinner with us and exclaimed, “There is no TV in the room! What will we do?” They were serious. And, that is the sad reality of so many in our generation. When the power goes out, and thus the TV is off, many don’t know what to do. I have been there before, so I know.

Because the church itself has adopted the ways of the world, and because so many professing Christians within the church are so worldly, and because they take in the ways of this world daily into their minds and hearts via these various devices and media sources, is it any wonder that so many professing followers of Christ today have a form of godliness but are denying its power in their lives? Yet, how can we have the power of God in our lives if what we daily take into our minds is the garbage of this world, and we spend so little time with God in his word, in prayer and in obedience to all that he teaches us? It is time for the church of today to evaluate their lives and practices against the word of God and see if how they are living is what the word teaches the Lord’s servants with regard to holy living.

Lovers of God

Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Sometimes I think it would be a blessing for the church here in America if we lost all electrical and cell phone power and we no longer had access to the internet, TV, tablets, and smart phones, and we had to return to how things were a long time ago. People would be forced outside their homes into being with other people, working with them, talking with them. Families would actually talk with each other instead of sitting and eating together around the TV set. Certainly this would not put an end to all evil, but if the church had all of these inputs removed, and if they began to spend that time with the Lord and in his word and in obedience to him and in ministering to the needs of others, instead, then the church would no longer have a form of godliness but deny its power in their lives. I believe we would begin to see the church revived, drawing on the power of the Spirit in their lives.

Then the people of God, free from all these other inputs which often fight against the Spirit, and which often crowd out the input of the Spirit in our lives, would follow the teachings of Christ and of the apostles, and would desire to have the conduct, purpose, faith, and love, etc. which is in line with the word of God and with the character of those who live godly and holy lives pleasing to God. Yet, the church revived here in America, and on fire for God, and out sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, will also be a persecuted church, much like the church throughout the rest of the world. But, persecution can be a good thing in that it stimulates us and moves us to be even more serious about our Lord and to follow in his ways. Through persecution, the gospel will spread more rapidly, as well.

Yet, evil will go on until the day when Jesus Christ returns to judge the earth and to take his bride to be with him. Nonetheless, the less time we spend taking in the ways of this world, and worldly attitudes and values, and the more time we spend with our Lord in prayer, in his word, and in obedience to what his word teaches us, the less we will be desensitized to evil, and the more we will be able to recognize evil and will be able to discern lies from truth so that we are not easily deceived, and so that we won’t follow imposters, thinking we are following those who are truly walking in the ways of the Lord. I can tell you from personal experience that getting rid of our TV six years ago was a very good move. I have not missed it at all, and I have found that I have been much more sensitive to the Spirit’s voice without all the junk we were taking into our minds via the TV, mainly via the News.

So, if we want to walk in the ways of the Lord, and continue in the things we have learned from him and from his word, and we want to have the wisdom of God guiding us in how we conduct ourselves on a daily basis, then we need to take the time to evaluate our lives and how we live them. We need to pray through all the things we do each day, and what we daily take into our minds and hearts, and inquire of the Lord Jesus as to what conflicts with our walks of faith and what enhances our fellowship with him. We need to cease filling our minds with the garbage of this world, which works against the Spirit, and we need to spend more time in the Word, in prayer, and in following our Lord Jesus wherever he leads us. His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Through the word we gain wisdom, knowledge and understanding. His word teaches, reproofs, corrects and trains us in righteousness, so that we may be complete, equipped for every good work.

For Our Nation / An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.


Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.


Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.


Men deceiving: we’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.


http://originalworks.info/for-our-nation/
 
It should give us pause that the drumbeat of our culture is "ME"... What can YOU do for Me? You Owe Me! Me, Myself, and I... Narcissism is encouraged - even at the youngest ages. It's interesting how "Self-less-ness" is still being talked about as a "virtue" - but more and more, I see it being talked about as a virtue that OTHER people should practice... but You need to make sure to get YOURS - at THEIR expense....

Now, circle back to Isaiah 58..... Look at the message there....
You fast and seek God for your own desires
You fast and seek God for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist
You fast and seek God to make your own voice heard
All these things are looking inward to Self....
Fasting and seeking God for what WE want..... Our own desires....

Is this acceptable to God?
No!
 
It should give us pause that the drumbeat of our culture is "ME"... What can YOU do for Me? You Owe Me! Me, Myself, and I... Narcissism is encouraged - even at the youngest ages. It's interesting how "Self-less-ness" is still being talked about as a "virtue" - but more and more, I see it being talked about as a virtue that OTHER people should practice... but You need to make sure to get YOURS - at THEIR expense....

Now, circle back to Isaiah 58..... Look at the message there....
You fast and seek God for your own desires
You fast and seek God for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist
You fast and seek God to make your own voice heard
All these things are looking inward to Self....
Fasting and seeking God for what WE want..... Our own desires....

Is this acceptable to God?
No!
Thanks John!
 
"SueJlove, as always very thoughtful in your posts. Even though "technology" has overtaken our youths today, it is not all bad as along with it we also find searching the Word of God has also became much faster than ever before. I use "E-Sword" for my study time and it very fast, but now I have found using, "Google.com" to search for scriptures to be even faster, and better. Since all things were made by God and for him, there will always be those who would pervert what God brings forth for good for evil. Who would have ever thought that we could preach the Gospel of the Word of God by just typing on a keyboard and sending it out throughout the entire world at the press of a button. As evil has spread through "technology" even so the Word of God.
 
"SueJlove, as always very thoughtful in your posts. Even though "technology" has overtaken our youths today, it is not all bad as along with it we also find searching the Word of God has also became much faster than ever before. I use "E-Sword" for my study time and it very fast, but now I have found using, "Google.com" to search for scriptures to be even faster, and better. Since all things were made by God and for him, there will always be those who would pervert what God brings forth for good for evil. Who would have ever thought that we could preach the Gospel of the Word of God by just typing on a keyboard and sending it out throughout the entire world at the press of a button. As evil has spread through "technology" even so the Word of God.

Absolutely! Yes, it is a wonderful tool for Bible study and for taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, as well as for doing searches on just about any topic of interest. I use Google and biblegateway and bible hub regularly. Yet it takes maturity and self-control and discernment and much determination to use this tool wisely and not foolishly. Most children and many adults lack such maturity and self-control.

I don't know, though, that we should credit God with making computers, tablets, TVs and smart phones. He made us, and he gave us creative minds to invent useful things, and he gave us intelligence, and perhaps the raw materials that go into making computers, et al, but God does not make everything that humans manufacture, otherwise we would have to credit him with making what is purely evil, too. Perhaps the word "made" must be understood to mean create, which has a different connotation. Will have to look that one up. Yet God does use many of man's inventions for his purposes and for his glory.
 
"SueJlove, as always very thoughtful in your posts. Even though "technology" has overtaken our youths today, it is not all bad as along with it we also find searching the Word of God has also became much faster than ever before. I use "E-Sword" for my study time and it very fast, but now I have found using, "Google.com" to search for scriptures to be even faster, and better. Since all things were made by God and for him, there will always be those who would pervert what God brings forth for good for evil. Who would have ever thought that we could preach the Gospel of the Word of God by just typing on a keyboard and sending it out throughout the entire world at the press of a button. As evil has spread through "technology" even so the Word of God.

Check out this Greek to English definition of the word "create." http://biblehub.com/greek/2936.htm
 
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