It has been quite a while since I have written here, and my silence is not one of abandoning the seeking of God, understanding His Word. It is simply that I have had difficulty in terms of the level of inspiration needed to write here something meaningful and inspiring. It means I have been dealing with not only personal issues, but reading the current world situation, Church issues, ministry issues, and where the whole sensation is that things have become a little crazy, where there seems to be a steady flow to a deconstruction of the generational building blocks where a new reality, a new ideology has replace traditional and acceptable moral, spiritual building blocks, to where now, they are challenged with wierd, distorted, immoral, violent and war mongering ideology.

 

For People will be lovers of self

When you displace God in your life, there is no vacuum, you replace it with self, and from it is selfishness, where self interest in its forms takes precedence. In fact in the so called pandemic we saw the rise of narcissism, which in short is self worship and the propagation of a relationship paradigm which is distorted and abusive, where they manipulate and control those they are connected to. It seems that what was released in the so called pandemic was a mind altering lifestyle. Much in the pandemic I came to suspect and understand, all that was being sold, all that was being alerted to, had no basis in reality. The “love of self” is really satanic, because this is his remit, in the 5 “I will” statements in Ezekiel 28. He desires to ascend when he cannot for the virtue of inspiring an angelic rebellion. Ephesians 4 shows the contrast between Jesus and Satan, in that whilst Satan tried to usurp the Eternal Throne, Jesus died on a Cross, descended to the lowest parts, to be raised and ascended by virtue of being “obedient as unto death” and being completely selfless.

And whilst Hebrews 12 exhorts us to run the race, we must always have before us the pattern set by Him who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. The pattern is to go to our cross, the one prepared for us, so that in despising the shame, who for a “joy” set before us, knowing that all what the cross represents, crucifying the self and its objectives, in favour for God and His objectives, in doing so we ascend and take our place with Christ on the Right Hand of the Ancient of Days.

The Church, especially in the realm of the so called “mega churches” whose growth is attributed to the “positive motivational” message, instead inspires us to replace the centrality of Christ in our worship, to put ourselves as the centre of God’s programme. We are wholly wrong and in theological error, because who is at the centre of God’s programme is Christ, and then His Bride. So with this displacement, bowing down to the ideology of “lovers of self” they have opened the door to every modern day trend and perversion possible. We must not be surprised or dismayed when in these structures, we find ministers involved in immorality, fraud of every kind, because they have subscribed to another Gospel, called the “Lover of Self Gospel” where the Cross is taken out. We must not be surprised when so called believers are indistinguishable with those of the world, even embracing modern day tendencies and lifestyles.

Recently I posted a lot concerning the Asbury move of God, yet many criticised it, because it was not about any one person, thousands passed by that auditorium and were carried along by worship of Christ, yet for those who had a “yardstick” wanted a perfect awakening, and it was imperfect, but in it God challenged the Pharisees, the narcissists, and every type of “ism” that could rise up to attack. Yes, those who follow the Gospel according to the “lovers of self” do attack, without mercy and without measure in their vitriol. When you play to self you play to satan, because self speaks the same language as the devil; “I will, I can, I shall”. This has only one way, down, and outside of God’s protective highway.

Lovers of Money

Isn’t it interesting that following on from the “lovers of self” we come to the “lovers of money” because the love of money is the apparent security and identity it comes from. It is the very foundation in its fulness with the “mark of the beast” because with it one can “have” and one can “do” with it, and he who does not take the mark cannot buy or sell, and loses his place in that society which is in the mirror image of the beast. The love of money as the Word says is a root…and that root is evil…it is evil because it will form the power base for that heartless and godless end time society. I have spent in my walk with God enough and much time trying to break the hold of “mammon” which can sometimes creep into spiritual and practical decisions. It is a must that we break this power base that can sometimes creep in, because once we do we are sanctified and prepared to see and discern it out when this society gets implanted, If you are a slave to mammon you will not see the “beast that rises from the sea”. You won’t be able to discern its rising,…you won’t even discern what the mark of satan. It is a mark of ownership…and through which you will own all, and who is not owned will not own. May we embrace the spiritual currency of time and faith. We must flow into a alternative currency in these end days, may we like Jesus expel the merchandise from “our inner temple”.

Proud

What is Paul treating here? He is treating the kind of pride that keeps us outside of accountability. He is treating the kind of pride that says it knows, yet in its arrogance it is ignorant. The kind of pride that will not allow itself to be challenged. It is the trait that led onto the heavenly war that preceded creation, when Lucifer not content with his station let pride, self fixation, to allow for his fall and for a third of angels to fall with him. It is the same pride that prevents him from flowing in the programme of God, and it is inevitable he will spend eternity in torment and fire. And more and more people are becoming proud and arrogant. In the Christian walk our pride is constantly broken, we must constantly come to our cross, come to the living sacrifice altar. Without “our” Cross there is no escape from pride, and pride has one destiny, the lake of fire for eternity.

Abusive

Abuse is a cycle of behaviour which imposes on others. If we are abused, we will abuse. Many leaders have been found in many spheres of life to be abusers. Church leaders have also been caught in this, because they fail to understand the difference between leading and pushing. Jesus led by example, in that when the Passover supper was ready, He took a towel and washed the disciples’ feet. He saw it necessary to shock them and teach them concerning true authority. We need this again.

Disobedient to Parents

Where does this come from? It comes from the ignorance of respect and obedience. In our modern day do we see this more prevalent. It is a contravention of the 10 commandments, which God enshrines respect for the older generation. He connects this with living a blessed and long life on the earth. Disrespect for parents nurtures a rebellion down the generation. Rebellion is on equal footing as witchcraft. As this is no longer a norm in our society, so that same society becomes abusive to the elder generations, and becomes lawless.

Ungrateful

When we lose sight of the precious commodity of life, lose sight of the Love of God demonstrated in Christ, lose sight for His daily Mercies, we become an entitled people, like the people of Israel who provoked God sorely 10 times. When we have much do we appreciate the much we have? If we have too much we despise the much we have. God’s wrath kindled when the children of Israel had the Quail meat in their mouths, because what He saw was a complaining people who had no heart to recognise that it was He who sent the Quails to them. They ate because He provided. Yet the “angel food” that Psalm 105 speaks of, became despised, yet it was the food that came down from heaven. They preferred something earthly.

Lovers of Pleasure than lovers of God

The heart has become cold toward God, and engages in earthly pleasures. Is it not the situation today? Much entertainment on offer, yet despises the prayer meeting, or personal prayer, or Bible study. Like the children of Israel who had pleasure before the golden calf. It is at best idolatry, because we call our pleasures a divine right. I am not sure if we have learned what loving God means, however to love Him, we must recognise how is His Heart toward us, a debt we cannot pay, if not for our love and devotion to Him.

I have picked out some of the list Paul gives concerning the perilous days he foresaw, that we now live in. It is these things I spend much time meditating on. Many times I spend asking God to cause me to love Him better. Once our love for Him has disappeared so arrogance, pride and loving pleasures comes in. We become no better than the world. And we see those who have the riches of the world, not content, and will be the same ones who will turn their riches into tyranny. We are before the last dismantling before Jesus returns. May we meditate, may it sadden our hearts, may it make us determined to seek Him, so that in the day He returns He will find us busy with His Pursuits!

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus.