The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. Judges 10:6
Our movies are filled with all of these multiple gods. They may have taken on different names, but their strategies, plans, and doctrines are as ancient as they are. They come to deceive the ‘seed’ of humankind – to make them believe in other god than the One True God who created it all. The enemy of humankind is bent on destruction of all humans, but especially while they are advancing they want to spill as much of the most innocent blood possible. This means children, especially in the womb. They want to destroy the very beauty God created for humankind, especially anything that brings light, beauty, and life. This is why sex is so targeted by the enemy. The enemy wants to diminish, twist, and demean the act into anything but what God intended for humans. The enemy HATES the family, especially the father and mother. This is why we see such a rise in mental illness in what those roles are. The enemy wants to use and consume / kill the children for their own sick and twisted ways. It seems the most ‘family friendly’ corporations have now turned into sick perverted propaganda machines for these entities that HATE humanity.
But none of this is … new. We’ve been in a spiritual war from our very beginning. God’s chosen are suppose to be a light to the World. Pointing the way to the one True God. From the beginning God warned about not following after other gods. Idols are anything that takes your attention and devotion away from God. And the enemies of God have presented humankind with LOTS of idols. What is your attention and focus on? Is it God or is it on something else?
The Body of Christ is the Light to humankind. One of strategies of the enemy has always been ‘religion’. Get them so busy doing the ‘things’ so they won’t ever seek real relationship with God. And unfortunately that strategy is working in the institution of the Church as well. Probably the most spiritually alive part of the Body are the informal hidden unknown small groups of Christians that meet in secret for the reason of seeking God fully. This is why the underground Chinese Church is so prevalent. They meet just for the very reason of spiritual connection with the Spirit of God and each other. The bigger the gathering the more formulaic and ritualistic the meetings become. Are you in a small group weekly with the specific purpose of spiritual growth and encouragement? Find one or start one. Find others who are hungry for more of God and want to grow in relationship with the Holy Spirit.
As the Church has become spiritually weaker we see the advancement of the enemy. We can easily see that pattern in the Old Testament stories of the nation of Israel, like in the opening scripture. The religious take over and twist the ‘ways of God’. There were always plenty of priests, pastors, prophets to lead the king and people. The problem was how many of them were ‘false’. How many were there for their own purposes, greed, lust, and selfish ways? How much corruption has infiltrated our current Church institutions? Do we just turn a blind eye and deny it? The ‘time’ of the role of the prophet is rising .. as the corruption has so risen. God doesn’t send an army… He sends a prophet. Prophets point out sin. Prophets call for repentance. Then people must decide whom they will serve.
What kind of spiritual meetings are you in weekly? How much of it is ritual and how much of is it centered around real relationship with God and each other? Do you discuss? Do you ask questions? Do you share your own experiences with the Holy Spirit in the past week? Do you actually pray together? Does everyone have the opportunity to share?
Find a small group of people who are actually really hungry for God and life in the Holy Spirit.