Taking God at His Word

Remember in Genesis when God tells Adam that he can eat of any tree EXCEPT the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or he would die? He ate of it anyway, and consequences followed… He and his wife were cast out of perfection in the garden, shame was revealed, distance from a God that use to walk with them daily.  Division and sin then entered into the lives and hearts of their children.  You can look at it and say, “Well they didn’t die, though… At least not then.”  But distance from God leads to eternal death.  It leads to a life without true peace that no amount of “Zen” seekers will ever find.  It leads to a life without true joy that no amount of money, relationship, possession, or worldly endeavor could ever produce.  It leads to a life that has a massive effect on our future generation of children and grandchildren and beyond because if our faith doesn’t seem to work for us, why should it work for them?  We tell them about peace that surpasses all understanding, but live our lives stressing out.  We tell them about forgiveness, yet they see all our grudges against those around us and the bitterness we carry around and talk about.  We tell them to “wait” for marriage and yet all they end up seeing is a wife that disrespects and belittles her husband or a husband that doesn’t honor or love his wife as Christ loves the Church in sacrifice. They see parents that never touch each other in marriage but a world FULL of passion from “following their heart” and doing what feels good in the moment.

We don’t take God at His Word the way we should.  We look at His Word and still doubt the same way that Adam did in the beginning. The Bible clearly speaks on sexual purity and yet there are countless professing Christians living in sexual sin thinking that it’s okay.  So many professing Christians that ooze pride and often it’s about “Christian” topics thinking that they are somehow doing God a favor by sticking up for truth and justice, totally forgetting that God HATES pride and calls us to a life of humility.  So many professing Christians that hoard their possession and spend only on worldly pleasures, not caring for the poor and needy, totally thinking that as long as they go to church and give a little there that God is pleased. 

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” – Gal. 6:7

We need to take God at His Word… That starts with knowing what His Word truly says… Not what others say but what the Word really and truly says which means being in the Word ourselves.  God is longsuffering BUT that doesn’t mean that He is not a just God.  God keeps His promises.  We have no idea what our actions or lack of actions fully have on our souls and the souls to follow.  Trust that God said things for a reason, just as a loving father protects his child from running into the street.  The Dad is taller and can see the car coming that the son can’t… We have no idea what’s coming next, BUT He does and His love is everlasting for those that are His.

Just because the consequence doesn’t come the morning after, doesn’t mean you’re off the hook or that God didn’t see…  Christians use to be feared because of the God they served. People saw the power of God in the life of a believer and feared God.  Now many Christians are often seen as judgemental cowards…

As Christians we need to either believe in and live out the Bible we say we believe in, OR not and be honest that we don’t believe- This middle ground thing isn’t working though.  I heard a pastor say recently that that fastest growing religion in America is materialism! So sad and so true in a country that says the majority are “Christians”.

"if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chron. 7:14