The ‘whoredoms’
of ancient Israel are recorded in the book of Hosea, but they are
spoken of in many other Old Testament books as well. In brief, their
whoredoms consisted of entertaining themselves with things that were
contrary to the heart of God and enmeshing themselves in activities
that were corrupting and defiling to their minds. These activities took
their attention and affections off of God and violated their covenant
with Him as their husband, provider and protector. The word ‘whoredom’
is at times interchanged with the word ‘idolatry’ in the Old Testament,
giving us an idea that something in the physical realm took the place of
God in their hearts and minds.
Today we might think spiritual
whoredom is done away with, after all, we serve God through His Spirit
and we don’t have to follow a set of rules to stay in His good graces:
we have been freed from religion. But in Old Testament times, God was
looking for hearts that wanted Him above anything or anyone else, and
being the same God today, He is looking for the same kind of heart in
our times.
So are we as far removed from whoredom as we might
think? Or are we entertained and have our affections drawn away from
God by the world and its dainties? Is “The Bachelorette” the top most
thing on my mind one day of the week, or do I think nothing of opening
my mind and heart to an ungodly alliance by the company I keep?
While this is not about a checklist of ‘do’s and dont's' or 'good and
bad activities,’ it may be a time to ask ourselves a question and answer
it honestly: what do I allow in my life that takes my affection off of
God? Am I a modern day spiritual whore who’s sitting in the pew every
Sunday morning? How much do I want God above my culture when my culture
clashes with the ideals of the Word? Am I willing to separate myself
to God if it means I have to separate myself from fleshly enjoyments and
long time alliances?
I have some whoredom in me – it’s a
conclusion I have had to come to. This conclusion is based on knowing
that some segments of my heart are not 100% focused on God – they are
easily drawn away by some specific things of the world and desires of my
flesh. The thought of choosing anything or anyone over God is
nauseating to me, but I participate in these things without realizing
that I’m doing so. I now understand why Paul said “the things I want to
do I do not do, but the things I do not want to do, I do” (Rom 7:19).
God knows I need His help to be freed from the whoredoms that keep me
from Him, and this is why Paul completed his thoughts in Romans 7 with
“thank God for Jesus Christ – His forgiveness and grace!”
We
are at the point where we cannot settle for an ordinary type of
relationship with God – we cannot look at what everyone else is doing
and follow suit. We are designed to become one with Him, not 75% with
Him and 25% with whatever our affections are drawn away to. If we want
His affections on our lives, we must give the same in return. If we
truly believe that we live and move and have our being in Him (Acts
17:28), then we will give Him 100% and live life at 100%!
Only
you and God can call out the whoredoms in your life, rid yourself of
them, and reassign your affections to Him. Only the two of you truly
know where your heart is divided and what needs to ‘go’ in your life.
The truth is, there is no condemnation in getting a revelation of those
whoredoms, but it’s a starting point to a closer walk with the Lover of
Your Soul!
Esther's purpose was set in place and
established by God long before Queen Vashti was deposed from her royal
position. When a Hebrew peasant girl becomes the Queen of an empire,
you know God’s hand is in it – there was nothing she could have done to arrange her situation!
However, life surely wasn’t a joy ride for Esther at all times: she
lived among the other women of the harem for an entire year while she
waited for her 'turn' with the King. But a higher purpose brings an
empowerment to accomplish that purpose - and Esther walked through her
purpose nobly even though she was under pressure, out of her element and
perhaps feeling alone much of the time.
But as it turns out,
Esther was pleasing to the King - more so than any of the multitudes of
women who were brought to him. And it ‘just so happened’ that the King
made Esther his Queen at the same time the Israelites were being
persecuted and in danger of being exterminated. This is evidence that
Esther's physical make-up, her nationality and her personality were all
instruments in the hands of God, used to fulfill His purpose in His
time. What was orchestrated by God before this event took place
(Esther's entire life) is just as miraculous as the event itself!
However, being a bit removed from the horrors that plagued her people,
Esther was hesitant to risk her life (and use her divine influence) by
pleading for them before the King. But the fact was, they were in
danger of being annihilated! So Esther's uncle, Mordecai, reminded her
that she was in the position of Queen by divine providence, and life
wasn't about what she wanted or didn't want or even how she felt about
going before the King: she'd been given that position by God and she was
an instrument in His hands. Her purpose went far beyond using her
position to add benefits to herself so she could enjoy the 'good life'
at the expense of the subjects of the kingdom. True fullness of life
comes in fulfilling God's purpose, and eternal benefits far outweigh
temporary, earthly indulgences.
Moses was in a similar
predicament, where he could have chosen the life of self indulgence and
left God’s plan behind, but the Bible says “he chose to suffer with the
people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin. For
he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth
than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward” (Heb
11:26 HCSB).
Maybe you’re in a position similar to Esther’s,
where God has placed you there for ‘such a time as this.’ It’s a divine
appointment and you have to make the decision to wholeheartedly submit
to God regardless of the cost. As Mordecai said to Esther, “For if you
keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the
Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father's house will perish. And
who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this
and for this very occasion?” (Est 4:14). Esther’s immediate reply was
one of full submission to God: “if I perish, I perish!” (Est
4:16,HCSB). Or perhaps you are like Moses, and the world of delicacies
is trying to draw you from God’s assignment: but you must know that
you wouldn’t be in the position of making that choice if it weren’t for
the hand of God in your life!
Isn’t it time to
wholeheartedly and unequivocally set aside earthly passions and purposes
and fully submit our entire persons, earthly positions and material
belongings to God? If we want to see the fullness of God and live in
His power, we cannot have one foot in the Kingdom of God and one foot in
a comfortable, earthly kingdom.
As Esther and Moses each
made the decision that it was ‘all or nothing,’ God supplied for their
needs and embraced them with His protection and love. He is the same
God today as He was then, and He will orchestrate our lives and fulfill
His purposes through us as we fully submit and focus on Him. But should
we choose to be half-hearted towards God, He will bring about his
purposes through someone else: as Mordecai said “deliverance will
arise..from elsewhere” (Est. 4:16 HCSB)
Decide today whom you
will wholeheartedly serve. Put your attention on His reward, and allow
NOTHING to keep you from completely submitting to Him. It’s time!
In Luke
17, the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith and Jesus replied
by saying “all you need is faith the size of a mustard seed to uproot
the deepest problems” (Luke 17:4 paraphrased). After this statement, Jesus immediately went into the following parable about a man and his servant:
“Which one of you, having a slave tending sheep or plowing, will
say to him when he comes in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down
to eat'? Instead, will he not tell him, 'Prepare something for me to
eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat
and drink'? Does he thank that slave because he did what was commanded?
In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you
should say, 'We are good-for-nothing slaves [and unprofitable servants];
we've only done our duty." (Luke 17:7-10 HCSB)
At first
glance, this switch from the subject of faith to that of servant-hood
seems odd, but Jesus is expounding on the way that faith operates. In
the same way the servant was directed by his master to work in the
fields, faith is directed by us toward the work God’s given us to do.
Faith is our means of carrying out the Master’s assigned work: it’s
heaven’s path for accomplishing God’s will. However, we’re not to begin
in faith, then become impatient and allow our faith to ‘sit down and
eat’ while we get up and complete kingdom tasks in the flesh. The
master is served by active faith-the master does not give faith a rest
and do the service himself.
As an example, consider
Gideon, whom God called to deliver Israel from the terror of the
Midianites (Judges 6-7). Gideon started this task in faith, boldly
following God’s step by step instructions, but at some point he gave his
faith a rest, took over its duties in his flesh and put his trust in
the army he’d gathered to fight the Midianites. But before he and his
32,000 followers reached the battlefield, God instructed Gideon to send
home all but 300 of his men, saying “You have too many people for Me to
hand the Midianites over to you, or else Israel might brag [by saying]:
'I did it myself” (Judges 7:2, HCSB). God then gave Gideon a battle
plan (by way of a dream), and the straggly army of 300 men defeated the
mighty and terrifying Midianites, giving God the glory!
Had Gideon continued in his flesh instead of trusting God, he would have
short circuited the supernatural power and provision of God which came
through the dream and the imaginative plan he was given to defeat the
Midianites. Here is a lesson for us: don’t get up and start ‘doing’ in
the flesh to make up for impatience or fear, and don’t try to make
things happen in the way you think they should happen; this will only
bring glory to man.
When we use that mustard sized seed
of faith, God brings His power and provision (300 men) and He gets the
glory. But when we set aside faith and try to do the works of God in
the flesh (32,000 men), we are called “unprofitable servants” (Luke
17:10), meaning we have made no impact which bears fruit for the Kingdom
of God.
Faith in God opens the door to abilities and
wisdom beyond the realm of the flesh; it puts us in heavenly realms
where the spiritual tools and provision of God are available to fulfill
His will. We are those who live by faith!
Get Back to Reality: the Unseen Spiritual Realm!
The enemy considered himself to be victorious: Jesus was humiliated,
laid bare, beaten, and disgraced! Based on the physical evidence
presented to the world, satan had done it: he’d removed Jesus’ physical presence from the earth, stamped out His influence, and re-established religious status-quo!
But the Bible shows us a different perspective of this event, a
spiritual perspective which is very different than what the physical
‘evidence’ reveals. Col. 2:15 says that Jesus made a show of the enemy,
spoiling the principalities and powers which war against us. The word
‘spoiled’ means "to remove one’s robes or unclothe them" (Strong’s #554
& 1562). While Jesus hung on the cross, physically stripped bare,
He was stripping the power of the enemy and making a spiritual spectacle
of him for all of eternity!
As the enemy worked through the
physical and natural realm to discourage, scatter and defeat Jesus and
His followers, God’s plans were being carried out in the spiritual
realm. Things were not what they appeared at that time, and the natural
realm wasn’t revealing the actual events that were taking place
spiritually. But when Sunday came, the Truth of God was manifested in
the natural realm as Jesus rose up from the grave. The time had come
for both the spiritual and natural to line up and agree – and it came
about through God’s perfect plan and timing. Victory physically
manifested in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So don’t be
discouraged if you are praying, standing and trusting God but have yet
to see the result manifest in your life. Jesus first made a spectacle of
death and destruction in the spiritual realm, then it manifested in the
physical and seen world. And just as the enemy brought about the false
appearance of an evil victory while Jesus hung on the cross, you may be
seeing things that look like you’re defeated; but the way things look
is not necessarily reality or the ‘final answer.’ The enemy’s plan will
backfire on him and God’s plan will be revealed in your life as you
seek God, follow His leading and wait for your Sunday to come!
“God disarmed the principalities and powers that were raging against
us. He removed their robes of power and defeated them, making a bold,
visible and public display and example of them. He triumphed through
Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, and they no longer have power over us
“(Col 2:15 AMP Paraphrased). "So we do not focus on what is seen, but
on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is
eternal" (2 Cor. 4:14 HCSB).
God’s Word shows us that ‘fellowship’ within
the Body of Christ has intense meaning and a high level of importance.
Fellowship (koinonia in Greek) is defined as intimate, spiritual
connectedness with other believers,
manifesting through us as one mind and purpose, and causing us to live
unified as the Body of Christ (Vines NT Dictionary paraphrased). In
fact, many Bible dictionaries use the word ‘intercourse’ to describe
this fellowship (Thayers, Strong’s), leading us to the idea that we have
a spiritual intimacy that goes far beyond natural connections.
The Apostle Paul ranked fellowship equally with baptism, prayer,
communion and the doctrine of the Word (Acts 2:42-43); that gives us an
idea of how critical it is to the Body. Without this spiritual
interconnectedness, which leads to daily, active concern and love for
other members of the Body, we are nothing more than a club or loosely
connected group with some of the same goals and ideas.
However, when we have this this type of fellowship we become partakers
of Christ through His Spirit and through one another. If Christ be in
you and we have fellowship, then I partake of Him, in part, through what
He has put in you. As a friend once said to me, we are as clay
water-pots, pouring back and forth into one another, giving to others of
His Spirit and power as He prompts us. This pouring out and receiving
of the living water on a continual basis requires interconnectedness
beyond human means, and it’s God’s way of supplying the Church Body with
all that’s needed, just as blood vessels and capillaries interconnect
and supply the human body.
Imagine Body life without deep
fellowship, where you simply gather together weekly, speak some
encouraging words, then return the next week without having had contact
between gatherings. How can the hand get direction from the mind, and
in turn put food to the mouth, if there is connectedness for only a
couple of hours here and there? It’s not possible - a person would
starve or become malnourished while waiting! An army which is not
connected in purpose and continually united in its actions has made
itself vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy, but one which is moving
together in thought, word and deed has formed a wall which is difficult
to penetrate. This is the same concept with the Body of Christ, but on a
spiritual level.
We were created for fellowship with Christ (1
Cor. 1:9), and it's achieved (in part) by our fellowship with one
another. This requires being vulnerable, while also being careful with
the vulnerability of others: it’s a powerful, spiritual trust between
members of the Body.
Our fellowship with one another is
ultimately a picture of the marriage that the Bride of Christ has with
our Lord: continual and long term love, grace, patience, consideration
and self sacrificial care. This is the fellowship of the believer!
There can be a fine line between being a
servant and becoming someone’s slave: in one instance you run the race
set before every Christian, in the other you run yourself ragged.
As Christians, we serve God by
serving others. It’s God’s way of allowing us to be used of Him
through the gifts He’s put inside of us, and it’s also a means of
extending His grace and love to others. But when that service becomes a
burden which over-extends and exhausts us, takes us away from serving
our spouses and families, causes our health to suffer or pulls us away
from God, we may have crossed the line of servant-hood and gone into
slavery.
If you’re in this type of situation, here are few things to consider:
-get extra help – a person in dire need often can’t be helped by only 1 person – you don’t have to do it all
-let the Lord show you what you CAN/SHOULD do, then stay within those limitations
-check your heart to see why you are compelled to help past the point
of normal assistance (is there a pride issue, or a need for recognition,
or hope of being promoted in some way?)
-are you catering to the whims of another person (and perhaps enabling them) or are you providing for a need?
-have you become overly enmeshed or entangled in the emotions of the
person you’re helping – so much so that you’re thoughts are about
him/her constantly?
Over-extending ourselves can also lead to
bitterness; we see that in the case of Mary and Martha. If Martha had
set her priorities and sought God about her responsibilities, she
wouldn’t have taken out her frustrations on someone else (Luke 10).
Jesus told Martha that she should be focusing on God first while she was
exhausting herself in the busy-ness of ‘serving others.’
Besides extending the love of God to others, our purpose in helping is
to show them how to serve Christ through serving one another. Remember
Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (Matt 8:14)? Once healed, she
rose up and began to serve Jesus Christ. For those who will always need
assistance, it takes a team of loving hands to care for them, and God
has to give the game plan for their long-term care. But for those who
are able to help themselves, we need only to get them going in the right
direction and give them continued encouragement; otherwise we may do
more damage to them in the long run.
For our own health, the
sanctity of our homes and the witness we bear to our families, perhaps
it’s time to re-evaluate our servant-hood and make sure we’re first
serving God, then others, as He leads.
