If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. – Colossians 3:1-2,5-6 ESV
Warrior;
Are you of this world, or are you of the KINGDOM? It is time to choose. The easiest way to identify who is OF THIS WORLD and who is OF THE KINGDOM, while still IN THIS WORLD- is based on their focus! If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15) We forget what an AWESOME GOD we serve. We seem to have lost the REVERENCE for God, we have forgotten to be in AWE of the CREATOR of the Universe! the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” (Exodus 19:10-13) Here in the desert, after saving these roughly 2 million people from captivity in Egypt, after walking with them and being Jehovah Jireh; the God who provides their food, their clothing, their shoes, their health, their water, their livelihood. We would assume the people would look forward to being in the presence of Yahweh and thanking Him. But, just like today, we pretend to love God and desire His presence, but the TRUTH is of a different light.
Leader, On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. (Exodus 19:16-17) After this Moses went up to meet with God and God laid out the law, told them how His people are to act, to treat each other, and how to worship. Moses was getting instruction on what to do to be people of God and how they should act and treat other people. And while Moses was on the mountain of God, getting instructions from God, the people grew tired of waiting for the things that are NOT seen, and wanted to be satisfied by things that are seen. In a short few days after meeting God, after being saved by God, after a miraculous journey of being sustained by God, after calling themselves CHILDREN OF GOD, they got wrapped up in the world, the flesh and the things that can be seen! Which brings us to Exodus 32: When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. (v1-6) Not much has changed, we are the same STIFF NECKED people serving God when it is convenient! However, when things don’t work out the way we want- creating our god, just like the world does!
Conduit, this is what we are doing today. We are fashioning God in our image. When things didn’t work out as quickly as they wanted, when they didn’t get what the rest of the world was getting, they became just like the world- Making a God out of stuff they value, instead of worshipping the God who made them valuable out of nothing. Today we seem to be treating God the same way. For many, the one who gives them stuff becomes their God. Many are their own God, providing for all their needs by worshipping their jobs, their families, their spouse, their government. “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24) This was the criticism that Jesus had for the church in Laodicea: For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:17-19) Our Focus is OFF CHURCH! We are wrapped up in the World’s obsession with COVETNOUSNESS. The whole WHITE PRIVILEGE, Black Lives Matter, keeping a pound of flesh, a ‘record of wrong’, being led by the SPIRIT OF OFFENSE—This is an abomination to JEHOVAH, it is LIKE IDOLATRY! The church is NO DIFFERENT THAN THE WORLD, with all this racial hatred and lies like, Critical Race Theory. Church, it is time to CHANGE OUR FOCUS! As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18) We are OFF MISSION, just like the Israelites in the desert. The TIME IS NOW, repent and change your focus, your direction and get off the world’s agenda and get ON with the FATHER’S BUSINESS! The WRATH OF GOD is coming!
Way of The Warrior- A Daily Devotional 