Way of The Warrior- A Daily Devotional

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. – 1 Timothy 4:1 NIV

Warrior;

Wikipedia defines Apostasy in Christianity as the rejection of Christ by someone who formerly was a Christian. The English word apostasy has its origins in the Greek term apostasia. It means desertion or withdrawal. It refers to ‘walking away’ from, or leaving behind the COMMANDS of the Most High. It has been described as “a willful falling away from, or rebellion against, Christianity. However, like with many marriages, families, jobs and relationships, many people stay present physically but departed emotionally, years earlier.  Another form of apostasy is to “play the part’ without feeling it in the heart!  To go through the motions with NO emotional commitment or connection.  Without that UNCTION, there will be no internal change, or worse there will be an internal change in the wrong direction! Apostasy is abandoning or deserting the worship and service of God, actually a rebellion against Jehovah God. Some apostates profess to know and serve God but reject teachings or requirements set out in his Word.

Leader, don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. ( 2 Thessalonians 2:3) Apostasy has been called a form of idolatry. The root cause of apostasy is the ability of man to think idolatrous thoughts and following from this, to seek his sustenance and material prosperity outside of the will of God. Idolatry leads to apostasy, or apostasy leads to idolatry- either way, they are interconnected. The Book of Isaiah opens with God giving a pattern of history, what a nation goes through, as they fall into DECLINE. Dr. J Vernon McGee said, “In the Book of Judges a great principle of government is presented, a principle which is also stated very clearly in the prophecy of Isaiah. All of the subsequent prophets simply bear out and apply this principle which has already been stated. The principle is this: There are three steps in the downfall of a nation. First of all, there is religious apostasy. The second step is moral awfulness. And the third step is political anarchy. These are the three steps by which nations pass off the stage of human history. That has always been the way it has moved. If you want to know just how up–to–date the Book of Judges is, listen to the words of the late General Douglas MacArthur: “In this day of gathering storms, as moral deterioration of political power spreads its growing infection, it is essential that every spiritual force be mobilized to defend and preserve the religious base upon which this nation is founded; for it has been that base which has been the motivating impulse to our moral and national growth. History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual reawakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster.”

Conduit, in the book, “Victorious Christianity”, it is recorded; great secular historian Edward Gibbon, identified 5 reasons for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. 1. The rapid increase of divorce and “the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.” Now that is not being said by me, a little evangelical preacher—that is the great Edward Gibbon, and, of course, he is right. The home is the fundamental unit in society and once the home goes, everything will go, sooner or later. 2.“Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies on bread and circuses.” 3. “The mad craze for pleasure and sport; sport becoming every year more and more exciting and brutal.” 4. “The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy is within—in the decadence of the people themselves.” 5. “The decay of religious faith; faith fading into mere form which has lost all contact with reality.” Habakkuk 2:18-20 has this to say: Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. Idolatry\Apostasy can be considered worse than the other sins. Not only does it violate the 1^st Commandment, it is an abandoning of God to a false religion and replacing the irreplaceable with something that can never truly satisfy! “Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish”. (Joel 2:13) “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Come quickly Lord!