Those Sneaky little gods

Isaiah 49:8-13

How big is your God?  Is your God able to change the landscape, to bring darkness to light, to rescue His chosen ones out of the hands of their enemies?  If not, why do you give him the time of day, for many today your god is not big, for you deem it necessary to fight His battles, to live in fear and hate, is this the teaching from Jesus?  I know it is not!  So how can people like you and I, people with a big God, who have transferred our faith to the little gods of this world, return to the “I Am” the Almighty, the Creator of all that is? 

In the same way it has been from the time of Adam and Eve, first to humble ourselves, to acknowledge we try to do life on our terms, we have entered into agreement with darkness, in that like Lucifer we have said in our heart we want to be god, or equal, we want authority to do as we desire, and God calls that confession.  It will never happen to anyone holding onto self-rule, it requires one to humble self and pray asking for forgiveness out of our brokenness.  It is a seeking God and a denial of self; all of these are aspects of repentance.  It will never happen to a nation till it happens to God’s people, it will never happen in a family till it begins in the members who are God’s people, so let it begin in you.

Do you recall Jimmy Carter’s profession of being “Born Again”?  How it became the joke of the media; an also how 2 Chronicles 7:14 has been made light of by its being over used as a wake-up call for a follower of Christ, who sees it as the answer, but may not have put it into practice in their own life.  We must first acknowledge this is a call only to God’s people who are called by God’s name, it is a call to faithless people who have chased after the little gods of our culture, and have awakened in fear knowing that these little gods have no sustaining power, little gods like wealth, health, and the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the military.  For God has said; “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  

Church, it’s time to wake up, and in no way am I addressing a denomination or a building, this is to the body of Christ, each of us who by faith and God’s grace have allowed Christ to come into our hearts.  I must remind each of us that 1 Peter 4:17 states: “For the time is come for judgment to begin at the house of God: and if it begins first at us, what' shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?”  Today clean out your mind of fear, for it is a tool of the enemy, and we are told by John the apostle, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

What a detour this morning, the LORD has taken us to see our needs as His people, for God 

is always calling His chosen back to the safety of His will.  I see a similarity between God’s 

restoration of Israel and His Church, look at these verses and ask has God shown this favor 

to us? “Thus says the LORD: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation 

I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the 

land, to apportion the desolate heritages, saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out, ’to those who 

are in darkness, ‘Appear.’ They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their 

pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for 

he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.”  

(Isaiah 49:8-10 ESV) For each of us walked at one time in darkness before we entered 

into Christ, and He has given us Jesus as our Redeemer and put His Holy Spirit within us.   

Could it be that we allow our lust and pride to lead us, and not Christ?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice