In my previous post, we discovered in a recent Barna survey, that only 6% of American adults have a biblical worldview. Furthermore, the other 94% have a worldview called “Syncretism” which is like a mishmash of different secular beliefs that lead to nowhere. It’s as if people grab onto the ones they like and turn their backs on the truth. This leads to…
Divided Loyalties
First, there’s no moral truth, which is the foundation of godly living. With divided loyalties, your life is unsettled. That means you have no peace. When you embrace a lie, you turn your back on the truth. What follows is…
- Conflict
- No justice
- No foundation for freedom
- People rewrite the rules of society
- Sleepless nights
- Worry
- Anxiety
- Restlessness, etc.
The problem with this is that God already wrote the rules of society. It’s called the Bible. Paul told us…
“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.”
1 Timothy 4:1 NLT
Paul also wrote…
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 NLT
And he affirmed…
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
A Biblical Worldview
A biblical worldview starts with an intimate relationship with Jesus. Unfortunately, most churches don’t teach this. They don’t teach the truth. Growing up Catholic and even later as a Progressive, I had no idea that Jesus wanted to have a personal relationship with ME! I had no idea that I could have the Holy Spirit living in my heart. For me, the Holy Spirit was part of the Holy Trinity that lived far away in Heaven. There was a major disconnect. Especially thinking that Mary was the conduit between humans and God when Jesus is our only mediator through the Holy Spirit in our hearts!
I read this the other day…
“Why our fellow sheep put so much trust in the countless bad shepherds today is a thing too awful to ponder.”
Keith Guinta
That’s the problem. We attend churches for the wrong reason and we sit and take in false doctrines, follow false rites, rules and rituals that only lead us to hell. It’s not a “gospel” because the word “gospel” means “good news”. What they teach is BAD NEWS! That’s no gospel at all!
“The church should be the solution, but the church is not acting like the church.”
Dr. George Barna
What Should the Church be Like?
Check out these basic Bible Studies…
- The Book of Acts – the birth of the church
- Romans – what Christianity is all about
- 1 and 2 Peter – living a Christian life
- James – wisdom
- And others…
Don’t fall for Fake Christianity!
Friend, you need to listen carefully to what is being taught at your church. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern — tell the difference — if it’s the Gospel truth or a twisted, watered-down version.
Paul wrote…
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:1-3 NIV
Toxic Thoughts
This is an excerpt from a YouVersion Bible Study
When we set our minds, we are striving for something and directing our mind toward a certain thing. This verse says we shouldn’t set our minds on earthly things. Those “earthly things” usually distract us and cause our thoughts to keep us from God’s best.
There are plenty of things we see every day that are out of our control. But, much of what we see can be prevented. What we put in front of our eyes is a big deal. If you feel that you have too many toxic thoughts, what is it that could be causing them? Could it be things on TV, social media, or the news? It’s wise to analyze the things we are viewing daily and ask God to show us what would be a good thing to decrease or eliminate altogether.
Much like we need to watch what we put in front of our eyes, we also need to consider what is going into our ears. What we hear affects our thoughts just as much as what we see. Have you noticed what types of music, books, or podcasts possibly cause toxic thoughts in your mind? Are there things you need to include, not just remove, that will build you up and help create healthy thoughts instead?
Instead of focusing on and setting our sights on things that could cause toxic thoughts, let’s be proactively mindful of what we choose to put in front of us. When we choose things that honor God and keep us pure in heart, we will have less thoughts to test and take captive.
YouVersion
It’s time to dump the world’s garbage from your mind and replace it with the Word of God.
King David cried to God…
7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
Psalm 51:7-11 NLT
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
9 Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
Jesus, as the final and eternal mediator, allows us to forever live in God’s presence without the fear of death. He’s gone on to Heaven ahead of us to prepare a place for each and every one of us who believes in HIM. (John 14)
However, He did not leave us alone in the world with all its lies and demon-driven, idol-worshiping religions. He gave us the Holy Spirit!
“God grieves for His children who rationalize sin, who redefine marriage, who make excuses for the slaughter of innocent children, who call themselves Christians but follow lust, greed, and selfish ambition. He aches for those who name the name of Christ, but who live lives that are indistinguishable from the lives of the Canaanites.”
Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
The Holy Spirit is your…
- Guide
- Helper
- Advocate
- Intercessor
- Re-generator
- Purifier
- Power source
- Uniter
- Comforter
- Refiner
Until you commit your whole life to Jesus, you will not have peace.
God isn’t fooled by spirituality, church activity or the use of religious rituals. Without true faith and repentance in our lives, we’re walking on thin ice. False religion, whatever its position and influence, is under judgment. Let’s not follow others into that judgment.
https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/
Without God, We’ve Lost:
- Our direction.
- His protection.
- Our potential.
- Our happiness.
- Our home in Heaven.
If you consider yourself a Christian, then you need to realize that Jesus didn’t suffer torture on the cross so that we could have religion! He died taking our sins away so that we would trust Him and want to invite Him into our lives and have a personal relationship with Him.
Do you want a personal relationship with Jesus?
Then…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
