Contemplative Prayer (Part 4)
The Nation that Forgets God

Deliverance from Fear and Judgment

Does the judgment of God create fear in you? It should for there is great benefit when we understand the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10   

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

When you fear the Lord and realize that He is serious in what He has proclaimed in scripture, it will affect your life. The fear of the Lord causes us to take the word seriously and gain knowledge. Proverbs 1:7   

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

When you fear the Lord, you will seek the word and knowledge will begin to enter your heart and mind. Then you will experience the promise of Proverbs 14:26-27   

²⁶ In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.  ²⁷ The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.

Teaching people that God winks at their sins and that there is no accountability does not create confidence and it insures that the church will fall into sin. Do you have strong confidence? Even though the church has turned from the faith, you can have strong confidence if you are walking in the ways of God. In fact, the only way you can have strong confidence is to know that you are walking in the truth of the word of God. It is your responsibility as an individual Christian to first seek the Lord, humble yourself and be changed by the Spirit of God, and then it is your responsibility to be the light of truth in your local church and community. If you are rejected, so be it. You cannot reject God out of fear of man’s rejection. You will make an impact if you truly surrender to God and walk in obedience. Consider this passage in James 5:16  

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Keep in mind that it is not the prayer alone that accomplishes much, but the prayer of the righteous. If you are not walking in righteousness through obedience to the scripture, you do not have this promise. The Bible says that when we walk uprightly according to the scripture, God hears our prayers. Consider the judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham’s intercession for the city found in Genesis 18:17-32   

¹⁷ And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,  ¹⁸ "since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?  ¹⁹ "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him."  ²⁰ And the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,  ²¹ "I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know."  ²² Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.  ²³ And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?  ²⁴ "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?  ²⁵ "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"  ²⁶ So the LORD said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes."  ²⁷ Then Abraham answered and said, "Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:  ²⁸ "Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?" So He said, "If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it."  ²⁹ And he spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose there should be forty found there?" So He said, "I will not do it for the sake of forty."  ³⁰ Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."  ³¹ And he said, "Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty."  ³² Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten."  ³³ So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

There are several important truths to notice in this passage. First, God declared that Abraham was righteous before Him, walked in obedience and taught his family to walk in obedience. For this reason, Abraham’s prayers indeed availed much. He was able to intercede for these two cities and God agreed to spare them if only ten people were found righteous. According to the records found from the Kingdom of Ebla, the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had a population of approximately 350,000 people. This means that if God found one person out of every thirty-five thousand (or 3 one-thousandths of one percent of the population), he would spare the city. What does this tell you about our culture today? Look at Jeremiah 5:1  

"Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem; See now and know; And seek in her open places If you can find a man, If there is anyone who executes judgment, Who seeks the truth, And I will pardon her.

To spare the city from God’s judgment, God said, “if you can find a man, if there is anyone…I will pardon”. If there was one man who was faithful to God’s commandments, the entire city would have been spared. That should indicate what kind of obedience God sees in the church today. What kind of benefit would God pour on our culture if only part of those in the local church truly sought God’s face? You will make an impact if you truly follow God. The problem I have seen is that a message can get people motivated for a short time, but it is hard to get people to truly seek the Lord with all their heart or spend significant time seeking the truth in the word of God. Twice in scripture we are warned of coming judgment while at the same time promised deliverance if we are found faithful. Look at Luke 21:33-36   

³³ "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  ³⁴ " But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  ³⁵ "For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  ³⁶ "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

What is the foundation of this passage? The word of God will be fulfilled and through the scripture, we take heed to ourselves. Many things in this life will be a temptation that will weigh our hearts down and distract us from the will of the Lord. Whenever you see the Day of the Lord, it is always judgment. Consider this passage from Amos 5:18-19  

¹⁸ Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light.  ¹⁹ It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him!

The phrase ‘Day of the Lord’ is mentioned 24 times in the Bible and each time it is a reference to judgment. Many falsely assume this is the rapture, but it is the judgment that will come upon the world. However, Jesus made the conditional promise that this event that will come upon the whole world as a snare can be escaped. “Watch and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things…and stand before the Son of Man”. Jesus Christ, of course, is the Son of Man. How do you watch? A wonderful explanation of this is found in Mark 13:33-37   

³³ "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  ³⁴ "It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  ³⁵ "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning --  ³⁶ "lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  ³⁷ "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"

So how do we watch? By doing the work that the Lord has placed in our trust. This is reiterated in Luke 12:33-44. The servant who immediately responds when Jesus returns will be rewarded. Jesus will make them to sit down and He will serve the servant. You as the individual Christian have two choices: watch and work, or sleep and be caught up in the cares of this life. It is impossible to take heed and watch without submitting your life to the will of the Lord. Your desire to do the will of God is a direct reflection on whether or not you are asleep at the wheel. It is impossible to watch if you are not in the word and applying the word to your life daily. The key to success in Christianity is found in the foundational principle of Luke 9:23-25   

²³ Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  ²⁴ "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  ²⁵ "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

Your life is not about this world! The things of this life are absolutely worthless, yet the average Christian cannot grasp this basic concept. Because no one seems to understand the worthlessness of the things of this life, we also cannot understand why God puts our focus elsewhere. Your purpose in this life is to be found faithful so God can pour out His kingdom on us in the life to come. If you are living for this life, you will miss the inheritance God has for you. If you are living for this life and distracted by its cares, you will be asleep in spiritual things. The second passage that foretells God’s conditional promise of deliverance is found in Revelation 3:10-11   

¹⁰ "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.  ¹¹ "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

If you are caught up in the cares of life, you will forfeit your crown. Why would you be willing to forego the inheritance of God for the momentary cares of this life? Oh how many promises God has to those who will trust Him and obey His word! The Day of the Lord is coming and will test those who dwell on the earth. You will be tried; you will be tested. God will not allow His church to play church and live contrary to the word. The church today has a form of godliness but no power. Those who are caught up in the cares of this life are looking for pleasures and equating this with power. Your pocket book and pleasures are not the evidence of power. Your material blessings are not the evidence of power. The power of God is found in 1 John 4:4  

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

This, my friend, is the power of God. Everything in this life rises up against you and every other person to draw your focus off of the things of God. In this life, the deck is stacked against every one of us. By all human reasoning, it is impossible to live a life as the Bible instructs us. Just look around you. Can you find a single person that you can honestly say is living their life in complete obedience to God? If your church is like most churches, you will be hard pressed to find anyone who even attempts to live for God in their daily life.

I once attended a hardcore, fundamentalist Baptist church. On the surface, they appeared to be holy and righteous; however, when I got to know the people, I found a different face behind the holy façade. I attended a cookout with the most faithful members of this church. These were the people that were present each time the doors opened, active in the church and spoke the language that sounded like authentic Christianity. However, as I got to know the people and heard them open up and talk about their lives, I found that there was not true godliness. The activities and lifestyles of these people were just as worldly as the culture around them. Living in power is not found in denominations, church activities or in any other activity of man. The power of God is not found in blessings, claiming promises or even church growth.

In the last days, the church will have a form of godliness but no true power. The power of God is in the Spirit. You will know if you and your church have power if you see the testimony of 1 John 4:4 fulfilled in your life and the life of your congregation. Are you overcoming the world? The world will do everything in its power to overthrow your faith and draw you into the cares of this life, but greater is He who is in you than anything in the world. Satan will use everything within his power to distract you from your eternal inheritance and the work God has entrusted to you, but greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world. Also look at John 16:33   

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

This is true power. There is no power in heaven or on earth that can overcome the man or woman who truly sets their heart to obey the word of God. It is God that makes the man – not the man that makes the man. True leadership comes from God alone. Only God can take an average man and do miraculous things. All the great leaders in the Bible are lowly men that God set apart for Himself to show His power. Each Christian, man or woman, has the power of the Holy Spirit within them. It is the Spirit that gives us the power to overcome the world. Because Jesus overcame, He has made us overcomers. Look at Romans 8:37-39  

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You are more than a conqueror if you submit to the will of God. There is nothing in heaven or earth, no power, no principality that can overcome those whom God has revealed His power through. The only thing that can defeat the Christian is turning from the holy commandments and turning from the passion of following God and toward the cares of this life. God will try you and if you keep your heart set on Him, you will see His power in your life. The purpose of trials is to refine our lives and remove the things that defeat our faith. Faith cannot be defeated by direct assault, but only by neglect. The most powerful tool against the Christian is to draw them away from the eternal things and persuade them to set their heart on the world. God has given us a warning in 1 John 2:15-17   

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  ¹⁶ 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.  ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

The only thing that can overcome your faith is you. It is for this reason that Satan uses the temptations and cares of this life to draw your focus away from God. Soon apathy sets in and then you will become asleep to the things of God. These passages explain it well:

Galatians 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Look again at the passage we read earlier:

2 Peter 2:20-21   ²⁰ For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.  ²¹ For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

You must stand fast in the liberty of Christ. You must keep your heart on the will of God as found in the word of God so that you are not drawn back into bondage. Notice that each time the scripture speaks of bondage, it is you choosing to return to bondage. Satan cannot overcome you; he can only persuade you to return to bondage by false promises and temptations.

Do not forget God. Do not mix paganism with faith. Do not allow contemplative prayer or New Age mysticism to even enter into your church. If someone brings in this anti-Christian doctrine, you must challenge them even if it costs you. Anyone who allows false teaching will be judged with the false teacher and will share in their evil deeds (2 John 1:11). God has placed in your hands the power to impact your church and your culture by you becoming salt and light. If you walk in obedience, your prayers will avail much. Remember the promise of Daniel 12:3   

³ Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.

 

Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com

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