By Choice, Forsaken
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” - John 14:6 (Image: Unsplash)
Dear God,
Your word says in Hebrews 13:5-6 that you will NEVER leave us, nor forsake us. Unless we, according to 2 Chronicles 15:2, first forsake you.
Man, even your disciples, have asked for years, how can man forsake God? But we have two very dangerous ways:
(Image: Unsplash)
Failure to include:
Jesus said in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and sup with him, and he with me.” This scripture was but one of a multitude of invitations you gave to man to spend intimate time with you, getting to know you not only as their Savior, but also as their Father.
Yet, our flesh often proves itself too selfish to include you in our plans. We reach for social media, television, or our partners before we reach for you. David said in Psalm 63:1 that he will seek you early, but we find other things more important than spending time in your presence - getting direction from you that would guide the course of our day.
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Failure to believe:
Seeking you means trusting you more than the world. In a time where the line of demarcation between opinion and fact so often blurs, where vanity, pride, and selfishness supersede the truth in the ears of the ungodly, lies spread like wildfire, and your word falls on deaf ears. I am guilty of believing the lies, and that’s why I come to you daily for forgiveness. But many won’t.
The ungodly are indeed like the adder that David spoke of in Psalm 58:4-5, who refuses to believe, and instead spreads lies, falsehoods, misinformation, and deceit as if it were snake poison.
(Image: Unsplash)
Huh! Snake Oil…I finally get the definition of Snake Oil now…in the 19th century, a man named Charles Stanley became both famous and synonymous for his sale of a mineral oil and animal fat compound known as “snake oil”. The concoction was only minimally effective in reducing inflammation, but was marketed to do far more. As he began selling the product, the clever salesman eventually swayed his customers into believing it was a cure for just about anything.
But ‘belief’ in this miracle tonic soon turned to cynicism once the truth of the product’s ability to heal came to light. From then on, both this and other so-called ‘miracle tonics’ that did not meet the hype were labeled “Snake Oil.”
Satan has sold his version of snake oil for centuries, sending legions of his demons into the minds of the ungodly, turning your people away from you, and belief in his false promises is increasing at an alarming rate. Pandering to the weak-minded is a multi-billion-dollar industry with no end in sight.
Yet, none of their words is true…It’s all Snake Oil.
By these two very dangerous practices, we demonstrate our lack of faith and lack of trust in you. It is a sickness that has led so many away from the path of righteousness and deeper into their sin.
However, on the day of judgement, those same non-believers will cry with a voice of torment, asking why they have been ‘forsaken.’ They do not understand - nor will they admit - that their own actions condemned them to eternity in Hell. It was nothing that you did, Lord, because you do not send people to Hell.
You said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man commeth to the father but by me.” They abandon your truth, your path, and fail to submit themselves to you, and in doing so, condemn themselves to eternity in Hell. It’s a sad and unnerving truth, but there will be many who refuse to believe it.
And I feel sorriest for them…
Prayer:
Father God, I ask that you would speak to the hearts of those who will believe, and give them the words which will tear man away from the Snake oil they’ve ingested for years, cause them to abandon their sinful ways, and run to you, the way, the truth, and the life. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray, Amen.
Your servant,
