3 Ways to Break Idolatry within the Church in 2019

#idol #church #revival #newyear #remnant #Jesus #repentance #sin #compromise #holiness

As a new year approaches and the return of Jesus draws near, it’s time to break down the walls of idolatry within the Church. The Church cries for revival yet most are not willing to give up the pleasures of this world and are not willing to repent. “Know this: In the last days perilous times will come. Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, slanderers, unrestrained, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Turn away from such people.” 2 Timothy 3:3-5

Sadly, this is an accurate depiction of the condition of the Church today.

Most churches have become social gatherings events rather than places of godly reverence and holiness. Coffee houses, catchy tunes, bright lights and custom-written scripted sermons spoken by “actors” on green screens have replaced places of worship, the movement of the Holy Spirit, teaching the Word of God, and prayer through the pastors who were called to shepherd their flocks. Congregants can pay top dollar or the latest smartphone, vacation or car, but shutter when asked to tithe or give to missions.

Even most Christian artists, actors, comedians and bands have blended in so well with the world, it’s hard to tell them apart. Jesus is nowhere to be found at these events. You see a whole lot of performance but not a whole lot of worship. There will be concert halls and stadiums filled to capacity, yet there is no presentation of the gospel, no altar call, no prayer team or no Bibles distributed. Rest assured though there will be plenty of hoodies, t-shirts, autographs and photo meet and greet opportunities to look forward to. Instead of leading people into worship and truth and telling them about Jesus, they focus on the number of fans they have on social media or what award they will win or what tour they will perform next. People are paying any price and will literally weep and scream at the chance to meet and get selfies with these Christian “celebrities” for that one moment, yet they were never introduced to Jesus who could give them forever.

Believers are falling away left and right due to self-harm, depression, pornography, adultery, addiction, and suicide, yet most of the Church won’t deal with sin head on and chooses to brush it all under the carpet of sloppy grace.

The majority of the Church has stayed silent as tolerance and acceptance of sin has overtaken the world. At the very moment of opposition or persecution followers have buckled under pressure, given in and fallen away.

If Jesus turned down the tables at the temple then, what would He do now?

Here are three ways followers of Christ can help destroy idolatry within the Church.

1) The Lord says, “My children, wake up from your compromise; I am looking for the remnant!”

We need to individually examine our own hearts and repent for any idols we have made of ourselves and others. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God”. 2 Corinthians 6:14-16

2) The Lord says, “My children, speak out and fight for truth; I am looking for the remnant!”

We need to unashamedly and boldly speak up to the movers, shakers and decision makers to put Jesus back into the center of worship, or better yet, ask God to make us people of influence around the world. “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24

3) The Lord says, “My children, stand up for my Word and for Me; I am looking for the remnant!”

We need to fulfill the Great Commission and exemplify Jesus and the Bible through our words, thoughts and actions. No matter what temporary pain of we experience through rejection and persecution, there are eternal promises and awards gained. “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” Revelation 14:12-13

In the midst of the great falling away, let’s be the remnant who is willing to help the Church become a place of prayer and worship once again. Let's break down, crush and obliterate the high places of idolatry that have been erected in our hearts and within the Church. There are still churches, pastors, and followers of Jesus who are willing to remain faithful to Jesus. There are still people with platforms who are willing to keep their focus on Christ and the Gospel and not on themselves. There are still workers willing to harvest souls for the Kingdom. 2019 is the year when the Church can wake up, speak out and stand up for the only one deserving of all praise, glory, honor and worship—our Lord and Savior Jesus!

Stop Coddling Your Demons

#demons #compromise #sin #freedom #Jesus #bible #remnant #christian #church #victim #conqueror #help #deliverance

Part of the great falling away of the Church has a lot to do with who or what the believer chooses to occupy their time with daily. Satan has sent his demons to create a self-serving group of self-proclaimed “believers” who have one foot in the Word and one foot in a world where one cannot be offensive, must tolerate everything and needs to accept everyone. They befriend compromise and pride, and coddle the sin in their hearts and in the lives of their family, friends and loved ones. They buy into and promote lukewarm theology that is festering spiritual pollution, disease and death throughout this world. Jesus didn’t coddle demons during His time of ministry and warns the half-hearted Church “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16).

At one point or another, we have all fallen victim to indulging the lust of the flesh and walking in sin. However, it’s time for the remnant of Christ to shape up, stand out and speak up. If you have opened the door to the enemy by allowing him the space that belongs only to God, here are six ways to uninvite those demons for good!

1. Stop remaining a victim. Because we live in a fallen world, we are going to face persecution, assault from the enemy and personal attacks over our bodies, minds and spirits. We may be victims of these things when they happen, but we cannot remain there. Jesus paid the price to give us the victory. If we continue to live as victims and make excuse after excuse for why we can’t move past the situations or events that occurred, then we are saying the cross was not enough to help us. Jesus paid the price, so we can conquer anything and everything the enemy throws at us. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8: 31-35,37 NIV).

2. Do not be afraid to address sin! Do not try and hide and make excuses for your sin or the sin of your family and friends. It can be so easy to point out the sin in others, but so hard to face our own sin. “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them” (James 4:17, NIV) Pride will make excuses, lie, or bury the truth. Do not be deceived. Run to the cross and repent! Don’t be afraid to encourage friend family and loved ones who are in habitual sin to do the same! You may face rejection and mockery, but do not be afraid to get rude with the devil! Just as each of will stand before God for our owns sins, we will also stand before him for the opportunities missed to help a brother or sister in Christ by speaking the truth in love. “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins”. (James 5:19-20, NIV)

3. Stop centering your life around others’ opinions. Satan will use the need for acceptance power, fame and fortune to open the door to compromise and sin. When you don’t stand up for God’s word and call out sin for what it is—a one-way ticket to destruction, then you are playing a dangerous game with demonic deception. Do not compromise out of fear that you will be rejected by the world. Choose to please God, desire Him and stand up for His Word over anyone and everything else. “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. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world”. (1 John 2:15-16, NIV)

4. Forgive others, yourself and God. If we refuse to forgive those who hurt us, even if we need to forgive ourselves or God, we are in sin. We are holding hands with the devil, and he is taking us on a road to bitterness, hatred and death. Forgiveness is a choice. It does not require feelings. It does not always guarantee an apology back or reconciliation with the perpetrator. However, when the we start to take the hand of deception and start skipping down the path of unforgiveness, pause look at the nail-scarred hands beckoning us to stop playing games with the enemy and take His hand instead. Jesus had a choice. He chose love, grace, mercy and redemption at the cross and we are commanded to do the same. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”. (Ephesians 4:31-32, NIV).

5. Use your God-given authority. Stop wasting time playing with the demons sent out to destroy you! We must go to the secret place and draw on the authority given through Jesus and spend our time in prayer and speaking in tongues. This will silence Satan’s lies and amplify God’s truth! “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 16:13-15, NIV).

6. Do not be afraid to seek help and deliverance. If you coddle the demons long enough, they will overcome you. Just like a bully who demands, your attention, action, time and money, the demons you allow to actively participate in your life will destroy the opportunities God has for you in this life. If you have allowed them control and you feel like you can’t walk away, then it’s time to seek help. Go to your pastors, and brothers and sisters in Christ for prayer and support. Prayerfully find a full-gospel, Bible-believing, spirit-filled church that has Christian counseling and healing and deliverance ministries. There is no shame in seeking freedom. “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”. (James 5:16, NIV).

The return of Jesus is coming soon. Will He find you a hot, on-fire follower living out the freedom He died to give you, or will he see you hanging out and playing games with the demons sent out to destroy your life? Stop indulging the demons in your life, and seek holiness and freedom while there is still time! Your life, and the lives you influence depend on it! “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12, NIV)