"What happened to you?"
Asked to me and of me much since I began really striving for Matthew 6:33.
This is a thorny ground believer series entry.
Here, I want to explore a few of the outright lies that people tell to keep you from pursuing His righteousness. They don't want to strive in that way, either because they are lost and currently on their way out of here, or they are in a professing church and have only a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.
Lie #1: It's not hurting us as believers to partake in the world and its entertainment and its philosophies, as long as you're spiritual you're protected.
Except the filter you think you have isn't as strong as you think it is.
They find it strange that you don't run to excess with them.
The people have wicked tongues and humor and entertainments. If you speak against or even go another way, i.e., the Lord's way, you are mocked and people are doing double takes in a figurative sense. I feel the double takes from people when I talk about homeschooling, and having a man in the pulpit, and separating from the world.
The world belongs to the devil. I know a lot of professing Christians who don't believe that. These Christians walk around saying, "there is so much good in the world" and "I think everyone has a lot of good in them." This does not line up with the Bible.
Lie #2: YOU ain't perfect, brother. YOU done things and still do even as you Matthew 6:33 and seek to keep His commandments to show that you really do love Him.
Okay, you're right. But do we then throw it away? Avoid holiness because none but Jesus can be holy?
Lie #3: You being too strict. Legalistic.
I had a sister accuse me of some of these things, when I was a newly-married man and was setting up my house and my family according to the words of God. This sister thought I was radical. What she really thought was that the Lord is radical. Because the Lord says in Titus 2 some of what sound doctrine is.
People who reject that sound doctrine are people that true believers should separate from, in meekness and love. Purging dishonorable vessels, Mark Lawless.
Separation is not about "I'm better." It is "I know I'm NOT better." It is "Because I'm not better, I understand that temptation doesn't stop just because I profess Christ and go to church a few times a week and read the Bible." That's where being in the world yet not of it come in. That is called godly separation, which is a good thing if you really love Jesus.
Lie #4 You cannot get away from the world and devil. You cannot hide the kids and family and church separate from pop culture and be complete and intellectual and experienced.
Jimi Hendrix was only one of many who helped spread this lie.
You cannot shield the children. True, but I can give them a sword.
I can expose the world and the devil and train that child how God can help each of us walk in the spirit. I can give him and her a model of how to get past all the spiritual and church folk lingo.