Genesis 19:16 “And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.” (KJV)
Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”(KJV)
Have you ever known that you should do something but you didn’t do it? Everyone has. But this is a lethal choice.
One would think that all that is necessary is for us to be made aware of the truth. “Smoking is bad for you.” “Pornography objectifies women and men.” “Processed foods rich in sugar and various preservatives are strongly contributing to our obesity epidemic.” “By beholding we become changed.” We know a lot but don’t seem to change our behavior.
In James 4 after giving admonition to among other things draw close to God and not be friends with the world he wrote in verse 17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” Our problem in finding worship that nourishes is often not just a lack of knowledge. Instead it is the deadliness of knowing but not taking action. I call it “deadliness” and “lethal choice” for a reason.
Lot was visited by angels that told him that the city he lived in would be destroyed and he must leave immediately. But Lot lingered!!!!!! The angels took hold upon him and his family and removed them from the city. But the sad truth is that there were consequences that Lot’s family received because they had hung out in the godless city of Sodom for so long. They weren’t who they used to be when they were living with uncle Abraham. I’m sure it wasn’t immediate but their hearts changed. In fact Lot’s wife’s heart changed so much that she defied the angel’s command not to look back at the city they were fleeing. She looked back and was transformed into a pillar of salt.
Don’t look back and don’t stay put. Let me say that again. Don’t look back and don’t stay put. Our worship is to God. Heaven is our destination. Becoming like Him is our goal and a continuous process. If we don’t take action to leave what we know is bad for us and if we don’t take action to stop doing what we know hurts us and others then we will be what we’ve been and have what we’ve had. We won’t look like Jesus because we’ve been focused on the world. David says in Psalm 51:5 “I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” If we stay where we are we will continue to be shaped by iniquity. We have to leave to be God’s dream for us.
Abraham left in order to be God’s vision for his life.
Genesis 12:1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
You and I must leave what’s familiar and what’s comfortable in order to find God’s best for us. But God’s best for us also affects our family and friends. Imagine if you made decisions everyday in the same way that Jesus made decisions. If you did the same things Jesus did how would that affect the lives of those you work with? I guarantee that everyone who you love will have a better life because you let go and let God.
Don’t linger. A lingering spirit is similar to what the bible calls double-mindedness.
James 1: 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (KJV)
If you ask God for something but don’t believe He exists or that He will hear and help you than you aren’t likely to receive your request. Likewise if you know something that you should do in order to have a better outcome in your life but you don’t choose to do it, you most likely will continue to have the miserable results you have always had.
Take immediate action on what you know will improve your life. Take immediate action on what you know will give God glory and create better worship. And take immediate action on what you know will allow you to have a decisive and not a lingering spirit.
Hello i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anywhere, when i read this piece of writing i thought i could also make comment due to this brilliant post.
Well, thank you for making your first post with us.