Rod & Rose

“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive her plagues.” ~ Revelation 18:4

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” ~ James 4:7

A clear warning: We are living in the second Babylon where sin has become so alluring, so enticing, and so prevalent. It has gained momentum and has invaded, saturated and infiltrated everything our senses can see, hear and touch. Sin: A constant temptation that awakens our desires for self-gratification. We want what we don’t have, we lust for what isn’t ours. The “apple” is rotten to the core with deadly poison; masked with a delicious outer covering. Just as Eve did then, we do now…..we crave what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears. We allow the sensations that rush through our bodies to infiltrate our minds. It’s those sensations that eventually deaden our heart’s desire for relationship with God. We fall asleep and no longer crave His Holy Word…His Truth…His Will.

The angst God placed in our souls at the moment of our creation becomes obscure, hidden away from our first True Love. Hedonistic pleasures sedate us with a false sense of happiness. We become addicted to the momentary “highs” this world culture so readily offers through television, dark music, the internet, drugs, liquor, porn, magazines, window displays at the mall, near naked bodies at the beach, in nightclubs, and sometimes even in our church buildings! No matter where we turn, temptations to our carnal nature are there to awaken our sinful senses. No longer is the filth of insidious rhetoric and sexual sin reserved for ‘prime time’ – when our kids are supposed to be in bed. It runs all day…all night. It’s out there…no longer under wraps or “in the closet.”

From the moment Adam and Eve took the first bite, the deterioration of humankind began. The invisible fallen angel, Satan, the Prince of the power of the air took residence in the Garden of Eden. He along with his minions began the destructive plan to steal, kill and destroy the very creation that God himself created in His image. His jealousy, pride and hatred were the driving force of his determination. A spiritual battle of unprecedented proportions ensued!

The Word of God is clear: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” ~ Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)

And yet Papa God commands us, “Come out of her.” “Resist the devil.” Come out of this world. How can we when all hell is pitted against us?! How can we when we have allowed our carnal nature to overide all that we know to be good. We give in to the cravings and fall deeper and deeper into a pit filled with the filth and trash of this world. It becomes the baggage we carry along our journey…so heavy…so stinky…so deadly. The voice we once heard…His voice…is now but a mere distant cry. And yet…it is there…that voice…calling out…longing for our return! “Come out…come out and resist.” (Part 2 continued tomorrow…)

IN HIS STRONG LOVE ~ rose