Deu 28:43 The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.
Judges 2:3 So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”
2 Kings 17:20 And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
John 19:15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
- shall rise higher and higher above you
- they shall become thorns in your side
- their gods shall be a snare to you
- We have no king but Caesar.
When you look at what our culture has become, how it influences our thoughts, what we consider important and worthy of our time, what is tolerated, what is not condemned, what has weakened our commitment, what has stunted our growth, what consumes our hearts and minds, what causes fear, chaos, and confusion, what causes division, hate, and anger, and how the thought of the return of Jesus Christ at any moment is void from our daily lives, – have we not placed this world and what it offers above God? How much of our thoughts and times are consumed by what this world says is important.
Professional and college sports teams, players, and stats, TV series and movies, Facebook, Twitter, Rumble, Instagram, influencers, news media outlets (live or in print), abortion, pornography, LBGTQ pride, etc…… all of this rises higher and higher and they become a snare. Our Redeemer, Savior, and coming again King Jesus Christ is forgotten. Our growth and maturing are stagnant if not totally snuffed out. The thorn in our side we once felt, we are now numb too.
Does any of this sound like a blessing or a curse?
Consuming what the world deems worthy and right will result in a weakness of faith and reliance on Jesus Christ.
Do we even seek to hear the quiet whispers or shouts of the Holy Spirit’s leading and conviction? If there is any Holy Spirit conviction, the time for repentance is today, now, and immediate. Oh that we would see what we have become and the pursuits of our hearts and minds that consume us.
Neglecting God’s Word and being unable to hear the Holy Spirit leading are good indicators that the snares of this world have enclosed around you. God’s curses are promised equally as His blessings. How are we blind to what it means to live, godly, holy, and honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ if our hearts and minds are focused on things of this world? What consumes your time will consume your thoughts.