Tag: did not answer Him

6.k. ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot.”

Revelation 3:15    “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

Matthew 24:12    And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Deuteronomy 5:29    Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

Psalms 81:11-13     “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.  Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

1 Kings 18:21   And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

Do you ever stop to wonder what the Christians in Laodicea were like and how we compare to them?  What were their daily lives like?  How did they speak, think, and act?  What was their worship like?  Where did they place God in their lives?  What influence did culture have on how they reverenced God?  The big question that comes to my mind is how close are we to acting, living, thinking, and speaking like the Christians in Laodicea.  Notice how it says they prospered which led them to think they needed nothing.  They are called wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.  They sought comfort, ease, and became content with their lives apart from God.  How many times do prosperity and ease lead people down paths apart from God?  For this very reason, you need to make every effort to live in fear, reverence, and thankfulness of the redeeming salvation through Jesus Christ.  We are to live as though we are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.  Sons and daughters who live to honor, glorify, worship, follow, trust and obey their Father.  Sons and Daughters who never forget from that which they were saved.  Sons and daughters who remember and love Jesus Christ because they remember that which they have been forgiven.  Sons and daughters who live each day with Jesus Christ being first in their life.  Sons and daughters who deny self and live no longer being self-centered and self-reliant.

How do you compare to the Christians of Laodicea?  Are you living lukewarm?  Repent and intentionally choose to live each moment of every day honoring Jesus Christ.  What are you tolerating in your life that you shouldn’t?  What are you doing that you know you shouldn’t but you do because other Christians are doing it?  REPENT!!!!!!

111. Some did not ask counsel from the LORD.

1 Samuel 22:6   Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.” Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

Numbers 27:21    And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him

1 Samuel 28:6     And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.

Joshua 9:14     So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD.

In old testament times when you wanted to inquire of God you went to the Prophet and/or Priest, but now since the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can go before God ourselves.  It is a privilege not a right.  It is by His grace, mercy and love that has made a way for all mankind to have this privilege.  This privilege begins with belief in Jesus Christ and His atonement for your sin.   From this beginning there is a never ending opportunity to inquire and seek to know and understand God’s perfect will and how to humbly honor, glorify, worship, praise, follow, and obey Him. It means we choose to inquire and seek God before our day begins, throughout the day, and at days end.   Why do some christians inquire of God before making decision, taking action, or making proper communication and others do not?   Inquiring of God in our daily life is directly proportional to our heart, mind, and soul’s desire to seek, know, serve, honor, follow, and obey Him.  It is a deliberate act of will to surrender self to the will of God.  It places God’s will first.    

  Tozer “Pursuit of God”: How tragic that we in this current day are having our seeking of God done by our teachers.  Everything is made to center upon the initial act of accepting Christ and we are not expected to crave any further revelation of God to our souls.  We have been snared in the coils of foolish logic that insists that if we have found Him, we need no more seek Him.  The lack of deliberately seeking and desiring God has brought us to a very shallow understanding and speaks of complacency and neglect so prevalent in the church today.

We will never find God and the peace and purpose we seek in our lives by the seeking of God by others.  It is sad that many live no active seeking for God on their own.  It is sad that many seek only after that which satisfies self.  Do not allow yourself to become satisfied with where you are at in your understanding and knowledge of God.  Thirst after and desire Him more and more.  Stay in His word with a desire and seeking that wants to humbly serve, honor, glorify, worship, follow, rely on, cling to, trust in, and obey Him more and more each day. Remember this; God is forced out of the heart that allows other things to enter and take residence.