O God, I’m tossed and torn, teetering and twisted. Which way is up? O God, give me direction help me to see clearly so that I am not driven this way and that, carried by the winds of change and the deceit of the world’s ideals.
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” (Col. 2:8) We live in a day of mixed messages. Man’s dreams are more highly coveted than God’s values. People claim, “Truth is only truth when it is true for you.” The world is full of bizarre and downright wicked ideals. It becomes confusing when the messages and practices of the world begin to invade even the church! Seemingly trustworthy pastors and leaders begin espousing the very same dribble as the world around them. So called Christian authors write books that are little more than spiritual smut. So much of today’s writing is utter trash and should be shoveled up together and thrown where it belongs. The music that they call “worship” now days is so full of emotionalism and man-centric messages that it is a rare gem to find a song that can actually raise the heart of a worshiper to truly adore and praise God. Taking the time to meditate on the psalms or an old hymn will take you further into the presence of God than a thousand hours of listening to the popular music of our day.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still treasures to be gleaned today; however, one must carefully wade through the dense fog of all that is called “Christianity” to find it. Obviously, not all that bears the name of Christ is truly Christian. This is probably the worst method of taking the Lord’s name in vain. One must have a discerning mind to tell the difference. There is a real danger in this “watered down” and “make-believe” religion that so permeates our society. Many people are caught up by this tidal wave of patchy and lukewarm faith. As a result they are siphoned into the world’s folly. People begin adopting the world’s perspectives and naturally this leads them to begin indulging in the world’s ways.
In the days of Noah it was quite similar. Immorality was pervasive: “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every thought and intent of his heart was only evil continually.” (Gen. 6:5) This of course grieved God deeply and led to the ultimate destruction of most of mankind through the flood. We all know the story, but often miss a key point because our minds are so easily distracted by the strong imagery of floods, animals and an ark built big enough to carry them to safety. Noah and his family were spared from the wrath of God, but why? The bible tells us the reason, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD… Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” (Gen. 6:8-9)
Noah found favor from the Lord in more than one way. Sure, he was spared from the flood – but long before that, God had so gripped Noah’s heart that he shunned the wicked ideologies and practices of the world. What a testimony to have God say of you, that you are “blameless” in the day and age that you live. We live in a messed up and twisted age. We must consider the fact that this is nothing new. Sure the specifics vary slightly here and there, but the perverted and idolatrous under-girding remains exactly the same. God’s desire is that we would grow in true faith and genuine godliness. Don’t allow yourself to be taken in by cleverly devised fairy tales and cheap substitutes. Seek God in His word and pray diligently that He would show you the difference, so that you can enjoy a life safely tucked away in the ark of His truth. Knowing God Himself is the only safe refuge from the lies of the world and the wrath of God that will fall like thunderous rain upon it. Praise God then, for being our Shelter!
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