I love the little parable of the frog in the boiling water. I’m sure you’ve heard it; a frog falls into a pot of boiling water and he immediately jumps out to safety. But later he falls into a pot of cool water, yet the fire underneath heats the water up so gradually that by the time it reaches boiling, it’s too late for him. What a great, although rather morbid, lesson for us. What we are constantly and casually in contact with can and will become part of us, even as we are unaware. Today we get a valuable lesson from God on just this. A dire warning about living in constant contact and exposure to an evil world without letting this world become our God.
I don’t think you have to do much looking around today to realize that the world is not a very friendly place. Mass public shootings happen almost weekly here in America. Murder is so common in large cities, the news can’t even keep up and report them all. Crime, theft and assault is just considered part of life, avoid it if you can. Police officers who are called to protect us from these evils are despised by many and harassed, disrespected and even shot in cold blood. The news is constantly spewing hate, anger and disrespect to all those who do not agree with a very narrow viewpoint. It all sounds rather bleak and hopeless and as people analyze the world today, they often wonder, where is God? Believe it or not, God is in the midst of all of this, watching and ruling. But folks, God will not forcefully rule the hearts of people that refuse to listen and obey Him. Just as an unruly child can rebel and leave home at 18, the parents cannot enforce their rules into the heart of that child. A rebellious, angry heart will move in its own direction.
But an angry, rebellious, hateful heart can be warned. Just as we can see that the frog’s pot is over a hot fire and getting hotter by the minute, all we can do is warn that poor little frog and hope he listens. Whether the warning message is heeded or not is up to the heart that hears the warning. And folks, the warnings abound in God’s Word about this world. You see, if we spend all of our time focusing on the things of this world, embracing the things of this world and playing by the world’s rules, we will be moving in the opposite direction of God. Let’s take a look at another bold warning from God about what this world holds for us if we are not carefully and vigilantly protecting our hearts for God.
“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who passes their son or daughter through fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God.” Deut 18:9-14
At first read you might discount some or all of these as just outdated Old Testament practices. But let’s take a closer look and see that every single one these is still relevant to the world that we walk in today and can easily ensnare those hearts that will embrace them over the law of the Lord.
1) “Let no one pass their son or daughter through fire.” This was a practice of worshipping Baal, a false god from Egypt. Parents would murder their first born children as a result of this false worship. Most would completely discount this today as an antiquated, heathen and barbaric practice that no longer exist. But I have to ask you, what of the estimated 826,000 abortions in the U.S. in 2018? Innocent children murdered by their parents. God creates life by His very hand and anyone that destroys that life is defying God. We live in a world today that is as desensitized to abortion as the world was to killing children before Baal. In fact, it’s even made legal by our governments to kill our children if we don’t want them. The taking of innocent life is an abomination before God the Father that created it, and He clearly warns us of its practice here.
2) “Who practices divination or sorcery.” Divination is fortune telling. Just the other day I was driving through Fort Worth and saw a store that had a neon sign in the window that had a big hand on it with the words “Fortune Teller.” A palm reader. This entire store was just for fortune telling. And apparently business was good enough to keep the doors open. I talked to a young lady a while back that had visited one of these fortune tellers to try to get a better handle on her future and therefore her life. Folks, divination is real, and it is being practiced in our world today and ensnaring many. And God considers it detestable. (detestable is to have intense hate for)
3) “interpreting omens.” This is using astrology and other means such as ouija boards and tarot cards to attempt to interpret the future. Folks, if you are putting your trust in these means, you are not putting your trust in God as He commands, and this does not please Him. If you are calling upon dark forces to lead you and guide you, they will. As a result, it will take a toll on your soul as it takes you to the dark place you are summoning. God says don’t go there and He hates these practices for what it does to hearts.
4) “Witchcraft and casting spells.” This is none other than calling upon satan and his demons to assist you and lead you. Folks, this is anti-God and when practiced makes the individual that practices it an anti-Christ. That is, they are against (anti) Christ and everything He came to stand for. This is rampant in our world and I have even seen someone very close to me perform acts of this nature. It is real and it will take a massive toll on those that choose to worship satan instead of God. For this reason, God sends us this dire warning.
5) “A medium, a spiritist or those that consult the dead.” We’ve probably all seen movies that had a seance in them. People that are attempting to contact or speak with the dead. This is calling upon powers that are not from God and is therefore an abomination to the Lord. If you focus your worship and heart on darkness, it will be enveloped in that darkness and it will spread to all areas of your life.
Folks, you might be living a life where these practices seem as foreign as a Martian walking right into your living room today, but they are real, they are in our world and people are embracing them. They are detestable to the Lord; He has an intense hatred for them and those that choose to practice them. First, we need to walk cautiously in a world where these are present and can ensnare weak hearts. Second, we need to be praying for those that are utilizing these methods in an effort to find God and the comfort and purpose that only He can provide through His Son Jesus Christ. Our calling from God is to constantly be sharing the gospel in our words and in our ways so that everyone we encounter each day can see the true light of Christ within us. We must walk in this world, but we must not be of this world. Our citizenship is not here but as children of God, in Heaven. As you walk this world today carefully heed God’s warnings. “You must be blameless before the Lord your God.” Deut 18:14
“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” 1 John 2:15-17
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