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"...And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them..." - Romans 1:25 MSG
Oftentimes people form their own opinions of who God is based on who they want God to be. In some churches today, you will hear that God is okay with homosexuality, but is this God if He sent down fire from heaven on two cities because of their rampant homosexual lifestyle?
Everyone without exception is encouraged to pray, but we see in the scripture that God does not hear the prayer of sinners. In John 9:31 it says, "We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does His will." So why do we tell people to speak to someone who won't even hear what they have to say? Do you know anyone that only does what God tells them 24/7? According to this scripture, if that's not you, you shouldn't be praying to Him.
Typically, we hear that God wants your family to be together forever, but Jesus said that He has come to divide families. In Luke 12:51-52 He says, "Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against." Jesus Himself said that His only family are the people who are devoted to God and doing His will. (Luke 8:21, Matt. 12:50, Mark 3:35)
You rarely hear of anyone advising someone to take the time to think about their decision to give their life to God and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, but Jesus Himself tells us to stop and consider our decision and make sure our heart is really in it. Oftentimes in churches we are encouraged to dedicate our life to Christ in the spur of a moment, following the emotional high produced by the music and dancing leading up to the altar call. We are led to accepting Jesus without taking the time to consider what it might actually cost us. This goes against the advice that Jesus gave us when He said “count the cost.”
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. - Luke 14:25-33
Rarely in church do you hear that it is extremely hard to get into heaven and that only a few people out of billions will actually make it in. But Jesus tells us that the road is extremely difficult and only a few will make it.
"Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." - Matthew 7:14
He also says that even the people who do, barely make it.
And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of the godless and wicked?" - 1 Peter 4:18 AMPC
Majority of people assume that once they come to God, that everyone will love them and that they will live a long, happy life. But the scripture actually says they will slander you, they will say cruel things about you, and they will hate you because they hated Jesus first. (John 15:19-21) And anyone who pursues a relationship with Christ will be hunted down like an animal.
"Indeed, all who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hunted and persecuted [because of their faith]." - 2 Timothy 3:12
The christian life we have lived in America is not the life that people in other countries are experiencing. And why is that? Is America actually standing with God? Or are we failing to represent who He truly is? Are we not facing persecution because America loves God, or are we not facing persecution because we aren’t followers of His?
The sad thing about these realities is that God isn’t changing who He is because of who we want Him to be.
It’s time to take a step back and look at your life and make sure that you aren’t following a god that you made up in your mind.