For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. John 12:43
When I strive more for the approval of the world than for the approval of God, I need revival.
It is no secret that most people want to
blend in with society. No one wants to be considered “weird” or “strange” by
their peers. There are certainly exceptions, but most people want to be
considered “normal.” For that reason, many young men are willing to do whatever
they have to do to fit in. They allow their hearts to become dominated by worldliness
by following modern fashions, striving to be like those in the world.
When you talk to your friends about the
latest ungodly movies and music, it shows a desire to be of the world, and it
is not pleasing to God. You see, your speech betrays your heart; and when your
heart is full of the things of this world, there can be no room for the things
of God. God is not looking for part of your heart, or even half of it. Jeremiah
29:13 says of God, “And ye shall seek me, and find me,
when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” He wants
all of your heart. If you are holding back any part, then you need a revival in
your soul. Think of it this way – anything that you cannot watch or listen to
with Jesus Christ sitting right next to you, watching or listening to it with
you, is of this world. How about the last ten songs that you listened to? Could
Jesus feel comfortable listening to them with you? What about the last ten
videos you watched on YouTube? Would you feel perfectly fine letting the holy
Creator of the universe share the images that your eyes beheld? If you answered
“no” to either of those questions, then it is time to seriously evaluate what
you are taking into your heart and soul.
When you become ashamed of living a godly
lifestyle around people in the world, then you need revival. As I mentioned
before, no one wants to feel out of place, but that is one of the risks we must
take if we are to be followers of Christ. Those who are ashamed to say they go
to church and follow God are a long way from having the vibrant relationship
that God desires to have with them. A trap that many young men fall into, maybe
without even realizing it, is that they become accustomed to the filth of the
world by allowing themselves to be exposed to it too often. When you can see
filth on the television or internet, or hear it sung on the radio, and it no
longer bothers you, it is a sign that your spiritual level has dropped far
below where it should be. Matthew 6:33 says to seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness. Only when we do that, are we are well on our way to pleasing
the Lord with our lives.
Quote of the day: “It were better that you were never born than that you
should go back into the world.” – Spurgeon
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