“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.” - Hosea 4:6
I've been writing about discernment. I know this subject is not popular, even among Christians. Many Christians cringe when they hear of someone exercising Biblical discernment. When a person takes his Bible and calls out false teachers, wickedness in high places and deceitful practices, it is resisted by those in and out of the church. Yet what kind of world would we have without genuine discernment?
Our enemy, the devil, wants to eradicate Biblical discernment. He does not want to be exposed as the thief he really is. He doesn't want unsuspecting people to be warned of his wicked strategy. The enemy wants Christians to remain silent as he continues his effort to deceive, dominate and destroy.
Without Biblical discernment, a society is doomed to destruction. Hosea spoke of this when he wrote, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Without a discerning voice to warn people, many fall into the devil's trap and face destruction.
Genuine discernment is rejected by much of our society. Christians are labeled, “a hate group,” by many in our country. This label is used because some believers have the backbone to stand up and speak out against sin --- something this unbelieving world cannot tolerate. There needs to be an outcry against sin. Sin ultimately destroys lives. Instead, America has encouraged and celebrated sin. Even worse, many preachers and believers remain silent about this issue.
Our nation emphasizes education to the neglect of wisdom. As a result, we've become educated fools. It is one thing to have a college degree, it is another thing to walk in wisdom. We encourage young people to learn from a textbook without giving thought to what the textbook is actually teaching them. Rejecting God's Book, our society trusts in the warped opinions of instructors who never leave their study.
God has given us a Book. It is a library of books. Within the pages of His Book, we learn about life and death. We learn about the beginning and the end. We find instruction about the past and the future. We understand how to know God and relate with others. The basics of civility are taught within its holy pages. Wisdom is imparted to those who seek it. Those who reject His Book, reject the very knowledge that would save their lives.
It is this lack of knowledge that God speaks about when He says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.” Rather than practicing discernment, they face destruction.
It seems like our nation is spiraling out of control, headed for lawlessness. The only thing that seems to be frowned upon these days is the Christian call for morality, decency and integrity. Rather than living by practical standards of righteousness, every man is seeking to “do his own thing.” Anything goes. This is the kind of lawlessness we see portrayed in the book of Judges, where everyone “did what was right in his own eyes.” Although there were great leaders during the age of the judges, by and large, it was a sad time of apostasy and iniquity in Israel. We are headed down that same road here in America.
When it comes to the truth, we can either receive it or reject. There are consequences for either decision. Yet those who live by the truth find freedom therein. Those who reject truth are held captive by their own passions and desires.
People without discernment continually live in darkness, facing eternal peril. That's why you and I need to consistently pray and faithfully share the Gospel. The god of this world has blinded their eyes from the truth, yet the truth is what they need to hear.
Jesus said, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” The light of truth reveals our real condition. It is an unwelcome intrusion in the lives of sinners. Yet without the light, these precious souls will continue blindly following the devil --- all the way to destruction.
Those of us who've been illuminated by truth need to shine this light in the dark lives of those around us. While many are revolted by the light, it may be that the light of Christ will infiltrate the heart of a needy soul and point that soul to the loving Savior.
It is awesome when a soul leaves the darkness and begins walking in the light!
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