There are many people who claim to be followers of Christ, but their lives reveal their heartfelt disbelief. Instead of the fruit of the Spirit, their actions demonstrate the fruit of sin. They may be regular in their church attendance, they may faithfully pay their tithe, they may even be elders, deacons, or pastors, but their actions show that they are, at least to some extent, practical atheists.
Jesus reserved his harshest words for religious atheists when he said, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former" (Matthew 23:23).
Before we smugly agree and picture in our minds the hypocrites we have met, may I remind us all that we each have a bit of the atheist in our hearts. Our actions prove it. For example, Paul writes about one of our most profound problems-an undisciplined tongue-in Ephesians 4:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:29-32).
UNKIND WORDS
Language is a wonderful gift from God, enabling humans to communicate ideas, abstract concepts, feelings, emotions, and beliefs from one person to another. Think about the miracle of words. With sounds or writing we can transfer images and meaning. We can cause another being to experience joy or sorrow, courage or fear, love or hatred, peace or terror-all by the combination of sounds or letters we choose to use.
Learning another language is an exciting and yet frustrating experience as we try to link mental images to new combinations of sound. We laugh as we discover that the same sound for "we" means "yes" in French and that the sound for our number "9" means "no" in German. As we listen carefully to different languages, we can easily distinguish the guttural sounds of the Germanic and Slavic tongues from the melodic tones of French and Spanish. We can quickly discern the sing-song patterns of Oriental speech from the clipped sounds of Indian dialects or the clicking words of some African tribes. We delight in the innocent sounding speech of the Scandinavians and the British and we are absolutely fascinated with the lilt of the Irish and Australian accents. Sounds identify, distinguish, and group tribes and nations.
Were you aware, however, that there is a language of unbelief? It is a bitter and cynical tongue, and it is not limited to a single nationality, for it is spoken on every continent. It is described in Psalm 10:7: "His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue."
I heard this language clearly spoken my first day in a biological psychology class at the University of Colorado when the professor looked at his students and asked in a tone dripping with arrogance, "Are there any of you who still believe in the myths of the Bible?" The bitterness and cynicism that projected from his heart filled the room.
Was there any direct connection between his theological perspective and biological psychology? Of course. If you deny the reality of God, it affects your entire view of reality-including origins of the universe, the source of life, the understanding of biology, and the meaning of psychology, which for many is the foundational philosophy for their lives.
My professor's attitude is well described in Psalm 10:4, where David wrote, "In his pride the wicked does not seek [the Lord]; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."
Just as you can detect a person's nationality by his speech, so can you recognize a practical atheist by his words. When a person speaks of "evolutionary processes" or says that the universe is "billions of years old" you have heard a functional atheist communicate his mind. The Bible describes such a person this way: "The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good" (Psalm 14:1).
What's surprising these days is that many professing Christians have begun to speak in the same bitter tones which characterize the atheist. Over the years I have counseled numbers of Christians who have admitted that when they become angry, they lose control of their tongues and use vulgar language and speak obscenities and curses toward their mates and children. Though they would rarely come out and say that they no longer believe in the reality of God, that is what they communicate to others. In effect, they have become functional but religious atheists.
One of the most difficult character changes we as Christians are called to make is in the area of our words. James warns us, "No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). He points out the inconsistency of Christians who claim to love God and yet their mouths prove that they are still full of sin and rebellion: "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be" (James 3:9-10).
A wicked tongue is especially damaging in the home. As James said, "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell" (James 3:6).
Marriages are crippled and destroyed by abusive language. Children are as twisted by the harshness of unrelenting criticism and continual belittling as they would be by physical beatings. Instead of experiencing the security, encouragement, and warmth of gentle words, a growing mass of Christian young people seethe with rage, longing for the day they can leave their homes forever. It is no wonder, then, that they spend as little time as possible at home, preferring the company of other angry teens at the local arcade or mall. I am constantly amazed at the number of young people from Christian homes whose deep anger is written clearly on their faces as they walk into church or a youth group class.
I remember a Christian family who drove from the other side of our metroplex for counsel. They were an affluent family living in an upscale neighborhood. They had every possible "thing" that defines "the good life" from the world's point of view-a beautiful home, new cars, video games, expensive clothing everything. Yet the children were constantly getting into trouble and were becoming involved in gangs.
The father was an ex-marine who ran his family like a drill sergeant ordering his platoon on maneuvers. He attempted to control the family with a loud voice, barking out angry orders. But the children were reacting with rebellion and his wife was about ready to call it quits.
Paul wrote to Christian fathers, "Do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). The King James Version puts it a bit stronger: "Provoke not your children to wrath." The Greek term for "wrath" is parorgizo; which means "to anger alongside" or to enrage. It perfectly demonstrates the power of an ungodly tongue to create deep and abiding hatred within the home.
Did you know that God says an uncontrolled tongue is an indicator of practical atheism? James said, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless" (James 1:26). What a convicting phrase-"his religion is worthless." A worthless religion means nothing to God and ultimately, it means nothing to the world either.
I am convinced, however, that if you are reading this book, you have a genuine interest in cultivating godly speech. You want your home to become a reflection of heaven, a place of joy, comfort, and peace. You want your life to be happy and you're tired of the constant friction and tension which seem to remove all the enjoyment life has to offer. Peter wrote, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech" (1 Peter 3:10).
Changing Our Speech
How can we change our speech from unbelief to godliness? Ephesians chapter 4 provides a framework for a transformed tongue. The first point to understand is that Christians must abide by a different standard than the world does. Paul wrote, "I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking" (verse 17). If we do not grasp this foundational principle, we will never experience genuine change.
Paul explains the process of sanctification this way: "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true n righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24). It's the P-R-P system: Put Off, Renew, and Put On.
We cannot do this on our own, however. This kind of transformation is a direct work of the Holy Spirit. Even the Old Testament saints understood this when God told them, "I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezekiel 36:27).
The word sanctify simply means "to set apart for sacred use; to consecrate, to make holy or to purify." God requires that we be holy if we want to experience the joy and peace He offers. This does not happen mystically, however, as some think. The Holy Spirit does not work primarily through our emotions, feelings, or intuition, though that is what some people teach. According to Jesus, sanctification takes place in direct relationship to the Word of God: "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth" (John 17:17).
As we study and meditate on the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit does his powerful work, helping us to "put off" our old way of thinking, speaking, and acting. It takes more than making New Year's resolutions to be different. Putting off comes as a natural by-product of genuine repentance, something we hear too little about in this age of churches that are more concerned with pacifying people's desires than they are about teaching truths that people need to hear.
God describes repentance as "return[ing] to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning" (Joel 2:12). True repentance involves genuine sorrow for the sins we have committed against God and man. Paul wrote that God desires for us to have the kind of sorrow that leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9).
Repentance does not merely end in sorrow, however. It produces what we are longing for: peace with God and joy in our hearts. Peter called it refreshment from God. He exhorted his countrymen to "repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" (Acts 3:19).
How can we know whether we have truly repented or not? There will be a change in the way we act. Paul said, "to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds" (Acts 26:20).
The Process of Renewal
Repentance is the "putting off' portion of the transformation we seek. We must then move to the next part of the process, which is "to be made new in the attitude of your minds" (Ephesians 4:23). Fortunately, this does not require years of expensive psychotherapy to achieve, but it is the natural result of a heart filled with the truth of God's Word.
Paul explains renewal this way: "I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:1-2).
But how do we learn what God's will is? Does He reveal it to each one of us individually or has He given us objective, propositional truth to guide us in the renewal process? Paul, writing to Timothy, gives us the answer: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We can learn God's will for us only by understanding His written Word."
It is important to realize that God works in us not because we deserve it, but because of His love for us. "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). It is the work God promised through Ezekiel when He said, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekie136:26). It is the work that transforms us from practical atheists into victorious children of God.
The final part of genuine transformation is "put[ting] on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:24). This is the "training in righteousness" that Paul speaks of in 2 Timothy 3:16. Growing spiritually mature is much like developing a skill-it involves practice and repetition.
A person who wants to be a star athlete trains daily for years to condition his body and mind so that he can perform almost automatically. The football place-kicker spends countless hours kicking and kicking and kicking so that he can accurately launch the ball between the goalposts. The basketball star practices shooting the ball into the hoop from every spot on the court, training his eyes, arms, hands, and feet to work in perfect coordination so he can successfully complete the shot with nothing but net.
The pianist practices those boring scales over and over again, up and down, up and down, up and down, driving the rest of the family crazy. He practices chord combinations and rhythm patterns, learning to read music with his eyes and translating the notes through his fingers onto the keyboard to produce glorious music.
The process of putting on the new self is like that. We must practice righteousness daily until it becomes an integral part of our very character. Jesus put it this way: "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.... But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand" (Matthew 7:24-26).
Paul explained the path to inner peace as a process of repetition: "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:9).
There is no shortcut to spirituality. You will not gain control of your tongue through a charismatic experience. There is no magic verse that will suddenly transform your character unless you obey it. James wrote, "Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves" (James 1:22 NASB).
I once counseled a man who was suffering from what the world calls OCD-obsessive compulsive disorder. He had been controlled by senseless fears and pointless ritualistic behaviors for most of his life. He was a genuine believer in Christ, but could not seem to gain victory over his obsessions. He had undergone psychological counseling, psychiatric therapy, strong medication, and other interventions without success. Now he was desperate, wanting release from the bondage that was making his life and his marriage miserable.
He came to me, hoping I would have a flash of insight that would instantly provide healing for his problem. He was disappointed when I explained to him that his problem was rooted in wrong thinking and disobedience. I pointed out that his obsessions were long-term habits of behavior that had to be rooted out with repentance and the daily, even hourly, practice of righteousness.
I shared with him that obedience is a moment-by-moment choice that each Christian must make in any given circumstance. A person who has given himself over to alcohol must learn to continually submit his thirst to God in order to be delivered. One who has illicit sexual desires must focus his mind on purity and willfully avoid sexual thoughts as he fills his heart and mind with God's Word instead. Rarely does God free us from the life dominating sins without effort on our part; that is why the writer of Hebrews says, "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Hebrews 12:1).
It has taken time, but I am thankful to see real change taking place in this man's life as he is applying the Word on a daily basis and practicing new ways of thinking and behaving.
The same principle applies to unkind words. We will never learn how to control our tongues until we have been radically transformed on the inside by the daily practice of righteousness. That's where healthy communication begins.
BROKEN TRUST
Another reason many people ask us the question, "How big is your God?" is because they've found that they can no longer trust many Christians. The dictionary says that trust is a "firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing."" We are given several examples of trustworthiness in the Bible. Joseph, for example, had proven himself totally worthy of the trust his master placed in him, to the point that the master "left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate" (Genesis 39:6).
When King Joash determined to repair the temple of God, he found governmental administrators who were so dependable that "they did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty" (2 Kings 12:15). Can you imagine government officials today being worthy of that sort of trust?
Daniel is another model of personal integrity. How wonderful it would be if we could say about our elected officials what was said about Daniel: "The administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent" (Daniel 6:4).
Before we get too indignant about our government, however, we would do well to examine our own hearts. God says, "It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2). One of the most fundamental of all trusts is that of marriage, a relationship in which we solemnly covenant with our mate that we will remain faithful, loyal, and pure so long as both remain alive.
Proverbs paints a repulsive picture of the unfaithful wife "who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God" (Proverbs 2:17). An equally ugly image is presented of the hard-hearted husband. We are told that God removes His blessing from such a man. Why is this the case for unfaithful husbands and wives? "It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant" (Malachi 2:14).
Some of the people who have been caught in an affair come into a counseling office in great agony because their mates have left them after discovering their unfaithfulness. Sometimes the separation takes place months or even years after the discovery of the affair. "I don't understand why she can't forgive me," a husband wails. "I told her I was sorry and that it would never happen again." Or a wife weeps, "He just can't seem to put it out of his mind, even though it happened only once."
The problem is, once trust has been broken it is difficult to repair. When a counselor probes for the cause of the unfaithfulness, some people reply, "I just couldn't help myself. It happened so suddenly. I never planned to be unfaithful-it just... well ... it just happened. The temptation was just more than I could handle." That is the cry of the practical atheist.
It is the same excuse offered by the drug addict, the drunkard, the homosexual, the glutton, or any other person who is in bondage to a life-dominating sin. "I can't help myself," he says, and in a very real sense, he is right. That is why the Lord has given us a resource greater than ourselves and our sin-the Holy Spirit! John writes this encouraging word to us: "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
Even in the Old Testament, God gave the promise of this supernatural power: "I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezekiel 36:27). Paul explains the process of victory in Romans 8 when he writes, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ" (Romans 8:9).
Perhaps you are saying right now, "I am a Christian, but I still don't have the power to overcome my sin." Then perhaps you need to examine your heart. Are you really a Christian? Paul writes, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5). While it's true that Christians will sin from time to time, sin should not be a regular pattern of life for the believer. Is your faith only an intellectual agreement that Jesus died on the cross for your sins? James writes that such faith is not really faith at all. Read carefully what he says:
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? (James 2:17-20).
In that passage, James is talking about religious atheism. It is a dead faith that has no power to produce righteousness in our daily lives. Remember, though, that even if this describes you, there is still hope. Find a godly pastor, elder, or lay person who knows the Bible and has demonstrated Christian maturity over the years. Ask that person to show you how to make certain that you are truly born again. Then ask to be discipled so you can grow as God intended.
If you have broken trust with your mate, what can you do about it? You can genuinely repent before God, humble yourself before your mate and ask for forgiveness, and begin the long process of rebuilding trust. Remember, forgiveness and trust are not the same thing. Your mate may indeed forgive you in obedience to the Lord, but trust cannot be commanded. It is the byproduct of a long history of trustworthy behavior.
Commit yourself to the long haul. It may take years to fully rebuild the trust you have so carelessly destroyed, but, dear friend, it will be worth it. Don't give up. Just keep proving in every way possible that your word is true. If you say you are going to be at the office late, be sure that is exactly where you are and that there are witnesses so no doubts can arise. Never be alone with a member of the opposite sex without others around. Be sure that you have no unaccounted-for time that can raise suspicion all over again.
ANARCHY AND SELFISHNESS
Considering the state of many Christian homes today, it should come as no surprise to us that unbelievers wonder how big our God really is. I'm talking about domestic atheism, where we refuse to follow God's ordained organizational plan for the family. One reason that marriage is out of order in our generation is the feminization of virtually every institution-politics, education, business, the church, and the home.
Let me hasten to assure you that I am not anti-woman in any sense of the word. I have three wonderful daughters who are the delight of my heart. My wife has been my trusted partner and my closest friend for nearly 30 years. I believe in equal pay for equal work, and I am absolutely opposed to physical or verbal abuse in any form.
Yet I still believe that God has set up a chain of command within the home as is necessary for any organization, no matter how small. Scripture is abundantly clear on the issue of order within the home.
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:21-25).
It's very simple: We are to lovingly submit to one another as a part of our devotion to the Lord. In the rare event when a married couple cannot arrive at agreement on a course of action, wives are to defer to the leadership of their husbands, who are to use their authority with the gentle love demonstrated by Christ. The husband, in turn, is to submit himself to the clear instructions of Scripture, since Christ is over the husband as head of the church.
Any man who interprets this passage as a license for brutality, harshness, or dictatorship is misapplying the Scripture and will be held accountable for such sin. He is acting as an unbeliever of the worst kind, since he is not providing what his family so desperately needs-loving leadership.
On the other hand, the wife who refuses to submit to her husband's leadership is acting the part of the domestic atheist as well, since she refuses to trust God to work His good for her in her unpleasant situation.
Peter writes about this in his first epistle:
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:21-23).
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear (1 Peter 3:1-6).
I am not suggesting a system of Oriental obeisance where the wife meekly follows seven steps behind her husband, nor do I believe that a godly wife has no right to disagree or to appeal the decision her husband makes. However, the Lord has given clear instructions for the believing wife that she is to trust the Lord to work in her behalf and to submit whole-heartedly and confidently to the leadership of her husband, knowing that her hope is in God. That is the message of 1 Peter 3:1-6.
Why, then, is the issue of "submission" so emotionally charged? Because of selfishness. Women fear that their husbands will abuse their authority because they have seen them do just that, over and over again, due to the selfishness of man's heart. Men have, on the whole, abused their office, their physical strength, and the loyalty of their wives to get their own way. It is no wonder there are so many angry feminists determined that no man is going to push them around.
At the same time, however, there are wives who selfishly refuse to give in to their husbands' authority because ... well ... just because! Feminism has crept into the way we read the Bible, the way we raise our children, and the way we interact with our mates. And the result is unhappiness.
When we remove God's order from the home, the inevitable result is discord, disrespect, confusion, and spiritual destruction. Husbands who are passive and lacking in spiritual and practical leadership have removed the structure for happiness in the home. And if a husband is harsh in his leadership, he likewise damages his home. "A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself' (Proverbs 11:17). Though he may technically be a Christian, this kind of man is acting no differently in his marriage than an atheist would.
The wife who refuses to work within God's plan is spotlighted in Proverbs 14:1: "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." She, too, has become like an unbeliever in the way she acts in the home.
Pity the children who grow up in a home that is in such disarray. It is understandable when they declare that they have no interest in spiritual things since they have seen little joy or peace in their family. In all my years of ministry, I cannot recall a rebellious teen who had grown up in a biblically ordered home where the father was the loving head and the mother was the respectful second-in-command. The children I have seen emerge from disordered homes are described in 2 Timothy 3:2: "lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy."
LACK OF COMMITMENT
Is God big enough to help us keep our word? Many do not seem to believe so. But in Ecclesiastes 5 we read, "When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it" (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). This is especially true for those who call themselves Christians.
God expects us to fulfill our commitments in our business dealings, in our interactions with others at school, in the neighborhood, at church, and especially in our homes.
A major cause for miserable marriages is the lack of commitment to the sanctity of the wedding vows and to the marriage itself. God takes marriage very seriously, as He makes clear in Malachi 2. Our godless modern culture has reacted to the abuses of marriage in the only way it knows how-divorce. Jesus explained why this is the case: "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning" (Matthew 19:8).
Divorce is a natural consequence of unbelief. Nearly every pastor has listened to estranged couples as they say, "God wouldn't want us to stay together like this, would He? We don't love each other any more!" This is the cry of the emotional atheist who bases his life and values on his feelings rather than forcing his feelings to comply with a biblical foundation of faith.
Emotionally dependent faith is doomed to failure. It collapses under the weight of unpleasant circumstances, unsatisfying sex, business failure, unexpected disease, financial pressures, boredom, jealousy, the death of a child, imprisonment, governmental social policies, incompetent psychotherapy, or any number of other problems of living.
Let me ask you, dear reader, what kind of commitment do you have toward your promise to God that your marriage would endure, no matter what? Are you looking for ways to bail out? Are you hoping your mate will file for divorce so you won't have to? Think deeply with me for a moment. What acceptable reason will you give to the Lord for ending your marriage when you stand before Him in eternity?
I heard of a former pastor who decided to leave the ministry, divorce his wife of many years and marry a younger woman. He was quoted as saying, "I'd rather go to hell with [his second wife] than go to heaven with [his first wife]!"
A pastor from Michigan wrote to me the tragic story of his wife's involvement in psychotherapy and how their marriage ended in divorce because she became increasingly enraged at him as her therapist led her deeper and deeper into an imaginary past of abuse. She became committed to her fable, rather than clinging to the truth of actual events and how God would have her handle them biblically. Instead of holding on to the commands of God's Word, she chose rather to believe psychological lies.
Their ministry, family, and marriage became the casualties of misdirected commitment.
I have heard the same story countless times from every region of the nation. The names and minor details vary, but the essential outline is the same." No longer committed to their marriage, to their vows, to their children, or to the Lord, emotional atheists have opted to follow their hearts rather than the Word of God. The tragic results have devastated churches and families across the nation.
IMAGE WORSHIP
In Galatians 5:20, Paul mentions idolatry as a natural consequence of denying God by our actions. The Greek term he uses, eidololatreia, means "image worship." What could be more appropriate to describe practical atheism in our day than image worship? An image is an artificial representation of the real thing, and many modern-day Christians are falling on their knees before a pantheon of worldly deities.
We spend more time with the colorful moving images of television, videos, and movies than we do worshiping our Lord. We idolize television and movie actors, athletes, and a host of other celebrities as though they were gods while we give little thought to God Himself. David wrote, "Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word" (Psalm 119:37).
I'm not saying we must destroy our television sets, but we should carefully evaluate our viewing habits. I am always convicted when I read Psalm 101:3, especially the New American Standard translation: "I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not fasten its grip on me." The King James Version puts it even stronger: "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes."
When we allow the evil images of the world, with its lust, greed, violence, perversion, and mockery of God and all that is good to fill our minds, haven't we set worthless and wicked things before our eyes? Haven't we allowed it to fasten its grip on us?
Am I overreacting? I don't think so, yet I know that even in conservative Christian groups, television and movies are a nonissue. May I suggest a simple guideline for our viewing decisions? We need to ask ourselves, as honestly as possible, "Would I be comfortable viewing this if Jesus were sitting next to me?" (Well, He is!)
The same question can be applied to any form of entertainment we choose: music, novels, magazines, games, athletics, and so on. "Would this be pleasing to Jesus?" In some cases, the answer would be yes. But oftentimes we would have to hang our heads and admit that we are allowing the world to take God's place in our hearts.
Paul knew about this tendency when he wrote, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2).
DRUG THERAPY
A further description of the downward spiral of sinful actions is found in Galatians 5:20, where we find the startling term phctrmcskeia, which was derived from the word pharmakoan-a spellgiving potion, or a drug used to induce a trance for the purpose of sorcery or witchcraft. Our modern word pharmacology comes from the same root, but we use it to mean legal and medicinal drugs. That is not what Paul was talking about, however. Remember, he was warning Christians about the natural consequences of ignoring God, and addiction to mind-altering substances is one of the most damaging consequences possible.
We are all aware of the pitiful destruction that inevitably accompanies the use of highly addictive drugs such as alcohol, heroin, and cocaine, but many are unaware of the drugs being administered by modern-day witch doctors. At least that is what Dr. Peter Breggin, the director of the Center for the Study of Psychiatry and himself a psychiatrist, calls those who misprescribe psychotropic drugs.
Christians have also fallen prey to modern shamans who pretend to understand our hearts and minds and who offer us their spell-giving potions to calm us and give us an artificial peace. They do not wear feathers in their hair, nor do they sport bones through their noses. No, they are more sophisticated than that. They are more likely to wear a white medical smock and display a Ph.D. diploma on their clinic wall. Nonetheless, they exercise the same soul-numbing power over their patients that the witch doctors of the steaming jungles have over terrified natives.
How do these "experts" acquire such power over their victims? By creating a foggy climate of fear and mystery they alone can penetrate with their incantations and magical skills. The modern experts of the soul-psychologists and psychiatrists make a living by convincing themselves and their patients that they know what is going on inside their clients' hearts. They believe they understand subconscious motivations which control the behavior, feelings, and destinies of the suffering humans who come to them.
Some even practice "therapeutic touch," a technique now being taught in medical schools around the world. In this innovative therapy, the practitioner moves his or her hands slowly over the patient's body, not actually touching, but merely smoothing out the aura, or energy field, which they believe surrounds every person. Ironically, this is exactly what witch doctors have done for centuries to unsuspecting natives.
Believing they are in safe hands, many Christians have accepted diagnoses of mental illnesses that may not even exist and have ingested the potions prescribed. We may never know how many Christians are continuing to suffer in sin while trying to dull their pain with tranquilizers, anti-anxiety medications, and personality pills, but the numbers are staggering.
Many no longer believe that God is able to heal their inner wounds and have become pharmacological atheists, hooked on Prozac, Ritalin, and Lithium.
WISE ACTIONS
How big is God in the way that we act? If He truly is God, and we are His children, surely our lives should show it. The key is very simple, according to Jesus. He said,
Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash" (Matthew 7:24-27).
The key, of course, is hearing God's Word and putting it into practice in our daily lives. When we do, God will heal our broken marriages, restore the love between parents and children, and make our homes a preview of heaven while we await the return of our Lord.
Extracted from Ed Bulkey's How Big Is Your God?
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