November 27
Daniel 4:1-37 | PS 119:97-112 | Prov 28:17-18 | 2 Peter 1:1-21
The opposite of being holy, is being common. Holy means to be set apart for God. We read in Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path." What is it that we trust? Who is it that we follow? Many, even inside the church, struggle with taking a stance which differs from the mainstream. Many like to label those who take such stances as conspiracy theorists. Really? Do I believe that the pandemic from a few years ago occurred naturally? No! Do I believe the vaccine was safe and effective, and was pushed for the good of mankind? No! Do I believe that our elections are honest? No! Do I believe there are powerful people who really run our nation and our world, not the ones that seem to be in charge? Yes! Does this make me a conspiracy theorist? No! Does this mean that all of my thoughts and suspicions are correct? No! But in this increasingly evil and misleading world, in which everything which was right is now labeled wrong, we need to be careful which experts we are listening to. Our world is so decrepit, that genders are questioned, even though kindergarten children could clearly assign them. God is real. The Holy Spirit is real. Seeking Him and His discernment is the only way to forge our path in these delusional times.
We need clarity from God's word. In Daniel 2, we read of major empires rise and fall in succession. These empires never would have believed they could topple so thoroughly, but they did. Anyone even mentioning this would have been labeled. But nothing seems true, until they are shown to be true. Consider King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4. He was brought to the level of an animal, eating grass, drenched with dew. This was the most powerful man in the world at this time. Did most people know this? Was this common knowledge? The Bible doesn't really elaborate on this. What should we trust? We read in 2 Peter 1:19-21, "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
How should we move practically when everyone wants to label you, when everyone states that what we are saying can't be true or else it would be more common knowledge? We read in 2 Peter 1:5-9, "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins." It is time that those of us in Christ, stand on holiness and avoid that which is common. This is our calling.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: