Sin Desensitizing Me and You

Sin Desensitizing Me and You 

“I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh . . . and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” EZEKIEL 11:19–20 

If you’ve raised children, you know about selective hearing. Whisper something about them while they’re watching TV, and they perk up immediately. Ask them about their homework in a normal tone of voice, and they somehow don’t hear . . . God’s Word is God’s Word whether we accept it or reject it. In our most rebellious times, we—like the people Ezekiel was addressing—may not hear, but we can’t say that God does not speak to us. The truth is that we simply do not want to listen. Ezekiel’s audience had the ability to hear God’s warnings, but their sin desensitized them to God’s words. The same thing happens to us. Repeatedly disobeying God leads to a hardening of the heart until we are impervious to the Holy Spirit’s conviction. Nevertheless, God offers to replace our “stony heart” with a heart of flesh that is soft and tender toward Him. If you have developed a hard heart, turn to God, repent, and receive a heart of flesh. Then you will find yourself seeking His promises and desiring His way. You will begin to regularly hear His voice and find delight once more in spending time with Him. - Blackaby Being Still With God 

Much is said both in the Gospels and to the letters written to all of us afterwards about the deceitfulness of sin.  We live in a society that with every day comes even more desensitization of sin. 

We see exactly what Jesus wondered if He would see about the faith. 

We see this warning come true:

 

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight!
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine,
And valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink,
Who declare the wicked innocent for a bribe,
And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

Isaiah 5:30-23 NASB

We do many things with our words that tear people apart in the name of fun. It's been highlighted more in recent years to be labeled bullying. But for some reason, the world doesn't like to apply that to what happens to Christians. Please note that bit of sarcasm in that last sentence. We know it's becoming far more prevalent in our society to attack Christians just as much as Jews.

At the end if every sports season people who claim to be Christians, in violation of the Scriptures, use worldly "fun" to tear apart people based on "who's side" they are on.

I have actually had a brother in Christ actually say in response to my not being an Ohio State University fan "I'll pray for you in that!"  

Ridicule and hatred have no foundation in anything for anyone in the body of Christ!

There is no "it was just done in fun!" defense before Christ Jesus!

Honestly, in my youth, I was terribly good at how to use words to shred someone at school. 

To bring them to tears in what was referred to as "cut down sessions".  This is to my shame!

We who are in Christ Jesus have to be as the Bible says "in the world but not of the world". Romans 12:2.

Why are sins prevailing so much in the Church today?  Because we have believed the lies of Satan rather than the truth of God.  We are told that if the world hated Jesus it would hate us too.  So what does the so-called Church do?  Find ways to accept sin so that the world wouldn't be offended by their stance.  

Jesus never once sugar coated His words to any He came across. He never once compromised and told them it was ok to live in sin.  

He always forgave and said what? Go and sin no more.

Paul, in Romans, spoke at length about not continuing in sin that's identified by God's Word as sin.  

We constantly see adults teaching children how to hate others based on their beliefs, their taste in sports teams, their choice of movie characters, politics...and this is within Christian families!

God said what about His Word?  That not one of the least parts of it would ever not come to pass.  Which means we need to stick with what God says concerning sin!

If God says that in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 means exactly what it means "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." In this passage he was talking to people in the Church.  People being taught that those sins would be overlooked by those who practiced them, intentionally did them, in their lives. Verse 11 "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."

We should never water down, never find, excuses to allow sin in any form in our lives. 

People are why Christ Jesus did what He did to make salvation possible. 

Satan will use everything he is allowed to use to destroy lives.  

Including causing callousness in comments of so-called Churches.

Including causing callousness in believers towards sin in all its forms.

Your thoughts and intentions, like mine, are always laid bare before Jesus Christ at all times. 

You can deceive yourself but you will never deceive Jesus Christ. 

You may laugh now, but I can promise you that you won't when you are confronted by Jesus about what you have done when He asks you about it. 

There is no excuse for any reason to tear down anyone. There IS a responsibility to share Jesus, to share the truth of God. Exposing sin and sinful behaviors is not tearing down. 

It's living a life in agreement with God concerning sin and the penalty for it.

I have profound regret for many of the words that I have spoken or thought that tore someone down.  I have, in many facets of my life put various sins in categories of "bad" and "not so bad".  I have ripped people because of their choice of sports teams.  God says in His Word that there is no acceptable reason to indulge in sin, in any way, shape or form.

Why has the Church appeared weak in this world?  For the same reason Israel became weak in this world over the centuries. The farther it gets from God's Word the weaker it will get. 

Know this truth...the Rapture is coming. Jesus WILL return. Those who are left behind either will either finally come to Christ for salvation, or they will embrace the lies of the Anti-Christ because they are already prepared to accept him today.