Daily Devotional for Friday December 22, 2006
God will Hold You Accountable Whether You Like it or Not!
(Deuteronomy 9:24; 1 Samuel 15:23)
Dealing every day on the Internet and every night on the TV program with people who choose to live in rebellion to God and His Word, it is sad how satan has so blinded people with his lies that they live in wanton ignorance regarding what awaits them the moment they die. They think by believing there is no God or that God will not judge them, they can live their lives any way they want, being accountable to nobody. The fact is, God WILL hold each person accountable whether they like it or not!
The reality is, people hate someone telling them what to do. That rebellious nature is evident in children, and is something most people deal with throughout their entire life no matter how old they get. That sin nature all men are born with breeds rebellion against authority. The authority of your parents. The authority of your teachers. The authority of the law. THE AUTHORITY OF GOD!!! Man by his very nature does not like being subject to ANY authority.
This is why parents have so many problems with their children. Children by nature rebel against their parents and only do what they want. This is why so many teens and young adults end up hurting, damaging, even destroying their lives at such a young age. Since they are older, they have more freedom to exercise their rebellion by drinking, doing drugs, having sex, not doing well in school, polluting their minds with porn, horrible music, becoming preoccupied with death and the dark side of life. Satan has an endless array of traps out there for teens and young adults to fall into when they want to rebel.
Of course, as people get older, their rebellion does not cease, and often increases. Adults make the choice to break the law, get involved in illicit sexual affairs of every kind in and out of marriage, "escape" through drugs, alcohol, gambling, and a whole host of other addictions that people become enslaved to, not to mention just living in such a selfish way that others get hurt through their choices. Even those in their golden years still live in rebellion in a multitude of ways.
The point I am making today is that because of the sin nature we are all born with, living our lives in rebellion is "natural" and something we all must fight all the time. The reality is, most people choose NOT to fight their rebellion, giving in to their natural desires to do what they want, when they want, and how they want, regardless of the consequences. So many simply choose to just give in to their rebellious nature and don't even care what the consequences of that rebellion will be.
Of course, this includes a persons spiritual life as well. The first sin was the sin of pride, satan deciding that he wanted to be God. It was an act of rebellion for God's creation to try and supplant the Creator. God created man with free will. The free will to obey Him or the free will to rebel against Him. Man had ONE RULE to follow in the Garden, ONE! Sadly for us and all mankind, Adam decided to rebel against the one rule God gave him, and thus sin entered into the human condition, and as a byproduct of sin, that rebellious nature we all fight.
Because of man's broken relationship with God his Creator, his rebellion extended to his spiritual life as well. He no longer honored and revered God, but saw God as the "rule maker." Man, of course, not wanting to follow any rules, found it easier to simply act like God didn't exist. God gave man His Word so His creation would know how to live this life in victory. Again, man had no desire to follow anyone's rules, even God's, so he quickly dismissed God's Book.
THE ETERNAL MISTAKE MEN MAKE IS THIS. YOU CAN GO THROUGH THIS LIFE ACTING LIKE GOD DOESN'T EXIST SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW GOD'S RULES, BUT WHAT SATAN FORGETS TO TELL YOU IS THAT ONE DAY YOU WILL DIE AND AT THAT MOMENT GUESS WHAT? YOU WILL BE STANDING BEFORE GOD YOUR CREATOR TO BE JUDGED! YOU WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE BY GOD WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!
I love you and care about you so much. Here is what I learned as a child, as a young adult, as a grown man, and still learn every day about rebellion, IT COSTS! There is always a huge price to pay when we choose to live in rebellion to our parents, to our teachers, to the law, to anyone in authority over us, and especially to God! REBELLION IS NOT FREE!
One of the things that drives me every day is knowing that those who are living their lives in rebellion to God, living their lives without Christ, will die at any moment and be judged by God for their sins and cast into hell for all eternity. THAT IS THE REAL FATE OF MEN WHO DIE WITHOUT JESUS! This is not a game. Death is final and there are no second chances. Those who die without Christ are destined to spend eternity in a place created for satan and the fallen angels who followed him. ETERNAL PUNISHMENT IS NOT A SPANKING, OR BEING GROUNDED, OR BEING EXPELLED FROM SCHOOL, OR BEING PUT IN JAIL...IT IS FOR ETERNITY!!!
I am saddened by those I encounter every day who have decided to listen to the lies of satan that there is no God, or that they can live however they want and God doesn't care. Saddened by those who listen to the lies of satan that the Bible is not God's Word, thinking if they deny what that Book is, they don't have to follow it. Saddened by those who have been so blinded by the lies of satan they can't even begin to comprehend the fact that the moment they die they will be standing before God their Creator to be judged. Saddened because I know those who buy into these lies will be spending all eternity in hell!
I will be praying for you today. If you are one of those people who is living in rebellion to God, to the Truth of His Word, refusing to accept Christ as your Savior, please hear this plea today. There is a very real God who created you and loves you so much. He is also a God of judgment. He has given you a way to find an everlasting relationship with Him if you will only surrender you heart and life to His Son Jesus who died for your sins. Please, take a moment and watch this video clip. If you do not know with 100% certainty that if you died in he next 30 seconds you will be forever with God your Creator, you MUST watch this clip! http://www.liveprayer.com/altarcall.cfm
Because of the sin nature we are born with, we all have to fight rebellion our entire life, in all areas of our life. That is why having a relationship with Christ is so critical. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling every Believer that we have the strength to live our lives in OBEDIENCE, not rebellion. I will be praying for you today as you follow the Lord each day and live your life in obedience. There will come a moment for each of us when this life is over, and at that moment we will be standing before God. GOD WILL HOLD US ACCOUNTABLE WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT!