Mixing Oil & Water
Have you ever tried to mix oil and water? You can stir it, shake it, whatever...it will not mix together. The two are completely opposite to the other. The same can be said about righteousness and unrighteousness.
2 Corinthians 6:14 asks this..."for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? I've been burdened to speak out against prideful principles that many who call themselves Christians have applied them to spiritual things and assume that we have done holy unto God. Satan has imposed a spirit of competition among God's people and we have so blindly embraced it as good and holy. Never has God instituted the practice of self exaltation as a means of glorification to His name, yet we desecrate the most holiest of things on an effort to appease our flesh while having a mold to call it sacred and good.
No form of our worship to the Most High God should ever be mixed with competition. Biblical study, singing praises, playing an instrument, etc should NEVER be used in the realm of competition. Yet we tell ourselves that we should know the scriptures for the time comes when we won't have the word anymore and we base that as our reasoning for placing it in a competition. Or we say oh we're not competing with our drum corps to see who's the best, we're showcasing what we've learned and the trophies are mere tokens of our accomplishment. Sadly, you're deceived.
Never has there been more of a lie told! Satan knows that to keep God's people from the study of His word, he need do no more than sow seeds of self-gratification in the people. Then they will willingly regard studying God's Word or singing or playing an instrument as a means of justification of one's own self-righteousness rather than doing it for His glory. Thus Satan presents the use of holy things in the spirit of competition. He mixes oil with water and we gladly drink. We strive to be better than others, all the while forgetting what Jesus told His disciples who were arguing about who would be the greatest. Competing with each other in the very presence of God!
They even had the nerve to ask in Matthew 18 "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Satan does not want to stop you from from studying Gods word, or singing praises, or playing your drums for the glory of God. Rather he wants to simply pollute your worship so it's seen as an offering of strange fire in the presence of God.
He knows that flooding the church with faithless professions of faith with no true relationship will do greater harm than removing the study of Word of God completely. More souls will be lost due to the unconsecrated profession of righteousness than to a worldwide destruction of God's Word. If we study our lesson study only to be seem of men as knowledgeable and not as humble servants proclaiming reformation and revival then we will be lost. If we practice with our drum corp only to enter competitions to win and be recognized then we will be lost. If we sing in the choir only to have people say oh ya'll sounded awesome, ya'll sure can sing! And we reply with anything other than To God be the glory, then we will be lost.
I would rather we have forums where we get together and show what we have learned without trophies or formal presentations of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Be ye not deceived God is not mocked, whatsoever you sow, you will reap. If we can't exhibit praise without some recognition to ourselves, then we're not doing it for His glory, we're doing it for ourselves.
I know that many of you will disagree, but that's okay. Let God be true and every man a liar. It doesn't matter what any pastor, or conference or elected official says, let God be true, and every man a lie. I don't expect many to share this or even admit that its true. I don't care about seeing the harvest of these words. I am called to simply plant the seed. A few months ago I was where you stand. Wanting to enter competitions to be seen as the best and but it's not pleasing to God. Praise God He gave me eye salve so I could see! It's my continued prayer that I stop supporting holy things based in the spirit of competition...I hope you will too.
Blessings
