Who's in Control?

There is a man named Kony that is on the loose in east Africa. He has caused
more terror than I can even begin to express in words. Joseph Kony is a warlord who specializes in capturing and traumatizing children
so thoroughly and severely that they will never attempt to run away, then
training them to be soldiers who obey his every twisted command. I watched the popular youtube video and thought maybe it was a stretch. Surely no one could be so vicious in this day and time and still roam free.



I was very, very wrong...

 


 
On the contrary, the national pastors we have worked with in South Sudan have assured us it is true. All of it.
 
And they have told us stories even worse that those I found online. The truly disturbing part is that this man does what he does in the name of religion. He believes he is led of God. 
 

Most people, Christian or not, would agree that this man is surely controlled by Satan, not God. Most would also agree that Satan is terrible, wicked, and we should do our best to stay away from him…


 except….


                            when it comes to our pet sins. 


 Yes, I'm going there...just as much for me as for you.

 See, we like to gasp and shake our heads at all the evil in the world. There is a strange sort of comfort and pride that comes from hearing of others evils. Why? Because WE would NEVER do such things.  It makes us feel good to compare ourselves with bad people. There is a kind of safety in pointing out the splinters in another’s eye, because it allows us to forget about the log in our own eye (Matthew  7:3-5).


So why am I telling you all this? How do these two topics tie together and relate to your personal life?


I have one statement I want you to remember if you remember nothing else:

The same Satan who controls the minds of wicked men like Kony wants to control your mind too.



Maybe he already does.


I’m sure it’s not in the way he controls Kony’s mind. I’m certain it is much more subtle, which can in fact be even MORE dangerous...sort of like a odorless, colorless poison...

                                 ...deadly, but indetectable until it does irreversable damage. 


This is not a popular message.


Christians as a whole like to flirt with sin. It is somehow alluring to see how close to the edge we can get without stepping over the line. What we fail to realize is how real sin is. And how devastating. You see, sin brings DEATH.


Do you understand that? 

Do you BELIEVE it?


SIN BRINGS DEATH. Not sometimes. Always. How do I know? The Bible says, “ …sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death” (James 1:15).


Part of the problem in our lives in that we read the Bible, pick out the parts we like, reread those a lot, and ignore the parts about the consequences of sin, and the chastening of the Lord. It’s almost as if we view God as a cute, half-blind, old grandpa figure with a long beard and a poor memory, chuckling at our “mistakes” and patting us on the head as we run back out the door to play.

This is NOT the God we serve.


The Bible says these things of God:

 “…our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29). 
“ It is a fearful  thing to fall into the  hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).
“The Lord thy God is a jealous God” (Deut. 6:15).

Hebrews 12:6 even says, “…whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”


It is true that He forgives our sins, but He does not overlook them. He sees everything we do, everything we think. He knows our innermost parts. He even knows how many hairs are on our head! And most importantly, He is not fooled by us. We can fool our friends, our neighbors, our families, even ourselves, but not the Lord.


He knows your pet sin.


He knows your deceitful heart. 
 

He knows your excuses.


He knows all there is to know about you…


                                                         …the good AND the bad.


So what sin are you thinking of at this very moment that you know you need to let go of? What sin is Satan trying to convince you right now isn’t“that bad?” This is serious. If you ever want to move forward in your relationship with the Lord, you must make a choice…His way or your way? Obey the infinite, all knowing, unchanging God of the Universe, or follow your deceitful heart?

I can assure you that if you choose Him, you’ll never regret it. As the Africans say, “God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good and that is His nature.” Romans tells us He works ALL things together for good to those who love Him.


Is He unpredictable? Yes. 
 

Is He fearful? Yes. 

 
But is He good?



A thousand times yes.


So who will you  follow today? The one who controls the minds of evil men like Kony…or the One who created the stars and died to give you eternal life?
 


There is no middle ground. Will you serve self, sin, and Satan?  Or will you serve the Lord?

 
The choice is yours. I pray you make the right choice. 
 
 
Your life...


             and the life of your family... 
 


                                                    ... hangs in the balance. 
 

 
                             “…Choose ye this day whom ye will serve…” Joshua 24:15