Let me begin with a few quotes from the book, Reformers Arise, by Cindy Jacobs. “Another worldview came into being during the Age of Enlightenment called Deism. Intellectuals accepted God in their worldview but believed that although God created the universe, He left us free to run it. Human beings began to shift away from seeing God as the all in all in society towards the acceptance of reality as based on natural not divine law. Rationalism became the predominant philosophy of the day and the sole test for truth. In other words, if they didn’t understand the “whys” of the Bible, they tossed it aside. As a result of this shift, humanity began to rationalize sin away – we were no longer built before God but merely victims of circumstances. This came from Sigmund Freud” Further on, which gives greater context, she writes, “There are no right or wrong answers… The frightening danger in this is that there are no absolutes. If we obey the laws of morality only when it seems good for us, lawlessness will ensure. Everything is fluid in this kind of society except for one thing – whatever you think is best for you. Thus the ultimate decisive value becomes selfishness – “hating out for number one” becomes the basis for all ethics and morality. …It is chilling to think that God’s commandments are thought of as general ‘suggestions’ put into the context of selfish human love. …With this mindset, each person, based upon their feelings of love, makes up their own ethics and values.”
We seem to live in a world where what we ‘feel’ is what we live by. We see today that even God-given sexuality is being turned over by what a person ‘feels’. We live in an era where our personal feelings can rule our lives. Following this theory, man is on a major downward spiral with the focus being me, my feelings, and what I want. As we all have different opinions, values, desires, etc, we can see that this leads to complete chaos.
However, if we make the Bible our plumb line of truth, God’s word being the truth that we choose to live by, we can walk into freedom, peace, love, joy, etc. God has chosen to put us in family both physically and spiritually. The need for Godly relationships is a huge key in working through things and learning to live by the ways of God.
The magnificent Sequoia trees are the tallest trees on earth and have survived despite the harshness of nature. One of the reasons or could we say, secrets, is because of their root system. They do not have a huge tap root system but spread out intertwining with other roots. This gives them the ability to grow to their magnificent heights.
Let us look at Proverbs 12v15:
NKJV: The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.
AMP: The way of the [arrogant] fool [who rejects God’s wisdom] is right in his own eyes, but a wise and prudent man is he who listens to counsel.
The Passion Translation: A fool is in love with his own opinion but wisdom means being teachable.
“Everyone needs wise counsel throughout life. Wise people constantly seek it and gladly receive it. Fools never ask for it and then ignore it when it’s given to them” Quote from The Love Dare.
May we become a people that really link roots with our brothers and sisters in Christ so together, we can grow. May we be quick to seek wisdom and learn from the wonderful people God has surrounded us with; those Godly Relationships He has blessed us with.
Some scriptures to encourage you
Acts 2:1. When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
When we are ‘in one accord’ with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we know that power will be released. We see what happened at Pentecost.
Ecc. 4:9-10: Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion…
There is such strength when we are struggling and we have people that we can walk with in openness and honestly knowing they will stand with us and help us.