I believe that at the core of most psychological problems in the world are two things: 1) Lies and 2) a strong worry about what others think of you.
In this imperfect world, as we grow up, we will always encounter good and bad core values. Core values are how you think deeply about yourself, your future, people in general, the world, and even God. Everything comes from our core. Some will value family, relationships, and hard work. The problem is that many have not been able to identify their own Negative Core Values. Deep thoughts such as: “I am worthless,” “I will never be successful,” “I cannot succeed,” and others.
You can learn many things, but knowledge alone has no power. What truly impacts our lives is what we ultimately believe. This secular world is controlled by the devil himself (2 Corinthians 4:4), and he is the father of all lies. John 8:44 tells us, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (English Standard Version) When we talk about the devil, we are speaking of murder and lies.
So, everything the world offers is a lie; it is deceptive and meant to harm us. Every day, we face a choice: life or death. Jesus tells us: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10 ESV)
The devil’s goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus’ goal is to give us abundant life. Yet the world uses entertainment, glamour, power, and influence, and many fall victim to these deceptions.
In Genesis 3:6, we read, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (New International Version)
The devil is skilled at appealing to what appears attractive and desirable to us humans. That is how the devil seduces us, but behind that seduction lies iniquity, a celebration of sin; terrible lifestyles that oppose God and lead us away from the abundant life Jesus offers and into death.
The devil calls it liberation and demands acceptance, and in today’s progressive societies, if you oppose that, you are canceled, your career is ruined, and you may even face harassment and persecution.
Many, including some in the Body of Christ, go along with the flow and put everything under the banner of God’s love; they water down the Gospel and never mention sin. But the prophets of the Old Testament had no problem exposing sin. Surely John the Baptist, the greatest prophet of all, did not hesitate to expose Herod’s iniquity of sleeping with his brother’s wife. Likewise, Paul had no issue revealing the man who was sleeping with his stepmother (his father’s wife). Paul even ordered that this man be expelled from the church and turned over to the devil.
These are just a few examples of what would be considered acts of hate in today’s society, including some so-called believers in the Body of Christ who refuse to expose anything… hiding their lack of boldness behind phrases like “the world will be the world” or “our job is to preach the gospel.” A gospel that, by the way, is becoming more and more absent because it offends people, and we don’t want to do that. This is the reason why cowards are numbered among those who will not enter God’s Kingdom.
Beloved, we are surrounded by lies, and those lies MUST be exposed. In the New Testament, we see the original apostles consistently exposing lies rather than cowardly backing away from them. Their priority was what God thought of them, not what the world thought.
Our problem is that we want to have one foot in the world, pleasing others and being liked by everyone, while the other foot remains in the church. This, my friends, according to Scripture, is impossible. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus tells us: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (KJV)
Would you make up your mind today?
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