Lucifer wanted to be God, honored, worshiped and adored,
So he tricked Adam out of his authority over the earth.
Then devilish cultural tactics across the earth he poured,
To solidify his rule, and then diminish our God-like worth.
God needed an army to assault these cultural tactics,
One seeming to the world as unique,
different, even weird! 1
Marching to the beat of a different Drummer’s rhythmics --
By the world, this army would first be feared, but then
would be jeered.
He also needed a people through whom He could
come as Christ,
To sow seeds of a different set of cultural tactics,
And become the innocent sacrifice to pay our sin price.
This was the only way to end devils’ dominion gimmicks.
So God started His army with Abraham’s family.
Allowed to become slaves for well over 400 years,
And accustomed to serving kings who ruled them ruthlessly,
Would they be willing to become God’s army volunteers?
‘Freed from slavery,
yet still we’re in servitude?’
This time to cultural patterns that reflect heavenly scenes.
Though it was through God’s grace and mercy
they were wooed,
Their allegiance would be won via some
‘stick and carrot’ routines.
Take a peek at Deuteronomy chapter 28,
To see detailed rewards and punishments from
their new King.
Would these have
convinced you be God’s army
candidate?
Also, would it be God
or devils who this stick would swing?! 2
Once satan’s dominion over earth had finally ended,3
God began to build His new army on earth, aggressively.
Wooed through grace and mercy, this army would
not be
upended! 4
Not slaves or soldiers, but ‘reborn
Christians’
we call this army.
To the world, they would appear unique, different,
even weird,5
Marching to the beats of a Drummer unseen, but heard.6
Would they resist old cultural tactics still being cheered,
Though satan’s dominion over earth has been conquered?!
Adam once lived by authority to him delegated.
To us reborn in Christ, authority’s now elevated,
To defeat by faith
things by which the world’s easily baited.
It’s only done if God’s Word our hearts have encapsulated.
But what happens when this distinction becomes negligible?
When our delegated authority we abdicate,
All for the sake of being culturally
amicable?
Folk can’t tell who’s who; things can’t hear God’s voice… devils elate!
We are designed and daily charged to fill-up our
‘heart tanks’,
With God’s Word presence
for sufficient faith power,
To recognize, resist and refute loud cultural
clanks,
Or we will end up worshiping… at their altar!
...So to the world, are you peculiar, even weird?
----------
1 ‘A peculiar
people’ (Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 14:2 and
26:18)
2 We
now know the stick is the results of being unlinked,
out of covenant with God, and tightly linked to/in covenant with the
hateful god of this world.
3 Through
the works of Christ. ‘He who [practices] sins is of the devil, for the devil
has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose The Son of God was manifested,
that He might destroy the works of the devil [via the new birth].’ (1 John 3:8)
4 Jesus said the gates of hell shall not prevail
against His Church. (Matthew 16:18)
5 ‘A peculiar
people’ (Titus 2:14 and 1 Peter 2:9)
6 Jesus said, ‘My
sheep hear, know and follow His voice. (John 10)
