Between work culture, social media, and constant comparison, it sometimes feels like people are expected to always appear successful, happy, productive, or emotionally fine.
Do you think modern culture makes it harder for people to admit struggle or vulnerability openly?
Actually? I disagree. The world always tells us that it is not our fault. We are not to blame. Simply, we are sick, we have a disease, society is wrong and has to change, the Bible is incorrect and has to change, or we simply do not understand why certain things are the way they are. We are also told that whatever we feel is good and healthy, everyone else has to accept whatever it is we say.
The Bible says:
1- Have no other gods before God? The world says, Any god will do. Or even better, no god at all.
2- Thou shalt not commit Idolatry. The world says, money and self are our idols. The Self Idol is an ever-increasing commonplace with the Internet. Look at me. Check out how many followers I have. I may even get paid if I have enough followers. What are they following you for?
3-Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. The world says, Keep that God stuff to yourself. He does not belong in society. God is nothing important to the masses.
4- Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. The world says we live in a 24-7-7 society. You do not get to choose easily when you work or when you do not. Besides, even if you are off, Saturday is a fun day. A time of drinking and doing all those things you can’t do during the week.
5- Honour your father and mother. The world says the government can do it and has become the father in many households. We have turned away from our obligation and given it to others, including nursing homes.
6-Thou shalt not commit murder. The world says abortion and euthanasia are ok.
7- Thou shalt not commit adultery. The world says Who cares? It is nothing more than a piece of paper. Everyone has the right to marry anyone. If it does not work out? Who cares? No big deal. We even have TV shows based on people cheating.
8- Thou shalt not steal. The world says, Well, that all depends. If you are taking money from a millionaire to give it to someone who doesn’t have much, that is cool. It’s not fair that someone has millions and someone else has to struggle to pay bills.
9- You shalt not bear false witness. The world says, Seriously?
10- Thou shalt not covet. The world says, Lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead? All is ok. No big deal.
Homosexuality- Leviticus 18:1-5, 22-24, 29, Leviticus 20:13, Ezekiel 16:49-51, Romans 1:18-32, just to name a few. The world says it is good, and those who are should take pride in themselves.
Transgenderism- Deuteronomy 22:5, Romans 1:18-32, 1 Corinthians 11:14-15, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5. The World says it is normal and children should be taught with or without parents’ consultation and or agreement.
Pedophilia - Mark 9:42, Luke 17:1-37, 2 Timothy 3:1-17, 1 Corinthians 5:1-6. The world says, Age is just a number, and it does not matter anymore. Love is love, and people deserve to be happy.
Go into a school and gun down a bunch of kids? Well, A- It is the Gun Manufacturer’s fault. B- Parents are at fault for having the gun. C- It was those other kids’ fault for bullying the shooter. D- The shooter was not hugged as a child, the parents are religious, there was an earthquake, the stars aligned, the devil made them do it, whatever. Just do not blame the Shooter. It was not their fault.
I have children. I have helped raise many children. Some by blood, and some by choice. Do you know what they all have in common? They lie. When something happens, and they fear getting into trouble, they lie. I say I have children, but sometimes I have more children than my wife gave birth to. Their names? Not me, I didn’t do it. I don’t know. Talk about problem children. Man. They are always into something.
Continued…
This is human nature. Sometimes, we never completely rid ourselves of this childish behavior. Even as adults, we lie, cheat, and blame others for our mistakes. We have even established an entire field of study called psychology that informs you and society that it is not your fault.
Now, do not misunderstand. I am not blaming psychology for all the errors of the world. I do understand that there is a need to talk to people when you are feeling stressed and or emotionally unwell. There is a benefit to this. However, one of the things that is left out more and more as time goes on is self-responsibility.
If you have your Bibles, turn to 1 Kings 13. We are going to start at verse 11
“Now, an old prophet lived in Bethel. And his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They told their father the words that he had spoken to the king. And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him the way that the man of God who came from Judah had gone. And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it. And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”
Stop here for a second. Now God told this man, and he will even repeat it, that he was not to eat or drink in the land where God sent him. Go back a little, and we read this
“And the man of God said to the king, 'If you give me half your house, I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink water in this place, for so was it commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.’" So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.” 1 Kings 31:18-10
God said it, he heard it, turned down a King, and even started to do the right thing, including going another way. Verse 16
“And he said, 'I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, for it was said to me by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’"
He heard. He understood. He was being obedient and following what God said. Until? In verse 18, he heard this from the man.
“And he said to him, 'I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’" But he lied to him.”
Wait, some would say that it is not the prophet’s fault here. He was lied to. However, read this very carefully. The Prophet heard from God Himself. This false prophet told him 1- something that goes directly against what God said. Claims to be a “man of God,” even though He is lying to the prophet. Then an angel told him. Not God. Right there, there should be enough to warn the prophet not to listen to the man but to listen to God, yet what did he do?
“So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water. And as they sat at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back. And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD and have not kept the command that the LORD your God commanded you, but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. And as he went away, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body, and behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road and the lion standing by the body.
And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived. And when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the word of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD spoke to him.” 1 Kings 13:11-26
Was he lied to? Yup. Did he clearly hear and understand what God said? Yes. Yet, he decided to follow the creature rather than the Creator. He chose to follow man, not God. This is not new. Adam and Eve blamed others for their sin Genesis 3; they did not have to eat. They heard and understood God. Saul’s refusal to fully obey God’s commands in 1 Samuel 15 shows that he thought he knew better than God. Pontius Pilate attempted to wash his hands of responsibility Matthew 27; he could have released Jesus.
If what someone tells you, it does not matter if it is the Pope, it does not matter if it is the President, it does not matter if it is your local Pastor, if it is not in here {Holding up the Bible} or it is contrary to this, {Holding up the Bible} say it with me, IT IS A LIE!. Highlight it, underline it, memorize it. If whatever, whoever, tells you it is not in the Bible, it is a lie. It is that simple. What we do, we are responsible. Today, we have gone completely the other way; it is ok not to be ok. It is never your fault.
Peter
I think vulnerability is always hard. Today with social media I think we see a lot of, I’ll call it “curated vulnerability,” that’s essentially people sharing a struggle but in a neatly packaged way. I think true vulnerability is rare. We often want even our struggles to be palatable or relatable. But if we want to develop meaningful, truly supportive relationships and friendships, we have to be real and vulnerable without polish (preaching to myself here!).
2 Timothy 3:1-This know also,that in the last days perilous times shall come…
1 Timothy 4:1- Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith…
Luke 18:8-> Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
2 Thessalonians 2:11 and 3-4 and 9-10:->
11 GOD shall send them strong delusion,that they should believe a lie:
3 Let no man deceive you by any means:for that day shall not come,except there come a falling away first,and that man of sin be revealed,the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God,or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,shewing himself that he is God.
9 Even him,whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;because they received not the love of the truth,that they might be saved
Now the serpent->(Revelation 12:9combined with John 5:43-47 and 2Thessalonians 2:3and Revelation 13:11was more subtil than any Beast of the field which the Lord GOD had made The woman said unto the serpent:->We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden->(Matthew 25:33-34,take a look):-> But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden(Matthew 25:41 & 46),GOD said,Ye shall not eat of it…lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman,Ye shall not surely die:For GOD doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,then your eyes shall be opened,and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,and that it was pleasant to the eyes,and a tree to be desired to make one wise,she took of the fruit thereof,and did eat,and the eyes was opened,and knew that was naked;and sewed fig leaves and made aprons.And GOD said:Has you eaten of the tree,whereof I commanded thee that thou should not eat?
Revelation 16:13-15:
15 Behold,I come as a thief.Blessed is he that watcheth,and keepeth his garments,lest he walk naked,and they see his shame.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon(Rev. 13:11combined withRev. 12:9,and out of the mouth of the BeastRevelation 13:1-10and out of the mouth of the false prophet(John 5:43-47),take a look).
14 For they are the spirits of devils,working miracles,which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world,to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
1John 2:28-29 and 18
28 And now,little children,abide in him;that,when he shall appear,we may have confidence,and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
29 If ye know that he is righteous,ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
18 Little children,it is the last time:and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come,even now are there many antichrists;whereby we know that it is the last time.
Matthew 24:4 and 7 reveal:
JESUS answered and said unto the disciples:->Take heed that no man deceive you. Kingdom shall rise against kingdom(Kingdom of GOD-Rev.11:15-18) → against Kingdom of the Devil,the kingdoms of this current demonic world),and also nation shall rise against nation:
To the only wise GOD our Saviour,be Glory and Majesty,Dominion and Power,both now and ever.Amen.Jude 1:25(combined with Rev.11:15-18).Amen.
Now the serpent(Revelation 12:9 combined with [John 5:43-47](http://redirect.viglink.com/?
key=71fe2139a887ad501313cd8cce3053c5&subId=3318924&u=https%3A//ref.ly/John%25205.43-47%3Bkjv1900%3Ft%3Dbiblia) and 2Thessalonians 2:3 and Revelation 13:11) was more subtil than any Beast of the field which the Lord GOD had made.
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