THE SECRET PLACE
“He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)

PART 10

ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK I STAND

Every religion in the world has a leader and followers. Most of the leaders are dead, yet are still worshipped. If there is one obvious reason to support the view that God the Father, Jesus His Son, and The Holy Spirit, are the one and only true God, it is the fact that He was from the beginning, He is still alive, and He has no end. It is staggering to realize the depth of deception when so many millions embrace gods that were created by man and are not immortal. Jesus came to earth from heaven as THE God, and super-naturally was born through a virgin to live life as a human. He was all God and all man, and His perfect life, death, and resurrection was the only sacrifice valuable enough to redeem and ransom all who will believe and embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord. Unlike any other god or idol, Jesus lives today as Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent, which means He has ALL power and authority, has all knowledge and knows every word and every thought of every person that has ever lived – all at the same time. Since no one created Him, this simply means He is the creator of all things, leaving every other religion as an imposter.

ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK I STAND – ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND

If every religion in the world was built on the solid rock of eternal redemption, had the power to forgive sin, resurrect us from the dead, transform our lost spirit into a new spirit, and provide eternal life, it would not matter which religious “flavor” we preferred. However – “Houston, we have a problem”. It does matter! Why? Because only ONE God in the universe has these attributes and qualifications. Every other religious figure does NOT have the spiritual ability to give immortality. In man’s world of false religions, leaders use their charisma and charm as they chase people and beg them to join their cause so that more people can participate and they can become more popular. Man wants to be like God, yet not submit to Him, and the kingdom of darkness is always there to support his rebellion. On the other hand, in our heavenly Father’s perfect Kingdom of light, He personally sends out His “invitations” and must call us, convict us and pull us into His presence by His WORD that we might “see our need” to be born-again. God does not force us, but rather leaves the decision to our free will. The opening of our spiritual eyes allows us to see God and His truth like no other “being” can do. Once again, no other religious icon, entity, idol or god, has the power to change our spirit from its fallen state into a brand new identification. Without being born-again through the blood of Jesus Christ and allowing Him to live in our heart – no person will be granted permission into heaven. All religions that worship anything except The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit will face the judgment of Hades. This separation from the presence of God is not an act of cruelty but rather the justified consequences of rejecting Christ as the one true King of God’s Kingdom and the only Savior of the world. Soon, every empire, ruler, king and kingdom, president, nation, imagination, government, and religion will bow before Him and acknowledge that He is THE Lord of Lords and THE King of Kings. Since there is only ONE ROCK and ONE KINGDOM, there is no room for any speculation, doubt, argument, division, opinions or discord.

Several worldviews have slowly worked their way into the minds of the vulnerable and through the years have multiplied. These growing acceptances of secular thinking along with the rejection of God’s spiritual principals and values have now become a strong influence. As the governments of the world embrace the new age doctrines of social order, we can see that Christian’s are now being recognized as a hate monger. This is not a new strategy for the devil, as he has always been at war with God’s people. Jesus declared openly how the devil has come to kill, steal and destroy, so this should not be a surprise. What is alarming in this hour is the increasing numbers of those who embrace humanism who claim to be the “new and improved” version of what a real Christian is. The dividing line between the genuine and the counterfeit has always been vague, but now the aggressive new age reformers are being accepted by the masses as a “better” church that is much smarter than the old church. For the uninformed, this may seem to break down the barriers between the religious world and those who are not a part of the church community. However, the idea that replacing the gospel with moral and political compromise will somehow increase true spirituality is “deadly” and just another public relations strategy to gain more members and raise more money. Without the foundational truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is NO presence of God. Without God’s uncompromised Word, there is NO power unto salvation!

It is no secret that the lost do not want anything to do with God unless they NEED Him. As a minister and chaplain, I notice every day how people live their lives and sadly to say, there is little awareness or sensitivity toward matters of the spirit. It is common for me to go somewhere and for certain individuals to actually shun me as if I am carrying a contagious disease. When dark spirits come into the presence of Christ, of course, they do not agree, and with being in opposition, they will try to avoid confrontation. If the modern church attempts to deceive the “seeker” by not telling them exactly what, “Jesus being Lord” is all about, the motives of their concern are in question. The blind may feel more comfortable where sin is accepted and there is an absence of truth and conviction, but that does not mean this is a genuine Christian representation of His Kingdom.

Nothing is new – religion has always been the enemy of God’s people. Satan spends all of his time trying to wrap religion in different color packages, but throughout the ages, it is still the same evil spirit. Satan has been called the imitator and deceiver that presents himself as someone who is good, as he has always tried to be something he is not. The wolf in sheep’s clothing is a perfect example of how he operates in this realm. Humans, (like sheep) are very easily deceived and the devil has not really had a difficult time convincing most of the people to follow him. His crafty advantage lies in the fact that humans love their flesh and have very little willpower to resist temptation. When they hear sermons that speak God’s truth about holiness, sanctification, sacrifice, suffering, faith, and enduring spiritual warfare, they can easily become distracted and eventually uninterested. The lost world has never subscribed to the “real” Word of God; however, they are more inclined to accept a corrupted, generic version of it. The devil knows that “cozy” religion is much more accepted because it blends perfectly with the fuzzy feelings of doing God a favor. The new ideas of spirituality allow everyone to believe whatever they want and society will enforce that all people tolerate each view. Satan desires to close the mouths of God’s witness because he knows that for the world to remain in darkness, the FIRE of God’s Word must be extinguished. The plan of Satan is to change the way we think by incorporating his lies into everyone’s belief system, to denounce the concept of absolute truth and ridicule the possibility that God’s Word is THE valid “standard” to live by.

Am I saying that no one can have an opinion? No. I am saying that everyone’s belief system that does not agree with God’s absolute truth is wrong. I am sure that we are all wrong in some things but we are also being shaped and formed in the process of learning. Can we know the mind of God and His perfect truth? Yes! When we become born-again, our mind and spirit become renewed to accept a new spiritual truth directly from the Holy Spirit. Within this new state of being, our sensitivity to error becomes our security system to prevent deception. IF we are walking with Christ in a personal, intimate relationship, we will experience conviction when Biblical error is exposed. This is what makes the acceptance of humanism among Christians so alarming. For professing Christians to abandon their faith and willingly embrace heresy, either there has been a falling away of the commitment to abiding with Christ or there has never been an authentic spiritual birth. I personally believe that many people who claim to be saved, have never had a genuine encounter with God. A religious act of ceremony, performed while being emotional, is not always a born-again experience. We do not join membership into God’s family because we feel like it is a good thing to do – rather, we are pricked in our heart with conviction from hearing Christ knock on the door of our heart. We must receive the revelation of what He gave on the cross and that without His redemption we are hopelessly lost forever. Our sin must become repulsive to us and cause us deep sorrow. This sincere repentance and the acceptance of His grace brings a supernatural transformation of our dead spirit to one of eternal life. Included in this new way of understanding is the ability to know right from wrong according to the presence of truth that rules and reigns within our conscience. The idea of Christ being our Lord and King is what establishes our position as servant and friend.

Everyone is laying a foundation and building a house of some kind in some way. Moreover, each person has no choice whether or not to build – only who and what to build it on. “Lord, use our words to stir others to go further and deeper. Jesus, give us a burden to love others. Without you, everything is vague and unfocused. Give us clarity that we may be able to discern these times and like the noble Bereans, to sift truth from error. In the precious Name of Jesus Christ, we pray, amen”.