Modern Times: What does “Spiritual Adultery” look like? (Ezekiel 23)

This chapter of the bible speaks of Gods people committing terrible acts of metaphoric adultery on him as their first love, by worshiping other false idols. But what do the “whoredoms” and “lewdness” actually refer to and can this same message be applied to the modern day church?

“And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,”

“Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.”Ezekiel‬ ‭23:5- 7‬ ‭KJV‬‬
The Lord exposes Samaria and Jerusalem for their disloyalty, as they were openly serving idols and taking on the foreign ways, cultures and influences of the very people they were meant to influence by the ordinances and ways of the Lord.

From this comparison and Gods deeply intimate and emotive language, we begin to see the severity of the sins committed. God is the extremely hurt by the infidelity of his love. It also becomes clear that Gods people are intended to be set apart and separate from the world, we are in the world but not of it. Jesus says it like this… “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.” John 17:14-16

So here we clearly see that the people of God must not be the same as unbelievers, if we are then maybe we need to question ourselves if we are committing the same “whoredom” but in different ways…

My children keep yourselves from Idols

Many parts of the bible can be applied to today’s daily living, including Ezekiel 23. The main message from this chapter is that God was displeased with his people because they had worshipped other Gods, not put him first and defiled his holy temple (both their metaphoric human bodies and the actual temples). Now let’s not exclude ourselves too quickly from this. Since the same sin can be committed different ways, and there is “nothing new under the sun”, to receive what God Spirit is saying to us, we just need to apply it to our lives.

After all, anything put before God is an idol. It could be a job, a person, your phone, your music, even yourself. Anything that comes before God is an idol. Back in verse 7 the Lord says that we actually “defile” ourselves with idols. Defilement is the result of sin but death and separation from God is the ultimate result of sin.

“Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms. The Lord said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;” Ezekiel‬ ‭23:35-36‬ ‭KJV‬‬
So if we create an idol what we are actually doing is forgetting God and this is an abomination to him, more broadly speaking. This can be applied to a person individually and also to the church collectively.

But it gets even deeper in the following verses;

“Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths. For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house.”Ezekiel‬ ‭23:38-39‬ ‭

Notice the phrase, the “same day”. So here we have people of God, after they have been worshipping their alternative idols and “other” Gods, coming into the house of God to also worship him, almost as if they were right with God. They were not coming to repent or expose themselves to the Lord, but to cover their sins and behave like they had done nothing wrong.

Is that you today?

Do you give all your time energy and effort to other things in your life and then try to search for God at the bottom of your pile when it’s convenient? These are the same acts of Adultery that broke Gods heart against Jerusalem and Samaria. Maybe it’s time to take a deeper look into our “lovers” and deepest affections and be sure that God always has preeminence…

Lord Jesus, thank you for your strong and powerful love for me that saved my soul from hell and gave me power to walk in the spirit. We repent for our “whoredoms” that we have committed towards you by creating idols and leaving you behind in our hearts. Please forgive us and help us to walk in the uprightness that you intended for us. To not have any other Gods before you is what we desire the most. Walk with us first and foremost,

Amen!

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Why we are all so Terribly flawed (without God)

Humans have a way of justifying themselves. A way of deciding their own versions and perceptions of happiness, peace, love, right from wrong, justice… my question is how can all of these individual takes be perfectly correct at the same time?

They can’t. And that is the problem.

If we continue to entertain the idea that there is no presiding God, no ultimate judge over us, no final influence of right and wrong, then we can continue to argue our own individual and conflicting versions of justice, our own versions of what loves is, our own version of justice and the list goes on. Do you see the problem here? Your own innate desire to distinguish right from wrong is in itself a God given trait. Who gave us the idea of right from wrong anyway? Where does that even come from? Why do we understand some things to be wrong and right as a majority? What is the origin of those thoughts? Why am I guided by my inner morality to be a good law abiding citizen? These are supposedly “inner feelings” of good right? If we say that there must without doubt be an overall origin or designer of that moral good that we are so naturally hardwired with.

We are flawed as long as we continue to deny a creator because without the ultimate and dominate influence of him that created us, a God that is higher than man and rules over man, we don’t have a presiding moral guide or a basis for explaining why we need to have positive morals or where they or we originate from to begin with. Morals are instilled and taught, they do not just appear and yet the majority understand that to kill or rape is something you should not do. Why is that? Where does that internal general prompting come from?

My issue with conflicting moral perception is that if I feel justice served for a man that kills is to kill, but then another disagrees and says no that would make you just as bad, imprison him, then who gets the final call? How do you prove that this person has more moral standing that the other person? We are all human after all.

So who decides right from wrong?

God does, and his word is his heart, his judgement, his ruling and his reign. We are all flawed rejecting our very creator as he gives us the moral guidelines and very essence of how to live life for he is life itself.

My Unseen God (For Jon)

I wrote this after hearing some awful news that someone from one of my favourite christian bands had decided he no Longer believed In God anymore. I hope this encourages and people can relate to it. Pls share with someone you feel might be going down that path of unbelief. This prayer is totally honest and I hope it touches someone love you guys and keep going for Jesus till the end ❤️❤️💜💜💞

My Unseen God (For Jon)

Lord I come to you knowing who I’ve been, who I am, and who I want to be.

I’ve doubted my faith, my humanity, my trust, my relationships, my love and my sanity.

I’ve been tempted to doubt that you even exist and to consider that Maybe this is one big awful dream.

One big chance existence of nothingness, a meaningless life of pain and suffering, hurt and heartbreak. A hopeless and lifeless cycle that gives no assurance, no peace and no rest.

Sometimes I feel my frail heart is going to give in, to break under the pressure to just quit on everything. On hope, on joy on love.

But there’s that tiny flicker of light, that can never be completely put out. That small grain of hope, of faith in you that somehow, everything Will be OK. That you’ll wipe away every tear I’ve ever cried, that you will cover me with the eternal fullness of your joy. That your life on earth still remains a fact, that you came from heaven for one thing… me.

How can I deny your goodness and influence in my life?

Sometimes I feel like giving up, but I can’t. I can’t leave you. I can’t be convinced into some useless theory of “evolution” or “chance”. Even when I feel alone, even when I feel you are not at the other end of my prayers, that doesn’t matter. My feelings are deceiving as says your word and even I’ve been a witness to how true that really is. I can’t even trust myself. So I’m so flawed and hopeless without you.

Well I’ve come to know that I love you. Or at least I’m trying to. And I want to love you more.

Why can’t I just walk away from this? Things haven’t worked out how I planned and my scars will always be visible so what’s the point? I can leave at any moment.

Truth is to see your face watch me walk away would be heartbreaking to me. I cannot die being the kind of person that just wanted to “do me” in life, surely there is more meaning to all this. What about humanity? What about the general right from wrong rule, like where did we even get that from? I cannot be my own master. I did not make myself. To who do I return?

Lord what is my service. And why do I feel so alone sometimes when you tell me you are with me? Like there is no one but me on this earth. Like no one hears me understands my hurt or takes me seriously…

But you ask me to look deeper. You speak to me through the silence and you want to know one thing.

Do you truly love me? He asks…
What will it take for you to let me go and forsake me?
Will it take silence? Will it take bereavement? Will it take struggles and anguish? Will it take distractions? Your career?

Or What will it take for you to stay?
Money? Praise and glory? Blessings? Family and friends? Maybe it’s temporary convenience you want.

The answer to both is nothing.

My pain and hurt in this life are immeasurable to the rich gaining of you. The dull deadness of my soul immediately is filled with such vibrant and radiant life and light in the shadow of his presence. His character alone is pure riches that I can never even fully comprehend or imagine. He is far above all things.

Our journey is the testing of our faith. The silence is the trying of our love.

Will we really trust God when it doesn’t feel like he is there or like we are hearing from him? Will we really give ourselves wholly to him in trust when we cannot even see where we are going and darkness begins to loom? Will we break under the pressure? Will we quit under the confusion? Will we leave when we feel we are getting nothing back and our feelings and emotions have taken control?

When all seems so silent take a deeper look. Persevere, seek out the riches of his love. Let your love for him be the driving force of your perseverance. God is fashioning that masterpiece inside you from the perseverance and love you show through your “silence” phase. God is present. God is creating the new creature before your very eyes and it’s so beautiful because it’s in his likeness.

He is working himself into you.

Or will you only follow him when it all makes sense. Will you only take his hand when you can see the way out for yourself. Is he only valid when he fits all the rational criteria in your head? When you no longer feel the hurt? When your scars are no longer visible?

To blindly trust in him is true freedom, the true understanding of his goal and riches. Seek him when he cannot be seen, heard or easily sought out.

He gave everything for you.

Feeling Irritable..?

I am. I’m so annoyed by sometimes the smallest of things. I’m going to be honest here guys. And hey, yes I’m aware of it. I know for sure some people will say, “Oh dear, how can you say that, you’re a Christian!” Or they will be shocked at the fact you are feeling angry, or that things are bugging you majorly. Maybe I didn’t have enough to eat or maybe I am stressed, whatever it is, I am going to hold my hands up and say no I’m not always the graceful Christian I am trying to portray. 

Honesty is the first step. Let’s face it, I did wrong and I accept and take full responsibility for my sin. Please remember though guys it’s not a sin to be angry, it’s the reaction you have while you are angry. 

Usually when I’m in this state, I forget what I need to do because I’m so distracted by my selfish feelings. Why didn’t that person do that for me, why isn’t anything going right, why is that kid screaming so loud on the train. It all gets abit much and before I notice, my attitude begins to show I’m flustered and annoyed. It’s important to have reflection with God on your behaviour daily. Go through the events of your day with him and ask him to help guide and control those feelings you feel you are unable to. 

What did I do wrong? 

Did I react in the right way as a Christian? 

It’s important to remember, as soon as you feel the peace of God moving away from you and you begin to get irritated, remember Gods way. His peace and his grace. Sometimes the change is so subtle you don’t even realise that your spirit has changed. Let’s keep on top of this guys. Let’s pray that God will give us the grace to react with peace humility and kindness, even in the hardest of situations because isn’t that what matters? 

It’s how we react when we are in adversity, not when everything is fine. How to react when we are feeling low, sad, upset, angry and ignored. This is what builds character. This is was allows us to be more like Christ. To be more loving, more understanding, to know the unconditional love that Jesus talks about and has for us continually. We should start sharing that. 

So the next time you feel irritated, focus on building character and not anger. Sounds like a plan right? 

Manassa 

Thoughts and Feelings Snippet

Wow. The word of God really hit home today. We were in discussion about Gods grace and how we are forever disappointed and let down by own own efforts to please God. That grace Is our link to the cross. That sin is a disease, a deadly catalyst that drives us away from the living God. That we are on a journey, we won’t become like Jesus overnight. That what’s important is that others see the love of Jesus in our churches, homes, meetings and hearts. God is infallible and his word is unchanging. Don’t give up in your walk with God, be strong, when you fall or fail, get back up and proclaim God victorious over the struggles in your life.God bless friends,

Manassa 

Continue Progress, Continue Growth.

We all struggle to live a Christian life based on the guidelines, but I just want to be an encouragement to you today. No matter how hard we try, our own superficial efforts will never get us to heaven. I have failed at this so many times, I have tried to do things my way and tried to battle sin on my own. Well, we just can’t do it. Spiritual perfection is unachievable for all of us, without a full dependence on God. It’s like trying to build a house without any materials or trying to fix a bike with no tools. Actually Impossible. 

A continuation in prayer and daily communication with God will allow to us constantly continue growth and continue progress. What does your spiritual flow chart look like? Is it steady, going down or increasingly going up? That’s what God wants to see. 

Don’t get me wrong guys, this will not happen overnight of course, but that firm foundation in Christ will bear spiritual fruit in time. Prayer and reading- these are your lifelines, pray to god that he will reveal his spiritual attributes in you, earnestly request this from him. I was reading Matthew 7 the other day that says if the son asks for bread his father will not give him a stone. Gods word is infallible. It will come to pass if we are consistent. 

Peace and love 

Manassa 

Jesus the Messiah…

Jesus wasn’t at all what the people were expecting. They thought the messiah that was to come would be someone rich, who only dealt with kings and generals. Someone that would be born into a royal family maybe? Someone of “high esteem” or status right?  Well that’s our earthly perception of matters…

Our God is so different to what we expect. Jesus was born into a regular family, had a regular job with a regular upbringing. Is that for a reason? 

God wanted to teach us as people that God in all his glory brought Jesus to earth in such a humble, selfless way, mixing among the people, getting to know them personally and socially. How much more should we be humbled before God as mere people? You see this is why God hates pride…

Proverbs 16:5 “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”

God could have arrayed Jesus in gold, ascending out of the heavens with lights and trumpets, but there was a specific reason why he didn’t do this. To teach US about humility and humbleness! Wow! How God teaches us. He loves us and wants us to understand that we are nothing without him. We are a weak species who cannot live a spiritually enriched life without him. All that waits for us is eternal separation and pain if we don’t come under his love. How great is our God!

May he bless you and keep you,

Manassa 

Christian, and then Christian…

There are two types of Christians in the world today. The religious Christian who goes to Church every Sunday, sings the songs, is seen as a good figure at church. When church finishes, they go back to their sinful way of living without any regard of feeling on conviction or shame. 

Then there is the Christian who fights with daily condemnation, for their sins. The Christian who is found at gods feet behind closed doors when no one is there, when no one is looking on to give praise or aknowledge them. The Christian who is filled with guilt and conviction, wanting desperately to be filled with the Spirit of the living God. The person who worships God wholeheardtly at his altar, even when things are falling apart around them. The one who stays awake when they are overwhelmingly tired, just to get a glimpse of gods word after a busy day. The Christian who knows they have a personal relationship with God. The person who is fuelled and empowered to know more, to have daily communion with Jesus. The person who’s soul is thirsty and incomplete without the love and communication of God.

What I’m trying to say here is that no matter what stage you are at, find a deeper love for God. Keep pushing to know him, he will not leave us outside but will welcome us with a joyful heart. It is his desire for the relationship to be restored fully, to the point where we fully depend on him in our lives.

Peace and love,  

Manassa 

A Perfect Ruin

You have made me. You have moved my soul and pieced my mind and my heart back together. Your nail-pierced hands have sculpted me, molded me and comforted me. Your love has power, a power that does not even exist in dreams. You are beautiful, a shining light that covers the canvas of the winter sky. That melts the seasons into one being.

Calvary is dead. And you are alive, More alive than ever. The perfect ruin of the cross has built an everlasting bond that cannot be broken. A shelter that cannot fall. A kingdom of forgiven, repented liars and thieves. Your hands built the scroll of the sky, the wonders of the universe, the depths of the mysterious sea. And yet you called me.

Chasing Shadows

I’m there waiting in an invisible room with no walls. The floor is my reality, my safety net. A least for now as it keeps my feet touching something that feels safe. Safe for now. I can’t get out. I can’t see any windows or doors. I’m stuck here, trying to tell myself I don’t wonder what will happen to me when I die. Telling myself that I don’t fear death. The unknown. I tremble at the possibility of change, shudder at the invasion of something else coming for me but what?

I’m chasing shadows that are not real. They were never real. They are brief images of emptiness and nothingness that try to lead me to death. They dance around in front and behind me as I see their dark reflections on the walls. But then a light. A burning furnace of glory, majesty and awe comes seeping in and suddenly engulfs the room in a burst of light.

Jesus.

I now realize. I have a home, a father, a place where I am meant to be. And it’s not here. The Shadows disappear.

He has found me…