Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Unfaithful Believer

“But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to Me, O house of Israel”  and “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 3:20, 22 NIV).

PS: We have updated a few visions under the Dreams and Visions section for your edification. Be blessed and freely share with others.

Purpose of Messages from The Lord

Back then in 1991 I was asked by brethren to preach and prepare a message for our next meeting. This was the first time I preached, and neither did I know how to present my message. I was both shy and my command of English was quite poor with a limited vocabulary. I nevertheless took up the challenge and I sought the Lord in prayer over many days to help me with a word to preach and Scriptures to validate my message. Miraculously, as I prayed, the Holy Spirit referred me to passages I read and the impact these Scriptures had on me turned into a message. With this in mind, this is how the Lord made His messages known to me through a deep intuitive discourse only known by faith in Him. Many faith driven-believers call this experience the “small still voice” speaking within, which is the way the Lord communicates to us through the Holy Spirit (John 10:27). The purpose of asking the Lord for a message to deliver to others is based on His knowledge of our short comings and our spiritual needs. Lately, I have been given messages to preach or present in writing through my daughter Charis, who hears His Voice and sees His form. I am not claiming any superiority over any of my brethren; we are your humble servants sent to give you your food on the proper time (Matthew 24:45-46). We are your servants in the Lord and we love you and we say: “This message is for you, for you, FOR YOU!

Unfaithfulness, the Human Nature of Old Self

As it is, the Lord has given us a message on unfaithfulness for this week’s article. Many of us consider unfaithfulness in the light of a marital commitment which is correct in some respects and the Lord God almighty used it metaphorically to depict His intimacy through His covenant with the children of Israel (Hosea 3:1-3, 6:1-11).

The free online dictionary defines unfaithful in a broader sense as “Not adhering to promises, obligations, or allegiances; disloyal.” We will look at unfaithfulness in terms of our relationship with the Lord of our salvation, Christ Jesus. The sin of unfaithfulness towards the Lord is a common practice among Christians. We behave unfaithfully when we are alone, thinking no-one is watching us, while we know that the Lord is surely watching us (Proverbs 15:11; Hebrews 4:13). In Scripture, notably Galatians 5:22 we are told that faithfulness is a Godly virtue and a Fruit of the Holy Spirit, while unfaithfulness is a human disposition of sinful self- interest. In reality, the world is filled with unfaithfulness among people and even the faithful yield to various circumstances and forces thus allowing the spirit of unfaithfulness to overpower and ultimately possess them. This spirit of unfaithfulness will manifest when we are confronted by the desires of the human nature. We easily choose to become unfaithful; why? Because it is less troublesome and conveniently acceptable to our human nature. We place the demand of circumstances above the Lord (Matthew 26:69-74). Let us have a look at some Biblical examples of unfaithfulness and the Lord’s response to such behaviour. This should serve as examples to spur us on to faithfulness. We will also briefly look at moments of faithfulness the Lord displayed to those who honoured Him, despite the odds against them.

Biblical Examples of Unfaithful Behaviour

While I do not intend dwelling much on this, it is worthwhile to learn from the mistakes of these Bible characters. King Saul was sent by God to attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belonged to them (1 Samuel 15:1-3). We know that King Saul failed to fully execute God’s command because he was afraid of man more than God, for he said: “I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them” (1 Samuel 15:24b NIV). He rejected the command and the word of the Lord and he was found to be unfaithful and unfit to stand in God’s service (1 Chronicles 10:13). The Lord rejected Saul and the Holy Spirit left him and King Saul was given to an evil spirit that troubled him (1 Samuel 15:26; 1 Samuel 19:9). This was the price Saul paid for being disobedient!

Likewise, the apostle Peter acted unfaithfully when he betrayed the Lord (Matthew 26: 69-74). The people of Judah and Israel were unfaithful to God so He sent them into exile (1 Chronicles 9:1).

These examples and many other passages of Scripture shows us that God instituted punitive measures against disobedience resulting in unfaithful behaviour. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) in terms of salvation, but accepted for salvation through our obedience and faithfulness to God (John 12:47-48). We are not here to argue, but many Christian people live in sin and quote the above Scripture to justify their behaviour, saying that works will not save us. I agree that indeed it is true! Works do not save because salvation was given before we did work (Romans 5:8). However, even after we are born-again, we are encouraged to honour and obey the Lord through our works (Matthew 7:24; 1 Samuel 15:22-23; James 1:22). These works express our faithfulness to the Lord.

Similarly, in a marriage situation the husband or wife shows commitment and faithfulness through proper conduct; this is the evidence of our commitment. If we are unfaithful, we show discontentment to our situation. We break trust and dishonour the next party. An unfaithful person is driven by his own selfishness. The born-again experience demands a full surrender to Christ in every aspect of our life’s (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We are slaves to righteousness, meaning we do as the Word of the Lord commands through the leading of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:18).

God’s Faithful Dealings with the Obedient Believers

Nowhere in Scripture do we see God condoning sinful and disobedient behaviour. He rebuked sinful and rebellious actions, and where necessary executes judgement (See 2 Samuel 12:1-29). On the other hand, God highly exalted His humble, obedient and faithful servants (Genesis 22:15-18).

Also, the prophet Daniel was obedient and faithful in service to the Lord so the Lord gave him honour in the sight of man (Daniel 2:48, 6:10). Joshua son of Nun walked faithfully and fearfully before the Lord, so he was honoured by God (Joshua 4:14). Our Lord Jesus Christ was exalted above all for His faithful and submissive service to God (Philippians 2:6-11). Does the Lord commend wickedness? No! Instead, He rebukes wicked behaviour and calls the sinner to repentance and obedience (Ezekiel 18: 21-23). The Lord is going to judge and punish the selfish and unfaithful Christians (Revelation 21:8). This includes those who ignore calls to witness to others, the worldly and greedy.

In our experience with the Lord He told us that an unfaithful Christian does not bear fruit and is useless for the Kingdom of Heaven. No unfaithful person will be saved! We got Words from the Lord for pastors and ‘prophets’ and the Lord pointed out their unfaithfulness not to shame them but to correct them. Some submitted in humble obedience giving glory to God for His Holiness, while others shy away in embarrassing pride. The Kingdom of Heaven is yours through faith, humility, obedience and faithfulness. We may desire and even display some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives, but the real fruit of Godliness shines through humility and faithfulness (Hebrews 3:5). This is a mark of a Godly character! The unfaithful breaks a trust, breaks promises, always giving false promises, too busy for prayer and bible reading thinking God will understand because I was doing this or that for Him. My brother if that is YOU, you are deceiving yourself.DO NOT neglect your salvation! Daniel had work, but he practiced his faith in obedience to God (Daniel 6:10).

Are you a faithful believer, or an unfaithful one? Do you desire to have a relationship with Jesus Christ as a faithful believrs? If so, you may start with this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed grace in faithful love,

Brother Glenn