I gave them my decrees

.... and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live (Ezekiel 20:11). If all else fails, read the instructions.  How many times have I brought something home that needed to be assembled and I didn't think I needed to read the instructions and it finished up taking me twice as long as it needed to?  There is something about we humans that cause us to think we know best, and to want to do it “my way.”  Part of it is pride, part of it is ignorance, and part of it is that we are in a war to the death with the enemy of our souls.  

In a materialistic world that believes the physical is all there is, the idea of Satan and daemons are ridiculed.  My African brothers know well that the devil is real, for they experience him in lying signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9). Satan seems to have two strategies. The first is largely to persuade us he does not exist.  In the second, in places like Africa, he fascinate with his powers, which are very real, and dominates by fear. In either case, his agenda to kill, steal and destroy remains the same (John 10:10a). And he does it many times through lies, for he is the father of lies (John 8:44).   One of the major ways that he has deceived the West, is with regard to our sexuality. God's design for this is one man with one woman in committed life long magnanimous relationship (Genesis 2:24). The Greek word for any sexual relationship outside of this is porneia, and it is strictly prohibited by His decrees, laws and statutes (i.e Ephesians 5:3). It is God's will that we abstain from porneia (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

In stricter moral times than our, those who committed porneia  were judged,  shunned,  even physically abused. This was and is wrong, and needed to be addressed. What tends to happen though is that when the oppressed gain power, they become the oppressors,  enter the tyranny of political correctness. It's not just sexuality of course. There were many injustices, in terms of race and women's issues for example. But it far too easily becomes imbalanced, and what is does is to overthrow the values which, though many times were and are administered imperfectly are, nevertheless God's values, statutes and decrees.  In other words the baby is thrown out with the bathwater! But moving past the balance of restoration of justice into becoming oppressors,  is every bit as destructive as that which is seeks to address. And this is the case not only for those who are now being oppressed, but also for the oppressors themselves. We should not forget that we will all have to give an account of what we have done to Him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13).

Father, Your Word tells us that there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death (Proverbs 14:12). Forgive us Lord for those times that we have judged or simply dismissed Your Word,  and in doing so become dupes of the evil one.  Your Word describes this generation perfectly Lord, lawless haters of authority, lovers of money etc. (2 Timothy 3:1ff). Please help us not to get sucked into these things Lord, for they do not lead to life. And so I declare this morning, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. We chose life,  not death, in Jesus Name Amen