The term “The Church” is often used, not only in modern times but in the Bible. This term is not talking about a denomination or a building, but actually the people within the building. But, not only on Saturday (or Sunday) but rather 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Most people forget that they are “The Church” even when they are not at the church building.
During the time of Elisha, ten of the tribes of Israel had forsaken their God and was turning from His ways.
In 2 Kings chapter 6, Ben-Hadad who was king of Aram (also known as Assyria) had besieged the city of Samaria; which is the capital of the northern territory of Israel.
We read that during this besieging that a donkey’s head (which is the unclean part of an unclean animal; it is the worst of the worst) was sold for eight shekels. During this time a shekel was a days wage; so this unclean thing was bought for eight days wages.
As we read on, we see the famine got so bad that cannibalism began.
In a war, the capital is the target city. Just as when we went to war with Iraq, our charge was for Bagdad.
In the days of old, the waring army would set camp around the city so that no one was allowed in and no one was allowed out. The ultimate goal was to cause famine to come to the land and the people would become so hungry and so weak that they could not fight. They would then surrender or die.
Moses foretold of this event in Deuteronomy chapter 28 when he warned “if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to obey carefully all His commandments” that “They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you. You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you,...”
If you want to know why the things are happening in this country (in the country we call God’s country, and a land we claim God gave us), read this warning starting in verse 15 of Deuteronomy 28.
This writing is not about the U.S. or the world, it’s about the church.
Satan has besieged the church. We have allowed him to surround the church with false doctrines and teachings and with the things of this world, and because of it, the church is starving.
The food of the church is the Word of God (Bible); “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” While we feel it necessary to feed our flesh daily, we neglect our spirit. Most of us have a schedule for eating or at least we make sure we eat each day, but we feed our spirit only once or twice a week during church service and we starve our spirit the rest of the week.
Can our flesh survive with only one or two meals a week? For a while but soon we would become weak and eventually die. What makes us think that our spirit is any different?
Recently a pastor friend of mine told me that his mother had started reading the Bible. She came to him and said, “we have been being lied to for years”.
I would dare to say that most pastors merely parrot doctrines they have been taught without any further study of the Word of God and many of these doctrines are not at all Biblical.
The people in the church accept what they are being taught without any further study of God’s Word and while they THINK they are serving Jesus, they are actually serving Satan.
Saul once thought he was serving God, only to find out later he was serving Satan. Are we so blind to realize that this can happen in our own lives? “The elect will be deceived”, “few will find it”, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”.
If a person was casting out demons, prophesying, and performing wonders in the name of Jesus; wouldn’t we say they are men (or women) of God? Lawlessness is not forsaking the laws of the land, but the Laws of God; and remember there are TEN! Are we going to put our spiritual condition in the trust of a doctrine or pastor instead of reading the Word of God for ourselves?
I’m finding that more and more people are becoming ignorant to the FACTS in the Word of God; this is due to the spiritual starvation. Meanwhile, they know all about the cast of their favorite show, the team members of their favorite team, the friends on their Facebook; and how to play the games on there. Who is their god? They are besieged by Satan with the things of this world.
The church, besieged by Satan, is not baptizing (no one is coming in), and they are not witnessing (no one is going out); and they are starting to cannibalize.
Due to the lack of spiritual food, the people within the church are biting at each other. They are bickering and fighting, and sometimes over the littlest things.
You show me a person who is bickering and fighting with others in the church and I’ll show you a person besieged by Satan.
As in my previous message on revival, we must rid ourselves of these weapons of the enemy and feed our spirits with the Word of God.
“Well, I don’t think we need to completely remove these things from our lives”
Jesus tells us that if our eye causes us to sin, pluck it out. If our hand causes us to sin, cut it off. Now He was not speaking literally, but spiritually.
I know a person who has a problem with porn on the internet. Since he has this problem, he refused to have internet service. This is the perfect example of what Jesus was talking about.
If you can not break away from the TV, the video games, the porn, the alcohol, Facebook, and Twitter (this list in noninclusive) then you need to get rid of that source.
There are people who can not pass by the computer without looking at Facebook, they can’t come home and not immediately run to the computer, video game, or TV; they are even allowing their physical well being go due to these items. These people have an addiction; they are besieged and while they think they are ok their spirit is starving and the ultimate outcome is death.
Bring revival, revive your relationship with your first love; Jesus. Make a set time daily that you pull out the Word of God. Make an effort to know more about God’s Word than about the things of this world; even if it means turning off the cable, internet, etc.
God Bless everyone
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