August 14, 2023

Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV) “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is
like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

How important it is for us to only focus on listening to the voice of God and let’s make the verse above relevant in this era. Observe the current era, there are people who create many ‘worlds’ with the rules of the game in them.

As an example virtual world that has social media dimension in it. In that world there are like, comment, share, and subscribe that has become extremely important that shapes a person’s identity. Just imagine, just because people post something and doesn’t get any ‘likes’, then that person can become annoyed and have to think hard how to make people like his post. Not to mention a lot of feelings of being rejected when no one responds. And vice versa, people will feel more valuable and worthy and even considered of being successful if they have many of followers on social media!

Have we ever realized that it is ‘not normal’? This world with all the rules make man eventually have to listen to the wishes of the public and live from the algorithm there is (rules of the game). In short, the world is building the lives of many people on sand which is fragile (not from what God said).

Then what is the role of believers in dealing the world’s conditions? We can ‘hitch or utilize’ it to spread the good news of the Kingdom. However, our lives are not allowed to be ‘in virtual world’, we must live in God’s world where the reality of His presence is our habitat. In His presence, we live only from the word that comes from the mouth of God.

We cannot follow the nature of the rules of the social media world, because if we follow them then what will happen is the nature of our existence will continue to be crushed to become more and more humane (living from what people say and what many people like). As a result our lives will become very fragile! Be aware of the devil’s tricks!

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

This world continues to offer and present various types of life beyond what God said. If our spirit is not sharp in detecting the intention and spirit behind them all, then we will easily led to enter and be trapped in a mortal life. Exactly the same as what Eve and Adam experienced who were ‘consumed’ by the devil’s deception!

There are things that we must pay attention to and live by, which is the conditions of this era will indeed continue to change (heaven and earth shall pass), even having more severe degradation, but our existence as believers must not be affected by the spirits of the world that are behind the conditions of the times. We must live and focus only on the Word that comes out of God’s mouth.

If you want to be victorious in the middle of the conditions of this era with the currents of change that frequently shake then there is no other way than to live only from the Word that comes out of God’s mouth and unites with His Word. Don’t be afraid if we end up being different human beings in this generation, because we are indeed different. That is what Paul emphasized to Timothy, that he is a MAN OF GOD! Accept that identity and live only from the Word that comes out of God’s mouth!

Ps. Steven Augustinus

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