May 25, 2018
By Pastor Wayne North
Have you ever played “Hide and Go Seek”? Each day this childhood game is continually being played out in the world as people are running around, “hiding and seeking” the wisdom of this world—a culture which is denying the Truth that could set them free. We live in this culture of people hiding and separating themselves. Maybe this is you! Maybe this is someone you know! Maybe this is the vast majority of people we know!
As we look in scripture, we see two roads that appear to be opposite in direction. One road takes us in a direction which is responding to the fear and hurt that this fallen world has imposed upon us. The other is responding to the fear of the Lord and the hope only He can give. Which road have you chosen or been saturated by?
Why do people hide? We see a culture of destruction. No longer do I assume kids I meet, and even adults, come from stable and God-fearing homes. It’s exactly the opposite. I assume they are coming from broken and shattered homes which have produced broken and shattered backgrounds—which produces broken and shattered hopes and dreams. People no longer interact as a whole in reality. We have found alternate realities to immerse ourselves in. In northern Wisconsin, we have seen an epidemic of opioids and “meth.” A local county has estimated that a minimum 10% of its population is addicted to “meth” alone. These are just symptoms of the darkness many are trying to hide within and running into.
Why are you trying to hide? God has already found you and knows the things hidden in your heart. Allow the Word to demonstrate its power in you and through the Church. We must quit being conformed to the darkness of this world and begin to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. God is calling His church to a radical Christianity of love and righteousness that will allow the power of the Truth to set the captives free. We underestimate the power of the Gospel so much!
In a “pseudo-modernist” society, there is no truth—only alternate “realities.” It’s like each person gets to play his own video game and determine the reality he gets to live in. This probably accounts for the addiction and escalation of fantasy role-playing and the disconnect between truth and imagination. It seems that people are fleeing from their pain and hopelessness. This reminds me of the pigs that were driven crazy when Jesus cast the demons out of the Gadarene man. The current culture is being driven crazy. The culture is chaotic, running blindly and heading towards a cliff. The symptoms of this chaos and torment echo throughout our culture, the world, and even our churches. Divorce, drugs, suicides, self-harm, depression, fear, anger, and all the other symptoms reveal a culture that is reacting to the garbage this world has to offer outside of the comfort and peace that only God can give. We push God out of our culture. Since there is no such thing as a vacuum, we know “someone” that is happy to step in to steal, kill, and destroy.
What if we immerse ourselves in God? What does He promise? Well, if we submit to God and resist the devil, he will flee! This works great, but we have a submission problem. Submission is a form of worship. We submit to what we honor and give time for. We make time for what we worship. I was once told that if you want to test the fruit of someone’s life to see what he worships, look at his checkbook and planner. How people spend their money and time will tell you what they worship. God promises to be our refuge in times of trouble. He promises to never leave us or turn His back on us. He gives us weapons that are not carnal and are good for pulling down every stronghold that comes against us. Yet, humanity still wants to be like God and exalt itself to deity. Kind of sounds like someone else we know.
Even the children’s song we all grew up singing tells us, “we are weak, and He is strong.” Yet, we still trust in our own strength and intellect more than God’s. We don’t believe we can do all things through Christ. We must know that God’s kingdom doesn’t just come in Word, but also in Power. Adam and Eve wanted to gain the knowledge of good and evil. Yet, they had to hide themselves from their “nakedness.” They were formerly covered with the glory of the Lord and knew only His goodness. While we can never attain perfection on this side of eternity, we can be once again immersed in the power of the presence of God and the blood of Jesus Christ. The Church needs to recognize again the presence of His glory and kingdom that lives within us. We must realize this world has nothing to offer us. Then we can offer the world the hope and peace that can only come through the presence and saturation of Jesus Christ in our lives.
Are you sowing in faith? We will reap what we sow. Are you asking, seeking, and knocking? If we ask, He will reveal it. If we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him. If we find Him, we will find out who we are. If we knock, it shall be opened. It’s time that we intensify the race we are running. It’s time to knock with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. God wants you to be complete or “SOZO,” SOZO means saved, healed and delivered. SOZO is the Light to our darkness and the fullness of grace. The Light of salvation causes a response by those dwelling in the darkness of the “Hide.” It also causes a reaction by the darkness living inside of people who are trying to hide sin, brokenness, pain and suffering. It’s time for the Church to quit being “so-so” about their faith and the let “SOZO” of the Spirit transform the Church. We are called to be in the Light, the Light in us, and to emit this into the dark world. The Light, Jesus, destroys darkness. The enemy deceives and causes fear to keep people from overcoming the darkness. It’s time to be more than conquerors!
God already knows where you are hiding. He already knows what you are trying to hide from Him and everyone else. It’s time for us to come out of the darkness of hiding into the “Light of the world.” It’s time to enter into His rest, into His presence, into His Eternal Kingdom as it enters into us. We war not against flesh and blood. It’s a spiritual battle. Our weapons are not carnal. My hope is that we step out of the shadows of our hidden places and release the hidden darkness from within. Share your “darkness” with God’s people. Allow the light of others to shine upon your darkness. Worship God within the darkness. Allow His glory to radiate and permeate the darkness until it encapsulates your whole being. Ask your church or others to pray and counsel you into God’s Truth. Allow the elders of the church to anoint you and pray over you so you will become well and healed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Confess to God and one another because confession is good for the soul. Allow others to carry your burden. Praise and worship God with all of your life. Live a lifestyle of worship! The devil wants you to be separated and isolated in the darkness. Too many people are being devoured. Step out of your darkness back into the flock of protection and restoration. Be “hidden” in the Light of Jesus Christ and His Bride!
