Spiritual Cowards

A church-going lady once told me she was unhappy in her marriage and was praying to God, asking Him if it was alright for her to have an affair.  A church-going man in his mid-thirties told me he hated his stepmother so much that he was praying to God for disaster or death to strike her.  Another religious man was praying to God asking Him to give a sign that would confirm it was ok for him not to pay his income taxes.  Living in a society where most people simply go ahead and do whatever they want, I found it rather fascinating in those days that church people could prolong the same thinking, and then go on to seek God about it. 

Each person was not altogether ignorant of what the Bible had to specifically say about their situation, but they saw their case as a special one whereby God might bend the rules for them.  When I suggested that their prayers had already been answered from the 10 Commandments, they were able to justify in their own mind as to why they hoped I could be wrong.  During our discussions, it showed up that these people were desperate.  They were deceived too, each one hoping that God might look upon them favorably.  The back-ground history of the lady and the mid-thirty-year old, whilst rather sad, had never been handed over to God, so it was not surprising they arrived at the belief that ultimate justice and vengeance would be realised if they got their prayer answered.

I met others claiming to be Christians who told me they not only went to church and prayed to God, but were also into the practices of astrology, tarot card reading, tea-leaf reading, crystal ball gazing, fortune-telling, Ouija boards etc.  Once again, desperate but deceived.  Once again, not altogether ignorant of the Bible, but hoping that God might bend the rules for them.  Most of these folk sought more for the “promises” this practice offered them than they did the promises God offers from the Bible.  These people appeared to be products of their churches, showing little regard for the guidance God wanted them to embrace by faith and rest in.

They were unfulfilled religious people and the church institution is full of them.  They had never been taught that if they chose to be God-led in everything they would be well on the pathway to becoming fulfilled people.  We were made to be God-led and until we humble ourselves and embrace that truth we will continue to be desperate people – as well as deceived.  Preachers and teachers who stand in their pulpits with plastics smiles on their faces bringing “words of encouragement” every Sunday, must allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to them that they too are unfulfilled people, for the most part.  And the harder they work at covering their unfulfillment the greater it shows up.

I was speaking with a Christian woman one time who was very concerned for her son because he had taken God’s forthcoming judgments upon the world as literal judgments.  She’d been sitting in churches for over twenty years listening to smilers tell her otherwise.  When I told her that I was in agreeance with her son the tone in her voice changed from one of concern for her son, to one of pity on me for holding the same view!  This lady is one of the most unfulfilled people I have ever known a Christian to be.  Both herself, her church and the pastor or reverend are paying a high price for their soft options.

Too many people are the products of preachers who play games with the word of God.  The Scripture says they must be ready to preach the word whether the time is right or not.  They are to point out errors, warn people, encourage them and be patient when they teach 2 Timothy 4:2.  Go into many churches today and you will observe smilers in the pulpit majoring (with great patience!) on “encouragement,” at the expense of pointing out errors and bringing warnings.  They don’t do that – or if they do, it’s done in an almost apologetic manner,  resulting  in the people failing to get the seriousness of what’s said.  These men and women are what I call spiritual cowards.

Spiritual cowards love to appeal to people’s senses, reasons, opinions and imaginations – all the time failing to understand that God has nothing whatsoever to say to them.  Unless a person is willing to humble themselves before God and turn to Him for forgiveness of sin in Jesus Christ, God has nothing further to say accept, “I love you, but you are lost in your sin and will continue to be throughout eternity.”  That is also what God is saying to us in John 3:16.  Spiritual cowards can stand in pulpits, forever smiling as they talk of God’s love, grace, mercy, patience and forgiveness, but that’s the extent of it.  You won’t hear them preach on God’s hatred of sin and forthcoming judgement. 

As a new Christian I was deeply impressed by the words of a writer, who said that in the Scriptures we have a spiritual letter from God telling us what He wants us to do.  We don’t change the contents or the interpretations of that letter because our minds don’t understand it, or like it.  It was an old book, even back then.  I wonder what he would think today!  Another common trait among spiritual cowards, they are people pleasers.  They express more fear of people than they do of God.  They will not preach the hard things knowing that if they do so there’s every chance the people will stop their financial giving or even worse – leave the church.  Possible loss of finances is a risk they are not willing to take.

Power blocs in churches, is another problem.  The combined efforts of negative influence from the head elder, church finance man and a few businessmen and women can halt spiritual progress in no time.  The pastor may well arrive at his church as a man of God but the moment he yields to the bloc and continues to do so he now becomes a useless vessel in the hands of God, so God will cut him loose.  In spite of how much he tries to hide it or deny it, he also losses his spiritual power and authority, plus he finds himself always tired or suffering from burnout.  He fails to realise when he caves in to the power bloc, he’s caved in to the devil.

Speaking of people pleasers, a few years ago I attended an evening meeting to view and discuss a proposed “seeker-friendly” video Bible course that the pastor showed great enthusiasm for.  Like most of those studies, it was based on the needs of unbelievers more than the needs (will, commands) of God.  The pastor (smiling) asked the group something like, “If you have the unchurched among you and are about to have a meal, do you believe it a good idea to say grace & give thanks to God, or remain silent?”  The majority of the group believed it would be too threatening to the unbelievers, opting therefore to remain silent.  I strongly disagreed.  Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, what better witness? was my question.

That pastor did not like my response in the slightest!  It cut across his unspoken viewpoint.  Spiritual cowards often refrain from sharing their true viewpoints until they first find out those  of others.  They work hard at giving impressions that they’re Christ-followers, but once again, the harder they work the greater the sham.  I don’t know if they went ahead with the course but I do know that like all churches that please people more than they please God, it is spiritually dead.  Lots of activity, but very little of it “according to knowledge.”  Unlike the people of Israel however, they are not altogether ignorant of God’s righteousness, they simply prefer the establishment of their own Romans 10:2-3.

It grieves me that so many Christians devalue the Bible God has given us.  In my opinion there’s no greater treasure than to be told by Jesus, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”  John 15:3  That means, however, if we don’t value the Bible, we are dirty – regardless of how religious we believe we are.  This truth and principle needs to be fully grasped by all who declare allegiance to God in Jesus’ name.  It’s very difficult to hear or discern divine guidance if one is not clean before God.  Just like a rusty water tap gives hindrance to a healthy, vibrant flow of water – so too a rusty, dirty, self-willed spirit, soul and body.

It is time for Christians to come out from sitting under smiling, spiritual cowards.  Time is short and it is time to get real.  It is time to renounce all that cuts us off from receiving the vibrant, vital flow from God.  There can be no room for compromise.  The narrow way is the only pathway to fulfillment in any person’s life.  If it were any different, the Lord Jesus Christ would not have chosen to come to die in our place on that cross.  He would have simply left us to our own religious devices, smiling at our efforts.  “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.  Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21.