Delusions

Psalm 4:2 “How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods.”

A delusion is a belief that is clearly false and indicates an abnormality in the affected person’s content of thought. … A person with a delusion is absolutely convinced the delusion is real.

If you were walking through the Sahara desert and came over a ridge and thought you saw a vast body of water, the enticement would be difficult to overlook. Your need for water and the dehydration of the journey would make you crave the water you thought was there. The mirage creates a delusion of belief because of the need that is present.

This world is starving for meaning and purpose and all those who have lived by the philosophies of this world have become spiritually hopeless, looking for anything to fill their thirst for God. Instead of looking to Jesus who can fill their spiritual drought with the water of life, they seek out other forms of idolatry that may fit their lifestyles but only leaves them dry.

Isaiah 51:15-18 “It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
Every man is dull-hearted and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
and there is no breath in them.
They are worthless, a work of delusion;
at the time of their punishment they shall perish.”

There is only one God–therefore there is only one way to true life.

The idea that you can take anything and make it work is a delusion of this age. The Universalist Church uses certain forms of polytheistic pathways to give their followers the notion that anyone who claims to be a deity is ultimately the same god. The hope that every pathway leads to the one true God is the hope of a fool.

Any deviancy from how God has defined Himself is a pathway into darkness. The false hope that fulfillment can be acquired by any means one desires is a self-absorbed attempt at following a path apart from the Path of life.

The well of hope the lost draw from will be an empty promise that provides nothing of substance, they will strive for meaning but be left wanting.

Jeremiah 14:3 “The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads.”

The Originator of Life

Life can only be found in the one in whom life originated.

The empty promises for many is the lie that if you are devout enough, then you will be given credit for your belief. For muslims, the expectation is to pray 5 times per day, the hope is that Allah will be pleased with this servitude and god will bless them for showing devotion. The devotion to false gods brings no eternal reward, what awaits is condemnation. The shock for millions of muslims will be when they see Jesus exalted above all gods and find out Allah was simply a figment of Mohammed’s imagination, he himself being one relegated to the outcast and condemned by God.

Whether the worship of a devotee is directed toward someone named as ‘god’ or some variant of a ‘good teacher’ not defined by God’s Word, the result will be the same….wrath. Many have regarded Jesus by a false interpretation from someone who claimed to be a true prophet. Instead of following who Jesus said He was, they follow what someone else said of Him.

John 14:19 “Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”

The strong delusion has somehow become more desirable than the true hope that is in Christ.

How can this be?

The reality for many who think that a life apart from Christ is the best that religion has to offer, is a corrupt foundation in the communities they have associated with.

Isaiah 46:8-10 “Remember this, and show yourselves men;
Recall to mind, O you transgressors. Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’

If a person has only had rancid water to drink their entire life, they don’t know what it’s like to not be sick or found wanting, their normal is a life that is sub-par. It isn’t until they have tasted of the springs of life will they realize what they have been missing all along.

Comfort Zone

To make up for the lack of substance, people often get lost in tradition, servitude, and ceremony.

Attend a mass and you might hear chanting in latin, witness artful decor, and observe the wearing of priestly vestments that give you a sense of holiness. Many religions base their substance of faith on the presentation of the service. Pray to anyone other than God alone and the practice is idolatry. Lift anyone else up into the position of Christ as a co-redemptrix and you sign the death sentence of your conviction.

John 4:10 “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Many like the pageantry and pomp, they are comfortable in the space they have created and don’t want that comfort zone to change. They fill the lifeless void with alcohol or entertainment and yet the sadness of their estate is simply one they think is the norm.

The mirage of hope is for the seeker who is willing to settle for anything. Jesus just doesn’t make it that hard to find His well that never runs dry, yet many refuse to ever take a drink.

John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The water of life is granted to the one who gives their life to Christ. The Spirit of God fills that person with a thirst quenching water of life, bringing joy to those who seek Him with all their heart.

Blessings or Curses

When Israel was to enter into the promised land, Moses prophesied to the people, warning them of the consequences of turning away from the Lord.

Deuteronomy 4:5-8 “See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?”

God’s people today have been grafted into the vine of His blessing. As God’s blessings fell upon Israel as a nation, so does God’s blessings upon His church. There is one church, one body, one faith, and only one Hope. For those who choose any other way, God will bring His curse upon them, the punishment for rejecting His grace.

We can choose Life or death. No matter how desolate the land may seem, God always provides life to those who seek it.

I hope you come to know the life He gives.