Perfect Mess

We hear this phrase often:  “no one is perfect.”  This is true.  Perfectly true.  However, our Holy God demands perfection because He is perfect. 

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

~Matthew 5:48

I often wonder why Christians seem to be losing the Culture War.  We should be winning handily as we are on the side of Truth and Righteousness.  God Himself is on this side—the most powerful Omnipotent force in the universe.  This week the answer fully crystallized in my mind.  As his battle warriors, we are lacking purity of message.  Several news events occurred this week which brought this to the forefront.

This week, Democrats floated legislation to do away with all 266 recent laws that have sought to restrict abortion. 

While it is admirable that a resurgence of Pro-Life concerns have recently resulted in enacting an enormous amount of restrictions on the heinous practice of abortion, I am concerned that ultimately, this lack of “purpose purity” will lead us down a bad path.   These laws are deemed “common sense” laws, but we need God’s laws in order to succeed. 

Refuting the Democrats, here is Republican Senator Charles Grassley’s explanation on why these 266 laws are necessary:

“Americans stand behind sensible measures like abortion waiting periods, fetal pain bills, hospital admitting privileges, mandatory ultrasounds, safety standards -- and, in a minor’s case, getting a mom or dad’s okay.”

Senator Grassley went on to explain that if this bill to remove the restrictions became law:

“it would send a message to state governments that it’s useless to enact laws aimed at protecting health and welfare.” It would lead, he went on, “to inhumane, unsanitary, heinous, dangerous, shocking, and unsafe abortions. 

Gee…Aren’t abortions already “inhumane, heinous, dangerous, shocking and unsafe?”  Just how are abortions made “safe” through more health laws?  Safe for whom?  The term “Safe abortions” is the ultimate oxymoron.  Women are scarred both mentally and physically for life.  The precious babies end up dismembered and

D-E-A-D.

I find it is really helpful to juxtapose this abortion argument using the Nazi death camp analogy.  It is perfectly (pardon the pun) analogous and allows us to see heinous behavior through the clear crystallized lens of history.  Let’s paraphrase Senator Grassley’s comments below as a make-believe public official during WWII:

“Germans stand behind sensible measures like longer waiting periods and less crowding when herding people to the gas chamber.  Also, if Mengele’s experiments are done with more anesthesia, cleaner instruments and better hospital surgical conditions, we can all agree that these are practical safety improvements.  When minor children are rounded up for these camps, let’s bring the parents along with them.  Then we can have more effective and more humane work camps for all.”    

SAY WHAT???

Another Christian organization recently suggested this advice: It was proposed that a bakery should put this sign in their window:    

This is a Christian-owned business, and while the government may force us to participate in a same-sex wedding or other activity that violates the teachings of scripture, we will not profit from it. All profit derived from forced transactions involving same-sex weddings will be donated to ministries that help individuals overcome same-sex attractions.

Remember…no one can “force” you to sin.  You must COMPLY with sin even if the pressure is intense.  Right now in America the pressure appears to be only monetary in nature.  I am sure it will ramp up to legal penalties such as jail and eventually death like all other times in history.  I know we refuse to believe this can happen here in the good ole U.S. of A but look how far we have fallen already.  

Like Miriam Ibrahim…will you say NO when asked to deny Christ?  We don’t get the option of “Yes…if you pay me to deny Him I will, and then I will donate the money.”    

This is how we will lose the battle.  Please re-write this imaginary business window sign and INSERT any of the sins that God prohibits and you will see the flaw in this type of thinking:

“Baking a cake” seems so innocuous…so innocent, right?  May I suggest we insert the words “celebrating perversion” instead?  Does that clarify it a bit more? 

Where does this type of impure reasoning stop? 

By going along with the same sex "wedding" celebration we are sending the message that we are somehow OK with this sanctification of perversion and OK with going against Jesus Christ’s clear definition of marriage in scripture.  But participating in it sullies us with the sin. Even worse, it suggests that we take the proceeds from this perversion and drop it on the altar of our Holy God, who already owns all the cattle on the hills and has no need of tainted money derived from sinful activity.

Like Nazi Germany, we are rapidly reaching the critical juncture where we are being asked to "put the Jew in the oven."  This is the point at which we must say NO.  We may get “fed to the lions”, but I prefer to face God Almighty with a clear conscience instead of comply with evil.  

According to the Risen Christ, cowards are the first group singled out in Revelation 21:8 who will not make it into heaven but instead will be sent to the lake burning with fire and brimstone.

One last news example.  This week we got to see the results of the recent Galloway v. Greece decision as "invocations" were made in the name of "man's wisdom" at the next public meeting following the ruling.  

Why do you think atheists, progressives and human secularists spend so much time INSISTING that we are NOT a Christian nation?  The devil knows that once we concede this point, we have lost the battle.

In the Galloway v. Greece decision (which very TELLINGLY was supported by Obama), the United States basically agreed with this paraphrased premise:

We are no longer just a Christian nation.  We openly invite all other religions and gods to take a seat of authority in our public meetings, and government.  We will “invoke” their names and their powers so that they can become involved in our political process.  We also arrogantly expect that Almighty God will “scoot over” and let these gods pull up a throne next to His so He can share with them in the name of tolerance and inclusiveness.

Again…SAY WHAT???

Thus, we now have a flood of Wiccan priestesses and Atheists saying “invocations” before town meetings.  Dear God help us (the ONE AND ONLY True God).  Just what are we invoking down upon our heads?    

When we don’t have purity of thought, purity of action and purity of message we become a mixed up, ineffective mess. 

That’s exactly what the devil is counting on…gratuitous action that makes us feel self-righteous and better about ourselves but has zero effect on changing our society for the better.

The only way we will win this war is with PURITY and complete trust in God.  If we start playing on the devil's battlefields with the devil's rules, we will end up as a footnote in history.  

The antidote that is necessary to counter evil is unadulterated PURITY.  When we have muddled messages, the devil keeps right on moving “Forward.”   

Without CHRISTIAN PURITY, he’s able to deliver his uncut message right to our doorstep of…

PURE POISON.

_______________________________

All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

~1 John 3:3

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

~Matthew 5:8

“Quit your worship charades.
    I can’t stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—
    meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
    You’ve worn me out!
I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion,
    while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
    I’ll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
    I’ll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing
    people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
    Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
    so I don’t have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
    Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
    Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
    Go to bat for the defenseless.

~Isaiah 1: 13-17 (The Message)


~Posted by permission of Pastor Jeffrey N. Daly

Pastor Jeffrey N. Daly is the author of Repentance—God’s Strategy to Bless a Nation and Zeal to Repent!—A Key to Personal and National Restoration 

–Both are available for FREE at The National Day of Repentance website: www.dayofrepentance.org

or by emailing him at

jdalylaw@aol.com