"Do Not Be Deceived: God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he sows."
Galatians 6:7
A deadly little game is being played all over the world by people who call themselves Christians, and even now we see it cropping up in cities that are infamous for said behavior. Rio De Janeiro is currently hosting it's yearly debacle," Carnival" - in which abominations and sexual depravity are on open display as those who participate seek out new ways to defile themselves in broad daylight. We see similar parties in Haiti as those who participate shamelessly strut their dubious title as "voodoo capital of the world". America is no exception - for here we are witnessing the yearly slide into moral filth and brazen lasciviousness in the city of New Orleans during it's annual party, "Marti Gras".
But by people who are claiming to be Christians, you ask?
Sadly, it is true...
Most of these festivals are closely linked to (and directly precede) the Lenten season that culminates with the commemoration of our Lord and Savior's great sacrifice and victory over death, hell, and the grave. Whether called Easter or "Resurrection Sunday", it is widely considered to be the holiest day of the year (alongside Christmas). And how is the holiest day in any way associated with the most wicked gatherings that are even now cropping up around the globe?
It is said that the human spirit "needs to let of a little steam" before the prolonged period of self-imposed sanctimonious leading up to Resurrection Sunday. It has therefore become tradition for men and women to "let it all hang out" and indulge any wicked impulse that might occur to them as a cathartic means of cleansing the soul of evil desires. Though hardly sanctioned by any church that I know of, this practice appears to go back centuries and came to America by means of our European forbearers. The general rule of thumb: eat, drink, and be merry - for tomorrow we fast and devote ourselves to piety.
Which begs a really simple question for which I hope we all know the answer...
Do we really think God is stupid? The King of Glory, who fashioned everything from stars the size of our galaxy to the tiniest molecules that form our very being; could you possibly think Him a doddering simpleton so easily taken in by such lukewarm double-minded devotion? If a mere human man or woman can sniff out duplicity and falsehood in a significant other, how much more so the One who knows our every thought and inclination? Of all the things that fallen man indulges to his own shame and ruin, surely this yearly abomination must rank high among them.
But God cannot be mocked. What a man sows, he certainly shall reap.
If a heart contains wickedness that stands in need of occasional ventilation, I assure you The Lord knows about it. If you purposefully indulge wickedness with eventual repentance in mind, how effective do you suppose your repentance will really be? Does silly lip-service ("sorry") really suffice? Can God Almighty not see to the core of a person and root out the very motives of the heart? There are none who would admire a man who gorges himself before a fast so that the effects of that fast might be lost to him - and yet many indulge this wicked practice thinking to accomplish much the same.
So let's be real. David said it best when He uttered, "from evildoers come evil deeds". If you call yourself a Christian and yet harbor wickedness in your heart (for ventilation at festivals like Marti Gras), I have no problem proclaiming that you do not know Jesus at all. Light and darkness cannot coexist - a heart truly dedicated as a home to the King of Glory would never consider indulging wickedness.
True repentance means, "I will never do that again," and/or "Please help me to never do that again." Deliberate sin, building up to a planned repentance, is in itself a diabolical practice that will never result in absolution or forgiveness. I don't care how long you've attended church - anyone who carries unrepentant sin in his/her heart will be judged by the One to come.
Please don't be careless with your soul. Nobody is promised tomorrow, and God knows your heart.
Your brother and servant in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Mark Scott Grimmett
GoldenLight Ministries
www.YeshuasArmy.com