11.10.7 "Through the deception of pretension, Paint the DREAM"

"Through the deception of pretension, Paint the DREAM"

Ezekiel 21:1- 22:31
Hebrews 10:1-17
Psalm 108:1-13
Proverbs 27:12

The Proverb for today says, "A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never looks, and suffers the consequences."

Are you Sensible or a Simpleton? I would love to put myself in the category of the sensible, but I got several things working against that. I'm a procrastinator. I don't like to do things until they NEED to be done. This creates some problems. It usually ends up getting done some time AFTER it needed to be done. "Oh yeah, I should have..."

There's something in our human nature that has really messed up the process of Christian maturity as well. We know the discipline necessary to grow in Christ: obedience, commitment to the word, discipline of character, faithful to church and ministry, witnessing, etc. But what we tend to mess up is that are more concerned about making it LOOK like we are disciplined as we are in actually being disciplined. We tend to be satisfied if people THINK we're growing in Christ, even when we aren't.

In Ezekiel 22, God is speaking to Jerusalem about a judgment that is coming. verse 30 says, "I looked in vain for anyone who would build again the wall of righteousness that guards the land, who could stand in the gap and defend you from my just attacks, but I found not one." The wall of righteousness has broken down. It needs to be rebuilt.

In our lives, the disciplines of the Christian walk are equivalent to building the wall of righteousness. The sensible man knows why this is necessary. Assaults are coming. The enemy will attack. To wait until the enemy comes to build the wall is foolish. But often the labors it takes to build the wall are frustrating and no one sees how hard it is, or unfair the circumstances.

Earlier in the chapter in Ezekiel, there are false prophets claiming they have heard from God when they haven't. Verse 28 ends with "Thus they repair the wall with whitewash!"

Imagine a broken down wall, and someone trying to "repair" it by painting it. Sounds foolish doesn't it?

Apply that to our lives. So often our goal is to cover up and hide our vulnerabilities. As long as our friends or church family think we have it all together, we're fine. Our goal is too often to look like we're building the wall instead of actually building the wall. "I'm ok if you think i'm doing my devotions."

What makes this such a huge danger is the fact that trouble IS coming. Preparation is necessary. There are no shortcuts. If we are walking in obedience, and doing what God directs us to do on a daily basis, we will be so much more prepared for what is to come. The walls will be stable, and we wont be tossed around.

Unfortunately, we often put so much effort into painting our wall that we don't pay attention to those we love. We don't notice vulnerabilities in one another because we're so focussed on ourself. Heaven forbid we ask a question that would bring attention to our weak spot. So we slap on more paint, and before we know it, a loved one has fallen.

If our defenses have only been built up with a bucket of paint, you may not notice it right away, but when the attack comes, the results are devastating.

"Live the DREAM" could be a bucket of paint. It's a catchy little slogan. We can live our lives looking like all the elements of DREAM are in place, but if there's no true Spirit-led heart change, the lack of balance will be revealed when the trials come and things can fall apart.

Commit this day to Live the DREAM. Not just "paint the DREAM", but live it. Apply Godly principles in all areas of your day. You're created with a purpose. Live like it. Live the Sensible life, not the life of a Simpleton.


Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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