Christian Philosophy: Everyone Has a Philosophy. It's The Lens Through Which They View The World and Make Decisions. (10 page)

In my own case, I was born again when I was eight years old, but I didn’t submit to Jesus as Lord until I was 18. During that ten-year interval, I believe I was born again. I loved God, and I had a relationship with Him to the degree that I would have gone to heaven if I had died, but I wasn’t allowing Jesus to direct my life. I didn’t submit to Jesus as Lord until March 23, 1968. I haven’t lived perfectly since that time—obviously—but whenever I know God is telling me to do something, I do it. I yield to Jesus as my Lord, and my submission has led to a blessed life. Everything I set my hand unto prospers. God is a good God, and He leads me along good paths.

I believe this philosophy is absolutely essential. You need to adopt this way of thinking: You are going to do whatever God tells you to do, regardless of any other factors. Whether it is through the Word of God, or by special instruction from the Holy Spirit, decide ahead of time that you are going to follow God’s leading; no discussion, no debate.

Over the years I have discovered that God will tell me to do things, but if I don’t do them right away, He doesn’t argue with me. He just tells me what He wants me to do, and then I have the choice of whether or not to follow Him. To the best of my ability, I do what God tells me to do, but if I miss His leadership, He won’t debate the issue with me. So if you’re waiting for God to convince you to do the thing you already know He wants you to do, you’ll be waiting a long time because it isn’t going to happen. God doesn’t get into debates with us over His will for our lives. He will lead, and He will direct, but He isn’t going to argue with you about what you already know.

Doing whatever we want and asking God to bless it as an afterthought, is not the same thing as following God. God tells us to do things for our own good. Really, being a Christian is simple. All you have to do is make Jesus Lord of your life, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and do what God’s Word tells you to do. You’ll solve a lot of problems in your life by following those few simple steps.

In order to remain sensitive to God’s leading, we have to guard our hearts against the negative philosophies that are being promoted in the world. Every time you watch a television program, read a book, listen to the radio, browse the Internet, or watch a movie, you encounter ideas that are contrary to God’s philosophy. Satan uses words to attack us through the way we think, and the modern media is the ideal way to push the world’s philosophy. Every time you encounter those lies, you need to reject them. Isaiah says,

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

Isaiah 54:17

The promise here is that attacks against us won’t succeed. Notice that Isaiah then mentions the words spoken against us. The number one weapon Satan uses against us is deceitful words; he steals from people through vain philosophies and lies. This scripture says we are to “condemn” the lies that rise against us. The word “condemn” is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as, “To express disapproval of, denounce; to convict; to sentence to a punishment; to declare unfit for use.”

We have to take the authority God has given us and condemn those negative words, philosophies, and thoughts. Anything that is contrary to God’s Word must be rejected.

This is more important than most of us realize. Most people go through the day hardly paying attention to all of the garbage, unbelief, doubt, and complaining that comes at us through the media and that wanders through our minds. All of those words and thoughts will corrupt you. Scripture says,

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

1 Corinthians 15:33

The truth of this scripture is demonstrated in the life of Lot and the infamous city of Sodom. Lot was a godly man, and the evil of the society he lived in was a continual grief to him, but his association with the city of Sodom cost him dearly. He never participated in their sins, but he ended up losing his wife and daughters in the judgment that came against Sodom (2 Peter 2:7-8). Lot is an example of the danger of trying to blend in and of the mistake in thinking that the evil in society around you won’t affect you. You have to condemn the negative things around you.

Christians don’t just wake up one morning and discover that they have a worldly philosophy; it happens slowly over time. We can see the process reflected in Satan’s temptation of Eve. Satan didn’t immediately call God a liar; he started out by questioning whether God had really told Eve not to eat of every tree in the Garden (Genesis 3:1). From there, he led Eve down a path of deceit until she was looking at things from his perspective, and finally disobeyed God’s command. It’s like the story of putting a frog into a boiling pot of water: the frog will jump out of the hot water immediately, but if you put that same frog in lukewarm water and turn the heat up very slowly, you can boil it alive and it will never try to escape because it won’t notice the gradual temperature change. This is how the devil works. He doesn’t come at us all at once; instead he drops little doubts here and there, and attacks the integrity of God’s Word piece by piece.

I heard a story one time about a father who was trying to protect his kids from the influence of the world by monitoring the movies and television they watched. One day his daughter asked to go see a movie with her friends.

“What’s it rated?” he asked.

“R,” she mumbled in response.

“Well then, you can’t go see it.”

“But Dad,” she argued, “Everyone says it’s a great movie. All the other kids at church have seen it.”

“What’s in the movie that makes it rated R?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I’ve heard there is a little nudity and some swearing, but not much. And it’s supposed to be a great movie.”

“I’m sorry honey, but I can’t let you go see it,” the father said.

The daughter was angry, but her dad wouldn’t budge, so she had her friends come over to the house that night instead. While she was hanging out with her friends and playing games, her father made everyone brownies. After everything was set, they all lined up to get dessert.

“Now before you eat,” he said over the excitement, “I just want to let you know that I put a little bit of dog poop in the recipe this time. It’s not much. You probably won’t taste it, and it won’t make you sick or anything—but it is in there. Don’t worry about it though—for the most part, these are really tasty brownies.” I seriously doubt those kids ate any brownies. No matter how little dog poop ends up in your dessert, it’s still spoiled. Why should we be any more tolerant of ungodliness in our entertainment?

The world we live in is fallen and corrupt, but many of us have accepted the condition of the world, and have grown tolerant of the ungodliness that surrounds us. We watch the same movies and television programs, read the same books, and listen to the same music—even though we know they aren’t exactly right. We know they don’t meet God’s standard, but it’s just a little bit of ungodliness; it’s just a little nudity or profanity. Repeated exposure to that stuff leads to an increased tolerance for worldly viewpoints until, eventually, you are indulging attitudes and beliefs that are totally contrary to a godly perspective.

Our great-grandparents would be shocked to see the things that are on television and in magazines today. My wife and I have had a subscription to Reader’s Digest magazine for years, and traditionally it has been a very wholesome family-oriented publication. Recently, they have begun including racy advertisements like those that feature the backs of nude women. It isn’t nudity exactly, but it shows how the magazine is taking a step in the direction of more relaxed moral standards. Today, many popular magazines feature ads that would have been considered pornography a few generations ago.

I don’t watch a lot of television, but I have an hour drive from my house into the office and I listen to the news on the radio. I don’t listen to it for long though, because most of it is false prophesy. They take a small event and blow it up by focusing on all of the negative things that
could
happen—usually with an emphasis on how it
will
happen, and maybe it will happen
to you
. You can ask anybody who rides in the car with me, I condemn the negative words that I hear over the radio.

When the news broadcast comes on and says, “It’s flu season out there…Have you had your flu shot?” I say, “Oh, no it isn’t. In the name of Jesus, it’s not flu season for me.” To the commercial that asks, “Are you having such-and-such medical problem? We can help…,” I say, “No, thank you Jesus, I’m not having that problem.”

I talk back to the radio and defend my belief system. I believe that when you hear a philosophy that is contrary to God’s Word, you have to stand against it—that’s what Eve should have done. When Satan said, “Did God really say…,” Eve should have said, “Yes, God did say, and He is not a liar—so go away.”

This might all sound a little weird, but it’s just a component of guarding your heart. Scripture says we should guard our hearts above everything else in life, because our hearts determine the course of our lives (Proverbs 4:23). Satan tries to come against us through the way we think, so when I hear a lie, I condemn it. Condemn means to express disapproval of or denounce, and that’s what I do—I speak the truth from God’s Word to counter the lie. It’s a part of guarding my heart.

When the media says sickness is rampant, I confess that by Jesus’ stripes I’m healed (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). When the newspaper says the economy is in the toilet, I flush that thought and confess that God supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). When I fall short and thoughts of condemnation rise up, I confess that there is no longer condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and walk after the spirit (Romans 8:1). Wherever and whenever the enemy attacks God’s Word with a lie, I counter the lie by speaking the truth (John 17:17).

This is just a practical application of two philosophies I have been discussing. First, we have to believe that the Word of God is inspired and without error. Second, Jesus is Lord, and we shouldn’t question His instructions. Those two philosophies will prevent Satan from having any access to us. Whenever you hear something that is contrary to God’s Word, just reject it.

The philosophy of making Jesus Lord means that when God tells you to do something, you just do it. Unfortunately, many Christians debate with God whether or not they are going to do what He asks. For instance, Scripture says you’re supposed to give, and the tithe (or 10% or your income) is just a starting place. Ten percent was the requirement under the Old Covenant. Nothing is required under the New Covenant of grace, but we should
desire
to give even more. God has promised that if we seek His Kingdom first, He will freely give us the food, clothing, and shelter we need (Matthew 6:33). Most Christians give a little from the abundance of their wealth, but they don’t give joyfully. Scripture says,

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:7-8

A lot of people don’t trust God to supply their needs, so they cling to money and material possessions as their safety net. They don’t give joyfully because they are afraid God won’t come through on His promise to give back. We have to trust God that His Word is a sure promise. No marriage or friendship can thrive unless the partners trust one another, and a relationship with God is no different in that respect. Following Jesus means trusting Him to do what He says He will do.

But many people who say “Jesus is Lord” prove by their actions that they don’t really trust Him. The Bible tells us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who persecute us and despitefully use us (Matthew 5:44). We know we’re supposed to turn the other cheek, and we teach that principle to our children, but how many of us instantly slide into gossip and anger when someone comes against us? When we do that, we aren’t submitting to Jesus as Lord of our lives. Our actions prove who is really sitting on the throne.

I’m not saying you can be perfect after you submit to Jesus as Lord, or that any failure in your life means you haven’t submitted to Jesus. It isn’t possible for us to live perfectly. We’re still going to make mistakes. Even though our spirits are perfect, our bodies and souls won’t be perfected until the Lord comes back and gives us glorified bodies and new souls. But our desire should be to follow Jesus’ commands perfectly. Whenever we recognize that we are doing something contrary to the Word, we need to humble ourselves and turn back to God.

I certainly haven’t lived perfectly. I’ve gossiped about people and said things in anger after someone has done something to hurt me. I’ve sinned plenty, but the moment I realize I am behaving contrary to God’s instructions, I humble myself and turn away from whatever I was doing. My desire is that Jesus reigns as Lord of my life, and I follow His commands.

We are in a battle. We win eternal life when we are born again, but in this world we still have to fight the lies that come against us (Ephesians 6:12-13). We win those battles by making the determination that Jesus will reign as Lord in our lives, and by submitting to His leadership. When God leads us to do something, then we need to do it. The debate should end once God’s will is clear in any area of our lives. No matter what the circumstances look like, we should follow God. The only way the enemy can win is for us to consider and submit to his lies instead of follow God’s leading. God didn’t create us to run our own lives. He gave us the freedom to make our own choices in life, but He also told us that the right option is to choose life. The correct choice is to use our free will to make Jesus Lord, and to follow His leading.