Hot n Cold

You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and His way. James 4:4 

There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan. - C.S. Lewis 

I have been so captivated by this thought, so challenged by it. Every single second, I am either submitting myself to God, or to Satan. This Christian life is all in, one or the other. There is no middle ground, no neutral area when it comes to living for God. Generally, this works well for me because I am a very opinionated 'black and white' type person. I know what I stand for, I know what my opinion about something is, and it takes a hell of a lot to make me change my mind. But sometimes, it's hard when the line starts to get blurred with certain things. If every single second I'm submitting to God or Satan, then I know who I'm submitting to when I'm listening to secular music, or talking about things I know are not glorifying to God. To realise how much time I have spent unknowingly submitting to Satan makes me ready and wanting to change. I do not want to 'flirt with the world.' I do not want to be found in places I would be ashamed to be if Jesus walked in right then. I'm not saying that we should all ditch secular music, and talk only about Scripture, and so forth. But I am saying that everything we do, needs to be for God's glory. This is an impossible task on our own, but with His help, we can do it. I think practical examples of being in the world and not of the world look a little something like this: 

1. If, as a Christian, you choose to spend your time hanging out in a nightclub, do that for God's glory. and if you cant find a way to honour Him in being there, then just dont go there. We are called to be the salt and light in the world, so unless you can fulfil that purpose, what's the point in hanging in places like those?

2. When listening to secular music, is it controlling you? By singing along and dancing, are the words you're singing decent and uplifting, or dirty and self-gratifying? Not all secular music is bad, there is a lot of good positive stuff out there. But there is also a lot of indecent crap that no one should be singing, least of all those who belong to Christ. 

3. We all have those conversations with close friends that can get a little bit crazy. We all have those moments where we take something 'wrong' and find it all so hilarious. But I have been really challenged about how I'm thinking, and what the words coming out of my mouth are. Yes, I still have silly conversations with friends about boys, but I no longer want to take part in vulgarity, 'wrong jokes,' dirty mindsets, and self-gratifying talk. In having those kind of 'wrong conversations' I do not imagine I am submitting to God. I think words are one of the biggest ways Satan can use us if we're not careful and aware. 

My goal with this blog post is not to lay down some kind of law, or come across as 'holier than thou.' My heart behind this is realising that submitting to Satan is just not worth it, and we do it way more often than we realise. This is a fight we're in, a fight against darkness, a fight for people's lives. If we're so busy caught up in our own worlds, living on neutral ground, then we cannot do anything effective for the Kingdom. Make a choice my friend. Choose where you stand and stay there. God is not into grey areas, He is not into indecisiveness. He wants a yes or a no, an 'all or nothing' commitment. 

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of My Mouth. - Revelation 3:15-16

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:31