Christians, we need to wake up.  Jesus is coming back.  We don’t know the day or the hour.  For those of you who are going to church on Sunday and not taking heed of how you walk the faith out during the week, this is one of the ways you are being disobedient to God.  You are not taking what you learned and spreading the gospel of Christ.  You don’t read the Bible or spend time in prayer with God during the week.

In James chapter one verses twenty-two through twenty-five (NIV):  22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

There are many ways we are being disobedient to God.  How we act toward each other is the reflection of whether or not we are God’s children.  Some believers do not act loving toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Some believers put other things and people before God.  For instance, we put famous people before God.  They are considered idols.  We worship these people like they can save us and give us salvation.

We have been like the Israelites ever since they left Egypt.  They were disobedient to God in the wilderness, disobedient after they conquered the people in the promised land, and disobedient after they were divided into two kingdoms as well.  They worshiped other gods besides God – God is a jealous God, no gods come before him.  Plus, because they worshiped other gods, their behavior went against the Ten Commandments in other ways.  The other gods corrupted their character.

In Exodus chapter thirty-two, Moses was on the mountain for many days writing the laws that the Israelites agreed to obey.  Meanwhile, the people decided to build a golden calf and worship it.  God sent Moses down the mountain and wanted to kill all the Israelites.  Moses convinced Him not to kill them.

In Exodus chapter thirty-two verses seven through fourteen: 7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

The Book of Exodus and the Book of Numbers tell the story of the Israelites when they left Egypt and their wandering in the wilderness.  Since they weren’t patient for God’s next steps after leaving Egypt, they were wandering the wilderness for forty years and the generation died because they didn’t allow God to work in their lives.  The Israelites had grumbled against God and disobeyed Him, and still, God showed grace to them during those years in the wilderness.

We allow our flesh and the Devil to dictate how to live our lives instead of allowing God to take the lead and guide us to where we need to go in our lives.  We get in trouble in our lives because we are busy not taking heed of how we live our lives.  Plus, in these times we are not patient.  We are busy wanting what we want now, instead of waiting for God’s best for us.

We all have gifts to glorify God and His kingdom.  We are unique because God made us that way.  Ask yourself how you are using your gift to glorify God.  Our job is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ – His life, His death, and His resurrection.  We cannot sit on this message because other people need this message so they have a choice to believe in Jesus and get saved.  We need to plant the seed so God will water it in each person we speak with about Jesus.  We are the feet that spread the good news of Christ.

Plus, we act like the world instead of acting like Christ.  It is a wonder why people don’t see Christ in our lives when we deal with them.  It is the way we talk, treat people, how we carry ourselves (dress, hair, make-up), and how we treat our bodies as well.  We hold onto the past – with holding grudges (unforgiveness) and how we act (act as we did years ago) – we cannot move forward with our lives to make our faith stronger or better stuck in the past.  

We need to spend more time praying and reading the Bible so that we ‘find out what pleases the Lord’ (Ephesians chapter five verse ten).  Build that relationship with Him so that He can lead you to serve Him with your God-given gift.  It is a process to build that relationship.  He knows where your heart is.  God will help you grow to depend on Him and learn to be obedient even if you don’t understand why.

Lukewarm Christians, start spending more time with God in prayer and reading the Bible.  Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you to live as Jesus lived.  Spread the good news through your gifts and talents.  You know judgment day is coming.  It is time for you to get on fire for God.  Represent Him in all your ways.  Allow God to build your character and turn away from your sins by repenting for not doing what God asked you to do.  Someone needs you to step outside your comfort zone to show the love of God to them.