Revive Us O'Lord

When most people hear the word revival they think of a move of God across the land and people getting saved. There are, most of the time, revival meetings planned months in advance, tents are rented or a brush arbor may even be erected. A designated time when a weeks worth of sermons will be delivered, often from a traveling evangelist. Church members will come and they will also bring friends, neighbors and relatives. There may even be potluck dinners each night to sweeten the call to come. Sadly to say, these meetings are getting fewer and farther between. Attendance has waned as the preaching of the True Gospel of Christ has been diminished across the globe. Man has tried to substitute so many man-centered things into God’s message, that the Power of God is not present at theses meetings, no matter what you call them.

But are these actually “revival” meetings? Do these fit what being revived actually means? Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines revive as : 1 : to restore to consciousness or life 2 : to restore from a depressed, inactive, or unused state : bring back 3 : to renew in the mind or memory. So the way the word revival is used in “revival meeting” is not accurate. It is being used to mean, instead, an awakening. This is typical of what present day “revival meetings” are meant to be. A call to sinners to repent (hopefully and not the heretical Americanized “gospel” ever present from most pulpits) is not revival.

Biblical revival is a return to a normal state of Christianity. Where believers should be, they have to be revived, renewed or brought back to a former state of being, in essence – a return to where one should be anyway. Then what most people call “revival” happens, an awakening begins as Christians cry out in repentance, others notice. The power of God is seen in believers lives as they become much closer to God, they become more aware of their sins against a Holy God and they become more embolden to speak about the things of God to others. The Lord uses this to draw whom He wills to Himself and thereby an awakening begins. Upon true revival society is changed, God’s wrath is averted and people come to know Him. All things my country desperately need right now.

Lamentations 5:21 Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old,

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Peter speaks of “days of refreshing or revival - Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord

Psalm 85:4-7 Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, LORD, and grant us Your salvation.

Habakkuk prays for revival - Habakkuk 3:2 O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.

The sad thing is, as humans we soon forget the power of God working in us. We return to our comfortable lives, our 9-5 grind and to our daily household chores. We then need revival again. What I pray for is a revival, a return to where I was when God first saved me. I want to be as close to Him as I was that day and I don’t want to move back away from Him again. I want to move closer and closer to Him daily. I need personal revival first, then I need sustained fellowship and God in turn will use that to His glory. I pray for this in each of my local church body family and the corporate body of Christ.

Oak Grove Baptist Church, my church family, is in prayer for just such a revival. I ask you take this to your congregation as well. Pray for revival first in yourself, then your family, then your church body and then a move of God. There is no formula for revival, but most have begun with the honest and repentant turning to God from our sinfulness. A true broken and contrite spirit of how we have sinned against our Father. Upon a broken nature before our Lord, we ask Him to pour out on us His grace and mercy to be in fellowship with Him. We plead for souls to be added to His Kingdom. If God is gracious and hears our cries, He will move across the land and He will be glorified. We simply want and need to be His vessels; in whatever way He sees fit to use us. “Nominal” Christianity is not acceptable to our Lord and we must seek Him to correct that. At least any true believer should desire that. If not, then you have a much larger problem before you, your souls danger of eternal damnation. True children of God should desire this and need this closeness with our Father.

Cry out to Him to expose the darkest recesses of your heart so you may cry out in repentance to Him. Get on your knees, dear Christian, and plea for revival in your own heart. Get on your face, brother and sister, and shed tears for your lost family members. Just cry out to God and know that He will hear His children.

Only What’s Done For Christ Will Last

After reading John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life" I couldn't get the little plaque he talked about out of my mind. The one that he talks about having the path going over a hill with "Only one life, ’Twill soon be past; Only what’s done for Christ will last" . I was on a mission to find one of these, because I thought it was a great reminder of how most things that fill our lives are meaningless to the cause of God's glory.

Well, I couldn't find a wall hanging, but I did find the whole poem that phrase is taken from. It is a poem by CT Studd and I wanted to share it with those that come to my blog.




“Two little lines I heard one day,Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. ”

C.T Studd

Here's Your (Church) Sign

We’ve all seen them and dare I say, we have all cringed our teeth at some, if not all of them. Those snazzy little marquees that bid a person “Sinners wanted: Pro or Amateur: Apply inside” or “CH RCH the only thing missing is U”. These are just 2 of the countless catchphrases that, I assume, try to make a lost person want to come to that particular church building.

Do they work? Do they make people want to walk through a church door on Sunday morning? I have no idea, but judging by the frequency and interchangeable messages I would say a definite maybe. But that’s not the question about these signs. The question, regardless of my dislike for their oozing of seeker sensitivity, is: “Are these signs glorifying God?” And to 99% of these signs I would say the answer is no. Not because I don’t already know that “7 days without prayer makes 1 weak” or that I might, time and time again, need to be reminded that “God answers knee mail”, but these signs make a mockery of biblical truths, lend way to catchy sayings in hope of having a driver of a vehicle slam on his breaks after being so convicted by “This church is prayer conditioned” and just flat out try to be cute.

Enough of that. Are these types of signs biblical? Do they help or hurt the cause of Christianity? Do they convict sinners? Most importantly, as I asked earlier, do these signs glorify the Lord? Of course, we live in a day that the writers of scripture knew nothing about. They would not have foreseen this type of marketing for the Church of God. They expected the body of Christ to live their lives as a sign. They expected the children of God to faithfully proclaim the Good News and not rely on cutesy things to catch someone’s interest and create a chuckle (and yes, I do chuckle at some of these signs, but most of the time I am very offended).

This reminds me of a past blog I wrote on heretical t-shirts, a while ago. These types of things do more harm than good. And I dare say that I have never heard of one persons testimony in which they saw a sign that said “Don’t give up, Moses was once a basket case” and realized that they were a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Granted, these 3-4 line signs do not have very much room to say very much, but then again should these signs be used for anything other than telling when the next fellowship is or when service times start?

Maybe the problem is that most people do not know what a church is for anyway. They think that “Wal-Mart is not the only saving place” instead of actually knowing that a church is for those that are Christians to learn more about their Savior, to edify one another, to grow together as a body of believers in pursuit to be more Christ like in every way. So many of people that fill the pews these days want people to think “Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints”.

I may be wrong, and please correct me if I am, but I do not recall anywhere in scripture where we are told to be cute to glorify God. I also don’t know where it says that Jesus had catchy little phrases that made people chuckle and desire to get to know Him better. Jesus did have one little phrase that I would like to see on those marquees. It is found in Luke 13:3, 5. So important that He said it twice in 3 verses “Repent or perish”. Now that is profound. Not very seeker sensitive or cute, but like Christ was, to the point. That’s not a very popular place to be these days and will often times get the reply “Stop being judgmental you Pharisee”, the Pharisee card I like to call it. I just can’t see John the Baptist walking into town, munching down on a nice crispy locust with a sandwich board hanging from his neck that said “Oh Satan, the fat lady is about to sing”. Better yet, the Apostle Paul sending a letter to the Corinthians telling them to get the chisel out and make a sign for his next visit to read “The best vitamin for a Christian is B1” in hopes of something so sly and catchy would convict a sinner in their steps.

I guess my point is to just stop it already. Stop trying to be cute, stop trying to make somebody laugh, stop trying to make people think you’re sly and cunning and a wordsmith full of witty sentiments. It’s not working, it never worked and it never will work. Just preach the gospel – in season and out of season. Sow the seeds if His Word and leave the rest up to Him. Treat the Church like the Church and not as a “Hospital for sinners”. Also keep in mind Galatians 6:6-7 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Here are a few ideas if you must put up a marquee or sign to try and draw sinners in to hear the Word of God, to feel the presence of a mighty and Holy God and to cry out under the intense pressure of His Spirit:

“God is Holy, You’re not”
“Luke 13:3,5 Repent or Perish – the original Turn or Burn”
“The wages of sin is death, repent before payday”

Obedience Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

Admittedly, I am no great writer. I can’t spell very well (thank you spell check), I do not form complete sentences sometimes and often the structure of my sentences and choice of words may be off by a little or even off greatly. I know I can’t write well (good?) and I will never claim that distinction. I know many people that are a lot more articulate than I am, that can punctuate with the best of them, but that is not my calling. I hope that no one that reads my blog posts take them in the same vein they would a writing of John Piper, John Macarthur or Michael Durham.

My desire in writing is to just let my thoughts flow. I try to convey where the Lord has me at any particular time, what He is showing me and relay how that impacts me. I pray that it adds a little more understanding to its readers, but that too is not my purpose in writing.

When I sit down to the keyboard, it is to bring glory to my Savior. He has given all that I may live and in that I want to glorify Him in whatever fashion I can. I was not gifted to be a speaker, not that I am terrified to be in front of a crowd, but I just do not hold that quality. I am fine with that, I actually think of it as a blessing rather than a curse, it keeps me from inserting my foot into my big mouth sometimes. I also do not have the gift of a singing voice or ability to play an instrument. Oh, how I tried to learn to play the guitar, but my patience was very lacking, that or lack of coordination.

What I believe God has given me is the gift to interact with others on a personal level and not in a superficial way. Being like that makes me want to explain things, probably more than anyone wants to hear about, but I tend to meander and change course a lot. If you have read my other posts you will be quite aware of that. But what it really boils down to is obedience. Since I am not a speaker, I do not have a large audience around me and I do not have the typical giftings that people notice, I do feel like I am supposed to just write. Good or bad, correct punctuation or not, just write about what God has done, is doing and might do in my life. I try to obey.

In that I may write a blog about “Where is Todd Bentley” or even Glenn Beck’s false religion of Mormonism. Who knows what will strike up the urge to clank on the keyboard? Actually it is peck on the keyboard, since I have taught myself to type with a 4/1 method, 4 fingers on my left hand and 1 on my right. It would probably be quite humorous to watch if I weren’t the one doing it, but it gets the job done. What I want to do is glorify my God. If He chooses to use my meager words to help a brother or sister out I will be just as content if someone reads the first sentence of a post and clicks the little red X at the top right of their browser, because I have been obedient.

Obedience is the key to everything. Whether it’s to write a little blog in the corner of cyberspace or preach in front of 20,000 people at a time, it comes down to obeying what God has told you to do and to do it without bellyaching and doing it with the sole purpose of glorifying God. I think of writing like I do sowing seeds, like God speaks of spreading His Word in scripture. My writing is my testimony and my view of what God is doing around me, small or large, it is all in God’s plan. In me posting a blog God may have its words for one person 10 years down the road that may “accidentally” come across that post. With those words that have been there in the dirt for years, He may choose to then water and bring that seed to fruition in that single person. Who knows what will happen to anything they do? Should we even think about “what might be”? Shouldn’t we just live our lives for the one purpose of being obedient and leaving the rest to God? Sow the seed of His Word wide and broad, throw it on the beaten path, throw it on the thorn bushes, throw it on the rocks and throw it on the cultivated and prepared soil, but just throw the seed consistently and leave the germination to God. Be obedient.

In my posts I usually do have a purpose and that is to share the biblical gospel of Christ. To tell how someone can be born again. I may get worked up sometimes and go on for a while, but it is really a simple thing to do. Simple that is when God is in it; otherwise someone will become deceived in what “I did” or put faith in his or her prayer or even faith in his or her faith. The ONLY way a person can be saved, born again, is to accept that they are in dire need of a savior. See that their lives have been nothing but pure rebellion against a Holy God, which all they want to do and are capable of is sin and defilement of the Creator of the universe. Sin is anything that does not glorify God, not just lying, stealing or fornication, but even eating a cheeseburger without being thankful to the One that allowed them to wake up that morning, that gave them the job to have that couple of dollars to be able to eat that cheeseburger. Sin is our nature, we are born in it and we are born with it. You never have to teach a child to lie, it comes natural to them, as does all the other desires to sin. Sin is a heart condition and however that manifests itself is irrelevant, be it stealing a candy bar from Wal Mart or cheating on your spouse, it all comes from leadership of your heart. This was addressed by Jesus to the rich young ruler and also in Matthew 5:28 by saying “Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in their heart”. Now that is radical in today’s society, huh? So sin is a heart condition, but also is transgression of God’s Laws. Anytime there is transgression of law there has to be a payment rendered in turn. Most often times we see this in courtrooms. A law has been broken, someone is found guilty and the judge demands payment for that transgression. This, in American society, usually takes the form of a jail sentence and/ or a fine or restitution, a repayment for what has been unlawfully happened. No matter how much you tell that judge the “good” things you have done, it will not influence his decision on what you have committed. If you kill someone while drunk driving you will not get off with a warning for having volunteered every day for the past 20 years cooking and handing out food to the homeless across your city, it is not a weighted scale, it will be justice carried out.

This is just an earthly example of God’s courtroom on judgment day. You will stand before Him alone, you will have His books opened and you will have to answer for every sin you committed against His laws. You may think, “Yeah, I’m a good person. I’ve never killed anyone or anything that harsh, I’ve done a lot more good than I have bad” and that may be true, in a man centered sense. But then Jesus Christ will stand up and the Father will ask how you compare to Him. The sinless and spotless Lamb that lived a perfect life on this Earth, tempted in all ways we are, but remained sin free. He then was slain on a cross for your sins, you may have said a prayer when you were a kid, but no prayer will have saved you, no walk down an aisle, not being baptized, not living a good life. The question will be did you repent of your sins and trust in Him, the Lamb of God. Did you see your life as vile and rebellious to Him? Did you see that you had no hope at all in and of yourself? Did you cry out to God to forgive you of all that you had done to defile His Holy Name? Did you turn from that filthiness and turn to the God you hated in your words and lifestyle, casting all your sin upon the Lamb, giving your life to the One that came to willingly take your sins upon Himself? Because that is the only way Jesus will step up in the Father’s courtroom, stand beside you and say “I paid his debt Father” and show His pierced palms that still hold the marks that you put there. He will be your Advocate in God’s courtroom and that will be the only way you can be forgiven. To place all your hope in Christ, which also entails placing all your sins upon Him and all of His righteousness will be counted as yours. WOW! That is good news.

So, that is my purpose. Not to entertain, not to write a good read, not to drive the hi counter up on the bottom of the page, but to glorify my Savior, tell of what He has done for me (and you) and to sow bountifully and let the Lord reap bountifully. I’m just being obedient. However small I see this page, however small you see this page, God sees it the same as John Piper standing before the congregation at Bethlehem Church on a Sunday morning, He sees them both as obedience. How about you? Are you being obedient? Do you sow sparingly or bountifully? Do you just do what the Lord says and go and make disciples of men or do you sit back and expect everyone else with their gifts of speaking and music do what He commanded you to do as well? You are either the missionary or you are the mission field.

I'm a Pharisee? That's Being Awfully Judgmental of You.

Are you a Pharisee? Well, then have you ever been called a Pharisee? I have and it is becoming a more common occurrence. So much that I am in the process of doing a study to see if I actually do have what it takes to be called a Pharisee, in a biblical sense.

I start with Merriam Webster’s definition:
1 capitalized : a member of a Jewish sect of the intertestamental period noted for strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on the validity of their own oral traditions concerning the law
2 : a pharisaical person

I can pretty much cross out #2 since I am not #1 either. I am not Jewish, a member of a Jewish sect, do not observe rites of ceremonies of the written law (the Law of Moses and Levitical Laws presumably) and I have no oral tradition concerning the law.

In contrast to this definition, I believe the law is/ was a schoolmaster, or a guide, to Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:24). My biblical understanding is that the law is used to show our need for a Savior, that we are born sinners; wretched at birth and in no way can we keep the standards that the Father set forth.

A further study of the Pharisees that Jesus alluded to will show that they were long winded in their prayers, to show everyone within earshot just how holy they were (or thought they were). So, that disqualifies me as well. I think of myself as nothing close to holy, nothing close to long winded, even quite timid in my prayers and to the point. My reliance is on God’s searching and guiding of my heart and my prayer and not on my vain words.

Next would be the Pharisee’s insistence on a strict tithe. I will admit I do not tithe 10%. I actually do not tithe at all. The tithe was yet another system that the Pharisee used to show everyone else how Godly they thought they were. I give back to God what He has entrusted to me, an offering. I would ask that you check out the sermon series on stewardship at Real Truth Matters. This is a very enlightening series on all aspects of giving, notably the false thoughts on tithing. They are not within the New Covenant, check out the rest for yourself. The Pharisee’s tithes went right along with the long prayers, an outward sign that they thought showed they were righteous. Matt 23:5, 13-33, Luke 18:9-14, Matt 9:11. They even weighed out their herb gardens to give 10% of the herbs.

One of the major things the Pharisee’s were known for was their hatred for Jesus. They called for His murder even. Jesus characterized this in Matthew 15:7-9. This is a biggie for me, because I am not capable of hating Jesus. He is my Savior, He is my Everything. He gave all for me, His sinless life to hang on a cross to atone for my sins. So, I could never hate the one that died for me, that I may live. So that was in a big N-O.

So those are the biggest things that Pharisees were known for, the most notable. I will not make a long list for space constraints. Then why am I called a Pharisee? I would have to assume that it is because I hold dear the truths of scripture. I believe that the Lord demands holiness, that His Word is the authority and not personal experience or revelation. There are many truths in scripture that have been deviated from over the past 100 – 150 years. This can be characterized as the “America Gospel”, “Easy Believism” or just a blatant disregard for biblical and historical Christianity. Most notably of late, the denying of he Holy Trinity.

On my facebook wall I recently posted that Philips, Craig and Dean were Modalists and that anyone that were fans of their song “Revelation Song” might want to listen to Kari Jobe’s version instead. I did this after reading an article about PCD’s recent nominations for Dove Awards and mainstream acceptance. To me this is very dangerous, as it should be any Christian. Their false religion denies the Triune nature of God, effectively creating a different god. I was then called judgmental and later I believe a post was put up quoting Matthew 23:13-15 directed at me.

So why are people being called Pharisee’s today? Myself included. This is because the modern definition of Pharisee seems to be simply a hypocrite. The definition of hypocrite is a person that puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion. My life is an open book, I do not parade around saying or believing that I am a “Holier than thou” person. I love my Lord and out of that love He so graciously allows me to have I serve Him and strive to me more like Him daily. This is called sanctification, a term that is not used very much by the modern churches.


So, if this is what they mean by Pharisee (which would negate their quoting of Jesus’ Words in scripture, since they are using it out of context) then I am still not guilty. But, in effect, these people are doing exactly what they are accusing me of. Being judgmental. They expect that anyone that profess’ the Name of Jesus to be of His flock. They say “judge not, lest ye be judged” which too is ripped out of context. We are commanded to judge and hold true to God’s Word. We are told to not be gullible and have itching ears, to not cast pearl before swine or give what is Holy to dogs. How are we to do that if we are not judging and discerning how people’s “professions” of faith in God truly line up with what a true follower of Christ is biblically?

Most people these days that question anyone’s profession, an errant religion, even a blatantly unbiblical religion such as Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses or Modalists, are automatically labeled as Pharisaical. This also happened to me when Todd Bentley was at his peak. I went to the chat room of his website during the Lakeland debacle. I simply asked “How can I be saved” once. Then again, and again, and again. For several minutes I did this, hoping that someone would acknowledge me and give me some scripture reference. I received nothing. Not a hello, not anything. I guess it could have been my requests were being hidden by the flurry of praises to Bentley. But then I posted something else:
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
I posted the Word of God and was immediately rebuked as a Pharisee, told to get off the board and was even blocked by the webmaster who was keeping tabs on the chat board. Many were deceived, many were lied to, many still believe Bentley is a man of God, even after his adulterous relationship, alcohol abuse, knee’s to the stomachs and baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Bam. It’s as if people want to be deceived, like they have itching ears. Any call to discern is met with a cry of “judge not” and being called a Pharisee.

So, if me being called a Pharisee means: One that discerns, calls for discernment, calls for biblical doctrines to be followed and believed, then yes I guess I am a Pharisee in those terms. But I am definitely not what Jesus faced and I am definitely not what Saul of Tarsus was. I could never even remember all those laws, much less follow them and consider myself blameless like the rich young ruler. I am wretched and vile and the only good in me is what my Lord affords. He saved me; He became my master and I His slave. I was born in sin, lived in sin and only have life through Him and His blood that was shed for me on Calvary. A wrong view of Him, His character, His holiness, His attributes, His omnipotence and His awesomeness is idolatry. If someone has made a god to fit their lifestyle, that overlooks sin, turns a blind eye to fornication, drunkenness, lying, stealing or hate is on the road to hell. These are the one’s that Jesus references in Matthew 7 that will be saying “Lord, Lord” that He never knew. These poor souls are deceived and need the Truth and do not need to be lulled into a falseness that is damning them. They need to know who the God of scripture is and what the bible says true salvation is. They must repent of their vileness; they must turn from their sin and to a Holy God and trust in Him only. Not trust in their profession or their prayer to save them. Only God saves. Only God can give life, physical and spiritual.

So if you call people Pharisee’s do your own study of what a real Pharisee is. Do the same if you pull the hypocrite card out as well. Do not use it as a last resort when God’s Word has proved you wrong. Do not be lumped in with the charlatans on TV that blaspheme God’s Name in the real name of greed. These false prophets are dragging millions to a fiery hell with them. Cry out to God for discernment and to open your eyes. If you are sincere He will answer, He will not turn away those that truly seek Him. Drop to your knees right now and cry out to Him.

Losing Your Faith?

Facebook has quickly become a social hub for all types of people, from all walks of life, from all countries of the world and for all age groups. What was once a hub for college students only has branched out and now allows anyone over the age of 13 to be a member. People can add friends, send messages, post pictures and play a multitude of games through this social outlet. Actually, if you’re not on facebook, you are probably not on the internet either, which would mean that you would not be reading this and ….. oh, never mind.

The most used feature of facebook allows users to post items to their “wall” which in turn allows their friends to see, comment and even add a “thumbs up” like to their post. Since I examine users profiles before adding them as friends I am not really sure as to the kinds of things that get posted on others walls. I can only speculate using a web sense of what normally goes on throughout the world wide web. I have gotten requests that I have turned down and have deleted a few “friends” after seeing some of their posts, but overall I have had a very pleasant experience on facebook. I normally post a scripture verse, quote from a notable Christian or something interesting I have came across. But also post a silly thing here and there too.

Pleasant experiences can really go south quickly though. I have had a few friends that stop posting for a while, seemingly because facebook has taken over a large chunk of their free time. That is an issue that is very real, but like any other activity that gets out of hand and consumes one it needs to be constantly examined as to not become an idol. If that starts to happen, then a sabbatical from the website could prove profitable.

Like any other activity one must always be on the lookout for the warning signs of idolatry. These include increased time doing that activity, overwhelming desires to be taking part in that activity, slacking off from needed activities to partake in something more often, neglecting household duties, neglecting your family and most importantly neglecting God’s Word and prayer time. These things aren’t just signs that you are spending too much time on facebook, there are countless other things that are just as dangerous and just as idolatrous (watching TV, playing video games, exercising, working, sleeping, etc.). Any time something takes precedence over godly things and then they are very dangerous. But the things mentioned can also be used in a godly fashion as well.

Each individual is different. While I do not lose my faith while using facebook, someone else might. My focus is on things that will glorify my Lord. While someone else may spend an equal amount of time doing other activities on facebook that have no spiritual implications whatsoever. But also my activities could also become an idol if I focus on the activity, posts and comments themselves rather on the One these posts and comments are about. The dangers are ever present and very real, so I caution everyone to always be aware of the time you spend on facebook and other networking sites. Like any other activity always ask yourself how it glorifies God to be doing that activity.

Be careful and everything will be okay. Don’t let it become an idol to you and you won’t lose your faith. Facebook can, be used for some very edifying things. I have new friends from all over the world that post things to their wall that have been real blessings. I am able to see how different cultures and different viewpoints see certain topics and issues. I have been given the great privilege to pray for brothers and sisters needs that otherwise I would not have been able to do. I have learned of ministries across the world that I am now able to pray for and interact with. I gain more knowledge that can then be used to further the kingdom of God. So many ways I have been blessed since using facebook. But I am just as susceptible as anyone and may one day have to limit, if not cut out totally, my facebook time. If my desire becomes anything but my Lord, then I am in need of the pruning shears.