For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. John 12:43
When I strive more for the approval of the world than for the approval of God, I need revival.
It is no secret that most people want to blend in with society. No one wants to be considered “weird” or “strange” by their peers. There are certainly exceptions, but most people want to be considered “normal.” For that reason, many Christians are willing to do whatever they have to do to fit in. They allow their hearts to become dominated by worldliness by following modern fashions, striving to be like those in the world.
When you follow the latest ungodly movies and music to be able to talk about it with your associates, it shows a desire to be of the world, and it is not pleasing to God. You see, your speech betrays your heart; and when your heart is full of the things of this world, there can be no room for the things of God. God is not looking for part of your heart, or even half of it. Jeremiah 29:13 says of God, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” He wants all of your heart. If you are holding back any part, then you need a revival in your soul. Think of it this way – anything that you cannot watch or listen to with Jesus Christ sitting right next to you, watching or listening to it with you, is of this world. How about the last ten songs that you listened to? Could Jesus feel comfortable listening to them with you? What about the last ten videos you watched on YouTube? Would you feel perfectly fine letting the holy Creator of the universe share the images that your eyes beheld? If you answered “no” to either of those questions, then it is time to seriously evaluate what you are taking into your heart and soul.
When you become ashamed of living a godly lifestyle around people in the world, then you need revival. As I mentioned before, no one wants to feel out of place, but that is one of the risks we must take if we are to be followers of Christ. Those who are ashamed to say they go to church and follow Jesus Christ are a long way from having the vibrant relationship that God desires to have with them. A trap that many Christians fall into, maybe without even realizing it, is that they become accustomed to the filth of the world by allowing themselves to be exposed to it too often. When you can see filth on the television or internet, or hear it sung on the radio, and it no longer bothers you, it is a sign that your spiritual level has dropped far below where it should be. Matthew 6:33 says to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Only when we do that, are we are well on our way to pleasing the Lord with our lives.
Read also: John 12:32-43
Quote of the day: "It were better that you were never born than that you should go back into the world.” – Charles Spurgeon