Isaiah 5:20: Choose Light Over Dark, Part 2

Isaiah 5:20 & 8:19-20: Choose Light Over Dark, Part 2

I have been praying about what God wanted me to write about next.  He gave me two phrases: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil." And "They traded the truth for a lie." God also told me very clearly not to be afraid of anyone who might reject me for my writings because it is important to share the Truth.

(Isaiah 5:20) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Keep those words in mind as they go along with the theme of this blog.

The second phrase God gave me, I knew I had heard before, but could not remember where it was in the bible nor what the context of that scripture was.  I had to look it up.  It is in Romans 1.  

I realize that a portion of Romans 1 has to do with the sin of homosexuality, but I do not believe that is what God is specifically calling me to write about at this time.  The theme God wants me to focus on is the backsliding of saints. Those that have been taught the Truth and have rejected it.

If you have taken the time to read part one of this blog, then you know that I was once just as guilty of watching things God considers evil even though I knew better. 

So, if we are taught at an early (or not-so-early) age to avoid witchcraft, drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, etc., then why do we choose to sin?  It is because we have been hurt to the very core and we blame God.  We think He should have intervened and saved us from a miscarriage, a divorce, a death of a loved one, the loss of a home, etc.  We may think we have gotten over the anger towards God, but in all reality, we choose to rebel against the scriptures we have heard for many years, and probably even memorized.  We choose this as a child rebels against a parent they think is being unfair.  In all honesty, I was a good kid.  But, when my parents set a curfew I did not agree with, I simply chose to come home whenever I wanted and suffer the consequences later.  Sound familiar?  Our attitude may sound something like this, "God, I think it was pretty heartless of you to allow my wife to cheat on me, so therefore, I am going to smoke this joint."  or "God, I don't understand why I have lost a child, and since you don't seem to care, neither do I."

Satan absolutely loves it when we allow our minds to wander down such paths of what we consider logical rebellion.

But, don't be fooled...  God does care!  He does not will bad things to happen to us.  Bad things often happen due to poor choices we make, and God will not save us when we jump off a cliff without a parachute just because we say we have faith.  He expects us to be proactive.  You cannot expect God to heal you of high blood pressure if you continue to eat unhealthy foods.  You cannot expect God to save your marriage if you refuse to put down the sin of pornography.  Or bless your business if you treat your employees unfairly.  We have to take care of our marriages, our bodies, and other people if we want God's blessings.  We cannot hold someone responsible that did not pull the trigger.  Unfortunately, our mistakes can cause others hurt.  If you refuse to have your vehicle serviced on a regular basis and it breaks down on your wife and she gets stranded in the middle of nowhere, that is not God's fault.

I am well aware that bad things happen to people who live life as clean as they can.  They are devout in their faith and love God with all their hearts.  Do they have a reason to be mad?  Sure.  In fact, even those that are victims of their own fault have reason to be mad.  The Bible says it is okay to be angry as long as we do not sin in anger (Ephesians 4:26).  But don't stay mad; pray that God helps you heal by the power of His Holy Spirit as it is impossible to heal on our own.  We live in a fallen world where man chooses to alienate God.  Therefore, God does not always intervene.  I once had very serious asthma to the point where doctors said I could die if it does not improve.  Was that my fault or God's?  No.  Did God choose to heal me?  Yes, Praise God! After 4 years of dangerous asthma attacks, I was healed.  I have not used my inhaler since 2019 (except when I had Covid in 2020 and I needed it for a few months).  If I was still obsessing over "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and knowingly watching a show that was displeasing to God, I would have had no right to ask God to heal me.  Any more than you could expect a boss to give you a raise if you are always late to work and have a bad attitude. 

My point was that we choose to dishonor God with our rebellions because we blame Him for our unfortunate circumstances.  We justify glorifying witchcraft or drinking alcohol, or even following the ways false religion because it is fun or makes us feel better.  I have heard people often say, "Oh, I know there's swearing, violence, and sex in that movie, but overall I really loved it."  And they watch it again and again.

(Romans 1: 20-21) For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

This sounds to me like they were well aware of God's power, rebelled, and God was absolutely going to hold them accountable because they knew better.  In fact, I believe God holds us more accountable when we know the Truth and trade it for a lie than when our sins are a little bit more ignorant. 

(Hebrews 6:4-6) For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.  

Romans 1:22 states, "Professing to be wise, they became fools."  To me, this sounds like they knew better and justified their actions with false logic, and therefore, became foolish.   

But there is good news for those that have rebelled and chosen to backslide.  I see a lot of people who choose to do wrong still going to church, calling themselves Christians, and reading their bibles.  The hope lies in prayers. We can pray this all sinks in once and for all.  That God will ultimately open their eyes, or re-open as the case may be.  Or if it is us that has fallen away, we need to repent and start over.

(Revelation 2:4-5) I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.  

Please prayerfully consider all I have said.  Remember my goal is never to condemn anyone, but if the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart and convicts you, please listen and obey.