Maintain a Distance

Maintain a Distance

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

We know, both from the Word of God and from personal experience, that we should maintain a distance from situations and people who may lead us into temptation and sin. However, that is not the only distance we should maintain. As they were entering the Promised Land, the Lord cautioned Joshua and the Israelites to maintain a distance from the Ark of the Covenant so that they could more clearly see the path they were to follow.

Joshua 3: 1-4 “Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; and they commanded the people, saying, When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.''

Our nation has not passed this way before.  As believers who walk in faith, we must stand back a bit and withhold our judgement of both good and evil until we have a better perspective.  This is not a time for impulsive reaction. 

Even while mainstream media and talk show participants react in fear and the resulting anger, we cannot respond out of our own fear and anger. We must maintain a distance from ungodly emotional response.  Jesus said that He would establish His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.  It is time for us to stand back, to pray for those who despitefully use us, for those who persecute us for His name’s sake (Matthew 5:44). It is time to maintain a distance in order to watch what the Lord is doing. 

It is also time for us to follow Joshua’s addition instruction: “And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you'' (Joshua 3:5).

To sanctify is to set apart for the purposes of God.  Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” 

To sanctify ourselves, we must, in spite of the situation and those around us, act justly even when others do not.  We must desire and pray for the mercy of God in our lives and in the lives of others. We must humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and allow Him to lift us up (James 4:10).

It is time for us to sanctify ourselves, to maintain a holy distance, and to watch what the Lord has done, is doing and will continue to do.

These Are the Days of Elijah

These Are the Days of Elijah

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Remember the song “These Are the Days of Elijah” by Robin Mark? The Lord has again taken me on a journey through the lyrics of the song and through the life of Elijah. Elijah was a confronter. He confronted Ahab and Jezebel. He confronted the worshipers of Baal. His confrontations caused him anguish, depression and even despair. But, in spite of the pain, he demonstrated the power of El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty, over the demonic spirit of Baal.

Elijah means “my God is Yahweh (Jehovah).” Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Robin Mark composed the lyric that has worshippers declaring 16 times consecutively “There’s no God like Jehovah”. Not Baal, not Buddha, not Vishnu, not Allah. There’s no God like Jehovah.

We are living today in a world that parallels that of Elijah. In about 935 B.C., the kingdom of Israel split. The northern kingdom of ten tribes became Israel; the southern kingdom, Judea, consisted mainly of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

A nation divided is a nation weakened. We live in a divided nation. The division is greater than legitimate differences of opinion that can and must be discussed and resolved. Fed by the vitriol of a disenchanted media, the differences of opinion have escalated into animosity and violence. American has not become an ethnic melting pot. We have not all repented of and/or forgiven the atrocities of our history. We are a divided and, therefore, a weakened, nation.

Jesus warned in Matthew 12:25: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”

The Old Testament prophets of God had continually warned the people to repent of their sins, particularly of their idolatry and to return to the Lord. During the time of Elijah, under the leadership of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel, many Israelites had embraced the worship of Baal and Asherah. The worship included ritual sexual acts, temple prostitution and even the sacrifice of children, particularly first-born children.

The anti-biblical culture of the world today has embraced and encouraged the same practices.

The Lord Jehovah cautioned the Israelites before they went into the Promised Land: Deuteronomy 12:29-32: "When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, `How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' "You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”

We must understand that the commandments of the Lord are meant to lead us into the abundant life. God has not placed them as obstacles to thwart our happiness.

In the behaviors of the worldly culture today, we see the idolatry of the ancients. I “googled” the search phrase, “idolatry in America.” I found several lists outlining what Americans worship. The following appeared on more than one list:

Self

Money

Sex

Beauty

Comfort

When we examine the list closely, we realize that only one false god exists—self. The others exist only to undergird #1.

It was the idolization of self that caused Lucifer to be driven from heaven. ““I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14).

Idolatry seeks to win favor, control, happiness for oneself by appealing to the forces of nature, the unregenerated conscience of man, or the appetites of those in power.

Robin Mark’s lyrics call out to believers, “Still we are the voice in the desert crying, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”

What is the way of the Lord?

Matthew 22:37-39: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

When we love Jehovah God with all our heart, we will come to love who we are in Him and then we can love others. In love, the division is healed.

The idolater looks into the mirror as says, “I am awesome because of who I am, what I have done, and what I plan to do.”

God speaks into the heart and says, “My child, you are awesome because I created you in My image, because I have declared you righteous in Jesus Christ, because I have given you a future and a hope.” In His love, the division in our heart is healed.

Let’s declare His word. There is no god like Jehovah!