I had a feelings that the picture of these camouflaged & bearded men might make you open my link & read this post :o) This post isn't about Duck Dynasty, but for those of you who have never seen it, please check out this awesome show & support these godly men.
This morning the Darlings & I were out taking a leisurely drive along the rural back roads near our home when from out of nowhere a doe suddenly darts out in front of our van. This scenario plays out nearly every time we take to the roads, & time has proven that when one deer darts out another soon follows. I slowed the van to a stop & told the darlings to look out their window to see if they could spot the other deer. We trained our eyes upon the woods & scanned the area. Nothing. I daresay that even the Lone Ranger, a veteran hunter, would have had trouble spotting one. I was just about to drive away when a flicker of movement caught my attention. There hidden amid the trees was another doe. Other than the slight movement of her ears, she was invisible. As we continued our drive I marveled at the way Abba created the deer...the way He created them to be invisibly visible...camouflage...which got me to thinking about the Lone Ranger...and how good he looks in his camouflage...oops, sidetracked, back to my point...it got me thinking about how the Lone Ranger hunts. When my husband goes hunting, it's serious business. Head to toe he is dressed in camo, but more intense than that the man showers with dirt soap, yes dirt soap...smells just like the real stuff & then...here's the kicker for me, he sprays deer pee on his clothing. Deer Urine. True Story. If that doesn't help my man blend into the woodwork then I don't know what will. He has told me about the different techniques of hunting; not moving into the wind, taking different paths to the stands, the habits of deer & etc. Camouflage...it's an amazing thing...at least when it comes to hunting...or to an animals ability to remain safe due to the design the Creator (not evolution) gave it.I pondered these things on our drive this morning. My two oldest darlings were wailing to Taylor Swift in the back seat & creating a white noise effect that allowed my mind to wander, & wander it did. In the midst of a ballad by the ever broken hearted Taylor, my thoughts took a turn. Oh, I was still thinking about camouflage, but in a different sense now. I kept thinking about that deer & how well it blended in to the woods around it. I kept pondered how it's coloring & design allowed it to remain unseen, & then I thought of how often we are like that deer. We take comfort in camo...in the ability to 'blend in' & remain unseen. We live in a world that loves conformity. Just look at social media. If a Kardashian wears turquoise jewelry odds are that within a week 75% of women will either be wearing it too or at least wishing that they were. We are a society that moves & operates according to trends & fads. Every era, every decade has fashion trends, must-have gadgets, & political movements that every one bandwagons. There was a time in recent history in which that wasn't a bad thing. Less than a hundred years ago standards of morality & conduct were traditional & modest. They stemmed from a Christian mindset. Believers could walk, talk, & act like nonbelievers because other than the lack of faith, their thoughts & convictions were the same. Times have changed. We lived in a world that is more & more rejecting the things & ways of Abba...in a world that is embracing everything that He despises. It once was possible to be a believer & to blend in with the cool kids. It was possible to be a Christian & to go along with the belief system of popular society, but no more. Gradually values & principals have decayed. Pick an issue, any issue, & it is painfully apparent that the worlds' standards are not biblically based. I could make a list, describe the decay that has occurred, & the ramifications, but you would tire of reading long before I was done writing...yet the truth remains; a true blue, genuine, transformed believer is no longer capable of 'blending in'.
We know this...what I have said is no great epiphany. Society is unraveling & the church must not unravel with it. We got that memo long ago. My deep down fear is that while we have accepted that truth (the truth that we must not blend in with the world)...we have begun to use this camouflage technique in the church. Several denominations have out rightly compromised biblical views to 'fit in' to society's views, but what I am talking about is more invisible than that. Believers hide behind spiritual jargon...you know what I mean...the 'well bless her hearts", 'God bless you's', & "I'll pray about it'...the phrases that flow naturally & effortlessly out of a church goers mouth. We do bible studies, Sunday School, & programs. We serve in missions, we tithe, we give, & we sacrifice. We do & say all of the right things...we know how to 'blend in' with our church environment. My fear is that some of us have become so good at dawning the camouflage, that our faith has become no more than that...something that we put on in order to blend in. I have seen first hand the way zealous believers are looked at with disdain or even with bemusement by their brothers & sisters in Christ. I, myself, have balked when conviction comes...when Abba nudges my heart & reveals that what I was doing in His name was truly for my own glory. I fear that, despite good intentions, we do not know what it truly means to be set apart for God. We must be honest with ourselves & be certain that we separate ourselves from the pagan world not with the intention of being part of the 'in' church crowd, but with the motive of being obedient to the Lord. We must be certain that our time in the Word is spent truly seeking & absorbing Abba's teachings, not just reading so that we can chime in at Bible study. We must hide His words in our hearts, not memorize them just so we can tout them off at precisely the right moments. We must be diligent in communicating with our Father, not caught up in eloquent prayers. We must be certain that what we say & do in Jesus' name is for His name & not our own. We must be wary of the tendency to dawn camouflage...we must not dawn religion & forsake true faith. Just like that deer this morning was so hard to see...sometimes our intentions are hard to decipher as well. Just like my husband goes so far as to bathe in dirt soap & to give his garments the aroma of deer pee, so do we become good at creating even the aroma of being true believers. There are those of us who will live our whole lives as Camouflaged Christians, but when the day comes to meet our Abba, He will not know us. No matter how good our camouflage is, there will come a day when we must step out of hiding & into the open...all will be revealed.
Matthew 7:21-23 (Message Version)
'Knowing the correct password-saying 'Master, Master,' for instance- isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience-doing what my Father wills. I can see it now-at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me & saying, "Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here."
Now I am not a fan of the Message version, but I have to say that this passage, worded in that way, knocks the wind right out of me. Jesus himself said that many would stand before him having walked the walk & talked the talk, having worn the Christian Camo...only to discover that they never truly knew him...& he never truly knew them....to live a whole live saying & doing all the right things only to discover that the heart was not genuine...that is scary.
Romans 12:2
'Don't copy the behavior & customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good & pleasing & perfect."
Perhaps the greatest example of what I am speaking to is the Pharisees & Sadducees. The gospels are laden with the plague of religious camouflage. The Pharisees were so 'blended in', so camouflaged into their religious lives that they were not even able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. No one walked the walk or talked the talk better than they did, yet they missed the mark. Jesus said this of them, 'What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law & you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land & sea to make one convert , and then you turn him into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!' (Mathew 23:15)
Seeing that deer this morning, thinking about camouflage, & of genuine faith caused me to reflect upon myself. It is humbling to look at my life & to honestly evaluate why I do what I do. It is shameful to see the areas in which I fail, but it is necessary. Refusing to acknowledge my sin does negate the consequences...it only keeps me hidden & blended in...but I know that Abba knows all. I want to break free from religious camouflage & to step out in genuine authentic faith. I want my life to be transparent & in plain view. I want to do what I do because I am wretched but saved by Amazing Grace...I want to do what I do because I want you to share in that Grace. This is my prayer today..."Search me, oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me on the path to everlasting life." (Psalm 139: 23-24) Amen.
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