WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU'RE BEING JUDGED BY THE WORLD: HOW DO WE CUT OFF OUR FLESH? Part 4 TRYING TO DISGUISE OUR SIN (THE CASE OF SYLVIA)

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU'RE BEING JUDGED BY THE WORLD: 

HOW DO WE CUT OFF OUR FLESH? 

Part 4 

TRYING TO DISGUISE OUR SIN

THE CASE OF SYLVIA 

The world is always looking for a gimmick to sell itself. Since the world is at war with God, it capitalizes on sin in an attempt to keep man in sin and tear him away from God. The world capitalizes on sin to justify its discriminatory laws in the need to keep man under legalism and sin. Under this systematic entrapment and discrimination, men are able to weed out the undesirables and limit their rise in status and wealth. Darkness has twisted the minds of men so tightly that men are blinded and cannot see its false light.

Every solution the world applies to its problems leads to legalism, but every solution does not lead to accountability. Wherever accountability or checks and balances are applied corruption creeps in, due to the evil within the hearts of men. To place complete faith in such a system is to be as blind and naïve as the system itself. However, let me correct myself, for it is not the system which is blind. A system is designed by man to regulate a specific ideology, belief, or desire. It is the hearts of mankind that have adopted an ideology bent on destroying man, himself. -And in their blindness, men try to correct the system under the influence of their hardened hearts only to complicate things more. Instead of making laws to help the people, men have formed alliances and parties to make laws to disguise and hide the specific sins to which they cling to appease their greed, hatred, and selfishness.

Can we depend on so-called religious law to guide us out of our madness?  Is it blind justice or just blind to the fact that it also is steeped in legalism? The blindness of Sharia Law is that it is still clothed in legalism and tainted with the corrupt and hardened hearts of men. In an effort to ward off and shed western culture Muslims have allowed darkness and fear of the world to blind them to their own love of the world and the flesh. In blindness, they have put themselves in bondage to false doctrine and corruption, believing they are better off and better than the Western World. But, you see,  Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. Still, man tries to validate sin, disguising it as just laws and sound doctrine that is self-serving and self-glorifying. 

So, are we hypocrites and sinners for obeying and upholding the laws of man? Not if those laws are made to protect and serve the common good of all men and women, which by all means glorifies God. -Not if by our acts of righteousness we do all things in love, doing unto others as we would have them do unto us, whereby, we glorify God. Yet, if we uphold unjust laws and unrighteousness, for the sake of conforming to the world and self prosperity, we are as guilty as those whose hearts are darkened and stained with corruption.

 Is God glorified by our disguising our sin or instead, is God glorified by our surrendering our will and keeping from sin? If God has shown us how to keep from sin, how is it that we glorify Him by returning to legalism that cannot keep us from sinning? If we are to glorify God alone, do we not sin against God by giving glory to legalism by believing it can keep us from sin? Can our covering and disguising our temptations then be seen as holy and glorifying God? Then, only by the shedding of the flesh, dying to self, and being born again to follow the example of Christ can we be saved, redeemed, and changed through repentance.  Only by adopting the unconditional love of Christ can we live in harmony with our brother.

So, who am I to criticize or tell others about righteousness, justice, and holiness? I am the one who has been put to the test to stand trial and to endure. For the sake of anonymity I'll call myself Sylvia. Today, I am Sylvia and I know things. How do I know things? I can hear.  Can you hear? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).  My hearing came by the Word of God. 

Yes, I know things because God shares His Word with me and somehow it has changed my life. Perhaps, things would have stayed the same if I had not told others what I know. Perhaps seems to be the appropriate word to use since it indicates that it is only a probability. 

For the same reason I don't always know what I'm going to say and share with others, I cannot be sure that what has happened was not supposed to happen. Yet, I find myself somehow a reluctant person of interest with others tuned in to every facet of my existence. I wake up and I am not alone. I go to bed and I am not alone. I am constantly under a microscope. Or, should I call it an invisible electronic cage? For the sake of simplicity and clarity, I am a human lab rat. 

They want to know what I know and they want to know how I know it. -But, the problem is, they want proof. Proof requires research and study and never settles just for faith and trust, which leads me back to the topic at hand...Trying to Disguise Our Sin. When man doesn't understand something, he must  reach some rationalization that makes sense to him on a level that is beneficial and self-satisfying. In order to go down this path of rationalization, man must accept untruths in order to disguise the real problem at hand--his sin. Then, by satisfying himself, leaning to his own understanding, man then devises a plan to disguise the real problem--his sin.

Perhaps this is why I find myself in this conundrum. Man needs to satisfy his understanding of God and justify his actions by going through the motions of belief and faith to do so. Such thought and behavior seems to be the temperature of men's hearts today, that is, lukewarm. Although, they may fervently seek God, after the heat of that moment, their hearts cool when they are expected to live by the Word of God and walk by faith and not by sight. Blinded to their actions, they cannot see that they hide behind a façade. 

As my captors wish to remain anonymous, peering through the looking glass from a distance, I am made to feel as if I am guilty of some high crime or as if I'm suspected of carrying out some con game to be uncovered to prove that I am a sham, a charlatan,  or a common criminal or domestic terrorist. Days have become months and we are a regular item now. I am beginning to feel that we have always been together. However, somedays I am tormented more than others and forget that through Christ, The Truth, The Way, and The Life, I am set free and I am free indeed. Yet, each day, living under these circumstances reminds me how others try to justify their unjust and unrighteous treatment of their brothers and sisters by living under the law and disguising their sin.

I am Sylvia. I know things that others want to know and it has cost me my freedom and privacy. No one has told me why I no longer have the rights of other citizens. My jailors remain hidden because they must disguise their sin and cloak it in darkness.

I have found that the only way to survive this experience...this judgment...is to cut off my flesh...humble myself...die to myself daily, living and walking in the spirit, abiding in Christ. Trapped in this endless maze, God has shown me that in order to survive, to resist the adversary, and keep my sanity, I have no other choice but to surrender my will and follow the Mind of Christ. Christ did not give up and neither can I. Is there some skepticism there? Is there some jealousy and self-righteousness being influenced and spurred on by darkness that whispers in the ear to insinuate that I want to see myself as being better than others? Is there a voice whispering to you that I cannot possibly be better than you? Such was in the hearts of Job's friends. Job had friends who doubted his righteousness, instead they believed that he was guilty of some sin and not living in holiness and righteousness. They judged him with their limited eyesight and preconceived opinions and condemnation. Like Job, I know that God has neither abandoned me, nor seeks to punish me for some unknown sin. God remains with me every step of the way, strengthening me and guiding me to wholly trust in Him, to be who I was created and born to be, so that I can serve Him and His Kingdom. Is there some skepticism there? Do you hear a voice whispering to you, "Why her? She must think she's special?"

Meanwhile, like Job's friends, they continue to watch over me as if it is for my protection and benefit. -But, who's fooling who? If it is for my protection and benefit, shouldn't I be aware of the threat? Nonetheless, I'm still trying to make sense of it all. I wouldn't be wrong to say that this is the stuff that books and movies are made of. Once again, I foolishly ask myself why me and how did I get here? -But I know the answer. I am Sylvia. I speak to those who can hear now and in the future. I know things that some people think I shouldn't know and there is a price to pay.

Too often we believe that we can hear and we can see. No doubt our emotions are affected by our defective senses. Too often our sympathy and empathy is contingent upon what we must sacrifice or feel to experience them. Still, we offer them as tokens and trophies that are like unto hollow shells and empty glasses that cannot appease hunger or thirst. We dare not look too deep within ourselves to see what we've allowed to take residence within our heart. Therefore, we must wear a disguise. We must label ourselves with some new definition. We must protest and cry out that we are misunderstood, and we must demand justice, tolerance, apology, and laws in order to disguise our sin.

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REFERENCED SCRIPTURE

Romans 10 King James Version

10 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.

21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

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