Bible Ballistics: BBs #528    What Are You Yoked To???

“Be ye not unequally yoked together

with unbelievers:

for what fellowship

hath righteousness

with unrighteousness?

and what communion

hath light

with darkness?”  2 Corinthians 6:14

While this passage is most often used to refer to marriage, it is also applicable to our lives in general, and I’d like to share a few things this morning about our personal choices in life, particularly in these days of constant bombardment by media—general media of TV, movies, radio, and ‘news’ (good, bad, or indifferent—true of false!)—and social media—the chit, chat and spat of constant  infusions of banter, whether it’s helpful or harmful.

I think much of it is harmful, in the sense that it has and is taking over the lives of a whole generation, and even we older people are allowing it to distract and consume us as well.  It truly is a threat to our well-being if we don’t consider how we ought to use it, and what it has the potential to do to our lives, our relationships and our witness.  People somehow have come to think it’s ‘OK’ to say things on social media, that they wouldn’t say in person.  We have come to accept the lies of the enemy simply because they come with ‘cutesy’ cartoons, videos and shock features.  Paul warned his fellow believers at Corinth to be wary of becoming involved —being “yoked together”—with those diametrically opposed to God, our Lord Jesus, The Word of God and/or anything that calls people to Biblical righteousness! We must examine our hearts, souls and minds to see what we have become “yoked together” with!

We must get our lives in tune with our Lord and His Word; we must get our eyes back on Jesus and not the things of the world.  We must lay some things aside, and once again cling to the things of God rather than the world.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about

with so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside

every weight,

and the sin

which doth so easily beset us,

and let us run

with patience

the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus

the author

and finisher

of our faith;

who for the joy that was set before him

endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and is set down at the right hand

of the throne of God.

3 For consider him

that endured such contradiction

of sinners

against himself,

lest ye be wearied

and faint

in your minds.

4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood,

striving against sin.” Hebrews 12:1-4

We must remember that sin is a “weight” that we are to “lay aside” as we “run with patience”—oh I love this—”the race that is set before us”!  Did you get that?  We are to run the “race that is set before us”—a race that Jesus has “set before” you and me!  We are called to run the race that Jesus has not only called us to run, but HE has set the course for you and me to run. And while there are things that we all are called to do (live holy, righteous, Spirit filled lives), there are differences in our giftings and our individual callings of service. I don’t have to run your race, nor you, mine.  But I would like to share a few things that have burdened my heart of late, and I think these are things that affect most of us; things that we need to appraise in regard to the “yoke” that we may have allowed to join us to things that we need not be a part of, or at the very least not be consumed and controlled by!

Disconnect from our “Phone”—

Reconnect with God, family and friends—

Stop living a ‘virtual’ life—

Start (or restart) living a real, people engaging life—

Stop the wholesale consumption of ‘junk food’ media— (social or otherwise)

Start spending more time praying, reading and connecting with real people                                   and The Real God—

I have been personally convicted of late that I have allowed these “techno” issues to consume way too much of my time; and they are total ‘time’ stealers. (They can also steal and corrupt our heart, our mind and our conscience!). And our world needs to see The Jesus that we claim to love and worship in us.

“What? know ye not

that your body

is the temple of the Holy Ghost

which is in you,

which ye have of God,

and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price:

therefore glorify God

in your body,

and in your spirit,

which are God’s.”  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

We are blood-bought servants of The Most High God and His Son Jesus.  And not just servants but children, children who were adopted into the Kingdom of God by blood of Jesus, which “cleanses us from all sin”—yes from “all sin”; we can rise above in Jesus, by the power of His blood and the indwelling Holy Spirit which He imparts to us!  Jesus is our sufficiency, if we will but learn to lean on Him and not ourselves.  We are to be yoked with Jesus not the world.  How about you?  Will you join me in recommitting to make sure that we keep our heart and life “yoked” with Jesus!!!

“Come unto me,

all ye that labour

and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you,

and learn of me;

for I am meek and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest

unto your souls.

30 For my yokeis easy,

and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

I pray that God will open our eyes to see the dangers that we face each day and turn to HIM before we fall for the lies of the enemy of our souls.  We can live victorious lives IN Him!

“I can do

all things

through Christ which strengtheneth me…….

19 …..my God shall supply all your need

according to his riches in glory

by Christ Jesus.”   Philippians 4:13 & 19