In The Absence of God, What Does Man Do? By Brother Duke Hansen

         Let us start by speaking a truth that has been firmly established. The word of God is true and will remain true. There has been a question I have been meditating upon over the past few days which I want to share with you. In the absence of God, what does man do? Whose imagination was it in the founding and building of megachurches? Every successful plan in the business world has roots that begin in the word of God so is right to ask that megachurches are like business as well? Having a big church is against the word of God. There is a statement said about monopolies, or governments; Too big to fail.   The same could be said for church as well. When Jesus came to Earth he wasn't coming to bring peace to man's flesh, he was bringing division. The peace Jesus brings is between God and man. There are self professed born again believers who are working in their flesh and think they are working in the spirit. If you look at Romans chapter 7 and verse 15 Paul says;

        15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not:but what I hate, that do I. Are you walking in the spirit and binding your flesh? This is what Paul is explaining in this verse. We are to be peaceable to all men. Are we that? Or are we combative to people who may differ in opinion with us?

        Jesus was a networker in his ministry. He would get to know and work with people who would help him spread the gospel. Our flesh should be a stench to our nostrils. The lesson is not failing it is about learning how to fail and go on from that point. In the absence of God, man will create the voice of God, put on an image of what we perceive God wants us to look and sound like. You could visit different denominations and hear different takes about the faith, the walk. In some places how there's no healings anymore because it was back in the time of the early church. There are those out there reinterpreting God to fit culture and inclusion of the carnal sense. Sewing lies such as God loves you nonetheless, so yeah stay in your sins! No one is perfect in this world, so don't strive for holiness. As long as our flesh gets this warm fuzzy feeling we think "boy that's a holy bunch right there!" Jesus has never hidden his true self, man has hidden him among his imaginations. Wherever your heart is, therein lies your treasures. is it with Jesus and discipleship? Or is it in belongings and possessions? Property and riches? In the absence of God, man will create his own value system, unbiblical blessings that edifies his flesh through his imaginations.

        When Jesus returns, he is coming for his people and not any sized church. As Jesus networked in his ministry on earth we should do the same starting with our families. Each one of us has a member or three in our immediate family who are lost in their own imaginations. Man cannot save but in the absence of God, man will create answers needed all the way to "I don't know" to satisfy curiosity. Let's turn to Malachi chapter 3 and begin in verse 7.

        7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? God is speaking to Malachi about the people of Israel right before he cuts them off. How are we NOT like the Israelites today? 

        8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 

        9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.  How have we robbed him? God wants our undivided attention in this relationship. The best intentions and hours spent on programs and in house ministries is theft when you are chasing after attendance numbers in your head. When you toil to build a kingdom and recognition here on earth when you should be filling storehouses in heaven. But God has a promise spoken in the next verse.

        10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

        11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground: neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 

        We need to bring ourselves and only that to the house, No agendas, no imaginations and truly grow a relationship with him. Blessings await for us and the devourer will be rebuked. This promise is not just limited to Israel, but it is given to us as believers today. We are on a quick expiring timeline and have been on one since Jesus ascended into heaven. Why would we continue to follow our own imaginations and not him?

         Now, let us turn over to the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah. We are going to be at chapter 59 and the first two verses.

        1 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

        2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

        Most believers quick definition of iniquity is sin, but, did you know there were other definitions to the word? It also means immoral, gross unfair behavior, the bending, twisting, or distorting of the law or God's Word to different degrees worthy of punishment. In verse one, God is speaking to the man of God here. In quite a few ways today our nation is similar to Israel and Judah in the time of Isaiah. Today we have a population soft, rich, completely self involved. God wants to speak to you, but there is a gulf that separates us because we expect God to go back or against his established Word and he is not going to change that. Isaiah is breaking down in explanation the separation between man and God. The people were seeking justice from God when they are not just themselves. If we remain in our sins, not repenting, not changing, nor growing, not maturing, we are as lost in our walk as the sinner we were commissioned to be a light and witness to.

        If we look at the previous chapter of Isaiah, chapter 58 is the correct way to fast in the flesh and gives example of incorrect fasting. Let's read verses 6 and 7.

        6 Is not this the fast I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

        7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou sees the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

        Look at the the list of questions given in the 6th verse. The answer is you for every one. Verse 7 is a hard one for believers who think writing a check monthly to a mission covers them. Believers wanting to conduct themselves arms length when God explicitly says you do his work out in public. You do need to help the poor! You do need to feed the hungry! Be selfless about it! We get so wrapped up in personal pride, consumed with what is ours and ours alone, dismissing what's going on in our community. It becomes about "my car! my house! my money! my job!" Me me me! My my my! And the Bible says! It's not about you! It never has been about you! It's about my will saith the LORD!

        When you do something wrong, something you know it's wrong, don't sweep it under the rug of your heart. When we go out of our way to hide something we have turned deceitful and hypocritical. No better than the Pharisees Jesus spoke to in Matthew chapter 23. What we should seek is verses 8-10 of Isaiah 58.

        8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.

        9 Then shalt thy call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

        10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:

        If the Bible is not the primary factor in changing your life, fixing the unfixable it is because you are not opening it up and reading the inside. If you can't get that basic step down into a routine, if your "love" for Jesus is limited to posting bible verses on Facebook only then walk away from the faith. Get out of the church! You are wasting your time. As the singer songwriter Keith Green says in the song "To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice" I want more than Sundays and Wednesday nights, cause if you can't come to me every day, then don't bother coming at all. Without recognizing the need of this harsh message there is no joy in your walk. We should desire to walk and to hear from God if we truly love him. Ask yourself- does hearing from God matter to you? God is keeping the devourer at bay for a time to open up what we need to fix our walk. What is keeping us separate from God? It's our ways and sin. The devil gets a lot of credit when man fails, but in reality he is merely the scapegoat. You must understand we have responsibilities in this relationship.

        Isaiah 58:12 speaks about the repairer of the breach. You can take back what was lost or stolen from your family. Restorer of paths to dwell in. This is the restoration of the truth. If you want to restore anything, you have to break it down first before you can rebuild. Like the potters wheel or the sifting of wheat or refiners fire.