Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened unto you. For all who ask receive, those who seek find, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. - Matt 7:7,8
According to Gallop polling, just 60 years ago 98% of Americans reported belief in God. Today that number is 81% with more than half of the decline coming in the past decade. Only 68% of 18-29 year old Americans report belief in God.
The numbers in the UK are more staggering with only 38% subscribing to any form of Christianity in 2019 compared to 66% in 1983.
It is no coincidence that there is a growing spirit of hopelessness and meaninglessness permeating our modern culture.
The sad and simple truth is that most people do not see God because they are not looking for Him. Many people will say, “I want to see God, why won’t He reveal Himself to me?”
And yet how many of these very same people will spend more time watching Netflix than reading Scripture? How many will spend more time scrolling through instagram than praying? How many spend more time on Sunday watching sports than praising God?
It may be uncomfortable to admit, but the vast majority of people claiming to be seeking God are doing no such thing. The turning point of my life was when God revealed to me that I was one of these people.
Jesus tell us that by our words we will be justified and by our words we will be condemned (Matt 12:37). In the Gospels, the number one sin that Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for was hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is most simply understood as: Words ≠ Actions.
The truth is that we are all more like the Pharisees than we’d like to admit; we’re all hypocrites. You and me both. None of us can stand righteous before the Glory of God. But thanks be to God that He sent Jesus to pave the way to redemption. So that all we need to do is seek Him with all our hearts and minds, and He promises to reveal Himself to us.
If you feel condemned reading this, do not feel that it is I condemning you. For I can not condemn you of anything; I have no right. It is our own words which condemn us. When we say one thing and then do another, we condemn ourselves as hypocrites. This hypocrisy can only be neutralized by changing our words or changing our actions:
Words: Stop proclaiming to be seeking God. Just admit you’d rather spend your time doing other things. There is no shame in being honest. Jesus prefers cold to lukewarm (Rev 3:15).
Actions: If a deep relationship with God is something you truly want, get serious and admit that your actions do not live up to your words. Get on your knees and confess this sin to God. I assure you that He will reveal your next steps.
The roadmap is simple. So simple a child could follow it. But most of us will not even put in the effort. Why? Because despite our words, most of us do not truly want to know God. For if we did, we would find Him closer than we could have ever possibly imagined.
You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving. This people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. - Isaiah 6:9,10
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