This Is a Rebel Generation

Wow, isn't that the truth? Don't say no because you know, I know, and more importantly God knows that you would be lying. You see God spoke to me last night, calling me to open my Message bible. I didn't know why but I knew God would guide me. Eventually I wound up in Isaiah staring at a heading in chapter 30 which is what I put as the title of this post. I'm going to let you read what I read and then we're going to talk about it. 

Isaiah 30:8-11 (MSG)

So, go now and write all this down. 

    Put it in a book

So that the record will be there

    to instruct the coming generation,

Because this is a rebel generation,

    a people who lie,

A people unwilling to listen

    to anything God tells them.

They tell their spiritual leaders, 

    "Don't bother us with irrelevancies."

They tell their preachers,

    "Don't waste our time on impracticalities.

Tell us what makes us feel better.

    Don't bore us with obsolete religion.

That stuff means nothing to us.

    Quit hounding us with The Holy of Israel."

I have underlined the same things here as I did in my bible. It is so obvious that we are a, if not the rebellious generation that Isaiah spoke of here in chapter 30. Not only are we a generation that rebels, we always want everything right now. Not later, NOW. Let's even stop calling it our generation and start calling it what it is, a rebellious culture. Not just one generation but everyone. We refuse to look at the bigger picture. Verse 10 says this:

Isaiah 30:10 (MSG)

They tell their spiritual leaders,

   "Don't bother us with irrelevancies."

They tell their preachers,

   "Don't waste our time on impracticalities.

Tell us what makes us feel better.

"Tell us what makes us feel better." That's us. Sin and the ways of this world are nothing but a drug waiting to take us captive by the lies and deceit they produce. Getting us hooked with empty promises of a "fix" that'll finally take, that will satisfy our wants and needs and desires, that will fulfill our every dream. They are a drug that Satan deals telling us what we want to hear so that we'll buy in. Promising us immediate effects. Let's look at the same verse in the New Living Translation.

Isaiah 30:10 (NLT)

They tell the seers, 

  "Stop seeing visions!"

They tell the prophets,

  "Don't tell us what is right.

Tell us nice things.

  Tell us lies. 

I want to really focus on just the last part of that verse. "Tell us nice things. Tell us lies." Sound familiar? More often that not in this day and age though people say they want the truth and your "honest opinion" they want you to lie. Because, the truth hurts, and sometimes, quite often actually, the truth tends to be ugly. Therefore we want to be told nice things. It's exactly as verse 11 says.

Isaiah 30:11 (NLT)

Forget all this gloom.

  Get off your narrow path.

Stop telling us about your 

  'Holy One of Israel.' "

Too many people want off the narrow path. Even more want to knock those who are on it off. They want to forget all of the horrible stuff around them, they want to ignore it. They even say "Stop telling us about your 'Holy One of Israel.' " But look at the response in verses 12 and 13

Isaiah 30:12-13

This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel:

   "Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies,

calamity will come upon you suddenly 

    like a bulging wall that bursts and falls.

In an instant it will collapse 

     and come crashing down."

See what we want is to "Trust instead in oppression and lies." The message says "preferring to live by injustice and shape your lives on lies..." You see, you want to be fed the lies, you want to be told the "nice things" that will make you "feel better", preferably NOW. But, the problem is all your doing is buying the drug and getting your fix for now. It isn't a permanent fix. So you'll just keep going back, over and over, every time you stop "feeling better", a vicious little cycle.

Let's look at the big picture, take a little reality check if you will.

The "feel good" junkies. The ones who want the lies to make em' feel good now, caution to the wind, they want their fix and they want it now. Here is your reality check. Sure you feel good now. Your still riding a high from a fix the world has given you. Before long you'll be looking for more, shoving off what you need to hear for what you want to hear. Overall you are still living in a miserable, depressing state. Here is what's going to happen. You'll keep getting your fix until one day your sentenced to an eternity with fire, no peace, no happiness, no love, no compassion, and no more "feel good" fixes.

Now, lets look at the alternative Life with God. A life that though it isn't perfect is filled with love in even the darkest of times. Where the aforementioned 'feel good junkie' falls and has no strength to get up we find strength in Jehovah Jireh the Lord our provider. We have a God that will never make a promise that He doesn't intend to keep. Life with a God who speaks to us out of the storm (Job 38:1). A God who can satisfy our needs, and even fulfill our dreams if they are in line with His will. No, life isn't going to be constantly happy, sunshine and rainbows. In fact, I've got news for you, It has to RAIN before you see the RAINbow. Yes, you have to listen to the truth, which isn't always going to be pretty. But this is what happens in the end. Your given the gift of eternal life, eternity with God, the ONE TRUE KING. In a place where you reunite with lost loved ones. Where there is light, a peace that surpasses all understanding, unspeakable joy, and amazing love. I don't even know what else, I can't even begin to imagine how great it is going to be, how AWESOME it is going to be. No more pain, no more suffering... 

So which would you rather have? I've chosen mine.

Isaiah 30:15 (MSG)

God, the Master, The Holy of Israel, has this solemn counsel: "Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me    The very thing you've been unwilling to do"

Stop being unwilling!! Turn back to God! For some, you need to turn to Him for the first time. Stop trying to save yourselves because it's not possible!! Settle down in complete dependence on God. I promise you will not regret it. Just talk to Him. 

I'm praying for you friend...unceasingly praying. May God bless you and yours exceeding abundantly. Love you today in Jesus my friend:)

Isaiah 30:18 (NLT)

So the Lord must wait for you to come to him

   so he can show you his love and compassion.

For the Lord is a faithful God.

  Blessed are those who wait for his help.