Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! – Isaiah 5:20
Have you ever heard people today describing something amazing or breathtaking? Or expressing joy and excitement because of something that has happened? Other times, you hear people say phrases like, “‘that’s sick!’ that’s crazy!’ Mambo mbaya!’” and many others that may not be appropriate for this post! It seems like all the bad and negative words form the vocabulary for deep emotion and awe.
In Isaiah 5:20 these phrases of “that’s sick” and “mambo mbaya” were being used for things of the light and not things of darkness. Words like “amazing” and “awesome” were being used for things that of the darkness and not the the light. In many circles today, all the things of darkness are being hailed as good if not the epitome of fun and fullness of life! That’s terrible right? Think about it; abortion is hailed as high and preferable to carrying a pregnancy to term. Fornication is like a rite of passage for many teenagers today. In fact, if you have never had such relations they consider you backward and misplaced. Marriages are breaking and divorce rates are gaining a higher sea level than ever before. Fatherless children, single parents due to cheating and adultery, and the list continues. All these things have been considered as an achievement. Anyone who speaks against them as wrong is tagged as being phobic in some ways! This is what God says in Isaiah 5:20. Why would people adopt such kind of thinking?
1. Deception
To be deceived is to believe something to be true when it’s not. This is the greatest weapon the devil has against all humanity. In the garden of Eden, he deceived the first man and woman and they bought into the lie. When the mind and heart of man lose sight of the King of their hearts, they are left to their own vices. When good becomes evil and evil becomes good, it’s not a sign of being online with the new generation or setting the newest trend. It’s a sign that our hearts have been conquered by evil. Evil deceives the heart. Evil makes our hearts have zero ability to recognize good. The only way a dark room can be dark is if no light ever comes there. Darkness conquers until light checks in.
How is your heart today? Have you been in this kind of trap? The deception trap? How is your attitude today in regards to matters of life? Do you call good evil? You need to see the light. Jesus said, “And you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”2. Disregard/ Disobedience
2. Disregard/ Disobedience
Secondly, a deceived heart only learns how to disregard all things that are essential for life and godliness. God has given us guidelines that are to work towards making us all that he designed us to be. However, due to the deception of the prince of darkness, many people grow in their disregard of God’s authority. In the garden, Adam lost the ability to be perfect before God. We all gained a fallen, disregarding heart by virtue of being his descendants. It’s not just a generational problem. It’s a heart problem. If the hearts of men aren’t changed by the power of light and truth, they’ll ever disregard God to their own demise.
When we find ourselves continually walking away from the ways of God, we end up casting away all that is meant to help us grow into our real selves, saints and children of obedience. Have you been made a child of obedience? This requires a miracle. God promised that he would give us ‘a heart of flesh that is willing to obey everything he says and remove the heart of stone.
3. Dead hearts
Finally, as deception leads us to disregard all that God ha intended for us, making us think we are cool and the cream de la cream of our times, the reality that remains in us is that we are actually dead! Dead in our sin and trespasses. Dead in our own foolish wisdom. Dead in our dark light. Dead in our spirits. You see when our hearts are dead, we have no sense of truth and no desire for obedience. When your heart is dead then your life is dead! Deception and disregard/ disobedience are all signs of death! There is nothing amazing about death unless if it leads to a new life.
The “new normal” that we hear about in our modern day society is not to be received and enjoyed. It is only but a sign of a people who are dead! That’s why all the time, your heart has a longing for dead works. Why? Because that’s what it really wants- unless it experiences the miracle of grace. How can a generation revert to the ONLY NORMAL? By experiencing the miracle of true normal. How do we experience it? Jesus said, “Come to me all who weary and heavy ladened and I will give you rest.” Is your life an expression of the new normal or the true normal? Think about it and do something otherwise you will be calling good evil and evil good.