Church of Thyatira (Part 4)

                             Don't be stubborn as a mule! (*)

And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.                                                        (Rev 2:23)

In our last study, we talked about Balaam and how he wrestled with a weakness--the love of money! We saw how King Balak heard of the fame of Balaam and wanted him to misuse his gift. He offered him great amounts of money, a high position, and power. At first, he resisted and stood his ground but as King Balak kept pressing on him to curse Israel, he was getting weak. God, eventually, allowed Balaam to meet with King Balak but warned him to say what thus saith the Lord.  

Now, you may ask, what has this to do with Rev 2:23? Notice the words searcheth the reins and hearts. God knows what's in your heart. Balaam's heart was not right and God gave him a wake-up call along the way. The angel of the Lord was about to kill him, but the donkey saved his life. God opened the mouth of the ass and Balaam (Believe it or not) argued with the animal. It wasn't until the Lord opened his eyes that he saw the angel of the Lord give him a stern warning.(Numbers 22:21-35)

As we read the end of the story, Balaam meets with King Balak. The King does his best to persuade Balaam. Balaam in turn tries to persuade God to give him permission to curse Israel but a peculiar and strange thing happened. Balaam prophesied blessings for Israel. (Numbers 23-24) At this, King Balak gave up and said that God was the cause of him not having honor nor great riches. (Numbers 24:10-11) The end? Not quite but to be continued. 

                                    Let's make a deal!

but I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.(Rev 2:14)

It was not enough for Balaam to walk away from great fame and fortune. He was so tempted that that thought was nagging at his head. Soon, the devil gave him a satanic idea. He met with King Balak to share his plan. (2 Peter 2:15) This plan pleased King Balak so much that he paid Balaam his wages. What was their plan?

Mixture! That was their stumbling block! Numbers 25 gives us the whole picture of their plan. They would take the best-looking women from Moab and seduce the men of Israel. These women worshipped Baal and got their lovers to partake of these unclean and demon-inspired practices at Baalpeor. For details about this type of worship, click on the link below. (1) Their practices were so unsanitary and were an abomination before the Lord. Those acts caused the death of  24,000 people due to the plague. 

                 Love righteousness and hate iniquity. 

  

Moses killed the leaders responsible for the plague and it freed them from the plague. Brethren, now more than ever, we need to walk in our identity with Christ. The word says...Love righteousness and hate iniquity. Idolatry is a stench in the nostrils of our Lord. 

Would you put your head in the toilet or drink vomit? (Isa 28:7-9, 2 Kings 10:27) Brethren, when you analyze the background of Idolatrous practices, they were unsanitary and putrid. Satan likes to dress sin and make it attractive. When God gives us revelation of what sin truly is, we will hate it as much as God. 

God hated the sin of Idolatry so much that he converted the altar of Baal into a restroom (2 Kings 10:27) It is similar to the altar of Baalpeor which has a depiction of a demon sitting on a toilet. (1) Let's ask God to show what's inside our hearts. Doing so will help us walk in the way of righteousness and be more than a conqueror. For more teachings, check on the link below (2)

(1) Baalpeor

(*) Picture courtesy of Lena Bauermeister, whose work can be found at www.unsplash.com

(2) Bind and loose

Questions to ask--

1- Have you've been pressured to do something in your job that you know is wrong? Have you been offered a promotion if you comply? How did you deal with it? 

2- Have you been pressured to sign for a business deal without praying? 

Prayer---Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me about compromise. Help me to stand strong with my convictions. Holy Spirit, show me what's inside my heart. Examine me in this day and help me to uproot anything that is not like you. I confess that I love righteousness and hate iniquity. Thank you that you are teaching me what to love and what to hate...In Jesus' name. Amen.