Am I Wicked? - #195

Are you a wicked person? Upon whose standards are you basing your answer? When you choose to do wrong, when you choose to do what you shouldn’t and choose not to do what you should, when you choose to allow King Me to reign large and in charge, God says that’s wicked and certain things are guaranteed to happen.
 
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Transcript

Are you a wicked person? Upon whose standards are you basing your answer? When you choose to do wrong, when you choose to do what you shouldn’t and choose not to do what you should, when you choose to allow King Me to reign large and in charge, God says that’s wicked and certain things are guaranteed to happen.

Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. A weekly study filled to the brim with the all the tools from Scripture you will ever need to build a lasting life of Biblical purity. I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #195 entitled “Am I ‘Wicked’?”

Let me repeat my opening statement. When you choose to do wrong, when you choose to do what you shouldn’t and choose not to do what you should, when you choose to allow King Me to reign large and in charge, God says that’s wicked and certain things are guaranteed to happen. For example, God promises you will experience profound sorrow.

Psalm 32:10 declares, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked.” And in Psalm 16:4 David writes, “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply.” 

When you choose to let King Me sit on the throne of your heart, when you choose to chase after the sinful desires of the flesh you are choosing to run after another god. You have chosen to pursue something that is not God. As a result, you are willfully worshiping a false god. You are guilty of idolatry. God’s clear command in Scripture is to “keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). Paul instructed the saints at the church in Corinth, “Do not be idolaters” (1 Corinthians 10:7) but instead, according to 1 Corinthians 10:14 we are to “flee from idolatry”. Simply put, we must choose daily to dethrone and depose King Me.

Think about the sinful choices you have made in the past, and let me ask you this: Have you experienced the sorrows David is speaking about in Psalm 16:4? I have. Choose to worship King Me; choose to run after another god instead of the one and only true God and you will experience the absence of genuine joy and perfect peace. You will know sorrow and sadness. That is a fact of Scripture, and a painful reality of life.

You see, “the kind of sorrow God wants you to experience actually leads you away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT)

I have a question for you. Is allowing King Me to sit on the throne of your heart a “wicked” thing? If you are choosing to run after another god by being selfish and self-centered, is that “wicked”? Is that evil?

Before answering the question, let’s take a few moments to talk about the word “wicked” as it appears in Scripture. In today’s culture we tend to see the word as referring to a very bad person, the scum of the earth, the one guilty of the most heinous crimes known to man. A person who has no moral compass or conscience is considered to be wicked. As a result, you may be strongly inclined to believe you personally are not “wicked” (much like the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14).

In Psalm 32:10, the word David uses for “wicked” literally translates to “one who is hostile to God” or in opposition to God. Would you say that describes the person who is living for King Me? When King Me is on the throne of your heart, God is not. By choosing to worship King Me you are hostile to, or against, God. You have chosen to turn your back on God in favor of King Me. That is, therefore, considered by God to be wicked.

Paul says, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God” (Romans 8:7). When your focus is upon satisfying the sinful desires of King Me, you are not for God – you are against Him. Jesus made this very clear when He said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to [King Me].” (Matthew 6:24) When your thoughts are focused on “I want, I need, I deserve, I desire, I have to have, I can’t live without,” you are willfully worshiping yourself, not on God. You have turned your back on Him. You are hostile to Him. And that is wicked.

“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with [hostility against] God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

So, again I ask: Is choosing to allow King Me to sit on the throne of your heart a “wicked” thing? Listen to God’s description of a wicked person.

“For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:2-5)

Can you see yourself painted in this picture? Let me personalize this. You see, when I think about my struggles over the years with the sinful desires of my flesh, I am forced to conclude that Paul was describing me.

I was A lover of self: My mindset was focused on my passions and desires, not God’s. I constantly gave in to the act of pleasing King Me, no matter the cost.

I was Proud and arrogant: I was convinced “I can handle this; I have it under control; I do not need any help; people are making my choices a mountain out of a molehill.”

I was Abusive: I became an angry man and took it out on my family with a bad attitude and verbal abuse, often withdrawing into myself and ignoring them.

I was Ungrateful: I did not appreciate all that God had so graciously and lovingly provided. I wanted more, and I wanted different. 

I was Unholy: My attitude and behavior did not glorify God; rather, I was entirely focused on exalting myself.

I was Heartless: I did not care whom I was affecting or hurting. I had developed a hard heart, caring only about my own wants and desires.

I was Unappeasable: My hunger for personal satisfaction and fulfillment was never fully gratified. I was constantly on the search for the next fix, the next rush, the next feel good moment, the next better thing.

I was Without self-control: I couldn’t control my thoughts, my choices, my behavior. My ability to resist temptation was almost totally gone.

I was Not loving good: All I loved was myself. I loved my sin. I loved my wickedness.

I was Treacherous: I betrayed the trust my wife, my children, and my friends had put in me. I was a traitor to my faith and did not even care.

I was Reckless: I took many risks, and I did not care who it hurt; I just wanted to be sinfully satisfied.

I was Swollen with conceit: I was full of myself, characterized by pride.

I was a lover of pleasure rather than of God.

I appeared to be godlier than I was. I was a wicked man.

By the way, did you happen to notice that in each of those points, the personal pronoun “I” kept popping up? That was the core of the problem. I was living for me, and when King Me was sitting on the throne of my heart, everything I thought, everything I said, and everything I did was always and only thought, said, and done for King Me. (To learn more about this concept, read my book Removing the ‘I from L.I.F.E.: The Dethroning of King Me.)

Although I wasn’t verbally denying the existence of God, my behavior was clearly declaring that I was rejecting Him as Lord and leader of my life. David writes, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). When you choose to worship King Me and give in to your sinful temptations, you are in effect saying, “There is no god greater than me!” You are openly declaring that you and you alone are “god,” and everyone and everything must bow before you and worship King Me. I was a fool. What about you?

Isaiah says of the wicked, “their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity” (Isaiah 59:7). When you give in to temptation you are being “foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures” (Titus 3:3). You are disobedient and rebellious against God, casting His law behind your back (Nehemiah 9:26).

God says the wicked “say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.” (Isaiah 29:1). That verse certainly described me to a “T.” I claimed to be a Christian, a worshiper of God, while secretly rejecting my Heavenly Father in favor of King Me. My words said one thing, but my heart was somewhere else. Can you relate?

David says, “In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” (Psalm 10:4). Does that describe you? Now, before you answer, consider this: Are you seeking God with all your heart, persistently pursuing after godliness, driven deep in your soul to be holy even as He is holy? (1 Peter 1:16.) Or are your thoughts ignoring, resisting, maybe even denying the existence of the one true God in favor of your “little-g” gods? When you choose to worship King Me, you are automatically choosing to turn your back on God. You cannot worship both at the same time.

Scripture warns that the wicked “have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.” (Ephesians 4:19). Does that describe you? Has your heart begun to harden like a callus? Are you becoming insensitive and indifferent toward sin in your life? Have you resisted the promptings of the Holy Spirit so many times that you have no sense of shame and have instead become callous to spiritual things?

God tells us that the wicked “leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.” (Proverbs 2:13-15). 

Do you feel a jolt of excitement, a rush of pleasure whenever you choose to sin? Face reality. When you place King Me on the throne of your heart, when you choose to worship self over God, when you give in to your sinful passions, these verses are describing you.

“Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:32)

Let me revisit the question currently on the table. Based upon what you just heard, would you say that placing King Me before God is evil? Is giving in to your sinful temptations—in other words, to worship yourself as “god”—is that a wicked thing? The answer is, of necessity, an unequivocal and undeniable “Yes!”

“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)

It has been said that repetition can be a good teacher. So, let me repeat a point I do not want you to miss. Nothing, absolutely nothing and no one, is to be worshiped other than the one true God. Why? Because He alone is God. He alone is worthy of our worship. Whenever King Me is sitting on the throne of your heart, you are worshiping King Me. Not God. Self. A false god. That is wicked.

“Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies” (Jonah 2:8). Every time you choose to give in to the sinful desires of the flesh, you are willfully and willingly choosing to turn your back on God. You are choosing to bow to the whims and wishes of King Me, offering a personal sacrifice to your false god through the act of giving up and giving in.

“You shall not go after other gods.” (Deuteronomy 6:14)

“Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them.” (Jeremiah 25:6)

For a very long time, I chose to believe the lie of the enemy that I wasn’t hurting anyone by indulging in my sinful desires. It’s not like I was hurting anyone or doing anything illegal. All I was doing was giving in to some “forbidden pleasure.” What was wrong with that? No harm, no foul, I thought.

“Do not go after other gods to your own harm.” (Jeremiah 7:6b)

I do not want you to miss God’s warning. When you worship King Me you are going after another god, and you are harming your relationship with your heavenly Father. Take the time to think through the following questions and talk with your accountability partner(s) about your answers.

• How has serving and worshiping King Me harmed your view and understanding of God? 
• How has serving and worshiping King Me harmed your worship of God? 
• How has serving and worshiping King Me harmed your fellowship with God? 
• How has serving and worshiping King Me harmed your prayer life? 
• How has serving and worshiping King Me harmed your mental health? 
• How has serving and worshiping King Me harmed your emotional health? 
• How has serving and worshiping King Me harmed your marriage? 
• How has serving and worshiping King Me harmed your view of women (or men)? 
• How has serving and worshiping King Me harmed your testimony at work (or school)? 
• How has serving and worshiping King Me harmed your interaction with other family members and friends?

It is important you understand that giving in to temptation does not help you at all. Rather, it does just the opposite. By going after another god, you have not only turned your back on the one true God who alone can set you free, and who alone can fill you with His perfect peace; you have also chosen to harm yourself and those you deeply care about.

God’s word is quite clear: you are not to worship or serve any other god except your creator and heavenly Father. Listen closely to the following verses. Think hard about what God’s Word is telling you.

“But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.” (Deuteronomy 8:19)

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:5a)

“Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any god: … I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:4)

“Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21)

“Do not be idolaters.” (1 Corinthians 10:7a)

“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:14)

“You must not have any other god but me. … You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.” (Exodus 20:3, 5a)

When you are worshipping King Me, when you are choosing to worship a false god, what are you ultimately guilty of? When you are giving in to those sinful desires, you have made yourself a god. You have chosen to worship and adore King Me. You have willingly chosen to give in to the selfish, sinful whims and wishes, desires, and fantasies of self. Since you are not the one true God, you are guilty of worshiping a false god. You are guilty of idolatry, and that is wicked and evil in the eyes of your heavenly Father. Do you truly understand and comprehend this powerful point?

Nothing is more dangerous than worshiping a god that is not God (Exodus 22:20; Joshua 23:16). This is why God commands you to “put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Colossians 3:5).

Any form of worship of anything or anyone other than God is idolatry. Pride is idolatry. Lust is idolatry. Evil desire and greed are idolatry. Each of these are acts of self-worship, worship of a false god – idolatry. 

Putting yourself ahead of God, believing that King Me can satisfy you more (or better) than God can or will, offends Him—it makes Him angry.

“God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

“We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.” (Romans 2:2)

“But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” (Romans 2:5)

“Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.” (Ephesians 5:6)

I share these verses with you to drive home the point that self-worship is a serious, grievous, horrible sin in the eyes of God. This behavior gives evidence of a heart that is guilty of idolatry—prioritizing something other than God.

You have a decision to make. You can choose to keep King Me on the throne of your heart; it is your choice. You can choose to continue in idolatry and be hostile to God; it is your choice. Or you can make the hard choice to daily dethrone King Me and allow your Creator and heavenly Father, your Savior, and the lover of your soul to take His rightful place as the Lord and leader of your heart (Luke 9:23). 

When you make that choice, God’s Word promises you will experience His unfathomable blessings. Ultimately, the choice is yours. However, understand this: with every choice you make there are always consequences (Genesis 4:7).

“Now [make the choice right here, right now to] fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. [Choose to] throw away the gods [you have] worshiped ... and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15)

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws [choice]; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you [consequence]….But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them [choice],  I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed [consequence]….This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life.” (Deuteronomy 30:15-20a)

Yes, you have a choice. God gives you the amazing freedom to make whatever choice you want. He will not force His will and His way upon you. But as we have just seen, He has also given you fair warning. Whatever you choose will have consequences.

When you choose to worship God, you will be blessed. However, choose to worship yourself, and sin will not only pounce upon you, it will also devour you. It will consume every part of your life (Genesis 4:7). It is entirely up to you. You can “Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble.” (Judges 10:14) You can choose to “keep on praying to a god that cannot save.” (Isaiah 45:20b) 

Or you can “call on [God] when you are in trouble; and [He] will rescue you, and you will give [Him] glory.” (Psalm 50:15) The almighty Creator, the most holy God, your heavenly Father promises, “[You] will call upon Me, and I will answer [you]; I will be with [you] in trouble; I will rescue [you] and honor [you].” (Psalm 91:15)

Here is a word of warning, in the form of a question. “What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help?” (Isaiah 10:3). If you choose to worship King Me, you will feel good to begin with. You will experience pleasure (Hebrews 11:25). You will enjoy physical satisfaction in the moment, but what happens when real trouble comes your way? What happens when the world you have worked so carefully to create comes crashing down around you (Matthew 7:26-27)? Will your sinful, selfish, King Me centered worship be able to save you? “Where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you, in your time of trouble.” (Jeremiah 2:28)

I urge you to make a commitment today. Choose right here and right now to surrender completely and unreservedly to the Lordship and leadership of Christ in every aspect of your life. Lean into His Word, seek His presence regularly through prayer, and choose daily to walk in obedience. Guard your heart against the temptation of self-worship and instead, let Christ reign supreme.  

In moments of doubt, remember God's faithful promise: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God" (Isaiah 41:10). He is with you, He is for you, and He will enable you to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Trust in His power, rely on His strength, and let His peace rule in your heart.  

Choose today whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Make that declaration and watch as God works wonders in your life. As we close out this week’s episode, I challenge you to reflect on what you have heard today. Let's determine to daily surrender our lives to God's leadership. Let me repeat God’s amazing promise, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)  

May we all find encouragement in knowing that with God's help, lasting change is truly possible

OK, we’re going to hit the pause button here until next week’s episode as we look forward to continuing this study. 

In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry (what we do to help men across the globe find freedom and victory over sexual sin), be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com

One of these powerful resources we are making available to you is my book called “Overcoming Temptation: 4 Steps to Spiritual Victory.” You see, saying “No” to temptation and choosing to live an upright and godly life is a daily decision you must make. Every time you are faced with a temptation, you are also faced with a decision: Do I give in, or do I stand firm in my faith and fight it? Do I yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit and live to glorify God, or do I focus on King Me and give in to my fleshly desires?

This book “Overcoming Temptation: 4 Steps to Spiritual Victory” presents, in a very clear and practical way, how to live a life that is holy and pure, how to say no to sin and live by the Spirit in a way that glorifies your creator, your Savior, your Heavenly Father. Again, the title of this book is “Overcoming Temptation: 4 Steps to Spiritual Victory.” You can find it on Amazon.com or on my website (ThePurityCoach.com) in our Resources section.

And if you have not yet subscribed to this podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes! So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.