"Come out of her, my people, so that you
will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for
her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered
her iniquities." Revelation 18:4-5 NASB
The Bible
describes an angel crying out, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the
great!" (v. 2) Why? Because the world was saturated with lust
and greed, dominated by possessions, without concern for God and
His Truth, lost and condemned.
Amid this environment, "another voice from heaven"
warned God's people to "come out" and not
"participate in her sins and receive of her plagues."
Judgment was at hand.
Today, we
still need this warning. We must realize how easily we can be
seduced by the things of the world, consumed by its possessions
and pleasures, power and popularity.
We need to remember that our
citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20). We are to live like
"aliens and strangers" (1 Peter 2:11). Like the early
disciples, we are to leave everything behind and follow Jesus.
In your life, realize that God
wants you to be free! Free from pressures and stress. Free from
worry and doubt. Free to trust Him and obey His Word. Free from
the entanglements of the world. Free to be filled with the Holy
Spirit so you can experience real peace and joy.
Don't be like those in the world
who are consumed and controlled, who live only for this life, not
realizing that everything on earth is just temporary and real
freedom comes from serving God.
Right now, allow God to search your heart. Commit everything to
Him. Everything! Don't let your life be controlled by the
pleasures and rewards of the world. Seek first the Kingdom of God,
and leave everything behind to follow Jesus.
Today's
Inspirational Prayer
Father, give me a passion to serve You. I lay my life on the
altar before You. Burn away whatever is not of You. May my life
count for eternity. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Further Reading:
Revelation 18:4-5 NASB