SPIRITUAL PIPSQUEAK?
Gary Waddell - Victory Ministries / Middle Tennessee 4/21/2017
Eph 4:17-19 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who, being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
By the way, lasciviousness means “an ‘overt or offensive’ sexual desire” - a lot of that going on these days, isn’t there - especially on TV and in the movies and 'entertainment industry'. The word Pip means = a small hard seed in a fruit – (I just found this out.) The word Pipsqueak means = an insignificant or contemptible person. By not knowing God’s Word, we are ’insignificant’ in this world, because we do not know or proclaim the truth. So that means we are also contemptible in God’s eyes, as a person might be in ‘contempt of court’ (or disobedient), which is not good by the way. If we are not able to stay away from the things of this world, we may need to examine our walk, as in 2 Cor 13:5 (please read that later). If we maintain, that we are Christians, we must not walk, talk, or act like the unsaved (Eph 4:17). The ‘unsaved’ (or lost), are alienated from the life of God because of the ‘blindness of their hearts’. If we say we are saved, and are acting like the unsaved, we are spiritual ‘pipsqueaks’.
God wants us to be warriors and soldiers; and not to be insignificant. He does not see His soldiers as insignificant.
Even though Paul was in prison when he wrote this (around 60 A.D.), he wanted to encourage believers to walk as fruitful followers of Christ and to also serve in unity and love even through all types or kinds of persecution. We must also do the same - encouraging each other along the way. The phrase, or condition, “Blindness of the heart” will not be found in any medical journal, because it’s a spiritual disease, which possibly can only be recognized by those of us in the faith. That’s called discernment. The blindness to the things of the LORD, means being engulfed in sins which control the unsaved. They choose their own paths - it’s one’s own choice to live the way they want.
However, Romans 1:20-22 and on, tells us what happens to those who choose to live the way of this world. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: • Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. • Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,. People are past ‘feeling’, and give themselves over to lewdness and uncleanliness with greediness.
When a person refuses to accept salvation, or ‘rejects’ Christ, there is a "hardness" that sets in, and they eventually cease to feel the guilt of their sins. That ‘hardness’ might be thought of as the little “pip” in a piece of fruit – in this case, the pip in one’s body, as their heart. Hard. That hardness tends to lead to deeper unbridled lusts of the flesh. We that are saved, must 'step up to the plate' so to speak, and warn those who are “deep” in the world about these dangers. We do so by using God’s holy word. Nothing added – Nothing taken away. We are chosen to be soldiers (or warriors) as in 2 Timothy 2:4 – and not spiritual “Pip-Squeaks”.
Gary Waddell - Victory Ministries of Middle Tennessee - vmmtn.com
Thanks for “taking five” - God bless & bless GOD.
