O you who love the Lord, hate evil! – Ps. 97:10 ~ There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. – Pro. 14:12
From Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening
“Sanctify them through thy truth.” – John 17:17
An excerpt: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Do not say of any error, “It is a mere matter of opinion.” No man indulges an error of judgment, without sooner or later tolerating an error in practice. Hold fast the truth, for by so holding the truth shall you be sanctified by the Spirit of God.
Based on Daniel’s prayer for his people as he stood in the gap for them:
Oh Lord, our great and awe-full God, who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love You and keep Your commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity and done wickedly with our Christo-paganism by rebelling against Your precepts and judgements; nor have we heeded Your servants, the watchmen, who spoke to us in Your name. Oh Lord Jesus, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face for our idolatrous ways of worshipping You. You have been distant from us because of our prideful rebellion and our love for the pagan/papist “holy” days full of men’s traditions, of which our devotion to them has blinded us to Your commandments against such worship of You. To us belongs shame of face, but to You belong mercy and forgiveness even though we have sinned against You. We have not sought Your Word nor repented that we may worship You in spirit and in truth; to obey Your voice and heed Your warnings, that these feast days are of a false gospel leading to the false messiah, the pagan god, Tammuz. But now, our Lord, our Savior from sin and God’s wrath, our Deliverer, turn away Your anger and deliver us from our prideful rebellion and convict us of our sins against You, that we may purge from our worship to You all vestiges of paganism and syncretism. Cleanse us with Your precious blood and, by the power of Your Holy Spirit and grace, lead us to walk on Your path of righteousness. Hear our prayer for the sake of Your erring children and, once again, cause Your face to shine upon us that we may be pure and true witnesses of Your salvation before a most dark world. O Lord! Hear us! O Lord! Forgive us! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, and for Your children who are called by Your name. Call them to come out of Babylon! In Your holy name we pray, amen.
Daniel’s prayer- Daniel 9:1-26
“Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.” ` Deuteronomy 12:30
FTA: While many of the pagan customs associated with the celebration of Spring were at one stage practised alongside Christian Easter traditions, they eventually came to be absorbed within Christianity, as symbols of the resurrection of Jesus. (my note: this is syncretism-combining paganism and Christianity in the unlawful worship to God) source
Ever since the first prophesy to mankind, recorded in Genesis 3:15, man has tried to fulfill it with their own ideas and gods. Myths and legends abound to this day. And, sadly, incorporating these myths’ traditions into Christianity has many believing that Christianity is just another pagan religion. Christians have not obeyed God in setting themselves apart from the pagan religions and it has muddied the truth that Jesus Christ is the only Savior, the only Redeemer.
FTA: Today, Tammuz’s cultural legacy is evident in various cultural practices, including the celebration of Easter. The resurrection of Jesus during Easter has similarities to the myth of Tammuz’s resurrection and highlights the cyclical nature of life and death…The worship of Tammuz was accompanied by ancient rituals, such as the weeping for Tammuz, a ritual during which women mourned the death of the deity. Archaeologists have discovered that Tammuz’s worship involved a range of practices such as sacrifices in his honor, singing hymns to his name, and participating in temple rites…Tammuz’s cultural legacy and relevance can still be seen in modern society. Although he was worshiped long ago, his significance continues to influence the world today, making his story an intriguing aspect of Ancient Near East’s history and mythology. His popularity allows us to understand the culture and traditions of Mesopotamia, providing an insight into how human belief systems have evolved throughout history. source
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. – 1 Peter 2 :9
Hear the Word of the Lord, ye that tremble at His guard; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for My name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. -Isaiah 66:5
Let us pray for all such as are cast out wrongfully from the society which they love. May the Lord appear to their joy!
The text applies to truly gracious men who tremble at the word of the Lord. These were hated of their brethren and at length cast out because of their fidelity and their holiness. This must have been very bitter to them; and all the more so because their casting out was done in the name of religion, and professedly with the view of glorifying God. How much is done for the devil in the name of God! The use of the name of Jehovah to add venom to the bite of the old serpent is an instance of his subtlety.
The appearing of the Lord for them is the hope of His persecuted people. He appears as the advocate and defender of His elect; and when He does so it means a clear deliverance for the God-fearing and shame for their oppressors. O Lord, fulfill this word to those whom men are deriding! ~ C.H. Spurgeon
http://bible.christiansunite.com/Faiths_Checkbook/faith0301.shtml
The X Mass Blog 