The Ballestero Blog

Learning To Live Without God.

Living without God in our life would be, without argument, the hardest thing anyone could ever do! It would not just be hard, it would be terrifying, it would be heartbreaking, and it would be filled with pain… so much pain.

To those who are accustomed to the blessings of the Lord’s daily presence, His absence would leave a void too great for words.

I cannot imagine trying to live even one day without the Lord in my life. Every time I finish reading the Bible, those that were foolhardy enough to try, still amaze me.

Day One without God… I wonder what that felt like? Did Day Two or Three get any easier? Imagine living the rest of your life without God’s approval or blessing. Imagine Him turning His head when you pray.

Saul

Saul was the King who at first was so humble and small in his own eyes, but later crossed an invisible line and walked on the side of arrogance until he died. He crossed over into the spiritual realm of service unto God that belonged to the ministry, and God immediately rejected him. God lifted His blessing, approval and support. God even refused to ever speak to him again.

His fatal mistake happened early in his reign. Saul’s 40 years on the throne was spent without God’s help. The prophet Samuel no longer prayed for him or prophesied to him. He had to learn to live without God.

• He ignored the office of the man of God in his life.
• He thought his kingdom authority gave him spiritual authority.
• He made that mistake only once.
• Repentance was not an option.

Day one without God… I wonder what it felt like?

Esau

When Esau showed his disdain for the Birthright and sold it for a bowl of pottage, he angered God. The Lord called him a profane man because he saw no value in that which included the covenant blessings of Jehovah.

It may not have seemed all that important to Esau when he sat at the table, but God never forgave him. Esau even tried to repent, but God wouldn’t let him. He cried, but God turned his back on him forever. He had to learn to live without God.

• He let his hunger of things of the moment override his hunger for the things of God.
• He treated the Word (of God’s covenant) lightly.
• He traded the eternal for the temporary.
• Repentance was not an option for him.

Day one without God… I wonder what it felt like?

Ichabod

Even the name still scares us. The Ark of the Lord was stupidly and unlawfully carried into battle and lost. A birthing mother heard the news and named her newborn son Ichabod, meaning ‘the glory has departed.”

The Ark was gone and stayed gone a long while. No wonder David danced wildly and with great joy when he saw the ark finally coming to it’s proper home. What was it like for a nation, knowing that the Ark was missing? It seems like all of the congregation would think about that every time they went to the tabernacle to sacrifice. The Mercy Seat was missing. They had to learn what it was like to live without God.

Day one without God… I wonder what it felt like?

The 400 Years

When Malachi laid his head down to rest for the last time, it was all over for Israel. They loved picking up the ways of the heathen. They incorporated the heathen’s ways into their worship. The freely married them as well.

Israel seemed to delight itself in dressing like the rest of the world and ignoring the pleadings of all the prophets. God had sent them prophet after prophet, but nothing changed. So God got tired of wasting His breath and His men. God quit. For 400 years God never spoke to Israel. His mercy and patience wore thin.

How many years went by before someone said, “I can’t remember when I last heard a prophet”? Generations passed without one correction from God. They had turned their back on Him; He turned His back on them.

• No preacher in their life.
• No direction or correction from God must have brought peace to their deluded minds.
• Did it ever dawn on them that they were living with less of an experience with God than before?

By the end of the first year without God… I wonder how much further they had slipped?

You Think God Can’t Get Serious?

You Think The God Of Love And Mercy Will Let You Do Whatever You Want?

Is The Only Scripture You Want To Hear Quoted Is ‘God Is Love”?

The following scriptures are just a few of the passages that shows the other side of God.

“If You Love Sin, God Won’t Listen To Your Prayers.”

Psa. 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

“If You Kill Your Neighbor With Your Words, God Will Hate You And Your Prayers!”

Is. 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

Is. 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

Is. 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

“God Won’t Listen To Their Prayers!”

Is. 59:1 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

Is. 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Is. 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

“If You Mistreat Your Wife And Disrespect Her, God Won’t Hear Your Prayers.”

1Pet. 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

“Don’t Even Pray For Them!”

Jer. 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.

“Don’t Pray For Them, I’m Done!”

Jer. 14:11 Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.

Jer. 14:12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

“I Don’t Want Your Worship!”

Amos 5:23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

Life Today!

Many church members have turned their backs on God of late. They have rejected the essentiality of Repentance, Baptism in Jesus Name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost evidenced by the speaking with other tongues. They make fun of Holiness and those that are living separated from the world. They attach names of mockery to those that carefully follow Biblical principles of Holiness. They call them “Ultra Cons” and other names of derision. They make fun of Godly women and their long dresses and long hair. There is a falling away.

Sadly, quite a few former Apostolic Pentecostals now live like they have never been inside of a Holiness church. Their dress, their lifestyle, their language, and their social activities show no evidence of Godliness or God mindedness. Their Facebook pages do not identify them as Apostolic. God Is not pleased.

They have explained away, rationalized and cut off any scripture or preacher that speaks against their ‘enlightened’ freedoms. In their delusion, they feel God will accept them as they are, because they don’t plan to change. They want God to change His word so that it will adapt to them.

They continue to go through the motions of having church kind of like Israel did in the Old Testament after God quit talking to them. God doesn’t approve.

Sadly, many that once were submissive to God’s Word have now turned aside to follow after their own lusts.

Does God keep dealing with them? I can’t answer that. I do know that the ones I have seen leave, have no desire to return. I do not know of anyone that has left this truth for an “easier” way, that has ever recovered, come back and God gave them another chance.

It seems to me that they have no choice but to live without God. Live without Him now, and live without Him later.

Backslider? What was Day One like? Are you still trying to live without God? It won’t get any better! The way of the transgressor is hard. I don’t know if repentance is an option.