Neutrality Is a Lie: Every Choice Builds God’s Kingdom or Darkness
A powerful truth that has impacted my life over the last several years is that there is no such thing as a neutral decision or stance. Everything we think, say, do, and where we spend our time and wealth is either worship to God or it is not. It either advances the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. There is no third kingdom of neutral territory. Everything is either controlled, influenced, or owned by the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness, and as believers, we are called to take the Kingdom of God to every person and every area of the world.
One of the greatest tactics of the devil is to subtly convince Christians that most of life is neutral and has no eternal significance.
But neutrality often stems from a lack of understanding of what is at stake and what God's word says. Neutrality can be passivity, fear, or a lack of conviction in disguise, or a desire to avoid making a decision, because once that decision is made, you have to live with the results.
As believers, we have to move beyond the mindset that our worship or the advancement of God’s kingdom is confined to the songs we sing on Sunday at church and the tithes and offerings we give out of our generosity. This is only a small portion of our life and stewardship; in fact, our entire life should be worship.
Every thought, word, dollar spent, and minute spent is either investing in and advancing God’s kingdom or advancing the kingdom of darkness.
Our thoughts and intentions firmly establish us in God’s word and our identity in Christ, or they allow darkness to take root.
Our words either build the kingdom of God or they build the kingdom of darkness.
Our dollars are either going to things that advance God’s kingdom, such as generosity, investing in our health, investing in our family and other relationships, or multiplying for the kingdom of God; or they are being spent advancing the kingdom of darkness through spending or investing money with companies that hate God, spending on terrible food and habits that weaken and destroy our bodies, which are a temple of the Holy Spirit, or on selfish pursuits that prevent us from investing in quality time and memories with our spouse, children, and friends, etc.
Our time is either spent advancing God’s kingdom or the kingdom of darkness.
The Bible gives us multiple scriptures that illustrate what it looks like to live a life of worship to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 paints a picture of a life fully aligned with God. It says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Matthew 6:33 tells us that “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” This does not specify which areas of life we are called to seek God in and which we are not.
Mark 12:30 tells us that we are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Notice this verse says all, not some or not part. All of our lives and everything we do are either loving or serving God, or they are not.
Romans 12:1 states that we are to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices”.
Colossians 3:23 tells us that “whatever we do, we are to work heartily as for the Lord and not for men.”
If we approach things with “neutrality,” we are actually walking in compromise or passivity, which allows darkness to advance or be maintained. Reverend Charles Aked is attributed with saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Neutrality is doing nothing and allowing evil to triumph. Silence is agreement.
One of the scariest verses in the Bible to me is James 4:4, which says, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
We are called to put God's kingdom first, and seeking his kingdom first means in everything we do. Neutrality is not seeking God's kingdom first. It is staying silent and allowing things to slide.
What we allow into our home either supports God's kingdom or the kingdom of darkness.
What and who we allow our kids to be exposed to either supports God’s kingdom or does not.
What we watch and listen to either builds God’s kingdom in our lives or the kingdom of darkness.
Our hearts, in whole or in part, are either with God or not. If they are not with God, they are with the kingdom of darkness.
Let’s all choose to take a stand today, evaluate our lives, seek the Lord, and ask him to show us the areas where we thought we were neutral but have, in fact, been standing with the kingdom of darkness. Let’s choose today to live a full life of worship to the Lord in all areas.
Prayer: Father God, I come to you right now, humbled that you would choose me as your child and partner with me in advancing your Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. So, Father, we choose to repent, renounce, and ask for forgiveness for any ways we have tried to stay neutral or believed we were staying neutral in life. We want no part of the kingdom of darkness in our lives. Please show us what we need to change and how we need to change it. May our life be worship to you in everything we think, say, do, and in how we spend our wealth and time. Give us a vision for how to live a life fully committed to you in everything. Amen.
Praying for you!
Ryan
