Psalm 81:11-12
“But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.”
There are two types of believers and churches: there is the church or believer that attempts something great for God, and there is the church or believer who slowly compromises what they believe to justify their laziness. I would much rather be the first group that is attempting something great for God than to be the latter group busy that is busy doing nothing.
There is a tragic statement that God says in verse 12. He says, “So I gave them up…” In other words, God was saying that He stopped trying to do mighty works through these people, and allowed them to walk “in their own counsels.” What caused God to give up on these people? God challenged His people in verse 10, “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” God desired His people to have a great vision for Him to fill, which meant they needed to work hard to see that vision come to reality. God even promised that He would fill their vision no matter how big it was. However, it is verse 11 that shows why God gave them up when it says, “But my people would not hearken to my voice…” They chose to refuse to attempt something great for God, which caused God not to work with them. Instead, he let them do what they wanted to do, which resulted in their compromise.
How is it that good people who once used to be involved in God’s work end up compromising what they believe and being more like the world than like God? The answer to this question is they stopped opening their mouth wide for God to fill. When a person stops attempting great acts for God is when they end up compromising what they believe. God gives them up “to their own counsels,” and though they spiritually justify what they are doing, they are slowly straying from what God’s Word commands us to do.
The best way to keep yourself and your church from being like the world is to continue to open your mouth wide and ask God to do something mighty, and go attempt what you are asking God to do. Many churches have stopped attempting anything great for God, which is why they continually change to look more like the world. How can a church change its music to where it sounds more like the world’s music? The answer is they stopped opening their mouth wide. How is it that a church that once used to have standards of holiness becomes a place that dresses and lives like the world? The answer is they stopped opening their mouth wide for God to do something through them.
My friend, one of the best ways to keep yourself and your church from compromise is to open your mouth wide for God to fill it. Open your mouth wide in soul winning, and see if God can fill it by using you to see many souls saved through your soul winning effort. Open your mouth wide on your bus route and attempt to see it filled with people coming to church, and see if God can use you to reach hundreds of souls through your route. Open your mouth wide in your Sunday school class and attempt to fill it us, and see if God won’t fill it. Open your mouth wide and attempt to have a big day in your church, and see if God won’t fill that vision. God promised to fill the mouth that is open wide, but to refuse His offer is a sure way to compromise so you can justify your demise. Let me challenge you to open your mouth wide so God can fill it.
