“I'm one of God's people. I know the promises He made about providing for me, healing me, protecting me from criminals and harm apply to me because I'm in the church of God ... I just have to learn to accept the sacrifice of Christ! I just have to HAVE FAITH!”

Jeremiah 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.

You have been SEDUCED, TRICKED, and DECEIVED into TRUSTING in lying words! You've been convinced that since you were “in God's church”, that that was all you needed. If there was something wrong, maybe it was that you didn't believe Christ paid for your sins enough.

Oh, sure... you needed to “Do your best”, and “Try to do what was right”, but you felt you did that. I mean, after all, you haven't broken the ten commandments lately. So why would God be unhappy with you?

Why, indeed? Perhaps it's because you BREAK THE TEN COMMANDMENTS CONSTANTLY!

Jeremiah 7:8-11 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

But surely, this isn't YOU! You're not lying, swearing falsely or committing adultery are you? You aren't stealing, of this you are SURE, aren't you! You would NEVER do that!

Wouldn't you? Aren't you stealing, even now? We'll just see.

Let's say you want a break on apartment rent. So, when applying for a low-income apartment, instead of turning in your whole income, you only report part of it. Now, this is justified of course.

You may not have the check long, you're a tax-payer too, you need this more than these other people, etc... but what exactly are you doing? Aren't you trying to get something that doesn't belong to you, cheaper than you deserve it, by trickery and craftiness?

Of course, you'd never actually STEAL, oh no, that would be a horrible evil... but you would get housing for the low-income price, when you're not actually in the low-income bracket. Oh, you'd justify it... but isn't that stealing? And lying while you're at it? Tell me you're not doing SOMETHING like this?

Or maybe you're not doing things like that... but are you using hacked programs? Copies of MS Office, or XP? Or some other program your friend gave you? Or illegal music, or movies? No, you'd never steal, would you?

But maybe YOU aren't doing things like that. But when you go to church, and the preacher gives a boring sermon, and then asks you how it was... do you tell him it was boring? No, you'd never do that, that might OFFEND him! Instead, you LIE!

Oh, you'd never CALL it a lie. You'll say “Oh, it was very interesting.” Then you'll find some clever way to justify it and say to yourself “Well, there was that one point that wasn't terrible...”

No, you'd never LIE, but you'll do that! What is that, if not lying??

You'd never defy God, but you will break the laws that a government He put over you sets! You will speed, not wear a seat belt, do a thousand little things you know are illegal... do you not resist the commandment of GOD, not men?

Romans 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

Of course, far be it from YOU to kill! Surely you aren't breaking THAT commandment! But will you join the military, and KILL for your country? Or support those who do – or attend a church that does? Or join the police force? Or maybe you don't believe in that... but you will have a gun under your pillow for “protection”!

And do you join Karate, where the object is to maim and in some cases kill the opponent? And allow your children to play video games where the sole object is to disembowel and decapitate the opponent! Oh, I'd be willing to bet you DO break this commandment!

I could easily continue this to show how your angel statuettes, your wizards and dragons, your crystals and your dreamcatchers violate the second commandment... or how your constant use of euphemisms like “Golly”, “gee whiz”, “Gosh”, and every other one like them is taking God's name in vain, by contracting the name of God into a cute little saying!

I don't even need to discuss how you break the one about adultery. And I wouldn't know where to begin describing how disgustingly, vilely covetous you are! How lustful you are of new cars, big jobs, money, women, houses and prestige! It's practically all you talk about!

And anyone with half a brain and even a tiny portion of the spirit of God can apply this same thinking to the other commandments!

Please! Argue with me! Tell me that YOU are the exception to this! I'd be willing to bet I can find these things in you, if you strip away your childish justifications that wouldn't convince anyone – not even yourself!

And if I'm wrong, I'd LOVE to meet you! I'd like to see someone who can hold his head up, look God squarely in the EYE, and say “I am doing nothing wrong, KEEP YOUR PROMISES!”...

Because you see, that's what it's all about. If anything I said here convicted you, pricked you in your heart, you can't say that to God. And if you can't say that to God, God isn't obligated to listen to you, because YOU KNOW YOU ARE NOT SERVING HIM! And I didn't even say a fraction of the things that *I* KNOW ABOUT!

So, yes, you WILL steal, lie, commit adultery, break EVERY COMMANDMENT IN THE BOOK, and then come to church Saturday and say “I'm God's child. God loves me, and doesn't mind me doing these things. Oh, He wants me to try to do better, but He understands!”

Oh yes! I can promise you, he understands PERFECTLY! He understands that you are lazy! He UNDERSTANDS that you worry more about offending your friend than offending him! He DOES understand that! Do you think you can get away with this? Really? Then you are a fool. Moreover, you're soon going to be a dead fool.

Jeremiah 7:12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

Have you heard the name “Worldwide Church of God” lately? What did God to do THEM for doing the same things you do?

Jeremiah 7:13-16 And now, because ye have done all these works, [and you, yes, YOU, have done, and are doing them!] saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast YOU out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. 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.

God is fast running out of patience. You *don't* want to be there when He gets really fed up.

Jeremiah 7:20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

He's talking to you. Not your neighbor, and not your friend, not to your spouse, and not to your children, but to YOU. You will suffer, or benefit, depending on how you respond to this. The church today is pathetic. I know of no exceptions. The people in it love to have it this way, or at least are willing to put up with it! That makes THEM pathetic too!

Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

This being the case, those people DESERVE what is coming on them! If you like the church the way it is, or think it can be salvaged, GO FOR IT! Stay there! See what happens!

Stay there, with your clever commandment breaking – they don't mind that! Stay there, with your lack of faith, they'll make you feel good about yourself!

Of course, you'd be staying someplace that God ISN'T, but that's no problem – if you don't fix yourself, God won't be wherever you are anyway.