April 3 - Every Man Ministries

Neutrality

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ––Revelation 3:15-16

I’ve always been fascinated with Switzerland. Other than the fact that it is the cleanest nation I’ve ever visited, it also looks like a real-life Disneyland with it’s gorgeous Alps, pristine mountain streams, and fairytale villages.

Switzerland also has a 500-year history of neutrality, and officially became a neutral country in 1815. For such a relatively small nation surrounded by larger ones (Germany, France, Italy), it made sense for the Swiss to pursue a neutral stance, especially in times of war.

For God’s man, however, there are no spiritual Switzerlands. There are no treaties of neutrality in God’s Kingdom. Jesus said,

This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse.

––Luke 11:23, msg

Sound harsh? It’s not. It’s actually a profound statement of love. Jesus was telling the people that in Him, there is hope and eternal life. Outside of Him, there is darkness. Our culture is addicted to neutrality: “You need to live your truth,” is a comma mantra. But we know what happens when we curate and craft our own truth? As the Lord told Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Man of God, you are called to be committed. It’s one Kingdom against another. While there are many complexities and subtleties in this material world, there are none when it comes to our spiritual walk: No one comes to the Father but through the Son (John 14:6).

Be like the Philadelphians (the city in Asia Minor, after which our US city was named), to whom God said, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Revelation 3:11).

Father, I do not want to be a lukewarm, spiritually neutral believer. Help me to surrender anything in me that might cause me to approach You with half measures. I commit myself to You fully and freely.