Sliding into Ruin: autopsies of spiritual death. The Series
In the weeks ahead we will be profiling what spiritual decline, and death, looks like. Why? I become more convinced every day, especially as my calling to be a father, life coach, and mentor continues, that the average “good person” you and I know is asleep, often by choice, to the reality of soul decline and spiritual death. That is to say, most people so crave the idea that life is about fun and moment by moment self-fulfillment, that very few are willing anymore to consider the brevity of choices or the importance of deep, consistent, and meaningful thought. Shockingly, this is largely true within the “church” as well. Even within the walls of Christendom, professed “believers” live lives indiscernible from the average secular humanist. Christianity in many cultures has been reduced to the religion of individual opinion, and biblical truth, let alone truth as it relates to character formation, has been sacrificed upon the alter of our own lusts for pleasure.
This series will investigate how a soul loses its way upon the slippery slope of spiritual neglect. Lest you think now that this will be a series of messages hell bent on slinging bibles and condemnation upon a well meaning group of hearers, let me be clear: it is the love of God which draws us to repentance. I know this full well. It is this love, spoken of in the scriptures, which has captured my heart, did so at a young age, and has held it ever since. I am equally, and thankfully aware, however, that this love is the very love which warns me of mortal soul danger and chastises me when needed in order that my soul might be saved many pains, and my heart might experience all that God has for me. I know I am in good company in pursuing this series of spiritual autopsies, for the scriptures themselves are full of “warning passages”. The Old Testament, and the New Testament, are replete with warnings, loving warnings, cries and promises of God, directed to His children, whom He loves, to avoid the tug of this world. We are prone to ignore setting, motive, temptation, proper thinking, and we have a general lack of hunger for holiness and purity in daily life. These are deadly realities.
And so, as we begin, I ask you to consider where you might find yourself in these stories while reading. The bible instructs us to test our faith, and the prayer of a righteous man beseeches God to search the heart and purify the soul. May we all do so as we look deep inside profiles of those who have suffered a death we all seek to avoid.
Autopsy No. 1 – “ Its no big deal…I’m an adult…or almost anyway…its just a little fun”.
Description of cadaver: middled-aged person, recently divorced, burned out, good career, unfulfilled life, mid-life crisis, multiple lovers, addicted to drink, experiments with drugs, night life player, kids are a mess, angry, bitter, porn habit, respected in community, disrespected by family, disrespects himself/herself, believes a lot of things but nothing really, no purpose, no life-giving relationships, self-absorbed, bored, ready for life to end.
Immediate Cause of death? Soul bankruptcy.
Extenuating Circumstances? No leadership, no thought, no concern, no measuring stick, “no problem here” approach to life and thought
Here’s how it happened.
As a teenager the deceased would come home at night, after a night out, having done and experienced whatever the moment brought, without any thought, roadmap, or compass other than comparison to others more “bad”. A few drinks as a teenager seemed harmless and fun. After all, mom and/or dad or other adults had no problem with them drinking if being “responsible”. A few more months into being so grown up a little sexual experimentation seemed fun and natural. Responsible use of a condom seemed smart enough, and mature enough for this loving teenager. After all its just part of the process, right? No harm no foul. A few more months in and the weekends ramped up a bit and the fun kicked up a notch in the night clubs and bars. Part of growing up, after all, is about experiencing life and being young while one is young. Clubs are just fun, nothing really wrong there, right? A few more months into the latter teen years leads to a little experimenting with other substances while out at the parties and clubs and campus frat houses. Again, its just a stage while young, and again, mom/dad don’t really have a problem with it as long as I can handle myself. Mom/Dad actually talk fondly about their time doing the same thing, and even tag along sometimes in order to stay young and hip. All the music celebrates it, the television shows rejoice in it, its the talk at school, on the ball field, on the cheer team, and in the home…what’s not to like? Surely this is just normal life. Everyone partakes.
The college years are more of the same only more mature fun now. Feeling even more responsible and capable now, the activities of the past are becoming set patterns and ways of thinking. This is life, becomes the motto. Those earlier years in the church seem a world away, archaic, frozen in some time warp and not able to be accessed. Now as the only relationships known for years have all been secular and worldly there is not even a resource for considering anything different. Dating is just part of life like eating and sleeping. It does not matter who you date or why you date, just that you date, and have fun doing it. Sex becomes just another activity like driving, brushing one’s teeth, or dining out, or dancing. Booze is part of the routine. Who actually thinks about any of these things?
College rolls right into real “adulthood” and as all real adults do, they get jobs and get married or live with someone, so… that’s what takes place. A few live in relationships don’t pan out, and finally a marriage is tried. Kids, cars, suburbs…all part of the mix of life as the fun continues, the parties, the dance clubs, the porn, the flirting, the business trips hidden from the spouses, … they are all there, but now more strategically placed and perhaps spaced out “more responsibly”. Nothing has really changed in the mind and heart, just the schedule has changed for when and where the moments are pursued. Sooner or later all the patterns of relating come home to roost, the fun leads to conflict, the lifetime of never asking “why?” produces bigger questions. Life is beginning to unravel. This makes no sense. I been so good and so responsible for so long! How did this happen to me!
The problem is, half of a life has been lived void of any real measure of truth save “responsible adult” behavior. And now this responsible “adult” living has left one empty, confused, broken, divorced, and bankrupt of soul. There were warning signs along the way, but there was too much invested in the cravings of the moment to pay attention. Now, the teenager who proclaimed his/her adulthood early on, and who charged forward in full confidence of their own agenda, sometimes blessed by mom/dad, have found adulthood, real adulthood, utterly exhausting and confusing and the internal challenges insurmountable. And now the would be fun is no longer providing the kind of charge it once brought. Now the fun has left only a heft price tag. The mind is suffering under the weight of moral confusion. The heart is wrecked amidst the carnage of failure. The soul is ripped open wide by the knife of reality. There are no resources for this. Why does fun not answer the question of existence any longer? Why does my own idea of love not provide for fulfilling relationships? Why does money not remedy my soul cravings? Why does a mistress not meet all my needs? Why did the last date not heal me? Why does the psychologist not fix me once and for all? WHO AM I?
You may think the case above an oversimplification of reality. But I will tell you from 20 years of ministry experience, it is very accurate. I see it played out in homes where secular humanism was the tone of the house, and I have seen it played out where church going parents neglected their role to lead, clearly and biblically lead, their children. Wherever there is a void of biblical teaching and a compass based upon scriptural reality, lives are doomed for this kind of unfolding. I have seen this very thing unfold where godly men and women and have loved and led their kids, and the kids slowly turned away and followed the masses of their own volition. Make no mistake, where the gospel is abandoned at the altar of fun and human independence, lives are doomed to spiritual bankruptcy and soul death.
Where are you? Are you the one who has lived for nothing but the moment? Are you the teenager who spurned godly counsel? Are you the parent who has celebrated worldly fun with your kids and thereby reenforced the framework of spiritual death in your kids? Have you allowed the practices of a godless world addicted to pleasure and self to take up residence in your very home?
Read the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians as he calls us to demolish the strongholds of sin, confusion, lust, sexual immorality, pleasure, anger, bitterness, lazy thought, greed, and the trivializing of truth. Its more than fun, so much more. We are called to a life of meaning, virtue, passion, and spiritual vitality. The call to that kind of life has nothing to do with age, life stage, or anything else. We are called to that road, plain and simple. Young, old, rich, poor, white, black, broken, strong, abused, content, simple, educated, single, married, divorced, male, female… the call is for each one of us.
Do you want to live again? Hear the words of Jesus, the One who literally lived, died, was buried, and was physically and actually resurrected from the dead, “I have come to give you life, and life more abundantly.” John 10:10 He who said that was none other than God Himself, in the flesh, come to earth to point the way back to Him. He is the only one who can bring new life where the pronouncement of death has been made. And make no mistake, if you are not living for Him, you are dead indeed. In love He points out the death to us, and offers us new life in Himself.
Next up:
Conversations that can stave off spiritual death.
Parents, friends, mentors, teachers, and anyone who seeks to impact the lives of others, you will want to tune in for this one, pulled right out of real life experiences.
Bruce Smith
optimuslife.org
soulstormsite.com
blog.optimuschoice.com