When Division Threatens, the First Cause Is Our Low State

 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 10
 
There may be a number of causes for this low state, but primarily it is the heart leaving first love—an abiding sense of His great love. Satan, the enemy of our souls, operates on our fallen nature by presenting no end of lustful attractions, until the Lord's hand and rod make us agonize because of our departure, unfaithfulness, disregard of the Word of God, worldliness and strife.
When division has threatened, as it has a number of times in the past century, godly men have been used of God to lay bare the evil. Both the state and the overt evil needed to be judged. The overt evil must be purged (as did Phinehas in Num. 25); and where the state is not judged too, the hand of God will be felt again and again as in 1881, 1884, 1885, and 1890. But, alas, besides the godly exposure of evil and low state by faithful leaders deserving respect, factions develop (because of the low state) and bombard one another. Vain human efforts are used to bring about peace at the expense of separation from evil to the Lord. Instead of judging ourselves in deep humility and repentance before God, we blame Satan and his devices. (But see 1 Kings 12:2424Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the Lord, and returned to depart, according to the word of the Lord. (1 Kings 12:24).)