false prophets and true prophets

Since moving to Simi Valley nearly a year ago I have unknowingly begun to buy into this false gospel that "God wants me to be spoiled rotten here on earth." I can't find that anywhere in scripture.

     Now that i think about it, I have believed this my entire life. That is why i don't give away very much money. Because i still want to have enough to go out with my friends and play and stuff. That is why i don't pray as much and read scripture as much and fast and tell people hard truths on and on I could go.

When you think of the people in Africa, you think: starving. AIDS. dirty. they need me. 

     But when you actually go see what is on the other side of the camera, you realize that they are quite happy people, especially the Christians. I will never forget the words of a pastor from Kibera, Africa's largest slum. Some other Americans and I were visiting this church and he said, "Most people look at us and think that we need to get out of this slum. But why do we need an Exodus? God has found us here."

     As those words ring in my ears, I wonder why I am so surprised at what he said. I think, "They don't have anything and yet they are so happy! How can this be?" 

Then I realize: Every day in America, I am bombarded by media. Everywhere I look, everyone is telling me that I need more in order to be happy. That is a lie from the pit of hell. Literally. Satan uses media to tell us that we need new stuff and more stuff and better stuff. He tells us that if we do not have it, we should be miserable. And somehow, we believe him. That is why we are so surprised. 

And we carry this view over into our view of God. We assume that God wants us to be happy. So we make decisions based on that assumption. 

I have been reading Ezekiel lately, and it is rocking my world. God loves Ezekiel. He is His chosen prophet. Yet God asks Ezekiel to do some hard stuff. He has to lay on his side for over a year (and then on the other side for 40 days)! God asks him to become like an exile in front of everyone. He does all of this stuff to symbolize Israel's unfaithfulness and coming judgement. It's just crazy that Ezekiel is one of the few righteous men left among Israel, and yet God asks him to do all of the uncomfortable stuff. 

Meanwhile, there are these false prophets going around telling everyone, "Peace!" They are like, "Don't worry guys, we are God's chosen people. He loves us, and would never harm us."

So naturally, the people believe the false prophets who are proclaiming peace rather than Ezekiel who is telling the hard truth. 

Oh Lord, please give us the grace to see you as you really are, not as we wish you would be!