The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.

The church appears to be no different than the world. Our churches are filled with Christians who are idling in intellectual neutral. As Christians, their minds are going to waste. One result of this is an immature, superficial faith. The depth of so many church-goers' theology goes no further than a collection of Biblical sounding, pop-Christian slogans and catch-phrases.

Their theology is summed up in ~ "Let go and let God!', Do your best and God will do the rest', You need to expect to meet God when you...' and What Would Jesus Do?'... "

Too many are content to read devotionals of familiar passages of Scripture linked together with a few inspirational stories and jokes but have no time nor interest to read the Word of G-D with a hunger to know the truth.

It is uniquely American to want an easy way out, especially a way out that is not painful and requires no work. That American value has crept into our American Christianity. So we have these seminars to get it all taken care of in a weekend.

Want mental health? Get hands laid on you and you'll have mental health overnight. Want spirituality? Have a vision, get the baptism, or speak in tongues. Want your problems to disappear? Simply praise the Lord. Want to be rid of temptation and sin? Have the demon cast out? Want to be done with the aggravation of decision making? Let God speak to you.

Instead of being devoted to developing spiritual maturity and attaining Scriptural knowledge, we want the quick and easy fix. Instead of developing mastery and maturity, we seek magic and manipulation. Instead of learning our lessons, we want the Master sitting next to us during the tests of life whispering His answers into our ears. We anticipate an A in the exam of life not because we know the material, not because we've mastered the content and it has become a part of who and what we are, BUT because we deserve it.

There are no shortcuts, but there is a secret to long-term stability and genuine maturity. There is an antidote to the quick fix:

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to G-D. a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness." 2 Timothy 2:15-16

"My son, if you receive my Words, and treasure My commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understand: yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasure; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of G-D. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding..." Proverbs 2:1-6