The Origin of the Breathless Society: An Introduction to the Breathless Society, Psalms 78:28-53

"Our Generation is dying." These were the words of the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert for 40 years. The Origin of the breathless society begins with the story of the meat that fell from Heaven. Psalms 78:28-53 describes this in the greatest detail because it reflects that time period.

Here is Psalms 78:28-53 from the English Standard Version (ESV)

28 And he let them fall among them, and they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved. 29 But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths, the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel. In spite of all this, they still sinned; Despite his wonders, they did not believe. So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror. When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly. They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant. Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again. How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert! They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan. He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams. He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them. He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost. He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunderbolts. He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels. He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague. He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham. Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won.

```

This is a wonderful and interesting passage to study. This passage showcases how a breathless society can form. In this article, I will lay the groundwork for how to overcome and not be part of a breathless society. The origin of the breathless society lies in its sinful nature. Our spiritual lungs are caked with spiritual cancers such as pride, impatience, lustful thoughts and deeds, anxiety, depression, worry, violent video games, and other crazy things that drive our attention away from Yahweh Elohim. In this article, we will dive into key points that help us understand how we cannot be a breathless society, caked with spiritual lungs filled with spiritual cancers.

First, we must have an undivided and undistracted devotion to God. We cannot serve both the world and God. We cannot be half-heartedly devoted to Christianity. We have to be all in, or not in at all. There is no lukewarmness to our faith. God spits us out if we have lukewarm faith. It is equivalent to having a corpse-like faith. There are several things that can lead us away from having an undivided devotion to God. Video games can turn our attention away from God. Television can turn our attention away from God. Social media can turn our attention away from God. Money can turn our attention away from God. People-pleasing can turn our attention away from God. Self-gratification can turn our attention away from God. In order for us to have an undivided devotion to God, we must come before God, surrendering our lives to him and laying our burdens at the foot of the cross. He is truly a forgiving God.

Second, we must not pay lip service; we must truly mean what we say to God. So, often, we focus on the service part of Christianity, but not on the inward side of things. We focus heavily on Mark 10:45 and not enough on 2 Corinthians 5;17. We are a new creation in Christ; therefore, we should mean what we say to God when we surrender everything to him. We need heart change before we can serve the One True King, Jesus Christ.

Third, pursuing life without Christ will result in a breathless society. How often do you attend a funeral? Do you see any movement from the dead person? Not at all. In the same manner, if our life is without Christ, our faith is motionless, lifeless, and corpse-like. We must have life with Christ.

Fourth, take Christ seriously. Do not just perform lip service to God. Never circle back to your sins. Repent and make a 180-degree change and pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life. Repenting is a daily and habitual process. We sin daily, and we must confess our sins daily because He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Fifth, do not live your life like a breathless society. Do not live like dead people, for they are motionless. What is a good spiritually dead person to a new believer? There is no gain. So do not live your life like a dead unbeliever. Live your life in the fullness of Jesus Christ and know that you are a new creation in Christ. The old you is dead and buried six feet under. Live your life like that. Do not live your life like the breathless society of modern-day churches. Do not preach like a spiritually dead preacher. A spiritually dead preacher is no good for new believers. Anoint yourself with the Holy Spirit and preach from the Word of God with fervor and passion.

Sixth, do not let Satan get a foothold in your life. Satan loves to target churches and divide churches over small doctrinal issues such as predestination. Satan loves to distort the Word of God and cause pastors to compromise on their beliefs. Did God really say sin is truly a sin? Yes, sin is sin. Sin is anything that displeases God or compromises His character. Homosexuality is a sin and will always be a sin. Homosexuality needs to be addressed in the churches. Churches should not simply affirm homosexuality because they are afraid to stand against it. Therefore, do not let Satan get a foothold in your life to make you question your beliefs about sin.

Seventh, God will always be there for ya. He is the forgiving God, sitting on the porch waiting for you. He is merciful. He forgives our sins. He will never let you down. Once you believe in him, trust in him with your whole heart, and confess your sins to Him, He will cast your sins as far as the east is to the west. He will remember your sins no more. Go and sin no more is my urge to you.

Eighth, rebelling against God's will will lead to a destructive lifestyle. God is always there for us. So, rebelling against God's will never works out. I do not want you to be tormented forever in the lake of fire. I want you to be in heaven, lifting a joyful shout of praise to the Most High God. So do not rebel against God's will for your eternal life. Do not have a Corpse-like faith. Do not crave the things of this world. Live your life focused on Christ. Only Jesus can satisfy our desires. We are mere mortals planted on this earth to spread the Good News of the Gospel to everyone who is willing to listen to it. Our minds are set on things eternal. God will keep us safe. So we should not be afraid.

In Conclusion, the passage we looked at today shows that we should not give in to our fleshly desires. The Israelites complained about their hunger and did not follow God. They begged God for physical food instead of relying on God as the great provider. Here are some reflective questions that I hope enrich your spiritual life in Christ as you develop into who God wants you to be. The points above are the main ones found in Psalms 78:28-53. I hope this was encouraging for you. I hope you make a profession of faith and turn to the forgiving God who is always there for you. Do not live your life Breathless like the Breathless Society. Do not be like your ancestors who wandered in the desert for 40 years because they kept forgetting to hunger for God's righteousness. May God bless you!

Reflective Questions

1) In what ways are you living your life in spiritual failure and living with spiritual cancer in your life?

2) In what ways are you rebelling against God?

3) How often do you trust in the forgiving God? Do you truly believe that an unworthy person can be worthy to trust in Jesus Christ? Why or why not?

4) In what ways can you live for Christ? Are you living for Christ?

6) What are you afraid of when you are questioning whether or not to accept the free gift of eternal life?

7) Do you hunger to love God all the days of your life? Are you living out your life for Christ?

9) In what ways do you believe in Jesus Christ, who rescued you from your breathless lifestyle?

10) How often do we hunger for our fleshly desires instead of our spiritual desires? How often do we surrender to God our desires? How often do we quench our spiritual hunger by falling in the trap of temptation? How often do we acknowledge God and lay our burdens at the foot of the cross?

11) During this next week, how can we say "no" to fleshly desires and say "yes" to the desires of the Holy Spirit?