Chapter
12.1
Respectable Sins
Words
& Thoughts – Worldliness – Ungodliness – Self-righteousness – Selfishness
Un-Thankfulness
- Slothfulness - Judgmental - Jealousy - Envy – Impatience – Worry
Stress
- Anxiety - Frustration - Grudges - Un-Belief - Lust - Pride - Anger - Self-Control
When
God abandons them; are they Died and Fried?
First
Word
We
visit the Flea Market often and this week we found a vendor with about
300 Christian books that were like new for just 25 cents each. One about “Respectable Sins” caught my eye
and I surrendered my quarter. Later I
found that Jerry Bridges’ eye opener book had been taught in Bible studies
groups for some time. Standing on this
giants shoulders has allowed me to see so much further down the road, than I
ever could have. I don’t normally do a “Book Report”,
but so many of the other commentaries on sin refer back to Bridges Book. I cannot wait to read what God has to say
about Acceptable
Respectable Sins in our society.
Whatever became of Sin?
Our personal sin has disappeared; as a nation we don’t commit SIN; sex
outside of marriage is not fornication or adultery,
it’s just an affair,
a lack of indiscretion,
a brief sexual liaison. When we feel OK
with ourselves, we feel it’s OK with God too. Our
Secular Sensibility; our ability to sense, feel and perceive has
been modified so as to cushion the impact of sin in our own lives.
Our Nation as a whole has lost the
ability to understand
what constitutes reprehensible sin in
the eyes of God.
The greatest
deterrent to SIN
is THE FEAR
OF GOD.[1] When we present God as a benevolent and
gentle grandfather, we tend to treat our sins superficially. We
live life on our own terms worshiping God half-heartedly.[2] Sermons, for the most part are soft peddled,
in the hope that Christianity will be more appealing to non-believers; so the
sermons tend to lift up the Love of God and play down the Wrath of God.
We promote God
as a best friend who has saved us and lives within our hearts; we are His
adopted children and fellow heirs to the kingdom of God. We are taught that we are called “Friends”
which is an Old Testament term used when someone is in a Blood
Covenant with God,[3] BUT as a nation we have lost the FEAR OF GOD. He is God, and we are not His equal, we
are His forgiven sinful creatures and on the Day of the Lord,
we will stand before Him and give an account of the good and the bad in
our lives[4].
A reverent fear
of the Holy God will dramatically affect the way that we live out our lives. In Archery when you miss the mark in the
center of the target, it’s referred to as SIN;[5] “Missing the MARK”.
[6]
The Book says “SIN”, large or small, scandalous or respectable IS Lawlessness, Wickedness and Rebellion against God.[7] Sin is
a Cancer, and left untreated will metastasize and spread throughout our entire
being, Body Soul and Spirit.[8] Moses
was a devout man of God, but instead of speaking to the rock to get water, he
hit the rock with his rod,[9] DISOBEYING what God had commanded him to do’ therefore
Moses was not allowed to personally lead Israel into the Promised Land;[10]
Moses MISSED THE MARK.
It’s
in the Book
*Worldliness
The Book has a lot to say about idols of the heart, things that absorb our
thoughts and governs our actions. Jerry
Bridges Book on “Respectable Sins” list three areas.
1)
Loving
the world by aligning your lifestyle with its culture;
perhaps with immodest dress and apparel or maybe lack of self-control of
indulgencies. The pursuit up the Corporate Ladder,
Politics,
Cultural Concerns and even Sports can become an IDOL; it can become so all-consuming
that relationships are damaged and the family unit suffers.
2)
The
pride in possessions can become an IDOL; hobbies and collecting not
only consume your time, but drives your thinking and consumes your finances; it
closes the hand of giving that withholds from God; Greed and the pride of
possessions is the
NEVER SATISFIED SIN. [11]
3)
The
desires of the flesh causes you to linger looking over something you
should not be looking at; perhaps a sensual tabloid at the checkout at Walmart. The Book says
the eye of man is never satisfied. Vicarious
immorality is when you experience in
the imagination the feelings or actions of another person’s erotic behavior. Each secret glance & lingering look whets
the appetite for more. Sex can become an
IDOL that
you worship in your imagination.
Monopoly: I got my first taste of Worldliness and Greed while playing Monopoly, I would buy up all the
properties I could, and put hotels on them so I could make more money from the
rentals and bankrupt the other players who landed on my properties. Oddly enough, I would often borrow so much
money from the bank that I would be the one that would go bankrupt.
Earning more money raises the expectations of what you NEED.
I don’t get NO satisfaction (Double negative). When does wanting
something turn into worldliness or greed? I’ll tell you when; it’s when you have a very excessive desire and pursuit of
material possessions. Worldliness exist when you don’t need it, but you would like to have it. When you are
wanting more, regardless of what you already have.[12]
It can be defined by TWO different
characteristics;
1)
Never
satisfied with what you have,
2)
The
need to keep hold of what you’ve already have.
The story of the Rich man and Lazarus the
beggar is a great example of Worldliness, when giving becomes so hard to
do. The rich man’s attention was on his
earthly life and not on the divine. He
could not even give the crumbs from his table to the beggar Lazarus. They both died; Lazarus went to a compartment
of hell called Paradise
and the Rich man went to a compartment in hell called Torment.
What profits a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his life?[13]
Our Excuse; I don’t give to people,
because it encourages them to NOT get a Job, I would then become an enabler. PLEASE GET THIS; if God
impresses you to give money to someone, you should do it. You are not the motive Police of what they do with
the money; that’s between them and God; YOUR
JOB IS TO JUST BE OBEDIENT. I have a
friend that purchases McDonald gift cards, so when someone asks her for money,
she gives them a card; a gift certificate for a meal.
I saw a man going through a dumpster collecting
cans; God
impressed me to give him some
money, but I thought, he is just a GUMMY RUMMY and would spend it all on booze; so I didn’t.[14] The next day I saw him again and I felt impressed by
God again
to give him some money, so I went over and this time gave him the money
and said, I guess you will heading down to the LIQUOR STORE now.
He said; YES
he was. Being cynical, I asked; what do you
like Christian
Brothers or Blue Nun wine He
said he did not drink at all; that he had a family of five to support and he
had a job at the liquor store sweeping the floors and cleaning up; the cans
from the dumpster helped bring in the extra money.
It warmed my heart that I had OBEYED the impression
from the Lord, BUT I tearfully learned
about my own respectable acceptable sin, that of being JUDGMENTAL and SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Obedient is better than a sacrifice.[15]
*
Ungodliness
Ungodliness is an attitude toward God[16]
with little or no thought to our dependence on Him for our daily provisions in
our everyday life. When we need
something, we casually look to God as a Heavenly vending machine or our Devine
bellhop.
The Book says to acknowledge God’s providence in our lives by
daily saying;
“If the Lord
wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”[17] We are to WORK WILLINGLY at whatever we
do, as though we are working for the LORD
rather than our work place boss.[18] Thirst
for God, the living God like you are in a parched and weary land where there is
no water.[19] Seek most to live in the house of the LORD
all the days of your life, meditating in his Temple and delighting in the His
perfections.
Unrighteousness is our
thoughts, words and actions that treat God as
though He does not exist. God already
knows our heart, thoughts and our MOTIVES.
The Book says we should pray daily
for the complete knowledge of HIS WILL in our lives,[20]
yet we don’t worship Him as God anymore and have even forgotten to give thanks
for what we have. We have traded the truth of His Word for lies
that satisfy our shameful sinful nature and have even come up with NEW WAYS of sinning.[21] It’s so sad; even though we know our actions
could eventually lead to death, we do them anyway and even encourage others to
do so as well.
We have to ask ourselves the question; how much of our life do we live without regard for God? Can any
behavioral difference be observed between us and an unbeliever?[22]
If there is no difference, then we are
just Make-Believers.
It’s in the
Book
*Self-righteousness
Self-righteousness also
called sanctimoniousness,
and a holier-than-thou attitude is a feeling or display of smug moral
superiority derived from a sense that one's beliefs, actions, or affiliations
are of greater
virtue than those of the average
person. Self-righteous individuals are
often intolerant of the opinions and behaviors of others. Wikipedia
When we read the account of the PHARISEE who was a teacher of
God’s Laws and the repulsive hated TAX COLLECTOR; both are
praying. We see the independent spirit of
the Pharisee looking
down his nose at the one who is despised because he collects
tributes or taxes for Rome. What we see
in the story is two men, ONE WHO KNEW HE WAS A SINNER AND THE OTHER WHO DID
NOT. .[23] One humbled
because of his position in life,[24]
and the other one full of self-righteousness
of his knowledge of doctrine and of his own achievements in life.[25]
In the story of the
Prodigal Son, we find two sons who received their inheritance from their
father, one foolishly spent his and the other saved his, what we know is that BOTH BROTHERS WERE SINNERS; one realized
it and the other didn’t, he was self-righteous.[26] One humbled himself and the other became
angry and stood a far off.
In the story
of the immoral woman we see the Pharisee and an immoral woman;
both were sinners; one knew it and the others didn’t. The immoral woman knowing her sin, knelt behind Jesus at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them
off with her hair. The self-righteous Pharisee said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching
him. She’s a
sinner!” Jesus said, I tell you, her sins are many and have been forgiven; she
has shown me much love,[27] BUT a person who is forgiven LITTLE shows only LITTLE love.
Jesus ripped into the Jews
self-righteousness because they boasted that they were taught the laws of Moses
from birth and their reliance on the laws made them righteous.[28] There is a constant temptation in all of us to
believe that we can somehow generate in and of ourselves a righteousness that
will be acceptable to God,[29]
but if
keeping the law could make us right with God, then there would be no need for Christ to die on the Cross.
The Book says there in no
one who is righteous, not even ONE;[30]
it was because of Abraham’s FAITH that God counted him as Righteous,[31]
not because of something he had done.
*Selfishness
I think we are all born with a selfish nature and have our own blind spots that causes us to be domineering, if not
even heartless at times. Selfishness is
harder to spot because it is more delicate and refined; hidden by our ability
to weave a tapestry of colorful illusions.
Narcissism is a big 25 cent
word that most of us have never used. It is the pursuit of gratification
from vanity or egotistic admiration of one's own attributes. The
narcissist displays a high level of selfishness and
sees everything as “How does this affect ME?”
Paul writes to Timothy saying that there will
be very difficult times
IN THE LAST DAYS.
People will LOVE ONLY
THEMSELVES and
their money. They will be boastful, proud and ungrateful; scoffing at God.
They will consider nothing sacred and be unloving and unforgiving; they
will slander others and have NO SELF-CONTROL. They will be
cruel and hate what is good. They will
betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure
rather than God.[32] They will act
religious, but they will reject the power that could make them
godly. Paul says to STAY AWAY FROM PEOPLE LIKE
THIS.
THE
SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF SELFISHNESS narcissism – Wikipedia -
1)
Shamelessness: Shame is the
feeling that lurks beneath all unhealthy narcissism, and the inability to
process shame in healthy ways.
2)
Magical
thinking:
Narcissists see themselves as perfect, using distortion and illusion
known as magical thinking. They also use projection to "dump"
shame onto others.
3)
Arrogance: A narcissist
who is feeling deflated may "re-inflate" their sense
of self-importance by diminishing, debasing, or degrading somebody else.
4)
Envy: A narcissist
may secure a sense of superiority in the face of another person's ability by
using contempt to minimize the other person or their achievements.
5)
Entitlement: Narcissists
hold unreasonable expectations of particularly favorable treatment and
automatic compliance because they consider themselves special. Failure to comply is considered an attack on
their superiority, and the perpetrator is considered an "awkward" or "difficult"
person.
6)
Exploitation: Can take many
forms but always involves the exploitation of others without regard for their
feelings or interests. Often the other person is in a subservient position
where resistance would be difficult or even impossible. Sometimes the subservience is not so much
real, as assumed.
7)
Bad
boundaries: Narcissists do not recognize that they have boundaries and
that others are separate and are not extensions of themselves. Others either
exist to meet their needs or may as well not exist at all. Those who provide “narcissistic supply” to
the narcissist are treated as if they are part of the narcissist and are
expected to live up to those expectations. In the mind of a narcissist, there is no
boundary between self and other.
Selfish people do not have
discretionary time for others, but have no problem imposing themselves on
others time; they are late, but do not consider the time of others waiting. While a selfish person rarely sees the needs
of others, they expect others to meet their needs and are very quick to reject
things that “ARE NOT THEIR JOB”.
The Book says that the answer to Selfishness is to have LOVE in
your heart; love is patient and kind, it’s never jealous, boastful or proud.[33] Love never demands its own way, nor is it
irritable and with love in your spirit you don’t keep records and try “to
get even” with folks.[34]
If you
are sick with selfishness, then get the cure;
Get Love, Get God, God is Love.[35] Love is dependable and does not give up, it never
loses faith and is always hopeful; it endures every circumstance. Three things
last forever: Faith,
Hope and Love, but the greatest
of these is Love. [36]
Love
will cover a multitude of sins.[37] It’s in
the Book
*Un-thankfulness
Failing
to give thanks has become an acceptable respectable sin, we know God, but
we don’t honor Him with thanksgiving; we no longer even return thanks for our
food. Food is a given; it’s not IF we
will eat, it’s WHAT
we will eat; our dilemma is all the choices we have.
We remember things from our childhood; I
have memories of my dad and me on our knees praying every night just before
bedtime. My dad would say; “son if you have your health you have everything”; remember to thank God for your health. God knows our hearts and our thoughts, when we
get up and when we lay down and knows what we are going to say.[38] Give Him Glory.
As a child, I remember Dad
returning a heartfelt thanks for our meal; Dad said that sometimes
we don’t know what we are eating and should ask God to bless
it to our bodies not only for
the nourishment that food brings, but also for the healing of our bodies. When we complain about our food, we are complaining
against God who provided it; we should remember to be thankful for
what has been placed in front of us; it’s all by God’s grace. Today
many homes are single parent, missing the guidance of a father.
God gives us our health, our skills, abilities,
food, clothes, and for most folks, a job and a good and comfortable place to
live. Everything we have including our talents
are a gift from God. How can we not return thanks for every meal
and thanks that we can give away money?
For me giving away money is easy; the hard part for me is giving
up my time; myself.
Be thankful in all circumstances, God
causes everything to work together for good for those who love Him and are called
according to His purpose, for
this is God’s will for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Give thanks in the name that is above all
names, that of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
The Book recounts a story of ten lepers that were healed, but only one returned
and gave thanks. Jesus asked the question; where were the
other un-thankful nine?[39] One morning my puppy could not walk and I and many
other friends on Facebook prayed over her and the next day she could walk. How could I not give thanks to our God who is
the God of all
flesh?[40]
The Book says to let the Holy Spirit guide our lives, then we
won’t be doing what our sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just
the opposite of what the Spirit wants. The Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These TWO FORCES are constantly fighting each other,[41]
so we are NOT FREE to carry out
our good intentions of thankfulness because of this Invisible War.[42]
Being made in the image of God does not apply to the un-regenerated man,[43]
one who does not acknowledge God and His Son; the un-regenerated man HAS NOT been called to God’s purpose nor His promises.[44] We are all too some degree ungodly in the sins
that we tolerate, but un-thankfulness should not be one of them. We should seek to develop the habit of
continually giving thanks to God IN every situation; but not necessarily FOR
every situation.[45]
It’s in the Book
*Slothfulness - The do nothing sin
Sloth translated from Latin means “WITHOUT CARE”.[46] Another translation of a Sloth is “Self-Pity”,
a condition of Self-Centeredness;
a melancholy passive mind-state of idleness with a cessation of motion. A sloth was first referred to “spiritually”
as a person, especially Monks who had become bored and indifferent to their
duties and obligations to God.[47]
Slothfulness is defined as a failure to do
the things that one should do; it has apply been called THE DO NOTHING SIN. While slothfulness is sometimes defined as physical laziness, it’s the spiritual laziness that is emphasized. In the Christian faith, the sloth fails to utilize his gifts and talents, and for the most part rejects the
grace and spiritual matters of God.
ARE YOU SLOTHFUL, have you begun
to not care and not give your best effort, have you begun to procrastinate,
do potential difficulties
paralyze you, are you unwilling to
begin because of the effort it takes? Slothfulness
sneaks up on you; it begins with the inward tendency to
reject God’s requirement for diligent labor and shows up as carelessness,
this progresses to making soft choices
in the daily decisions where we become unwilling to act; that progresses to
half-hearted
efforts, and finally becomes disabling when doing “little” become a WAY OF LIFE; we become easily discouraged by any possible difficulty that we see.
Sometimes we think, “I’m tired and this is JUST TOO MUCH, I’m quitting.” These
thoughts are not from God; He has called us to REDEEM OUR TIME[48] and
to persevere
and has given us the Helper; the Holy Spirit to help us in this pursuit. The Book uses
the ant to illustrate the basic
characteristics that are lacking in the slothful person; the ant understands
the seasons and plans the work for the future, it has self-direction,
initiative and the ability to finish jobs.
Much of the time our half-hearted effort
is not because of laziness, but because we have not prioritized our life; a
person should have at the most only five priorities going on at a time,
otherwise they will just get overwhelmed. Sometimes a task is so overwhelming that we
just keep putting it off until it becomes practically impossible to
finish.
I prioritize what I do into two categories. 1) What the boss
wants me to do, and 2) What I want to
do. For me I do all the boss’
stuff first and the hardest task first, then each task becomes easier and that
releases me to do what I find pleasure in; whatever I do, I do it all as if God
is watching everything I do. The Book says “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you
do, do all to the glory of God”.[49]
Slothfulness is a Sin that requires
you to DO
NOTHING AT ALL.[50] It’s a Lack of zeal, an inability to get
going; you just browse or hang out doing mostly nothing. For some it’s from the bar to the bed, then
back to the bar. Evil thrives when
slothful men fail to act; this is the sin that fertilizes all the other sins. Sodom was characterized by Pride, Gluttony and SLOTHFULNESS[51] as
well as other detestable sins, and GOD
wiped them ALL out.
FAILING TO DEVELOP SPIRITUALLY is key to
becoming guilty of the sin of slothfulness. Did you get that? - FAILING TO DEVELOP YOURSELF
SPIRITUALLY IS THE SIN OF SLOTHFULNESS. [52]
It’s in the Book
*Judgmental
We have personal opinions that we hold to
that we zealously believe are right and
true and we dogmatically defend them; topics
such as: Politics, Organic, Vegan,
Vegetarian, Tattoos, Recreational Drugs, Premarital Sex, LGBT Lifestyles, Religious Theology, Church Dress,
Traditional Organ Music or Contemporary Drums & Guitar Music just to
name a few. This is not new, the early church judged
on all these topics except they didn’t have a piano or pipe organ.
I was taught that a man should take off
his hat when inside, especially
inside the house of God in reverence to Him, but the Jews wear a skullcap in
the Temple in reverence to God. Oddly
enough both opinions could be judged acceptable to God.[53] My mom would say that I would get along better
with others if I did not discuss politics or religion. She said feelings run deep on these subjects
and our PERSONAL
OPINION may seem judgmental
resulting in unintentional hurt and divisions.
As a Human Recourse Manager, I generally
already knew the issues of the Company, but upon hearing a report, I would not
confirm nor deny; I would only thank
them for taking the time to bring it to my attention, otherwise my comments
might seem to confirm
a judgment and add fuel to the fire before
I could resolve it. President Obama had a slow “gate”
to his speech pattern; he would formulate and judge the impact of each word of
his message.
Sometimes we get a critical spirit that so
strongly disagrees, that we berate and demonize those who would oppose our thinking. A
personal opinion “shot from the hip or
lip” comes across as criticism and what others perceive and receive is rejection.
The Book says we should NOT JUDGE other people,[54]
but we should be FRUIT INSPECTORS.[55] What does the FRUIT around the
Believer’s tree look like? Paul writes a
letter to Galatea teaching them what the “Fruit of the Spirit”
looks like and includes a number of things which all make up ONE fruit. Paul
list nine FRUIT which the
believer’s life should exhibit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness & self-control.[56] If you are a Believer you will exhibit ALL
of these qualities; not just two or three.
There is a calling for the Believer to
live a lifestyle that reflects who they are in Christ.[57] There is a Christian denomination that
teaches a Biblical “Method” of WORSHIP, as well as a
Biblical “Method”
to the way we should LIVE out our
everyday life; they are called Methodist.
Concerning
Spiritual things, the Church does not judge the un-believer, that’s God’s
prerogative alone,[58]
but we are to judge the believer within the church who has left the paths of
God and living in Sin;[59]
our efforts are to lovingly bring them back to God, lest they be separated from
Him forever.
*Impatience
Impatience is a strong sense of annoyance that causes us to hurt and wound others, it breeds irritability and
usually points out the short comings and failure to perform of others. It happens at the Bank “drive through” when
the person in the car in front of you is not prepared and sits there and fills
out deposit slips and signs the checks and looks it all over while the cars are
packing up behind them.
Smoke comes out our ears when the waitress is
just way too slow serving us. Did you
know that when we complain about our food, our
complaints are against God, who
provides everything we eat? Impatience and annoyance builds when your kids do
not clean their room and the dog poops in the house for the third time.
A dispute arose in Moses FAMILY when Miriam
his sister and Aaron his brother, criticized Moses because
he had married a Cushite (black) woman. Moses
remained humble and turned the matter over to God.[60]
God said Moses was more humble
than any other person on earth. Jesus did not retaliate when he was
insulted, nor
did He threaten revenge when He
suffered.[61] He just left His case in the hands of God,
who always judges fairly.
LOVE is patient and kind.
LOVE
is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It
does not demand its own way. It is not impatient
and irritable; it keeps no record of being wronged.[62] Since God chose us to be His holy people, we must clothe
ourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and PATIENCE, making allowances for each other’s faults
because of His LOVE.[63] It’s in the Book
*Jealousy & Envy
Jealousy and Envy is Unspoken
Dis-satisfaction with the
circumstances of others. We are not
jealous or envious of those who have talents and expertise that are out of our
league, but it becomes a painful awareness to
us seeing those we most closely identify enjoying advantages in areas we value
the most.
I spent 25 years in Television being
blessed of God, arriving in top management only to see someone I trained with
just a few years’ experience, who was younger, smarter and more talented than me
being groomed to take my place. I was jealous,
I didn’t want someone else to experience the blessings of God that I had
experienced; WHY WAS THAT? This was my sin nature rising up inside of
me. The Book says
there is a dual battle going on within us.
Jealousy disparages
everything; it’s Unspoken Competition. Sometimes we may not even want what others
have, like a nicer house or better car, but we just resent them having it.
Jealousy is an Intolerance
to Rivalry, it seeks to control,
manipulate and dominate others
to our advantage in order to get what we want.
Envy spoils the
pleasure of others and hates everything, some are so consumed with ENVY that
they are unconscious and totally unaware of this CANCER. Peggy
and Polly were twins that I grew up with at church and Peggy was by far the
most popular, but as time moved on, Polly’s happy and positive personality drew
people to her and Peggy with ENVY
withdrew into sarcasm and negativism; pushing herself far into the background. With arms folded, she seemed mad all the time
and it slowly
CHANGED HER WHOLE
FACE; they were no longer twins. This was sad, she seemed so unaware of how her
reactions were being received as people distanced themselves from her.
Envy and
jealousy are characterized as a feeling of Discontentment
towards someone's traits, status, abilities, or rewards. The difference is the Envious
has an Insatiable
Desire for the entity and covet it.
This relates to the Ten Commandments,
specifically, "Don’t be envious of anything that belongs to your
neighbor or their status."
Cain &
Abel was
the first Prototype of envy found in the first book of the Bible, where Cain
was envious of God’s approval of Abel’s
offering. Abel had a relationship with God
and Cain was
just going through the motions and this envy led Cain to murder his
brother Abel.
Abel was a Believer; Cain was just a Make Believer.
Jacob (Israel) is another example of Envy and Jealousy; he gave a coat of
many colors to his 1st born son of Rachel the sister of Leigh who Jacob was tricked into marring. Joseph‘s brothers from Leigh and her maid were
envious
of Joseph’s special coat and they plotted to KILL HIM.
SIDE
BAR; Leah had 6 sons, Zilpah her maid, 2 sons (Leah also had one daughter.) Rachel
had 2 sons; Bilhah her maid, 2 sons for a grand total of 12 sons which gave us the 12 tribes
King Saul was jealous and
envious of David because the ladies were singing greater accomplishments of
David than Saul; this rotting jealous Cancer consumed him and led him to spend
much of his time trying to find David in order to kill him.[64]
The High Priest, Sadducees and
officials were filled
with jealousy when the Jews were turning away
from them and following the
disciples of Jesus, so they arrested them and put them in jail.[65] Some of the prominent Jews were so JEALOUS
of the crowds surrounding Paul that they SLANDERED Paul
and ARGUED against WHATEVER he
said.[66] I could not help but see the COMPARISON of
Paul and President Trump.
Ever since President Trump took office there has been the greatest division
I have ever seen between the Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats are so jealous that they slander and argue against WHATEVER Trump says.
The
Book says those in power are put
there by God,[67]
so we should pray for our President; not slander.[68] In this blessed and wonderful nation we live
in, we get a chance to change things every four years; so PRAY and VOTE for leadership that moves
our nation closer to God.
The Book: Envy is like a cancer that eats you up from the
inside out; ENVY ROTS THE BONES and
the jealous and envious will not inherit the Kingdom of God[69]… It’s in the Book
*Self-Control
A person without self-control is like a city
with broken down walls that is vulnerable to all kinds of invading temptations. Self-Control is one of the nine qualities
or characteristics that make up the “fruit”
of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and SELF-CONTROL.[70] All these qualities make up ONE FRUIT. If you have all the qualities, but lack self-control,
you do not possess the Fruit of the Spirit.
Lack of self-control of your speech opens
the door to all manner of defiling speech, sarcasm, gossip, slander and
ridicule. It gives way to having a
temper; “flying off the handle”, having “a short fuse” with explosive anger.[71] It
affects other areas of your life, it affects what you watch on television,
pornography on computers, sports, impulse buying and hobbies. Lack of self-control for me was, collecting Depression glass,
Lunch Boxes, Iron Toys, Antique Kitchen Utensils, Army Paraphernalia and Avon
Bottles made like cars and guns.
It was so much fun and gratifying, but it just had to STOP.
I collected LIONEL TRAINS; it seemed
harmless enough, I only spent 20 dollars a week which is not much for a hobby,
but after a year I had invested $1.000.00 and 30 years later I was still going
strong and so was the investment in the collection… At one point in my life I
was skipping Sunday
School and Church just so I could be the first to buy up all the trains
that were in the Sunday paper. Our
14’X20’ master bedroom became filled with a train table with shelves floor to
ceiling, including three closets full. Trains became an IDOL for me, it consumed my thinking,
extra money and activities. I just had
to get control of myself and STOP.
Lack of self-control affects your
finances, going into debt just because you see it and want it. Solomon said that “whatever my eyes desired, I did not keep from
them” and in the end he said it was all vanity.[72]
Lack of self-control in your
eating habits causes weight problems that affects your health as well as your
professional and social life. Food was at the Heart of Jewish
observance; it begin with a feast to show wealth, and the more you had to eat
was symbolic of your prosperity; you should eat as much as possible in case of
a bad day, even though that day probably never comes.
The Epicureans world
view was an ethic of individual pleasure as the
sole or chief good in life, and advocated living in such a way as to derive the
greatest amount of pleasure possible during one's lifetime.
Gluttony
is THE SIN OF PLEASURE
Gluttony is the
excessive indulgence of food and drink; a longing and thinking of food. It comes from the Latin meaning the “over
indulgence” and “over consumption” of anything to the
point of waste. Vomiteriums were available in
order to get rid of your food so you could go back quickly and GRAZE some more.
Gluttony is considered sin when the excessive desire for food causes you to
withhold it from the needy. It can be
interpreted as selfishness when it places concern with one's own interests
above the well-being of others.
There was a Quail Hunt where
the Israelites gorged themselves with QUAIL,
God slew the FATTEST of them while the food was still in
their mouth.[73] God says you should just cut your own throat if
you are given to gluttony; greedy cravings revile the Lord.
It’s in the Book
*Pride
Wikipedia: Pride, is considered the original and
the most deadly of sins. It is the SOURCE of
all the other sins and is identified as believing that one self is essentially
better than others. Pride has become so common that
it is accepted among Christians and is not even regarded as sin. Pride gives birth to an independent spirit
that resists instructions and authority and comes with an unteachable attitude
accompanied with excessive admiration of self.
Pride is “Self-Love” that is perverted into contempt for
others,
it is the overwhelming excessive confidence in one’s self and it fails to acknowledge the accomplishments
of others. Elected officials swing their weight around,
ignoring laws, then one day it all catches up with them; then they put up SMOKE SCREENS, WEAVE ILLUSIONS and SPIN LIES as they fall
from grace. Pride comes just before the fall;
before destruction and disgrace.[74]
Pride is considered the deadliest of all the sins and leads
directly to damnation as shown in the example of the story of Lucifer, AKA Satan, who displayed pride within himself when he indicated his desire
to compete with God; this caused his fall from Heaven.[75]
Pride
is the opposite of Humility; there is no such thing as a self-made man, it
is God who gives us and our children the ability and power to succeed;
everything we have, we have received from God.[76]
Do we hold ourselves out
of “proper position” toward God? Is our
thinking “GOD”
centered or “ME”
centered? What do we have that we did not receive from
God?[77]
When we serve faithfully, we have only done what we were
supposed to do.[78] We should realize that we deserve nothing; but incredibly, we still continue to receive, so therefore
when we lack we have NO REASON to complain, fuss, whine or commiserate.
WARNING; God opposes the Proud, He opposes those who think they have
moral superiority, who treat others with contempt. Pride is only second to the sin of ungodliness,
we tend to look with some disdain on those whose beliefs are different than
ours, and we believe our doctrinal beliefs are the “correct
ones”. Ashamedly, I do this one over and over, I have
“Doctrinal Pride”.
When I
first received my salvation, I didn’t care about ANY doctrine; just John 3:16 that says that ANYBODY that believes in Jesus will not perish, but will
have eternal life.[79] BAM case closed. But for me now, doctrine is extremely
important, I not only want to know the Book of the Lord, I want even more to know
the Lord of
the Book. I must further realize and
accept that other theologically capable people hold to other convictions than I
do. Many hold that humanity is PREDESTINED to heaven or hell while others hold that we have
the FREE WILL to choose our
destination. I find that both are
taught in the
Book; many are called (free will), but few are chosen (predestined).[80] It’s
in the Book
We all possess
some doctrinal knowledge; the Book says
“KNOWLEDGE” PUFFS
UP, but goes on to
say that “LOVE” BUILDS UP;[81]
so if I had ALL the knowledge of
earth and of angels, but didn’t LOVE others, I would just be a noisy gong or a clanging
cymbal. When folks differ on doctrine, it’s not saying
one is right or the other is wrong, it’s just saying that we won’t know for
sure until we get to heaven, so in the meantime we just need to LOVE one another; can
I get an AMEN on that.
It’s in the
Book
*Anger – The sudden
sin
ORDINARY Anger is a strong
feeling of displeasure that seethes inwardly with resentment. Anger, Wrath or Rage is a SUDDEN SIN that speaks in CAPITAL
BLOCK LETTERS to the listener. It is an inordinate and
uncontrolled feelings of hatred. In its
purest form it is violence, self-destructiveness, and hate that may fuel and
provoke feuds that can go on for centuries and persist
long after the person who did another a grievous wrong is dead. These feelings can manifest in different ways
including impatience, revenge, and self-destructive behavior such as drug abuse or even suicide.
Manipulation Strategy: Displays
of anger are a result of "what has happened to them personally," the angry person can exhibit Tantrum
Behavior that is used as a manipulation strategy
for social influence in order TO GET WHAT
THEY WANT. It is the results of our own selfishness and the lack of our
desire to control it. So much of the
time, anger is directed toward our family members and perhaps even our own
church family; it surfaces in belittling or sarcastic
comments.
RIGHTEOUS Anger is always with self-control; this is pictured
when Jesus became angry in the Temple when He saw MERCHANTS selling cattle, sheep,
and doves for sacrifices; He saw DEALERS at tables exchanging foreign money, so
He MADE A
WHIP FROM SOME ROPES and chased the dealers out of the Temple, then drove out the sheep and cattle. He turned over the money changers’ tables and scattered their coins over the floor; then
told them, “Get these things out of here, STOP
TURNING MY FATHER’S HOUSE INTO A MARKETPLACE.[82] The
take away from this story is to HARNESS AND FOCUS your ZEAL for the things
of God.
Anger indicates that a person’s basic boundaries have been violated; it’s
an emotional response related to one's psychological interpretation of having
been threatened. It involves a strong emotional and uncomfortable reaction or
response to a perceived harm that is considered deliberate or of unfair treatment or provocation
by others. It is displayed as a correction
of wrong behavior by others and a promotion of social justice. It is when a person makes the conscious decision to
take action to immediately stop the threatening behavior of an outside force. Sometimes anger is released through retaliation,
similar to a pressure cooker where the pressure builds up until it explodes.
Physical and Mental Consequences; Anger causes an increased heart rate, high blood
pressure, and increased levels of adrenaline. It impairs
one's ability to process information and to exert cognitive control over their own behavior. An angry person may lose their objectivity,
empathy, prudence or thoughtfulness and may cause harm to others. Un-resolved anger turns inward and becomes Depression.
Sometimes we get mad at God; we have
prayed about a situation and feel like God has let us down; our tithe has been put into the “Holy Vending Machine” and nothing came out. When we are angry with God, we are accusing
Him of wrongdoing, neglecting us or treating us un-fairly, because we feel an
absence of the “evidence” of His love toward
us.
Don’t sin by letting
anger control you, don’t let the sun go down while you’re still angry.[83] The Book teaches to Forgive and Forget,[84] to
turn the other cheek; to harness the passion of anger for good. Do good to your
enemy; it will be like heaping hot coals on their head. We cannot deal with anger until we
acknowledge its presence and seek the Book on
how to deal with it. Don’t get angry when you ae treated cruel,[85]
just be kind to each other, tender hearted, forgiving one another. Now is the time to get rid of all ANGER, bitterness and
rage; malicious behavior, quarreling and jealousy; selfishness, arrogance and
disorderly behavior; harsh words, slander, gossip and dirty language.[86] We are to make allowance for each other’s
faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.[87] It’s in the Book
*Grudges
People have what I call a gunny sack,
it’s a place where they throw all the stuff they don’t like about you and STORE
IT FOR YEARS.[88] When they get upset, they pull something out
of the gunny sack and beat you up with it.
The Book says to keep no record
of wrong doings.[89]
Esau held a grudge against his brother Jacob because he stole his birthright
and blessing.[90]
Joseph’s brothers held a grudge
against him because he was the father’s favorite son, so since this was in their heart, they thought
Joseph would hold a grudge against them also.
Herodias bore a grudge
against John
the Baptist and wanted his head
cut off; and did.[91]
Grudges are a sickness of the heart[92]
and the cure is Love. Get Love – Get God – Get healed
*Worry
Stress Anxiety & Frustration
Devine providence is God's
extraordinary intervention in the universe and in the life of people which
began when God created the world with everything needed for human life,
including both physical things and natural laws. Divine providence means that God is directing
(or even recreating) every minute detail of creation. It is all for His glory and for the good of
His people. (Wikipedia)
NOTE;
everything
people have that is good is given and preserved by God, either
directly or through other people or things.
The opposite of trust is worry, anxiety and fear;
you distrust God’s Devine Providence. That does not mean we are not to pray about an
events outcome, but to also pray with a submissive
heart, the acceptance of
whatever “God’s
will” turns out to be. When
the situation looms greater than your faith; pray “I believe Lord, Help me in my unbelief”. God helps us in our struggles of Faith.
It’s in the Book
In the frustration and ungodliness of the moment,
we don’t tend to think about God, we focus on the situation; and if left
unchecked these emotions can lead to sin; but if we use it to turn to God to
see what we need to learn, we can then grow in our Faith. Anxiety, Worry & Stress does not discriminate based on geography, race,
gender or age. It permeates your entire body like yeast in bread, it affects
you Physically, Mentally and Spiritually; so you’re a MAN with PMS,
just a different kind. It’s in the Book
Wikipedia
describes Stress as a Physical, Mental or Emotional strain
or tension. It can cause us to do things
that we would not ordinarily do or even cause our system to shut down
completely. Stress is caused by either Processive
Stressors which causes “Fight or Flight” reaction or it is caused by a Systemic
Stressor which causes automatic physiological reactions; unchecked
these two Stressor can rule our lives.
Materialism is a big
troublemaker; we purchase a Corvette or a Boat which we can manage, but then we
get hit with the taxes, insurance and the operational cost required to maintain
this lifestyle. This leads to living
paycheck to paycheck and barely making ends meet.
I didn’t have
enough time to get it all done, I felt so tired and overwhelmed that my mind
would just go blank. I was restless,
taking deep unfillable breaths and my chest tightened up; my mind was churning
and my mood swings were moving from just being irritable to outright anger; I was STRESSING OUT.
There
are invisible chains of infirmity that are not physical.[93] You can’t see them, but the bondage is ever
present. Maybe at work you really need
more salary or maybe a little less workload.
You lack support and have conflicting demands. You don’t have control of the situations and
when you get home at night, you just can’t “TURN
IT OFF”.
The invisible infirmity of Worry Stress
Anxiety and Frustration can move around your body exhibiting a
cornucopia of symptoms; a Pounding Heart, Chest Pains, Shortness of Breath,
Fatigue, Dizziness, Hot Flashes, Sweating, Twitches, Headaches, Back and Muscle
Aches, Nausea, Diarrhea, Upset Stomach, Sadness, Depression, Panic Disorders,
Stress, Fear, Paranoia, Rage and it may even cause you to exhibits Different
Personalities. Maybe you need
companionship or the need for more patience or you are in sorrow or sickness, you need finances,
in tribulations,
distressed, chastised, dishonored, the butt end of mean spirited
jokes, have sleeplessness and heaviness of spirit and the list just goes on and on and I’m sure
that you can add some of your own to this list.
Satan wants to persecute our very soul; to crush our
spirit cause anxiety, worry, and stress to consume our lives[94]. Stress has been labeled the SILENT ASSASSIN that can create
blood clots that lead to heart disease. When we are operating in Anxiety, Worry
and Stress, we are doing Satan’s work for him; he comes to kill, steal and destroy. You can never worry yourself into a longer
life, but you can worry yourself into bad health & death.[95]
Sometimes the mind will JUST NOT RELEASE folks from their thoughts. Our bodies are WIRED with “Fight or Flight”
responses which is sometimes wrongly diagnosed as a medical or a MENTAL condition, what is needed is to have our mind rewired,
transformed and renewed. Satan comes to WIRE us
with Anxiety,
Worry, Stress, Fear and Depression.[96] Jesus comes to RE-WIRE, ADAPT & RESTORE our PMS; Physically, Mentally
& Spiritually. Jesus gives us the ability to “Go with His Flow”
of comfort, His gentleness and His peace
and He gives it to us more abundantly than we can possibly imagine. [97] It’s in the Book
The Book gives us just
two rules; 1) HUMBLE
YOURSELF
and 2) CAST
YOUR CARES ON HIM.[98] Two of the SHORTEST PRAYERS I have found is when a mama prayed; “Lord Help Me”
[99]
and a daddy prayed, “I do believe, but help me with my unbelief”; [100]
God heard both of them and they received.
REMEMBER THIS, whether we are
on the mountain
top or down in the valley, whether lacking in
patience, or in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in violence, in wounds, in imprisonments,
in
labors, in sleeplessness, by dishonor, by evil report; as chastened, as sorrowful, as poor, as having nothing;
in all of that, we
are still God’s Witness’, His Evangelist, His Ministers and His children.[101]
It’s in the Book
*Lust
Lust is the Most Popular Sin; it is a
psychological force producing an intense drive or
desire
wanting an object or circumstance that fulfills the passion of emotion and its
craving. Lust is selfishness; it can take
any form such as an
intense lust for money or perhaps the lust for fame or power or perhaps the lust for sexuality; which defined is a
very strong appetite, desire or longing for SEX; it is lechery or horniness,
but it can also take the mundane form of the lust for food.
SEX is not
Love,[102]
it’s a function for the pleasure of the body; it deviates into affections for Prostitution, Pornography,
Fetish’s;
leather,
pain, Homosexuality and Lesbianism which
the world’s Belief
System identifies as just an alternate
lifestyle. NOTE; God calls this alternate
lifestyle an ABOMINATION which He groups and damns with the sin of
witchcraft. Your BS says, God is Love and created us
to have sex, so this is good; NO, this is so
serious, unless you repent, it’s your
SEPARATION
FROM GOD FOR ETERNITY.[103]
Lust of the Flesh is at war with
the Spirit, and the Spirit is at war with the flesh.[104] It starts with your eyes and fires up your
imagination, which spins off SEVENTEEN more sins: Adultery,
Fornication, Uncleanness, Lewdness, Idolatry, Sorcery, Hatred, Contentions,
Jealousies, Outbursts of Wrath, Selfish Ambitions, Dissensions, Heresies, Murders,
Envy, Drunkenness, and Revelries.
God makes it pretty plain about how He
feels about the sin of LUST; He says
when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never
tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts
anyone else. TEMPTATION
COMES FROM OUR OWN DESIRES,[105]
which entice us and drag us away. Do not be deceived, the unrighteous; the
fornicators, adulterers, the effeminate, and Homosexuals,
SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.[106]
BUT
WAIT: You are not yet Died and Fried. You can still
humble yourself; [107]pray
and seek God’s face and turn from your lifestyle and receive forgiveness.[108] The Holy Spirit will
produce in you love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and SELF-CONTROL [109]
Life is Choice driven; YOU
DON’T HAVE TO STAY WHERE YOU ARE.
It’s in the Book
*Word & Thought
Gossip is probably the first thing you think of when you paint a picture of respectable or acceptable sin, but any communication that tears down someone’s character is sin.[110] Gossip
is certainly at the top, but so is corrupt,
critical or harsh speech, insults,
sarcasm, ridicule, slander, spreading unfavorable, humiliating or hurtful information, creating false or slanderous impressions as well as just plain out
lying about
someone. I remember being in the
breakroom and the conversation had turned to GOSSIP about a co-worker and someone asked me what I
thought. As I paused, someone else spoke
up and said “Paul never says anything bad about anybody” and immediately
the subject was changed. What a
complement; our daily lives are a sermon.[111]
We can disguise gossip by sharing un-favorable
information and calling it a prayer request. Think about this;
is what we say kind; is it respectful, is
it needful, is it true? Does it tear
down or build up, does it even need
to be said? We all have the ability to posture a conversation
to lead the listener to perceive something that was not actually said,
it is just manipulation
by implication. I could
boast, that a few of us, that the new manager
LIKED had lunch in the breakroom
today. The perception manipulation could be that YOU were not included because
the new manager DID NOT LIKE
YOU; you are on the outside.
The Book says to let no corrupt talk come out of your mouth. In the early days of the Church, a man’s reputation was his character
and was all that a man had, and to call him a Fool assassinated his character, his reputation; it was
considered as
the sin of murder, which was damnation to the judgment of hell fire.[112]
Would you ever think that REPEATING something you really
know nothing about, could damn your very soul to hell
fire forever? The Book says the tongue is set on
fire by hell itself; no one can tame the tongue, it’s restless, evil
and full of poison. The Believer should
not have curses and blessings coming out of the same mouth; or they are just a Make-Believers. We are to guard our hearts; bite out tongues
and control what we say;[113]
we don’t have to speak every thought that POPS into our mind; we
are cautioned to not shoot from the LIP.[114]
Paul in his letter to the Church at Ephesus encouraged
the Believers to avoid foul and abusive language and to let the words they
speak, to be of encouragement to those that heard them. Whatever is in
your heart will overflow your mouth whether its praises or
curses. On the Day of Judgment we
will give an account for every carless word we speak. [115]
If we put on the nature of God in our THOUGHTS, we will be able to
control our tongue, therefore we will be able to control our actions.[116]
It’s
in the Book
*God Abandoned Them
There
are no atheist in foxholes; when the bombs
are falling and the bullets are whizzing past the ears, everyone calls on God
and recites the 23rd Psalm; the Lord is my shepherd. But as soon as
the problem disappears, so does thoughts of God.
God
selected the best piece of land on a rich and fertile hill, he plowed it and
cleared it of stones. Planted the best
vines, made a hedge and rock wall to protect it and made a watchtower to guard
it, but all God got was BITTER GRAPES [117]…
What more could
He have done?
There
will come a time when GOD WILL
ABANDONED FOLKS to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired.[118] Since
they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, HE
ABANDONED THEM to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should
never be done. GOD
ABANDONED THEM to their shameful desires. You cry
out, WHY DOESN’T THE LORD ACCEPT MY WORSHIP? [119] I’ll tell you why! Because the LORD witnessed the vows you and your spouse
(God) made when you
were young, but you
have been UNFAITHFUL, though your spouse (God) remained your
faithful partner.
God remains your
faithful partner, where did you go?
When you follow the desires of your sinful
nature,
THE RESULTS ARE VERY CLEAR: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry,
sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition,
dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other
sins like these. [120]
Let me tell you again, as I have before,
that anyone
living this sort of life
WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Life is either about avoiding God or trying to know more about
Him.[121]
It’s in the Book
*Unbelief
Most people have knowledge about God, but they come packaged with a Belief System that
has a heart that has an attitude of trust and faith in themselves more than
having trust
and faith in God; a lack of faith is
unbelief. Unbelief is a
refusal to accept God’s authority.
At the very heart of Sin is a lie that says; there
are sins that are MUCH WORSE THAN YOURS and God is a good and forgiving God. So You’re OK
and God’s OK; He knows you’re just a
frail human who is just following his heart. Your heart determines the course of your life; the Book says the heart is deceitful above all things and is desperately corrupt,[122] whoever has doubts & unbelief is
condemned,[123] for whatever
does not proceed from faith is SIN.[124]
Because of unbelief Jesus could not do any mighty
works in his own hometown. Jesus told a
father that if he would only believe;
his son would be healed. The father instantly cried out a prayer that was concise and right to the
point that all of us should pray; he exclaimed;
“I
DO BELIEVE, BUT HELP ME OVERCOME MY UNBELIEF”.[125]
Be
careful to make sure that your own heart does not become evil and
unbelieving, causing you to turn away from the living God.[126] It is impossible to please God without Faith.[127] Every day, while there is still time, seek to
find a way to share with others “The Word”, so that none will be deceived by
sin, and their hearts hardened, separating them from the living God forever.[128]
God has given you a lifetime to
find Him, choose today before the door of the Ark is closed.
I can only show you the door; you must
chose to walk through it.
It’s in the Book
The Take Away
Our first step is to
“acknowledge” the respectable sins in our lives and honestly confess them. Repentance and Contrition is the state of being a contrite
penitent person who is
feeling sincere regret and remorse, acknowledging they have “Missed the Mark.”
The worst sin we can have is to deny
these subtle sins exist in our lives. When
you realize that you are a great sinner, remember Jesus is a great Savior;
while we are still
working on our sin, God already no longer holds it against us.[129] Dealing with personal sin is not
an option, we are commanded to repent, turn around and go in the
other direction.[130]
Every day that passes, we sin in our motives, in our thoughts, words
and deeds.
Believers are called to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to display the FRUIT of the Spirit. Although there are some nine characteristics
listed for the Spirit filled Christian; they all compose just ONE FRUIT. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.[131]
The Christian should display ALL of them, not just two or three.
Humility seems to be the NEUTRALIZER for the respectable Sins;
scripture encourages us to look at the life of Moses as an example of humility.
God said Moses was more humble than any
other man on earth. God teaches His ways to the Humble and blesses them.
The Gospel
plows the ground that cultivate the heart of the believing Sinner.[132]
It’s
in the Book
[1] Exodus 20:20 – Respect & fear of God prevents you from sinning -- 2
Chronicles 19:9 – Respond with the Fear and reverence of the Lord -- Proverbs
19:23 – The fear of God brings security and protection -- Proverbs 9:10 – The FEAR of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom and knowledge -- Isaiah 40:25 - Whom will you compare
me? Who is my equal
[2] Isaiah 53:6 - All of us have strayed away to follow our own path -- James 1:14 – Our temptation comes from our
own desires
[3] James 2:23 – Abraham BLOOD
COVENANT with God; he was
called a FRIEND of God. -- John 15:14-15 – We are GOD’S
BLOOD COVENANT FRIENDS -- Genesis 15:17-18
– God makes a blood covenant with Abraham --
Romans 8:16-17 – WE are His children, His heirs of God’s
glory
[4] 2 Corinthians 5:10 – We must ALL
stand before Jesus and be judged
[5] James 2:10 – Break ONE law; guilty of ALL -- Galatians 3:10 – Break just one OT law and
you are cursed
[6] 2 Corinthians 5:9 – Our Aim is to hit the mark of pleasing Him -- Philippians 3:14 – Aim for the Mark of the
high calling of God
[7] 1 John 3:4 – Sin is LAWLESSNESS.
-- Leviticus 16:21 – Sin is WICKEDNESS and REBELLION against God
[8] Matthew 5:21-22 – Anger; abusive talk,
cursing puts
you in the danger of the fires of hell
-- Galatians 5:19-21 – A sinful nature separates
us from God: sexual immorality, impurity,
lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition, dissension,
division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties,
[9] Numbers 20:8 -12 – God said speak to the Rock; Moses hit it twice
[10] Numbers 20:8 – Moses speak to the rock
and it will yield its water. -- Numbers 20:11-12 - Moses struck the rock twice. God said; because you did not obey me and speak to the rock, you will
not bring Israel into the promised land
[11] Proverbs 27:20 - THE EYES OF MAN ARE NEVER SATISFIED -- Matthew 6:24 – You either serve the World or
you serve God -- Colossians 3:2 – Set your mind on Heaven; not on the World
[12] 1 John 2:15-16 – Do not love and crave the world; for the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, -- 1
Corinthians 7:31 – Don’t be overly engrossed in worldly present things
[13] Luke 9:25 – What profit is there if you gain the whole world but are yourself
lost or destroyed?
[14] 2 Corinthians 8:9 – Be generous because ALL we have comes from God --
Malachi 3:8 – Worldly attitude affects your tithe and gifts; some people cheat God by withholding their tithes and offerings -- Proverbs 27:20 – Worldly human desires are
never satisfied
[15] 1 Samuel 15:22 - OBEDIENCE IS
BETTER THAN SACRIFICE, and submission
is better than offering the fat of rams
[16] Romans 1:18 – Ungodliness (Attitude) – Unrighteousness (Actions)
[17] James 4:13-15 – Say; if it is the Lord wills; we will do this and that.
[18] Colossians 3:22-24 – Do your work as if you are doing it unto the Lord
[19] Psalm 63:1 – My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you --
Psalm 42:1-2 – I long for you, I thirst for the living
God
[20] Colossians 1:9-10 - Pray for the complete knowledge of His Will
[21] Romans 1:18-32 – They wouldn’t worship him
as God or even give him thanks. They traded the truth about God for a lie. They
thought it foolish to acknowledge God and just
invent new ways of sinning. They refuse
to understand that God’s justice requires that those who do these things
deserve to DIE, yet
they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage
others to do them, too
[22] 1 Corinthians 10:31 – Whatever you do, do it to God’s glory
[23] Luke 18:9-14 – Two men went to the temple
to pray; both were sinners; one knew and the other didn’t
[24] Matthew 5:4 – Blessed are those who morn over THEIR OWN SINS
[25] Romans 10:3 – For, being ignorant, they did not seek God’s righteousness, but sought to establish their own
[26] Luke 15:11-32 – For
your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is
found; the Self-righteous are condemned by their own words
[27] Luke 7:36-50 - He who is forgiven much, loves much; it is YOUR FAITH THAT HAS SAVED YOU
[28] Romans 2:17-24 –The Jews relied on their self-righteous laws; YOU
ARE SO PROUD OF KNOWING THE LAW, BUT YOU DISHONOR GOD BY BREAKING IT.
[29] Romans 10:3 – Men seek to establish their own righteousness -- Galatians 3:1-3 - Trying
to become perfect by your own effort is FOOLISH -- Galatians 2:21 - If the Law gave righteous
then there would be no need for Jesus to die
[30] Romans 3:10 - No one is righteous; not even one -- John 15:5 – There is no righteousness apart
from God
[31] Galatians 3:6 - God counted Abraham righteous because of his faith
[32] 2 Timothy 3:1-5 – Selfish people think only of themselves boastful and proud,
ungrateful, unloving, unforgiving, and cruel, reckless with NO SELF-CONTROL. STAY AWAY FROM PEOPLE LIKE THAT!
[33] 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – LOVE is not
boastful, proud or jealous, Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or
boastful or proud
[34] 1 John 4:8 Anyone who does not LOVE does not know God -- 1 John 3:17 – You have God’s love when you help others -- 2 Corinthians
5:14-15 – We no longer live for ourselves Instead, we live for Christ -- John 14:6 – There is only ONE WAY to God; through
Jesus Christ -- 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – We no longer live for ourselves Instead, we
live for Christ
[35] 1 John 4:16 - GOD IS LOVE
[36] 1 Corinthians 13:13 - Faith, hope, and LOVE last
forever; the
greatest of these is love. It is not irritable or rude, Love never gives up,
never loses faith, is always hopeful
[37] 1 Peter 4:8 - Love covers a multitude of sins.
[38] Psalm 139:1-4 – God knows our heart, our thoughts and doings -- Psalm 139:16 - Every day of my life
was already recorded in your book -- Psalm 139:13 – You
made all my parts and knit me together in
my mother’s womb
[39] Luke 17:11-19 – Ten men healed, but only one gave thanksgiving
[40]
Jeremiah 32:27 - I
am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is
anything too hard for me?
[41] Galatians 5:16-17 - Two forces, the Spirit and the Flesh are
constantly fighting each other
[42] Romans 6:22 – The Believer is NOW free from the power of sin
[43] Romans 8:28 – God’s Promises are for the
regenerated man; the Believer
[44] Romans 8:29 – The Believer is predestined to be
conformed to the image of Jesus
[45] 1 Thessalonians 5:18 - Be thankful IN all circumstances for this is God’s will --
Ephesians 5:20 Give thanks for everything
[46] Proverbs 26:14 – The Sluggard just sleeps his life away; as a door
turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed -- Proverbs 26:15 – The sluggard is too lazy to even bring the fork to his
mouth -- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – No Work, No Food, IF ANY WILL NOT
WORK, NEITHER LET HIM EAT -- Proverbs 13:4 – Lazy people want much, but
get little
[47] Romans 3:21-22 – We are made right with God by faith in Christ --
Colossians 2:13-14 – We were dead in our sins; but God made you ALIVE with Christ, for he forgave all
our sins.
[48] Ephesians 5:15-17 – Redeem your time – take every opportunity
[49] 1 Corinthians 10:31 – WHATEVER YOU DO, do
it all for the glory of God -- Colossians 3:17 – Whatever you do or say, do
it as a representative of the Lord
[50] Proverbs 6:10-11 – The do nothing Sluggard just folds his hands: A little SLEEP, a little SLUMBER
[51] Ezekiel 16:49 – Sodom’s sins were Pride, Gluttony Slothfulness
[52] 2 Timothy 3:1-5 – In the last day’s people will be Make Believers LOVE ONLY
THEMSELVES unloving and unforgiving boastful
and proud, They will act religious,
but they will reject the power that could make them godly
[53] Romans 14:1-3 – Accept
other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t
argue with them about what they think is
right or wrong
[54] 1 Corinthians 4:5 – Don’t judge others - That’s God’s prerogative -- Matthew 7:1-5 - Do not judge others or you will be judged
[55] Matthew 7:16-20 – You will know a believer by their Fruit; You can identify them by the way they ac; by their actions
[56] Galatians 5:22-23 – Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control!
[57] John 4:23 – God wants non-judgmental worshipers; WORSHIPERS who will worship the Father
in spirit and in truth -- 1 Timothy 4:4 – Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with
thanks
[58] Romans 14:23 - Don’t judge others for following Godly convictions; If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning
-- Romans 14:4 – Don’t judge
others; let God judge what is right or wrong -- Romans 14:5 – Don’t judge when others worship, some think one day is more holy than another day,
while others think every day is alike
[59] 1 Corinthians 5:11 – The Church judges the BELIEVER who has strayed and is living in sin
[60] Numbers 12:1-3 – Moses was patient with slander from his own family and
just turned it over to God
[61] 1 Peter 2:23 – Jesus had patience and did not retaliate nor threaten revenge
[62] 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 – Love is Patient and not irritable and it KEEPS NO
RECORD of
being wronged.
[63] Colossians 3:12 – You must clothe
yourselves with tenderhearted mercy,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and PATIENCE --
Ephesians 4:2 – Be humble, gentle and patient with each other -- Matthew 18:15 – Be patient, speak
privately to the other about an offense.
[64] 1 Samuel 18:7-9 – Saul became Jealous of David & wanted to kill him
-- Romans 7:21-25 – We have a Spiritual Nature & a Sin Nature
1 Peter 5:5 – Accept authority; serve each other in humility -- Ephesians 5:21 - Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
[65] Acts 5:17-18 – The High Priest and Sadducees were full of Jealousy
[66] Acts 13:44-45 – The Jews became JEALOUS; so they slandered Paul and ARGUED
AGAINST WHATEVER HE SAID
[67] Psalm 75:7 – It is God who decides who will rise or fall
[68] 1 Timothy 2:2 - Pray for our President and those in authority -- 1 Peter
5:5 – Accept authority; serve each other in
humility -- Ephesians 5:21 - Submit to one another out of reverence
for Christ.
[69] Galatians 5:20-21 – The Jealous and
Envious WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD
[70] Galatians 5:22-23 – The Fruit of the Spirit is Self-Control
[71] Proverbs 14:17 - Short-tempered people do
foolish things -- Proverbs 16:32 – Be slow to anger; rule your
spirit -- James 1:19 – Be quick to listen, be slow to speak and slow to get angry
[72] Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 – Lack of self-control is all so meaningless, it’s LIKE CHASING THE
WIND -- Proverbs 25:28 – Self-control gives you a wall
of protection -- Titus 2:2 – Teach and exercise SELF-CONTROL
be filled with love and patience -- Titus 2:11-12 – Live self-controlled godly
lives renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, -- 1 Peter 1:13 – Exercise self-control in order to think clearly -- 1
Peter 4:7 – Be sober minded and self-controlled
[73] Psalm 78:27-31 – God killed the fattest of them
while the food was still in their mouths
[74] 1 Peter 5:5 – GOD OPPOSES THE PROUD but FAVORS THE
HUMBLE -- Isaiah 66:2 – God looks on a humble &
contrite spirit that fears God
[75] Ezekiel 28:12-17 – Satan
was the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty until wickedness was found in
him.
[76] Proverbs 4:1 – LISTEN when your father corrects you. PAY
ATTENTION and learn good judgment -- Proverbs 5:1 – PAY
ATTENTION to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel
-- Proverbs 7:1 – FOLLOW MY
ADVICE,
treasure my commands -- Proverbs 3:1 – STORE GOD’S TEACHINGS in
your heart never forget the things He has taught you
-- Proverbs 2:1 – A True Believer will LISTEN,
OBEY and TREASURE,
God’s commands -- Hebrews 13:17 – OBEY your spiritual leaders with joy Their work is
to watch over your souls
[77] 1 Corinthians 4:7 – What do you have
that God hasn’t given you? Everything you have
is from God
[78] Luke 17:10 – Obedience is simply doing what you are supposed to do
Proverbs 2:1 – A True
Believer will Listen, Obey and Treasure, God’s commands
Hebrews 13:17 – Obey
your spiritual leaders with joy Their work is to watch over your souls
[79] Ephesians 2:1-5 – When we were unbelievers we were subject to God’s Anger because we lived in sin -- John 3:16-17 – God
loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that EVERYONE who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life
[80] Matthew 22:14 – For
MANY are called (by Freewill to come), but
FEW are chosen (Predestined to come)
[81] 1 Corinthians 8:1 – Pride of Knowledge puffs up;
Love builds up
[82] John 2:14-16 – Self-Controlled Righteous Anger; STOP TURNING MY FATHER’S HOUSE
INTO A MARKETPLACE
Ephesians 2:1-5 – When we were unbelievers we were
subject to God’s Anger because we lived in sin
[83] Ephesians 4:26 - Don’t let the sun go down
while you are still ANGRY
[84] Ephesians 4:32 – Do not be angry; forgive as God forgave you;
[85] 1 Peter 2:18 – Don’t get angry when you are treated cruelly
[86] 2 Corinthians 12:20 – I don’t want to find quarreling, jealousy, ANGER, selfishness, slander, gossip,
arrogance, and disorderly behavior.--
Colossians 3:8 – Now is the time
to get rid of ANGER,
rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language -- Ephesians 4:31 – Get rid of all
bitterness, rage, ANGER, harsh words,
and slander, as well as all types of evil
behavior
[87] Colossians 3:13 - Control your anger; Make
allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive
anyone who offends
[88] James 3:5-9 –NO ONE CAN TAME THE TONGUE
IT IS SET ON FIRE BY HELL ITSELF -- Psalm 55:3 - For they drop trouble upon me, and in ANGER they bear a GRUDGE against me
[89] 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 – Keep no record of wrong doings -- Leviticus 19:18
- Do not bear a grudge or seek revenge but love
your neighbor as yourself.
[90] Genesis 27:41 – Esau held a grudge against
Jacob
[91] Mark 6:19 - Herodias bore a grudge
against John the Baptist and wanted to kill him.
[92] Genesis 50:15 – If you have a Grudge in your heart; you think others do
also
[93] 2 Corinthians 6:4-9 – There is an Invisible War that
comes against the Believer because we are MINISTERS OF
GOD:
[94] Psalm 143:3 – Satan persecutes the soul
and Crushes the life -- 1 Peter 5:8 – Satan
seeks to find someone he MIGHT
devour who is ignorant of God’s Word.
[95] Philippians 4:6 – DON’T WORRY about anything; instead,
PRAY about everything. -- 1 Peter 5:7 - Give
all your worries and cares to God for He cares about you
[96] John 10:10 – Satan comes to kill, Steal and
destroy -- Romans 12:2 – You
are wired up in knots and must be RE-WIRED
[97] John 10:10 - RE-WIRE ADAPT & RESTORE; Go with God’s Flow
[99] Matthew 15:25 - Simply
Prayer - LORD, HELP ME
[100] Mark 9:24 – Simply Prayer; HELP ME OVERCOME MY UNBELIEF
[101] Matthew 6:25-34 – Don’t Worry - Don’t Worry - Don’t Worry - I tell you NOT TO WORRY -- Matthew 10:29-31 – Don’t fear; God has got
this -- Luke 12:7 – God cares enough about
you to even number the very hairs on
your head; so DON’T BE AFRAID
[102] Matthew 5:27-28 – Do not Lust in thought anyone who even looks at a woman with LUST has already committed adultery with her in his heart
[103] Romans 8:5-8 – A
SINFUL
NATURE CAN NEVER PLEASE GOD -- 1 Peter 4:2-3 – Be anxious to do
the Will of God
[104] Galatians 5:16-17 – The sin nature and the spirit nature battle in an
invisible war
[105] James 1:13-15 – Out temptations are not from God, we are tempted by our
own desires and when sin is allowed to grow, IT GIVES BIRTH
TO DEATH.
[106] Galatians 5:19-21 – Anyone living a Life of Lust WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD
[107] Matthew 5:5 - God blesses those who are HUMBLE
for they will inherit the whole earth. -- Numbers
12:3 - Moses was more HUMBLE than anyone else on the face of the earth.
[108] Colossians 3:5 – Put to death sexual immorality, lust and greed
[109] 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – God’s Will is for
us to have SELF-CONTROL over our OWN BODY
[110] Ephesians 4:29 – Don’t use foul or abusive language; instead let your
words will be an encouragement
[111] Proverbs 15:28 – Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks
-- Proverbs 10:32 – The lips of the
Godly speak helpful words -- Psalm 19:14 – Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD
[112] Matthew 5:22 – Don’t assassinate your brothers character or you will be liable to the HELL OF FIRE -- 1 Samuel 25:25 – A
man’s reputation is his character
[113] Matthew 12:34 – WHATEVER IS
IN YOUR HEART DETERMINES WHAT YOU SAY -- Ephesians 4:22-24 – Throw off your old sinful
nature let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. -- Ephesians 4:29 – Avoid foul talk; Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement
[114] Psalm 139:1-4 – God knows our heart and thoughts before we even think it
[115] Matthew 12:35-36 – On the DAY OF JUDGMENT we will
give account for every carless word we speak -- Matthew
12:37 - Your words either acquit you or condemn
you
[116] James 3:1-2 – CONTROL YOUR TONGUE
and you can control your actions
[117] Isaiah 5:1-6 – What more could God have done
He plowed the land, cleared
its stones, and planted the best vines, built a watchtower and carved a
winepress, yet only
got bitter grapes
[118] Romans 1:24-32 – God abandoned them to do whatever
shameful things their hearts desired; they
traded the truth about God for a lie; WORSE YET, THEY
ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO THEM, TOO
[119] Malachi 2:14-15 – When in Sin; God doesn’t accept your WORSHIP because you have been UNFAITHFUL
[120] Galatians 5:19-21 – When you follow the
desires of your sinful nature, GOD
ABANDONEDS YOU; sexual immorality, impurity, lustful
pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of
anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness.
[121] Ephesians 4:22-24 – Take off your old nature; put on your new nature let the spirit renew
your THOUGHTS and ATTITUDES
[122] Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked
[123] Mark 6:5-6 – Unbelief stops the operation of the mighty hand of God in
your life
[124] Romans 14:23 – whoever has doubts is
condemned. for WHATEVER DOES NOT PROCEED FROM FAITH IS SIN
[125] Mark 9:24 - I DO BELIEVE, BUT HELP ME OVERCOME MY UNBELIEF
[126] Proverbs 4:23 – Guard your heart, it determines what you do
[127] Hebrews 11:6 – IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD WITHOUT FAITH
[128] Hebrews 3:12-13 – Warn each other while you still can
[129] Colossians 1:13-14 – Jesus rescued us from the kingdom of darkness
-- Hebrews 13:20 – He ratified our eternal covenant with
His blood -- Ephesians 4:30– We
have a guarantee that we are saved, God has
identified us as His own, -- Philippians 3:8-9 – We BECOME RIGHTEOUS through FAITH in Christ
[130] Psalm 130:3-4 – Without God’s forgiveness none could survive; thank God He does not keep a record of the Believers sins -- Romans 4:7-8 - Rejoice, your sins are
forgiven -- Romans 8:1 – Believers are no longer condemned
[131] Galatians 5:22-23 – Fruit of the Spirit is Self-Control
[132] Romans 8:31 - If God is for us, who can ever be
against us -- Isaiah 53:6 – At
the cross, God laid on His Son Jesus ALL of our SINS -- Ephesians 1:7 – The Blood of Jesus
purchased our freedom and forgave our sins -- Psalm 103:12 - Our sins are removed as
far as the east is from the west -- Isaiah 43:25 – God blots out our sins and will never think of them again; they are
blotted out, GONE -- Micah 7:19
– Our sins have been crushed under His feet and thrown into the depths of the
sea. -- Hebrews 8:12 – God will forgive our wickedness and never remember them
again -- Colossians 2:13-14 – God forgave ALL
our SINS & cancelled the
record of debt by NAILING IT TO THE CROSS