An Extreme Example

Ezekiel 4: ¹² Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.” ¹³ The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”

¹⁴ Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.”

¹⁵ “Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”

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Hearing bad news is never fun. I mean it seems like I kept hearing things that were so draining, one after another. I had gotten to the point where I only wanted to hear good news so I stopped going to churches that told me I was doing “bad” stuff and only went to places that would motivate me. I mean who needs to hear about all that “sin” stuff anyway?

• Sometimes I do not want to hear the whole story of GOD.
• Sometimes I do not want to hear about the wrath filled GOD.
• Sometimes I do not want to hear about the consequences of “my” sins.

Can’t they just say “GOD forgives” and leave the sin part out? No! GOD spoke through Ezekiel the prophet to show just how far gone HIS people were. HE had them exiled and allowed seven generations to die off. GOD wants sin eradicated, but how can I do this with a built in sin nature?

• GOD says to me “I AM the way the truth and the life” meaning I have to turn to HIM for the answer to sin.
• GOD says to me “I stand at the door and knock if anyone opens it I will come in and sup” meaning HE pursues me, all I need to do is answer.
• GOD says to me “If anyone hears MY voice” meaning I have to listen for HIS voice.

Sin is definitely hated by GOD. HE cannot stand to be around it and HE is not to be ignored. HE DOES mind when I sin, but HE does forgive me for all my sins. HE wants me to know the extent of my need so I will go out and make disciples of HIS everlasting love.

• Are you pointing your fingers at other people?
• Do you think your sin is less than theirs?
• Will you look at your sin as extremely harmful to your relationship with GOD?
• Will you ask GOD for help since you do not have what it takes to stop sinning?
• Can you accept HIS grace today and allow HIM to raise you up to the height HE wants you?

Can GOD Fool Me?

2 Chronicles 17: ¹⁸ Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. ¹⁹ And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’

“One suggested this, and another that. ²⁰ Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’

“‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.

²¹ “‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.

“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’

²² “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

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No time for prayer I worked to keep my position. “I can do this on my own” was my action, not my thought. Armed with information, I felt confident as I took the stage. The group had prepped me and I practiced my speech and prepared answers to anticipated questions. When I got on the stage, I noticed the questions were very different than what I prepared for. In fact the questions were on a totally different path.

I was ambushed and the people who fed me information backed away from me quickly.

• Sometimes I am fooled into thinking I can do life by myself.
• Sometimes I am fooled into thinking my talents are “my” talents.
• Sometimes I am fooled into thinking I am self-made.

I don’t know how or when I reach a stage in which I think I am “all that.” I soon get too busy for GOD and HIS people and when the battle surrounds me I think I have enough might to fight my foes. GOD says something different.

• GOD says “I will make you believe your lies if you do not turn to ME.”
• GOD says “I will harden your heart if you do not turn to ME.”
• GOD says “I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all ‘his’ prophets if you do not turn to ME.”

Ahab found religious people who would say what he wanted to hear, not what he needed to hear. He wanted to win in battle so that’s what they said. He needed to hear, “turn back and repent.” Ahab died that day. This made me think… “Am I drinking my own elixir?”  Is GOD fooling me? Here is how I can tell HE is working for me.

• GOD says to me “acknowledge that I AM GOD and you need a savior.”
• GOD says to me “believe in MY SON and you will be saved.”
• GOD says to me “confess and you will be saved.”

Those are the A – B – C’s of understanding how not to be put in a position in which GOD helps me “not” believe in HIM.

• Is GOD trying to ruin you?
• Do you believe GOD will help you sin?
• Can you confess to HIM and begin trusting in HIM today?

The blame game

Genesis 3: ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

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Laughter filled the room as we tossed the couch pillows around. I had no idea how we started but this was fun until we heard the dreadful sound. “Crash” resounded and our laughter turned into fear.  We had broken a vase in the living room.  

Why did my parents have this vase here anyway? I mean it didn’t have flowers or anything in it. We got the only tape we could find, electrical tape. We taped the large pieces together in hopes of not being caught. “Who broke this vase?” they exclaimed. “I don’t know” was our answer.

• When I don’t accept responsibility for my actions I blame other people, attempting to avoid consequences.
• When I don’t accept responsibility for my actions I blame the one who is in authority because their rules are the problem.
• When I don’t accept responsibility for my actions I blame my situation because without it I would obviously be in better shape.

It’s amazing how fast I blame everything else but me when I sin.  It was my parents or my lack of wealth or the professor or the school or that mean person that caused my downfall. GOD wants me to see the situation differently.

• GOD wants me to own up to my sins because this way I can be cleansed.
• GOD wants me to admit my life is headed in the wrong direction unless I believe in HIS SON.
• GOD wants me to confess my wrongs to HIM.

When I blame everyone including GOD, I miss out on the opportunity to grow.  Yes I may avoid a little consequence but failure is my prize when I go down that path. GOD wants me to own up to my sin and this way I can be healed.

• Are you blaming someone else for your circumstances?
• Do you believe your life would be different if it weren’t for “this” person?
• Can’t you open your eyes to see what you’ve contributed to the situation?
• Can you be bigger than “that” person and forgive them?