Disobedience to God

 Gen. 2:17
​​ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The fall of Adam and Eve points to a tree placed in the garden. The tree was put there for a purpose. God does all things with a purpose. The tree of knowledge tested man’s obediences to God, the one who created them. The command was simple, “Don’t eat this fruit”. God’s commandments are given for man’s good.  A tree with fruit that God forbid them to eat. The fruit was no doubt a fruit to be desired. Eating of the forbidden fruit would open Adam and Eve to the dark evil ways of sin. It was not so much the fruit itself, but the disobedience of Adam and Eve that caused them to plunge into darkness, causing their hearts now to seek the pleasures of evil.  God made man a free moral agent, the ability to choose right, or wrong. God did not predestine Adam and Eve to make the wrong choice, they could have abstained from the temptations of Satan, but they choose to listen to the deceptive lies of Satan and disregard God's words. We all have choices to make each day. Sometimes choices are made without all the information, but such choices are not willful disobedience to God’s word. But, “Thus saith the Lord.” are made clear in His word. Our human judgment may falter, but we can have a heart perfect toward God. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to us. Follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and do what He saith. 

Learning to Forgive

Mat 18:27
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Jesus, desiring to show his disciples what forgiveness looks like, told the story of the king that forgave his servant, but the servant would not forgive the person who owed him money. The king, hearing about this, could not tolerate the injustice and changed his mind, and required his servant to pay it all. The moral of the story is, If you want forgiveness, you also must be willing to forgive others who did you wrong. Forgiveness is a willful choice that is made because the love of God constrains us to forgive. We realize that we are sinners and in need of forgiveness. Jesus, who died for you and me, paid the ultimate price and forgave us saving us from eternal damnation. When we feel that we have been betrayed or wrongfully accused by someone, it comes with real pain and disappointment. Forgiveness does not always come easy and sometimes over time, the pain eases up, but never goes away. David Branon writes in Our Daily Bread, “Forgiveness at its fullest can be realized when both parties move toward healing and reconciliation. And while it doesn’t remove the effects of harm done or the need to be discerning in how to address painful or unhealthy relationships, it can lead to restored ones—testifying to God’s love and power. Let’s look for ways to “extend forgiveness” for His honor.” We forgive because He has forgiven us, and He is our great example of how to live each day of our lives.

Put On

 Col 3:12,14
 Put on therefore…mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Putting something on is an intentional action. It is a knowing act of choice. It is not governed by feeling or intimidation. We may put on a front to impress or deceive, and this also is done by choice. We often “Put on” because it is the right thing to do, and not necessarily the most expedient or convenient thing to do. Showing kindness and giving mercy is done with purpose. Patience and longsuffering is normally not an innate response when confronted with trials and difficult situations. We make a deliberate decision to be what God wants us to be. With the choice of doing what is good and kind, asking the Holy Spirit to empower you and work through you to be more like Jesus. Putting on is not acting or pretending, it is choosing to imitate what Christ would do. “What would Jesus Do?” is still a good question to ask before we act or react.

Male and Female He Made

Gen 1:27, 28
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
From the beginning, it has been God’s plan for man to populate the earth. Replenishing the earth with other human beings requires the union of a man and a woman. The culture in our society today no longer accepted the Bible as God’s word. It is unfeasible to think that one can truly believe in the inherency of God’s word and also accept the woke thinking of the world today. From the beginning of time, God created two genders, male and female. Yes, there have been some genetic anomalies that have occurred in nature, but as a baby emerges from the womb of its mother, it is either a boy or a girl.  The acceptance of transgender identity is permitted in our society because we don’t dictate the choices that people make as long as it does not hurt anyone else. Every human being will stand before God one day and will be accountable for the choices they make on this earth. It is clear that God’s word defines many behaviors as sinful and immoral. As Christian, we are to love people regardless of the choices they make. We are to teach and be an example to others to live a life consistent with the word. There is deliverance for all who are enslaved to sin and its destruction. God is love, but it is not His will that His creation live a life of sin. Thank God, He has provided a way out, but the choice is ours to make.

He Loves Us

 Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

The judgments of God are real and He will someday judge each one of us of the deeds that we’re done with the time He has given us in this world. We will be judged on the choices that we have made. Did we choose to give our hearts to Jesus? There is a judgment day coming, but today we live in a time of grace. The good news is that Jesus loves us. He looks upon us with mercy, grace, and love. God the Father is not willing that any should be judged to eternal damnation. He loved us so that He sent His Son in the form of a man to die and take on the wages of sin, and sent the Holy Spirit to us to lead and guide us into all truth and holy living. His love will bring a rest to the soul, His love will quiet the trouble waters in our lives. His love will sing forth our name and give us peace.

Making Right Choices

Act 1:24  And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen..

Know how to make the right choice is not always easy. The apostle essentials “flipped a coin” and prayed that God would bless the choice base on the which way the coin landed. Sometime there is no right or wrong decision. We do what the best we can with the knowledge we have and trust God to take care of the rest. 

God is Against Evil

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

The character question, do I choose to do good or do I choose to do evil. This should be a no brainer. Choosing to do good or live righteous is given with promise that the Lord will watch over those who do good, and He listens to the prayers of those who choose to live a life that follows His commandments. Choosing to do that which is evil or forbidden in God’s word is to have the wrath of God to face. This is pretty harsh when we think that God is love, pours out His grace, and desires to show mercy. Hard to think that this kind of God is against those who refuse to follow His ways and choose to do evil. God is holy, and the very nature of God is against that which is unholy, or evil. He is also a God of forgiveness and will not turn anyone away that will humble themselves before Him and confess their wicked ways. He desires fellowship with His fallen creation and has provided a way to have fellowship with Him. The cross has bridged the gap between sinful man and a Holy God. To those that refuse to turn from their wicked ways and do what is right, will face the judgment of the Lord for their choices. As long as we have breathe, we have a choice to do right or do evil. God does not make that choice for us. We decide if we will walk with God and do good, or abide in sin and do evil. 

Wisdom From God

Proverbs: 8: 11, 17 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it….I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The wisdom of this world is not the wisdom of God. The wisdom of this world is tainted with selfish desires and want of pleasure. It seeks to preserve self at any cost and always has hidden motivations. Money is not the root of all evil, but loving money more than loving God and people often causes individuals to make bad choices. Those that seek riches are not wise. Aspiring to make money and obtain material things for legitimate pleasure is not folly, but neither is it prudent to seek it at the expense of others or at the detriment of our relationship to Christ. The wisdom we are to seek is the wisdom that comes from God. His wisdom is selfless, loving, and understanding. His wisdom looks at life with eternity in mind. Those that seek first His Kingdom will seek wisdom early in life and early each day. My prayer each morning as I start my day “ Lord, given me wisdom to do what is right and to make decisions that will make this world a better place to live, and keep my motivation on things that are eternal”- Amen.

Living For What Matters

2 Corinth 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are pilgrims just passing through. This is not our home. This earth is a temporal dwelling place and this body is also temporal. The physical elements of this world will some day all melt away. The things that really matter in life are those things that we cannot see. There is life after death. We all will stand before God and give an account for the life we live. Did we strive only to gain the riches of this world? Did we take time to invest in things not of this world? Did we seek those things that are above? Where our heart is, so is our treasure. Life is but a viper, here for a moment and then gone. Others may remember your life, but they too will also will pass away. The things that matter in this life are seen in the priorities in the choices we make. Let us make choices that will last for eternity. Live your life to be a vessel unto holiness, a vessel broken and spilled out for God.

Endure Temptation

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Temptation is experience by all who are made in the image of God. For temptation to exist, one must know the difference between right and wrong. Life is full of choices and some of them have eternal consequence. Having desire in itself is not wrong. We all have human desires that are given to us by God. Our bodies are made in such a way that they seek out ways to be fulfilled and be satisfied. Jesus, the Son of God was drawn away from His own human lust (desire) for food. Satan enticed Him to fulfill that desire in a way that would have been displeasing to His Father. Making the right choice is to endure the temptation to make the wrong choice. The word has promised us that when we are tempted that if we turn to Him, He will give us the ability to say no. The Holy Spirit was sent to us, to purify our hearts, and to endue us with power. Power to resist temptation, power to make the right choice. We are not beyond the ability to fall in sin and yield to temptation. We all are face with choices to make. To them that make the right choice, God will bless and grant the crown of life.

3:50am-10:00pm

A New Commandment

John 13:34.35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Does holiness of heart instantly give a person a heart that loves everyone no matter the situation or circumstances? Being sanctified wholly, with all on the altar, surrender to serve God, with self being crucified should do something in our hearts that allows us to love in spite of the hurt that is done to us. We are creatures of emotions that feel pain and suffer injustice by others who may reject or despise us. It is even more difficult when such action are by those who we have trusted and thought were friends. Jesus said, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments. A new commandment I give to you, that ye love one another”. Love is not always a feeling, but a choice that we make. Can you love without feeing? I believe it is possible. I believe that perfect love is possible when we choose to love. If we have experience the love of Christ in our life, then we know what love is and how it works. In the face of indifference and hate, God gives us the ability to make the choice to love even when it is hard. 

Overcoming Temptation

1 Corinth 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

In the flesh, we are not able to stand against the temptation that Satan throws at us. If we think we can do this on our own, then we are just fooling ourselves. Yes, we have a choice and making the choice to say “No” to the flesh takes a strong constitution. In our own strength, we may be able to resist many choices that would lead us into sin, but Satan will exploit our weakness and will tempt us in times when we are most vulnerable. Fleeing to the cross and praying for strength to overcome temptation is a choice we make when the temptation is too much to bear. God is faithful to provide a way of escape that we can bear the temptation to give up or make a choice that will take us down a road that is destructive. Temptation is real, but we don’t face it alone, we have a friend that is closer than a brother, and He will provide a way of escape.

Keep From Idols

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Literal idol worship is not seen in large numbers in the USA. There are religions that worship “things” and will bow or give credence to an erected object, but in a country that mostly calls itself “Christian” idol worship is not seen. But an idol is more than just an animate object, it is anything that we think is more important than serving God. The definition of idol is expanded to be anything that keeps you from doing what is right and being what God desires you to be. This takes on many forms and is different for each person. There was a day that I would forsake the worship of God on His day to stay home and watched a football game. I did not want to miss this game, and putting the worship of God in His house would keep me from this game. The football game became my idol, I saw it as more important than worshipping God. When I truly gave my life to the Lord and made Him Lord of my life, I made the choice to always put the things of God 1st if it was in my power to do so. There are so many “idols” that I would not know where to start and finish, but God who knows the heart, and can discerns the thought and indents of the heart, knows if we seek Him first or our own desires. May we always make the right choice, and keep ourselves from idols that will hinder us from being all that God wants us to be. 

Choosing Affliction

Heb. 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Choosing affliction really is not normal. Most of us refrain from anything that will cause us pain, discomfort, or hardship. Why would a person who seem to have everything the world had to offer at that time, refuse it? Choosing between wrong and right comes from a desire to live for God. It does not make worldly sense to reject popularity and riches for a path that will bring criticism and objection. Choosing to live a Christian life that is based on the teaching of God’s word will ostracize oneself from the mainstream of worldly thinking. The notoriety that the world offers and the pleasure that riches can buy are but for the moment. Like vapor, they will soon pass away and it will vanish. Choosing the values that are eternal, values that Christ taught believers. Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. Follow His commandment regardless of what the world and the progressive thinkers of this day may say. Standing for love, grace, mercy, and righteousness (right living) is contrary to human desires. Choosing Christ as Savior and Lord will change our desires and like Moses, we can choose to serve God over serving sin.  

Make the Right Choice

Gen 13:11  Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

Making the right choice is not always easy to make. We sometimes faces choices that appear to be easy to make. We choose the way that seems to less difficult to travel or a path that is already path for us. By nature, we take the way of least resistance. Why ask for more work than we need to do. The easy way is not always the best way. As Lot found out, he thought he was making the profitable choice by choosing the well water plains of Jordan, but Lot failed to seek God. We will never know what God would have told Lot if He had been sought, but the matter is that Lot made a choice without God. Taking a direction without the leadership of God often leads to unwanted circumstances. Making life choices that are strictly done with selfish indent are always a recipe for disaster. God wants us to make choices that will not hinder us from drawing closer to Him. Any choices that draws us away from God is probably the wrong choice. Choices that can determine our destiny must be made prayerfully and with a motive to please God. May we always seek God for those choices that are life changing. 

Turning to God

Ezekiel 18: 28 “Because he considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live: he shall not die.”-

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life- Turning to God is the way out of sin and despair. Sin is a willful transgression against the known will of God. This is the sin that man is accountable for. We live in vessel made of clay and any transgression from perfect that resulted without choice is covered by the blood of Christ. Sin that is committed by our will and choice is also covered by the blood, but it must be confessed. if any man sin (willfully) we have a advocate, a mediator, who is Christ Jesus. With the mouth confession is made to to God and He in His love and mercy will forgive so that we can continue to live. Repenting of making wrong choices is the way we stay alive. Turning to God for forgiveness is the right choice. It is His will that we sin not, but if we do, He provides a way back.

Share the Love of Christ

Mark 5:19 “...“Go home to thy friends, and tell them what great things the Lord hath done for thee, and how He hath had compassion on thee.”-

Influences and choices have a big impact how our lives turn out. We reap what we sow. All are born in sin and the nature of sin in each one of our lives bares its fruit by the choices we make. Being filled with demons is most likely caused by the influence of drugs or allowing oneself to dabble in the occult, worshipping of evil spirits. Sin has its affect on all of us and it is manifested in each person in different degrees. Coming to Jesus and asking Him to remove “cast out” sin out of lives will bring a change that will put us in our right mind. We now have the mind of Christ. A new life in Christ will not be hid to those who are your friends. They will see a difference in your life. Your life will now bare fruits of righteousness and the old life you once lived is now under the blood of Christ. Old things have passed away, and behold all things have become new. With our lips we will praise Him to all who ask of the hope, the change that God has done in our life. Let us share the love of Christ to the world and what Christ can do for those who are seeking rest for the soul and the peace of God.

Freedom of Choice

Debt 30:19 “ I call heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live,”-

Every day we make choices. Some choices was short term consequences and other choices are life changing.. God has given us the freedom of choice. We can choose to do good or we can choose to do bad. The choice is ours. The choices we make are often influences by what we think the outcome will be. If we perceive that the outcome will make us look less than perfect or will give people the impression that we are not what we like others to think, we will choose to preserve our self image. The decision to live for God will bring us to many crossroads in our walk with Him. In light of making choices that can be life changing, we must always examine what the Word of God says. God’s word is filled with life’s principles of doing what is right. A wrong choice can be made with all good intentions, God looks on the heart of man and will take those choices and turn them into good. That is how God works to them that love Him and desires to follow Him with all their heart. “Lord help me to always make choices that will please you. Help me to choose the path of right living, one that honors God, and loves my neighbor”

Legacy of Blessings

2 Chronicles 21:20 “and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years and departed without being desired”-

The life we live will either leave a legacy of blessings or one of regrets. Jehoram lived a selfish life, and only cared about fulfilling his own selfish desires. In the end, he died a man without a friend. What kind of legacy will we leave behind when our days on this earth are over? How will people reflect when they speak about the life we lived? The choices we make in life will blaze a trail behind us and those who are looking on may follow. Our lives may not be perfect, but our heart can be. We can leave a legacy that will point others to God. It will not be the stand we take that will led others to Christ, but the love we show to others and how we treat our fellow man. Standing for right is to stand for truth and God’s word, but standing without love is counter productive. We have but one life to live, may we live it by walking in the steps of Jesus, and let His love flow through us.  May we leave a legacy that will count for eternity. 

Ruth's Choices

Ruth 1:12-22
March 2nd, 2008

The choice to serve God and to be identified with the people of God is the most important decision in a person’s life. In the Providence of God, Ruth was stripped of all she had hoped and dreamed. Her husband was dead and she was without child. Naomi, desiring to return to her people entreated her two daughter-in-laws to return to their people. Ruth had committed herself to go with Naomi and serve her God. Her decision required her to leave her old life behind and take up “the cross” and follow after the true and only God.

Turning to the World (vs12. Turn again…go your way)
• Naomi had nothing to offer- Do we have anything to offer?
• Satan paints a dreary picture of the Christian way
• It is impossible to live holy- Why even attempt?
Tarry with God’s People (vs.13. Would ye tarry)
• What are you willing to give up to go with God?
• Take up thy cross and follow Christ-
Torn Apart (vs14. Lifted up their voices and wept)
• Orpah decision to return to her own people
• Like the rich man- He left sorrowful
• Tears- Not evidence of righteousness
Total Commitment (vs15. Whither thou goest, I will go)
• Embracing truth
• Willing to go where God leads
• Work wherever God places you
• Willing to identify with the people of God
• Follow Christ- Whatever the cost- even death
Tenacity of Ruth (vs.18, She was steadfastly minded)
• Does not easily give up- see it through
• Determination to stay by and be counted
Traveling to Bethlehem (vs.19 Went until they came to Bethlehem)
• Followed through on her commitment- more than words
• Naomi needed to face her failure of the past
• The timing of God- The beginning of barley season
Testified By God (vs.20. The Lord hath testified against me)
• Mara- Bitter- Naomi became bitter toward life and God
• She blamed God for her misfortunes
• She saw God as a God of vengeance and not mercy
• We must see God as sovereign and in control