2 Peter 3:17
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things
before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall
from your own stedfastness.
2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness:
You
can know anything, but applying that knowledge is the key. Just because you
know the Bible or have read all of the Bible doesn’t necessarily mean that you
are doing as it instructs. Knowledge and the reality of something are two
different things. Anyone can read the Word of God and have knowledge of the
Bible. But to really know Jesus is to apply the Word of God to your life. To
really be a Christian, you must be Christ like.
We listen to God’s word preached or taught, we read
the Bible sometimes for ourselves, and even think that we have gotten it
applied to our life. Maybe a scripture or a word touches our heart and soul,
then we strive to correct what is wrong. This is something we should strive for
continually, not just occasionally. There is no one more blind than the one
who can see but refuses to see, (author unknown). We love ourselves so much that we always try to
justify what we do or say. The very act of justifying your actions often
indicates that you think or feel that you are wrong; somewhere in the back of
your conscience where you push it. Or that you are so concerned about what
someone else thinks of you that you feel the need to make sure they understand
that you know you are not or have not done anything wrong.
No one wants to be wrong in word or action. Nor
perceived as being/doing something wrong by others.
We as Christians hear, we read, and we speak the
Word of God but are not applying it to our lives in the fullness that God wants
us to.
Ex: a doctor knows that smoking will kill him. They
spent a lot of time and money on their education to become doctors; to have the
knowledge that the Surgeon Generals warning on the pack is not just a
scare tactic. Yet, many doctors and nurses can still be found in the smoking
area puffing away.
Knowledge not applied to life is a killer!
Ex: A young Christian lady or man is attracted to a man
or woman and know that they are not Christian, don’t even attend church, has no
intention of attending church. Yet, they convince themselves that they can
influence them, change them. Then, along come the children. It even seems to be
a match made in heaven, until the honeymoon wears off and the devil is
confident that he has you right where he wants you. When you think you know
best, God will allow you to see the mistake you made. Often the lesson is a
very hard one.
Knowledge not applied to your life is a spiritual
killer!
James 1:2-8
Satan’s job is to trick you or help you trick
yourself. Don’t think that you are immune to his wiles. Only through the blood
of Jesus and the direction of the Holy Ghost can we get on and stay on
the straight and narrow path to righteousness. When you think you know it all
and have it locked up nice and neat, get on your knees and ask God to show you
where you need to shore up the boundary. Because Satan will attack at any weak
spot that he can find! By many examples, we have proven that just knowing
something is not enough for us. We have to apply it to our lives for it to
be effective!
We deceive ourselves, justifying ourselves because
we want something (a spouse, a cigarette, a drink, whatever this flesh craves).
Satan uses that against God’s people and too often we fall for it. We have not
died out to the flesh; we just deceived ourselves into thinking we have.
We block out the parts of God’s Word that would stop
us from satisfying this flesh. The part we don’t want to hear
Proverbs 20:17 Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but
afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel
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.
We must recognize temptation, even when it doesn’t
look and feel like temptation. Resentment toward one another is a very strong
emotion that can overwhelm you if you allow it to fester. Even a real
mistreatment or hurt by someone toward you is a stumbling block ONLY
if you let it be. The choice once again is yours. You have the ability to
forgive and forget it. I have heard many people say, “ I forgive them, but I
can’t forget.” When you choose to keep that moment in your memory, you choose
to let the poison fester within you. You have not forgiven. You deceive
yourself into believing you have. Christ gave us the strength and power to
overcome ourselves, to overcome the pity party, to overcome the obstacle that
“so easily beset us” (we must exercise our abilities that God supplied us with
and just do it)!
The ability to deny this flesh and walk in the
spirit and be blessed! He also gave us the ability to love our enemies. Have
you exercised that ability lately?
How many times have you prayed, Thy will not mine be
done, Lord? When in your heart you are demanding that God do what you want.
That He work the way you want Him to; that He punish them for what they did to
you, that He make this spouse be a Christian so that you can have what you
want.
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as
Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright
We
don’t perceive ourselves as selling our birthright when we don’t follow God’s
Word. Yet every time we do what we want to instead of seeking God before we
make a decision, we are following the example of Esau. I want it so I
will have it.
Hebrews
12
14
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the
Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the
grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby
many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane
person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he
would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of
repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
One
bite won’t hurt; I will keep my birthright. They can’t really take it all away
from me.
EXCUSES:
I don’t believe God will mind if I do this. I
can maybe win this man to God if I go ahead and marry him. Next thing you know,
you convince yourself that this is God’s will. Deceived by self!
It is my body - I will smoke if I want to. I am only
hurting myself. My nerves are bad and it calms me. Not only have you done what
you want, you claimed a health problem and God just might allow you to have it.
No
one is around and won’t know that I didn’t pay for that pack of gum. I did not
mean to walk out without paying for it. It just got overlooked. I am at the car
now and I am not going back in there, I am tired.
Theft
is still theft, even when you didn’t mean to. Get out of that car and go pay
for that gum or return it! Is that gum worth more than your birthright? Do not be deceived!
Let
It Go
Psalms 43:1 Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an
ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man
The unjust man could be yourself.
Think about it. We overlook so much in ourselves yet
are quick to point out what others do wrong.
Clean the mirror so that you can stop pretending not
to see. Honesty starts within your heart and mind, not with
others. If you are not honest with you, you cannot be honest with anyone else.
If you are not true to self, you will not be true to God. Protect your
birthright! Guard your soul for your promise is thru Jesus Christ. Your
birthright is salvation and your goal is heaven! He said, “ I go to prepare a
place for YOU”!
Psalms 72:14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and
violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not
mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
You wouldn’t plant corn and tell yourself that it is
cucumber. Don’t tell yourself that you are right when God’s Word indicates that
you are doing wrong.
No matter who on this earth that you fool, even
yourself, God is not fooled. God cannot be conned or deceived. He won’t be bent
or twisted. You cannot hide from Him. He sees you in all that you do, think,
feel, or say.
If you don’t hearken unto the direction of the Holy
Ghost, if you turn a deaf ear to that still voice that tells you that you are
wrong, then you are deceiving yourself and will reap the consequence. Any time
you make the decision to do something anyway, you are putting your will above
God’s Word and that my friend is a grievous sin against God. Anytime you place
your feelings on the table and cry, “but, God they hurt me, I want to get them
back!” you are projecting your will over God. Even if you don’t see
it that way! You are deceiving yourself!
“God knows how I am, it will be alright. God made me
and wants me to be happy. He knows my heart.” You are right, he does. And, He
gave us the instructions we need to overcome "self". It is right there in
His Word. It is clear and precise. Search your heart, are you really open to
the direction of God or are you intentionally blind? Seeing only
what you want to see?
Father, I pray for forgiveness for my sins. You and you
alone can make things right in my heart, mind, and soul. I plead the blood of
Jesus over my life; you shed that precious blood that I might be saved. Father
God, show me where I deceive myself and keep me from evil. I claim the victory
over me. I want to be submissive to your will my Lord and Savior. Blessed be
your Holy name! Amen
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