DEALING WITH THE SIN THAT EASILY ENSNARES YOU!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JULY 22, 2023.

SUBJECT : DEALING WITH THE SIN THAT EASILY ENSNARES YOU! 

Memory verse: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12 vs 1.)

READ: Romans 6 vs 12 - 14:

6:12: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 

6:13: And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

INTIMATION:

A conscious effort must be made on the part of every Christian to separate himself or herself from anything that would lead one into sin. As humans, we are stubborn and rebellious in nature; wanting to do or have things our own way. However, our Maker and Owner has His purposes for us and has given us the route to travel and the routine and regulations for traveling on that route. But we have always wittingly or unwittingly neglected His routines and regulations thereby “missing the mark” which is sin. 

The major sin against the running of the Christian race at full potential is the sin of doubt concerning God’s faithfulness to keep His promises. It is the doubt that hinders Christians from zealously doing that which God requires of an active faith. One must persevere in the race of faith. One’s run must be consistent and enduring. If one is not actively engaged in the race, then he is in a state of falling away. 

To run the Christian race that God has set before us, we must also strip off the excess “weight” (sin) that slows us down. The weight of sin would weigh down a Christian and make him or her unable to run the Christian race at their full potential. All sin hinders one’s faithfulness in running the Christian, but there are some sins that easily ensnares us. And we have to effectively deal with it such sin(s) for a worthy race.

We all have areas where temptation is strong and habits are hard to conquer. These weaknesses give the devil a foothold, so we must deal with our areas of vulnerability. The Christian life involves hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation. It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, to run with endurance, and to struggle against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The most effective way for one to flee evil is to pursue righteousness. When we are constantly pursuing that which is right, then we are automatically fleeing from temptation. In order to refrain from doing that which is evil, one must do that which is good. Simply refraining from doing that which is evil will not be permanent in one’s life if he or she does not do that which is good.

Three steps are necessary to find victory over those sin(s) that easily ensnares us: 

(1) Stay away from tempting situations. Running away is sometimes considered cowardly. But wise people realize that removing themselves physically from temptation often can be the most courageous action to take. Do you have a recurring temptation that you find difficult to resist? Remove yourself physically from any situation that stimulates your desire to sin. Knowing when to run is as important in spiritual battle as knowing when and how to fight. 

(2) Dealing with sin(s) and temptation(s) that easily ensnares us requires self-discipline. To exercise adequate self-discipline, requires an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis on the latter. It means building the will to say no when a powerful appetite inside you screams yes. When you have self-discipline, you can say no to friends or situations that will lead you away from Christ. Choose friends who are also committed to the race. Wrong friends will have values and activities that may deter you from the course. Much of your own weight may result from the crowd you run with. Make wiser choices.

Self-discipline is a long, steady course in learning attitudes that do not come naturally, and channeling natural appetites toward God’s purposes. Where are your weak points? Seek the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to strengthen you in your areas of vulnerability. Get help for addictions that disable you. If you have a secret “weight” such as phonographs, gambling, or alcohol, admit your need and get help today of the body of Christ. Pray with a friend for God’s help to redirect weakness into strength, be open to their willingness to hold you accountable and to pray for you. Endeavor to drop those activities that may be weight. 

(3) Avoid the love of pleasure over the love of God. As humans, it’s tempting for us to love pleasure more than God. This is because pleasure is something we can control; God cannot be controlled. Most pleasures can be obtained easily; love for God requires effort and sometimes sacrifice. Pleasure benefits us now; the benefits of loving God are often in the future. Pleasure has a narcotic effect, it takes our minds off ourselves and our problems. Love for God reminds us of our responsibilities. Pleasure cooperates with pride. It makes us feel good when we look good in the eyes of others. 

To love God we must lay aside our pride and our accomplishments. Have you chosen to love pleasure, or to love God? As Christians, we are running toward our heavenly reward. The essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study, meditation, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina. Train diligently—your spiritual progress depends upon it. 

Prayer: Abba Father, strengthen me in my inner man to resist temptation, eschew evil, and also empower me through the Holy Spirit to live for You all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Models for Combating Discouragement

 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)

Literally the verb is simply fail, not “may fail.” This God-besotted psalmist, Asaph, says, “My flesh and my heart fail!” I am despondent! I am discouraged! But then immediately he fires a broadside against his despondency: “But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

The psalmist does not yield to discouragement. He battles unbelief with counterattack. 

In essence, he says, “In myself I feel very weak and helpless and unable to cope. My body is shot, and my heart is almost dead. But whatever the reason for this despondency, I will not yield. I will trust God and not myself. He is my strength and my portion.” 

The Bible is replete with instances of saints struggling with sunken spirits. Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.” This is a clear admission that the soul of the saint sometimes needs to be revived. And if it needs to be revived, in a sense it was “dead.” That’s the way it felt.

David says the same thing in Psalm 23:2–3, “He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” The soul of the “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) needs to be restored. It was dying of thirst and ready to fall exhausted, but God led the soul to water and gave it life again. 

God has put these testimonies in the Bible so that we might use them to fight the unbelief of despondency. And we fight with the blast of faith in God’s promises: “God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” We preach that to ourselves. And we thrust it into Satan’s face. And we believe it.

WHEN YOU WILLINGLY RECEIVE JESUS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JULY 21, 2023.

SUBJECT : WHEN YOU WILLINGLY RECEIVE JESUS! 

Memory verse: "Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going." (John 6 vs 21.)

READ: John 6 vs 16 - 21:

6:16: Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

6:17: got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus has not come to them.

6:18: Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.

6:19: So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.

6:20: But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

6:21: Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

INTIMATION:

It’s only in Jesus that we can find the purpose of our lives. God sent Him to the world as a revelation of Himself, and we can only truly know God through Jesus. Therefore, receiving Jesus willingly into your life immediately takes you to the source of the revelation of your purpose of being created. The Bible says in Ephesians 1 vs 11, "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His Will." It is in Christ that we find out who we are (we obtain an inheritance), and what we are living for (the purpose of Him for us), and He did it all according to His Will. He works all things according to his overall plans and purposes in everything and for everyone.

Jesus means “the Lord saves.” Jesus came to earth to save us because we can’t save ourselves from sin and its consequences. No matter how good we are, we can’t eliminate the sinful nature present in all of us. Only Jesus can do that. Jesus didn't come to help people save themselves, He came to be their Savior from the power and penalty of sin. Receiving Jesus willingly into your life is the only immediate way to receiving salvation. Thank Christ for His death on the cross for your sin, and then ask Him to take control of your life. Your new life begins at that moment.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” (John 14 vs 6). He is the only way to God. By uniting our lives with His, we are united with God. Trust Jesus to take you to the Father, and all the benefits of being God’s child will be yours. As the way, Jesus is our path to the Father. The Scripture says, “And there is salvation in no other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4 vs 12). Jesus is the only means through which we can be saved. One cannot devise his or her own system of religion and expect to be saved on his or her own conditions. One cannot be saved outside the atonement that has been provided by Jesus on the cross. 

As the truth, He is the reality of all God’s promises. Jesus is the revelation of the grace and truth that proceeded from God for the salvation of all men. Salvation, therefore, must be accomplished through the revelation of the mystery of God that was revealed through Jesus (Ephesians 3 vs 3 - 5). Jesus Himself is the truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from continued slavery to sin, from self-deception, and from deception of Satan. He shows us clearly the way to everlasting life with God. Thus Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God. As we seek to serve God, Jesus’ perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be. 

Jesus is the Creator of life, and His life brings light to humankind. In His light, we see ourselves as we really are (sinners in need of a Savior). When we follow Jesus, the true Light, we can avoid walking blindly and falling into sin. He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how to live. He removes the darkness of sin from our live. If He guides your life, you’ll never need to stumble in darkness. Jesus gives life. The life He gives is abundantly rich and full. It is eternal, yet it begins immediately. Life in Christ is lived in higher plane because of His overflowing forgiveness, love, and guidance. 

He who is life can surely restore life. Whoever believes in Christ has a spiritual life that death cannot conquer or diminish in any way. The answer to man’s mortality is found only in Jesus. One cannot find life outside the sacrificial blood of Jesus (John 8 vs 13). In order to have life throughout eternity, one must come into a covenant relationship with Jesus. Jesus says that the only way to live a truly good life is to stay close to Him, like a branch attached to the vine. Apart from Christ our efforts are unfruitful. Are you receiving the nourishment and life offered by Christ, the vine? 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for gift of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and the revelation of the purpose of our lives in Him. I have willingly received Him into my life, and have confessed Him as my personal Lord and Savior. In Him I live and move and have my being. Give me the grace to stay absolutely and everlastingly focused on Him, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ESCHEW SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JULY 20, 2023.

SUBJECT : ESCHEW SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS! 

Memory verse: "Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth, a stranger, and not your own lips." (Proverbs 27 vs 2.)

READ: Luke 18 vs 10 - 14:

18:10: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector.

18:11: The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You, that I am not as other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

18:12: I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

18:13: And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.’

18:14: I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

INTIMATION:

Self-righteousness is being overly confident that one acts properly (especially in comparison with others). It’s being overly virtuous. Self-righteousness is dangerous. It leads to pride, causes a person to despise others, and prevents him or her from learning anything from God. One should not glory in order to emphasize his own abilities to perform. He should glory in the basis that he or she is in the Lord and thus, it is the Lord working through him or her. When we boast in order to bring glory to Jesus, then we know that our lives are about Jesus, not ourselves. Jesus said, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.” (John 8 vs 54.) One should live a godly life that manifests praise to God, and not give praise to himself. 

The Scripture says, “But He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he ‘whom the Lord commends.” (Second Corinthians 10 vs 17 - 18). God cannot be placed in debt to either save or glorify on the basis for human performance. Those who glorify themselves before God on the basis of their performance are establishing their own standards, and thus, they are arrogantly asking God to accept their standards as payment for their salvation. 

In comparison to the righteousness of the good God, there is no righteous person. No man can stand righteous before God on the merit of his own works of law or good deeds. Therefore, we cannot establish our own standards of performance, and then, measure ourselves righteous or good before God on the basis of our standards. One can boast only insofar as the grace of God has worked in his or her life to move him or her to respond to the will of God.

In the passage we read today, the Pharisee boasted concerning his obedience to his self-imposed religious codes and traditions. He checked off his list of righteous deeds that he did and evil deeds that he did not do. He thus trusted in himself, feeling self-confident that his performance of law should satisfy God, and thus, put God in debt to save him. The Pharisee did not go to the temple to pray to God but to announce to all within earshot how good he was. 

The tax collector went recognizing his sin and begging for mercy. I guessed he stood far from the Pharisee because he was judged unrighteous by the Pharisee. However, he stood close to God because he approached God on the basis of his spiritual inadequacies. Because he recognized his spiritual poverty, he trusted in God’s grace for his salvation. He was justified by his faith in God’s grace, not by his perfect law-keeping or performance of good deeds. Those who have self-righteously exalted themselves will be brought down. 

Self-righteous people pride themselves in their self-acclaimed quality of being right or just. Pride is inordinate self-esteem or conceit. It’s the inner voice that whispers, “My way is best.” Whenever you find yourself looking down on other people, you are being pulled by pride. Pride indicates that a person is self-centered, and thus he will fall over himself as he deals with people. Only when you eliminate pride can God help you become all He meant you to be. God cuts off the pride from His grace. Pride cripples us in our quest for a proper relationship with God. Only God must be exalted is the first step toward developing that relationship with Him. 

The Scripture says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5 vs 3.) Happy are those who are not proud, conceited or arrogant, especially concerning their spiritual relationship with God. One must empty himself of self-reliance and learn to humble himself before God. Those with such an attitude of mind will submit to the kingdom reign of God, therefore, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The tax collector’s prayer should be our prayer because we all need God’s mercy every day. Don’t let pride in your achievements cut you off from God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, take away any spirit of pride and self-righteousness in me. Everyday of my life I will humble myself before You as a sinner that needs your mercy. Let Your humble spirit dwell in me richly, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Grace for Every Need

 Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant. (Psalm 86:16)

Future grace is the constant plea of the praying psalmists. They pray for it again and again to meet every need. They give us a beautiful model of daily dependence on future grace for every exigency.

They cry out for grace when they need help: “Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” (Psalm 30:10). 

When they are weak: “Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant” (Psalm 86:16). 

When they need healing: “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord” (Psalm 6:2). 

When they are afflicted by enemies: “Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my affliction from those who hate me” (Psalm 9:13). 

When they are lonely: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalm 25:16). 

When they are grieving: “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief” (Psalm 31:9). 

When they have sinned: “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!” (Psalm 41:4). 

When they long for God’s name to be exalted among the nations: “God be gracious to us and bless us . . . that your way may be known on earth” (Psalm 67:1–2). 

Unmistakably, prayer is the great link of faith between the soul of the saint and the promise of future grace. If ministry was meant by God to be sustained by prayer, then ministry was meant to be sustained by faith in future grace.

His Timing Is Perfect

 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may find grace for a well-timed help. (Hebrews 4:16, my literal translation)

I know this precious verse is usually translated, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” But that is a paraphrase — a true one — to show that God shows up just when we need him. But the literal focus is on how timely the help is.

All ministry is in the future — a moment away, or a month away, or a year, or a decade. We have ample time to fret about our inadequacy. When this happens, we must turn to prayer. 

Prayer is the form of faith that connects us today with the grace that will make us adequate for tomorrow’s ministry. Timing really matters.

What if grace comes too early or comes too late? The traditional translation of Hebrews 4:16 does not make clear a very precious promise in this regard. We need a more literal rendering to see it. The promise is not merely that we find grace “to help in time of need,” but that the grace is well-timed by God.

The point is that prayer is the way to find future grace for a well-timed help. This grace of God always arrives from the “throne of grace” on time. The phrase “throne of grace” means that future grace comes from the King of the universe who sets the times by his own authority (Acts 1:7). 

His timing is perfect, but it is rarely ours: “For a thousand years in [his] sight are but as yesterday when it is past” (Psalm 90:4). At the global level, he sets the times for nations to rise and fall (Acts 17:26). And at the personal level, “My times are in [his] hand” (Psalm 31:15). 

When we wonder about the timing of future grace, we must think on the “throne of grace.” Nothing can hinder God’s plan to send grace when it will be best for us. Future grace is always well-timed.

THE IDEAL CHRISTIAN CONDUCT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2023.

SUBJECT: THE IDEAL CHRISTIAN CONDUCT!

Memory verse: "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you," (Matthew 5 vs 44.)

READ: Romans 12 vs 9 - 21:

12:9: Let Love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

12:10: Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

12:11: not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

12:12: rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

12:13: distributing to the needs of the saints, giving to hospitality.

12:14: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

12:15: Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

12:16: Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

12:17: Repay no evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

12:18: If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

12:19: Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

12:20: Therefore if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

12:21: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

INTIMATION:

The ideal Christian conduct is the one that reflects Christ’s traits; being Christlike in behavior. The character that the Scriptures enumerate identifies those who are of the spirit of the Father, and thus, sons of the Father. For instance, God’s love is impartial. He loved us when we were His enemies. There is no reward in a love that acts out of selfish motives; to do something for others for the purpose of receiving something in return. God calls us to real and genuine love that goes far beyond being hypocritical and polite. Genuine love requires concentration and effort. It means helping others become better people. It demands our time, money, and personal involvement. 

If we love someone the way Christ loves us, we will be willing to forgive. If we have experienced God’s grace, we will want to pass it on to others. By giving an enemy a drink, we’re not excusing his misdeeds. We’re recognizing him, forgiving him, and loving him in spite of his sins—just as Christ did for us. A true heart is not one of malice or hate. Hearts of malice and hate identify those individuals who are of the world.

Forgiveness may break a cycle of retaliation and lead to mutual reconciliation. It may make the enemy feel ashamed and change his or her ways. By contrast, repaying evil for evil hurts you just as much as it hurts your enemy. Even if your enemy never repents, forgiving him or her will free you from a heavy load of bitterness. Forgiveness involves both attitudes and actions. If you find it difficult to feel forgiving toward someone who has hurt you, try responding with kind actions. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul enumerates the ideal Christian conduct. You are to love your neighbor genuinely from your heart, don’t fake it. Be steadfast in doing good, and eschewing evil, and hold tightly to it. Never get weary in serving God, and serving others, keep yourself fueled and aflame, ready to serve, and be cheerfully expectant. Never quit in hard times, praying all the harder, helping the needy Christians, and given to hospitality. We must never consider others as being beneath us. We need to live in harmony with others and not be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. 

You should bless your enemies, and there should be no curse under your breath. Laugh and rejoice with those who are rejoicing, and share tears with them when they are down. Get along with everyone, both big and small, don’t be snobbish, rather make friends with nobodies, and don’t be the great somebody. Never hit back at anybody, or insist on getting even, that’s not for you to do. Instead, discover beauty in everyone, and if you have got it in you, get along with everybody.

Christians should not have enemies, but should any exists, love such from the center of who you are. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God created self. This is what God does. He gives His best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless of the good and the bad, the nice and the nasty. As Christians, we honor people because they have been created in God’s image, because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and because they have a unique contribution to make to Christ’s church. 

As you bless others with your service, you will be blessed. When you give generously for God's work or help the needy, those who received your gifts will be helped by those gifts, they will praise God, and also pray for you. You are blessed by your giving when you give as a response to Christ, not for anything you can get out of it. How you give reflects your devotion to Christ.

While you are shaped to serve God and to serve others, it is noteworthy that you can't please everybody by meeting the needs of everyone. Even Jesus, during His earth walk, did not meet the needs of everyone. Knowing your gifts and talents, you have to know the best application of your service, and know whom you can best help. You need to ask, "Who do I have the gift and talent to help?" And don’t delay nor hesitate to render your service.

Prayer: Abba Father, You loved and chose me even when I was neck-deep in sin and in enmity with You. I am mindful of the privilege of Your calling, and sonship. Endue me with the excellent spirit of sonship; to be Christlike in behavior, to serve You, serve others, and bearing abiding fruit, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!