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John 8:34 - Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. NASU
When the devil comes at us with temptations he generally starts off very slowly enticing us to do that which is wrong. If you talk with an alcoholic or a drug addict they don't usually start out by drinking a bottle of whiskey or sticking a needle in their arms. The alcoholic usually starts out drinking a few beers and gets what is called a "buzz". He may get totally inebriated and say I am never going to do that again. That usually lasts until one of his buddy's calls him and tells him of their new laid plans. The drug addict most likely started out smoking a joint and when that doesn't supply him with the "high" he is looking for the only thing to do is move to something a little stronger. You may know someone that is an addict and you can remember them before they ever got as we say "hooked" on drugs. The odds are "sin" never left them off where it first picked them up. Genesis 4:5-8 - So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." 8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Sin picked Cain up when he was angry with his brother Abel. When it released him he was a murderer.
I think about the different people who have been charged with embezzlement. I wonder how much money did they steal the first time and get away with it? Did their thoughts say we only need to do this one time to get me out of this financial hole? So then another plan was devised and more money was stolen until it seemed so easy and they never thought they would get caught. This reminds me of the Old Testament story of Joseph and his brothers where they sold him to some Ishmaelites. Gen. 42:21-23 - Then they said to one another, "Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us." 22 Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy'; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood." Joseph has been gone for many years but you will notice they had been living with a guilty conscience and could not get away from it. They thought they could just sell their brother and that would be the end of it, but that isn't how sin works my friends. Now that they had given into the temptation to sell their brother and lie to their father about Joseph's body being killed by a wild animal. They had to live with what they did and a guilty conscience to go with it. They were corralled by sin and they weren't getting free. Genesis 4:7- "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." As we go through life we have an enemy and it is sin. It is crouching at our door and it wants to pounce on us because it has a desire to conquer us. The good news is Moses informs us we can master it. Just say, "NO!" and get away from the temptation as fast as you can. We must remember it is easier to be conquered by sin if we are where we are not supposed to be. King David sinned with Bathsheba because he was where he wasn't supposed to be (2 Sam.11:1). Think About These: A Christian has not lost the power to sin but the desire to sin. Confessing your sins is no substitute for forsaking them. Sin deceives, then defiles, then deadens. (Part 2 Next Week) Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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John 14:16-17 - "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. NASU
I would like you to notice the text does NOT say the Holy Spirit will be with us and help in only the hard times of our life. The Holy Spirit will be with the followers of Jesus forever. I interpret that to be in the good and bad times of our lives. One will also notice the promise of the Holy Spirit is NOT for those who don't believe in Jesus or as they are called here "the world". The non-followers of Jesus neither know Him nor see Him. The apostle Paul can't make it any clearer than what he wrote in the book of Romans. Romans 8:9-11 - However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. The Holy Spirit dwells in those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
How is it possible for us to know the truth? We can know the truth by knowing the "Word of God". As you read the Word of God you will be able to discern the truth because the Spirit of Truth dwells in you. I imagine some of my readers may be thinking but what do I have to do to have the Holy Spirit dwell in me. On the day of Pentecost Peter was preaching a message that stated the Jewish leaders had crucified Jesus, the Son of God. His message convicted them and they asked what they had to do and that is when Peter shared these words with them: Acts 2:38- Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They had two things to do if they believed Jesus to be the Son of God. First, they were to repent which is a change of the mind which brings about a change in one's behavior. Secondly, they were to be baptized or immersed into water. This immersion represents a burial. You have died to sin and are buried in a watery grave, but that isn't the end. You're then raised up out of the water into a new life. You're forgiven and the Holy Spirit of God now dwells within you. How cool is that? If you would like to be immersed contact me and we will make it happen. The Spirit of Truth would love to dwell in you. Think About These: God isn't only a present help in the time of trouble, but also a great help in keeping us out of trouble. Whatever God wants us to do; He will help us accomplish it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Matt. 27:3-4 - Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." NASU
And he owns up to his mistake the text says, "…he felt remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver…saying, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.' " Judas owned his mistake. He confessed that he had sinned by betraying Jesus the One who was innocent.
You must identify your mistake or your sin. Judas said, "…he had sinned by betraying innocent blood." The Greek word for "sin" is "harmatano" and it means to "miss the mark." Judas had missed the mark as we all have done. He identifies what sinned he has committed and that is an example for us. When you have sinned or made a mistake name it or own it. The mark that he missed was being "loyal" to the One who was innocent. What "mark" have you missed? Does everything have to be your way? Have you allowed your arrogance to rule your life? Have you missed the mark of being honest, being faithful, or being loving? Are you the kind that will not listen to anyone because you are always right? Judas would not listen to the lessons that Jesus had been teaching and because he would not listen he betrayed his friend or as it says he betrayed innocent blood.
Notice what Solomon says in Prov. 1:5 - "A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel…" A wise man will HEAR. In other words, he will "LISTEN". If you will hear or listen to others you may find that you won't make as many mistakes in life.
James 5:16 - Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. NASU Who should you confess your sins to? First and foremost is the person you sinned against if that is possible. Then I would recommend one of your close friends. One who will help keep you accountable and keep something like this from happening to you again. Think About These: There is more hope for a confessed sinner than a conceited saint. Few things in life are more difficult for some people than admitting a mistake. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Acts 10:30-31 - Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. NIV
Prov. 19:17 -One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed. NASU I wonder what went through Cornelius' mind after that conversation with an angel. I am fairly sure he was not giving to the poor to be noticed by God. Yet, that is exactly what happened to him. He gave to the poor and God noticed him. I am fairly sure that when we give to the poor we do not give thinking "Well, God is watching me so I will give a large sum to this poor person." When we give we do so to help this person. I am quite sure that if we think about it for a moment there was a time when someone helped us. Now it is our turn to return the favor.
In the Old Test. times when the Israelites lived in an agricultural society God told them not to harvest all of their crops. They were to leave the edges of their fields alone and the poor people could come and glean the edges of their fields for free. In other words, the poor people had to do something to help alleviate their poor condition. They were given an opportunity to better themselves by harvesting crop that was left in the field for them by the land owner. They could use this harvested crop to feed their families or sell the crop and bring money into their own pockets to support their family. This type of living is supported by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament when he writes in 2 Thes. 3:10 - For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.
I have been asked if I give to the people who are at the stop lights begging for money. My answer is "No." But I will tell you who I do give money too. I give to the ones working in the restaurants. I know the ones working there are definitely not rich. A lot of them are working there as a second job. They are trying to make ends meet. Some of them are in school during the day and working there at night. God's plan is to help those who are indeed working to try and get ahead in this life and I see waiters and waitresses doing exactly that. When I leave them a very nice tip I see this as a way to give to the poor.
Acts 10:4 - The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. NIV Proverbs 14:21 - But happy is he who is gracious to the poor. NASU Prov. 22:9 - He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor. NASU
Prov. 19:17 -One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed. Think About These: Poverty is often the sidekick of laziness. A man is truly poor, not when he has nothing but when he does nothing. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Joshua 1:6-7 - "Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go." NASU
• Being Courageous Is A Choice Joshua had been given a command by God to be courageous. Then he was told to be very courageous. In other words, being courageous is a choice that we can choose to make. A person who is courageous is one who tells himself he is going to be courageous at that moment. We all possess a courageous or brave spirit. Some of us fail at being courageous when we chose not to be. It isn't because we can't. It is because we chose not to be when the challenge arose. When a courageous person is faced with new circumstances or even dangerous situations, he believes he must confront them and does. All one has to do is remember the courageous NYPD and FDNY officers running into the burning twin towers on September 11, 2001 (911) to see courage in action. They chose to enter those towers. It was a choice. They chose to be courageous. There can be no running from the challenge as this would not be a person who is courageous but would be more in line with a person who is cowardly. • Courageous People Believe In Someone Or Something The courageous person will see himself as one who has to stand up for what he believes to be true. Moses had recently died and up to this point Joshua had been Moses' assistant. God spoke directly with Moses and Moses made the decisions based on what God had told him. This is all going to change. God is now going to speak directly to Joshua. Joshua will be the new leader. Joshua will be making decisions based on God's commands. Josh's is going to lead the Israelites into battle and all he has to do is believe God's promises. In Josh 1:5 God promises him - "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." NASU Now it is on Joshua's shoulders to believe what God had told him. God tells us the same thing in Hebrews 13:5 that He will not forsake us. Do you want to be courageous? Then believe that when your faith is being given a test because that is what courageous warriors of God do. • Today's Challenges What challenges are happening in your life where you need to command yourself to be courageous? When one takes a stand to be courageous it is a mental decision. The more you know God's Word the easier it will be for you to be courageous. I heard a preacher one time say, "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything." People who know God's Word will not fall for anything or at least they shouldn't. Go ahead make your decision to be strong and courageous today. Stand up to the challenges that are before you today and everyday and when you do you will be courageous. Think About These: Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquest of it. Remember, you are your own doctor when it comes to curing cold feet. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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