The Evil That Men Do

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart." - Genesis 6:5-6

Imagine the state of mankind during the days of Noah prior to the flood. The intentions of mens' hearts were pure evil, they were constant workers of iniquity, doing whatever their sinful nature desired. It was to the point where the LORD was sorry that he created man. Imagine no one serving God, no one worshipping out of a pure heart, no one doing what they were created to do which was to glorify their Creator. No one except one man named Noah whom the LORD found favor with. Seeing this, God decided to destory all living creatures, human-kind and animal-kind alike, and start over with Noah and his immediate family of 7, along with 2 of every animal.

"The Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth."
- Genesis 8:21

After the LORD flooded the earth high above the mountain tops, He restored Noah upon the earth, told him and his family to "be fruitful and multiply", and vowed never to destroy the earth again by a flood, making a covenant with Noah, using the rainbow as a sign to remind every living creature of this covenant.

"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority." - 2 Peter 2:4-10

Though our hearts are deceitful and despirately wicked, full of evil intentions, God is able to transform us from an ungodly people, such as the ancient people before the flood, into a godly people, such as Noah and his household.

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." - 2 Peter 1:3-4

As Christians, the LORD has rescued us from the corruption of this world that has come through the sinful desires of man. Not only that, but He has also rescued us from our own sinful nature, which stems from the condition of our human heart, and has allowed us to partake in His divine nature.

Having read what God has done to those who have continued in wickedness and succumbed to the sinful desires of their hearts, we should stay humble and full of awe having experienced the transforming power of Christ in our own lives. Each one of us should have been destroyed long ago just as those in the ancient world and those of Sodom and Gomorrah. But instead, God has found favor with us, just as He did with Noah, and has rescued us from the consequences of our sin.

"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:5-11

The Issues of Life

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
- Proverbs 4:23

Most Christians know what the Bible says about the heart. Jeremiah 17:9 reads: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" But if you read on to verse 10, the LORD says: "I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." Even though the human heart is prone to sin, we have a responsibility to guard it. We cannot use Jeremiah 17:9 as an excuse to sin.

What does it mean to be deceitful? It means to be sly, cunning, mischievous, treacherous. Our heart has the same characteristics as the devil. The heart's main objective is to trick you. It is desperately wicked. When you are desperate for something you need it, and you are willing to obtain it by any means necessary. This tells us that our heart seeks evil, it needs wickedness. So if this is the case, how can God search our hearts and find anything good to reward us of?

God has given us the ability to keep or guard our hearts. We can control what goes in and what comes out. We must not think that we know what is in our hearts, for who can know it? But we must work to deprive our heart of what it seeks. We can do this by feeding our heart the Word.

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." - Psalm 119:11

In doing so, we are allowing God to cleanse our hearts from the wickedness it desires. For we are sanctified by the washing of the Word. Once we store the Word in our hearts, we must choose to follow the Word rather than the sinful appetite of our heart. Whoever said that they can trust their heart doesn't know scripture, and whoever said that God knows their heart is right, He knows that it is deceitful and desperately wicked!

"It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.
...whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled. But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person."
Matthew 15:11;17-20

So here we see Jesus explaining that what comes out of our heart is what defiles or pollutes a man. This is because the heart is full of wickedness. We have to guard what comes in and out of our hearts. Whatever causes us to sin, we must cut it off from our life. Whether that be television, the internet, or even friends and associates.

"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."
- Matthew 5:29-30

Our hearts must be single to the LORD. They can only become single when we put away the former things of this world and focus on things that are above. The things that we expose ourselves to play a big part in the condition of our heart, for "the lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness." (Luke 11:34) Our eyes are gates to our heart, and they must be set on things pertaining to Christ, for He is the light. One of satan's schemes is to desensitize us to sin through the world around us and one of his tools is the media. When we take in things that are sinful, such as watching movies and entertainment full of sin and ungodliness, our light begins to dim and our body becomes full of darkness rather than light. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and whatever we feed ourselves will ultimately come back out in our speech and in our actions.

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." - 1 John 3:18-22

Every issue that we have in this life has to do with the condition of our heart. If we supress the heart's deceitful nature and instead feed ourselves the light of Christ, our conversation and actions will bear good fruit and the LORD will reward us according to the fruit that we bear.

We can have confidence that God will change our hearts; that He will place His desires within us, take away the desires of our naturally deceitful and wicked heart, and give us a new heart of flesh, a heart after Himself just as David had.

I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
Ezekiel 11:19-20

Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:3-4

Are You In Love With God?

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Have you ever wondered how God could love such an unclean, disobedient, selfish people? God not only loves us, but He is in love with us! Imagine being completely head over heals in love with someone who is not in love with you. That is what God goes through continually as His people reject Him, don't consider Him, don't take the time to talk with Him, stay away from His presence, and ignore the One who loves them more than life itself.

All throughout the Bible we see examples of what love is, and what love isn't. In fact, Jesus said that all the law and the prophets hang on this commandment: love God, and love others as thyself (Matt 22:35-40). When your love is perfected, you have become perfect and no longer have need of the law, for love is what fulfills the law (Matt 5:17; Romans 13:10; Galatians 15:14). We see above in 1 Corinthians 13 that love is more than a feeling. It is an action that flows from ones heart, it bears good tasting fruit, and it never stops flowing. Love is what causes a husband to give up his life for his wife, and a man to give up his life for a friend. Jesus Christ displayed this love as He sacrificed His own life for those whom God chose for salvation. Without love, everything we do in this life is in vain, even what we do for God!

Submit yourself to God. - James 4:7
Submit yourself one to another in the fear of God. - Ephesians 5:21

Jesus told us that if we love Him we would keep His commandments. So part of showing love is being obedient. With love, we don't insist on our own way (1 Corinth 13:5), but rather put others ahead of ourselves (Phil 2:4). If we love God, we will do what He asks even when we don't feel like it, knowing that He has our best interests in mind. It is important that we seek not our own, but the things which are Jesus Christ's (Phil 2:21). The same goes with people, if we truly love someone, we will do things for them even when we don't want to. Part of love is submitting yourself to the one that you love - whether it be a spouse, a friend, or God. If we truly love that person, we will take joy in serving them.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. - 1 John 5:1-3

Check your love today. Watch how you treat others. Pay attention to the way you go about serving God and man. Make sure you spend time with your Father in Heaven and let Him know how much you love Him. Show love to others. Let people know that you care for and love them. Love your enemies despite what they may say or do. Put away all feelings that cause you to walk contrary to the Spirit. For God is love, and God is the Holy Spirit, and if you are a true believer the Holy Spirit dwells within you, which means Love itself is in you. Tap into that Love today and don't depart from it. I love you and God loves you too. Search your heart, and if you find that your love isn't right, submit yourself to God and ask Him to fix your heart. Fall in love with God today, for He loves you more than you can ever imagine.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed (Anathema). Our Lord, Come! (Maranatha). - 1 Corinthians 16:22

Suffering for Sin or Suffering for HIM?

Let's face it. As Christians we are still susceptible to sin. When we commit sin there is a pricetag to pay, a price so heavy that there is no way that we can pay it ourselves. When God saved us, He paid this price with His blood - but we must be careful not to willingly sin with this knowledge, for "how can we, who are dead to sin, live anymore therein?" (Romans 6:2) When God saved us, "our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin, for he that is dead is freed from sin." (Romans 6:6-7) In the event that we find ourselves living in sin after God has saved us, we should be aware that our old man is still alive. If this is the case, God will allow us to suffer until we are completely dead to sin.

"Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones, so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite the choicest food...
...Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life."
- Job 33:19-20;29-30

In the above passage Elihu is speaking to Job during his time of suffering. He is explaining that God has purpose in allowing men to suffer. He continues to explain that the LORD is in control and completely sovereign, raining on both the just and the unjust. Elihu is the only one in the book of Job who speaks the truth while rebuking him. In verses 26 and 27 he says: "man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. He sings before men and says: 'I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me.'" Hallelujah! This is the story of every born-again believer. Many say that since Job was upright he did nothing to deserve his tribulations. I disagree. God said he searched for one that would stand in the gap, but found none (Ezekial 22:30), so He came Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, therefore we are all, including Job, guilty and deserve punishment. But praise be to God that we can exclaim "I have sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me!!!!"

Job's suffering was not for one particular sin. His suffering was purposed to prove God's Word. He suffered for Christ's sake when he was rebuked by his 3 other friends. He stayed steadfast in his faith, even though his wife told him to curse God and die. No matter what satan did to him, Job trusted in God's Word. Yes Job did murmer, he did ask "why me?". But He also trusted God, saying "'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." (Job 1:21-22)

How do we react when we suffer? Do we truly understand the reason for our suffering? Are we suffering because we are sinning in our flesh? Are we suffering for the sake of the Gospel? Are we suffering because we are doing right? Or are we suffering because we are doing wrong?

"It is better to suffer in obedience and have the peace of God, then to suffer in disobedience and feel separated from God." - me

If you are suffering because of your own sin - the answer is to repent and ask God to help you overcome that sin by the power of the Holy Ghost. Walk in obedience and fight the good fight of faith. "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) Just as with Jesus himself, God teaches us obedience by the things that we suffer. (Hebrews 5:8)

If you are suffering for the sake of Christ, rejoice! The one thing that every Christian is guaranteed in this life on earth is suffering. "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:16-18) "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2:12) "If you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:14-15) "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name." (1 Peter 4:12-16)

"All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" - 2 Timothy 3:12

Let us therefore suffer for righteousness sake and not for our own sins. Selah.

How Bad Do You Want To Be Delivered?

This is a question I found myself asking sitting here on my sofa. I know all the right scriptures, I have been entrusted with understanding and divine revelation, but why does it seem so difficult to walk out what I know! Sometimes I literally feel like Paul in Romans 7:13-20 (ESV) - "...in my flesh... I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me."

The teaching today at church was about overcoming struggles and conflicts. Pastor Jean taught from Galatans 5 and 6. He began by calling Galatians the handbook on how to get free, stay free and walk free. I'll share a few key points:

• All of your blunders (sinful acts) are only blunders because of what is inside of your heart - you have a choice, nobody can make you do anything.
• If you are struggling that means that you are in your flesh.
• When you are in your flesh you complain.
• When you are in the Spirit you have liberty and peace, and rather than complain you speak life into situations.
• Whenever your flesh is involved there will always be warfare. The only exception is when you are totally submitted to the flesh - at that moment satan is in complete control and warfare ceases.
• We must choose to submit either to the flesh or the Spirit.
• When you sow to the flesh (your sinful nature), you reap destruction because you are reaping from the nature of your old man.
• When you are affected by struggles you are in your flesh. When you are in the Spirit it doesn't bother you because you understand that what you are going through is just a process.
  
• Our struggles are purposed - God wants to see if we will press our way through them, if we truly love Him, if we are willing to sacrifice for Him, even to the point where we give our very life.

I've made many mistakes, and have been in my flesh way too much. But I praise God for His mercy, and for allowing me to overcome. It is time for us as Christians to submit ourselves to God and walk according to the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh. It is time for us to renew our minds by the Word of God so that we can be strengthened and have the necessary weapons to wage a good warfare as we hold our peace and allow God to fight our battles, dwelling in the rest of God.