Exodus 20:4-5 (NKJV) 4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
This what God's word says to us about idols. Pretty clear, unless your human. Then we start to interpret this commandant to mean all sorts of things.
I've heard many a sermon on the idols that we worship. From statues and lifestyles to our jobs. Many consider an idol to be anything which takes the place of OR gets between us and God. But look again at the scripture above. God says, " a carved image, or any likeness of anything,". It sounds like a solid, touchable mass of something, not a feeling, habit or hobby.
A few weeks ago I had a dream. A normal, can't quite understand it, don't really grasp the meaning of it dream. So I wrote down what I remember of it. I remember that the dream was speaking to me about how I spend my time. It pointed out that things like drugs, drinking, Oreo cookies and even golf can become something of an idol in our lives and push God to the sidelines. The dream stressed that I need to be aware of how a addiction or hobby can consume my time and take me away from God.
So I meditated on this thought until I began to really complicate the issue. That's what we do as humans. We can't help ourselves. We weigh ourselves down with guilt, rules and regulations until we cannot understand what was really stated. Looking back on the dream I realized that satan was at work again. Drugs, heavy drinking, gluttony were a part of the old me and satan was trying to temp me into going back to them. I still struggle each day to fight these demons, but I know that God gives me the strength to resist them. It is His Holy Spirit, a down payment if you will, of our eternal powers that can help me fight off these urges.
You can look back at your old self as a measurement of where God is taking you. But don't grieve for that old life. It must be crucified on the cross. Let it die there. Resist the urge to take it down and breathe new life into it. Instead, look forward to where God is taking you.
In summary, I guess I should reread my last post on what to do when tempted with sin...
God Bless, spread the joy you now have, keep it simple....
Pete
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Swimming Up Stream
OK! So now your saved. Your a Christian. You have a perfect, stress free life with no problems, Right? Wrong. The battle is just starting for you. You have declared Jesus as your Lord & Savior, which means that you are now in satan's cross hairs. Why? Well, before you were headed down stream to destruction with him. Now you are swimming upstream to glory. He doesn't like that and he will do anything to trip you up.
So what do you do?
Stay bedded in the Word of God as much as you can. But there will be times when you slip and fall. It is not a happy time. Believe me. I slipped a lot after I was saved, and I still slip and fall but it is getting easier to deal with it. When it happens it's a lot like being lost in the woods. You got there on your own, but how did it happen? Not to worry. Just think back to your younger days and any outdoors class you may have taken that taught what to do when lost. The number one plan is based on the word stop.
S.T.O.P.
S. Stop! Sit down. Stay calm. Quit moving toward or closer to the sin.
T. Think! Think about the sin you are about to commit. How did you feel the last time you did this sin? Do you really want to repeat this sin again? Do you really want to regret your actions again?
O. Observe! Look around you. Look at the new you God is creating. Remember what God has done for you and will continue to do for you. Jesus said, "I will never leave you or forsake you". He is with you at this moment. Draw on His power.
P. Plan! Have a plan in place. Do you have a someone you are accountable to? Call them and get some encouragement. Or do as Joseph did when tempted by his bosses wife. RUN AWAY!! Get away from the situation as soon as possible.
OK. This may sound too simple. But that's the point. God gives you the power to resist sin. You have to grab hold of it and use it. It is not easy at first. As each victory builds on another you will gain strength and confidence.
Stay strong out there. satan is always trying to make us stumble so he can accuse us before the Father. Jesus is our lawyer in this matter. He will never loose a case.. God Bless and keep your faith simple.
(PS. You may notice that I have some spelling errors in my blog. I do use a spell checking, but I ignore it when spelling satan. I choose to not give any honor to this creature.)
So what do you do?
Stay bedded in the Word of God as much as you can. But there will be times when you slip and fall. It is not a happy time. Believe me. I slipped a lot after I was saved, and I still slip and fall but it is getting easier to deal with it. When it happens it's a lot like being lost in the woods. You got there on your own, but how did it happen? Not to worry. Just think back to your younger days and any outdoors class you may have taken that taught what to do when lost. The number one plan is based on the word stop.
S.T.O.P.
S. Stop! Sit down. Stay calm. Quit moving toward or closer to the sin.
T. Think! Think about the sin you are about to commit. How did you feel the last time you did this sin? Do you really want to repeat this sin again? Do you really want to regret your actions again?
O. Observe! Look around you. Look at the new you God is creating. Remember what God has done for you and will continue to do for you. Jesus said, "I will never leave you or forsake you". He is with you at this moment. Draw on His power.
P. Plan! Have a plan in place. Do you have a someone you are accountable to? Call them and get some encouragement. Or do as Joseph did when tempted by his bosses wife. RUN AWAY!! Get away from the situation as soon as possible.
OK. This may sound too simple. But that's the point. God gives you the power to resist sin. You have to grab hold of it and use it. It is not easy at first. As each victory builds on another you will gain strength and confidence.
Stay strong out there. satan is always trying to make us stumble so he can accuse us before the Father. Jesus is our lawyer in this matter. He will never loose a case.. God Bless and keep your faith simple.
(PS. You may notice that I have some spelling errors in my blog. I do use a spell checking, but I ignore it when spelling satan. I choose to not give any honor to this creature.)
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