The Truth Sometimes Hurts
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 37 – 40 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Romans 1 – 4; Psalms 116 – 118; Proverbs 24)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17
Read the “0824 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” – (Jeremiah 37:17)
“Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.” – (Jeremiah 38:4)
How would you like to have the job that God gave to Jeremiah? He was sent to warn the people of Judah about the imminent invasion from the King of Babylon. He told them that they needed to submit themselves to Nebuchadnezzar because this judgment was of God. He pleaded with King Zedekiah of Judah, and told him that if he would submit to Babylon that it would go well with him and his family and Jerusalem would not have to be destroyed; but he would not listen. So what did Zedekiah and the princes of Judah do? Did they say, “Thank you Jeremiah for loving us enough to tell us the Truth from God?” No, they threw him in prison: a place so filthy that he sunk in the mire.
The day that we live in is not much different. For the most part, people are not interested in the truth. They want preachers who will tell them what they want to hear. The televisions and radios are filled with these messengers who itch the ears. They are hirelings, not true preachers of the Truth. Now, to be honest, there aren’t too many preachers in America being thrown into a miry prison today for their preaching, but I believe that there are many that would like to put us there. It can get very discouraging sometimes, but we must remember that our reward comes not from those that we speak to, but from Whom we speak for. Remember, history bares witness that Jeremiah was right. Men wouldn’t acknowledge it right away, but God rewarded Jeremiah with his freedom and his home, not to mention the crowns that he received in eternity. What happened to the guys that threw him in prison? They were all slain, except for King Zedekiah; but he had his eyes plucked out just after he saw his sons slain.
Preachers, keep preaching to us the Truth. As painful as it may be at times, we need you to tell us what we are not willing to admit to ourselves. It may seem like the people don’t care, but many of them are listening; some might even be listening secretly like Zedekiah was. Keep on delivering the Truth. The Word will not return void.
People, cheer on the man of God as he delivers the Word of God. He loves you and is trying to help you and your family to have the very best from God. The question on your heart everyday ought to be: “is there any word from the Lord?” When you read your Bible and when you go to church, you ought to be hungering for the Word and words of God.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
The Potter’s House
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 18 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 13 – 15; Psalms 91 – 95; Proverbs 19)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11
Read the “0819 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.” – (Jeremiah 18:3-6)
I love this passage of Scripture. The immediate context of this passage is about Israel. God was basically telling Israel (more specifically the southern kingdom of Judah) that though they had blown it and become “marred”, they could be “made again” into another vessel that would give honor and glory to the Lord. Our God is a God of second (and third, and fourth …) chances.
The broader interpretation that we can apply to our lives is that God can also re-mold us. We are also marred people born with a nature that is useless to God. However, God can re-make us into “new creatures” through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. This can only come through the new birth. Consider the following verses:
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – (John 3:3)
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” – (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – (Romans 12:2)
I am excited that God is continuously re-shaping my life into something that He can use for His glory. I am a long way away from the finished product, but I look a whole better than when He found me. Praise the Lord!
It gets even better. While I am being worked on by the Lord, He lets me help Him work on some others. I get to minister the Word of God to the people of God, which is a big part of God’s transformation process. That’s a weird thought isn’t it? God uses marred vessels to help transform other marred vessels.
PS – one more unrelated thought from Jeremiah 22:
“Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.” – (Jeremiah 22:28-30)
If you study the genealogical record of the Lord Jesus from Matthew 1 and Luke 3, you will find that this man Coniah (Jechonia or Jechonias) is listed in Matthew’s list but not Luke’s. The reason for this is simple. Matthew traces the legal lineage of Christ through his adopted father Joseph. Luke’s gospel traces the biological lineage through His mother, Mary. Jesus was the “seed” of Mary, but not the seed of Joseph. Jeremiah prophesied long ago in this passage that anybody that descended biologically from Jechonia would be “disqualified” from being the King of Israel. Any of Joseph’s biological children were disqualified; but Jesus was not Joseph’s biological child. Mary was Jesus’ biological mother, but Mary did not descend from Jechonias. Study it out. It is amazing how accurate our Scripture is.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
The Point of No Return
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 14 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 10 – 12; Psalms 86 – 90; Proverbs 18)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 40:31
Read the “0818 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Then the LORD said to me, ‘Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!’” (Jeremiah 15:1)
In our passage we see that the people of God had passed the point of no return. God said that it did not matter if Moses or Samuel came to intercede on their behalf because they had gotten too far away from Him, and judgement was unavoidable. God had warned them and corrected them previously, but to no avail. They would not receive the correction and they did not heed the warnings. They continued to travel down the road eventually leading them to the point of no return. God was about to bring in the Babylonians as a judgment for the backslidings of Judah.
I wonder how far God will allow America to get away from Him until she gets to the point of no return, where nothing can be done to escape judgment. I wonder how far the Christian can travel down the road of sin before God says, enough is enough. Don’t misunderstand, I am not saying that God will remove a Christian’s salvation if they are genuinely born again; but I am saying that He will eventually get fed up with their rebellion, and will be forced to impose severe chastisement in order to rectify the situation. He may even take the offending Christian home to Heaven prematurely.
Let’s not allow our lives to get so out of control that God says we have passed the point of no return. Let’s keep an open heart, listen daily to His admonitions and exhortations from the Word of God; and heed what He says. Let’s yield to the working of the Spirit of God within us and yield to His will for our lives. I want to be used of Him all of my earthly life. I don’t want to be put on a shelf, or worse, face some sort of terrible judgment. I want to bear fruit that remains in my Christian life. I guess I had better stay close to my Saviour and far away from the point of no return.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
He’s The One and Only
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 44 – 47 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – John 11 – 12; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 55:17
Read the “0809 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this reading passage – “Custom Design“
“Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” – (Isaiah 44:8)
“I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:” – (Isaiah 45:5)
“That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.” – (Isaiah 45:6)
“Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.” – (Isaiah 45:14)
“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” – (Isaiah 45:18)
“Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour;there is none beside me.” – (Isaiah 45:21)
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” – (Isaiah 45:22)
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,” – (Isaiah 46:9)
Did you notice all of the times in Isaiah 44 – 46 that God declares that He is the only God. I really like what God said in Isaiah 44:8 – “I know not any”. If God who is omniscient doesn’t know of any other God, then there isn’t any. If God is the only God, then why are so many people worshipping other “gods”, and even other things. Most people worship themselves, but some worship their children; some their careers; some even worship other people. Their are a myriad of things out there that people bow to, but God is the only One that is worthy of worship, because He is the only true God.
And if He is the only true God, then:
1 His Word is the only truth.
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – (John 17:17)
2 His Way for man’s salvation is the only way to Heaven (see Why Jesus?)
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – (John 14:6)
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” – (Acts 4:12)
3 His Work can only be organized through His Church
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – (Matthew 16:18)
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” – (1 Timothy 3:15)
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Peace
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 24 – 28 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – John 1 – 2; Psalms 16 – 20; Proverbs 4)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:1 – 4
Read the “0804 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9)
Peace is truly a wonderful thing. It is something that everybody desires but very few ever find. The world pays billions of dollars to find it through secular counseling, and even through entertainment, drugs, and alcohol; but those things cannot bring peace. If you were to look up the word “peace” in a dictionary or thesaurus you would find synonyms such as tranquility, contentment, safety, completeness, quietness, health, prosperity. I think that all of these words do well to describe what God was talking about in Isaiah 26:3, and they can only come to the person whose mind (thoughts, focus, and affection) is stayed on the Lord.
Too many Christians today, including myself at times, lack the peace that God wants all of His children to possess, and it is simply because they transfer their focus from God to something else. I tend to dwell on problems and circumstances when I should be focussed on and communicating with the Problem Solver. Life is full of things, people, and situations that draw our minds away from the Lord, but when we lose our focus we also lose our peace. We need to remember that when problems come (and they always do) to bring them to the One who already has the answer. When people hurt us we need to remember that there is One who will never do us wrong, and will always be there for us no matter what happens. God is the answer to every problem and distraction. It isn’t that we shouldn’t think at all about solving problems and restoring relationships, but we should filter all of these situations through Him, and He will give us the wisdom that we need as well as the comfort and strength that we need to endure. Keep your eyes on the Lord.
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Prayer Is First … by Jaxon Erickson
Today’s Passage – Ecclesiastes 9 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 9 – 10; Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 27)
Read the “0727 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22)
Matthew 21:22 talks about how if you believe God, He will answer your prayers. If it’s God’s will, He will give you an answer. It may not be what you are hoping for, but you can trust in God that He will always do what is right.
So keep praying for your family, your friends, your games (in the future), and school tests.
Love you guys. Be safe.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 10 comments.
O Be Careful Little Eyes
Today’s Reading – Psalms 96 – 102 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 9 – 10; Psalms 21 – 25; Proverbs 5)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19
Read the “0705 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read previous posts from this passage – “Enduring to All Generations“, and “Before His Presence“
“I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” (Psalms 101:2-3)
Before I get into my main thought for this morning’s devotion, let me point out that in Psalm 101, David uses the phrase “I will”, or “will I” 9 times. These were very bold, and almost cocky assertions on his part, and I am pretty sure that he failed to keep every one of these promises during the course of his life. He was, as we are, human. I am very careful not to make too many promises about what I will or will not do, because I have been known to break a promise or two in my lifetime as well. However, I do believe that it is good to set up some standards and boundaries in our lives based upon the principles that we are taught in the Word; and we should ask the Lord to help us to maintain them.
In vs. 2 & 3 of this psalm, David determines that he will behave himself wisely, and that he will set no wicked thing before his eyes. In the culture that we live in today, we almost have to put blindfolds on in order to fulfill this promise. There are so many “wicked things” for us to look at. Let’s be honest, you absolutely cannot turn on the television without setting some kind of wicked thing before your eyes. Wickedness is blatantly visible in our culture. To be perfectly frank, I am ashamed to say that I have seen some things in our church that should have never entered into my eyes. Things that were condemned just a few years ago are condoned and even promoted today, and it is getting worse every day. It is impossible for us to interact with this culture without allowing wicked images to enter into our eyes, and then ultimately into our hearts. Yet, we must strive to put some blinders on our physical and spiritual eyes that will keep us from beholding sin and thinking about things that could destroy us spiritually.
In Sunday School we sing a song that says:
“O be careful little eyes what you see,
O be careful little eyes what you see,
For the Father up above is looking down in love,
O be careful little eyes what you see.”
Christian, please be careful. If you have a television, you will need to block much of the programming, and you will have to turn off many of the commercials. The ads are often worse than the shows themselves. Don’t let your children watch the TV unsupervised. There is just way too much poison coming through that box. The Internet is obviously a huge problem also. And, there are many places, like the movies or the beach, that we will need to avoid if we want to keep our eyes from beholding sin.
Let me say a word to you ladies. Please be careful about what you wear, especially in the summer months. Immodest dress can be a big stumblingblock to many men. Job had to make a “covenant” with his eyes not to look upon a maid. I think if he were living today he would have a tough time keeping that promise.
Obviously, I cannot address every application that could be made from these verses in Psalm 101, but I think you get the idea. I understand that we are living in some desperately wicked times, but don’t get swept away by the culture. Don’t just be content to be a little more conservative than the culture, either. Determine to please God with what you allow yourself to see, and also how you behave.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
It Is All According to God’s Plan
Today’s Reading – Ezra 1 – 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Romans 9 – 12; Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 27)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32
Read the “0527 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this morning’s passage – “A Fresh Start“
“(1) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,” (Ezra 1:1)
You may have noticed that Ezra 1:1 & 2 are almost identical to 2 Chronicles 36:22 & 23. Chronicles discusses the history of Israel prior to the captivity, and Ezra continues that history after the Babylonian captivity. We are picking up in Ezra where we left off in 2 Chronicles, but keep in mind that the entire time of the Babylonian captivity is nestled in-between 2 Chronicles and Ezra.
My thought for this morning regards the statement made in Ezra 1:1 – “that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.” Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah prior to and into the beginning years of the Babylonian captivity. He was long gone, however, when Cyrus was the king of Persia and issued the decree to send the Jewish captives back to Jerusalem and to begin work on the Temple.
Jeremiah prophesied that Babylon would be punished and the seventy year captivity would come to an end and the people of God would be permitted to go back to their land:
“(12) And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.” (Jeremiah 25:12)
“(10) For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. (11) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (12) Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. (13) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (14) And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” (Jeremiah 29:10-14)
Isaiah the prophet who also lived prior to the Babylonian captivity and approximately 120 years prior to the time of Cyrus, actually mentions him by name:
“(1) Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;” (Isaiah 45:1)
The point is that God is in full control of the events in our world, and He sometimes lets us know what is going to happen ahead of time. There are no surprises with God. There is nothing that happens that God did not allow as part of His overall sovereign plan.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Obededom – A Doorkeeper for the Lord
Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 13 – 15 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – John 13 – 14; Psalms 51 – 55; Proverbs 11)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2
Read the “0511 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “God’s Will – God’s Way”
“So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had.” – (1 Chronicles 13:13-14)
“And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obededom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.” – (1 Chronicles 15:24)
“For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” – (Psalm 84:10)
My thought this morning comes from chapters 13 and 15 from 1 Chronicles. If you have read those chapter you may have noticed the name Obededom, who was a Levite that housed the ark of the Lord for three months. The background to the story is complicated, but basically what had happened was that the ark of God had been taken in previous years by the Philistines in a battle they fought with Israel. The Philistines received the judgment of God because of it, so they returned it to Israel. For years the ark remained in Kirjath-jearim, but when David became king he wanted to bring the ark to Jerusalem. His first attempt to bring the ark back resulted in tragedy. David put the ark on a cart, which was not according to the commandment of God, as the ark was to be transported solely by the Levites, and was to be carried with staves (poles) on their shoulders. On this first attempt trip to bring the ark back on the cart, one of the drivers touched the ark in order to steady it, and the man (Uzza) was immediately struck down by God. Nobody was to touch the ark of God. This is where Obededom comes in. Apparently his home was nearby, and since he was a Levite David brought the ark to his house for storage until he could figure out what went wrong. The ark stayed with Obededom for several months, and God blessed the house of Obededom. When the ark was later moved the right way to Jerusalem, Obededom went with it and became a doorkeeper in the house of God.
Odededom was a faithful servant of the Lord who was willing to do whatever was necessary in order to serve his Lord. His job as a doorkeeper was certainly not a high visibility position. He wasn’t asked to speak to large crowds of people, and he was not in the spotlight; yet, he faithfully served his Lord. We need more men like Obededom; more doorkeepers. We need men and women who will be willing to serve the Lord, and be content with not receiving the accolades of men, but knowing also that their labor was not in vain as far as God was concerned. I appreciate the men and women at our church that do the things that people tend not to notice, but are very important and necessary for the cause of Christ to move forward.
Note – for more information on the ark of the covenant see Exodus 25 and Numbers 3. For more information on the taking of the ark by the Philistines see 1 Samuel 4 and 5.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Chronicles by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Driving Out the Inhabitants … by Dawn E. Foster
Today’s Passage – Joshua 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Titus 1 – 3; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
Read the “0317 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post on this passage – “Get to Work“
Borders are set to define an area. To keep things in, and to keep things out. They define a starting and ending point. Borders define countries, our yards, our way of life. These boundaries not only define physical space, but also sin.
God commanded the people to drive out the inhabitance of the lot that was given to them for their inheritance. Drive out meaning completely ridding them out of their borders. Yet in Joshua 17:12 we see that “the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities;”. In the next verse, verse 13 we read that they “did not utterly drive them out.” All the bells and whistles in our heads are going off at this point. Get them out! Hello!!!!! This is going to be a huge problem! God said get them out plain and simple so do it!
It is funny how we can easily identify this, yet in our own lives we let sin fester. Just like the children of Manasseh let the inhabitants stay in the land, we do the same with sin. It’s ok if I do (fill in the blank) because it’s a gray area. We make a justification. Well…. the Bible doesn’t clearly define if it’s right or wrong. It’s ok if I drink because the Bible says don’t get drunk… so as long as I don’t lose my mind I’m fine to do it. It’s ok if…. little by little we slowly make another justification… we let one sin stay, then another. We let the sliver stay in our finger because we don’t want to deal with the immediate pain that would be caused if we would just pull it out. So, it festers… and gets infected. Suddenly the one “it’s ok if I do” thing because a major separation from the Lord. We become consumed with living with the sin because maybe it’s easier. Maybe because everyone is doing it. We keep it because the world does it so it can’t be so bad… right? Wrong.
Sin will dim our eyes so we will not notice that we are not seeing clearly. We will not understand why we start to struggle. We won’t see that our walk with the Lord is drifting farther and farther off the straight and narrow. We become part of the world because everyone is doing it.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:15 – 17)
Until we drive out the inhabitants we cannot be right with God. We won’t see how dark it is in our lives until we turn the lights on. God gives another warning in Numbers 33:55: “But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.”
Child of God, if you are justifying sin get on your knees. Cry out to the Lord. Get in your Bible. Talk to your Pastor or Pastor’s wife. Get right, and drive out those inhabitances in your life.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.