The Will of God: Part VI

I think today I will just focus on three scriptures. I will have to find a new way to find more for tomorrow, or maybe I will study out something else tomorrow... I guess tomorrow I will decide then, should God bless me with tomorrow.
1st Samuel 2:17-26
This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD's sight, for they were treating the LORD's offering with contempt.

But Samuel was ministering before the LORD -a boy wearing a linen ephod. Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the LORD give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the LORD." Then they would go home. And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.

Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the LORD's people. If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the LORD's will to put them to death.

And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.

Isaiah 53:6-12

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Ephesians 5:1-21

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

OK, these are the scriptures. Tomorrow I will make comments on the scriptures. Johnny Out.

Back to Home

The Will of God: Part V

Monday... the fifth installment of the Will of God study. I will put together a notes post at the end of this study. I just like all the information that this study has provided me.
Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Isaiah 58:8 (New King James Version)

I guess this is how God says "I've got your back."

1st Peter 2:13-17

Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

It is God's will that:

• Doing good silences foolish men.
• I live as free men.
• I live as a servant of God.
• I show PROPER respect to everyone.
• I love the brothers and sisters of the church.
• I fear God.
• I honor the king (President Bush, not Elvis).

Proper: timaō (pronounced: tim-ah'-o)

• To prize, that is, fix a valuation upon; by implication to revere: - honour, value.
• To estimate, fix the value; for the value of something belonging to one’s self.
• To honour, to have in honour, to revere, venerate.

1st Peter 3:13-18a

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

It is better to suffer while doing good, than to suffer while doing evil. Christ died for all, the righteous and the unrighteous.

1st Peter 4:12-19
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"

So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

It is the will of God that suffering for Christ is a blessing. It is also God's will that there should be no shame associated with suffering for Christ.

James 4:13-17
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

It is God's will that I live on tomorrow and the next day. It is God's will to boast about Godly things and not about worldly things, for no thing is gauranteed.

I will have to dig some more. I think I am running our of passages. Anyway, Johnny Out.

Back to Home

The War Within - Part VII

June 16th, 2007

The War Within – Part VII

I can make decisions to do wrong:
• I can tear down road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it isn’t as difficult.

I can make decisions to do right:
• I can put up road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it is difficult.

First: There is a wall to keep OUT sin and a wall to keep IN sin.
Second: There is a stumbling block to PREVENT sin and a stumbling block as a CONSEQUENCE to sin.

Stumbling Block (noun):
Mikshôl (pronounced mik-shole')
• A stumbling block, literally or figuratively (obstacle, enticement (specifically an idol, scruple): caused to fall, offence, nothing offered, ruin, stumbling-block. (Strong’s)
• A stumbling, means or occasion of stumbling, stumbling block (stumbling, fall, means or occasion of stumbling, stumbling block) – (BDB)

This is what was used in Ezekiel 3. God put up a stumbling block after the person has done evil. That’s how I am reading it, although I am not sure this is entirely right. I would think that the Ezekiel 3 is the “consequence” stumbling block. 2nd Corinthians 6 is the “preventing sin” stumbling block.

Now, the above is from Part VI, and I am finally going to continue to this series. After some thought on this subject of “Stumbling Blocks”, I now believe that a stumbling block can serve two purposes. It will be a combination of the first and second above. For example, it can serve to keep out and prevent sin. It can also keep sin in and serve as a consequence. I don’t think it would really keep in sin and prevent it at the same time… unless it is like to keep it in something, like a safe guard, to prevent it. Like a wall to keep it contained away from something, thus preventing sin.

I just want to add that my wife convicted my socks right off today. She’s studying the Bible with a friend of hers and she shared some things with me that convicted her. It had the same effect on me. I’ll try to get her to put it in writing (at least in some form), and then I will post it here.

Anyway, ever feel like the walls are closing in on you? That everywhere you turn, there is temptation?

2nd Samuel 22:29-31
You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”

God can help you scale a wall. He can overcome temptation. And what tools has God given to overcome temptation? How does God put up the right kind of “road-blocks” even in the most difficult challenges?

First off, this scripture:
1st Corinthians 10:12-13
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

How about the Johnny Ray street-language version? “So, if you think you are all good, be sure not to get pig headed. Nothing enticing has happened to you except what happens everyday to everyone. God is faithful, however, and will not so much on your plate that you can’t handle it righteously. But when you become enticed, God will have a way for you survive it righteously so that you won’t sin.” It’s not an official translation, but when I read it in the NIV, this is how it actually enters my brain. It’s how I understand it.

God allows Satan to put up sinful road-blocks (or as I have called them before “Billboards”), but God also makes sure that these type of road-blocks can be overcome. How???

Matthew 26:40-41
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Mark 14:37-38
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Luke 20:39-40, 45-46
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

The only way that I have found thus far is that prayer gives strength to overcome the temptations that Satan’s road-blocks bring. And of course, the Bible says to pray continually (all the time!). I guess that’s it on road-blocks. Johnny Out.

The War Within – Part VI

May 28th, 2007

The War Within – Part VI

I can make decisions to do wrong:
• I can tear down road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it isn’t as difficult.

I can make decisions to do right:
• I can put up road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it is difficult.

The issue is road blocks that help or hurt. It’s good to have accountability. It is also good to the right heart about things. And let’s face it, it isn’t easy to have the “perfect” heart all the time, so when the heart takes a downward slide, albeit in the momentary lapse of weakness, it is wonderful to have a road block and accountability to help save what would be a horrible situation.

Ephesians 2:11-22
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men) - remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Proverbs 18:10-12
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an un-scalable wall. Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

Ecclesiastes 10:8
Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

Isaiah 30:12-14
Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says: “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern.”

Psalm 69:21-23
They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.

Romans 11:7-10
What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.” And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”

Ezekiel 3:20-21
“Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”

2nd Corinthians 6:3-10
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Now, this is a ton of scriptures… all great stuff! God puts up stumbling blocks for me, you, everyone, and that’s good. But with all these scriptures, walls and stumbling blocks, I think this is going to take a great deal of thought. I gather that there are two walls and two types of stumbling blocks.

First: There is a wall to keep OUT sin and a wall to keep IN sin.
Second: There is a stumbling block to PREVENT sin and a stumbling block as a CONSEQUENCE to sin.

I’ll be honest, I am not sure I know how to even explain it all to myself, much less to whoever reads this…

I will make an effort, however. Ezekiel 3 speaks of a stumbling block put up by God himself. The Hebrew is as defined:

Stumbling Block (noun):
Mikshôl (pronounced mik-shole')
• A stumbling block, literally or figuratively (obstacle, enticement (specifically an idol, scruple): - caused to fall, offence, no-thing offered, ruin, stumbling-block. (Strong’s)
• A stumbling, means or occasion of stumbling, stumbling block (stumbling, fall, means or occasion of stumbling, stumbling block) – (BDB)

This is what was used in Ezekiel 3. God put up a stumbling block after the person has done evil. That’s how I am reading it, although I am not sure this is entirely right. I would think that the Ezekiel 3 is the “consequence” stumbling block. 2nd Corinthians 6 is the “preventing sin” stumbling block.

I tell you what… I am going to post this, and I will repost it again tomorrow once I’ve studied more and prayed more about it all… but that post will just be the additions. I guess I should title it PART VII… yeah, that’s what I will do. Johnny Out.

The War Within - Part V

May 18th, 2007

The War Within – Part V

I can make decisions to do wrong:

• If I want to do wrong, I can and sometimes will go out of my way to make it happen.

I can make decisions to do right:

• If I want to do right, I can and sometimes should go out of my way to make it happen.

May 18th, 2007

Mark 7:20-23
He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”

See, the battle to do right or wrong comes within a person, being evil thoughts, deceit, and everything else in the scripture above. We know what a thought is and what evil is (or at least I would hope so…), so I am going to define deceit from the dictionary and Greek to grasp a larger picture.

Deceit (noun):

• The quality of being fraudulent.
• A misleading falsehood.
• Deliberate and misleading concealment, false declaration, or artifice.
• A stratagem; a trick.
• concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading; duplicity; fraud; cheating

Deceive (verb):

• To mislead by a false appearance or statement; delude.
• To cause to believe what is not true; mislead.
• To give a false impression.
• Be false to; be dishonest with.
• Cause someone to believe an untruth.
• To cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid.

Synonyms: cozen, dupe, fool, gull, hoodwink, trick, defraud, outwit, entrap, ensnare, betray, fraud, misrepresentation, deception, insincere, disingenuous, false, hollow, designing, wily.

Deceit (Noun):

Dolos (pronounced dol'-os):

• Meaning to decoy; a trick (bait), that is, (figuratively) wile: - craft, deceit, guile, subtlety. (Strong’s)
• Craft, deceit, guile. (Thayer)

Leviticus 19:11
“‘Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.’”

It sounds simple enough. And yet it happens. People prance around not wanting to deceive anyone, to not steal or lie, and yet it happens day in and day out. We had a President who slept with a woman, or at the least, committed sexual acts with her, and then he lied about it. That was Clinton. The “best president ever”, as some would say, slept around with a woman, he would even sneak out of the Whitehouse to do so, and the people were deceived about his actions. And both of these men sported themselves as devout Christians. I’m just pointing out that whether I have an important high class status with a good deal of money or a low class status with a little deal of money, the opportunity is always there to deceive and lie.

Proverbs 14:5
A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.

Proverbs 24:28-29
Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, or use your lips to deceive. Do not say, "I'll do to him as he has done to me; I'll pay that man back for what he did."

Obadiah 1:2-7
“See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.

“If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night, (Oh, what a disaster awaits you) would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged! All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it.”

Genesis 4:1-7
Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

What is right? Not the opposite of left, right, but the right as in doing it God’s way right.

Right (verb):
Yâṭab (pronounced yaw-tab'):

• To be (causatively) make well, literally (sound, beautiful) or figuratively (happy, successful, right): - be accepted, amend, use aright, benefit, be (make) better, seem best, make cheerful, be comely, be content, diligent (diligently), dress, earnestly, find favor, give, be glad, do (be, make) good (-ness), be (make) merry, please (please well), show more kindness, skillfully, surely, make sweet, thoroughly, tire, trim, very, be (can, deal, entreat, go, have) well said, seen. (Strong’s)

Romans 13:1-7

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

If I do right, my demeanor will show it - I will not be downcast, I will be commended by God and I will not have any fear exhibited in my nature. If I do wrong, my demeanor may show and I will be downcast, if ever be it so slightly. I will have everything to be afraid of, the sword and captivation by my sinful nature. My heart will have me decieved, so that I will be susceptible to deceptions from others, especially my friends. There are plenty of other consequences to the wrong side of things... but I will address those (maybe) in another edition of the War Within. Johnny Out.

The War Within – Part IV

February 17th, 2007

The War Within – Part IV

I can make decisions to do wrong:

• I can create actions to feed those decisions.

I can make decisions to do right:

• I can create actions to feed those decisions.

I can do something and feed whatever I do to create a world in my mind that says that it is right. The Bible talks about this and I will get into that in a minute, but before I do there are some words to consider:

Delusion (noun):

• A fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact

Self-Deception (noun):

• The act of deceiving oneself or the state of being deceived by oneself

Ignis Fatuus (noun):

• Something that misleads or deludes; an illusion
• (Also called a “Jack-O’-Lantern” and “will-o’-the-wisp”)

Galatians 6:1-10
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

February 23rd, 2007

Proverbs 16:33 says “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”

April 7th, 2007

This is a perfect time to pick this one back up. I'm taking this Marriage Dynamics class and have really learned about myself. And being that this has been about as tough a time for me and my health, I could make about a mountain of excuses as to why I shouldn't and blah, blah, blah... but the fact is, I'm a liar. I'm not a born liar, which is good. I'm not chronic. But I have lied about certain things, to protect myself (from being caught IE: getting out of trouble) and my wife (or so I thought). I've repented from these actions.

I'll be honest here. I'm not exactly sure what my thoughts were six weeks ago, when this one was started. But I will tell you this, I'll do the best I can to figure it out. So I will look at this:

Psalm 12:1-4

Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, "We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips - who is our master?"

OK, I think I figured out what I was thinking from before... so work with me. In Galations, it talks about being delusioned, self-deception, and Ignis Fatuus. How is this? When someone decieves themself, they are delusioned. They are a self-decieved. There is something in their life that is a Ignis Fatuus or misleading them, thus that person is on the wrong track. But as Galations says: the "one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." And that would be the difference between the two. I can make wrong decisions and support them. I can make right decisions and support them. The wrong ones, I would be self-decieved. The right ones I wouldn't. So what's the choice? RIGHT!!!

The War With - Part III

February 16th, 2007

The War Within – Part III

I think at this point, I need to start expounding on the points of the right and wrong. Here’s what I said previously:

I can make decisions to do wrong:

• I can create actions to feed those decisions.
• If I want to do wrong, I can and sometimes will go out of my way to make it happen.
• I can tear down road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it isn’t as difficult.
• I can put people in my life to reinforce my wrongful decisions.

I can make decisions to do right:

• I can create actions to feed those decisions.
• If I want to do right, I can and sometimes should go out of my way to make it happen.
• I can put up road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it is difficult.
• I can put people in my life to reinforce my rightful actions, should I need encouragement.

How is this whole war set up? It’s not as easy as it sounds. There’s a part that wants to do the right thing, and a part that wants to do the wrong thing. Both fight each other within me, you, everyone really and it influences the decisions that are made on a weekly, daily, even a minute by minute basis.

Romans 7:11-25 (NIV)
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.

For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

You know, I’ve had this passage “pounded” into me at CR. And I’ve CR grads say that they can recite this passage. And they say it with a glossed look in their eye… and that is unfortunate, because it is the Bible. The Bible is the Bible. And even though I have, regrettably been at one point in my life one of the guilty ones with the very same look, I have heard and read this passage “a million times”. I still need it a million more.

Romans 7:11-25 (NCV)
Sin found a way to fool me by using the command to make me die. So the law is holy, and the command is holy and right and good. Does this mean that something that is good brought death to me? No! Sin used something that is good to bring death to me. This happened so that I could see what sin is really like; the command was used to show that sin is very evil. We know that the law is spiritual, but I am not spiritual since sin rules me as if I were its slave. I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate. And if I do not want to do the hated things I do, that means I agree that the law is good. But I am not really the one who is doing these hated things; it is sin living in me that does them. Yes, I know that nothing good lives in me -- I mean nothing good lives in the part of me that is earthly and sinful. I want to do the things that are good, but I do not do them. I do not do the good things I want to do, but I do the bad things I do not want to do. So if I do things I do not want to do, then I am not the one doing them. It is sin living in me that does those things. So I have learned this rule: When I want to do good, evil is there with me. In my mind, I am happy with God's law. But I see another law working in my body, which makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other law working in my body is the law of sin, and it makes me its prisoner. What a miserable man I am! Who will save me from this body that brings me death? I thank God for saving me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So in my mind I am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful self I am a slave to the law of sin.

I totally dig this translation. I find switching between the NIV and NCV, I can really get a good feel for what the scripture is saying. And if I want to see it for myself, I can go to the Greek and Hebrew dictionaries and come up with my own conclusions, but I do not always have the time for that type of study.

With sin, there is a slave and master relationship. If I am a slave to sin, then sin becomes the master over me. It rules me. Genesis 4, it says that I should rule over sin. That is the type of relationship God wants me to have with sin, with me ruling over the relationship with sin, not the other way around.

What comes into play at the end of the passage, Christ comes to rescue me from sin. He frees me from the bondage. Now that I am free, it doesn’t mean that temptation will be gone, it doesn’t say that at all, but in fact it says that despite wanting to do good things, the body is wanting to do the bad things. It is a power struggle with right and wrong. It says that temptation will be there. Temptation and struggles will come, probably in all shapes and sizes. And when will the temptations come? Isn’t that just a brilliant question… I’d like to know, for sure.

Anyway, I’ll knock down part IV soon. I’m really liking this study. Johnny Out.

The War Within – Part II

February 6th, 2007

The War Within – Part II

The procedure went well. I am in pain, but it is in my back. I will also give a bit of a warning: I am typing under medication and fatigue (which usually happens most of the time anyway… but still) so I may not have a great flow with my words. Any questions, feel free to contact me back, and I will do what I can to answer.

There is a battle between good and evil. It is true. I believe it. And actually, the battle wages within my conscience, within my mind in what decisions I make each day. I recently had this thought and have been rolling it around in my head:

I can make decisions to do wrong:

• I can create actions to feed those decisions.
• If I want to do wrong, I can and sometimes will go out of my way to make it happen.
• I can tear down road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it isn’t as difficult.
• I can put people in my life to reinforce my wrongful decisions.

Now, check this out.

I can make decisions to do right:

• I can create actions to feed those decisions.
• If I want to do right, I can and sometimes should go out of my way to make it happen.
• I can put up road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it is difficult.
• I can put people in my life to reinforce my rightful actions, should I need encouragement.

Genesis 4:6-7
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

Genesis 4:6-7 (JRV)
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do what is wrong, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

I just made a slight change there… to just put in a “light” that matches more with what I am talking about above. Here is a version of the Bible I have been reading lately. It’s the New Century Version…

Genesis 4:6-7
The Lord asked Cain, "Why are you angry? Why do you look so unhappy? If you do things well, I will accept you, but if you do not do them well, sin is ready to attack you. Sin wants you, but you must rule over it."

So, there has to be a “master” and “rule” over sin. What does that really entail? It may seen straight forward, but sometimes things can get a little jumbled up over time, words misused, thus the dictionary gets a little longer, and before you know it, “gay” went from being happy and having a good time, to being a descriptive of someone’s sex life.

Let’s see… I must master sin.

Master (verb):

• To overcome or defeat.

Now, I must rule over sin.

Rule (verb – used with object):

• To control or direct; exercise dominating power, authority, or influence over; govern.
• To decide or declare judicially or authoritatively; decree.
• To be superior or preeminent in (a specific field or group); dominate by superiority; hold sway over.

This is extremely important. I think the “rule over” knocks it home. Without master, thought the picture wouldn’t be there, either. I have to defeat sin and exercise DOMINATING power over the sin. How does that compare to addiction? Well, I think I will dig more into that later. I’m really feeling “it”, so I’m going to crash. Johnny Out.

The War Within – Part I

February 5th, 2007

The War Within – Part I

I want to first start off talking about Hope. There is one hope: just one. You can hope for a new car, better finances, leg pain to go away, and all of these may seem good and well on the surface. But the thing is, these all have ties back to some worldly issue. They really do. The car just goes without saying. Finances really go into the car, which is worldly possessions. The leg pain, which I suffer from today, maybe not tomorrow, is a little bit trickier. Pain and discomfort cause reliance on something, hopefully on God, but it can lead to reliance on other things, such as drugs, relationships (pure or not so pure and real or not so real), and things that I can not think of right at this moment. I have studied a great deal on hope and I thought I had it figured out until Sunday. Marvin gave a brilliant message and things clicked in my head and pieces of the puzzle began to suddenly fit together in a light I didn’t see before.

There is one hope. To put it in plain English, the hope has to be getting to heaven to be with Christ. If the hope is not that, then it really isn’t a hope with a proper foundation, thus making it a worldly based hope. If I hope that my pain goes away? That would be worldly hope, not Godly hope. If I loose my hope, I am saying I have lost sight in going to heaven.

Psalm 97:2
Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Clouds and thick darkness surround him. Darkness is the absence of light and light is considered righteous.

John 11:9-10
Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light."

1st John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

There are two lights. One light is the light of the world and the second is the spiritual light, God’s light. The world’s light is a stumbling block, it causes frustration, despair, and it is where arguments are born. God’s light isn’t that way. It is focused on others instead of me. This light shines in a way that wants to have fellowship with one another (that’s what it says). I believe that in Psalm 97:2, the clouds and darkness are the absence of light, and the righteousness and justice happens when the “light is turned on”, per se.

I am going to turn on the light on this study in more detail tomorrow, God willing, after I regain some focus after the “procedure”. Who knows but God if I will feel better and be discomfort free? Johnny Out.