Escape for your life!

Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” – The angels (Gen. 19:17)

Don’t linger on the border of sin. Escape for you life into the loving arms of Jesus.

My Bones Grew Old

“When I kept silent, my bones grew old, Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.” – Psa. 32:3-4

Here’s what happens when we don’t confess sin.

Forgiven, Covered, Not Imputed

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.” – Psa. 32:1-2

Sin is forgiven, covered, and not imputed (not counted against).

Convict the World Regarding Sin

And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment” – John 16:8

Where the Holy Spirit is, there will always be deep conviction of sin.

“It is His special office to convict of sin. 

He shows the exceeding holiness of God. 

He teaches the exceeding corruption and infirmity of our nature. 

He strips us of our blind self-righteousness. 

He opens our eyes to our awful guilt, folly and danger. 

He fills the heart with sorrow, contrition, and abhorrence for sin–as the abominable thing which God hates. 

He who knows nothing of all this, and saunters carelessly through life, thoughtless about sin, and indifferent and unconcerned about his soul–is a dead man before God! He has not the Holy Spirit.” – J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)

You Hate All Workers of Iniquity

You hate all workers of iniquity!” – Psa. 5:5

In case you were told sin is not that big of a deal.

God Is a Consuming Fire

“Our God is a consuming fire!” – Heb. 12:29

In case you were told sin is not that big of a deal.

Sinners Coming Near Jesus

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near Jesus to listen to Him.” – Luke 15:1

Sinners were drawn to Jesus.

Until Sin Be Bitter

Until sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet. – Thomas Watson, “Doctrine of Repentance,” 1668.

Stop Punishing Yourself

penalty box

In hockey & soccer there is a penalty box. Its the area where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty for an offence. Get this: sometimes it is called the “sin bin,” or “the bad box.”

Don’t we think that when we sin we need to put ourselves in the “penalty box?” That way we can “pay for it?” Then after a little while, we get out of the penalty box, and go to God so He can forgive us? Folks, that’s the opposite of the Gospel.

Stop punishing yourself! You cannot pay for your sins & save yourself! If you could, Jesus died for nothing (Gal. 2:21).

Paul said the sin he doesn’t want to do, he keeps doing and the things that he should do, he doesn’t do: sound familiar? It should. Romans 7 is the inner-struggle each & every one  of us face.

“Recognizing your weakness drives you TO GOD immediately, not AWAY FROM HIM.” – Paul Washer

Instead of thinking that God is mad at us for committing the same sin over and over, focus on His unending kindness. This is what actually leads to repentance (Romans 2:4).

The focus is not what you are doing, but rather what Jesus has already done for you! Its not about YOU, its about HIM.

If we could truly embrace this concept we could get out of our self-imposed penalty boxes and run back into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father.

 

Insights from Proverbs 6

hot coals

Insights from Proverbs 6 for the 6th:

Verses 16-19 is where we get the “7 Deadly Sins” (Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed, & Sloth). Although that exact phrase is not specifically used (it was actually coined by a 4th Century monk) and those specific sins are not exactly listed, here is where the basic idea comes from.

There are 6 things the Lord hates, 7 that He detests:

  • haughty eyes (arrogance)
  • a lying tongue
  • hands that shed innocent blood
  • a heart that devises wicked schemes
  • feet that are quick to rush into evil
  • a false witness who pours out lies
  • and a person who stirs up conflict in the community

“Detests” is a pretty serious word choice: He abhors them. What do you think? Maybe write these down and avoid them.

Solomon bookends these abominations with warnings against Folly & even more warnings against Adultery: these are 2 recurring snares when it comes to humanity. Could it be that he’s trying to tell us something?

He gives some absurd examples: If you put flames on your lap, don’t be surprised when your pants are on fire. If you walk across hot coals, don’t be surprised when your feet get scorched. The same goes with sleeping with another’s spouse; there are going to be consequences and they are going to hurt.

Jealousy makes everyone crazy. When they find out about the affair: they’re gonna flip out. Nothing will stop them.

Common sense, right? Solomon says the one who commits adultery has no sense.

I’ve heard the statistic that 50% of marriages end in divorce. The most common reason is infidelity. I’m not sure if that stat is true, but I do know that this is true: marriage is under attack! The enemy wants us to believe that marriage isn’t important, its not sacred, and we don’t need to be good stewards of the family God has entrusted to us.

The opposite is actually true! Husbands, keep your marriage sacred! Protect it! Be ever-diligent!

The enemy is setting specially-designed traps just for you and me.

If this blessed you, please Like & Share!


Ref: http://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/what-are-seven-deadly-sins