“‘Am I the one they are hurting?’ asks the LORD. ‘Most of all they hurt themselves, to their shame.’”
Jeremiah 7:19
Idolatry… yes, once again we are confronted with the people of Judah who committed the act of idolatry. They were making sacrificial fires and cakes to Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility (Jeremiah 7:18); and they poured out liquid offerings before this false god.
Is it any wonder why God was infuriated? God was so infuriated He had told Jeremiah, “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you,” (Jeremiah 7:16). God was not looking the other way. He saw they were breaking His commandment not to have any other gods before Him. They were to love God with all their heart. Instead, the people of Judah had hearts filled with unfaithfulness towards God. In other words, they were being disloyal towards God.
In sinning against God, disregarding His commands, and turning away from Him, they were hurting themselves. Isaiah 59:2 says this: “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.” By committing the act of idolatry, they had committed spiritual suicide. They had cut themselves off from the Wellspring of Life, the Source of Strength, their Deliverer. They turned away from the Almighty Everlasting God.
Before we judge the people of Judah harshly, we need to look at ourselves. Are we being unfaithful to God in any way that would cause Him to look away from us?
Let’s go further. The purpose of the sacrificial system God put in place was not to please Him. The purpose of the sacrifices to be made would make the people recognize their sin, cause them to repent, and to refocus them back to living for God. The purpose of the sacrificial system was to spur the people on, to encourage them to take joy in obeying God.
In this passage of Scripture, the sacrifices the people of Judah were doing before God dishonored Him because they were doing the sacrifices out of duty and obligation, not out of love or wholehearted devotion to Him. They were making sacrifices to the goddess Ishtar while they were also making sacrifices to God. They had turned away from God, disregarding His command not to have any other gods before Him.
Remember this: God DOES NOT conform to our will and our ways. We MUST conform to what God wills and desires. God is to have first place in our lives. He will not share His glory with another, and He is not sharing first place in our lives with anything or anyone else. Either God is God in our life, or He is not.
Let’s choose Life by choosing God because He is life. He is the Giver of Life. He is the One who sustains us, and He alone is worthy of all the glory and praise. Think of all that He has done for You. Let’s bring honor to His name by walking in obedience after Him. Let’s walk uprightly with undivided hearts, giving Him first place in our lives. Whatever it is that we need to remove to progress in our relationship with Him, then let’s remove it and press on. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need,” Matthew 6:33.
Heavenly Father, You are still on the throne, and You are still sovereign. You are Lord, and You are Master. You are faithful and true. You know all things from beginning to the end. Nothing is hidden from Your sight, and everything is exposed before You. You, O God, truly know the depths of our heart. Father, when we walk away from You, we are only hurting ourselves. We are sorry for our wrongful ways and sinful attitudes before You. Lord, forgive us for our sins, and we ask that You cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let us not be as the people of Judah but let us remember that You alone must have first place in our lives and that You will not share Your glory with another. Remind us that we are to conform to Your will and to Your ways. Give us the wisdom and the insight to understand that sin separates us from You. Help us to understand that You do not tolerate sin, that we are to be holy as You are holy. Give us the strength to remain steadfast in You. Time is short, Father God, and the return of Christ is nearer than it ever has been. There is no time to straddle the fence, and You do not play games. Lord, let us be living sacrifices before You that are pleasing and honorable in Your sight. Use us to bring glory to Your name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Linda A. Knowles
“Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the LORD. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.” -Joshua 7:13
Years ago, I was talking with someone who said this, “Linda, I know I’m going to Hell. What is the point of me serving God when I want to do what I want to do? If I serve God, then I can’t do what I want.” I sat there in complete silence. “I know I’m going to Hell…If I serve God, then I can’t do what I want.” What could I have said? We had already talked about heaven and hell. We had already talked about what the Bible had to say about life of sin the person was in. Yet there was that statement, “If I serve God, then I can’t do what I want.” I left the person’s house that day shaking my head. There was nothing more I could say. The person chose misery over living for God. The person chose death and destruction over eternal life. That person to this day, years later, is still locked in a life of sin, believing their sin is okay in the eyes of God.
Sin of any kind is detestable in the eyes of God. Like the Israelites, until sin is removed from our life, we will be defeated. We cannot be steeped in sin and expect God to work on our behalf to give us victory.
The Lord had given a command to Joshua just before they went in to conquer Jericho, “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury,” (Joshua 6:18-19). Achan, however, decided to disobey the command the LORD gave through Joshua. In chapter 7, the Israelites went to conquer the city of Ai and got defeated because sin was found in the camp. Achan had the things devoted for destruction including things that were to be brought into the Lord’s treasury. He hid them under his tent. His sin didn’t just affect him. The results of his sin cost the Israelites victory in conquering the city of Ai. Joshua and the elders fell on their face before God because they were defeated at the battle of Ai. That is when God said this, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction,” (Joshua 7:10-12).
What is in your camp (life, heart) that needs to be removed? When we speak about consecration to God, we are speaking about being set aside for His service. We are speaking about being made holy. We are talking about being sanctified. It is essential for us to understand God is absolute perfection. He is holy, and He says, “Be holy for I am holy.” He doesn’t command us to do the impossible. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing. However, in Christ, we are given all we need to live holy lives for the Lord.
The Lord gave a specific command in Joshua 7:13, “Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the LORD. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.” The Israelites needed to purge their encampment of sin. They needed to go before God and purify themselves. They needed to set themselves apart for service for God. Achan’s sin affected him, the nation, and his clan. Once the sin was confessed, the sin was purged from the camp. Achan and his family paid the consequences of Achan’s sin: death. His sin brought death and destruction to his family. After Achan and his family were put to death, Joshua and the Israelites went to battle the city of Ai again and were victorious. They conquered Ai.
We would do well to learn from Achan and not hide sin that may be in our life.
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness,” (1 John 1:9). When we confess our sins before God, we can trust and know He will forgive us. We can know and trust that He is Yahweh M’Kaddesh, the Lord Who Sanctifies. Though God’s mercies are new every morning and His compassion never fails, we are never, never, never to take advantage of God’s mercy and grace.
When King David had repented before God, he stated this, “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me,” (Psalm 51:7-11). God doesn’t reject a broken spirit or a contrite heart that comes before Him in genuine repentance and humility. When we consecrate ourselves before God, we are coming out from amongst them. We are separating ourselves apart for His service. Before God, we must make a decision.
Will we consecrate ourselves before Him? Will we rend our hearts before Him? Will we live for Him in wholehearted devotion and in service to Him? Will we allow ourselves to be used by Him in whatever capacity He chooses? Choose you this day whom you will serve.
We are a Royal Priesthood. First Peter 2:9 states, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” Since we are a royal priesthood, we must go before God and consecrate ourselves before Him. When we consecrate ourselves before God, we empty ourselves before Him; in other words, we pour ourselves out before Him.
I cannot stress this enough: holiness and worldliness do NOT mix. You cannot be a friend of God and a friend of the world. The foundation of our lives must be built on Christ. He is the Solid Rock, and there is no other. We cannot escape from Him. He is the Fountain of Living Water. He is the Manna (Bread) of Heaven. And He is more than enough. We cannot speak about being consecrated to God without discussing holiness. When we consecrate ourselves to God, we are literally giving ourselves over to His service. We are pouring ourselves out before God just as the woman with the alabaster jar did when she broke the bottle of nard over Jesus. We consecrate ourselves to God in complete abandonment.
Linda A. Knowles
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” -Matthew 23: 27-28
The word “whitewash” absolutely fascinates me. It means to cover up, to camouflage, to gloss over, and to sugarcoat. Whitewash is also a form of paint that is made up of slaked lime powder, chalk, water, and other ingredients. The ornate buildings found in a cemetery are whitewashed tombs. The whitewashed tombs are filled the bones of those who have passed on.
In this passage of Scripture, Jesus likens the Religious Leaders and the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs. In other words, they looked wonderful in the outer appearance. They followed the law in the presence of people. They were dressed beautifully in their long flowing robes. They followed all the religious ceremonial laws, and yet they were practicing a life of sin behind closed doors. They had hidden sins, and Jesus was calling them out on their hidden sins. So whatever sins they believed they had concealed were exposed by Jesus.
Isaiah 29:15 states, “‘Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, ‘Who sees us?’ and, ‘Who knows us?’” The people of Jerusalem were concealing their evil behavior. Having to conceal their wicked behavior clearly indicated they knew they had sinned. They kept continuing to practice a life of sin. They convinced themselves to believe that God did not see or know what they were doing. The people of Jerusalem also were trying to conceal their true intentions and motives from the Lord. Before we are harsh in our thinking towards the people of Jerusalem, we are not that much different in today’s churches.
“Those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD” is a description of one who attempts to cover and conceal his or her actual intentions for evil. Outwardly, they come across as sincere. Their appearance may look good. Their speech may be influential and convincing. They may even sound credible. The problem is that those who conceal their sins or their double life are filled with dead men bones. Their fake displays of piety, going through the motions, and presenting themselves as men or women of God are the whitewashing of the tombs that contain the bones of dead men. Inwardly, the foulness of pretense and hypocrisy is the stench behind the doors of the whitewashed tombs (evildoers, hypocrites, deceivers, liars, and the like). We have the capability of deceiving ourselves that God does not see or know what we are doing in secret when no one is looking. When we try to conceal sin of any kind, we are nothing but whitewashed tombs filled with a stench that rises up to the nostrils of God who sees and knows the sins we commit.
It is essential to understand that we cannot conceal sin. God is El Roi (The God Who Sees Me). Proverbs 8:13 states this, “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” Before God, everything is laid out. Nothing is hidden. Everything is stripped bare. We should never be so foolish to believe we can conceal any sin from God.
Linda A. Knowles
Yesterday, I wrote about God who is a consuming fire. Just like we escape from a building on fire, we try to escape the fire of God. There is a fire that is exceptionally good for us. Specifically, the Refiner’s Fire.
We must understand one of the basic fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith. It is an inescapable truth we must always keep at the front of our minds. That undeniable truth is that EACH OF US WILL STAND BEFORE GOD ONE DAY. We will answer for how we lived, what we did, and for every idle word spoken. The good fire is a cleansing fire that cleans up the child of God to shape his or her character. We call this the Refiner’s Fire. Our God is a consuming fire. He is also the Refiner who purifies and polishes those who are godly (those who belong to Him).
“Yet He knows the way I have taken, when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.My feet have followed His tracks; I have kept His ways without turning aside,” (Job 23:10-11).
Job was going through his own personal hell on earth. Job was being refined. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. Yet while his wife said, “Curse God and die,” Job maintained his integrity. Job clung to God, and he longed for God. Job went through one trial after another. Those trials shaped his character. It was after he was tested, he came out like gold from the furnace of affliction. “Then Job replied to the Lord: ‘I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance? ’It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. ’I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said,and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance,’” (Job 42:2-6). At the end of it all, God restored twice as much to him than what he had before all the trials began (Job 42:10-15).
We go through the refining fire when trials and testing come our way. It is a good kind of fire. It is the kind of fire that keeps us on track. It is the kind of fire that removes the impurity (sin) from our life and drives us to repentance before the God we serve. It is the kind of fire that sharpens our character. It is the kind of fire that doesn’t leave us in the muck and mire. It is kind that doesn’t leave us in despair or feeling hopeless. It is the kind of fire that drives us before the face of God to commune with Him. It is the kind of fire that draws us deeper in our relationship with God. It is the Refiner’s Fire.
“…when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” God never leaves us alone when we are going through the fire. His Holy Spirit guides us and teaches us through whatever it is that comes our way. Through these times, we progress further in our walk with God. We don’t look back; we continue to press forward. With assurance, we can know we are made overwhelmingly victorious because He loves us.
We must be in right relationship with God, rooted in Jesus Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, and grounded in the Word of God. There is no neutral ground when it comes to serving the Lord. We cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in God. The foundation of our life MUST BE Jesus Christ. He is the only Sure Foundation, the Chief Cornerstone, which cannot be moved (Isaiah 28:26, Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:4). He is the One who we can fully trust and put our hope in.
Jesus Christ is the One who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire,” (Matthew 3:11). For the godly, this fire is the fire that will burn away sin out of the lives of the godly. If the ungodly cling and hold on tightly to their sin, this fire is the fire that devours them, the fire that brings devastation.
Remember this: Absolutely nothing is hidden from God. Everything is exposed before Him.
Linda A. Knowles
“For our God is a consuming fire.”
Hebrews 12:29
“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire,
a jealous God.”
Deuteronomy 4:24
When we see verses stated more than one time in the Scriptures, it should make us stop and reflect.
In Deuteronomy 4:24, we see God is called a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29 echoes the same words as Deuteronomy 4:24. In Deuteronomy 4:24, the word “consuming” comes from the transliteration of the Hebrew word “akal.” The word “consuming” means to devour, burn up, devastate, ravage. In Hebrews 12:29, the transliteration of the Greek word is “katanaliskō” which means to be consumed, to burn up. Sin, wickedness, evil, and all those who are defiant against God will be burned up. He will show forth His glory like a consuming fire. These verses cannot be ignored as they are somber warnings against idolatry and the judgment soon to come.
What God showed me is not an image I can easily forget. When God had revealed to me Himself as a consuming fire, He showed me He is purging evil and wickedness and cleansing everything with His fire. He showed me destruction awaits those who oppose and rebel against Him.
It is a horrifying thought to be ravaged by fire or burned up. Yet, while the words of these verses are comforting to those who are believers, these words are downright terrifying to those who are practicing a life of sin. There is no comfort or peace for those who are not living a life surrendered to God.
“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” Yes, God is jealous for us, and He burns with passion and zeal for His children. He desires to communicate and have a relationship with us. He is the consuming fire who loves His children far more than we could ever imagine. The problem is when we are not serving Him, we are serving and living for self. Serving and living for self is pushing God out of His rightful place in our lives. When we push God out of His rightful place in our lives, we break the first commandment. “You must not have any other God but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any king or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods…” Exodus 20:3-5.
The nature and character of God is HOLINESS. The God we see in the Old Testament is the same God we see in the New Testament. God has not changed. His commands have not changed. We are commanded to be holy, and “…He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16. We are called to holiness. Therefore, as His children, we follow God’s instructions on how to be holy. We cannot be holy and take on the beliefs and philosophies of the world. Being holy and being worldly do not mix. We are either holy or worldly; we cannot be both.
God is the fire that refines. He is the One who is able to cleanse the stains of sin and shame. He is able to make a person complete. Because He is holy, He calls for repentance. If we do not have a holy fear of God and who He is, no act of worship will be acceptable to Him. If we do not have reverence for God, then we will not treat God with honor.
Linda A. Knowles
THE STORYLINE NEEDS TO CHANGE
By Linda A. Knowles
“Without wood, a fire goes out;
without gossip, a conflict ceases.
Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
The words of a gossip are like choice morsels
that go down into the inmost being.”
Proverbs 26:20-22 (Berean Study Bible)
The storyline hasn’t changed even after all these years. I watched it growing up. The storyline goes like this: Mary gossiped to Ella. Ella didn’t stand up to Mary and chose to listen to the gossip. Daphne heard the gossip Mary was telling Ella, and Daphne told Joe and Elsie who then whispered to Myron then Maria then Julie then Victor. Mary made she sure spoke to everyone Daphne spoke to so she could make sure they had all the details and “correct information.” One person after another heard the gossip, either shared the gossip, participated in the gossip, or just remained silent as the gossiping was going on. Florrie, who was the object of the gossip, was unable to recover her reputation from all the lies the gossipers said. She ended up leaving the church, never to be heard from that church again. Florrie left the church completely disheartened, discouraged, and extremely hurt; the End.
Does betrayal happen in the church from one member of the body of Christ to another member of the body of Christ? Absolutely. The storyline I told above is an all too familiar storyline that still saturates the church today. Gossip doesn’t just happen within the walls of the place of worship, but members of the Body of Christ will sit down over a cup of coffee at another’s house or at a cafe.
Proverbs 18:22 & 26:22 both echo the same words, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.” Gossip has a way of seeping into your spirit, your heart, your mind, and your soul. If you allow yourself to listen to gossip about a person, you will see that person not as he/she is, but you will see them in the light of the gossip you told or entertained.
Lies are always soon exposed according to the book of Proverbs. Truth will always stand the test of time. Whether gossip is all lies or all truth or part true and part lies, gossip just like lying is a sin. The Apostle Paul even addressed this, “Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds,” Colossians 3:9. We must remember we are not controlled by our fleshly desires. We are controlled by the Holy Spirit who leads and guides us into all truth. According to Romans 8:12, we are under no obligation to do what our sinful nature urges us to do. As children of the Most High God, we must understand that our Heavenly Father is the God of Truth and His language is Truth. Therefore, His children should speak the language of truth, not lies.
May I encourage you not to participate in conversations that will tear someone apart? Do not allow yourselves to engage in conversations that will disrupt the unity amongst the believers within the Body of Christ. Remember always your words will either portray or betray who you are.
Heavenly Father, You are the God of Truth. Help me to always speak truth as You do. Give me the words I need to speak. Fill me with the wisdom and understanding that comes from You alone. Give me the strength and help me to walk away from conversations that will compromise my character and my witness. Help me to stand up for what is right and what is true. Your approval is the only approval I need to gain. I give You all the glory, the honor, and the praise. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Hebrews 10:31 KJV
If any verse in the Scriptures makes me shudder, it’s this verse, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Some translations say, “dreadful thing,” “terrible thing,” “terrifying thing,” and then one translation says, “fearful and terrifying thing.” God is the Almighty, the Omnipotent One (Revelation 1:8, 15:3, 19:6). God does NOT play games (Leviticus 10:2, 1 Chronicles 13:10, Psalm 50:3).
What is so terrifying about falling into the hands of the Living God? Because this verse is speaking of judgment. God is awesome, and He is holy. His righteousness is pure. The Lord warns us of sin and the consequences (Romans 6:23). He warns us what happens when we do not turn from our evil and wicked ways (Luke 13:3, Romans 2:5). By warning us, God is granting us mercy. By giving us a chance to repent, He is demonstrating His longsuffering and patience towards us; the Lord does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). Through the Scriptures, we can see He is calling people to repentance (Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19). When someone sneers arrogantly at the Holy Spirit, when someone mocks or reviles the Holy Spirit and shows complete and utter contempt for the Holy Spirit, they are severing themselves from the Holy Spirit. In other words, they have broken themselves off from the Holy Spirit and they are unable to know the prompting of the Holy Spirit and His leading. It’s the point of no return (Deuteronomy 28:15, Isaiah 63:10). When someone falls into the hand of the Living God, at this point, is where they discover how wrong they are, but it’s too late. Judas is a great example of this. Judas betrayed Christ, and by the time, he realized how wrong he was, it was too late for him (John 13:21-30). Falling into the hands of the Living God will be frightening for the one who has rejected and scorned the Holy Spirit and committed the outright rejection of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:22-32, Hebrews 10:28-29). The true children of the Living God do not need to worry about facing God in judgment. Those who are not living lives that practice sin will be able to stand before God.
“Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God,” (1 John 3:7-10 NLT).
“In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like him. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us,” (1 John 4:17-19 BSB).
Linda A. Knowles
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THE DEMON CHALICE
By Linda A. Knowles
Thursday, 12/10/2020
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You chose to drink from the demon chalice,
Which was passed all around;
Then you chose the chains,
That now have you bound.
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You bought the lies,
And you bought into the deceit;
You sold out to gratify your fleshly need.
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You chose the honey from Timnath,
And you filled yourself with her seductive,
sensual intoxicating wine,
Drinking yourself into a deep sleep,
Cheapening your own life.
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You should have been vigilant and sober minded
But your lust-crazed mind and soul has left you bound;
Your lust-crazed heart has left you spiritually blinded.
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You drank from the demon chalice;
Tell me, who can help you now,
Since you’ve chosen to swim in willful ignorance
while drowning in disgrace?
“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” -1 Corinthians 6:18 KJV
“Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” -1 Corinthians 6:18 BSB
The moment we accepted Jesus Christ and received Him into our life to be Lord, the moment we believed the truth of God’s Word (John 1:12), we became one with God. We were joined with the Lord, and we became one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17). In Christ, we are a new creation, and since we have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20), we are to glorify God, bringing Him honor in all we say and do because WE ARE UNITED AS ONE WITH GOD and His Holy Spirit dwells within us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the BASIC LAW of the TEMPLE is holiness.
“This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.” -Ezekiel 43:12KJV
Back in the Bible times, the physical temple had the outer courts (“Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement,” Ezekiel 40:17KJV.), and then inside the temple were two rooms: (1) The Holy Place and (2) The Most Holy Place, which we can see in Hebrews 9:1-5NLT, which says, “That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement…”
Our soul belongs to God, and there is nothing that is worth forfeiting your soul to. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet loses his soul? Please understand your soul is the seat of emotions, and out of your heart flows all the issues of life, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life,” (Proverbs 14:23KJV). The ESV states it this way, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Guard your heart. Maintain your purity before God, walking uprightly before Him. Ask yourself this: “Is there anything worth losing my soul for?”
Understanding The Phrases “COMMITTETH FORNICATION” and “SINNING SEXUALLY.”
Look again at the phrasing of this verse in 1 Corinthians 6:18, “but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” The phrase “sins sexually” is transliterated from the Greek word “porneuon” which means (1) to fornicate (the KJV says the phrase “committeth fornication”); (2) to practice idolatry; and (3) then the first part of that word “porne” means to act like a prostitute, indulge in unlawful lust or the practice of.
Committing fornication is simply stated as “sinning sexually.” Sex without the commitment of marriage is not only a sin but it is also cheap, tawdry, and crude. Sex without the commitment of marriage is emotionally exhausting and can make a person feel wiped out. Sexual sin of any kind is sinning sexually against God and your own body. Sinning sexually is completely and undeniably against God’s design for the gift of sex. Within the context of marriage between a husband and wife, sex is pleasurable and enjoyable with the commitment of the blending of true love and marriage with Christ as the Solid Foundation upon which that marriage is built. Within the context of marriage between a husband and wife, sex is fulfilling and doesn’t drain emotionally because of the intimacy shared between the man and the woman who have now become one flesh in the eyes of God, a Christ-centered marriage. In the two becoming one, the consummation is creating a bonding in their commitment to each other, causing the intimacy between husband and wife to deepen and increase.
Here is a truly sobering thought: Since it is clear that the two become one flesh, that means if one is sinning sexually, then anyone he/she is having sex with, he/she is becoming one with every single person he/she gives his/her body to. That is both disturbing and a sin in the eyes of God. It is called fornication, sexual sin, and wickedness. There has to be a noticeable difference between the children of God and those who are unbelievers. When the children of God stray and take on the world’s philosophies and vain imaginations, this angers God. It does not please Him at all. First Thessalonians 4:3-8BSB states, “For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God; and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness. Anyone, then, who rejects this command does not reject man but God, the very One who gives you His Holy Spirit.” If you are committing sexual sin with someone you have no intention of marrying, you are having sex with someone’s else’s future spouse. When you commit acts of cheating and acts of adultery, God is going to avenge all such acts. You will not be able to escape the consequences of your actions.
We are called to be holy. Being made holy is being set apart. We are a holy nation, a peculiar people, and a royal priesthood. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord is working in you to shape and mold you into a man or woman of God. The transformation begins on the inside. Your love and obedience to God is a direct result of an inward transformation that takes place in your heart and mind, from your innermost being.
When you are committing sexual sin, you are giving up full control of your entire body over to the lusts of your flesh and allowing yourself to indulge in what God has called sin (“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous,” Hebrews 13:4ESV). You are giving complete control of your body not just to your lustful thoughts but also to the one you are having sex with. When you are giving complete control of your body to sexual sin to the one you are sinning with, you have made yourself and the one you’re engaging with a god; you are practicing idolatry. As previously stated one of the meanings of the Greek word is “to practice idolatry.”
“I can’t help myself.” Yes, you can. When you are truly a child of God, the Holy Spirit residing in you gives you all the power you need to walk in purity and holiness before God. When you are truly a child of God, you will allow the Holy Spirit to instruct you into all truth, and out of your love for Jesus, you will obey the commandments set out in the Word of God. In Romans 8:12, we are told we are under no obligation to do what our sinful nature urges us to do. You have God and all of the weapons He has supplied you with to combat every thought that goes against God and His Word. You have God and all of the weapons He has supplied you with to resist temptation and flee from any kind of sin that would try to take you down. Those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit are not controlled by their flesh, “You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you,” (Romans 8:9-11 BSB). The Holy Spirit is your Helper, and when you are tempted, God provides a way of escape so that you are able to stand against the temptation. “So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to 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 an escape, so that you can stand up under it, (1 Corinthians 10:12-13BSB). Please never think you are so strong that you will stay in temptation’s path if it comes your way. To think you are so strong that you cannot fall into sexual sin is foolish thinking, and if you believe you cannot fall into sexual sin, then you have been deceived and taken in. The Apostle Paul made it very clear in his warning to believers, “SO THE ONE WHO THINKS HE IS STANDING FIRM SHOULD BE CAREFUL NOT TO FALL.” This is a warning. EVERY SINGLE PERSON is capable of falling into sexual sin, and if believe you are not capable of falling into any kind of sexual sin, then that is pride. When temptation for sexual sin crosses your path, the only victory to overcome falling into sexual sin is to “Flee sexual immorality.” You need to run from it.
LIVING SACRIFICES. Since our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, since God says be holy for He is holy, it is necessary to remember in all we say and do that we are worshiping God. According to Romans 12:1KJV, the Apostle Paul had this to say, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Therefore, not only is your body the temple of the Holy Spirit but you are also a living sacrifice unto God that is to never be defiled. Inside of you is the presence of the Lord which is the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. In John 14:17ESV, it states, “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”The Holy Spirit cannot tolerate defilement of the temple. God is NEVER pleased when we defile the temple of the Holy Spirit (YOUR BODY) because you are dishonoring God and sinning against Him by idolizing yourself and surrendering control of your heart and soul to another, partaking in sexual sin. You are sinning against your body by giving up your self-respect and letting other people who you are committing sexual sin with control you. You are sinning against your own body by allowing another to defile you, not knowing if the other person has some disease or health issue that will affect you later on. There is no victory when you are constantly falling into sexual sin.
Let me put it another way: A Man and a Woman get married and they consummate the marriage. The consummation is the two becoming one flesh. They are now joined together. That consummation is the ultimate and complete expression of the commitment of love between a husband and a wife. They are now united as one; the two became one flesh. The married couple shares a mutual love, respect, and honor to each other. With Christ, you were spiritually joined together, one in spirit with Him, you have become one with Him and have experienced is everlasting love and unwavering commitment to you as a child of the Most High God. As a result of your love for Christ, you obey His commands, spend time in the Scriptures learning of God’s laws and commands, communing and communicating with God, and walk in wholehearted devotion to Christ. You are joined as one with the Spirit of the Living God who has taken up residence within you. Let’s look at these verses found in 1 Corinthians 6:15-17NLT, “Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, ‘The two are united into one.’ But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.” If you are controlled and consumed by lust, then you are controlled and consumed by sexual sin. Those thoughts need to be brought under control. Do not allow yourself to be consumed and controlled with lust. If you allow yourself to be controlled by unbridled passion, you will find yourself in spiritual quicksand. When you give yourself over to the control of sexual sin (just in case anyone is wondering, this also includes the sexual sin of masturbation which begins with uncontrolled lustful thoughts), you are bringing dishonor and defilement to the temple of the Holy Spirit because you are the temple of the Holy Spirit, bought with the price of the blood of Jesus shed for you. Verses 18-20 continues on to say “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
WHO CAN CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD? In Psalm 24:3NLT, David asked two questions: “Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?” And this is the answer is given to us in verses 4-6, “Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.”
Did you know that not a hint of sexual immorality or impurity is to be found amongst those who are true children of God? In Ephesians 5:1-5BSB, it states, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God. But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” Note the words, “there must not be even a hint.” There should be nothing at all that we demonstrate that shows impurity amongst us. We are to be fragrant living sacrifices to the Lord, bringing Him glory and honor in what we do and say. We are to be imitators of God, to be perfect as He is perfect, to be holy as He is holy. We are to be faithful to God, loving Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Our allegiance is first and foremost always to God. He is faithful, and we are to “be imitators of God.” Therefore, we honor God with our bodies.
You cannot claim to be a child of God and be chasing the lusts of the flesh at the same time. You are either a child of the devil or a child of God. You are either of the world or you are of God. Which are you? You cannot have it both ways. Either you are walking in purity before God or you’re not. There is no neutral ground. Every other sin committed is outside the body, but sinning sexually is sinning against your own body and sinning against God. It was King David, after Nathan the prophet confronted him, repented before God and confessed his sin of adultery. This is what King David said, “Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just,” (Psalm 51:4NLT). God did forgive King David, and he was called a man after God’s own heart. However, King David still reaped a whirlwind of consequences from his act of adultery with Bathsheba. God does not allow sin to go unpunished. Will God forgive you of sexual sin if you repent? Yes, God will forgive you when you come before Him in sincere and genuine repentance with a humble heart.
PRAYER: PSALM 51 (A Psalm of King David) “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spiritfrom me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.”
Linda A. Knowles
Executive Director at Thread of Hope, Inc.
“…behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.”
-Numbers 32:23 (KJV)
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CARSON’S NIGHTLY DANCE
Written By Linda A. Knowles
June 2020
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Carson came home at 4 a.m.
And Emily wondered where he had been
when she came out of her room,
saw him sitting on the steps
and she called out to him, “Dad.”
She wondered what he was doing
and could only assume it was bad.
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She said he wouldn’t look at her,
His guilt she would have seen,
Who was he with at night after 10:15 p.m.,
especially when Lillith, his wife, turned her head,
only to discover he wasn’t next to her in bed.
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He doesn’t seem to understand;
Emily kept hearing Lillith cry,
But Darby saw Lillith’s tears,
her trembling with every heavy sigh.
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Emily wanted to know does he have another kid?
Maybe a third child that he hid?
Carson forgot how to tell the truth.
He just kept on lying.
He doesn’t seem to understand;
his wife is always crying.
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He needs to man up,
and tell the truth,
That he’s been reckless
and far too loose.
“Then the LORD said to me: ‘Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go. If they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘Those destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the sword; those destined for famine, to famine; and those destined for captivity, to captivity.'” (Jeremiah 15:1-2 Berean Study Bible)
I did a doubletake reading this Scripture when I saw it said, “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before me, My heart would not go out to this people.” Moses and Samuel were both prophets of God. They were two of the greatest prophets amongst the other prophets we see in the Scriptures. The people of Judah had come to the point of no return.
Not even Moses or Samuel would have been able to intercede for the people of Judah at this point. Judah had abandoned God and traded God for the religious systems of men, had adopted the culture of pagan nations, and worshipping the idols/gods of the nations around them. Jeremiah had already been told “As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me at the time of their disaster, ” (Jeremiah 11:14BSB).
Intercession for the people of Judah would have been rendered ineffective even if Moses and Samuel were standing before God interceding on their behalf. God wasn’t even listening to the people of Judah cry out to Him because they only cried out to Him when they were in trouble. God was angry and told Jeremiah, “Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to bring upon them a disaster that they cannot escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to which they have been burning incense, but these gods certainly will not save them in their time of disaster. Your gods are indeed as numerous as your cities, O Judah; the altars of shame you have set up—the altars to burn incense to Baal—are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.” (Jeremiah 11:11-13) They didn’t commune with God. They were committing the act of spiritual adultery, acting as prostitutes giving themselves away to every pagan deity and were told by God through the prophet Jeremiah “How you plot and scheme to win your lovers. Even an experienced prostitute could learn from you!” (Jeremiah 2:33BSB) They had no shame and could not even blush anymore. They flagrantly flaunted their spiritual adultery and their idolatry in the face of God.
GOD DOESN’T PLAY GAMES. God warned them over and over again, but the stench of their sin had risen up before Him, and they were only sorry they had gotten caught in their sin. They were not repentant for their sins of abandoning God and trading Him in for the religious systems of man, their spiritual adultery, and their idolatry.
This cannot get more sobering than this statement made to Jeremiah by God, “As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me at the time of their disaster.” Will you allow yourself to be found in the same spiritual condition as the people of Judah? Would God tell someone not to pray for you?
THERE IS NO NEUTRAL GROUND WHEN IT COMES TO SERVING GOD. I will be saying that until there is no longer breath in my body. There is no neutral ground when it comes to serving the Lord. CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE.
We have been chosen by Christ to go and bear fruit. Every tree that does not bear fruit will be chopped down and burnt up (Matthew 3:10, 7:19).
“You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (James 4:4-6NLT)
Remember God does NOT bless a life of disobedience, but He does bless a life of obedience. He lavishes grace and mercy upon His children who are loving Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. Favor is the shield around His children.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Repent so you are not found in the same position as the people of Judah. God had enough of their foolish behavior. Do NOT bring God to the point where God tells someone not to pray for you anymore because of your stubborn, hardened, and calloused heart. There is a time when God says, “Enough” as we have seen here with Jeremiah.
There is no neutral ground when it comes to God. You are either on God’s side or you’re not. You cannot claim to live for God and love the things of this world; in other words, you cannot be a friend of God if you are a friend of the world. The God of the Old Testament is still God in the New Testament. God promises restoration, hope, and healing for those who are truly repentant with contrite hearts, those who recognize their need of the one and only Savior.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are the One and Only God. You are the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. No one compares to You. You are sovereign and holy, and You do not share Your glory with another. Father, I will seek Your righteousness first and I will follow Your ways. I will obey Your commands and cling tightly to Your truth. I choose to serve You and You alone. Thank You for being my God and my Father. Thank You for Your instruction and Your discipline. Thank You for choosing me to go and bear fruit. Be with me as I follow Your commands and seek out Your ways. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Linda A. Knowles
Stained Glass Confessions 