Sin Is a Choice, Not a Kidnapper

Blame-shifting has been popular from the beginning of time (Genesis 3:12-13). See The Fourth Oldest Sin: It's Your Fault.

 

We want to convince ourselves that we're good people who aren't responsible for our bad choices. And sometimes we act as if sin takes us captive without our permission.  

 

I was reminded of this when I read Michael Tait's confession after he was exposed for abusing drugs and alcohol and committing homosexual assaults for more than 2 decades. 

 

He said “Sin is a terrible thing, taking us where we don’t want to go; keeping us longer than we want to stay; and costing us more than we want to pay.” 

Wrong! Sin is a choice, not a kidnapper:  

 

We choose to sin. We take ourselves where we want to go, and we stay as long as we want or until we get caught. 

 

“Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15

 

Whenever we choose to sin, we refuse God's “way out”:

 

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 

If we don't take full responsibility for our sins, we will end up doing them again. 

See Strength, Not Weakness 

and  

When the Rubber Meets the Road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clutter or Self-Control, Order or Disorder?

Written in 2015 before a move... 
 
We're moving next month. so you can imagine I'm busy.

Having moved twenty-three times in my married life, I enjoy the challenge but hate the mess.

Several days ago, every room in my house was in packing-box confusion. So I stopped packing for several hours and organized the chaos. When I did, my mood immediately changed. 

Research shows that clutter causes stress and lowers productivity.

When we allow our homes, relationships, finances, spiritual disciplines, or work to get messy or disorganized, we aren't doing ourselves any favors. 

Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and without it, we become poor stewards of time, money, and opportunities.

Although the following verse was written about worship, it reveals a characteristic of God, in Whose image we're made. It explains our need for peace and order: “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).   

We can't control all areas of disorder in our lives. Sometimes life's transitions, such as moving, cause necessary chaos. And sometimes God interrupts our plans for His purposes. (See Divine Detours.)

But when we do our work for the Lord, we must prioritize important things and deny selfish or lazy attitudes (Colossians 3:23).

Take time today to identify areas where your life is cluttered, disorganized, or chaotic, and pray for God's help in doing something about it. 

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For more on this subject, see Clutter Tolerance and I'm Too Busy.

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"Let Me Know if I Start to Act Demon Possessed," She Chuckled

Two Christian friends kindly warned another friend of the dangers of her involvement in yoga. 

“Well, you can let me know if I start to act demon possessed,” she chuckled. Her remark illustrates the casual attitude many Christians have toward pagan influences. 

Ephesians 6:10-18 is a well-known passage, but do we genuinely understand what it means?

It tells us to be strong, putting on the full armor of God, so we can take our “stand against the devil’s schemes.” It tells us that we are not simply dealing with other human beings—our struggle is “against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 

Uncompromising faith is the only thing that can “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

We must be alert, careful, and prayerful. We must take up the sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word, a sword that is sharp with truth, cutting through all the lies and half-truths in our culture. Let's not exchange it for the butter knife of culture and joke about demons as if they don't exist.

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Can a person participate in a pagan mind and body religious practice without their faith being affected? From my experience, I've never met a Christian heavily involved in yoga who had good discernment.

What if it's called “Christian yoga”? Isn't it simply an exercise?  Can someone with the mind of Christ mingle their faith with a Hindu mind and body practice? To get detailed answers to these and other questions, see:

 

 

Yoga Syncretism or 2 Corinthians 6:14-18?

 

                           

    Are You Willing to Examine Yoga Objectively?

 

 

  

  

   6 Questions Every Christian Should Ask

 

 

 

 

   Christian Leaders Share Their Concerns About Yoga 

 
 

 

    Can a Christian Be Demon-Possessed?

 

 

 

 

  

   Flirting With the Devil

 

 

 

From other websites:

 

➥Got Questions: Christian View of Yoga

➥Got Questions: What is Holy Yoga?

 

➥Addressing Christian Yoga and Yoga as Exercise  

 

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Why Salvation Always Leads to Good Works

People often have trouble understanding the difference between faith and works.

It's essential to know that works don't save us.

But it's equally important to know that genuine faith always leads to works.

Galatians and James use Abraham to illustrate the works–faith contrast: 

Faith alone saves us:
Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.… Those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse."
Full passage: Galatians 3:6-14

Genuine faith always results in works:
"Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ... His faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.... A person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone."
Full passage: James 2:14-26

Genuine salvation always leads to good works because God has prepared special purposes for each of us (Ephesians 2:10). And our good works bring glory to our Lord (Matthew 5:16). 

And what motivates us? Our love for Jesus: 

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:21  

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To do a short, Bite Size Bible Study on this devotion, check it out HERE. And for another one-minute devotion with insights into this subject, see "Works" Is Not a Dirty Word.

💙 Please check out the Bible Love Notes devotional, Wisdom for Life. It features one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and is on sale at reduced prices on Lifeway, Amazon, and CBD.  

And please sign up for a free email subscription to Bible Love Notes online devotions HERE. 

 

 

 

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Bitterness: An Increasing Challenge for Remnant Believers

Christians must guard against bitterness. It poisons our souls. And our temptation to become bitter grows stronger as our world is increasingly hateful toward the Christian faith, even defending violent epicaricacy.

These situations can make us bitter if we aren't careful, especially when the hatred comes from friends or family members who slander, revile, and cut off contact with us. 

No matter how kindly and appropriately we share God's truth, some people will reject us. We must remember that they're not simply rejecting us—they're rejecting God's character and His loving commands. 

When the Israelites rejected God's original plans for a king, Samuel felt they'd rejected him as their prophet and priest, but God told him, “It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king” (1 Samuel 8:7).

Many in the church have rejected God as king and created a compromised, worldly faith. We must continue to stand firm prayerfully, carefully, and without bitterness. 

We can only do this if we take our Lord's hand and depend on His strength and courage, not our own. Romans 12 speaks to our situation.

Joshua's statement to the Israelites is pertinent to everyone who claims to be a Christian today:

“If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Let's serve Christ with unwavering conviction, refusing bitterness and returning good for evil.

For more encouragement, see 8 Steps to Overcome Bitterness.

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Are You Spiritually Healthy?

To answer the question in the title, we need to consider what we’re feeding our souls.

If we regularly “consume” God’s Word, we will remain spiritually healthy and strong. But if we fill ourselves with spiritual junk food, our soul will soon grow weak and sick.

But what if we’ve lost our appetite for reading the Bible? How can we get it back?

Recently, I heard a great analogy that helped me understand the answer.

🍓 Imagine you’re eating a delicious strawberry. You enjoy its natural flavor and know it’s good for your body.

🍩 Then you set the strawberry aside and take a bite of a chocolate-covered donut. It tastes amazing — full of flavor that excites your senses.

Now go back and take another bite of the strawberry. What happens? Suddenly, it doesn’t taste as good as before. Its natural sweetness seems dull compared to the donut.

The same thing happens spiritually. When we stop reading the Bible and start feeding our souls with the “sweet,” appealing things of the world, God’s Word can begin to feel tasteless to us. The more we neglect Scripture, the less we desire it.

That’s a dangerous place to be. So I encourage you — take the spiritual strawberry and enjoy its true and lasting benefits as the psalmist did (Psalm 119:103,93,116).

God’s Word not only satisfies your soul; it strengthens and transforms you from within.

Keep feeding yourself with healthy spiritual food, and your spiritual appetite will grow stronger day by day.

Devotions with a similar topic:

Vibrant, Healthy Christians Eat Right 

You Have to Taste It to Love It! 

 

This devotion was written by Marika Marton who lives in Serbia. She translates the Hungarian Bible Love Notes and manages both the Hungarian and Serbian Bible Love Notes.

 

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What Compels You to Live for Christ?

When we come to Christ, we agree to deny ourselves and our selfish desires (Matthew 16:24).

Second Corinthians 5:10-15 explains why and how we do this: because “Christ’s ♥ love ♥ compels us.”

“He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5:15  

Living for Christ means:
 
We live in Christ so we can bear fruit (John 15:4).

We gain strength through Christ (Philippians 4:13).

We live for Christ's purposes, not our own (Ephesians 2:10). 

We do everything with Christ in mind (Colossians 3:23).

We obey Christ's commands (John 14:15). 

We don't do these things out of guilt. 

We don't do them as a duty. 

We don't do them hesitantly or halfheartedly.

We do them for the best reason of all: ♥ for love ♥ because Christ's love amazes us, empowers us, sustains us, and compels us. 

💙💙💙 

For more encouragement, see We Can't Exaggerate and 5 Duties of Christian Warriors.

If you'd like a one-minute devotion like this in your email box each weekday, please sign up for a free email subscription to Bible Love Notes HERE.  
 

 

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One of Christ's Strongest Warnings

Do you know God if you redefine His character and commands? 

Professing Christians who affirm abortion, LGBTQ lifestyles, premarital sex, pagan practices, racism, etc., may have “an outward form of godliness,” but they are denying God's principles and power (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Christ warns them:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:21-23

We aren't saved by doing good things, but anyone who is genuinely saved will seek to do God's will. And that means believing what Scripture teaches and speaking truth.

Those who redefine God's commands to affirm sinful practices are living in sin even if they never commit the sins they approve. And no one living a sinful lifestyle is saved (1 John 3:9). 

Cultural Christians are more popular with the world, but one day they'll hear God say, “Away from me, you evildoers!”

We must offer this loving warning: You can spend your life doing good deeds, but denying what Scripture teaches is a rejection of God. See Matthew 28:19-20, Matthew 13:20-23, James 1:22-25, Luke 6:46-49, Romans 2:13, Romans 1:32, Ephesians 5:1-17, etc.

For more confirmation of this powerful truth, see Genuine Faith and Do You Believe This Wonderful Truth?  

 

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Worth Celebrating

If you've ever watched a game show or seen news coverage about a lottery, you've seen people clap, shout, and cry with joy over winning money, cars, homes, or vacations.

There's nothing wrong with getting excited about some of these things, but let's put them in perspective: They're temporary things of this earth, not eternal. 

As Christians, we have both earthly and eternal things to excite us! We are God's beloved children (1 John 3:1-2). This should inspire clapping, shouting, and crying with joy.

"Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. For the LORD Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise." (Excerpts from Psalm 47)

I admit that I sometimes take my wonderful Lord for granted, and it's good to be reminded so I can express my gratitude to my Lord and Savior.

Why not take a few minutes today and read Psalm 34, 92, 100, 150, or another psalm of praise? Or you could write a list of God's blessings you enjoy and thank Him for each one. If you like to write poetry or prose, write a psalm of praise. Do something to show your love and excitement for our wonderful Lord! 

He's worth celebrating! 

 

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For more encouragement, see Celebrate Jesus and Think God Is Against Holidays? Think Again!

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Sometimes Human Philosophers Get It Right!

I recently read that psychologists are discovering that contentment, not wealth, makes people happy. I always have to chuckle when worldly philosophers act like they’ve discovered something that the Bible has been saying for thousands of years. 

“Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” 1 Corinthians 1:20

Human philosophies typically contradict Scripture, but linking contentment with happiness is biblical: 

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13

“Godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” 1 Timothy 6:6-7

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

Are there areas of your life where you feel discontent? Are there ways that you have placed worldly treasures above knowing God and pursuing heavenly treasures (Matthew 6:19-21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19). 

It's fine to be discontent with our maturity in Christ if it spurs us on to seek Him more regularly in prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. But discontent with worldly wealth and pleasure leads us in the wrong direction.

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For more inspiration, see:

 

This Bugged Me: All of My Sweaters Eaten  

 
The Freedom of Contentment 

 
The Poison of Entitlement

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