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 Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:41 pm
Temptation 102
Let’s continue with our victory plan to win the battle of temptation:
2. Protect the Condition of Your Heart
Ever heard the phrase “garbage in/garbage out?” It’s true that whatever we allow to collect in our heart will effect everything we do! So what condition is your heart in? The psalmist asked God to search his heart—to see if there be anything that displeased Him—and to help him surrender it. God will do the same for you, if you’ll ask Him.
You see, the HEART effects everything you do. It’s the holding tank for your emotions and feelings. The condition of your heart will determine your ability to withstand temptation. So be certain your heart is truly and totally in God’s hands.
We’re told in Ephesians not to give the devil a foothold. What’s that mean? Satan has the ability to carve out the tiniest space in your life. It’s unnoticeable at first. But he holds on so he can eventually grab more and more. That’s what a foothold is. If an alligator grabs someone’s foot and can hold on long enough, he’ll eventually have the entire person.
When soldiers want to take possession of an island, their strategy is to first get a beachhead. After they have control of the beachhead, they consistently push and push until finally the entire island is theirs. Know this: All Satan wants right now is a tiny foothold in your life.
And how does he get a foothold? Any negative emotion can give the devil a foothold in your life. It may be a tiny portion of your heart. But two or three tiny portions makes you an easy target. Frustration in itself won’t do you in. But frustration, worry and anger all together becomes a powerful combination, and it sets you up for temptation.
Know It!
Guard your heart! Protect it as you would a gold mine — because it really is! Don’t allow negative thoughts and bitter feelings to collect there. Like the psalmist, approach God with the request of searching your heart. There’s no one who can help you protect it better than the One who created it!
Read It!
Psalm 9:1; Psalm 19:14; Proverbs 4:23; Ephesians 4:27.
Pray It!
Confess the negative feelings, bitterness and grudges you’ve held. Tell God that you don’t want your heart to simply become a holding tank for things that can give Satan a foothold. Ask God for a pure heart — one that belongs totally to Him.
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Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:59 am
Wednesday June 13th
The Heart of Christ
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8
“Have a heart!” others say when asking us to give to a good cause. Whether we comply depends on our resources, the distance we must travel, the discomfort involved, and our perception of the recipient’s worthiness. Only if our schedule, checkbook, and jaundiced eye align do we agree to have a heart.
God promises to bless all who are pure in heart. Since sin pollutes our hearts, we are too impure to earn or deserve God’s gifts and blessings. But God’s perfect Son bestows His purity on us. Jesus is the pure and holy Son of God, who has a pure heart for us.
Jesus loves us so much that He became man, left His home for ours, gave Himself up to temporal authorities in Jerusalem, and suffered the agony of a criminal’s death. He loves us so much that He gave His life, His all, though we to whom His gift has been given are unworthy of His grace. He loves us so much that He says to each of us, “Have a heart,” and freely offers us His pure heart in exchange for our sin-darkened ones.
Thus, by His own grace and favor for us sinners, the pure heart of Jesus beats within all who believe in His name. By His grace and favor, we shall see God.
Jesus, so fill our hearts with Your pure love that it spills over in love toward others. In Your name we ask it. Amen.
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Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 3:28 pm
Temptation 103
Let’s do a quick recap! To win the battle over temptation:
1. Predetermine Your Pattern of Temptation
2. Protect the Condition of Your Heart
3. Pray for God’s Help!
Prayer gives you an inner strength to overcome. We’re told in Matthew 26:41 that the consequence of not praying is that temptation will overpower us!
Prayer is the strongest defense you have against temptation. It’s your ammunition in the battle! Throughout the Bible, we’re shown time after time how God definitely answers prayer: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Daniel in the lions den. Jonah in the whale. God provides help when you call on Him. So when you’re tempted, PRAY! Hebrews 4:15-16 tells us that He not only understands your temptation, He’s already been through your temptation!
Repeat: He knows and understands what you’re going through! He was tempted to hold a grudge. He was tempted sexually. He was tempted to disobey. He was tempted to take the easy way out. He was tempted to get ahead and exert His power and gossip and get angry for the wrong reasons. But He overcame temptation . . . and so can you!
Sometimes we don’t pray because we’re not sure we want to end the battle! If you talk to Him about your anger, you can’t continue to be angry. He’ll ask you to release it. He’s going to tell you to forgive. He’ll want to bring healing to your heart.
4. Point Your Attention Elsewhere
Temptation always begins in the mind . . . with a thought. It never begins with an action. The very moment a tempting thought enters your mind, give it to God. Pray. Read Scripture. Doing this automatically points your attention in the opposite direction of temptation. Realize that whatever gets your attention, gets you!
The more you think about something, the stronger a grip it has on your life. When you’re upset, you think about it. And the longer you turn it over in your mind, the more upset you become. Next thing you know, you’re not simply upset, you’re angry! So instead of focusing on the temptation, switch your concentration to WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?).
Know It!
You’ll never be the person God wants you to be by holding onto sin in your life. So go ahead. Release it. Give up that grudge. Give Him your anger. Be willing to walk away from your hurt. Quit living in the past. Let go of your failures. Allow Him to help you become all He wants you to be!
Read It!
Psalm 50:15; Matthew 26:41; Hebrews 4:15-16; James 1:14-15.
Pray It!
Tell God that you’re realizing your area of weakness is not giving Him your temptations immediately. When something enters your mind that shouldn’t be there, seek Him help to quickly surrender it!
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 4:07 am
Thursday June 14th
The Conscience of Christ
It is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Jeremiah 10:23
“Let your conscience be your guide,” some say. But what guides our consciences? When attractive options vie with painful choices, a conscience guided by the sinful self goes astray. In time of temptation, a self-centered conscience is not a God-pleasing moral compass.
In the wilderness, Satan three times offered Jesus something easy to say yes to. Each time, Jesus refused to yield to temptation and did what is more difficult and less comfortable. Not guided by self-serving desires, our Lord relied on Scripture. God’s Word is such a part of Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), that it is His conscience. God’s Word was the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12 NKJV) that defended Jesus when temptation tried to ensnare Him.
Corrupted by sin, our self-tutored consciences cannot steer us from temptation, as Jeremiah says. But Christ fights for us in the wilderness and in our daily lives. His Word fills us with God’s truth and gives us a conscience that will not collapse under pressure, yield to temptation, or bend to an argument. As God’s Word becomes more a part of us, our steps become more God-directed and our conscience more Christlike.
Holy Father, direct our study of Your Word. Guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 2:41 pm
Temptation 104
To divert your attention away from temptation, it’s important to know the different stages of temptation:
1. Attention (This involves what you see, hear, think about and read.)
2. Arousal (Your emotions kick in at this stage. You begin to play out the tempting thought and action in your mind.)
3. Action (This is the final stage of temptation— the point where you give in. This is when temptation actually becomes sin.)
The key to winning temptation is not to fight it. Hey, wait a sec, you’re probably thinking. Whaddya mean not fight it?
Fighting temptation isn’t scriptural. The Bible never tells us to fight temptation. It always tells us to FLEE it! We’re told to resist the devil, but we’re told to flee temptation. And again, we’re able to flee it by capturing the tempting thought and giving it immediately to Christ.
The power of Jesus Christ is able to transform you. His power can actually renew your mind and sanctify you holy. Therefore, it simply makes good sense to surrender to the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.
You can’t control what temptations pop into your mind—but you can control how you react—what you do with the temptation.
5. Participate in a Small Group
Accountability is a great piece of ammunition in fighting the battle of temptation. It helps to have godly Christians praying for us and even asking us about the weak and vulnerable areas in our lives. We’re reminded in Ecclesiastes that we need each other. But often times we don’t want support or accountability. It’s much easier to simply rationalize and say, “Next time I won’t give in” than to actually make yourself vulnerable to others about your weak areas. “Next time I won’t give in,” isn’t a solid plan! You need more than simply hoping to do better the next time around. You need the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. The most spiritually mature people are those who allow themselves to be held accountable. They’re willing to be asked hard questions, and they submit themselves to the Holy Spirit’s leading.
Know It!
No one’s exempt from temptation, but God can empower you to overcome! You can win the battle. Are you willing to become accountable to other Christians? Will you allow the Holy Spirit to have complete control of your life?
Read It!
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 10:5; James 5:16.
Pray It!
Tell God that you know you can’t be victorious in the battle of temptation without His help. Right now would be a great time to surrender ALL to Him. Pledge to make yourself accountable to other Christians and to give His Holy Spirit supreme control in your life.
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Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 9:41 am
Quiz Time!
• To PREDETERMINE your areas of temptation means to know
a. how long your temptation will last.
b. when, where and with whom you’re most tempted.
c. that you’ll be tempted.
• The BIBLE tells us that sin is
a. contained in a hot-fudge Sundae.
b. okay if you’re lonely.
c. fun for a season.
• Your HEART
a. always burns after eating a jar of pickles.
b. effects everything you do.
c. was left somewhere in San Francisco.
• Giving the devil a FOOTHOLD means
a. he knows your shoe size.
b. he has control of a small area of your life.
c. Satan will cripple your feet.
• The Bible tells us the CONSEQUENCE of not praying is
a. that we’ll be overcome by temptation.
b. that we’ll have to go to the dentist more often.
c. that we won’t recognize temptation.
• Jesus truly KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS what you’re going through because
a. He read the book.
b. He wrote the book.
c. He, too, was tempted.
• Temptation ALWAYS begins
a. on a date.
b. in the mind.
c. in Texas.
• The STAGES of temptation
a. are contagious.
b. are action, regret, guilt.
c. attention, arousal, action.
• To key to WINNING the battle of temptation
a. is to fight it as hard as you can.
b. is not to fight it.
c. is to always have music on.
• Participating in a SMALL GROUP provides
a. instant friendship.
b. lots of parties.
c. accountability.
• The MOST SPIRITUALLY MATURE people are those
a. who allow themselves to be held accountable.
b. who never miss church.
c. who can quote an entire chapter of the Bible.
Know It!
You don’t serve a God of frustration; you serve a God of promise and victory. He doesn’t say, “Run from temptation, and I’ll check up on you next week to see how you’re doing.” He promises that He’ll be with you and empower you and equip you to be victorious over temptation.
Read It!
Hebrews 13:5; James 4.
Pray It!
Tell God that you want to be a victorious Christian—not a defeated one. Ask Him to give you a hunger for His Word and to help you thirst for Him.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 4:19 am
Friday June 15
The Body of Christ
Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Romans 12:1
“Builds strong bodies twelve ways!” Wonder Bread claimed, appealing to dedicated parents. Today’s parents still seek foods with high nutritional value, because they want their children to have strong, healthy bodies.
Our heavenly Father wants us to have a body strong enough to be “a living sacrifice.” Because our sinful bodies are weak, Jesus offered Himself on the altar of the cross. His sacrifice cleanses us from sin and frees us from the power of death. By His resurrection power at work in our Baptism into Christ (1 Peter 1:3), Christ raises us from death to life and makes us members of His body, the Church (Romans 12:5).
To build our bodies so that they may be and remain in Christ Jesus, Christ gives us His body and His blood to eat and drink. This is the medicine of immortality that works forgiveness of sin and nourishes us to life eternal. No food is more nutritious. No food has greater value. No food builds stronger bodies. This food strengthens us to bear our crosses as faithful, living sacrifices through Christ, who loves us and gives Himself for us.
Jesus, may Your body and blood, given to us to eat and drink in the Holy Sacrament, continually strengthens us so that we may be living sacrifices for You. Amen.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:51 am
This or That?
Life is full of choices. Take a few seconds to decide between the following:
• Would you rather
a. do three push-ups every time someone older speaks to you
OR
b. do three sit-ups every time someone younger speaks to you?
• Would you rather
a. speak every fifth word in rhyme?
OR
b. speak every fifth word in Thai?
• Would you rather
a. run a mile on top of a six-inch-deep bed of whole potatoes
OR
b. swim one-half a mile through maple syrup six feet deep?
• Would you rather
a. be three feet tall
OR
b. be 10 feet tall?
• Would you rather
a. lose one shoe while hiking up steep mountain
OR
b. lose both contact lenses?
• Would you rather
a. remind people of the latest pop music/dance star when they see you
OR
b. reflect the character of Jesus Christ when they’re around you?
Again, life is full of choices! You make hundreds every single day—many without even thinking twice. For instance, you probably don’t spend a lot of time choosing between Captain Crunch or Honeycomb when getting your breakfast. You may not think twice about climbing into the shower or the tub, or whether to apply deodorant. We make several choices so quickly, they really don’t even seem like choices.
But there is a choice you make every day that does deserve some thought and attention. And that’s the choice of clothing you wear. Modesty may not be a hot topic, but reflecting Jesus Christ will always be a hot topic with your Creator. And one of the best ways to do that (or to fail at it) is in how you dress.
Mind if we get a little personal? Guys, when you’re not wearing a shirt in the summer, is there a reason for it? If you’re mowing the lawn, working out, or swimming, it makes a lot of sense not to have a shirt on. But are there other times you’re not wearing a shirt simply to catch the attention of the opposite sex? Is there a reason to make sure everyone can see the waistband on your underwear by wearing your pants so low?
Girls, how low is that spaghetti-strap shirt cut? How much of your tummy does it show? What message are you sending when you wear this specific piece of clothing? Are your shorts so short that someone can see up your legs when you sit cross-legged on the ground?
If you knew you planted impure thoughts in someone’s mind because of your attire, wouldn’t it be worth praying about?
Know It!
God wants you to look and feel your best, but He also wants you to take the responsibility of how you dress seriously.
Read It!
Proverbs 31;1 Corinthians 12:22-23.
Pray It!
Ask God to help you spend more time thinking about and evaluating what you wear. Tell Him you truly want to reflect His holy character in how you look.
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Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 5:17 am
Saturday June 16th
It’s All Your Fault
We must work the works of Him who sent Me. John 9:4
A troubling situation confronts us. Trying to make sense of it, we assign blame. Someone must be responsible! In anger or confusion, we cry, “It’s all your fault!” The blame, we decide, must belong to someone else. It certainly doesn’t belong to us.
In the miracle related in John 9, Jesus’ disciples blamed the parents or the blind man for his condition. Soon, the Pharisees would blame Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus, however, blamed no one. His answer to the why of the man’s blindness was “That the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3).
Jesus’ hand was raised, not in accusation, but in healing. The faultless Savior did not find fault, but directed all eyes heavenward, to see these events as a sign of the Father’s purpose toward us in Christ Jesus.
Jesus came to open our eyes from the blindness of sin. He came to break the accusation that stood against us. He came, not to blame, but to forgive. Because of the Son’s life, death, and resurrection, the Father looks at us and sees not the dark stain of our sin, but His Son’s perfection. Jesus asks us to forgive as we have been forgiven, not blaming others, but blessing them and praising God, who is all our good.
Lead us, Jesus, by Your name, to “work the works of Him who sent [You].” Amen.
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Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 10:37 am
What God Hates
Though we tend to think of God as a God of love, we’re clearly told in the book of Proverbs that there are seven things He hates. Know what tops the list?
Haughtiness. It means DISDAINFULLY PROUD. And disdain means to feel scornful; as if someone or something is beneath you. Another word for haughtiness is pride. Arrogance, self-exaltation, conceit, loftiness—all these words describe what it means to be haughty.
And we’re told that God hates haughtiness. Wow. Pretty strong, huh? He doesn’t just dislike it. More than simply disgusting Him, pride (or haughtiness) brings forth the emotion of hate in a God of love. Wanna tick God off? Act with pride. Be haughty. Treat others as though they’re beneath you. Be full of yourself.
What’s the big deal about being prideful? Well, wounded pride makes us want to lash out (Numbers 22-29). Pride causes us to want and seek recognition (Judges 8:1-3). Pride causes us to take too much of the credit (Judges 15:14-17). Haughtiness makes us want to take credit for the deeds of others (1 Samuel 13:3-4). A haughty spirit is what caused the death of Absalom (2 Samuel 17:11). Pride leads to corruption (2 Chronicles 26:15-16).
Prejudice grows out of pride (Esther 3:5-6). God’s presence is not compatible with a haughty attitude (Psalm 10:11). There’s even a link between pride and sexual sin (Proverbs 2:16-17). It’s the ingredient in every argument (Proverbs 13:10). Satan attacks us in our areas of pride (Matthew 4:1, 4). It affects our values (Mark 9:34).
Pride can be a barrier to believing in and accepting Christ (Mark 6:5, John 5:45). Oftentimes, haughtiness is a result of wealth (Mark 10:17-23). It blinds us to our faults (Ephesians 2:11-13), and it affects our relationships (1 Peter 5:5).
Know It!
But can’t pride sometimes be good? Pride sometimes can; haughtiness can’t. Since we’re using the two words interchangeably, you can find out if your pride is selfish or good by checking out Romans 15:17. And by the way, haughtiness vanishes when we realize who we are in relation to who Jesus is (John 1:27). Haughtiness, God hates it. It’s disdainful, ruins friendships and separates you from knowing true spiritual intimacy. Haughty also rhymes with naughty. Interesting, huh?
Read It!
All the Scriptures cited above.
Pray It!
Tell God that you don’t want to exhibit anything that saddens or angers Him. Seek His forgiveness for a prideful spirit and haughty attitudes. Ask Him to help you to see others—not as being beneath you—but as valued people He chose to die for.
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Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 5:27 pm
Sunday June 17th
It’ll Never Work
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. John 2:7
“It’ll never work!” we say. Our lack of faith in a plan’s author makes it easy to dismiss the plan. Protecting ourselves and our opinions, we use negative words to assert that positive results are impossible.
At Jesus’ command during Cana’s wedding feast, the servants walked back and forth between the well and the jars, buckets in hand. They poured water into the jars and then returned for more. When all six jars were full, Jesus used the occasion to perform His first miracle.
We, on our part, might not have complied as readily as did they. We might have grumbled that the guest giving orders was just a carpenter’s Son from Nazareth. We might have said, “No one will mistake water for wine.” We might have grumbled, “It’ll never work.”
Concerning the gifts God gives, human reason always tells us, “It’ll never work.” Baptismal water poured over an infant’s head for salvation, Christ’s body and blood given to communicants for forgiveness, absolution from a pastor for divine remission of sin—“It’ll never work,” reason tells us. But faith lives by Jesus’ promises. With Him, all things surely are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Help us trust Your Word, Lord Jesus, so that all we say and do honors Your name, in which we pray. Amen.
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:57 am
Monday June 18th
I Feel So Helpless
Jesus saw their faith. Mark 2:5
Unable to ease the pain of a friend suffering from cancer, we felt inadequate. We listened and tidied the room and prayed. But when we left the hospital, the helpless feeling was still strong.
The friends of the paralyzed man felt helpless too. They couldn’t heal their friend. Then Jesus came to Capernaum, and they thought, We can’t do anything, but Jesus can. But a crowd stood between them and the house where Jesus was. Fighting discouragement, perhaps even wanting to turn back, they gathered ropes, climbed the roof, hoisted up their friend, made a hole in the roof, and lowered their friend on his litter through the opening. Unable to remove their friend’s pain, they took him to the one who could: Jesus.
Jesus did more for their friend than the four men ever expected. First, He forgave his sin. Then, as a sign of His forgiveness, Jesus also healed the man’s paralysis. When the man walked out of the room, Jesus had healed him in both body and soul.
God still forgives and heals. Though we do not always see it, we do have God’s Word for it, sealed in the death and resurrection of His Son. Christ “was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25).
Jesus, help me not to turn away from others’ pain, and use me to comfort them in Your name. Amen.
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 4:12 pm
But It’s Just a White Lie!
The next thing on God’s hate list from Proverbs 6:16-19, is lying. We know the definition all too well, don’t we? Lying is purposefully deceiving. Not being honest. Skirting the truth.
Based on the above description, let’s take a little quiz about lying, okay? Mark true or false next to each sentence.
The following statements in the given situations are lies (true or false):
1. Your curfew is midnight. You come in at 12:30 a.m. The next morning at breakfast, Dad says, “Did you come in late last night?” Your response: “Are you kidding? I know what a big deal curfew is!”
2. You totally spaced on the homework assignment. Your teacher asks, “Did you complete the assignment?” You respond, “I forgot to bring it with me.”
3. Your coach has mandated that during track season no one is to consume any caffeine. You scarfed down two chocolate bars after lunch. Your coach looks you in the eye before the meet and says, “Have you had any caffeine?” Your response? “Coach, I haven’t had a Coke or coffee since the season began!”
You might classify the above as “white” lies. But if a lie means to deceive,
there are no “white” lies. Notice when God lists lying in Proverbs 6:17, He doesn’t say He hates black, brown and gray lies but overlooks white, orange and yellow ones. When it comes to being dishonest, there are no colors! Dishonesty is dishonesty, plain and simple.
Throughout Scripture, history shows us time and again that when people tried to deceive God, it always backfired. We can’t hide the truth from the One who knows all. God desires . . . and ever yearns for your honesty!
If lying and deceit cause our loving heavenly Father to hate it, it must be a big deal. Let’s take a closer look.
Dishonesty dulls our sense of right versus wrong (1 Samuel 15:13-14) and is destructive to the church (Acts 5:5). There are side effects to lying (Proverbs 20:23). Dishonesty only compounds our problems (Genesis 12:11-13). It’s dangerous to unity (Ephesians 4:25) and is a conscious attempt to deceive (Exodus 20:16).
People sometimes lie to make themselves look good (2 Chronicles 18:5-15). And sometimes lying is caused by fear (Genesis 18:15).
Know It!
Lying is like digging a hole and burying yourself in it. After you’ve told one lie, you usually have to tell another one to cover it up. And then another one. And another. As you do, the hole you’re burying yourself in simply gets deeper and deeper. Deceit and dishonesty acts as a bondage that keeps you from becoming intimate with God. Ask Him to free you from the bondage of deceit.
Read It!
All the Scriptures cited above.
Pray It!
If you sometimes struggle with honesty, admit that to Him right now. Tell Him you now realize that a lie is a lie in His eyes and that you don’t want to be deceptive any longer. Ask His help in being as honest and truthful as He is.
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 4:23 am
Tuesday June 19th
It’s Hopeless
Do not fear, only believe. Mark 5:36
When we face a seemingly insolvable problem, after trying every conceivable solution, we’re prone to give up. Seeing that no amount of human effort will make a difference, the crisis before us sends us into despair. We say in resignation, “It’s hopeless.”
Hopeless was how Jairus must have felt when he learned of his daughter’s death. Earlier he had begged and implored Jesus to see his dying daughter, for Jairus trusted that Jesus’ touch would restore his daughter’s health. But the little girl died before they arrived. Everyone who heard the terrible news thought Jesus no longer could do anything. Staring at death, they all thought the situation was hopeless. All except Jesus.
So Jesus said to Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe.” By these words, Jesus replaced Jairus’s hopelessness with hope. And this hope was not disappointed. With His touch and life-giving Word, the Lord of life brought the girl springing to her feet.
Jesus encourages us to believe that no situation is ever hopeless. He is the eternal giver of hope, whose death and resurrection promise us that not only Jairus’s daughter, but we, too, will rise from the dead. Jesus gives us a life of hope now and the hope of life hereafter.
Thank You, Jesus, for filling our lives with hope of eternal life in Your name. Amen.
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 11:29 am
Is Murder Always Bad?
Guess what’s next on God’s hate list—murder! We’re not told these are in any specific order, and I choose to believe they’re not in a certain order. I believe God hates one just as much as He hates all of them. So it really doesn’t matter if murder is number one on the list or number seven. The real issues is: It’s on the list! And even though it’s listed as third from the top, we’re told God hates it with a passion.
We’d probably all agree that a drive-by shoot-to-kill is insane and wrong. But is murder always wrong? For instance, if we know ahead of time that an unborn baby will have birth defects, is it wrong to end his life before enters the world?
In The Living Bible, it’s interesting to note that murder on God’s hate list is termed as “hands that shed innocent blood.” That leads us to believe that whether a baby is inside the womb or outside the womb, it’s an innocent being. To abort that life would be to “shed innocent blood.”
Abortion has been a hot debate for years, and the issue just keeps getting hotter. The main argument is that until the baby is outside of the womb, it’s not really a life. Yet we’re told in Psalm 139 that God knew us when we were being conceived! He looked upon us as life at the very moment a sperm fertilized an egg. And since we know the heart starts beating just days after conception, fingerprints are formed and actual identify develops—all before birth—we know that life inside the womb is still life.
To abort . . . to murder that innocent life makes God angry. He hates it! That life means no less to Him if it’s deformed; He still died for it. And there are literally thousands of people standing in line waiting to adopt healthy and unhealthy children. Who are we to decide when a life will end? God hates it when we make that decision our responsibility. It’s not our responsibility, and it never will be!
Let’s take a closer look at murder as discussed in Scripture. Can committed the first murder (Genesis 4:8- 10). Murder and anger are always related (Numbers 35:33), and we’re capable of murder in our hearts (Deuteronomy 5:17). See Genesis 9:5-6 on why murder is wrong.
Know It!
Of course, there’s more than one way to commit murder. (Flip back to May 25-27 and reread those devotions on murder.) We can murder someone’s reputation, kill his character and slay his name. Those things make God angry, too! He hates anything connected with murder, because it removes a life He created and died for.
Read It!
All the Scriptures cited above.
Pray It!
Tell God that you’ve killed some people by the words you’ve used. Seek His forgiveness. Tell Him you don’t want anything to do with murder—physical, emotional or verbal. Ask Him to help you glorify Him with your life.
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