Ephesians 5:3-5

5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

I know I was doing one verse at a time but these I thought should stay together.

Do you consider yourself a saint? Do you have any of these things in your life? There is so much in these 3 small verses isn't there?

Let's start at the beginning. We all know the meaning of fornication and most of you are saying oh I am not guilty of that one. Well hold on a minute. You may not be guilty of the worlds view of fornication but what about God's? This includes spiritual fornication. Have you ever put anything before God, including your own desires and I don't mean physical desires though that is included. But any desire to do anything that you want when you know that is not what God would have you do right now could be considered spiritual fornication.

Do you talk foolishly? Anything not gloifying to God is foolish talking. Jesting can be fine, but is it at someone else's expense? Do you idolize anything or anyone, including yourself? If you put yourself first, before God or others, then you are idolizing yourself. Ephesians says if you do any of these things you have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Just some things to think about today.

Ephesians 5:2

5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Here we are told to walk in love AS Christ loved us. This is hard to do isn't it? Now I am not talking about the people in your life that are easy to love. What I am talking about are the people in your life, or the people you come into contact with that are difficult to love because of their behavior or attitude. We all have people in our life like that don't we? But no where in this verse, or others for that matter, does it say we are not required to love them as Christ loves us. No it is not easy, no it is not what we always want to do, but it is what we are called to do. May this scripture be a reminder to all of us today. Especially me.

Ephesians 5:1

1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

Ephesians 5 starts out telling us who we should be following. And that we should do it as children. Dear children. Not hard headed children. A dear child will willingly obey and follow where the parent leads. In this case the parent is God and we are the children. Are you following God as a dear child? Or as a hard headed or hard hearted child? Your attitude toward others will reveal very quickly which one you are being.

I hope in the next few days to work my way through Ephesians taking one or more verses each day and meditating on them and sharing my heart.

Ever feel like a prayer hog?

I stole that prayer hog from an online friend. (thanks Mel!) Anyway, know how sometimes you are in the midst of many trials, either all at one time, or one right after another? Do you sometimes feel that if you ask, or continue to ask as each trial comes, for prayer that people will feel like you are a prayer hog? I do. When we don't ask for prayer each and every time we are in a situation that we need prayer, the devil wins. He is right there in your ear saying, you are asking to many times, to often, etc. Or he is saying what will they think of you if you ask for prayer for that? Or how about they will think that is foolish to ask prayer for, that isn't important enough to ask others for prayer for, they will think that is dumb. Stop letting the devil win. When you need prayer ask. The word says:

Ecc 4:12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Mt 18:19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven.
:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.

Let's keep that in mind next time we need prayer.
Also remember Jesus prayed with the disciples. If He needed people to pray with who are we to think we don't?

Think you can run from God?

Ps 139
:1 O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and know me.
:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off.
:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

Sitting, standing, laying down, doesn't matter the position we are in, He knows what we are doing, thinking, saying.

:4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether.
:5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me.
:6 Such knowledge is to wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
:7 Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?

There is no place to run to that He will not find you.

:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
:9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost arts of the sea;
:10 Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.
:11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

He will not let you hide from Him.

:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.

God has night vision. He can see through anything.

:13 For Thou hast possessed my reins; Thou has covered me in my mother's womb.
:14 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

If we want to be honest, we know the right thing to do, but we chose to do the wrong thing sometimes. That doesn't mean He isn't watching.

Even if you don't believe in God, doesn't mean He isn't real. I would rather live like He is and be wrong then face Him if I am wrong. It is a fearful thing to think we could lead innocent people into hell. People follow us whether we realize it or not. And if I am right, and there is a God, He will not look kindly on anyone leading others astray.

:15 My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
:16 Thine eyes did se my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
:17 How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
:18 If I should count them, they are more in number then the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee.
:19 Surely Thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
:20 For they speak against Thee wickedly, and Thine enemies take Thy name in vain.

Wow powerful words aren't they? So in answer to my question at the beginning, I don't believe that you can run from God. He will still be there when you stop to rest and along side you while you are running. Just because you don't acknowledge His existence doesn't make Him go away. Just something to think about today.

Are you stuck on stupid?

That was a question raised at church today. Interesting isn't it?

Pr 27:12 says A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished. Simple = lack of good judgement, wavering, easily led astray.

This post may ramble, and I apologize ahead of time if it does. These are thoughts I had while listening to the message today.

How do you learn? There are many ways, some easier then others.

You can learn from obedience, or from experience. Sometimes we experience evil instead of obeying God. Do we learn from that? Do we next time obey instead of experiencing the evil, or do we stay stuck on stupid?

When you learn from experience the test is first and then the lesson. Wouldn't it be easier to have the lesson first?

Your direction and not your intention, determines your destination. Remember the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but it still leads to hell.

A prudent person realizes that all life is connected. Cause = effect

That whatever I do today will affect my tomorrow.

Simple person thinks life is not connected. I can do anything I want to do today and it will not affect my tomorrow. They think there will always be a tomorrow. Stuck on stupid.

Simple person thinks that if they hurt someone by their actions or words and ask for that person's forgiveness, that there is nothing else to make up for. Just because you ask for forgiveness doesn't mean you are of not responsible for the consequences of your previous actions. God forgives sin, not consequences. To do so would go against God's very character. You must reap what you sow. If you have sow sin, you will reap the consequences of that sin even after you are forgiven. You can't sow rice and get a harvest of beans.

Pr 26:11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool retuneth to his folly.

People stuck in destructive cycles of behavior are just as a dog returning to their vomit. The worst part of vomiting is the aftertaste. sin = consequences

The wise take action. They move in the right direction, which brings relief.

Remember life is hard with God, and impossible without Him.

Are you choosing today to be stuck on stupid?

Pressures

2 Cor 1:8-9 We would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

There is pressure that God uses to bring you beyond your ability to His ability.

When God puts the squeeze on your life the first things that rise to the top are usually not pretty. Sometimes God uses the pressure to teach us to trust Him and not ourselves, and sometimes He uses it to reveal the ugliness still in us.

Mt 26:36 Then cometh Jeus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

There is always a Gethsemane before our break through.

Don't overestimate your own strength.

Lk 22:44-45 And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
:45 And when He rose up from prayer, and was come to His disciples, He found them sleeping for sorrow.

They slept while Jesus prayed so hard He sweat blood. Have you ever prayed that hard?

Lk 9:28-31 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, He took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.
:29 And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering.
:30 And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elias:
:31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of His decrease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem.

Jesus had right before this warned Peter about not being ready. Peter missed His moment of preparation by sleeping. So did John and James. They were sleeping and missed His conversation with Moses and Elias. How sad for them.

Now I am not saying sleep is not important. Trust me if you go a few nights in a row as I do without a good nights sleep you will know just how important it is, but spending time in prayer when that is what the Lord has asked you to do is more important. He can redeem the time and the sleep.

Jesus took people with Him when He went to Gethsemane. We need to reach out to people when we are in need for them to pray for and with us. Don't let pride, shame keep you from getting help. The hardest step you ever take is either the step toward someone for help, or the step away from people to God alone. Sometimes we must spend time alone with God. The fine line is staying close enough to people that they can still pray for you and cover you in love, but far enough away that you can have intimacy with God. Both are important for victory. You need to watch and pray.

Prayer is staying in contact with God. Without prayer you only have human strength and you will fall apart. People can pray for (with) you but they can't do your praying for you.

Jesus prayed until He found the prayer He needed.

Lk 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthing Him.

In pressure situation you are looking for a way out, but God is looking for a way in to help you. Prayer opens that door.

1 Cor 10:13 There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

That doesn't say He will take you out of situation, but that He will help you through it. Some mountains weren't made for us to move but to learn to climb over with God's help.

Ever heard the saying the devil made me do it? That says you are following the devil and not God. Why would you willingly do that?