I Kings 19:9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Elijah was directed by God to take this 40 day journey on no food and no water. When Elijah finally reaches the destination that the Lord sent him to, the Lord asks Elijah what he was doing here. This sounds like a strange question, one which most of us would answer, “I am doing what you told me to do.”

Elijah however responds by telling God about all the good things that he has done for the Lord and how he is the only person who is serving God. Elijah is just another human being who like us is quick to paint himself in the best light possible. Elijah had the attention of God and Elijah chose to remind God of all his good deeds as if this would gain him some special attention.

Why did God ask Elijah what he was doing? This seems like a crazy question for God to be asking. However, God never asks a question that HE does not know the answer to. Just because Elijah was obeying God, it does not mean he was doing so for the right reasons. Elijah had a higher view of himself then he ought. Elijah believed he was the only person who was faithful towards God.

It does not matter how spiritual we are, Satan can always get us to become proud of our humility. It does not matter how many prayers that we have seen God answer, Satan can cause us to believe that it is by our works that things are happening. It does not matter how many temptations we have overcome, we are human and Satan knows how to take our weakness and use it to tarnish our testimony.

If we come before God with sin in our heart, God will know. We cannot expect to come before God and fool HIM into believing that we are more spiritual then we are. If we have a wrong attitude, we should expect God to first purge that wrong attitude before we receive HIS full blessing that HE has in store for us.

When God spoke with Cain, he asked Cain where his brother was. Cain had a guilty heart but he thought he could lie to God. God did not allow Cain to avoid the question and eventually Cain knew that he was a condemned man.

When we speak with God and we hear HIM questioning our attitudes, this is not the time to try to justify our spiritual walk, this is the time that we humble ourselves and remember just how unworthy we are. God does not ask idle questions. God desires to probe our hearts and remove anything that is hindering a closer walk with the Lord.

The purging process is never easy and is never something that anyone wants to go through. However, just as grape vines need to be pruned so that they can bear abundant fruit, so also, our lives need to be pruned of any wickedness so that God can be glorified.

Do not attempt to justify your life before God. Instead, wait patiently and humble yourself before HIM. Submit to God and watch as HE removes those things that hamper your relationship with HIM. If God took the time to work with Elijah to remove areas of weakness he had, what makes you think that you are so spiritual that God has nothing that that HE desires you to change. We all have weaknesses and it is time that we allow God to remove them from our lives.

Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?

Zophar is speaking to Job and he reminds Job that while the wicked may boast for a season, it is only for a season. The wicked will not be able to get away with their iniquity for very long. Zophar reminds Job that from the very beginning of time, the wicked do not survive long.

The first sin committed was dealt with by God in the very day that it happened. God did not allow Adam and Eve to continue to live their lives as if nothing had happened. Instead, God came and sought out Adam and Eve and made HIMSELF known unto them. By doing so, HE made them deal with the issue of their wickedness.

The first murder was committed by Cain. God did not allow Cain to go around bragging about what he had done to his brother. Instead, God came and confronted Cain. God placed a mark on Cain not so that Cain could brag about his murder but so that Cain knew that he was under the protection of God, because of the grace of God.

When you think about how long people live on this earth, it does not take very long to realize that your time here on earth is very short compared to the thousands of years of recorded history. Even if you were able to live your entire life without repenting, the time of your wickedness would be very short.

We must understand that even when we think we get away with something, we in reality get away with nothing. We should count it a blessing when God deals with our sin while we are still here on this earth. When God punishes us here on this earth, it is because of HIS great love for us that HE desires that we do not continue to live in a manner that is displeasing unto HIM.

What kind of world would we live in if everyone did that which was right in their own eyes? What kind of wickedness would be committed around you? If someone could take what they wanted when they wanted it, or if you could kill another human being without thinking twice, there would be no safety here on this earth.

While it appears at times that wicked people get away with a lot, you must remember that we serve a God who sees everything. While God may be slow to wrath and quick to mercy, there is coming a day where the wicked will be punished for the sins that they committed. They cannot continue to get away with sin.

There will be a time in your life where you see someone committing some kind of wicked act and it appears that they are getting ahead in this world. You then look at yourself and see how you follow all the rules and you seem to be getting further and further behind. You must remember that God is in control and you must trust in HIM. Just because the wicked seem to prosper is not any excuse for you to commit wickedness.

Remember the wages of sin is death. Just because there does not appear to be an immediate consequence for some sins, do not be fooled, God will punish wickedness. Be patient and you will see the wicked being punished by God. God destroyed the entire world with a flood and he changed the languages of the world to stop a tower from being built. God is capable to punish anyone who thinks they can violate HIS perfect law.

Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

In this passage, Christ is instructing us on our attitude that we need to maintain when we are giving unto the Lord. Throughout scripture, God is very clear that we are supposed to give unto the Lord both tithe and offerings. Christ knows that those hearing these words where obedient to God in giving, the problem was, they did their giving in such a way that God was not receiving the glory.

From the very beginning, we see men giving unto the Lord. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a shepherd. One day we find that both Cain and Abel were making offerings unto the Lord with the fruits of their hands. However, because Cain did not have a right attitude towards God, his offering was rejected while Abel’s offering was accepted.

Cain became upset because his offering was not accepted by God. God appeared unto Cain and told Cain that if he did well, his gift would have been accepted. Cain did not heed the words of God and chose to kill his brother rather than change his life. Cain became a cursed man and eventually, all of his decedents were killed in the flood.

Scripture tells us the story of the widow with two mites. This woman went and gave all that she had to the Lord. Because she did not have much, she did not make a big deal out of her gift. That day, there were many rich people who made great shows of all the money that they were giving unto the Lord. However, they were giving out of their excess rather than giving their first fruits. Christ saw what the widow gave and God recognized her for her generous gift.

Giving should be a part of your spiritual walk with God. Giving must always be given from your first fruits. Do not wait for God to bless you before you have enough money to give to God. Instead, learn to trust in God and give to HIM first and see how God can bless you afterwards. However, do not be presumptuous; do not give to some particular work because some television evangelist says he is doing the work of God and that if you give to his ministry God will bless you 100 times. Instead, you need to stop and take the time to cry out to God in prayer and ask who else God desires you to give unto. There are many ministries out there doing the work of God but that does not mean that you are called to give unto them all.

The reason you give is not to receive some special book that is being offered as a part of your gift. The reason you give is not to receive some special letter from your favorite ministry which thanks you for your generous gift. The reason you give is not so your friends think that you are such a great Christian. Instead, the reason you give should be in obedience to God and so that HE is the One who is pleased with your life.

If you are giving to God your tithe and offerings – good for you. However, you need to examine your life and make sure that you are giving for the right reasons. Are you taking the time to hear the voice of God so that you give in secret so your Heavenly Father can reward you openly?

If you have been making gifts for the wrong reasons, you do not need to stop giving unto the Lord, instead you need to exercise self-control and allow God to direct your steps. By adding temperance to your life, you can change your focus from seeking the praises of men to seeking the praises of God. Change your focus to be heavenly minded here on this earth.

Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Have you ever told a lie? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You have probably seen a baby cry so loud you would have thought that it had been hurt. However, the second her mom picked her up, the baby stops crying and has a big smile on its face and starts to laugh. That baby wanted to be held and the only way it could get its way was to scream bloody murder like something had happened to hurt it. That baby was lying to get what it wanted. No one had to train the baby how to lie.

The sin nature of man has naturally programmed into us the need to lie to preserve ourselves. Have you ever seen a three year old with a dirty mouth and chocolate stained hands when his mother asks him if he eaten a cookie? The child instantly puts his hands behind his back and looks directly at his mother and says, no. No one had to teach the three year old how to lie.

When Cain killed his brother, God asked Cain where his brother was. Cain knew full well that he had killed his brother but rather than tell God the truth, Cain chose to lie and tell God that he was not his brother’s keeper. Cain was asked a question and he determined that it was better that he try to deceive God then to admit what he had done. No one had to teach Cain that telling the truth would not get him very far and Satan was able to gain a victory by convincing Cain to add to his sin of murder the sin of not telling the truth to God.

Even though we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God that does not mean that we should continue to sin and continue to live our lives in a manner that is not pleasing to God. We need to understand that just because we are Christians we are not free from sin. Instead, because we have accepted Christ as our personal Savior and claim HIS blood to wash away our sins, it means that we have the power over the temptation to sin and we have the ability to say no to the temptation to sin and live a life that is pleasing to God.

Our natural reaction will be to lie and deceive others. By putting the things of God first in our life, we understand that we are accountable to God for our lies and we will chose to tell the truth even though there may be personal consequences. During World War 2 when the Germans were trying to destroy the Jews, Corrie Ten Boom and her family were hiding the Jews. One day the Germans came in and asked a question regarding the Jews. Corrie’s sister who believed that she could not lie flatly stated that the Jews were under the table. The German’s looked under the table and did not see the trap door and basically assumed that Corrie’s sister was making fun of them. God had protected the Jews who were being persecuted even though Corrie’s sister told the truth exactly where the Jews were hiding.

God does not need your lies to bring about HIS perfect will in your life. While God blessed Rahab for protecting the spies for the nation of Israel HE did not need the lies of Rahab to protect those who were doing HIS perfect will.

You need to understand that God is in control over your life. It does not matter what trial you are facing, God is strong enough to see you through. You need to exercise great self-control to keep from naturally lying when you feel that you are in a pickle. By adding temperance to your life, you will understand that it is not by your strength nor by your power but by the power of God.

Matthew 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

In this passage we learn that if we know someone who we have offended, we are to go and make that right. Christ reveals to us that it is more important to be right with our brother than it is to give sacrifices unto God.

During the reign of Saul, God had told him to utterly destroy a nation. However, Saul saved the king and he saved some of the bests of the flocks. When Samuel confronted Saul, Saul made an excuse that he was saving these flocks to sacrifice to God. Samuel then tells Saul that God delights in our obedience over our sacrifices.

While we do not offer animal sacrifices to the Lord today, we have our own type of sacrifices and our own offerings. Some people are very generous with their money; they will give large sums of money to religious and charitable organizations. Some people are very generous with their time; if the doors are open, they are there volunteering their time. Some people try to make deals with God; they tell God that they will abstain from this vice or that vice in an attempt to make God happy with them.

God is more concerned that you actually obeyed HIM then that you make some great sacrifice. If God told you to quit your job and be a missionary in Africa, God would desire your obedience in going to Africa over your sacrifice of 30 hours of volunteer work for the Church and charities dealing with starving African children. If God told you to open your home up to the homeless and feed and allow them to sleep in your house, God would not be pleased with your sacrifice of millions of dollars to the homeless shelters. If God told you that HE wanted you to yield your right to play video games and to spend that time reading the Bible, your sacrifice of spending your vacation on a short term mission trip would not be acceptable in God’s eyes if you failed to obey HIM.

We are to be the salt and the light. If we know that something we have done has offended someone, then we know that it does not matter how bright the light of God reflects through our life, the person we have offended will not properly see the light of God. God knows that HIS light through our life will never properly reflect on those whom we have offended; that is why Christ is telling us in this passage that we are to stop all the wonderful things we are doing for Christ and make it a priority to take care of those whom we have offended.

Our sacrifices and offerings unto the Lord are important, but not nearly as important as our obedience to HIM and our having a clear conscience with those around us. You cannot cover a multitude of sins by simply serving God 30 hours a week. Do not be deceived, you cannot fool God; God looks at your heart and knows your attitudes as to why you are making the sacrifices. If you have the wrong reasons for making your sacrifices, God will not accept the offering just as HE rejected the offerings of Saul and the offerings of Cain.

We need to diligently add temperance to our life so that we can focus our attention on living for God the way that God desires us to live. The world will give us all sorts of options of how we can serve God in our own strength. Nonetheless, we need to be faithful to God and determine in our heart that we are going to serve God the way that HE desires us to serve HIM.

Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Most Bible scholars have concluded that the phrase “sons of God” refer to the line of Seth. It is their interpretation that the godly line of Seth started marrying the women from the cursed line of Cain. That these godly men thus were more concerned about the outward complexion of the woman than they were about maintaining their holiness with God.

Thus they liken this verse to the life of Solomon, a man who was more concerned about the outward beauty of his wives then he was about doing that which was right in the eyes of God. As a result of Solomon pursuing the foreign women, he was weakened spiritually and thus his relationship with God greatly deteriorated. This is apparently what happened with the godly line of Seth. They married based upon the outward beauty of the woman rather than ensuring that they were equally yoked. As such, it was soon found that Noah was the only righteous man alive.

There are some Bible scholars who claim that these “sons of God” where angels who took the form of man and started intermarrying and thus resulted in having children who were giants and mighty men of renown. If this was the case, these angels at some point of time had a perfect understanding of who God is and they chose to forsake their relationship with God in order to pursue the things that this world had to offer.

You are a child of God. You understand that God desires that you have a close relationship with HIM. However, the choice is yours whether or not you are going to purse a closer relationship with HIM or whether you are going to allow the things of this world to grab your attention and distract you from living a life that is pleasing to HIM.

These men saw the beauty of women and they pursued that beauty regardless of the personal cost. We soon see that God could only find righteous Noah and because of the sin of the world, he chose to destroy the entire world with a flood. When you compromise your standards by pursuing those things that are pleasing to the eye but not pleasing to the Lord, you damage your relationship with God and create a situation where you will face the judgment of God for your wrong actions.

The world tries to obtain your attention by showing the glamorous side of sin. The world shows you the joys of power, prestige, and position. However, the world does not show you how the things of the world do not leave you content. The world does not show you how by seeking the things of this world, you are not able to pursue the things of God because you cannot serve both God and the things of this world.

You need to demonstrate self-control when it comes to selecting friends and those whom you associate with. It is a lot easier for a righteous person to be influenced by a wicked person than for a wicked person to be influenced by a righteous person.

By adding temperance to your life, you are able to look at your relationships in this world and see that if you yoke yourself with unbelievers, you are setting yourself up for a fall. Rather than allow yourself to be tempted with evil, you need to be careful not to make associations that will cause you to sin and fall short of the glory of God. Do not be deceived by the vain imaginations of the mind, instead transform your mind so that the perfect will of God will be accomplished.

Genesis 4:24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

What is the difference between faith and presumption? In this passage, we see Lamech boast to his wives that God had protected Cain as a result of his killing Abel; so likewise, God was going to protect him.

Christ revealed to us the examples of two individuals who had great faith. Christ told us that the Centurion who had proclaimed that Jesus could heal from a distance, and the foreign woman who insisted that Jesus heal her daughter because even the dogs were entitled to scraps both had great faith.

In the book of Hebrews, we are given many more individuals whom God recognizes for their faith. These individuals believed God and did many wonderful things. Nowhere in Hebrews chapter 11do we see that God mentions the great faith of Lamech. Some might argue that Lamech is only mentioned in these six verses. However, God took the time to recognize Enoch’s great faith and Enoch was basically only listed in a genealogy with one verse telling us that he walked with God.

If Lamech was exercising some great faith, God would have made sure that we knew that Lamech was a man of faith. Instead, God has this passage in the Bible to illustrate to us a caution against presumption. While we do not know what ever happened to Lamech, we do know that God could have taken the life of Lamech at any given time. Lamech may have boasted all he wanted, but his words were in vain when it comes to the power of God. God could end the life of Lamech at any time, and even if God did not immediately judge Lamech for committing murder, we do know that eventually, God did judge Lamech.

Christ commanded us that we are not to fear man who can only take our life but that we are to fear God who not only can take our life but also our soul. Lamech can boast all he wants about his ability to commit murder and not be punished, but ultimately, we should not fear people like Lamech, we must fear God.

The difference between Lamech who presumed the protection of God and Abraham who is in God’s Hall of Faith is a relationship with God. Lamech did not understand who God was and he simply presumed he would be protected by God. Abraham had a relationship with god and Abraham strived to live his life in a way that was pleasing to God. Abraham feared God and what God could do – Lamech did not fear God and did not care about how God desired him to live his life.

If you want to be known for your faith rather than your presumption, you need to take the time to start getting to know your Creator. As long as you act like God owes you something, you will be guilty of presumption. Instead, when you start taking the time to understand who God is and start asking HIM to show HIMSELF strong in your life, then you can start experiencing the joys of great faith.

When you do not fear the Lord, you will pursue that which is right in your own eyes. However, great faith will require temperance in your life. You will have to demonstrate self-control not to indulge in the things of this world so that you can have the vision necessary to walk in faith. Until you put aside the things of this world, you will never be free to fully serve God.

Genesis 4:23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.

Bible scholars have had much difficulty deciphering the meaning of this passage. Some believe that Lamech killed a man who had first wounded him and thus he killed in self-defense. Other believe that Lamech was reassuring his wives that there was no one strong enough to seek revenge in killing him because he was so strong that he was able to kill this young man even though he was already injured. However, regardless of the interpretation of the exact meaning of Lamech’s boast, what we do know for sure is that Lamech is the second man who is recorded in scripture of taking the life of another.

We know that Cain took the life of his brother Abel, but we do not know the name of the person who was killed by Lamech. God has a purpose for putting this story in the Bible and as a child of the King, it is our duty to search the scriptures to learn the lessons that God has for us. God did not put this story in the Bible to entertain us; it is here for a purpose.

Lamech is the example of a man who could not control the desires of his heart. Lamech desired two women so he ended up marrying both of them. Now Lamech had a problem with a certain young man and rather than refrain his emotions, he allowed his anger to build to the point that he took the life of another.

You may not think that you would ever marry two women, but have you committed adultery in your heart? You may not think that you would ever kill another person, but have you ever been angry with your brother? Christ taught us that there is a higher standard than just the 10 Commandments – God is looking at your heart. As such, you are just as much of a law breaker as Lamech was the day he took the life of the young man.

Lamech could not control the desires of his heart and as such, he allowed lust to build to the point that he took what he wanted regardless of the consequences to others. If you are not careful, you too can allow your emotions to get the better of you until you covet something to the point that you do that which is right in your own eyes.

God desires that you learn to exercise self-control in your life. This means that you learn to lay aside the desires of your heart in order to pursue the desires of HIS heart. As you learn to seek those things that are pleasing in HIS eyes, you find that you have the strength to overcome the temptations of this world.

If you do not take the time to add temperance to your life, you will find yourself acting more and more like Lamech. Rather than saying no to the things of this world, instead you will be so absorbed in your own life that you will take what you want regardless of how it will affect others. Your relationship with God will not matter because the only thing that will matter to you is that you are satisfied with the things of this world.

Just because you want it, it does not mean that it is God’s best for your life. Instead, you need to learn to hear the still small voice of God so that you can learn to desire to pursue those things that are a part of the perfect will of God for your life. You must learn to say no to the things of this world so that you can say yes to the things of God.

Genesis 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

Cain had just killed Abel and God came to confront him for his sin. Rather than admit the truth, Cain tried to avoid liability by saying he did not know where his brother is. However, like his parents, Adam and Eve, God already knew that Cain had sinned and God was giving Cain the opportunity to come forth and admit his wrongdoing.

Cain tried to dodge God’s question by asking the question “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer to that question is simple. Christ commanded us to love the Lord with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves. When Christ was asked who is our neighbor, Jesus responded by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, a Jew had been robbed, beaten up, and left for dead. In the end, a Samaritan, came to the aid of the Jew and took care of his needs and paid for others to take care of him after he left. The Samaritans and the Jews did not get along with each other. Thus the principle of the parable is that everyone is our neighbor and we owe a duty to all of God’s creation to help the helpless, feed the hungry, and cloth the naked.

If the Samaritan owed a duty to a Jew to take care of him during his time of need, then what was Cain’s duty to Abel, his own flesh and blood? The answer to Cain’s question is yes. Yes, Cain was Abel’s keeper and he owed a duty to his brother to love him as he loved his own flesh. Cain did not demonstrate any love for his brother when he arose up and killed his brother.

We are the creation of God. When we find ourselves being selfish and seeking only our own desires, then we put ourselves in a position that we sin and fall short of the glory of God. The Bible is full of examples of the importance of love and what it means to love. We know that there is no greater love than that of one laying down his life for a friend. We know that a husband is to love his wife even as he loves his own body. We know that we were told that we cannot love God whom we do not see if we do not love our own brother whom we do see.

Cain had done wrong when he killed his brother Abel. Cain compounded his sin by attempting to deny liability that he knew what happened to his brother. Cain thought he was being smart by saying that he was not responsible for his brother. However, his brother was a creation of God, and by failing to love his brother as himself, Cain further demonstrated to us and to God that he did not love the Lord. Because Cain did not have a right heart towards God, this is probably just one of the reasons his sacrifice was not accepted by God.

It is very easy to be selfish and think only about your own needs. God desires that we learn to start saying no to our own selfish desires and start looking out for the needs of those around us. As we say no to the things of this world and yes to the things of God, we will learn how other people are more important than all the possessions, power, or prestige that we can obtain.

Add temperance to your life so that you can start saying no to the things of this world and yes to the things of God. You do not need to have everything that the world has. You cannot afford to pursue the things of this world and pretend that you are serving God. Remember Christ commanded us that we cannot serve both God and this world. Cain did not love his brother. Do not be like Cain, and instead, learn to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Genesis 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Cain was upset with God because God accepted the sacrifice of Abel but did not accept his sacrifice. Whether it was jealousy, envy, or some other sin that took over the heart of Cain, it ended up costing Abel his life. Cain decided that he was not going to change his attitude or his behavior but was simply going to get rid of the one that reminded him that there was not something right between him and God.

When the Holy Spirit convicts you of your sins, you have two responses – either you repent of your wicked ways, or you act similar to Cain and rid your life of that which is convicting you of your sin. Cain is not the only one in scripture that did evil to someone because it revealed a major deficiency in their own lives. The religious leaders during the time of Jesus had Jesus killed so that they did not have to change.

Temperance requires you to examine your life and valuate what is really important to you. This means that you must decide whether you are going to listen to the still small voice of God or whether you are going to try to bury the things that are spiritual so that you can continue to do what you want when you want to do it.

When you choose to do that which is right in the eyes of God, you must rid your life of the influences of this world. Cain did not have to remain bitter at God for refusing his sacrifice. God had told Cain what he needed to do in order for God to accept his sacrifice. Cain could have made those changes, but instead, he chose to continue to be the boss of his own life and refuse to allow God to dictate how he was supposed to live his life.

Temperance is a tool that God has given to you to guide you to live a life that is pleasing to God. You do not have to continue to yield to the sins of this world; by the strength of God you can overcome. By relying upon the strength of God, you no longer have to continue to yield to the temptations that beset you. Whether you have problems with greed, lust, power or some other worldly sin; God has given you the ability to add temperance to your life so that you can say no to the things of this world and continue to grow in your relationship with God.

Cain did not have to kill his brother. Cain made a decision to lift up his hands against his brother. At any time, he could have stopped and relied upon the strength of the Lord to do the right thing. However, Cain had chosen to allow his heart to be filled with envy so that rather than do the right thing and change his behavior, Cain simply continued to pursue that which seemed right in his own eyes regardless of the consequences to those around him.

When you refuse to add temperance to your life, you will continue to live your life in such a way that it will hurt those around you. You will be acting so selfishly that regardless of how you feel about those around you, your desire to appease yourself will result in others suffering.

You do not need to continue to sin and draw further away from God each day. It is time to draw a line in the sand and to make a proclamation that you are living for God. This means that you no longer can continue to do what you want when you want to do it. Instead, you must change your behavior so that God is glorified by your actions. Stop trying to drown out the voice of God by the things of this world, instead drown out the things of this world with the things of God.

Genesis 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Cain and Able had each made an offering unto the Lord. Able had brought an offering from his flocks while Cain had brought an offering of the fruit of the ground. Cain was a farmer and Able was a shepherd; they each brought an offering in accordance with their trade. Even though they each brought an offering out of fruit of their labor, Abel’s offering was accepted while Cain’s offering was rejected by God.

Cain became upset that God had not accepted his offering. God came and spoke with Cain and told him that if he did well, he would be accepted by God. Apparently, Cain had done some things that caused God to reject the offering of Cain. We do not know what Cain had done, but God had made clear that Cain needed to change his behavior so that God would accept the offering Cain desired to give God.

Cain was living his life in a way that God needed to get his attention. Cain apparently was bringing this offering as an attempt to stay in the good graces of God. However, God desired the obedience of Cain more than his sacrifices. Until Cain learned to allow God to have control over his life, the bringing of offerings would be an exercise in futility.

When king Saul was over Israel, there was a time when God commanded him to utterly destroy the enemy. Saul decided to save the best of the animals. When God sent Samuel to confront Saul for his disobedience, Saul made an excuse that the animals had been saved to sacrifice unto the Lord. God told Saul that obedience was more important than sacrifice.

God desires to see you obey HIM. HE has a perfect plan for your life. God has given you a free will to choose to obey HIM or to disobey HIM. However, while you have a choice in whether you obey God or not, this does not mean that there will not be consequences for your actions. If you jump off a cliff, gravity will pull you down towards the ground. If you put your hand on a hot stove, you will burn your hand. If you cut your hand with a knife, you will lose blood.

Your actions have consequences. Cain chose to do those things that were not pleasing to the Lord and as a result, God did not accept his offering. If you choose to not do well, you should not be surprised if you do not have the blessings of God in your life. Do not expect God to bless you while there are major obstacles between you and God.

Your focus needs to be maintaining a right relationship with God. This means that you do not allow the things of this world to control your life. You cannot partition your life; you cannot expect to serve the world six days a week and God on Sundays and expect God to bless you every day. Cain had sinned by not putting God first in all of his ways. Cain sinned even further when he thought he could get angry at God for not blessing the offering that he had brought.

Temperance requires that you say no to the things of this world so that you are able to say yes to the things of God. By diligently adding temperance to your life, you are enabling yourself to do well so that you can receive the blessings of God in your life. You need to have a right focus towards God. You cannot afford to live your life like Cain who was upset that God was not blessing him the way that he thought God ought to bless him. God desires to see your obedience, will you be faithful?

Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

In this passage, Jesus is laying out a higher standard for Christians. The Ten Commandments state that one should not kill. Jesus likens anger to that of killing. Jesus is making clear that God is not only concerned with your actions, but also with your thoughts. Before, the Jews could only sin by committing wrong acts. Now, Jesus is showing us the perfect law and the perfect law states that sin begins in the heart.

If you desire to add knowledge of the ways of God, the Sermon on the Mount is an important passage to study. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ commands us how we are to live our lives. Many of the teachings of Jesus in this passage are counter-intuitive. Nonetheless, if you desire to live a life pleasing to the Lord, then you must carefully study and apply the teachings of Christ so that God can be glorified through your life.

Most people will agree that killing another human being is wrong. Cain was the first man who committed the sin of murder. We know that God placed a mark on Cain protecting Cain from the vengeance of others. At this time, God was the ultimate judge and he did not allow man to sit in judgment of another man. After the flood, God told Noah in Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

After the flood, God established the civil government to punish those who had committed murder. The law that God gave to Noah was further clarified in the law that God gave to Moses. In the 10 Commandments, God made it clear that Thou shalt not kill. God also made a place of refuge for those who had accidentally killed where they could be safe from the judgment of the next of kin.

Christ is now revealing to us the higher standards of the ways of God. God will judge our thoughts. The simple act of getting angry without cause in the eyes of God is the same as murder. Jesus revealed to us that there is a place for righteous anger when HE cleared the temple of the money changers. However, you must remember that you are not perfect like Jesus was and thus, any time you start getting angry, you better be concerned that you are not endangering yourself to the wrath of God.

You will never be able to fully understand who God is. You are a sinful man and God is Holy and pure with no beginning and no end. Nonetheless, you can understand the standard by which God will judge you. If you do not live according to the perfect standard of God, you have sinned and you must confess your sins and accept the blood of Jesus to cover your sins.

If you murdered someone, you know you have sinned and that would be a sin that you know you would need to confess. However, it is sometimes hard to remember every time you have been angry at someone else. That is one reason why Jesus told us to not let the sun go down on our wrath. This means that we must take the time each night to confess our sins of anger with God so that we keep a short list of sins with God. By coming before God daily to ask God to forgive us, we almost eliminate the chance of forgetting about a sin that needs to be confessed. If you desire to live your life according to the perfect standard of God, then you must control your anger.

Proverbs 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.

What is the most valuable thing to you? Is it the amount of money in your pocket book or is it your reputation? It is one thing what you think of yourself, but it is quite another thing to see how others perceive you. Your life is to reflect the light of God, but if you are acting just like the world, why should the world change from their wicked ways in order to draw closer to God?

Gehazi was a servant of Elisha. Naaman was a leper who came to Elisha for healing. Elisha sent Naaman to the river Jordan to dip seven times in order to be healed. When Naaman obeyed, he saw God deliver him from the disease. Naaman was a grateful man and he immediately returned to Elisha to give him gifts. Elisha understood that if he accepted the gifts, then when Naaman went home and told everybody what happened, then Naaman would give credit to Elisha when instead credit needed to be given to God.

Elisha understood that he could not receive the credit for what God had done through him so he refused to accept any of the gifts of Naaman. However, once Naaman had left, Gehazi took off after Naaman and made up a story in which he obtained for himself gifts that Elisha had refused. Gehazi received the gifts by using the name of Elisha and as a result, Gehazi destroyed the testimony that Elisha was trying to build. Gehazi may have obtained riches, but he lost his reputation.

Gehazi is not the only person in the Bible who pursued riches rather than a good name and was punished for it. In fact, any time we sin and fall short of the glory of God, we are saying that our own way is more important to us then what God or others think of us. When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of good and evil, the only thing they were thinking about was themselves. Adam and Eve had great wealth but we see that they wanted something more. Because they allowed something rather than their relationship with God to come first, they sinned.

Cain was a man who was not pleased that he did not receive the approval of God. However, rather than change himself so that God was pleased with him, Cain chose to kill his brother Abel. By getting rid of Abel, Cain did not gain a good name; instead, Cain was afraid that someone would take his life.

Joseph was a man who would rather have a clear conscience and serve God then to have great wealth. Joseph was simply a slave and the wife of his master was trying to sleep with him. In her eyes, Joseph was not just another slave. However, Joseph refused to soil his reputation by sleeping with the wife of his master. Joseph chose a good name and as a result, he ended up going to prison.

Just because you chose a good name, it is not a promise that God is going to bless you beyond your wildest imagination. You never know who God is putting into your life to see your testimony. When you chose to do the right thing, God will use you for HIS glory.

Who do you serve: Is it God or gold? If you spend time pursuing the riches of this world, then you will quickly find that that the riches of this world will not satisfy. Instead, you must spend your time drawing closer to God. As you spend time adding knowledge of the ways of God, you will obtain a wealth that far exceeds your wildest expectation.

Proverbs 21:3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

There are better ways to please the Lord than bringing sacrifices. It is true that we do not offer sacrifices of animals as the Jews did in the Old Testament. However, this verse is still applicable to our lives today. Have you ever tried to deal with God by saying you would give up something in order to receive the favor of the Lord? Maybe you are like the religious leaders during the time of Jesus who were so proud of all the fasting and praying that they were doing. Maybe the sacrifice you make is all the money you give to help the church or the needy.

While there is nothing wrong with fasting and praying or giving to the Lord, if you are doing it for sacrifice sack, in order to obtain something from the Lord, you may not be blessed the way you desire to be blessed. God does not want you to be making sacrifices just so that you can claim to be spiritual. God will accept your sacrifice if they are done for the right reason.

While sacrifices for the right reason are good, there is something else that God would rather you do that is even more important to HIM. God would rather see you do justice and judgment. If you are being unfair to others yet giving great sums of money to God, the light of your life will be very dim and your influence on the world will be weak. If you show partiality to others but try to make it up by fasting and praying, again, those who feel slighted by you will not see you reflecting the light of God and will not be impressed by your great spirituality.

God desires that you change your life and the way you live. This means that you need to understand how you are interacting with others. It does not matter if you can say all the right thing or do everything that causes the choir to say amen, if the world cannot see the light of God in your life, you will not be able to persuade them that you have anything worthwhile to offer them.

Cain was a man who was making sacrifices to God. However, God did not accept the sacrifice of Cain. God told Cain that if he did well, then his sacrifice would be acceptable. The lesson from Cain is simple, God expects us to change who we are and how we live. If we are not allowing God to change us for HIS glory, then all the things that we do in the name of religion are as worthless rags.

Ananias and Sapphira planned on making a great sacrifice to the Lord. They sold some land that they had and they were going to give the money to the work of the Lord. Ananias and Sapphira kept back some of the money but told Peter that the money they were giving was 100% of the sale price. God did not care about the large sacrifice being made by Ananias and Sapphira. The fact that the couple were trying to lie and obtain the praises of man was enough to cause the Lord to strike them dead.

Your sacrifices to the Lord will always be worthless as long you are not living according to HIS standards. The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways of God, the easier it will be for you to understand just how God desires you to live. God will accept your sacrifice when your heart is pure before HIM. Solomon made a thousand burnt offerings to the Lord and God not only accepted the offering, but also gave Solomon anything he desired. The heart of Solomon was right before God and he asked God for wisdom rather than riches, honor, or long life. It is important that you live your life in a manner that is pleasing to God.

Proverbs 14:6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.

Your attitude towards God is important. If you have chosen to live your own life according to your own standards, then the things of God will be too complex for you. However, if you have the faith of a little child, then the ways of God are easily comprehended.

We live in a society that simply out thinks itself. We are too smart for our own good. In our attempt to rationalize everything, we have created in our own minds a world without God. This world without God is a figment of our own imaginations that cannot be proven. In our attempt to be accepted by the world, we in blind faith believe a lie.

God does not want you to be wise in your own eyes. Instead, if you seek the Lord surely you will find HIM. You must be willing to put the Lord first in your life. You must daily add knowledge of the will of God to your life.

If you are building a structure, one of the first things you do is ensure that you have a proper foundation. If you have a solid foundation, and you build upon that foundation, then the building will go up easier and last longer. Imagine someone trying to build a house without a foundation. Everyone who was working on that house would be very frustrated as they try to create a solid structure.

A scorner is one who has rejected the Rock. If that scorner tries to be a good person and build a house absent the Rock that is Jesus, he will have nothing and the storms of life will quickly wash away anything that was present. A scorner thinks that he will get to heaven if his good works out weigh his bad works. As such, he will attempt to put on an appearance of just how good he is. However, because he has rejected Christ, all his righteousness is as filthy rags.

Both Cain and Abel made sacrifices unto the Lord. God accepted the sacrifice of Abel but the sacrifice of Cain was not accepted. Both Saul and David made sacrifices unto the Lord. God accepted the sacrifices of David but rejected the sacrifices of Saul. Both Abel and David had a proper relationship with God. Because of their relationship with God, the things that they did naturally pleased the Lord. Cain and Saul did not have the same relationship with the Lord, thus when they prepared their sacrifices, they found that they were not acceptable in the sight of God.

The choice is yours whether or not you accept Christ as your Savior. The choice is yours whether you are going to live your life according to HIS principles. Do not be surprised when the choices you make affect your life. If you reject God, why should you be able to understand the wisdom of God? How can you expect to understand the mysteries of the world if you have rejected the Creator of that world?

Jesus promised that if we seek we shall find. Nonetheless, we must always maintain a right attitude towards God. God is not going to allow the world to find the knowledge of the ways of God just because they are looking. However, if you have a right relationship with God and you are seeking HIS ways, HE will make HIS ways known unto you.

Proverbs 12:2 A good man obtaineth favor of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

One of the best illustrations in the Bible for this passage can be found in the story of Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer and he brought the fruit of the ground as an offering unto the Lord. Abel was a shepherd and he brought a lamb. Both men brought an offering unto the Lord from their income. There is nothing in scripture that indicates that either man brought the offering in order to keep up with their brother. They each willingly brought an offering unto the Lord. Nonetheless, God accepted the offering of Abel and rejected the offering of Cain.

Some Bible scholars have said that the reason God rejected the sacrifice of Cain was because it was not a lamb. God had used a lamb to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve and thus Cain should have known that God would only want a lamb as a sacrifice. The problem with this theory is that scripture does not say Cain and Abel were making a sacrifice for their sins, it only says that they were making an offering unto the Lord.

An offering is never required. When you bring an offering unto the Lord, you are doing so because you are thanking God for the abundance that HE has given you. God had blessed Cain by the fruit of the ground and thus if he was bringing an offering unto the Lord, it was only proper that he bring the fruit of the ground.

So why did God reject the offering of Cain and accept the offering of Abel? God asked Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door (Genesis 4:6-7). God does not tell us what Cain had done wrong, but Cain had done something wrong and thus God used his offering to show Cain that he needed to get right with God.

The lesson of Cain is simple, it does not matter how much time, talent, or treasure you give to God, if your heart is not right, God will not be pleased. When Saul was instructed of God to utterly destroy the Amalek, Saul only partially obeyed; he did not kill the best of the sheep and the best of the oxen. When Samuel confronted Saul, his excuse for disobeying was that the people were saving these animals for sacrifices and offerings unto the Lord. Samuel replied Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22).

God is more concerned about your heart than HE is about all the wonderful gifts that you give to HIM. You may give to HIM all the money in the world to HIM, but if HE does not have your heart, your offering will be rejected. God does not need wealth, HE created man in HIS own image so that HE might have fellowship. The sin of Adam and Eve destroyed that fellowship.

It takes knowledge of the ways of God to understand that God looks at the heart and not the offerings. If you desire to love the Lord with all your heart, then you must show that love in the way God desires to receive it, not in the way you want to give it. The more you understand the ways of God, the easier it will be to please HIM.

Proverbs 8:1 Doth not wisdom cry? And understanding put forth her voice?

God does not hide wisdom or understanding from you. It is available to all who are willing to allow wisdom and understanding to change their lives. The Bible is readily available and in it is full of the knowledge of the ways of God. All you have to do is take the time each day to read your Bible and you will have enough knowledge to last a lifetime.

You have a duty to add knowledge to your faith and virtue. This is not an unreasonable request of God, nor is it an impossible task. God requests that you add knowledge to your life and HE has already prepared the way so that you can obey HIM.

The problem arises in your life. The knowledge of the ways of God is easily accessible, but you do not always desire to make God a top priority in your life. You do not want to yield your life to HIM and thus allow HIM to direct you where you are to go and when you are to go. As long as you insist that you maintain control over your own life, God will not be able to draw you closer to HIM and thus enable you to add to your knowledge of the ways of God.

Cain and Abel both made sacrifices to God. However, God only accepted the sacrifice of Abel. God apparently did not accept the offering of Cain because he had sin in his heart. God told Cain that if he did well, then God would accept his offering. Cain had a choice to make, God told him to change his heart. Cain chose not to change, and instead, he killed his brother. Cain understood what God desired him to do, but Cain did not want to yield his life to the control of God.

Paul was a man who had much learning. He thought he understood that it was the will of God for him to destroy the Christians. One day, God revealed HIMSELF to Paul and Paul recognized that he did not really understand who God was and what God desired him to do. Paul repented of his sin and spent the rest of his life learning the ways of God and teaching them to the Christians so that we might follow HIM.

In order to add knowledge of the ways of God, you need to change your perspective in life. You cannot have the attitude that you are in control over your life. Instead, you must understand that you serve a living God who desires to work through you. The more time you spend drawing closer to HIM, the better your understanding of who HE is and what HE desires you to do.

In Yellowstone National Park, there is a famous geyser called Old Faithful. This geyser on regular intervals will bring thousands of gallons of boiling hot water out of the ground. It does not matter if anyone is there to see it, the geyser will be faithful to blow several times a day. The same is true with knowledge of the ways of God. The knowledge of the ways of God is there for you to obtain, you just need to come to God and receive.

Are you willing to come to God so that you can hear those things that HE desires you to do? God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God has not changed; it is mankind that has insisted in going its own way. Are you going to continue to do that which is right in your own eyes, or are you going to come to God and hear HIS voice speaking to you.

Proverbs 6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies,

In this passage Solomon reveals to us seven abominations unto the Lord. This section covers the sixth abomination, one who goes around goes around intentionally telling lies to harm the reputation of another. The second item in the list of abominations was a lying tongue whereas this verse states a false witness that speaketh lies.

In order to understand the differences between the two abominations, you need to first understand that lying is lying and it is an abomination unto the Lord. It does not matter if no other person hears your lie as occurred when Cain denied knowing where his brother was, or if a whole congregation heard your lie as occurred with Ananias and Sapphira, it is still an abomination unto the Lord. It does not matter if anyone relies upon or does not rely upon your lie as occurred in the story of Cain or the story of Satan deceiving Eve in the garden.

Lying is an abomination unto the Lord. The reason it is in this list of seven items twice is to ensure that one does not say, because I did not harm anyone, I am ok. This sixth abomination is best understood if you think of a witness giving their testimony before a court. The witness raises their right hand and takes an oath to tell the truth. If that witness were now to tell a lie, they could seriously be affecting the life or liberty of another. This sixth abomination is probably best described as one who goes around telling lies about another to other people.

When Jesus was to be tried, the religious leaders brought in some false witnesses to testify about what Jesus had done. The religious leaders understood that in order to condemn Jesus to death, they needed two witnesses to agree to the same set of events. What is an interesting side note about this story is that we have two witnesses who were told what to say in a rigged trial and because of the power of God; neither false witness could confirm the story of the other.

It is an abomination unto the Lord for you to speak anything but the truth. It does not matter if you are telling a little white lie to save your reputation at work or if you are going around the office telling lies about a fellow office worker so that you receive the next promotion; they are both abominations unto the Lord. It does not matter if you tell your children a lie to get them out of your hair or if you tell your children a lie about your ex-spouse so as to win favor with your children; they are both abomination unto the Lord.

In this passage, God makes it crystal clear that HE is not drawing any distinction between one who lies about themselves and one who lies about another person. God does not care if anyone relies upon your lies, a lie is a lie is a lie; it is still an abomination unto the Lord. God is not going to allow you to justify a false word coming out of your mouth.

You have been instructed to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. When you study and meditate upon those things that are an abomination unto the Lord, you are adding knowledge to your life. However, the next step is to not only add knowledge, but to allow that knowledge to change you so that you can draw closer to HIM. If you are not lying, you are not committing abominations unto the Lord.

Proverbs 6:17 and hands that shed innocent blood,

In this passage, we see a list of seven abominations unto the Lord. The third item in the list of abominations is murder. It is an abomination unto the Lord for man to kill another man. Scripture tells us that God made us in his own image. When mankind kills another, he is rejecting God. Not only is the murderer rejecting God, but they are also proclaiming that they know better then God who should live and who should not.

When Cain killed his brother Abel, God came and judged Cain for his actions. Cain recognized that the judgment of the Lord was too great and he cried out for mercy. God did show Cain some mercy, but it does not mean that Cain escaped the judgment. While Cain may not have been immediately killed, the curse of Cain was that Cain would be a vagabond and that the land would no longer yield forth its strength unto Cain.

David was a man after the heart of God, yet after David realized that his sin with Bath-sheba resulted in a child, David had Uriah killed. God sent Nathan to David to pronounce judgment upon David. Nathan told David a story about a man with sheep and David stated that the man who took the sheep when he had so much should pay four times. David pronounced his own judgment and four of his sons were killed. David had committed an abomination unto the Lord and while the Lord showed mercy to David, David still had to experience the judgment of God.

The killing of innocent blood is an abomination unto the Lord. Every day throughout the world, many people lose their life because someone makes a decision that they are not worthy to live. Who made the murderer God that they are allowed to choose who lives and who dies.

Every day women choose to kill their own babies via the process of abortion. These babies are human life made in the image of God, yet for the sake of choice, the mother decides whether or not the child will live. In Leviticus 18:21 God tells the people that thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, either shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. The word seed in this passage not only means children that are living right now, but also future children who are not yet born.

It is important to understand that it is God who creates life and that this little human life is made in the image of God. It is an abomination unto the Lord to take innocent life and life is not any more innocent than the unborn child who has not yet sinned.

You may argue that since you are not a murderer that this passage has very little importance to your life. However, you must remember the words of Jesus where he likened a man who is angry at his brother with a murderer. Remember that it was anger at God for not accepting his sacrifice that eventually drove Cain to murder his own brother. Anger is a dangerous thing that you must make sure that you control.

As a child of God, you have a responsibility to understand what the will of God is for your life. This means that you must take the time to study the scriptures and obtain the knowledge of God. Learning what God likes and does not like should be a daily part of your life so that your life can be pleasing to God.

Acts 21:5 And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.

Paul had just spent seven days with the believers in Tyre. It was time for him to continue on his journey to Jerusalem and then to Rome. However, before Paul left, Paul, the disciples, and their families all joined together and they prayed. Jesus has taught us that where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Prayer should be an important part of your life. When was the last time that you called a spontaneous prayer meeting with your family? Yes it is good to pray for your meals, but when was the last time your family prayed for the things occurring around you?

Your family should reflect the love of God to the entire community. However, if your family is not knit together with a desire to put the things of God first, then your family will not be as strong of a witness as it could be. The family should be a strong unit. In this passage, we see that the entire family was involved with the prayer to send Paul on his way. There were a lot of things everyone could have been doing, but instead, all of the believers desired to pursue the things of God and be together during a time of prayer.

Do you desire to be a family that God desires to use to do many mighty things for HIM? If so, it must start with you. You need to learn to be faithful to HIM in your time of devotions and in your time of prayer. If you are married, you need to take the time at least daily, to set time aside to pray with your spouse. If you are not praying together as husband and wife, what makes you think that a prayer time with your children will be effective?

Because you are so close to your family, it is easy for members of the family to offend one another. If you allow these offenses to grow, your relationship with those individuals will be weakened. Satan understands that a family that is united together for the glory of God is a formable opponent that can do great damage. As such, Satan desires to attack the family and divide it as quickly as possible. Satan tempted Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit in order to divide Adam and Eve. Satan encouraged the jealousy of Cain so that he killed his brother. Satan also encouraged the jealousy of the brothers of Joseph so that they attempted to kill and later sold him off as a slave.

Satan will attack your family, but prayer and a united purpose to serve the Lord will be one of the only things that can give you the strength to overcome the distractions that Satan throws your way. If you make it your goal to serve God together as a family and you daily pray together as a family, it will be harder to develop bitterness against one another. When you pray together as a family and follow the example that Jesus gave us in the Sermon on the Mount, there must be a time of confession. If the family is daily confessing their sins to God together as a family, then forgiveness must be sought between offending parties.

How well does your family reflect the light of God to the community? It may be that your family is not united together in prayer and that instead you are simply all doing your own thing. If you took the time to diligently add knowledge of the ways of God, you would understand that God desires your family to be a combined light for HIM. As a family, you must start praying together.

I Corinthians 8:10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;

In this chapter, we learn that we are to have the knowledge that “there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” (I Corinthians 8:6). As Christians, we do not need to know a million things; instead, it is a simple truth that we need to know and live our lives by. It is important to understand, that there is only one God and to live our lives accordingly.

There are many things in this world today that are very worldly. However, just because they are of the world, it does not mean that you must automatically abstain from them. Money is a classic example. We know that “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). You are commanded to love the Lord with all your heart. When you start loving money, it is idolatry and it will cause you to stumble.

As a Christian you must be very careful about how you interact with money. You may have added knowledge to your virtue which means that you understand that God is to be first in your life. You may have your priorities straight. However, just because you have your priorities straight and God has blessed you with a lot of money, it does not mean that other Christians around you will understand the knowledge of God that you possess and because of your money it causes them to stumble.

When Cain killed Abel, and God inquired of Cain about Abel, Cain replied “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). Cain’s actions directly lead to the death of his brother but he still tried to escape the liability of his actions. Your actions as a Christian can lead a brother to stray from the truth. Just as Cain was guilty of taking the life of his brother, so too will God find you guilty if your actions lead a fellow believer astray. You are your brother’s keeper.

When you add knowledge to your life, you will also learn what is important to God. The soul of one man is more important than all the gold in the world. The early New Testament church understood how money could damage their relationship with each other and that is just one of the reasons why those who had plenty used that money to assist those who had needs. When those who had plenty gave to the needs of those who were lacking, those who did not have plenty could not accuse the rich Christians of serving two masters. It was clear to everyone that money was not a stumbling block in the rich Christian who gave. Also, because of the generosity of the rich Christian, riches did not cause other weaker Christians to stumble.

You have been commanded to add knowledge to your virtue. This means that you are adding a better understanding of the ways of God to a mind that is set upon the things of God. God needs to be the most important thing to you. It does not matter what you have, you need to live your life so that you are a light unto the world. Just because you have all knowledge, you still must be careful because there are many people watching you and just because your actions are not sin to you, they could be sin to another who does not have the same saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Your prayer life is directly connected to your daily life. How you live will help control whether God answers your prayers. If you are a righteous man who is doing the will of God, then your prayers are much more likely to be answered than a man who knows the truth but refuses to do that which is right in the eyes of God.

Both Cain and Able brought their sacrifices to God. However, only Able’s offering was accepted. Able’s offering was accepted because he had a right heart before God. Cain’s heart was not right towards God and when his offering was not accepted, he ended up killing his brother.

How is your prayer life? Is God answering your prayers or do you feel like you pray in vain? If you feel like you are praying in vain, when was the last time you stopped and examined your life from the eyes of God to see how HE sees you? Are you following HIS commandments? Are you doing those things that are pleasing in HIS sight? If not, what would it take to start living your life right before God?

God is not pleased when you allow the things of this world to control you. You are not obeying God’s command when you allow the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life to control you.  When you choose to fear man rather than God, you should not expect God to be answering your prayers.

God does not make you a robot that must do HIS perfect will. God has given you a choice as to whether or not you serve HIM. However, there are consequences to your actions. If you were to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, you made the choice to do so, but the laws of gravity would bring you down to a horrific crash into the bay. The same is true with your spiritual life, you can choose to disobey God’s commandments but if you choose to do so, do not be surprised when God does not answer your prayers.

A father knows that his five-year-old son loves to go out for ice cream. The father is not going to be inclined to take his son out for ice cream if his son as deliberately disobeyed his father. If the boy does those things that help bring harmony to the family, then the father is going to be much more inclined to give his boy what his boy wants.

How is your prayer life? Are you confident that God is going to answer your prayers? Do you feel full of doubt when you pray? It is time to start cleaning up your life so that you can start experiencing the power of prayer. God is ready to do great things through you but you first must be willing to live your life in the fear of God. Every day you must make a choice to do that which is right in the eyes of God. As you live your life pleasing to God, God will be pleased with you and will start answering your prayers.

To do what is pleasing in the sight of God, you must start by filling your mind with virtue. You must fill your mind with that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report. As you fill your mind with those things that are pleasing to God, your prayer life will take on a whole new dynamic. As you allow God to change you, be ready to receive the power of God in your life as your prayers begin to be answered.

Psalms 99:8 Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.

This verse is about Moses, Aaron and Samuel. The Psalmist tells us how these men called out to God and HE heard them. God spoke to these men and they kept HIS testimonies. However, these men sinned but God still forgave them. God may have forgiven them, but HE still judged them for their wicked deeds.

The last verse of this Psalm commands us to exalt the Lord and worship HIM because HE is holy. It is important for you to understand that even though you have sinned and fallen short of HIS glory, you can still repent and come back to HIM. God will forgive you and HE is willing to restore you. You may suffer some consequences because of your sin, but God is still willing to use you to do great things for HIM. When you sin, realize that you can still come back to God. Realize that God is waiting for you to repent and come back to worshiping HIM.

Moses had talked with God and had seen God. Both Moses and Aaron had seen the presence of God come down upon the tabernacle by a mighty cloud. However, despite all that they had seen God do through them, they still sinned and violated God’s commands for their lives. Because of their sin, God did not permit them to enter into the promise land. God judged them for their sin but HE still used them to lead the people.

It is important for you to realize that when you sin against God, it does not end your ministry to God. God is willing to forgive you and to restore you. God will judge because HE is just, but it does not stop HIS mercy from restoring you and using you to do great things for HIM.

When you sin, you must first ask God for forgiveness of your sin. Then you should stop and take the time necessary to worship the Lord. Understand that God is able to forgive. God pronounced judgment upon Cain for killing Able. Cain cried out to God and God heard him and showed Cain mercy. When Elijah confronted Ahab for taking Naboth’s vineyard, God declared judgment upon Ahab. Ahab humbled himself before the Lord and God withheld judgment upon Ahab until after his death.

If God was willing to forgive murders like Cain and Ahab, how much more would HE be willing to forgive you if you would only take the time to worship and exalt HIM. These wicked men understood the judgment of God and they understood the consequences that it was going to have upon their lives. They humbled themselves before God and God’s judgment upon them was not nearly as severe as it could have been.

Do not blame God when evil things happen to you. God has a purpose for what is going on in your life. Either you are facing a trial of your faith or you are facing the judgment of God as a result of a sin. Regardless of whether it is a trial or judgment, you need to turn your eyes upon Jesus; you need to return to HIM and worship HIS Holy name. Do not allow yourself to throw a pity party for yourself. Instead add virtue to your life and learn to better understand the ways of God. Rather than thinking about your problems, take the time to fill your mind with the things of God.

II Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Who in this world knows you better then yourself? If you desire to not be a hypocrite, then you need to examine your life and you need to determine whether or not you are really in the faith. Others can think that you are in the faith. You can tell others that you have faith. Nonetheless, you are not who others think you are or who you tell others you are. Your actions dictate to God who you are as a Christian.

Cain and Abel both made sacrifices. However, Cain had not examined his heart and God did not approve his sacrifice. Both Saul and David conducted sacrifices while they were king, yet Saul lost the kingdom and David was said to be a man after God’s own heart. Both Peter and Judas followed Jesus as one of the 12 disciples. They both were given power to heal and do great things for God. However, after the death of Jesus, they both examined their lives and one killed himself while the other learned to die to himself so as to live for Christ.

There is going to come a day when the real you will be broadcast to the world as it was for Cain, Saul, and Judas. You have the choice to continue to hide your hard heart while pretending to serve God or you can examine yourself now and repent from your wicked ways. God does not like hypocrites and HE will have no problem exposing you for who you really are. If God were to put your real life up on a big screen, would it be something that would cause thousands of people to see and be encouraged, or would you be humiliated because everyone found out just how shallow your faith really is.

An inventor will test the product before he goes and reveals his invention to the world. A cook will test the meal before she serves it to her guests. In a like manner, Paul commands you to prove your faith. Test your own life in private to prove your faithfulness before you go out into the world to do great things for God. You will face many trials and temptations that will reveal to the world the true depth of your faith. Before God reveals your shortcomings, it is probably best that you personally examine your faith and test it so that you know that it will be acceptable unto the Lord.

God is holy and just. Do not think that HE will let you get away with anything since you call yourself HIS child. The longer you attempt to live in your own hypocrisy, the more severe God will have to deal with you. Do not think that you can slide by God. Instead, since you know your shortcomings, it is time that you step forward and take care of it. You must go before God and confess your sins and you must seek to have a heart after God’s own heart. As you purge the poison from your own life, be prepared for God to start using you in ways you never imagined.

Others can tell you where they think you have fallen short of God’s glory, however, it is always best if you would examine your own life and see what the things are in your life that are hindering the development of your faith. You should constantly be growing closer to God and if you are not, then it is up to you to weed out the problem. It is your life and you cannot afford to live it as a hypocrite. Examine your faith.

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his fits: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

The first individual admitted to God�s hall of faith is the second-born son of Adam and Eve. Abel brought an offering unto the Lord of the firstlings of his flock. Able understood who God was and he brought the first of his possessions unto God. God recognized that Able did this by faith and bore witness to the fact that it pleased HIM. Even though Able died as a result of his faith and his sacrifice, his example still speaks to us today about the importance of giving to God by faith the first of our possessions.

Scriptures indicate that Cain was the first to bring an offering. However, God did not accept Cain’s offering. God told Cain that if he did well then his offering would be accepted. What Cain had done wrong, we do not know, but evidently there was something he needed to clear up prior to bringing his offering before the Lord.

Jesus taught us that if we come before the Lord with a gift and remember that we have offended someone that we are to first go and take care of our offended brother and then we can bring our gift. By faith, Able had a clear conscience before his fellowman so that he could come before the Lord with a sacrifice that could be accepted. Remember, Able was not required to bring a sacrifice; this was of his own free will.

Because of the Jesus’ death, we are no longer required to bring sacrifices of sheep and oxen. However, there are still the sacrifices of time, talent, and treasure. These sacrifices are still accepted of the Lord. The question arises as to how pure our heart is. By faith, have we cleared our conscience of all offenses. By faith, have we brought to the Lord our best and not our leftovers.

By faith you have accepted Jesus as your Savior. However, your faith does not stop there. Able was recognized for his faith because he brought a sacrifice unto the Lord with a pure heart. Just as Able by faith believed in the authority of God and brought a sacrifice unto the Lord, so too much you take the next step of faith and be willing to give to the Lord the first of your time, the first of your talents, and the first of your treasure. Be willing to spend time with the Lord. Be willing to give your talents and abilities unto the Lord’s work. Be willing to give your treasure unto those who are doing the Lord’s work.

If you give unto the Lord with a pure heart, trusting that the Lord will take care of you, then you will have properly demonstrated the faith of Able in your life. The witness of Able’s sacrifice lives today and is a testament of how God desires to see our sacrifices with a pure heart. History is full of individuals who gave their first fruits unto the Lord and how the Lord used them mightily. History is also full of examples of those who took their first fruits and gave it over to the wicked one. The stories of these individuals are a scary reminder that where are treasure is, there will our heart be also.

Do you have the faith to trust the Lord and give HIM the first fruits of your time, talent, and treasure? Are you willing to give to the Lord sacrificially so that HE might be glorified through you and so that you might be a testimony unto HIM?