Romans 15:5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

When you are in the middle of a difficult time, it is hard to be patient. However, we must remember that God was first patient. God is not asking us to do anything that HE has not first endured HIMSELF. Think about it, what is the longest you have ever waited for something? Whatever it was, it is not nearly as long as God has been patient with those who have violated HIS perfect law.

God created this world and HE made Adam and Eve in HIS own image. God had daily fellowship with Adam and Eve until they sinned and fell short of the glory of God. When Adam and Eve sinned and fell short of the glory of God, HE knew that HE was going to have to send the ultimate sacrifice in order to restore HIS fellowship with mankind again. However, God did not send HIS only begotten Son immediately; instead, HE waited some 4,000 years before HE allowed HIS Son to be the ultimate sacrifice.

We often do things that are very rash. Someone slaps us and we immediately slap them back. Someone calls us a name and we think of a name to call them back. However, when we sin against God, HE does not immediately seek justice and return our evil with punishment. God is slow to judgment and quick in mercy. Just think how long God gave the world to repent while Noah built the ark? How many times did God forgive the nation of Israel after they demonstrated a complete lack of faith?

One of the precious promises that God has in store for us is the gift of patience. Most of us do not see patience as a gift, but that is because we are not looking at it from God’s point of view. Patience is a gift to those who desire to live by God’s higher standards. Just because you do not understand the value of the gift, does not mean that it is not worth obtaining. Think about it, just because you did not understand the value of salvation, it does not mean that it was not a valuable gift from God.

There were many times when Christ Jesus demonstrated patience. First when Jesus was 12, HIS parents found HIM in the temple and HE went home with them even though HE desired to be about HIS father’s business. For the next 18 years, Jesus faithful put the needs of HIS family first and did not look to be about HIS Father’s business. However, when the time of patience was complete, Jesus faithful served HIS Father doing HIS Father’s business.

Even at the end of Jesus’ life here on this earth, Jesus put aside HIS will in order to do the will of HIS Father. Jesus would have rather avoided the trial of the cross and being separated from the Father. Nonetheless, Jesus did the will of the Father and HE patiently endured the pain of the cross and the time that HE was separated from HIS Father.

What is your trial that you are facing today? Did you know that God is faithful to see you through your trial? God has given you the strength to endure each day. You do not have to accept the gift of Jesus Christ. You do not have to be patience when trials come your way. God is not going to make you do something that you do not want to do. Nonetheless, if you will yield your will and follow the example of Jesus Christ, God will turn your patience into something wonderful.

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.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

The devil does not desire to see you live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. The devil is a tricky individual who will bring many temptations into your life in an attempt to cause you to stumble. However, God has not left you defenseless against the attacks of the enemy; God has given you armor to put on to protect you and enable you to withstand. In the same way that God gives you the choice whether you are going to accept the free gift of salvation, so likewise, HE gives you the choice whether you are going to put on the armor of God so as to protect you from the attacks of the evil one.

From the very beginning, Satan has been out to destroy the children of God. Satan transformed himself into a serpent and tempted Adam and Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit. Satan is constantly attacking and he is looking for your weaknesses so that he can cause you to stumble and fall short of the glory of God. Adam and Eve did not have to sin, they were use to walking daily in the garden with God. All they had to do was cry out to God and ask HIM about the truth of what the serpent was saying and God would have given them the strength to resist the serpent.

David had a heart after God’s own heart. Satan was able to get David to not go out to war as the other kings and rather take it easy back home and relax. Because David was home and not out to war with his men, he was more susceptible to temptation when he saw a beautiful woman. David did not have to yield to temptation, he had a heart after God’s own heart and he could have simply turned to God and relied upon HIM. David had been strong when it came to not destroying Saul when he had the chance; but he failed with Bath-sheba because he let his guard down.

Judas had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Judas walked with Jesus every day. Judas was given the interpretations of the parables that Jesus was sharing with the people. Judas was in a great position to live a life pleasing to the Lord, but he chose instead to pursue great wealth. Judas was willing to betray Jesus for money. It was not until after he had sinned and the consequences of his actions were revealed to him that Judas realized what he had done. By this time, it was too late to undue his sin.

If Adam and Eve sinned and they lived in a perfect world, if David sinned and he had a heart after God’s own heart, and Judas sinned when he was a disciple of Jesus Christ; what hope do you have that you can resist the devil and cause him to flee from you? The answer is simple; you have the armor of God. You can put on the armor of God and it will protect you.

Satan will attack you with the things of this world. Satan will try to tempt you with money, with things of the flesh, and with bitterness for the terrible things that others have done to you. Your only ability to stand up to these attacks is to put on the armor of God. Just as a soldier without his armor is not wise, so you are a soldier of God and you need to put on the armor God has given.

Take the time to put on the armor of God. Spend the time in the word of God so that you understand how God desires you to live this life. As you add temperance to your life and put the things of God above your own selfish ambitions, you will find the strength that you need to avoid yielding to temptation.

Ephesians 5:23 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

In this passage, we are given instruction on how wives are to interact with their husbands. Wives are instructed to submit to their husbands. In the same way that Christ is the head of the church, so also the husband is to be the head of the home. In the same way that we as Christians are to submit to Christ and HIS perfect will for our life, so also the wife is to follow her husband.

One might ask if they are supposed to submit to their husband even if their husband is not a Christian. In 1 Corinthians 7:13-16, God is instructing us that if a woman is saved and her husband is not, she is to remain with her husband as long as he will stay with her. We are told that by her actions she might be able to encourage her husband to be saved.

Submitting to another is never easy. Our sin nature desires to be in control over our own lives. The same problem that wives have in submitting to their husbands is the same problem that most Christians have with submitting to the perfect will of God. We are naturally rebellious and we are easily offended by someone who desires to lord over us.

God had given permission to Adam and Eve to eat of anything in the garden except the fruit of the tree of Good and Evil. With all the options that were available, Adam and Eve chose to eat of the fruit of the tree that God had specifically admonished them not to eat from. The first sin was a direct result of a failure to submit to the authority of God. God did not need to tell Adam and Eve why they could not eat of the fruit, they simply needed to obey. By failing to submit to God, they brought upon themselves and to the entire world, death and destruction.

Wives are not to submit unto their husbands because their husband is a perfect saint. Wives are to submit unto their husbands as if they are submitting unto the Lord. God desires wives to submit to their husbands as an act of obedience unto him. Just because the husband is a jerk and is not enduring his wife to submit unto him, the wife should submit to her husband in obedience to the Lord.

Abraham twice asked his wife Sarah to lie and to say that she was his sister rather than say that Abraham was her husband. Sarah submitted to the will of her husband even though her husband was not doing his job in protecting her. Sarah submitted herself to her husband as unto the Lord and the Lord reached down and protected her both times.

God is greater than any husband. If God sees that you are obeying HIM and that is putting you in a position of danger, God can reach down from heaven and protect you in ways that you never could imagine.

It takes great restraint to submit yourself to another person. You see all the faults in your husband and you understand the mistakes that he is making. Nonetheless, the Lord has given you the grace to add temperance to your life and to restrain your desires to be your own boss so that HE can be magnified through your life.

It is the will of God that wives learn to submit to their husbands. This does not mean that men get to Lord over their wives; it just means that there is a natural order of authority in the household so that God can be glorified. Wives do not submit to their husbands because they naturally want to submit to someone, they need to submit to their husbands in obedience to God.

Ephesians 2:1 And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins,

Before Adam and Eve sinned, God told them that if they ate of the tree of the forbidden fruit, they would surely die. While Adam and Eve did not physically die that day, their relationship with God died. No longer were they able to walk with God the way that they had walked with him in the past. No longer were they permitted to live forever on the earth, their earthly bodies started to die and grow old.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Sin kills your soul and separates you from a holy God. There is nothing you can do to resurrect your soul in the newness of life. While there is nothing you can do, there is something that Christ has already done to enable us to experience the newness of life. By the blood of Christ, we are made alive.

Most of us do not think of our sinful past as a time when we were dead. Instead, we remember all the good things that we did and in our minds, at that time, we were alive and enjoying life. However, just because you were doing what you wanted when you wanted to do it and just because you were doing a lot of good deeds, it does not mean that you were really living.

God is your Creator; HE made you in HIS own image. When we sin, we are destroying the individual whom God created. God cannot sin and HE can have no part with those who do. When you sin, you are choosing to do what you want rather than pursue the perfect plan that God has for your life. Adam and Eve had the choice whether or not they were going to sin and they chose to pursue their own wishes rather than pursue the perfect plan of God.

It does not matter how many good deeds you have done, you are still dead in the eyes of God and you will be unable to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Instead, you need to allow the blood of Christ to cover the multitude of your sins. By the blood of Christ, you are made alive in the eyes of God and you can have a renewed relationship with HIM.

Just as the blood is the life to an earthly body, so also the blood of Christ is the life of a Christian. The death of Jesus is not an insurance policy to pursue the things of this world and still enjoy the heavenly rewards. The death of Jesus is what took you from death into life; by the blood, when you sin and fall short of the glory of God, you can return to the relationship with God.

Every time you sin, you are pursuing the lusts of this world rather than the things of God. Because God is Holy and can have no part of sin, every time you sin, your relationship with God dies. Rather than having to go to a priest and make a sacrifice to atone for your sins, God now tells us that if we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Your life is not your own, you belong to your Creator; either you are living for your God or you are dead in your relationship with God. You have a choice, you pursue a closer relationship with God and experience the fruits of the spirit or else you pursue the things of this world and the works of the flesh are evident for all to see. When you chose to be alive and pursue the things of God, God will add temperance to your life so that you can say no to the temptations that this world has to offer. Temperance will not make you do what is right, temperance is simply a tool that you have to enable you to do that which is right in the eyes of God.

Galatians 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

In this passage, Paul is analogizing the covenant that God made with Abraham dealing with Ishmael and the covenant that God made with Abraham dealing with Isaac. Ishmael was the son born of the slave Hagar, while Isaac was the son of Promise born of Sarah.

Paul is using the picture of Hagar being in bondage when she had Ishmael to represent the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was given by God at Mount Sinai. However this law was not a law of freedom but was a law that contained a lot of “thou shalt not”. For the Jews, they had to abide by this very strict code in order to please God. It was a law that could not be completely satisfied. Hagar was the slave of Sarah and there eventually came a time where she was let go because she could not please her mistress.

Isaac was the promise child; he was a gift from God. While Ishmael was part son and part slave, Isaac was completely free. Paul analogizes the birth of Isaac with the Christian walk. In the same way that Isaac did not have to worry about losing his place as a son of Abraham so also, as Christians, we do not have to worry about following a complex set of sacrificial rituals in order to maintain our position as sons of God.

Because Ishmael was the son of Abraham, God promised that Ishmael would be a great nation. In the same way, the nation of Israel has a special blessing just because they are God’s chosen people. As Christians, our relationship with God is not one based upon our heritage; our relationship with God is based upon our freedom to choose to abstain from the things of this world and to pursue the things of God.

Two sons, one is blessed because he was the son of Abraham and one was blessed because he was the promised son of Abraham. Two sons, one was a son of bondage and one was the son of freedom. The Jews serve the Living God through their bondage of sacrifices and the rituals required of the Law of Moses. The Christians serve the Living God through their freedom knowing that Jesus Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Freedom is not free. The freedom we experience in Christianity is a result of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made upon the cross. Just as Adam and Eve had the choice to sin or not to sin, so also, we have the choice whether to follow the perfect will of God or to sin and do that which is right in our own eyes. Abraham tried to make the promises of God occur in his timing rather than the perfect timing of God and all Abraham did was make a mess.

As Christians we do not have to worry about making sacrifices to atone for our sins as we know that Christ made the ultimate sacrifice. The freedom that God has given us is not to be used on ourselves and our own selfish desires. The freedom from sacrifice does not permit us to break the law whenever we want. Just because the Jews had a long list of sacrifices to atone for their sins, it did not give them liberty to break the law.

We do not want to follow the example of Abraham who was so caught up in the promise that he tried to make it happen in his own way and his own timing. We must add temperance to our life and understand that we are living in the freedom of God and that we must wait for HIS timing to fulfill the promises that HE has made unto us.

Galatians 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Many Christians do not fully understand the power of God. They claim to be Christians, but they really do not know God and the full gift of salvation that was given unto them. Because of their lack of desire to really understand who God is, they do not have a true fear of the Lord in their lives and as such, they quickly find themselves in bondage to sin.

It is not the perfect will of God for those who are called by HIS name to be in bondage to sin. Nonetheless, God does not make you live a perfect life. God gave Adam and Eve the opportunity to live in a perfect world. Adam and Eve chose to sin even though they had been told the consequences of their actions. Adam and Eve had a relationship with God that we could only dream about. Daily they walked in the garden with God and talked with him. Even though they had such a close relationship with God, they allowed themselves to slip into bondage to sin.

If Adam and Eve lived in a perfect world and had a perfect relationship with God could sin, what makes you think that you are not a prime target to also slip into bondage? The good news is that God has promised you that HE will not allow you to face any temptation that you are not able to overcome. You need to learn to fully comprehend that greater is HE that is in you then HE that is of this world.

While sin is prevalent all around you, it does not mean that you are doomed to live in bondage. Jesus Christ died on the cross so that you can be free from the things of this world. In this passage, Paul was commenting on the fact that there were those who knew God and were called by HIS name, yet they allowed themselves to be drug back into the bondage of the world.

What fellowship can God have with the things of this world? We are told that we cannot serve two masters, thus when we choose to follow the things of this world, we are turning our back on God and a solid relationship with HIM.

Today we look back on the actions of Adam and Eve and we chide them for being so stupid and listening to Satan. We cannot understand how anyone could live in a perfect world and would thumb their nose at God. Nonetheless, we demonstrate the same stupidity as Adam and Eve when we accept the transforming power of God in our lives and then continue to allow the things of this world to distract us from a perfect relationship with God.

We do not find a prisoner who has been released from prison standing by the gate of the prison knocking on the door requesting to be let back in because they like their bondage better than their freedom. However, we do find prisoners who have not truly repented from their bad actions that result in their being in bondage and as such, because they have not changed, they find themselves back in prison. The bondage of sin can be released if you learn to totally rely upon the power of God.

Just as a prisoner needs to reform his old ways in order to stay out of prison, so also as a Christian, you need to add temperance to your life and not allow the things of this world to control your life. By changing your focus to the things of God and relying upon HIS power, God is able to give you the strength so that you no longer remain enslaved to the things of this world. You do not have to go back to the ways of the world to have satisfaction in this life.

Genesis 39:8 But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

Joseph was a slave in Potiphar’s house. Potiphar had seen that the Lord was with Joseph and thus Potiphar entrusted to Joseph everything that that was in his house. One day, Potiphar’s wife requested that Joseph commit adultery with her. Joseph did not yield to the temptation presented by Potiphar’s wife. Instead, Joseph fled from the temptation and thus refused to sin.

Joseph exercised self-control by not allowing his fleshly lusts to control his actions. Instead, Joseph understood that he was accountable to God for every action and thus he refused to sin against God knowing that God would judge him. Joseph had seen the hand of the Lord upon his life and as such, Joseph understood that God was real and thus he did not want to do anything that could damage his relationship with God.

Joseph did not commit adultery as his older brother Reuben did when he went into his father’s concubine. Joseph did not commit adultery as his older brother Judah did when he slept with a harlot that ended up being his daughter-in-law. Instead, Joseph kept his passions in check so that he would not sin against God.

You do not have to sin and fall short of the glory of God. God has not placed a temptation in front of you that you are not able to overcome. This means that while Adam and Eve chose to sin, they did not have to sin. If they had simply exercised some self-control, they could have resisted the temptations of the serpent and they would have avoided being banished from the garden.

Often in the Bible we read stories about how certain individuals sinned and fell short of the glory of God. However, despite their sin, we see how God forgave the sinner and was able to use them. The story of Joseph is that of a man who chose not to sin when he had the opportunity. God ended up really using Joseph by raising him out of a prison and putting him second in command over all of Egypt in one day.

We should strive to follow the example of Joseph. We should strive to exercise self-control over our sin nature and refuse to do that which separates us from our God. Just as Joseph chose not to yield to his sin nature, so also can we resist the temptations of the evil one and be an example to those around us of what God can do through a servant who exercises the fear of the Lord.

When was the last time you successfully fled from the temptation of the wicked one? Satan desires to cause you to yield to sin so that your testimony is damaged and he has a stronghold to encourage you to continue to sin. Every time you resist Satan, you decrease Satan’s influence upon your life. By exercising temperance, you find the strength to say no to the things of your flesh and to say yes to a closer relationship with God.

Joseph understood who God was and what his relationship to God was supposed to look like. Joseph feared the Lord and he feared what would happen if he did something that displeased HIM. Because of the fear of the Lord in his life, Joseph was able to say no to the temptation of fleshly lusts. Joseph is an example to all of us how we do not have to yield to sin but how we can overcome the temptations of this world. We should strive to develop a strong testimony like Joseph so that nothing comes between us and our relationship with God.

Genesis 38:11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

It is never your fault. Judah had just lost two sons. Both Er and Onan were killed by the Lord. Judah determined that it must be Tamar’s fault and as such, he felt justified in deceiving Tamar so as to save his son Shelah from the destructive influences of Tamar. Judah did not stop and look at his own life to see if maybe he was the problem. Judah did not stop and take the time to work with his son Shelah to make sure that there was nothing wrong in his life that would cause God to kill him. Instead, Judah determined the only way to solve the problem was to get Tamar as far away as possible.

Judah had no intentions of allowing Shelah and Tamar to marry. Judah had already lost two sons and he was not going to lose another. Rather than examine his own life and those who God had given him charge over, it was much easier in Judah’s mind to rid himself of the one who in his mind was the problem.

It was Judah who had initially married a Canaanite woman. It was Judah who obtained a Canaanite woman as a wife for his son Er. It was Judah who had not taken the time to train up his sons in the ways of God so that they would not act in a way that displeased God.

In the same way that Judah refused to take responsibility for his situation, so also do we attempt to shift blame for our own actions. Ever since the first sin with Adam and Eve, it has been the sin nature of man to deny responsibility and attempt to focus the attention upon someone else. Adam immediately blamed God and Eve for his partaking of the forbidden fruit. Eve immediately blamed the serpent for her sin.

Just because you find someone else to blame for your sinful behavior, it does not mean that you will escape liability. It may cause you some momentary relief to justify in your head how someone else is at fault. Nonetheless, just because you find someone else to blame, it does not mean that you will not suffer the consequences of your actions. God knows the truth and the wages of sin is death. Both Adam and Eve had to suffer the consequences for their actions.

The next time things start to get rough in your own life, instead of looking for a way to escape liability, stop and seek the truth. Take responsibility for your actions. Instead of looking for others to blame, examine your own life to see if there is some hidden sin that God desires you to confess. God may be allowing you to face this trial so as to bring you to the place of repentance.

It always seems easier to play the blame game for your problems. However, one who has diligently added temperance to their life understands the importance of taking responsibility for those areas where they have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Judah refused to examine his own life to see if there were areas that he needed to import. Judah was willing to continue to live his life by his own standards. Rather than take responsibility, Judah continued to duck his responsibility. Judah did that which is right in his own eyes. Judah chose to deceive Tamar and put her in a compromising situation. Judah was not concerned about anyone other than himself. Judah needed to exercise a little self-control over his life and stop thinking only about himself and start considering the needs of others.

Genesis 30:4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

Just because Rachel gave Jacob permission to have marital relations with Bilhah, does not make Jacob’s actions right. Jacob as the leader of the house should have had a closer relationship with God so that when the temptation came to have marital relations with Bilhah, Jacob would have been strong enough to overcome the temptation.

Just because one’s spouse encourages you to do something, it does not mean that it is right in the eyes of God. Jacob was angry with Rachel and he was willing to follow the direction of Rachel so that there can be peace in the house. Jacob did the wrong thing for the wrong reasons. Rachel was serving the gods of her father, as such, her advice to do things the worlds way should have been quickly rejected.

Just because Jacob and Rachel were one, it does not mean that he should follow her suggestions. As a married couple, it should be your goal to work together and to live at peace with one another. However, when each of you start living for yourself and your own needs, it will not be very long before you will find yourself consenting together to violate the perfect law of God.

Adam and Eve had a perfect world to live in. Nonetheless, once they started looking at what God had not given them, they became discontent with what they had and they consented to violate the perfect standards of God. Just because both Adam and Eve agreed to partake of the forbidden fruit, it did not change the fact that they were sinning against God.

Your spouse is your helpmate. Together you can work together to hear the still small voice of God. Together you are stronger and should be able to do more for God. However, Satan is effective at distracting a couple from their oneness and to get them to instead focus on the things that they do not have. Satan was able to get Rachel to focus upon the children she did not have which eventually led to Jacob having marital relations with Bilhah.

You need to focus your attention on drawing closer to God. When Satan tries to tempt you into focusing upon what you do not have, rather than allowing yourself to focus on your perceived needs, set your affections upon things above so that you can be strong and overcome the wicked one. The longer you allow the enemy to control your mind, the easier it will be for you to do something that you will regret later.

Jacob already had two wives, he did not need another woman in his life. Just because all the great leaders of his time had multiple wives, this did not mean that this was God’s purpose for his life. When Rachel told Jacob to go into Bilhah, Jacob allowed his sexual desires to get in the way of what was right with God and for his family. Jacob needed to demonstrate some self-control and say no to the temptation to go into Bilhah. Jacob already had two women in his life, who would care if he had a third or a fourth.

Because Jacob did not demonstrate temperance with his sexual behavior, we see that several of his sons did not demonstrate self-control when it came to their sexual appetite. While the pleasures of sin are wonderful for a moment, the consequences of this behavior costs more than you are usually willing to pay. Jacob bought a few minutes of silence from the complaining of Rachel by going into Bilhah, but the problems of family disunity were to last him the rest of his life.

Genesis 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

After the flood, Noah planted a vineyard and he made wine. One day, Noah became drunk as a result of his drinking. Because of the effect of the wine, Noah ended up uncovering himself in a tent.

Noah did not demonstrate temperance when it came to his drinking. Noah drank what he wanted, when he wanted and he did not care about the consequences to others. There may have only been a handful of people on the entire earth, but the consequences of Noah’s lack of self-control effected one third of his decedents.

When Adam and Eve sinned, their guilt revealed how naked they were. Because of their guilty, Adam and Eve covered themselves up and God eventually made proper coverings for them. By drinking wine, Noah lost his ability to be guilty over his nakedness and actually uncovered himself. The effects of the wine resulted in a loss of shame.

Because Noah chose to become drunk with the wine that he had made, his son saw his nakedness. Noah did not admit his wrongdoing in the matter but instead ended up cursing his son Ham and his son Canaan. Noah apparently did not confess his sin of losing his shame and uncovering himself.

This story has some very important implications upon the decisions that you make. First, you never know who exactly will be affected by the decisions that you make. Second, when you fail to demonstrate self-control in your life, rather than you controlling your life, the consequences of your decisions will have negative implications that you never intended. Third, when you sin, you lower your conscience thus making it harder on yourself to realize what is sin and thus what is the perfect will of God for your life.

Even if the drinking of wine was not sin, because Noah did not control his drinking, Noah ended up uncovering himself in such a manner that he was seen by others. Noah did not show proper discretion and thus he caused himself and his son to sin. Noah may not have ever intended on showing his nakedness to his son, but when he started down the slippery path of not demonstrating self-control, his ability to keep on the straight and narrow became increasingly more difficult.

Is there a sin in your life that you try to justify? You might even be able to call your activity by another name so as to assure yourself that it is not sin. However, when you chose to control your activities, you open the door for your bad decisions to result in even more adverse consequences that you never intended. However, when you chose to add temperance to your life and allow God to guide you every step of the way, you will create boundaries that will protect you from unanticipated consequences.

As a Christian, you should not be living life to see how much you can get away with and not be sinning. Instead of seeing how close to the line you can get without sinning, you should see how far away from the line you can get so that the entire world can see the light of God reflecting through your life. The closer you are to compromising your faith, the harder it will be for you to distinguish the difference and the further you will slide. If you desire to live a Holy life with victory over sin, add temperance to your life and stay away from the appearance of evil.

Genesis 4:19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

Lamech is the first man listed in scripture who had two wives. We later find out that Lamech killed a man and boasted that God would protect him just as God protected Cain. Lamech appears to have several real problems with sin.

Lamech was not content with just one wife, but went out and obtained two. Lamech was already married to Adah, and when he saw Zillah, he could not be content with one wife but had to have Zillah also. We know from scripture that God created us male and female with the purpose that a man and woman would marry and become one. How can one man become one with more than one woman? Lamech did not care about the purposes of God and he proceeded to join himself to more than one woman.

It is the perfect will of God that a man and a woman only have one partner. However, it was also the perfect will of God that Adam and Eve not partake of the forbidden fruit. Just because it is the perfect will of God that Lamech only have one spouse, it does not mean that God did not allow Lamech to disobey the perfect will of God and do what he wanted.

Lamech did not have his focus upon the perfect will of God. Instead, Lamech was focused upon the things of this world and what this world could do for him today. Lamech desired to enjoy the pleasures of marriage from two different women. He was not content to be satisfied with just one wife. Because of his discontentment, this led to the place where he did what he wanted, when he wanted.

Lamech did not stop with just one wife. Later on, Lamech went out and killed a man and started to brag about it. Lamech was not looking towards God for his direction, instead, his focus was on himself and what seemed right in his own eyes. Lamech did not care what other people thought, all he cared about was himself and what he could obtain for himself.

Lamech demonstrated a lack of self-control in that he could not remain faithful to just one woman. Lamech was not focused upon his relationship with God, instead he was simply focused upon what this world could give him today. You need to be careful that you do not follow the example of Lamech. The world constantly is crying out to you to partake in all sorts of fleshly desires. However, you cannot afford to selfishly devour whatever you want when you want.

By adding temperance to your life, your focus on the things of this world change. Temperance enables you to enter marriage with a focus of working together for the purpose of glorifying God. However, if you do not have temperance, the focus of the marriage relationship because what each person can get out of the relationship. Because the focus is selfish in nature, neither party can ever be fully satisfied and the relationship falls drastically short of the perfect will of God.

Lamech was more concerned about himself and what he could obtain from his wives that his relationship with God was extremely shallow. Lamech would have done better to focus upon his relationship with God and learn how he could be content with his relationship with only one wife. Instead, Lamech set an example for men that women are just commodities that they could possess rather than a helpmate who could help them fulfill the perfect will 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 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

The blame game. Adam was in the hot seat with God. He was just a part of disobeying God when he and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit. God asked Adam what happened and Adam is looking at blaming anyone and everyone for the problems that he finds himself in. Adam blames Eve for giving him the fruit and he blames God for giving him Eve.

What is it about our sin nature that causes us to blame anyone and everyone for our problems? When things get difficult, we start pointing fingers and blaming those around us? Adam did it, Eve did it, and if you are honest with yourself, you have done it more times then you care to count.

People naturally desire the approval of others. When we know that we are in trouble, we desperately try to work the situation so that we can get back into the good graces of those around us. One way we do this is by tearing down those people around us. By blaming others for the wrong things that are going on in our lives, it builds our confidence. We gain at the expense of others.

Adam had chosen to sin and fall short of the glory of God. Adam chose to compound his sin by blaming God and Eve for getting him in the situation he found himself in. Adam was not ready to confess his sin and repent, but he was willing to justify his actions by tearing down others.

When we start blaming others for the decisions that we have made, we are starting a downward cycle that can be very destructive. The blame game is the exact opposite of the perfect will of God. God desires that we use our mouths to praise others for the good that they have done. God desires that we use our mouths to bless others. However, when we start blaming others, we are using our mouths to bring down others.

Temperance requires that we demonstrate self control over our tongue. This means that we learn to refrain our lips from speaking words that our not edifying. God desires to develop a closer relationship with us, thus when we confess our sins, we are using our mouths in a way that glorifies God. However, by playing the blame game, we are not allowing ourselves to reach the point where we are able to confess our sins and totally repent of our violations of HIS perfect law.

Yes, it is your human nature to point your finger at someone else. Hey, it helps justify your bad actions in your own head. However, this does not make it right. The next time you feel the urge to blame someone else for why you sinned against God, exercise some temperance and hold your tongue. Then use your tongue and glorify God by making a complete confession to HIM. Until you are willing to take full responsibility, you will never be ready to turn from your wicked ways.

Adam and Eve chose to point fingers rather than take full responsibility for their actions. They could have said no to the temptation to compound their sin but they yielded to the temptation and compounded their mistakes. You will do well to learn from the mistakes of Adam and Eve. You do not need to blame others for your mistakes. It is time for you to be responsible for the decisions that you have made. Do the right thing and repent.

Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Adam and Eve had just sinned by eating of the forbidden fruit. God had told them not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil but they disobeyed when they saw that which the Lord had commanded them not to do was desirable.

God had daily fellowship with Adam and Eve and it came time for them to have fellowship with God. However, Adam and Eve realized that they had violated the perfect will of God and rather than run to God and have fellowship with HIM, they chose to flee and try to hide from God the evil that they had committed. Rather than pursue fellowship with God, they compounded their sin by fleeing from God.

When you sin and fall short of the glory of God, your conscience will let you know that you have done wrong. If you have a healthy conscience, your worldly response to your conscience will be to abstain from anything holy. Even if you have a heart after God, you probably would rather mourn your violation of the will of God then to draw closer to HIM.

When we sin, drawing closer to God seems like the wrong thing to do. We have just sinned and surely God must be really angry with us. If we stay away from God, God’s temper will settle down, and then in due season, we can come back to God and mend our relationship with HIM. Why rush back to God right after we have sinned?

We understand that David had a heart after the heart of God. When David sinned with Bath-sheba, his initial response was to set up Uriah so that he would think that the child was his. However, when that failed, David had Uriah killed and he married Bath-sheba himself. God was not pleased with David and he sent Nathan to confront David and his sin. Upon being confronted of his sin – David immediately repented and humbled himself before God.

While David’s initial response was no different than Adam and Eve’s response, we can learn a lot from David’s response to Nathan. David is known for having a heart after the heart of God because of his repentance when confronted of his sin. This is the attitude that God desires us to have. God does not want us running from HIM when we have violated HIS perfect law. Instead, when we sin, we should run to God and repent of our sins and draw closer to HIM so that we might be strengthen so as not to do the same thing again.

When we diligently add temperance to our lives, we set up standards in our lives that we prevent ourselves from digging ourselves into even deeper problems when we sin. The Bible teaches us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. By exercising temperance, we can stop the destructive cycle of avoiding that which is spiritual when we are in a weak spiritual state of mind.

Adam and Eve did that which was natural by avoiding the presence of God. However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not escape the presence of the All Knowing God. God was not pleased with their sin but he was even less pleased by their attempt to run and hide. Adam and Eve had destroyed their perfect environment and their perfect relationship with God because of their sin. Their sin cost them more than they ever imagined.

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

The first sin was the sin of desiring the things of world rather than desiring the things of God. Adam and Eve lived in a perfect world; they had daily communion with God and they had no needs. They did not have to worry about food as there was plenty available. They did not have to worry about clothing, because they had a conscience free of guilt. They did not have to worry about shelter as God had placed them in an environment where they were taken care of.

Adam and Eve had the perfect life but they were not content. Eve listened to the serpent and she decided that God was holding out on her. Eve decided that it was better to satisfy her eyes and her own desires then it was to trust God and obey HIS perfect will. Adam was with Eve, he could have stopped her, but together they decided that they were going to indulge themselves in the things of this world.

Sin has a way of costing you more than you are willing to pay. Adam and Eve had been deceived by the serpent. Had they known the full costs of doing that which is right in their own eyes, it is doubtful that they ever would have allowed themselves to partake of the forbidden fruit.

The tactics of Satan have not changed. Satan will try to get you to start desiring things that God does not want you to partake of. Satan knows that once you start looking at that which is not proper, then it is only a matter of time and you will follow after the desires of your heart and you will find yourself disobeying God.

Some Christians have a problem with lust, others with greed, and some power. It does not matter what your particular vice is, Satan knows what it is and he knows how to manipulate your situation so you start focusing on that which God has told you not to have.

Temperance requires that you say no to the things of this world and yes to the things of God. If Adam and Eve were to have exercised temperance, they would have told the serpent that they cherished their relationship with God too much to disobey HIM and partake of the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve would have left that portion of the garden where the forbidden fruit was found and where the serpent was and would have placed themselves in a position where they were not able to look at the tree.

How much different their lives would have been had they only said no to the temptation of the serpent? It is easy for us to sit back and read the scripture and say under our breath how stupid Adam and Eve were. However, it is always easy to be a Monday morning quarterback. Others can say the same thing about you and your life. If they were to hear how you have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, they also can say that all you had to do was walk away from the temptation and remember to keep your relationship with God as your top priority.

What sin is in your life that you know is hampering your relationship with God? It is time to set up a game plan for how you are going to rely upon the strength of the Lord to overcome your next temptation. Find three verses in the Bible that address your particular sin. Start memorizing them now. When you face your temptation, be prepared to start quoting scripture to Satan and be prepared to walk away from the temptation so that God through you might be glorified.

Acts 5:11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

Ananias and Sapphira had just attempted to deceive their fellow believers. They had sold a piece of land and tried to tell Peter that they were giving the entire proceeds of the sale to the New Testament Church. However, they had held back part of the proceeds of the sale and God had both Ananias and Sapphira die.

Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount that a person who fasts or a person who gives so that he receives the praises of man will not receive eternal rewards but his reward will be the praises of man. Why is it that God killed Ananias and Sapphira immediately and simply did not allow them to receive the praises of man here on this earth? There are plenty of people who are acting very similar to Ananias and Sapphira today in that they are trying to pretend that they are very holy to the church while keeping one foot in the world and we do not see God killing them.

Why did God single out Ananias and Sapphira when HE has equal opportunity to do so today? There may be many reasons, but probably the reason why God had Ananias and Sapphira killed has to do with the holiness of the Church. Remember, the early Christian Church on many occasions was working in one accord. Because the Church was acting in one accord, the power of God was flowing through the Church and great good was being done. God did not want sin to enter in and destroy the oneness of fellowship thus destroying the power of the Church.

Remember when Achan had sinned at Jericho. As sins go, it really did not seem so bad, but as a result of that sin, the protection of God had left the nation of Israel and man innocent men had lost their lives. Until Achan and his family were put to death, the nation of Israel was not going to be in a position to obey God and see the concurring of the Promise Land. Sin had to be removed so that the power of God could return.

Adam and Eve had perfect fellowship with God. However, when they disobeyed God, God had to remove them from the garden for their sin and their relationship with God was never the same. God longs for us to have a close relationship with HIM. The New Testament Church had a wonderful relationship with God and God was working through them adding to the church daily. Because great was the power of God with this group, great was the punishment of anyone who tried to break up that unity so that Satan could have a stronghold.

The church that you are a part of today is not united in one accord. Because the church is serving God and serving the world, the world does not see the power of God demonstrated through our lives. If we as individuals started showing some self-control and started to serve God with all our hearts and started to meet with one accord, we might see the protection of God in ways that we currently do not experience. Why do you think the church is under such attack today? If the church were truly serving God, do you think the strongholds of this world could really stand against the powers of God?

You cannot control how everyone else responds to God, but you are accountable to God for how you respond. You can demonstrate temperance by not allowing the things of this world to control you. As you put the things of God first in your life, the power of God will start be demonstrating through your life. God does need the entire world to change in order to start a revival; all HE needs is a small group of Christians to once again fully dedicate their lives to the Lord.

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

In this passage, Christ commands us to beware of false prophets. In the next verse, we are told how we are to recognize a sheep from a wolf. Christ tells us that we will know them by their fruits. If we look at the fruits of a man, we should easily discern whether they are dedicating their life to the Lord or whether they are dedicating their life unto themselves.

There are people all around you who may have smooth words, but the doctrine of their mouth will lead to destruction. If you are focused upon the words of an individual, you could easily be led astray. In this passage, Christ is showing us the importance of being vigilant and making sure that we stay on the narrow path.

Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.

Put another way, you can tell more about a man by the fruit of his life than you can about the words that he speaks. Remember that our adversary the devil is a liar. Satan loves to use lies to deceive you into wondering off of the narrow path that God has for you. These false prophets that you face are simply tools of Satan to cause you to doubt the ways of God and once you start doubting, you become an easier pray.

When Eve was in the Garden, Satan came to her in the image of a serpent. Satan was like a wolf, seeking ways that he could destroy man and the perfect relationship that man had with God. Eve focused upon the words of Satan and quickly found herself doubting God. Because of her doubt, she sinned and quickly found herself full of guilt and shame and she eventually lost her ability to live in the garden.

We understand by scripture that Satan had been kicked out of heaven. If Eve had started to study the walk of the serpent, God would have revealed to her the fruit of the serpent and enlightened her on how she should not follow the serpent to her own destruction. Remember, Eve had a perfect relationship with God, all she had to do was ask God and God could have revealed to her the trap that she was about to walk into.

Nonetheless, Eve liked what she heard and as a result, she walked into a trap of Satan and was destroyed. Eve was destroyed because she took her eyes off of God and put them upon herself. She did not choose to examine the history of the serpent and instead took for granted the words that he spoke. Eve lost more than you and I will ever have because she failed to be careful about the smooth words of the deceiver.

All around you there are scorners and scoffers of the perfect way of God. God has a perfect plan for your life, but you are the one who must be careful that you are not deceived by those who appear to be serving God but in reality are serving Satan. These individuals would take great offense that they are not serving God, but the fruits of their life should reveal the truth.

You shall know them by their fruits. If you are going to walk the narrow path of the ways of God, you must be vigilant to ensure that you are not deceived by the false prophets. You must take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God. You must take the time to talk to God in prayer and ask HIM to reveal to you the fruit of those whom are instructing you.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

In this passage, Christ teaches us how to handle worry. Over the previous verses, Christ told us not to worry about our daily needs because God would take care of us. Christ has told us what not to do; now HE shows us what we are supposed to do. Instead of filling our mind with worry and concern about what might happen, Christ tells us to fill our mind with the things of God and seeking first HIS kingdom.

How can you seek first the kingdom of God if you are worrying about things that God never intended for you to worry about? If you are filling your mind with things that should not concern you, then you do not have the ability to think about those things that God desires you to fill your mind with. God should be first in your life, you cannot afford to be double minded; you cannot afford to be filling your mind with things that God never desired you to be concerned with.

When God created this world, HE put Adam and Eve into a perfect garden. Adam and Eve did not have to worry about food, they did not have to worry about shelter, and they did not have to worry about clothing. God met their every need and they had perfect fellowship with God.

Man sinned when he turned his focus off of God and started thinking about how God might be depriving him of something special. Because man had started thinking about things that he should not fill his mind with, he set himself up to sin and destroy the perfect environment that he found himself in. Because of the mindset of Adam and Eve, they failed to seek first the kingdom of God and they lost out on the rewards that God had for them.

You are a child of God. While God has not put you in the Garden as HE did Adam and Eve, God has promised to take care of your daily needs. If you allow your focus to become distracted from pursuing the things of God, you are the one who loses out. Because your mind started focusing upon the things of this world, you set yourself up to be tempted by Satan in a way that you might yield.

The battle over sin begins in your mind. If you allow yourself to start becoming concerned over things that you cannot control, you will start to worry and set yourself up for failure. However, if you remain strong and follow the commands of Christ, you will limit your ability to yield to temptation because your focus is centered upon God.

We need to be like Job who although many terrible things were going on around him, he did not allow his focus to turn to the things of this world. Job was resolute to acknowledge God in all of his ways. Job refused to worry about all the things that were going on around him and instead he was focused upon sharing with his friends the truths of who God was. It was because of the faithfulness of Job to keep control over his mind that we see the Lord was faithful and lifted Job out of his troubles and restored him once again.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God. This means that the things of God should have a priority in your life. You must focus upon the things of God. You must take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God. As you keep God as a center of your focus, you set yourself up to see just how God can use you to do great things. If you allow worry to control your mind, then you will never be able to obey God and seek first the kingdom of God.

Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Adam and Eve sinned when they ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve realized that they were naked and that something had changed as a result of their sin. Later that day when they heard God walking in the garden, they hid themselves because they were ashamed. Adam and Eve attempted to cover their sin and God who sees all did not allow them to get away with their sin or the covering of their sin.

Throughout scripture you see the negative results of those who attempted to cover their sins. Achan took possessions that belonged to God out of the city of Jericho and as a result both he and his family were stoned. Gehazi took garments and riches that Elisha had rejected and he ended up having the leprosy that Naaman had been freed from. Ananias and Sapphira tried to lie to both God and their fellow believers by stating that they had sold some property for the amount that they were giving to the church. Both Ananias and Sapphira died in front of the church as an example to all that you cannot deceive God.

God knows that we live in a sinful world. He has told us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. However, if you desire the mercy of God, then you need to confess your sins and you need to turn from your wicked ways. While God has stated that HE is faithful and just to forgive you of all your sins, why do you want to constantly be coming before HIS throne and asking for HIS mercy to forgive you?

You must understand that even though God will show mercy and forgive you, you still must pay the consequences of your actions. David sinned when he committed adultery with Bath-sheba. When Nathan the prophet confronted David, David confessed his sins. Nonetheless, David still had to suffer the consequences of his actions. God forgave David and showed him HIS mercy, but David also faced the judgment of God for his willful disobedience.

Jesus taught us that we are to forgive others regardless of how many times they commit the same offense. God is willing to forgive you as many times as you come and ask HIM to forgive you. God will show you HIS mercy. However, the only way to avoid the judgment of God is to forsake your wicked ways. When you sin, do not simply ask God to forgive you, but start praying that God will give you the strength to avoid falling into the same temptation again.

Becoming a Christian does not make you sinless. Becoming a Christian and taking on the name of Christ should motivate you to sin less. If a person were to come up to you and slug you in the stomach every day and then ask you for forgiveness, after a while you would really be wondering just how serious they were about being sorry for their actions. You are going to sin and fall short of the glory of God. However, you need to turn from your wicked ways. Do not allow yourself to be put in a position that you are vulnerable to committing the same sin over and over again.

You know the areas of your life that you are vulnerable to violate the perfect law of God. Next time you know that you are in a vulnerable place, stop and start reading your Bible and pray. Pray for God to give you the strength to overcome this temptation. Take time to read the Bible so that you will be adding knowledge of the ways of God rather than needing the mercy of God.

Proverbs 27:8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.

The perfect will of God is the best place for you to remain. However, God is not going to force you to remain in HIS perfect will. HE has given you the ability to choose to do that which is right in your own eyes. As such, you can wonder from the perfect will of God. When you wonder from the perfect will of God, you will face troubles that God never intended for you to face.

Adam and Eve lived in a perfect garden. When Adam and Eve sinned and fell short of the glory of God, they lost the ability to live in this perfect place that God had for them. In addition to being kicked out of the garden, Adam now had to work in order to obtain food and Eve had pain with child birth. Furthermore, they both started to die.

God was leading the nation of Israel out of the land of Egypt into the Promise Land. The Lord showed the nation that they were supposed to enter the Promise Land but because of the testimony of 10 spies, the people were afraid to follow God. The consequence of stepping out of the perfect will of God was that they now had to wondering in the wilderness for the next 40 years.

 It is important for you to understand what the will of God is for your life. If you fail to stay in the perfect will of God, you open yourself up for trouble that you never needed to face. You must remember that God is faithful to punish HIS children who stray from HIS perfect will. God loves you and HE desires to see the best for you. Thus while you think a loving God would not be so cruel, you must learn to understand that it is because HE is a loving God that HE cannot allow you to do what you want when you want.

Abraham was instructed by God to place his son upon the altar. Abraham could have done many things, but HE chose to do the perfect will of God. Abraham wanted nothing else but to disobey God but Abraham had a long history with God and HE understood who God was and how important it is that HE obeys God. Because of the obedience of Abraham, Abraham was blessed and we see the benefits that he received.

It does not matter what God tells you to do, you must remember that God is in charge and that HIS grace is sufficient. You need to understand the will of God for your life so that God can use you to do many wonderful things for HIM.

You are not the only person affected when you choose to disobey God. When a bird wonders from her nest, she leaves her eggs exposed. Her eggs will then be vulnerable to both the elements and those who desire to take her eggs for their person purposes. When you leave the perfect will of God, you open up others to the attacks of Satan. If you have a spouse or children, when you leave the will of God, you open the door for Satan to attack your family. When you leave the perfect will of God, you will not face certain individuals who God had intended for you to meet and minister unto.

How can you expect to remain in the perfect will of God if you do not know what the perfect will of God is for your life? In order to understand what the perfect will of God is, you need to spend time adding knowledge of the ways of God to your life. The more time you spend hearing the words of God, the better you will understand what HE desires you to do.

Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

How many times does God need to say this point in order for you to understand it? Throughout the scriptures, God makes it clear that HE does not want any pride to be in you. It was pride that caused Satan to rebel against God. It was pride that caused Adam and Eve to sin in the garden. It is pride that will destroy your relationship with God very quickly.

God desires that you learn how to deflect praise. When others give you the opportunity to sing your own praises; rather than praise yourself for all the great things you have done, you need to praise others and how they have enabled you to do great things.

You may need to give praise to God. You may need to give praise to spouse. You may need to give praise to a family member. You may need to give praise to a boss or a co-worker. You may need to give praise to a teacher. Whoever you need to praise, start thinking about letting others know just how great other people are in assisting you.

When you make an effort to praise others, they do not need to praise themselves. If they are hearing that you are praising them for their part in your life, why do they need to go around and gather praise for themselves? When someone else hears you praise them, it will go a long way to cause them to want to help you succeed even more.

When was the last time you praised someone to another person? When was the last time you went out of your way to make sure you acknowledged the involvement of someone in your life? When was the last time you gave someone a good complement?

It is a proven fact that people cooperate more when they are praised verses when all they hear is complaining. It is like the old proverb, you will catch more flys with honey then vinegar. By being nice to others and singing their praise, they will be more willing to help you then if all they hear is you complaining about how you cannot do the job as well as they can.

When Solomon died and his son Rehoboam ascended to the throne, the people came to him and asked him to make their burden lighter. They requested that Rehoboam make conditions better for them and they would serve him faithfully. However, Rehoboam followed the advice of his peers and he insisted on treating the people as slaves. Because Rehoboam refused to treat those under him as people, the number of individuals he had to do his bidding greatly diminished. Furthermore, because the nation split, he did not have the same tax base to do all the wonderful things he desires to do.

Do you desire to be great and do great things? Start putting the needs of others first. Do you desire to ruler over many? Then put the needs of others first. As you look out for others, they will be more likely to work under you and to help make you what you want to be.

The Bible has many practical tips on how you should live your life. God desires that you daily add knowledge of HIS way so that you will be a better light in this dark world. The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways of God, the easier it will be for you to live your life so that others desire to follow your example. By living your life according to HIS principles, you will find true contentment for your life.

Proverbs 22:20-21 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightiest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

How can you live your life expected to discern between good and evil. An evil person is not going to tell you that they are trying to deceive you. Everyone insists that they are honorable and are telling you the truth. However, as a Christian, you have a tool that God has given to you to help discern the spirits.

When Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan, had they simply gone back to the words of God and determined to live by them, they would not have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. When they allowed something to erode their confidence that what God was telling them was true, then they were not able to stand against the deceptions of the enemy.

God has given us the Bible so that we might have knowledge of the ways of God. By carefully studying the Bible, we learn what God expects of us and how HE desires we live our lives. The Word of God is not just a document that was written several thousand years ago, it is a living document and God can use it to speak to you so that you know what HE desires you to do today.

Pretend that you were taking a college chemistry exam. However, you have not attended one class of chemistry. You have never studied chemistry in High School nor have you ever read a book regarding chemistry. You do not know the Periodic Table from prehistoric table. How well do you think you are going to do on that exam? Most likely you are going to fail miserably.

The same concept is true when it comes to understanding the truth of the Word of God. If you do not study the Bible, the truth that is contained within will not be a part of your life. How do you expect God to use you as a Christian to minister to others if you have not taken the time to first hide the word of God in your heart?

Every day you have a choice to make, either you set aside time to study the word of God or you do not. Too many believe that the Bible is boring and a dead book. They will not obtain anything useful by wasting their time reading the Bible. As such, they would rather be found reading a new novel because they think it will be more exciting.

You will learn a lot about the world you live in simply by studying the Bible. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:9 that there is nothing new under the sun. As such, every problem that you face today is not surprising God. If you will just take the time to seek the will of God, God has a solution for the problem that you face. God may give you your answer right away, or HE may let you seek for a while before HE reveals the truth to you.

The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways of God, the easier it will be for you to understand the direction God would have you to go. Furthermore, the more time you spend studying the truth of Scripture, the more people God will supernaturally bring into your life that HE desires you to minister unto. As you are faithful to draw people to God and use the truth of Scripture to guide people in the way that they are to go, then God will expand your ministry so that you continue to be used of HIM to expand the kingdom of God. If you do not want to be used of God, do not read the Bible and do not treat it as truth. God will use those who take the time to make HIM first in their life.

Proverbs 22:19 That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.

Do you really trust in the Lord? It is easy to say that you trust HIM, but are you willing to step out in faith and prove that trust in the Lord. Think of a young boy playing at the playground. The boy has climbed up to some high height and cannot seem to figure out how to get back down. Daddy is right there and has asked his son to go ahead and jump and he will catch him. Daddy asks his son if he trusts him and of course the boy believes that his father will catch him. Yet nonetheless, his son says he believes, but he still does not jump. The boy keeps asking his father to come closer so that he feels more confident that he will not be dropped.

We are very often just like that little boy; we want to trust in God and we say that we trust in HIM, but when push comes to shove, we refuse to budge until God makes it even more clear to us that this is what HE wants us to do. We are like Gideon who heard the voice of the Lord but still have to put the fleeces out to confirm the will of God. Gideon had seen the Lord do so many things, yet still, he was afraid.

Instead of being like Gideon, we need to be like Elijah or Elisha. These men were told what God wanted them to do and they went out and did it. They trusted in the Lord and the Lord guided them. It is important to make sure you are hearing the voice of the Lord correctly. However, once you know that the Lord has spoken to you, do not waste any time in obeying the Lord.

That little boy perched high on the jungle gym needs to make a decision. He has heard the voice of his father telling him to jump. He has asked his father if he was going to catch him. Unless there is something in the past where his father has lied and allowed him to fall when he said he would catch him, the boy needs to jump. Now is not the time to be second guessing his loving father.

The problem as Christians that we have is that we start second guessing what God has told us to do. Satan is a master of deception. In fact, that is how Satan was able to get Adam and Eve to sin. Satan caused Adam and Eve to start second guessing God and questioning exactly what God had told them to do and not do. Once Adam and Eve had doubt in their head as to what they were told to do, Satan was able to cause them to do the wrong thing.

God is ready and willing to make HIS voice known unto you. As you put aside the things of this world and take up the things of God, these major sacrifices in your mind are just the first steps in learning to hear the still small voice of God. God is speaking, but the question is, are you listening. God is making HIS way known, but are you clearing the obstacles out of your life so that you can hear HIS voice. Until you understand what God is saying, you are never going to be able to go out and do great things for HIM.

You must take the time each day to get alone with God. As you spend time learning to hear the still small voice of God, God will bless you and make HIS voice more clear. Understanding the ways of God requires action by you. You cannot afford to rest on your relationship with God. If your relationship with God is stagnant then you are setting yourself up to fail miserably. You must constantly be vigilant to add knowledge of the ways of God. Do not allow yourself to stop growing but constantly be fighting to finish the race that God has set before you.

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Are you a wise man or are you a fool? Do you see the problems that you will bring upon your life if you play with the temptations of sin? A wise individual knows their weaknesses and they keep away from evil. A fool will continue to play with temptation until they are bit.

When I was young, I was told a story about a sheep dog that loved to kill rattle snakes. The dog had a cunning ability to dodge the snake and then grab it behind the head and throw it up in the air and do this continually until the snake died. Of course this was done on small rattle snakes. However, over time, the dog kept going after bigger and bigger snakes. One day, the dog did not return and the rancher grew worried. The rancher went out to look for his prized dog and found him dead next to a large rattle snake. The dog kept playing with snakes until eventually a snake was too fast and it killed him.

Sin can have the same devastating effects upon your life. What appears to be something harmless and fun can grow until it completely destroys you. You must be careful what you accept as acceptable behavior in your life. While it may be just a small compromise to your life, it can eventually utterly consume you and thus result in destroying your testimony.

Throughout scripture you see examples of how sin destroyed the testimony of an individual. Even if sin does not utterly destroy your testimony, the consequences of sin can destroy the ability of God to use you as HE desires to use you. God had a perfect plan for Adam and Eve and that plan was destroyed by the decision of Adam and Eve to do what is right in their own eyes.

Every day you are faced with decisions to make. You must choose between doing what is right in the eyes of God and doing what is right in your own eyes. However, Job had the right idea when he wisely removed temptation before it even started. Job said that he made a covenant with his eyes; why should he think upon a maid? (Job 31:1). Job was a wise man who understood the devastating impact of lust upon the life of a man. Rather than allow himself to be bitten by lust, he chose to keep his mind pure. This was a conscience decision that he made so that he stayed as far away from evil as he possibly could.

Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount how we are to pray. One of the things that we are to pray for is that God would give us the strength to avoid evil. The temptations of this life are strong. If you take the temptations for granted, they will bite you when you least expect it. A wise person is going to take the time every day to ensure that they do not go close to anything that could lead them astray.

You know your weaknesses. You know the areas that if you get too close, it will cause you to slip into sin. God needs you to be wise and not even go close to those areas that will destroy you. If you continue to see how close to sin you can get without being bite, eventually, it will bite you and you will be grieved that you once again disappointed God.

You must spend time drawing closer to God. As you take time adding knowledge of the ways of God, God will give you the wisdom in what to do to avoid sinning and falling short of the glory of God. You must have a close relationship with God if you are going to be like Job and wisely abstain from those things that could destroy your testimony.

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 20:28 Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy

You may not be a king ruling a county. You may not be an elected leader. You may not be a CEO of a fortune 500 company. Nonetheless, at some time in your life, whether now or in the future, you will be in a position of authority over someone else. When you are in a position of authority, you are responsible to God for how you direct those who are under you.

Have you ever been under someone who you believe was abusing their authority? They knew that they were right and that they would not even listen to you but simply told you to do your job their way or else. This is not the way that God rules over us and it is not the way that you should direct those who are under you.

We understand the truth of God. God made a perfect world and when Adam and Eve determined in their heart that they were going to sin against God, God was quick to render judgment. God punished Adam by requiring that he now work in order to support his family. God punished Eve by making child-birth a painful process. God also removed Adam and Eve from the Garden. This is the truth of God. Adam and Eve rejected the truth and they suffered the consequences.

However, from the same story we also see the mercy of God. God had created a perfect world, HE could have instantly killed Adam and Eve and started all over. However, instead, God gave mankind a second chance. While they were no longer able to live forever, God now made it so that the body of man would slowly deteriorate and die. In addition, God demonstrated HIS mercy to Adam and Eve in that he made them cloths so that they were not naked.

Throughout scriptures we see the mercy of God. We see the mercy of God shown to Cain after he killed his brother. We see the mercy of God to Noah in that HE spared them from the flood. We see the mercy of God at the tower of Babel in that God changed the languages but did not destroy mankind. However, the biggest example of the mercy of God occurs when HE made the ultimate sacrifice by sending HIS only Son to come to earth and die so that you and I might once again have renewed fellowship with HIM.

You must remember that by demonstrating HIS mercy, God has not overridden the truth. In order to receive the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, you must forsake your old ways and accept the gift of Salvation. God is still going to judge you for your actions, words, and thoughts, but by the mercy of God, the blood of Jesus will take your sins and wash them whiter than snow.

When you are in a position of leadership, you need to be a man or woman of your word. This means that people understand that when you say something, you mean it. You need to establish clear boundaries so that those under you know what is expected of them. However, you also need to show mercy. You need to be kind to those under you and you need to cause them to feel comfortable being around you. Be merciful when others make mistakes, remember, you were in their position once before, and remember how you wanted to be treated by your superiors.

Whether you are a leader or one under authority, God has a plan for how you are to respond to those around you. However, in order to understand what God desires you to do, you need to take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God. The more time you spend understanding what God would have you to do, the easier it will be for stay in the perfect will of God. The mercy of God is wonderful, but it is always best to limit your need for HIS mercy.

Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the LORD.

What is it about marriage that causes God to bestow HIS favor upon it? Jesus taught that from the beginning of time, God made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? (Matthew 19:4-5). We also see how the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God because of the wickedness that was being committed in them. The wickedness that caused the destruction of these cities was the sin of homosexuality.

When Adam was in the Garden, it was the Lord who saw Adam and said that it was good that he not be alone. It was God who made Eve and brought her unto Adam. God ordained marriage from the very beginning and called it good. It was from this marriage relationship that God intended mankind to be fruitful and multiply.

Jesus taught that marriage was not for everyone. Jesus taught that some men are called by God to live a life of singleness for the kingdom of God. As one studies the passage in Matthew 19, one quickly understands that Jesus was saying that it is the basic plan of God to be married and that God will give you a special call if you are not to be married. Too many Christians have a mindset of the exact opposite. They expect a special bolt of lightning from God to reveal to them that they are supposed to marry rather than realizing that it is already the plan of God for them to marry unless God has already called them to a life of singleness.

Paul was a man who was called by God to serve the Lord as a single man. Much confusion has occurred in the church over 1 Corinthians 7 because Paul says I would that all men were even as I myself (1 Corinthians 7:7). Paul goes onto say that those who are married should not seek to be loosed and those who are single should not seek to be married.

One must read and understand the entire chapter before one starts assuming that Paul was re-writing the plan of God in regards to marriage. In verse 6 of this chapter, Paul speaks mentions that this was not commandment. In verse 26, Paul further explains that there is a present distress going on. It was because of this present distress that the church was facing at that moment that Paul was recommended to some that it might be best that they do not marry.

It is purpose of God that that a man and a woman combine together in marriage. If this is not the purpose of God for your life like we see in the life of Paul, then God will give a special calling to those individuals and HE will given them the grace to serve HIM with a life of singleness. However, just because God has not called one to a life of singleness, it does not mean that they must marry as soon as they are of marrying age. We know that Isaac was about 40 when he was married, Jacob was approximately 70, and Joseph was 30. God has a different plan for each individual and it is up to each to understand the will of God for their life.

God has a special favor towards marriage regardless of whether or not the couple is saved. God created marriage and later used it as a symbol of the relationship between Christ and the church. God loves marriage and hates divorce and if you understand this, then God can use you to counsel others when it comes to the dissolution of a marriage. You must take time to add knowledge of the ways of God to fully comprehend the importance of the marriage relationship and how Satan desires to attack marriage since it is so important to God.

Proverbs 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

How would you like to get to the judgment seat of Christ thinking that you lived a good life and thus you deserve eternal life in heaven only to find out that your life was an abomination unto the Lord? Jesus tells us that there will be some who come to the judgment seat trying to demonstrate all their good works, but God tells them to depart because HE does not know them.

All around us there are people who proclaim to know God. They may be faithful to preach the gospel to others. However, while they proclaim to know God, that does not necessarily mean that God knows them and calls them HIS children. Just because someone proclaims to be a Christian, it does not mean that their actions are not an abomination unto the Lord.

Throughout scripture we learn many things that are an abomination unto the Lord. The Hebrew word abomination used in this passage means disgusting, abhorrence, idolatry, abominable, and abomination. The word abomination used here is a serious word used to denote that God is not very pleased with the person who is proud. God likens those who are proud with those who commit idolatry. God was very clear that we are not to have any other gods except to serve the one true God. In the same way, we cannot allow pride to enter into our heart.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, it was because they were proud and desired to be like God. It was pride that destroyed the relationship that man had with God. When you are proud, you are self-reliant, in your mind, you do not need anyone, let alone God. Because pride is such a barrier between man and God, it is just one reason why God despises those who are proud.

When David saw Bath-sheba, in addition to lust, it was pride that drove him to sleep with the wife of another man. David was the most powerful man in the kingdom and rather than be the servant of all, David flexed his power when he chose to take what belonged to another. Furthermore, when David had Uriah killed, it was his pride that he could do what he wanted when he wanted without facing any consequences that caused him to snuff out the life of one of his subjects.

Pride and the fear of the Lord do not mix. The fear of the Lord acknowledges that God is in control and that you are going to live your life in accordance with HIS standards. Those who are proud live their lives for the moment; they are in control and they do not understand that they are accountable to God for every action, word, and thought.

How many people proclaim to be Christians yet they will not live in heaven with God? How many Christians proclaim to be saved yet continue to live for the devil? How many people proclaim to be Christians but have created their own brand of Christianity so as to suit their own personal taste? God has already established what HE expects of you if you proclaim to be HIS.

Take time to add knowledge of the ways of God for your life. The more time you spend studying who God is and what HE requires of you, the harder it will be for you to proclaim your own righteousness. Stop trying to take the place of God, instead, allow God to be God and learn to faithfully serve HIM as HE desires to be served. Do not allow pride to creep up into your soul. God loves you and HE created you, what makes you think that you are allowed to dictate the duties and obligations you owe HIM?

Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous. Hearing and answering your prayers are two different things. Just because your boss hears you ask him for a raise, it does not mean that he must give it to you. The same is true with God, if you are righteous, the Lord hears your prayers; HE knows your needs and HE will not forsake you.

You must understand that there is nothing that distances you from God faster than your sin. It was sin that deprived Adam and Eve the ability to walk with God every single day. It was the death of Christ on the cross that restored your ability to have fellowship with God once again. Thus if you desire to have a close personal relationship with God in which HE hears your prayers, then you need to be righteous and you need to abstain from sin.

No man can be perfect and live a life abstaining from sin. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Nonetheless, Solomon tells us that a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again (Proverbs 24:16). The word just used in this verse is the same Hebrew word used for righteous in Proverbs 15:29. The wicked man falls and rather than getting out of his sin, he continues to roll around in it like a pig in the mud. A righteous man will fall, but instead of being proud of his iniquity, he will get out of it and continue to pursue the things of God.

It does not matter what sin you have committed, God is looking at your response to your sin. Do you ask God to forgive you and then jump right back into your evil ways, or do you make an effort to get up and not commit the same sin again. David had a heart after the heart of God, however, that did not stop him from committing adultery and murder. David was judged of God for his sins. Even though David had sinned, it did not stop him from asking God to spare his son. God heard the prayers of David but HE did not answer them. However, God did not stop answer all prayers of David just because he committed adultery.

Do not be like the wicked who when they sin, choose to not to repent of their wicked ways. When you sin, you need to stand up again. You will probably sin again sometime real soon, but do not let your past mistakes hinder you from drawing closer to God. Many Christians will sin against God and they will throw such a pity party for themselves that they do not grow spiritually. They act like even though God has forgiven them, they cannot forgive themselves and as such, they refuse to grow closer to God. Such mixed up people might even go so far as to not ask God to forgive them because they have failed again for the umpteenth time.

When Peter asked Christ how many times he should forgive his brother for the exact same offense, Christ replied that Peter was to do so 7 x 70. If God holds us to the standard that we are to forgive our brother the same offense continually, what gives you the right to say that God will not forgive you for committing the same offense against him for the umpteenth time? God does not hold HIMSELF to a lesser standard than HE requires of you. God hears the prayers of the righteous and the righteous continues to stand up and seek forgiveness of God after he has violated the perfect law of God.

Do not give Satan the victory by refusing to get up again after you have fallen. Instead, when you fall, take the time to draw closer to God by adding knowledge of HIS ways. Understand that God hears the prayers of the righteous and that you must properly respond and continue to seek HIM.