The Hard Path of Sin

“For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.” Psalm 31:10

The destruction of mankind can be wrapped up in one word, SIN!  There never has, or ever will be a more destructive force. It’s conception was in the Garden of Eden and its defeat was in the Garden where JESUS was crucified (John 19:41).  While sin is the most destructive force, GODs answer to it through His SON is the only answer to its defeat!

Sin carries with it, grief, anxiety and a complete lose of strength and power.  An unsatisfied soul is restless, without peace.  The soul reaches out to find satisfaction but the satisfaction it finds is temporary, it vanishes with the wind and it reaches out to something new which ends the same.  Over and over again it will go on until the soul finds the answer to its demise in CHRIST, and peace is ushered through the Door.

The power over sin is through CHRIST.  JESUS gave us the victory over sin but sins destructive power remains.  Yes, sin is forgiven and the believer is free from the penalty of it but as long as we are in this body of flesh its destructive power is near.  It is like a roaring lion seeking whom it may devour (1 Peter 5:8).  Sin is ready to end ministries, it is ready to ruin marriages, it is ready to cause grief and pain.  Sin waits at the door ready to destroy the testimony of the saint.  

Just as in the salvation of our souls our only hope for the victory over sin remains in our dependence in our SAVIOR.  I plead with you, don’t stop with the victory over the penalty of sin but continue on in CHRIST having victory everyday, completing what JESUS has called you to do.

Oh the power of the curse of sin.

Wandering souls and pain within.

Destruction sure, in the path it leads.

Oh, dear JESUS, hear our pleads.

Your answer is sure as voices cry.

On bended knees, You give reply.

Come unto Me, I’ll give you peace.

Free from sin and quick release.

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” Galatians 5:16-18

Of One Accord

“Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.” Psalm 31:9

The first step in receiving mercy is realizing you need it.  If you don’t see a need, you’ll never plead.  “Have mercy upon me”  The wisest choice is to call upon the only one that has the ability to give mercy. “O LORD”  Our own methods will cause our agony to continue.  We must humble ourselves before the righteous GOD.

There are many reasons we find ourselves in the need of mercy.  Perhaps like the “lost sheep” of Luke 15, we have wondered off and found ourselves in a desert place.  Maybe we have slipped into sin as David apparently had.  Being out of fellowship with GOD is bad but not recognizing we are, is tragic.  “I’m in trouble”  

To be estranged GOD is the most miserable state a person can be in. I speak of the one who has tasted the love and affection of the FATHER and found themselves, destitute.  The lost don’t understand because they have never had real fellowship with Him.  Once they have they will count it as the treasure of their heart and never want to part from it.  

Have you been there? Are you there now?  Is your eye, “consumed with grief” where the tears flow like the river?  Is your, “soul and my belly.” filled with a gnawing that doesn’t want to leave?  Turn it over to JESUS, He will help!

I found myself, far from GOD,

And how unpleasant it was.

The tears I had, wouldn’t stop.

The life I led, the cause.

The gnawing left, the tears were dried.

When I pleaded, before the LORD.

His mercy came, and I was freed.

Once again, we’re of one accord.  

“In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” Psalm 18:6

Being Set Free

“And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.” Psalm 31:8

One of our worst fears is being trapped. Finding ourselves in caves are very stressful, no one wants to be there.  Caves are damp, dreary places of darkness.  Our mind is on what lies outside where the enemy waits.  We wonder if the enemy, will ever leave, will we be able to escape the hole in the rocks we are?

David found himself in the cave, but the LORD set him free.  Free from fear.  He took the dampness and darkness, GOD gave him Light.  He opened the mouth of the cave to a bright blue sky where the birds sang the song of victory.  The butterflies of his stomach were released and they floated off into the flowery field. “And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy:”

The release from the bondage of the cave brings us out of our small, dreadful place into an immense place of freedom.  Our enemies are no where to be found.  GOD has distracted them, they have left, they are altogether gone.  Before us is great opportunity.  The opportunity to serve the LORD to our greatest ability.  “thou hast set my feet in a large room.” 

I’m in this cave, weary and damp.

Hard pressed, within my soul.

Please help me JESUS, roll away the rock.

And take me from this hole.

“I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.” Psalm 118:5

Love and Mercy are One

“I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;” Psalm 31:7

You can’t separate mercy from love or love from mercy.  They are intertwined together, they are one.  “GOD is love”! (1 John 4:8).  His mercy declares His love, His love is so intense the human mind can not understand the potency of it.  We are shown the intensity of Gods love in the sacrifice of “His only begotten son” (John 3:16).  Love is an act, it’s an action word.  What greater act of GOD could show the kind of love He has for you? There is none!  “I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy”

If you have never felt mercy, you have never really felt love.  Mercy is essential for our salvation.  Without mercy we have no hope at all, we are doomed, we only have Hell to look forward to.  But thanks to GODs love,  mercy and peace can be found through CHRIST.  There are many folks with good intentions trying to find peace with GOD by doing good works.  Good works are wonderful but they will never take the place of what the FATHER did through the sacrifice of His SON!  When we try to work our way to satisfy our sin we are saying,  JESUS sacrificial death was not good enough.  Believe me, this is very dishonoring to GOD.  How could He not hate the one that thinks they are better than His Perfect Sacrifice?  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).  

GOD knows everything that goes on in your life.  Nothing escapes His attention.  If He counts your hair, (Luke 12:7) He knows when you stub your toe.  He knows when you are being attacked.  He knows when you are sick.  But until you turn your life over to Him by trusting His Son, you will never know His love and mercy. “thou hast known my soul in adversities;”

I tried my best to make things right

But my best was not enough.

I had others fooled with my attempt,

But GOD has called my bluff. 

GOD sent His Son for my relief.

On His own, He made things right.

There was nothing more I could do.

I let JESUS fight my fight!

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

I Hate

“I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.” Psalm 31:6

There always seems to be a draw back when the Bible or a Christian uses the word, “hate” as if it was not to be a part of our vocabulary or the teaching of GOD’s Word.  The good student of the Bible will find this thought unreasonable.  

The fact is we would never understand hate without understanding love.  They are both emotions.  While they are both emotions they are also opposed to each other.  It is only reasonable that we hate the opposite of what we love.  The problem arises when we choose the wrong things to love.  I believe this is what David was saying when he wrote the verse. “I have hated them that regard lying vanities”

There is another word that has somehow lost its value among believers of this day, conviction.  We are driven by, cautiousness instead of conviction.  We are more worried about offending someone then we are standing for the principles of GOD.  David must have burned inside when things were contrary to the teachings of GOD, just as it was when he faced Goliath.  

“Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness” Psalm 45:7a  “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” Psalm 5:5  These are just a couple of verses on GODs hate of sin, there are many more.  I don’t find any cautiousness in these two inspired statements. Where do you find in these verses, God hates the sin but loves the sinner? “I trust in the LORD.”

Watered truth, will never float,

Because water logged, it is.

Half truths will never stand.

Because, they are none of His.

But all the facts are written within,

The precious Book of GOD.

Always sound in every way.

All truth, and not a facade.

“Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?  I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:” Psalm 139:21-23

Give it All

“Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.” Psalm 31:5

These are the same words JESUS used on the cross before His death.  David uses them while he lives in his trouble.  JESUS used them in His death, providing the way for David and all to live through faith in the victory He provided.  

This is similar to what we do when trusting CHRIST as our Savior.  We pour our very being over to the LORD.  We give it all over to Him.  Not just parts as some would, but every bit and fragment of ourselves, we put into the hand of GOD.  “Into thine hand I commit my spirit:”

We will never gain all if we don’t give all.  Sometimes we wonder where our victory is until we realize we haven’t really by faith trusted CHRIST fully.  When we open our heart and soul to CHRIST there is only one answer, “thou hast redeemed me”.

GOD doesn’t tease us with halve truths.  What He says you can always count on.  His words are lined with the purest of gold, they don’t tarnish or lose their brilliance.  They don’t rot or change in the slightest way.  The perfect GOD, is the GOD of truth. “O LORD God of truth.”

I gave my troubled 

Heart to Thee.

Knowing through You,

Came the victory.

No other source,

Could set me free.

Only what JESUS did,

On Calvary.

Thank You JESUS!

“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” Luke 24:36

Watch Where You Step

“Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.” Psalm 31:4

To understand what lies ahead of us prepares us for the worst.  Preparation solves the problems before they arrive.  The first part of the solution is to realize future traps will come and second, you will never be able to handle them by yourself.

If the giant killer, David understood his inability don’t you think we should also?  As a matter of fact I believe he remembered it was the LORD that brought him through his battle with Goliath.  He also knew if GOD did it then, He would also bring him through future battles and traps.

It is apparent to me, all who are serving the LORD and honoring Him will have traps.  In most cases it isn’t our goodness that keeps us from traps but often leads us toward them.  Satan could care less about those that are not living for Christ, they have already fallen in his trap of complacency.  He is interested in those that trust, love and obey the LORD.

The trap is set.

The net is laid.

Hidden from sight,

And I’m so afraid.

I’m sure it’s there,

Fear lies within.

Guide my steps,

That I fall not in.

If I should fall

In the dreaded pit.

Pull me LORD

From out of it. 

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

Swatting the Flies

“For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.” Psalm 31:3

Allow me to paint a picture in your mind from long ago when I was a small boy.  My older brother Sammy and I were playing in Steve Burrell’s barn.  We made little guns out of clothes pins.  I hit Sammy with one of my shots and he came running after me, he was really mad.  I responded by punching him in the face giving him a bloody nose.  As soon as I saw the blood running down his face, I ran as fast as I could to the house where Steve's mother was.  Now she was a big lady and because of her size I could hid behind her for my protection.  I would peak around her and see Sammy, his bloody face and all his anger.  But I wasn’t worried because Mrs Burrell was there protecting me with a fly swatter.  

If we want protection and safety doesn’t it make sense to run to the largest, most capable source there is?  How foolish it is to run to the lowest factions when JESUS say’s, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”.  

We must continually keep ourselves under the LORD’s protection and never be tempted to turn back to our meagerly ways.  It is imperative that we look back on the victories GOD has given in the past and remember, He is always a winner, He never looses.  

There is not a better place to be, than to have the LORD in front of us.  When we look from behind Him and see the danger we would face, He’s there, keeping us safe, swatting the flies of our lives.

It was fear, 

That brought me to the Rock.

Where I found the safety, 

For which I had sought.

It was love,

All His protecting care.

Not worried any longer, 

Of the devil’s snare.

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39