Sin Archives - My Manna

You can deal with it!

MyManna — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 22:00:38 +0000

“The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
God is no pushover!
His call to holy living is-
– very clear,
– very firm,
– very hard to misunderstand.
Let’s not trick ourselves into thinking that-
– His heart of compassion has made Him soft on sin.
But rest in this:
“He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14).
He understands the bad habits we’ve moulded over the years, the comfortable corners we run to when we’re tired or upset or discouraged.
The truth is:
The anger we feel pressing down on us is more ours than His!
-for while we could kick ourselves for caving again,
He’s heartbroken that we’ve sold ourselves out so cheaply-
– that we’ve chosen the path of pain,
– when He has offered us the path of peace!
So as you catch yourself in compromise, confess your blunders!
And promise (with God’s help) that you’ll turn your back on this foolishness.
Confession gets your sin out in front where you can deal with it!
Repentance takes it out to the curb where God can haul it off with the rest of your garbage-
– and leave you feeling clean again!
(PA)

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Victory over weakness

MyManna — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 22:00:48 +0000

Good parents attempt to provide their children-
– every advantage to become successful adults.
As Christians, we especially want to help our kids mature in their knowledge of God and the Bible, their love for Jesus, their appreciation of the church family, and the desire to serve the Lord.
Children frequently have great enthusiasm for the things of God.
But as they grow older, they may fall away.
Samson!
– is an example of unfortunate drifting (Judges 14:1-10).
He had a godly upbringing.
But at some point, the world’s sexual temptations became very attractive to him.
Scripture reveals several occasions where Samson gave in to his lust.
For instance, he desired a pagan woman from Timnah, despite his parents’ warning.
In Judges 14:1-3, he broke God’s command by marrying her.
A second incident nearly led to his murder.
But he survived only because of his supernatural strength.
Perhaps the most tragic and notorious example was Delilah’s betrayal of Samson.
Lust prevented him from seeing her true nature.
As a result, the Philistines captured and blinded Samson.
Left unchecked, sin penetrates and dominates our lives.
It will affect others with its consequences.
The first step toward success is to be-
– awareness of our weaknesses.
Secondly, we must-
– admit we are helpless to overcome them alone.
Thirdly, it’s important to-
– acknowledge that God is able to rescue us.
Lastly, you need to-
-ask God to help you overcome!
With this perspective-
– we’ll be able to obey His commands and gain victory over weakness!
(PA)

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Hidden Killer

MyManna — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 22:00:07 +0000

“And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD.” Exodus 15:23-26.
Murmuring or complaining is one of those sins that are overlooked.
Sometimes we focus on the “big sins” such as murder and adultery that we overlook this sin-
– but the Lord doesn’t give this sin a free pass- quite the opposite.
It’s a hidden killer!
This sin unleashed a plague that killed thousands of Israelites! Numbers 16.
In this passage, we read how the Israelites, who were desperately thirsty, looked only at the fact that the water they had come to was bitter and undrinkable.
How quickly they forgot their God who had led them out of Egypt with signs and wonders.
They had just witnessed His dividing of the Red Sea and destruction of those who had enslaved them.
And yet, so quickly they returned to looking only with their natural eyes at the problem in front of them, completely forgetting the miracle working power of their God!
And so they murmured against Moses.
But honestly, weren’t they really murmuring against God?
Once again, Moses interceded for them-
– revealing the faithfulness of His God to answer every impossible dilemma and provide for every need;
– and again, setting them the example: they simply needed to go the Lord!
So often, just like the Israelites-
– we focus on our desperate situation with our physical eyes, and not with eyes of faith, and then fall into the trap of complaining.
And if you’re like me, once I start, it can be really hard to stop…until the Lord stops me, right in my tracks and He reminds me- aren’t you really complaining against me?
I have to remember to see that I actually hinder the Lord’s answers to my problems by unbelief-
– which leads to the sin of murmuring!
Let’s not allow this sin to gain a foothold-
– because it can easily become a stronghold!
The same wonder working God that led the children of Israel out of Egypt, is still at work today-
– but are we hindering Him?
If we are grumbling and complaining-
– we are missing out on His answers and blessings which are waiting in the wings to meet our faith in Him!
(PA)

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An Epidemic

MyManna — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 22:00:53 +0000

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” 1 Peter 2:11.
I once read a strange story in the news about a plumber who was called in to unclog a drain.
He had one of those snake-like devices that runs down into a drain and keeps running until the drain is cleaned out.
But this time, the “snake” did a strange thing.
It went outside of the house through an open vent and into the house next door.
Then it went down through a vent, came out, and grabbed a ten-year-old girl who was playing in her backyard.
Fortunately, her little brother started crying, and they stopped.
The fire department had to use cable cutters to set the girl free.
After reading that story-
I thought about how sin can be that way.
You never know where it’s going to go.
When we commit a sinful act-
– we don’t realize the repercussions that can take place and the other lives that can be impacted by it.
Billy Graham once said, “Immorality is an epidemic in our churches just as it is in the secular world at large…No wonder the world is in crisis.”
God has a lot to say about immorality-
– and specifically adultery, in Scripture.
It made His Top Ten list-
– the Ten Commandments.
It was, in some cases, punishable by death.
And we see it addressed in the New Testament as well.
God has told us not to commit adultery for good reason.
When you cross that line of protection that God has placed around your and your spouse’s life, you do so at your own peril.
And the repercussions of that sin can last-
– for months, years, and yes, even a lifetime.
(PA)

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So Sensitive!

MyManna — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 22:00:42 +0000

“Fools mock at making restitution, but there is goodwill among the upright.” Proverbs 14:9.
One of the biggest mistakes Christians make is to underestimate the power of sin.
We don’t like to admit when we sin-
– because then we have to make amends for it or change our behaviour.
So we rationalize that we haven’t really sinned at all.
First-
– we find a better name for it.
Sin sounds so old-fashioned.
So harsh.
Let’s call it a “mistake” or a “habit” or a “lapse in judgment.”
That sounds better.

Next-
– we build a case to explain why we did it.
“Everyone else was doing it.”
“I didn’t think anyone would get hurt.”
“It wasn’t my fault.”
Then-
– we de-emphasize the fallout.
“People are too uptight these days.”
“They need to stop being so sensitive.”
It comes down to a control issue.
We don’t like being told what to do.
We want the freedom to make our own choices.
But we fail to understand one thing:
We don’t control sin.
Sin controls us.
Sin is any attitude or behaviour that goes against God’s desires.
He wants us to be free from the guilt, shame, and consequences of sin.
But as long as we refuse to take sin seriously-
– we’ll never experience life the way God desires.
Don’t be afraid to see sin for what it is.
Don’t allow a distorted view of sin to rob you of the life God intends for you.
Ask God to tell you how you can make amends.
What sins in your life need to be exposed for what they are?
(PA)

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Definite Decisions

MyManna — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 22:00:07 +0000

“If your hand causes your downfall, cut it off. And if your foot causes your downfall, cut it off. And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out. Mark 9:43, 45, 47.
In spite of the importance of breaking decisively with everything of which Christ cannot approve-
– some Christians hide sins and are not willing to get rid of them.
Let there be no illusion about this.
No one can maintain their spiritual freshness as long as they allow known sin to remain and take root in their lives.
This matter of spiritual freshness is decided-
– not by living on the defensive,
– but by living on the offensive.
It involves making definite decisions-
– decisions such as saying “Yes” to all that Christ offers
– and saying “No” to all that sin offers.
Christianity is-
– not a prohibition
– but a privilege!
But I would add that it does, however, have a prohibition in it.
In our text for today-
Jesus says that if your “hand” or your “eye” causes you to sin, then do something about it.
In other words-
– do not tolerate anything that cuts across the central purpose of your life.
From head to foot-
– you are to belong to Christ.
The order in these verses is important.
The order is hand, foot, eye.
The “hand” represents the doing of evil-
– the “foot” the approach toward evil,
– and the “eye” the seeing of evil with desire from afar.
What’ s the message in all this?
Quite clearly, the message is that sin must be cut out at every stage.
The place to begin, of course, is with the “eye” – the place of desire.
Take care of that, and you won’ t have to worry too much about the “hand” and the “foot.”

“Father, teach me how to be a decisive and not a double-minded person – especially in relation to this matter of sin. Show me what things I need to break with in my life, and help me to do it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
(PA)

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Compromise

MyManna — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 22:30:51 +0000

Our society nurtures a popular misconception that tolerance is the only reasonable worldview to have.
But when it comes to the law of God-
King Solomon’s life shows that compromise is a destructive choice. 1 Kings 11:1-8.
In the early years of Solomon’s reign, he was committed to doing right.
But later, when he saw the opportunity to promote himself politically, he ignored Scripture’s command forbidding marriage to pagans. Deut. 7:1-3; 1 Kings 3:1.
Though he may have viewed the union as an insignificant deviation-
Satan’s strategy is to convince us to compromise small portions of God’s Word, one at a time.
Solomon admired beautiful women of other nationalities-
– but instead of finding ways to avoid temptation,
– he permitted himself one relationship and then sought more and more.
Surrounded by foreigners, he inevitably became involved in their religions.
Eventually he was ensnared by sin.

And his heart turned from God.
Solomon’s temptations may differ from ours-
– but accepting compromise can trap us as well.
Unchecked admiration for something beyond God’s will for our life can convince us to pursue it.
Though we intellectually know this choice is wrong-
– it’s easy to harden our heart against the Spirit’s warnings.
A preoccupation can deepen until the desired object, person, or activity holds a place of greater priority than our Father.
If we allow that to happen-
– we lose our freedom in Jesus Christ and become caught in a prison of sin.
In other words-
– the cost of compromise is the corruption of our soul.

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Struggle with sin!

MyManna — Thu, 12 May 2016 22:00:03 +0000

“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).
We have an ongoing struggle with sin!
Sin has a way of multiplying and reviving itself-
– and launching a new and an unexpected assault on our most vulnerable areas.
The Bible paints a very graphic picture of a person-
– who becomes entrapped by his own sin.
It says, “And he will be held with cords of his sin.”
Now what does that mean?
Have you ever seen a little bug caught in a spider’s web?
The more that bug struggles to become free-
– the more entangled in the web it becomes.
That’s what this verse is talking about.
The person is trapped by his sin, and even when he comes to his senses and recognizes the need to change, he cannot escape by his own strength.
He just gets more tangled.
But there’s hope for the person caught in his sin.
We can all be free from bondage by admitting our sin to God and giving Him control of our life through Jesus Christ.
Only He can untangle us-
– from the tangled web of sin that we weave!

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Break the bondage!

MyManna — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 16:00:39 +0000

Saturday, 6 February 2016

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:25).
Lying has become a pervasive problem!
Have you fallen into the habit?
Many Christians do not look on lying as the grievous sin that it is.
I’m going to be honest with you.
There are people who would never attend a dirty movie-
– but they will lie at the drop of a hat.
It seems that today’s “me first” mindset places very little value on honesty and personal integrity.
Truth is sacrificed on the altar of self-advancement.
At the time-
– you may think that lying will make your life easier,
– but one lie almost always requires another and another and another.
You have to remember everything you said to keep from confusing your lies.
But when you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember what you said.
That makes life a lot less complicated!
I’ve known Christian women who were fanatical about dressing modestly-
– and yet they think nothing to manipulate a situation using untruths.
Spouses lie to one another in the name of keeping the peace-
– parents lie to their own children and vice versa,
– employers and employees just the same.
Advertisers lie to sell products.
Politicians lie in order to spin things their way.
Which life have you created for yourself?
There’s only one way to break the bondage of a lie-
– and that’s with the truth.
Seek to live with integrity and honesty and you’ll find new freedom for living.
How?
The truth is found in Jesus Christ.
Find Him, and find the truth, the power, and strength to become a person of integrity.
(PR)

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Quick to confess

MyManna — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Saturday, 16 January 2016

“We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Have you ever been caught in the act, doing something you shouldn’t?
Do you remember the shame?
Can you also recall times when you did things you knew were wrong but you didn’t get caught?
Did you still feel guilty about it?
The apostle Paul warned that regardless of whether or not our sins are revealed in this life-
– no one escapes the scrutiny of the Lord Jesus.
Nothing is done behind God’s back or without his notice.
He sees how we spend every minute, every second of every day.
How should this affect the way we live?
It caused the apostle Paul to live with a reverent fear of God.
He determined to live a life so blameless that he would not have to dread facing Christ on judgment day.
“Whether we are at home or away,” he wrote-
– (whether at school or at church, with our friends or our family, on our good days or our bad days)
– “we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him” (v 9).
He was also quick to confess any sin in his life so that-
God would deal with it immediately, not at the judgment.
We, too, ought to live with the awareness that-
– one day God will ask us to account for the things we’ve done, both good and bad.
Is there anything in your life right now that you need to settle with God?
Why is there often a gap between what we know and what we do?
(PR)

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