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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Greatest Catalyst

MyManna — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 22:00:16 +0000

“Return, Israel, to the Lord your God.Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.” Hosea 14:2.

How do we deal with demandingness?

We must repent of it.

Our passage today tells us how.

First:

Return!

“Return to the LORD.”

The key to ridding ourselves of anything that is spiritually injurious is to return to God.

The pursuit of God involves a shift away from dependence on one’s own resources to dependence on God.

Doing good and correcting wrong behavior does not automatically make us good people.

Obedience is extremely important, but it must be accompanied by deep, heart repentance.

Second:

Repent!

The passage says: “Take words of repentance with you.”

This phrase means that we must put into words a clear description of what we are repenting of.

If we are not clear about what is going on inside us, how can we repent of it?

Next:

Receive!

“Forgive all our sin.”

Repentance puts us in touch with God’s forgiveness.

We can work to bring about change also-

– but the greatest catalyst for change is humbly positioning ourselves before God and asking for His forgiveness.

Then:

Rejoice!

“Accept what is good, so that we may repay You with praise from our lips.”

The thought here is:

“Receive us that we may worship You more effectively.”

The purpose of all restoration is to worship God.

We will be drawn into true worship when we give up insisting on our own way and learn to trust God for our own happiness.

When repentance moves us from a spirit of demandingness to absolute trust in God-

– then we are in the place where God is able to make our feet like “hinds’ feet,”

– and equip us with the ability to ascend into the heights with Him.

“Tender and skillful Invader of my heart, I yield my stricken being to You for healing. Drain every drop of demandingness from my being. For I want not only to be better but to be whole. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

(PA)

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The Enemy's Mission

MyManna — Thu, 04 May 2017 22:00:17 +0000

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9.

The popular expression “You are what you eat”-
– is an encouragement to give our physical bodies good food.

The idea also applies to our mental wellbeing.

The mind’s appetite is much like the stomach’s-
– which becomes accustomed to the diet we provide and craves more of the same.

Dwelling on whatever is pure, lovely, and right develops a hunger to receive more of God’s goodness.
But if we take in what our culture calls excellent, we develop a taste for that instead.

The world presents some delicious-looking offerings—TV is one example.
But mixed in with some fine educational programming is a lot of junk.

Certain believers consider it okay to watch a show that violates scriptural values, since it’s “just entertainment.”
However, everything our mind ingests shapes our views and values.

Allowing incorrect teaching and sinful ideas into our thinking can warp our understanding of right and wrong.

If an idea, action, or activity is not true or honorable—that is-
– if it violates Scripture in some way—then God is not in it.

And if God is absent-
– then Satan is present.

The Enemy’s mission is to draw our focus away from the Lord.

Once the Devil has someone’s attention-
– he’ll keep presenting more tasty-looking “junk food”
– to keep that individual occupied while leading him farther from the Lord and deeper into depravity.

There’s so much clamoring for our attention-
– entertainment, philosophies, teachings
– and whatever isn’t of the Lord has potential to taint our value system.

Believers are wise to use discernment and feast only on the things of God.
(PA)

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The Net

MyManna — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 22:00:51 +0000

Man prays to God

Almost every week-

I receive at least one letter from someone who’s been trapped by pornography over the Internet!

The Internet can be used for great good.

But it also can be used for great evil.

And the widespread availability of pornography over the Internet may be its greatest evil.

Realize!

The first step is to realize that this is sin in God’s eyes.

It isn’t just a bad habit, nor is it only something that appeals to your lusts or your craving for excitement.

It is sin!

And you must not excuse it or deny it or say that it doesn’t really matter.

It is sin!

And the Bible warns that “after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:15.

Repent!

This is why I urge you to turn to Jesus Christ and open your heart and life to Him.

He doesn’t love your sin.

But He does love you.

And He wants to come into your life and take away your sins and begin to change you from within.

Replace!

Commit your life to Him.

And then ask Him to fill you and replace everything that is evil or wrong with His goodness and purity.

“..whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9.

Resist!
Then take practical steps to fight this habit.

Get a program for your computer that will filter out unwanted sites, and use it.

Move your computer into a place where others can see what you are doing.

In addition, share your problem with a trusted friend who can hold you accountable for what you watch.

(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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Devil After the Dove

MyManna — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 22:00:19 +0000

And give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:27)
Have you had a wonderful spiritual experience recently?
Just as when Jesus was baptized and a dove descended, then right after He was led into the wilderness and tempted. When God does something great, or when you get the approval of God about something, you can expect the attack of the enemy.
“When God opens the windows of heaven to bless us, the devil is going to open the doors of hell to blast us.”
If the devil tempted Jesus, be sure he will tempt you, as well.
Ask God to give you His strength to overcome temptation today.
Resist like Jesus!
“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:3-4).
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Too weak and vulnerable at times?
Then-
Run away like Joseph!
“One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” (Genesis 39:11-12).
Reward shall be yours!
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James.1:12).

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