APPLYING AND LIVING IN THE WORD

STOP FRETTING OVER THE PAST

Some people talk about ‘generational curses’. They have the idea that sins of people in their past have let the enemy afflict THEM. It’s TRUE. There WAS ONE ancestor who turned the enemy loose on ALL of us.

Genesis 3:1-25 NKJV

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;

3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

8 And they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

God had created a man and woman. He had put them in an environment to complete and total safety, good health, and provision for all of their needs. All they had to do was live their lives and obey ONE very small rule. “Don’t eat the fruit off of that ONE tree.”

Then the devil, the deceiver, came along. He told Eve that if she ate that fruit she’d know the difference between good and evil and therefore she’d be as powerful as GOD Himself. The truth was that in knowing that difference, man would become accountable for the wrongs they did. Once we are CONSCIOUS of sin, COMMITTING sin makes us vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. When the disobedience came in, the war between Satan and man began in earnest and it will not stop until Satan is cast into the pit.

The GOOD news is that God gave the woman power to defeat the enemy. She would bruise his head in giving birth to God’s Own Son. In giving man the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God, the way was made for ALL evil stunts of the enemy to be overcome. JESUS won the victory, all we have to do is to really UNDERSTAND that. The battle with Satan is no longer OURS, it belongs to Jesus. WE have already WON. JESUS WAS PUNISHED FOR EVERY TRANSGRESSION WE OR ANY OF OUR ANCESTORS EVER COMMITTED. WE ARE NO LONGER BEING PUNISHED FOR MISDEEDS.

1 Thessalonians 3:1-3 NKJV

3 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone,

2 and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith,

3 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.

Afflictions are plain and simply part of the lives of Christians. Jesus suffered them and HE WAS PERFECT. HE committed NO sin, yet He suffered afflictions more than ANY of us. That kind of knocks the theory that afflictions are the fault of our pasts into a cocked hat, doesn’t it???

2 Timothy 4:1-8 NKJV

4 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:

2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;

4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

This pretty much makes it clear where the lives of Christians lead. The more we KNOW, the more we understand of the Word and of what God did for us, the easier our path will be. Many people suffer simply because they don’t know how to FIGHT. Spiritual battles are won through faith and trust and what we declare with our mouths. If Donald Trump has ONE super power, it’s THIS. His POSITIVE confession. He continually speaks victory and triumph. We should do the same. His ego is his biggest asset! Glorify God, not the affliction. Lift up God, not the problem. We do that by declaring that He CAN and WILL meet every need we have and that HIS power is FAR greater than that of our enemy. Speak the WORD…WIN your wars.

I believe God is in the middle of doing an ASTONISHING work in our world. If you aren’t all the way into the boat with Jesus, GET there NOW. The world is trying to create a Utopian society where everything is free and everybody is young and well.

Now most of us know that that’s NOT God’s scenario for the world. If it were, we’d all still be in the Garden of Eden.

What is going to happen is this: The RAPTURE is going to happen and that very soon. When it comes, the wicked that are creating all the upheaval around us will be left to deal with the consequences of their skewed view of the world while the RIGHTEOUS…the REDEEMED….are about to be swept up into heaven where THEY will live the life the wicked is trying to attain for itself. Think of the irony of THAT. In heaven, everything is free, everyone is equal, there is no male or female, there are no tears and no sorrow, no worries, no sickness, no pain. Is God AMAZING or what???

A TIME FOR EXTREME TRUST AND FAITH

WEDNESDAYS IN THE WORD 8/5/2020

Luke 12:16-28 NKJV

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’

18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’

20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.

23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?

25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?

27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

The man in this parable had made a very good living for himself and had obtained a lot of worldly STUFF. His mistake was in putting his TRUST in what he had. It’s like someone with a good job who thinks they’ll never lose it. It’s like living in a good economy and thinking it can never go south. It’s looking at one’s position and future with worldly eyes. The problem is…ANYTHING can go south in a matter of days or weeks. It’s SO important that our vision and trust as Christians be rooted and grounded in faith and in the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:11-13 KJV

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

The Lord doesn’t promise that there’ll be no ups and downs. I’m using the King James version here because of the last line. Other versions say, “Through Christ WHO strengths me.” Now it’s true, Christ DOES strengthen us. He does it by giving us encouraging scriptures and encouragment through friends and brothers and sisters in the Lord. However, this can be read another way. It can be read, “I can do all things through Christ which (that particular truth) strengthens me.” The very fact that we can do all things through Christ is strengthening. A pastor I once had used to say, “When God wants us to TRIBULATE, He wants us to tribulate.” There are seasons In the Lord when things aren’t so easy. Take those times one day at a time, trust that the Lord will bring you THROUGH that valley and out the other side safely.

Matthew 14:28-31 NKJV

25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

When the storm came up, it got kind of scary. When things get scary, we usually call out to the Lord. Even unsaved people will at times do that! Did Jesus wait to help them? NO! He IMMEDIATELY came. When did the storm subside? WHEN THEY GOT INTO THE BOAT WITH JESUS.

If you have a storm kicking up, get into the boat! Pick up faith and trust and wear them like a garment. CALL upon your savior. Call KNOWING that He will come for you and the storm will settle down.

Matthew 6:31-34 NKJV

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Nothing is hidden from God, particularly in the lives of believers. God knows what you need more than YOU do. A for instance coming to mind for me is a time when I was driving 30 miles over a winding narrow country road every day that I had to go to town. The road also went through ‘open grazing’ country. That’s land where cattlemen don’t have to keep their livestock fenced in. They can roam free. I was young and a little reckless in those days. The speed limit on the road was 35 MHP. Once I was really familiar with the road, I began to drive more like 50 MPH over most of it. It was out in the boonies and not patrolled. I never had any problem with cattle being where they shouldn’t have been on the road when I was driving TOO FAST on it.

Then one of the ministers in our church preached that it was important to drive the speed limit on roads because if one was going even a mile or two over the limit, they wouldn’t be where God wanted them to be WHEN He wanted them there. Now if you think about that, it makes sense. The Word says we are to submit to EVERY ordinance or law of man (1 Peter 2:13) and that includes speed limits, don’t you think? Well, I took the instruction to heart and began to really make an effort to hold to the speed limit. A couple of pretty remarkable things happened when I made that life change. The first thing was, I began to find cattle standing in the way around sharp curves in the road. That showed me how complete God’s protection of me was, because they hadn’t been there when I was driving too fast for road conditions. God had kept them out of my way when it might have harmed me. Was He condoning my sin in driving too fast??? Certainly NOT. He was just extending grace to a foolish woman until He could teach her not to do the wrong thing. One other thing that happened…I was a little late leaving one time in order to get to a Bible study in my church in town. It was really tempting to try to catch the clock with my speedometer, but I resisted the temptation. Instead, I prayed and said, Lord, I know I’m running late today, but I’m going to stay within the speed limit, and I ask You to get me to town in time to pick up my mail before they load it up for delivery. I won’t explain that…but it was a need for me that day. Do you know…I left the house 15 minutes later than usual…gritted my teeth and never exceeded the speed limit…but arrived in town EXACTLY when I usually did when leaving right on time. How did God DO that??? I don’t know. I don’t know if He manipulated time and space somehow, or if He shortened the road!! All I know is the miracle happened. Be obedient. Do what the Word says. Trust God. He is EVER faithful.

Psalm 65:9 NKJV

9 You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it.

Christians have one provider. God. It’s really important not to see a source of income as our provider. That can fail, but God NEVER does. He has ALREADY PREPARED our provision.

The Lord gave me this song to accompany this study.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B85SRZJsCg

“Raise A Hallelujah”
(performed by Jonathan David Helser & Melissa Helser)

I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, Heaven comes to fight for me

I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

I raise a hallelujah, with everything inside of me
I raise a hallelujah, I will watch the darkness flee
I raise a hallelujah, in the middle of the mystery
I raise a hallelujah, fear you lost your hold on me!

I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

Sing a little louder (Sing a little louder)
Sing a little louder (Sing a little louder)
Sing a little louder (Sing a little louder)
Let’s sing a little louder (Let’s sing a little louder)
Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)
Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)
Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)
Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)
Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)
Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)
Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)
Let’s sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)
Sing a little louder!!

I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!
Oh, I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

I raise a hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah!

Just begin to raise your own hallelujah
I can’t do it for you
There’s a song written on your heart only you can sing
And when you sing enemies flee
When you sing prison walls come falling down
When you sing Heaven invades the earth
So just begin to lift up your hallelujah
Raise it like a banner
Raise it like a flag
Raise it in the middle of the storm
Let it rise, let it rise
Like a symphony to the King
Everything to You, Jesus
We raise it all
Sing a little louder!!

I raise a hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah (In the presence of my enemies)
I raise a hallelujah (Louder than the unbelief)
I raise a hallelujah (My weapon is a melody)
I raise a hallelujah (Heaven comes to fight for me)

ONE SIN IS NO GREATER THAN ANOTHER

SINNERS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SALVATION

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Sometimes people read the first two of these verses and just sort of pass over the last one. Some take it that all those sinners listed in the first two scriptures can’t receive salvation, but that is NOT what this is saying. It’s saying that people LIVING in these sins who have never received Christ as savior can’t inherit the kingdom…but then it goes on to say that even SOME who are saved were once among those listed here. Now if YOU were a sinner and were justified by salvation…so can THEY be. If a person is in sin and receives Christ as savior, in the flesh they are still in that sin, aren’t they? Salvation isn’t an automatic exit from sinning, it’s a washing and cleansing of that sin through the blood of Jesus and the grace that comes with salvation and elimination of the law through that process. They may still be in the sin, but they are no longer condemned by it. Upon receiving Christ, God begins to work in them to cause them to turn away from those sins and walk the righteous path that HE sets in front of them, but it’s not always an instantaneous work. Sometimes it is, but not usually, actually. Think about your own life. I was saved over 40 years ago and God has worked in me non-stop through all those years to clean ME up. He’s STILL working on that. That should tell you that God isn’t against one sin more than He’s against another. A homosexual is no more a sinner than any other Christian who breaks the laws of men or the laws of God.

James 9:19-20 NKJV

19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

When a person is saved, a whole multitude of sins is covered and hidden. That’s because they have been forgiven because of Jesus’ shed blood. Don’t look at another person’s sin and judge or condemn them because of it, just share the Lord with them. Does that mean we have to be friends with them? Certainly not!

2 Corinthians 6:16-18

6 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God,And they shall be My people.”

17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”

Christians are to be separated from sinners. Associating with sinners in order to lead them to the Lord usually has the opposite result…the Christian will be led into the worldly ways of the one they are trying to get saved. People are far more impressed when they see a Christian leading a truly righteous life than they are by watching that Christian do the things they are trying to bring the sinner out of. When a Christian gets saved, old friends who are still in the world spiritully begin to fall away. Their now Christian, law abiding friend is too much of a reminder of their own wicked ways and they soon withdraw.

Romans 12:9 KJV

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Yes, we’re to hate evil, but we’re never to hate people. Love them into the kingdom.

WEDNESDAYS IN THE WORD 8/5/2020

ONE SIN IS NO GREATER THAN ANOTHER

SINNERS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SALVATION

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Sometimes people read the first two of these verses and just sort of pass over the last one. Some take it that all those sinners listed in the first two scriptures can’t receive salvation, but that is NOT what this is saying. It’s saying that people LIVING in these sins who have never received Christ as savior can’t inherit the kingdom…but then it goes on to say that even SOME who are saved were once among those listed here. Now if YOU were a sinner and were justified by salvation…so can THEY be. If a person is in sin and receives Christ as savior, in the flesh they are still in that sin, aren’t they? Salvation isn’t an automatic exit from sinning, it’s a washing and cleansing of that sin through the blood of Jesus and the grace that comes with salvation and elimination of the law through that process. They may still be in the sin, but they are no longer condemned by it. Upon receiving Christ, God begins to work in them to cause them to turn away from those sins and walk the righteous path that HE sets in front of them, but it’s not always an instantaneous work. Sometimes it is, but not usually, actually. Think about your own life. I was saved over 40 years ago and God has worked in me non-stop through all those years to clean ME up. He’s STILL working on that. That should tell you that God isn’t against one sin more than He’s against another. A homosexual is no more a sinner than any other Christian who breaks the laws of men or the laws of God.

James 9:19-20 NKJV

19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

When a person is saved, a whole multitude of sins is covered and hidden. That’s because they have been forgiven because of Jesus’ shed blood. Don’t look at another person’s sin and judge or condemn them because of it, just share the Lord with them. Does that mean we have to be friends with them? Certainly not!

2 Corinthians 6:16-18

6 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God,And they shall be My people.”

17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”

Christians are to be separated from sinners. Associating with sinners in order to lead them to the Lord usually has the opposite result…the Christian will be led into the worldly ways of the one they are trying to get saved. People are far more impressed when they see a Christian leading a truly righteous life than they are by watching that Christian do the things they are trying to bring the sinner out of. When a Christian gets saved, old friends who are still in the world spiritully begin to fall away. Their now Christian, law abiding friend is too much of a reminder of their own wicked ways and they soon withdraw.

Romans 12:9 KJV

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Yes, we’re to hate evil, but we’re never to hate people. Love them into the kingdom.

DON’T BE DECEIVED. WE DON’T WORK OUR WAY TO HEAVEN.

WEDNESDAYS IN THE WORD 8/5/2020

Romans 10:1-4

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

There are a lot of people on this earth who are trying to work their way into God’s good graces. They say things like, “I’m trying to clean up my life and live better.” Some of them think if they go to church a lot and do works for God within the church THAT will open a doorway into heaven. Well, that’s a good and noble aim, but it’s not going to be the deciding factor in where they’ll spend eternity. They are striving to establish their own righteousness, while refusing to submit to the righteousness of God. So what IS the righteousness of God?

Romans 3:21-23 AMPC

21 But now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the Prophets,

22 Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ. [And it is meant] for all who believe. For there is no distinction,

23 Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives.

The righteousness of God is held out there for all to see. It’s through BELIEVING that Jesus is the way to heaven and receiving His sacrifice of blood for our redemption. ALL have fallen short of God’s expectations. Nobody can stand up and say, “I’m not worthy of going to heaven even though I’m under Jesus’ blood.” If ONE person is worthy because of that shed blood, then EVERYONE who is under that blood is worthy. The blood is the ONLY thing that makes ANY man worthy of salvation.

Think of it like this. Let’s say you had a beautiful, loving daughter who had chosen to grace your table every meal with real BUTTER. Now let’s say that daughter, on a trip to the store to purchase that treat for you, is brutally accosted and killed. She was killed while making sure YOU could have BUTTER on your table. Would you EVER again place a tub of margarine on your dining set? Well, Jesus DIED for the privilege of being the way into heaven. Why would God EVER let someone in any other way? That would be dishonoring the sacrifice of His beloved Son.

Colossians 2:16-23 AMPC

16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,

17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—

21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,”

22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men?

23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Righteousness is a good thing. God wants us to walk Holy and Righteous before Him in all of our doing, but strict adherance to the law is simply IMPOSSIBLE. Therefore, it’s truly FUTILE to even step into that arena in the areas people tend to do it in things like what they wear and eat and in some rituals they perform. For every one thing that a Christian does to make themselves perfect, the devil will give them ANOTHER thing to perfect. It never ENDS. You never GET there. You might just as well have simply enjoyed your life more and sacrificed less. The only sacrifice that matters anyway is the one that JESUS made. Imposing such things upon ourselves is walking in a FALSE humility because God never required it of any of us. I have friends and family who never ever ask for prayer for ANYTHING even though I’ve made it as clear as I possibly can that it BLESSES me to pray for them. Their response if they are suffering and I ask them why they didn’t ask for prayer is always, “Well, I didn’t want to bother you.” They are trying to figure out MY thinking and they can’t DO that because nobody is clairvoyant. I’m NEVER bothered by someone’s asking me for prayer. NEVER. I’m far more bothered if they DON’T ask. God is the same way. People try to get to heaven by works because they think that’s what God requires them to do when the truth is just the opposite. We can just stroll right into heaven surrounded by the righteous blood of the one Who gave all so we could live forever. Anything WE do to try to make ourselves worthy over and above that blood sacrifice simply nullifies and negates Jesus’ sacrifice. It takes Him off of the cross and brings Him down to earthly level. Let’s accept the free gift of His love and sacrifice.

WALKING THROUGH THE VALLEY

WEDNESDAYS IN THE WORD 7/29/2020

1 Corinthians 10:31-33 NKJV

31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,

33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

We’ve entered into a difficult (perilous) time. It’s a time when seemingly ANYTHING can happen. It’s a time when many people are afraid for their health, their provision, and even their physical safety. While it may be a dark and difficult time, it’s also a time when a great reaping of souls can take place because when things get hard, people begin to reconsider their need for God. It’s a time when Christians must be unselfish and put the welfare of others ahead of themselves and their own fleshly desires. Kindness and love towards others goes a lot further to lead people into the Kingdom than preaching the wrath of God does. It’s also a time when Christians must guard over their minds and spirits and not let themselves be affected negatively by the evil going on around them. How do we do that?

Luke 21:25-28 KJV

25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Lord’s return is sooner than it was when we first got saved. It’s sooner than it was yesterday. It’s time to look UPWARDS. If ever there was a time when Christians needed to keep their eyes upon the Lord and not upon the things happening around them, that time is NOW. We don’t look at the problem, we look at God’s ability to handle the problem. We look at Jesus’ power over the problem and over the world around us. We look at God’s willingness to bless His children and His power to keep and protect them right in the middle of their storms. We remember that Jesus and only Jesus has the power to WALK UPON THE WATER. He NEVER sinks and He can keep US from sinking, too.

Ephesians 6:10-18 KJV

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 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.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

We must wrap ourselves up in the power and wisdom and righteousness of the Lord, our God. Trust in His power, USE His wisdom, and Keep ourselves righteous in all of our ways.

We are to defend ourselves against the enemy when he tries to invade our minds with fear and we do that by praying in the Spirit. It also helps a great deal to read daily in the book of Psalms when things are hard. Psalms reminds us to PRAISE our way out of difficulties. It reminds us to lift Jesus up ABOVE the problem. God sets us upon a HIGH place spiritually, but it’s like He had set us up on top of a chain link fence, and then the devil in the form of a very large, very angry bull begins charging and hitting that fence with all the strength he can muster. It takes faith and strength in standing strong in the Lord to stay on top of that fence and not get knocked off it and trampled by the bull. Use Psalms the way King David did to encourage yourself in the Lord.

Philippians 4:4-9 NKJV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, 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.

9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Don’t worry, be happy. Jesus is STILL walking on the water. God is STILL in His heaven. All is STILL right with OUR world because the Lord is in it and has all power over it.

LITTLE BY LITTLE

WEDNESDAYS IN THE WORD 7/16/2020

We as humans tend to want to see a fast end to our endeavors, trials, problems, etc. God simply doesn’t operate on a FAST level. Many people go from job to job because it takes too long for them to work their way up in any one job. Some don’t save money because they don’t see fast enough increase in those savings. (Some don’t save money because they have a rather convoluted idea that saving money shows a lack of faith in God’s ability to meet their needs. Quite the opposite is true. I’ve learned over the years that having some savings actually releases God’s ability to bless me in a greater way than if I have nothing set aside.) I wasn’t a saver for several years of my life. Then the company my husband worked for set up a 401K program. My husband insisted that we put money in that program. About two years later, I got a notice in the mail that we had $3.400 in our 401K. Something finally clicked in my head. Savings DO add up! There is a concept in the word of ‘little by little’. I’m going to explore that.

Deuteronomy 7:21-22 NKJV

21 You shall not be terrified of them; for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you.

22 And the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.

Humans want a quick end to the issues, but God is far wiser than man. God sees AHEAD and he sees all sides. He understands the repercussions and waves that can come with actions.

Proverbs 13:11

11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.

You’ve heard the phrase, “Easy come, easy go!” When something is too easy and fast to obtain, people don’t value it all that much. When it’s easy to get money, it’s easy to spend it rapidly. However, when a person has to work hard for their money and saves it up a little at a time, it means more to them and they’ll try harder to keep their savings intact. THEIR savings will increase, LITTLE BY LITTLE.

Isaiah 28:9-10 NKJV

9 “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts?
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”

When a person first gets saved, the Word of God is usually foreign to them. They buy a Bible and start going to church. When I did that, and began reading in the Word some each week, the Lord would always do something to teach me how that particular scripture or scriptures could work in my life. He made the Word real to me LITTLE BY LITTLE. One line at a time, one precept at a time. Nobody just sits down and reads the whole Bible and HAS it all learned. The Word of God is ALIVE. It WORKS in us if we allow it to. When we apply it to our lives, it makes a difference, little by little.

Romans 10:17 NKJV

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Growing in faith is just like accumulating savings and learning the Word of God. Faith comes BY HEARING the Word of God. Week after week, we read God’s word, listen to the preachers, and grow in faith.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

There is a reward for persevering. Keep putting extra money in the bank (one way to do that is to save one’s raises in pay) and savings grow. Keep learning more and more of the Word and our lives GREATLY increase by it. Keep exercising faith and our faith muscles get really big and in the end we get a crown from the Lord Himself.

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Little by little, the work of the Lord IN us is done. It never stops until the day we go up to be with the Lord in heaven. One day at a time.

Romans 8;8-31 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

First, God KNOWS us, then He PREDESTINES (makes the decision to offer salvation to us), then He CALLS us, Then He JUSTIFIES us (declares us pure under the blood of His son), then He GLORIFIES us (magnifies, celebrates, and honors us), then He FREELY gives us all things as we come to Him and ASK for them. Little by little, He enriches our lives.

WHAT CAN WE PRAY FOR AND ABOUT?

WEDNESDAYS IN THE WORD 7/16/2020

Genesis 20:17 NKJV

17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children;

Abraham had made a mistake in lying to a

Abimelech about his relationship with Sarah, but that isn’t the point of my using this scripture. The point is this…Abraham prayed for this man and God healed not only him, but also his wife and his female servants. Honestly, if the only ministry you have is that of praying for other people, you have served God. It’s easy to find people to pray for these days. Just look on Facebook for Christian groups. You’ll find all the needy people you could possibly want to pray for.

Genesis 32:9-12 NKJV

9 Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’:

10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.

11 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children.

12 For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

Jacob was in trouble. He was afraid his brother, Esau would try to get revenge on him for stealing his blessing from their father. First he reminded God that the Lord had made a promise to him to deal well with him. Then he admitted his shortcomings, telling the Lord he wasn’t worthy of being helped, but asking God that in His mercy and grace He WOULD protect him from his brother. Then he again reminded God of another promise the Lord had made to Jacob. This is an excellent approach to take in prayer. Humans make mistakes. God knows that. He created us out of dirt, creatures of the flesh. He knows we aren’t perfect. The Lord told me once when I pray to argue like an attorney would. Give strong reasons and arguments why God should meet the need, especially when I or someone I know has transgressed and needs God to forgive them and move in their behalf.

Years ago, I had made an offer on a house I wanted to buy. It was contingent on my selling my own house and my realtor insisted I list the one I was selling with her. I went along even though I was perfectly capable of selling a house on my own and KNEW that’s what the Lord wanted me to do. I was almost immediately convicted by the Holy Spirit and prayed. I repented for doing the wrong thing and asked God to intervene in my behalf and get me out of my mistake.

The very next morning…8 A.M. Sharp…that realtor came stalking up my sidewalk, listing paper in hand! When I opened the door, she shoved the listing at me and said, “PLEASE take this listing back! I can’t get it out of my head that it’s priced too high and I don’t want it!” What an astounding thing! What realtor ever gives a listing back??? They could have presented offers. It was OBVIOUSLY direct answer to prayer. When you approach God humbly, He moves. When you approach God BOLDLY, He moves. He just wants us to COME to Him.

Numbers 14:13-20 NKJV

13 And Moses said to the Lord: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them,

14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.

15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying,

16 ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’

17 And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying,

18 ‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’

19 Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

20 Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, according to your word;

Here’s a perfect example of someone coming to the Lord for other people as an attorney would fight for a client. He gives a good argument as to why God should not destroy these people for their iniquities. He reminds God of His goodness and mercy. God listens and brings a merciful verdict.

James 4:1-3 NKJV

1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

We are born of flesh, and the flesh tends to have WANTS as well as needs. Humans sometimes forget about God and think they have to make everything that they want happen on their own hook. NOT SO. I’ve had God do some absolutely amazing things for me over the years and He’ll do those amazing things for anyone who wants Him to if they’ll only ASK. My dad told me once that for someone who wasn’t a millionaire, I sure lived like one. Well, in a way that’s not too far fetched. The reason for that is because I’m a bargain hunter, I know where to get deals…but it’s ALSO because I’ve learned that God can make the way for almost anything I need or even really WANT. All I have to do is pray and save as much money as I can towards what I want. God will do the rest and He does AMAZING. The example that comes to mind for me is a time when I wanted a new bedroom set, and the ones I was looking at were priced in the $3000-4,000 range. I just couldn’t bring myself to go into debt for that. I prayed. About a week after praying, someone advertised a like new Singer brand bedroom set (highboy, long dresser with big hutch mirror, headboard, and two nightstands, like new mattresses). They were asking $1,200. They said they had paid $5,000 for the set new. We got the set for $1,000 and it was INDEED like new. We ended up selling the mattresses for $250. We sold our OLD bedroom set for $350. We ended up with only $400 invested in our beautiful new set of bedroom furniture. God most always does more than we ask or think.

Matthew 26:40-41 NKJV

40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

I can’t even tell you the difference that giving the Lord ONE HOUR of dedicated prayer EVERY day makes in one’s life. If you have trouble thinking of things to pray about, make lists. I have a list of people whose faith is a bit marginal. I ask God to increase their faith and bring new life to them. I rebuke sin from their lives.

I have a list of people I love who need salvation or restoration. I pray for THEM and for the world in general and my nation in particular for the outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord upon them. I call that one my salvation and restoration list. I have a list of people who just tend to be NEEDY of prayer. They include my pastors and leaders in my church, certain of my friends, some people I only know online, some people who are chronically sick. The list includes my President and all around him. It includes the military, police and corrections officers, fire fighters, the white house, the pentagon, the congress and the senate, mostly for protection, wisdom, encouragment.

I have a list for my own household of all the things we need and of the spirits I fight against to maintain good health and peace in my house. When there is a disagreement in my house and I think my side is the right one, I don’t argue, I go to God and ask Him, “Lord, what spirit am I fighting here?” He always tells me. I write that down and pray against it regularly. God gives us the keys to the Kingdom in the binding and loosing of spirits. Ask Him and He’ll readily tell you what spirits you need to fight or to loose.

The main point I’m trying to make is that we are in a time when we MUST get onto our knees and spend serious time with God, not just say a cursory little two second prayer when we see a need. We MUST make God our priority. The world around us is in chaos and turmoil. If we’re fortunate, we may be in an insulated corner of the country that isn’t so touched by the trouble, but that grace is all the more the reason to pray and intercede for the rest of the world. Prayer is, honestly a really easy ministry to DO. The more we DO pray the more we CAN pray. It’s SO exciting to see God move in answer to our petitions. Let’s petition more.

LIVE IN THE LIGHT, DON’T LOOK AT THE STORM

WEDNESDAYS IN THE WORD 7/8/2020

Psalms 27:1-3 NKJV

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me To eat  up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.

We have some things we can rely upon when our world looks like it’s about to crumble out from under us.

We have LIGHT. The Bible and the preaching available to each of us is FULL of light. Just pull the cord and switch the bulb on.

We have SALVATION. Why is that so important? The definition of ‘salvation’ in the Strongs is: deliverance, salvation, rescue, safety, welfare, prosperity, victory.

It’s so important to have salvation because it includes everything we need to come through our valleys safely.

We have the LORD. A living, powerful being whose only thought and purpose is the welfare of His saved ones.

Psalms 27:4 NKJV

4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.

We have a place to go where the Lord is always present, where He promises to hear our prayer, where we can be with fellow believers and be encouraged. God made a provision for houses of worship around the world. In my moderate sized community there are 100 churches. There’s plenty of room for any believer.

Psalms 27:5 NKJV

5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

The closer we get to God, the more hidden from the enemy we are. In order to afflict someone, the devil has to go OUT away from the presence of the Lord (Job 1:9-12). Safety is in staying very CLOSE to God. Stay where the enemy has a harder time finding you.

Psalms 27:6 NKJV

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

The greatest defense against depression, oppression, sickness, turmoil in the home, and everything else the enemy of our souls throws at us is PRAISE. When things are hard PRAISE. Pray in the Spirit. Invoke the power of God. Get into the book of Psalms and read and be encouraged and lifted up.

Psalms 27:7-10 NKJV

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.

It’s tremendously important in the times we are in to SEEK THE LORD. Seeking the Lord is asking His opinion about the decisions we make, the places we go and the things we do. He will never leave us, even when WE leave HIM first. He may turn His face away if we rebel, but He still knows all about us. Keep serving, keep obeying, keep praising, keep listening.

Psalms 27:13-14 NKJV

13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Stay confident, keep your eyes on the Lord, stay in the light of the Word, be patient. The Lord will come.

BLESSED

WEDNESDAYS IN THE WORD 7/1/2020

The word, ‘BLESS’ in some form or other (blessed, bless, blessing), is found over 400 times in the Word of God. The word ‘CONDEMNED’ only appears 59 times in the King James version. That should tell us that God is far more interested in BLESSING people than in CONDEMNING them. So why do we try to so hard to condemn OURSELVES? It’s really important that we NOT do that.

Romans 14:21-23 AMPC

21 The right thing is to eat no meat or drink no wine [at all], or [do anything else] if it makes your brother stumble or hurts his conscience or offends or weakens him.

22 Your personal convictions [on such matters]—exercise [them] as in God’s presence, keeping them to yourself [striving only to know the truth and obey His will]. Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves [who does not convict himself by what he chooses to do].

23 But the man who has doubts (misgivings, an uneasy conscience) about eating, and then eats [perhaps because of you], stands condemned [before God], because he is not true to his convictions and he does not act from faith. For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful].

It’s important to really understand this scripture. What it’s saying is that if we think something is the wrong thing to do, but then go ahead and DO it, it’s sin for us. The fact is, it’s ALL in the mind and what we THINK about what we’re doing. It’s like God is saying, “If you think what you’re doing is wrong, who am I to disagree with you?” In deliberately doing what we believe to be wrong, we’re self-condemning.

So let’s come at this from another angle. Let’s say, instead of thinking, “This is wrong, but I can’t help myself and I just have to DO it,” we were to think, “God made us with free choice as individuals. I’m not perfect and neither is anyone else. I want a glass of wine, and I’m going to allow myself one.” In looking at it as a simple choice, not as SIN, you are no longer condemning yourself. Is the subject a bit complicated? Yes it is. God doesn’t want us to deliberately SIN, but He also wants us to remember GRACE. SIN brings repercussions into our lives, grace does not.

I’ve been on diets most of my life. Candy has mostly been off limits for me. Years ago, God delivered me of the mind battle that constantly urged me to ‘go get this or that and eat it.’ One day I decided I had to have a bag of M&Ms. I rather guiltily purchased and ate some. Instantly, I was back into the mind war. ‘Go eat!’ was right back in my thoughts. I stopped and said this to the Lord, “Father, You made us creatures of free choice. It was my CHOICE to have a bag of M&Ms today. I have a SPIRITUAL RIGHT to that choice.” Immediately, the battle in my mind STOPPED. It’s so important to watch how we think.

Matthew 25:31-34 NKJV

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Notice, this doesn’t say, “Come, you who my Father has condemned”. It says “Come, you who my Father has BLESSED.” When we received Christ as Savior, we were BLESSED by God. The blessing eliminated condemnation. It made us worthy to received a kingdom God has prepared for us from the very beginning of the creation of this earth. We don’t have to STRIVE for that, it’s already ours.

Philippians 3:8-9 NKJV

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Why was it so important to this person to win Christ? It was so he could be found by God to be under the blood of His Son and therefore RIGHTEOUS because of HIM, not because of his own works, but by FAITH. We should always try our best to do better from day to day in the way we conduct our lives, but we also should remember that the work of our righteousness belongs to the Lord, not to us, and that, honestly, our own attempts at being completely righteous are feeble at best. For every single thing that you might decide you have to do in order to please God, the devil will give you another one. It’s a never ending, vain and futile exercise to try to make oneself all righteous. Just accept the grace of God and do the best you can do.