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8/15/2021

When Evil Takes Hold

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For the leader. Of the servant of the LORD, of David.
I know what Transgression says to the wicked; he has no sense of the dread of God,
because its speech is seductive to him till his iniquity be found out and he be hated.
His words are evil and deceitful; he will not consider doing good.
In bed he plots mischief; he is set on a path of no good, he does not reject evil.
Psalm 36:1-5

We are God’s Children. All His children are born of Adam and Eve so we have a bit of the Holy Spirit in each one of us. Because of this we live in a world of free will and choices which decide our eternal fate. There is no way possible that anyone can make only good choices or only bad choices so we need to find the best way to balance ourselves out and be pleasing to God.

For some people, the evil inclination known as temptation becomes too strong which takes them down a dark path. The good in the person is still there but it becomes hidden away leaving nothing but choices that harm others and eventually the self.

A servant of David, more than likely a scribe wrote Psalm 36 when they spoke about the temptations that overtook his family. The very first verse covers a great many things.

I know what Transgression says to the wicked; he has no sense of the dread of God,
because its speech is seductive to him till his iniquity be found out and he be hated.

The evil inclination, or temptation, can grab hold of anyone. The most easily swayed are those who are questioning whether God is real. Temptation can seep into the mind in many ways. Jealousy, desires of the flesh, anger, and hate can cause a person’s evil inclinations to grow which lead to temptation and if not controlled, sin.

His words are evil and deceitful; he will not consider doing good.

The person who cannot control temptation because of putting God away completely can fall into a situation where all they know is what scholars would know as the Seven Deadly Sins. The person’s free will is taken over by choosing to fall into sinfulness from which the only escape is either death or turning back to God completely. This person who falls no longer can remember what good is.

In bed he plots mischief; he is set on a path of no good, he does not reject evil.

When evil takes hold, it is the only thing that person can think about. They think about ruining lives to make theirs better. They think about removing people and getting rid of those who stand in their way. You see, one small act of sin can turn a person. When evil enters the heart and removes God, there is little chance of turning back.

Blessing or a Curse
Evil intentions live in each one of us due to the choices made by our earthly parents, Adam and Eve. Scripture tells us that God really does want a return to the relationship we had at the beginning so He made it possible by setting down the law while giving us the opportunity to succeed or fail. Let no one tell you we cannot follow God’s Law; it is a choice each one of us has to personally make. We might not be fully successful all the time but it can be done.

God sends prophets, messengers (angels), guides, and mentors to us to help us along the way but the choice of doing right or wrong is ultimately our own. Here is where it gets complicated. God, being God, already knows the choices we do or do not make. Because of this there are some from Him who work overtime to get us back on track. Sometimes with poor results. Even then, our poor result may be just what was needed to put someone else back on track so we are forgiven.

The danger is that we do not know what this life will bring and how we are going to be used. Our blessings could lead to curses which could lead to someone else’s blessing.

Evil Intentions Can be Reversed
Although there is no going back on the original choice made by Adam and Eve, we have to live with it and the consequences. Sometimes the consequences can lead to redemption, especially if it hits home. When eyes are opened and the truth of evil is revealed people can be forgiven. Will they spend time in repentance and in the fire of renewal? Yes. Can it be done completely while they still walk the earth? Highly unlikely. But if those who were wronged by the person forgives, redemption is easier because God reenters the heart that was lost.

We are our Brother’s Keepers because of what God commanded our ancestors to do long ago. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

I must reiterate that He says, “Every Living Thing”. This excludes no one.

All it takes is the Love, Compassion, Grace, and Mercy that we learn from the Word of God by following, believing and living a life of faith in Him. It really isn’t as hard as it sounds as long as the right choices are made and vows kept.

In His Love
Rob, Servant of God

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8/1/2021

The Secret of Success

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Being successful does not mean that you have loads of money and are well known. That works for the world but not the spirit. The measure of success relies on how you lived your life for God and how you paid it forward to your children.

11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. 17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. 20 Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 8:11-20

Forgetting God
There are people in the world who do not thank God for their success. Some of these folks claim to be religious but have forgotten their ways. Others claim to not know God at all or have decided that God is not necessary in their lives. How foolish can they be? Verse 17 says, Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ . Taking God out of the picture is not a healthy thing and will prove to be their undoing. The haughtiness of one who denies God will surely suffer.

When these people have children the common thing is to follow in the parents footsteps. Sometimes that is a healthy thing and other times not so much. They rely on the success of the parents to build their own name. But what was taught to these children? We see so many children of celebrities or politicians go down very bad and unhealthy paths. Some can find their way out and become better people while others never escape. Verse 19 warns about worshipping other gods. If the parent didn’t fall then the children will, causing the line to stop.

The God Fearing Child is the Greatest Success
A parent always wants what is best for his/her children. As a parent myself I get a sense of pride when I talk about my own success which comes from one who teaches music, one who is a medic in the Air Force, and one who has followed in my footsteps and surpassed me in the field of sound technology and singing. The tip of the iceberg is that my wife and I followed Proverbs 22:6 by teaching the children the right path.

Verse 18 says, You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Remembering where your strength and abilities come from as being passed down from God to Adam to your parents then you, then you will have success. As God is the creator, He gave us all unique gifts and tasks to do so that the world will return to know Him. We are not all knowing but every generation learns a little more because all the past generations knowledge is hidden inside each and every one of us. We are successful in God because of the knowledge and we are successful in life when we use the knowledge for His Glory.

What Does God Need From Us?
Believe it or not, God just wants us to be good children and assist Him in creation. We are His inheritance which means we are to have a true repentant heart and follow His ways. Some may say it is legalistic which is true if you only understand the written word. To become a true child of God we must realize that not everything was written down and He has so much more to teach us.

God told Joshua to keep His Word in his heart. Remember that God had told Joshua things that were not written but passed down from generation to generation through traditions and ways of living. These did not change until the days of the second Temple period and even then only slightly. God desires our faithfulness which requires faith in action not action that proves faith. You would know the difference. We should remember that our success is not ours to boast but all glory given to God who gave us life through Adam.

Thank God for everything daily. Raise His praises through worship. Love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our might that we may find comfort in Him.

In His Arms,
Rob, Servant of God

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When Evil Takes Hold

The Secret of Success

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