Adultery in Heart

    ²⁷Can a man take fire in his bosom
         And his clothes not be burned?
    ²⁸Or can a man walk on hot coals
         And his feet not be scorched?
    ²⁹So is the one who^(AI)goes in to his neighbor's wife;
         Whoever touches her^(AJ)will not go unpunished. 


Proverbs 6:27-29


This adultery, is one example of sin against our Father.  He is saying adultery, or cheating, is going to be punished eventually no matter if it's hidden from men.  God will judge and punish those who go against His desires.  But this doesn't just mean sexual immorality; it also means immorality coming from the heart.  And this can reveal itself in so many ways where we treat a relationship out of God's provisions for the sake of creating another for selfish reasons.  We need to be careful of this immorality that will corrupt our lives internally and outward.


This sticks out to me, not because of unfaithfulness to my wife, but because I'm thinking about moving to another job opportunity.  Is this something that is adulterous to my current employer?  Is this "cheating" on the one who currently give me a job?  I want to do the right thing here and it's bothering me because I love where I'm at.  The struggle I'm having right now is financial.  We're going through furloughs, which is actually a 10% pay reduction.  I don't know if it's going to end in July or not but through so many efforts to reduce our spending I've never broke even once since we've been married.  I'm about $13K in debt and it's growing every single month.  I don't know if it's God who presented this job opportunity but I don't want to make it about money but I still need to consider it. To have an extra $10K a year would make a world of difference in my finances.  I will talk to my boss today and ask him about furloughs and see if there's any chance I could get that raise (which he said I would get when I first hired on but never pursued).  If not, I need to be up front with him and express my situation and that I need to work on my finances.  


Father God, please guide my thoughts and motivations.  Help me to see what You want out of this situation and how I can best serve You.  I don't know what the future holds for me or what the financial situation is but I trust that You do.  Help me to come to an understand of this truth and free me from all anxiety.  I love You Father God!  In the precious name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!

Father's Fear

    ^2(C)Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
         Incline your heart to understanding;
    ³For if you cry for discernment,
         Lift your voice for understanding;
    ⁴If you seek her as ^(D)silver
         And search for her as for ^(E)hidden treasures;
    ⁵Then you will discern the^(F)fear of the LORD
         And discover the knowledge of God.
    ⁶For ^(G)the LORD gives wisdom;
         From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

Proverbs 2:2-6


There's always that question about fear, is fear the absence of faith?  Is it because of my lack of faith the reason why I'm afraid?  We know that fear reveals what we put our confidence in.  When we fully trust Jesus then we don't fear because He's going to deliver us, just like Daniel in the lion's den and in the fire.  He wasn't afraid because he knew God was with him.  It didn't mean that they wouldn't go through pain.  Daniel knew that quite well when he proclaimed he will still bow down to God whether or not he's rescued from the fire.  I believe it's okay to be scared or not wanting to endure something but it's an ungodly fear when we respond disobediently because of it.  


This scripture is so timely because we just discussed Mark 6 last night about fear.  Verse 5 really spoke to me, about being able to discern the fear of the Lord.  There's different fears out there but the one God wants us to experience is fear of God.  This isn't a fear that will terrorize us and keep us from doing God's will, it's the False Evidence Appearing Real fear that comes from lack of faith.  This one originates from the devil and is based on lies, deceit and temptations.  We need to discern between the two types and this passage explains how: listen, ask, see; and then we'll be granted this amazing discernment and knowledge of God.


Also, last night an opportunity came up where I knew God was speaking through me.  A question came up about something supernatural happening (things moving around on its own) and was that a sign of God or something else.  God relayed a message through me that I didn't even expect.  His message was about taking anything and redeeming it for God.  Whether or not it was God who moved the door, it was by His approval and even if the devil meant it for evil God will use everything for His good.  So my message relayed was simple, don't be concerned about the door but the opportunity to pray, love and reach out to whomever God's Spirit leads.


Father God, thank You for directing our paths no matter how confusing this world may be.  You are always there, always giving us reasons not to be afraid or anxious about anything.  Help me and the rest of Your children be released of worldly fear and concentrate on the fear that is reverent to You, my King.  This fear, like a father's love, isn't about punishment but out of respect knowing that he's right and I'm just being disciplined... love is never questioned, just like with You my Father.  In the most precious of names I pray Christ Jesus, Amen!

Instruments of God

 ¹²Therefore do not let sin^(T)reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
 ¹³and do not go on^(U)presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but^(V)present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
 ¹⁴For ^(W)sin shall not ^(X)be master over you, for ^(Y)you are not under law but^(Z)under grace.


Romans 6:12-14


Bottom line here is this, we are free through Christ Jesus.  But instead of living as children of God we default back to our old selves, the very beings we were saved from.  This passage is trying to clarify that we are children of grace, the mighty grace through Jesus and we don't have to be slaves to sin anymore.  But also addresses that this will be an ongoing struggle; for the rest of our lives on earth really.  We need to be intentional with how we use our body now, because it is the temple of God and we need to make room for Him to use these vessels for His purposes, not ours.


What I eat, how I treat sleep, conduct work and relationships... all areas that I easily default back to my old ways.  Instead, I need to make it instruments God can use to glorify Himself and His Kingdom of Heaven.  But what are some ways I can do that?  I need to do things prayerfully.  I need to keep the things of God in my head much more often than I'm do so now.  


Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing me with instruments, means to serve You.  Help me realize the power and potential You've equipped me with so that I can be a faithful and obedient servant to You, O King.  Help me become the person You designed me to be.  In the matchless name of King Jesus I pray, Amen!