Tag: walking

50.v. Wilderness – 15.a. ” Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside”

 

 

Deu 11:16-21  Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you. “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

 Luke 21:8    And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.

 Luke 21:36   But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

 Hebrews 2:1    Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

 Hebrews 3:12    Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

 Hebrews 4:1    Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.

 Hebrews 12:15     See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

 James 1:26    If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

 Deuteronomy 30:17    But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,

God had to warn Israel against the deceptions of prosperity. The person who turns from God in prosperity is simply deceived. They believe they are somehow responsible for the blessings received and become proud and self-reliant. The constant need for rain kept Israel in constant dependence on the LORD. It is good for us to have things that keep us in constant dependence on the LORD. We should never despise those things and long for the day when we will no longer need to depend on God as much.

 God called Israel to not only read the Word of God and to know the Word of God, but to treasure it. In the same way, we should love God’s word and miss it when we are separated from the Word of God. We should call it to mind with longing, having laid it up in our heart and soul. God’s Word was to be the topic of their conversation. We can fairly measure our love for God’s word by how much we will talk about it with others. God doesn’t want us to have a secret love relationship with His word. (Guzik)

But if, on the other hand, their heart was foolish to turn away from the Lord and serve other gods, the wrath of the Lord would burn against them, and God would shut up the heaven, that no rain should fall and the earth should yield no produce, and they would speedily perish. Let them therefore impress the words now set before them very deeply upon themselves and their children. “The promise to give the land to Israel for ever was not made unconditionally.” (Keil)

There are many things that can draw us away from God, doing things for God, studying God’s Word, trusting and relying upon God, and seeking and following after God. Nothing more so than that which pulled Sodom away. (Ezekiel 16:49) “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.”   In prosperity and ease of life, they abandoned God and followed after the lusts of the flesh. They no longer saw the need for God or a reason to worship Him. They had a good life. Their land prospered, they had plenty of food, and they had money. In this they became arrogant, greedy, and lovers of the lusts of the flesh. 

We live in such a time as this and must study God’s Word, examine our hearts and minds, and seek wisdom from God to discern right from wrong and good from bad to ensure that we are not pulled into it. Pornography is called and defended as “Adult entertainment” and this world calls it the right of an individual to gaze upon it. Abortion is called and defended as “Women’s Right to Choose” and this world calls it an inherent right of all women. LGBQT is called and defended as an “Alternative lifestyle” and proclaims it “hate speech” to address it as sin. Divorce is deemed a fact of life for at least 25% of marriages. Sex outside of marriage is deemed a natural occurrence and accepted. What Celebrities from sports and movies say and do are given more credence than the Word of God. The “Rich” are deemed a “self-made” man/woman. They are sought after to find their secrets to success. Elected officials are followed after and every word is trusted or rejected depending on the party affiliation. Social and News Media outlets are followed and trusted as truth on any given subject. YouTube influencers make a living off of trying to influence you to do or buy something or think some way. Sports are supported and followed more than the Word of God and things of God.  People know team and player stats, and what politicians say and promise more than they know the Word of God. Physicians treat symptoms rather than finding the source of the problem. Obesity is rampant. Drug use is a problem. Assault crimes are common. Confusion, anxiousness, fear, anger, pride, arrogance, boastfulness, greed, etc…… are common.  

We are to live in this world and all it has to offer without being influenced by it or joining in it. How long will God’s wrath against such depravity be withheld? Far too many Christians, I fear, have already chosen to live as close to this world as they can. They talk sports, news, politics, and weather more than they speak the Word of God. What would happen to their thinking if they shut off the TV, Sports, and Social Media in their homes? 

Think about it. What life change or decision today is made from spending time in these areas of worldly influence? Where do you think confusion, anxiousness, fear, anger, pride, arrogance, boastfulness, greed, etc…… come from? Can you even discern they’re the source of these in your lives? Do you care? Is your heart sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading? Can you even discern the Holy Spirit’s conviction, encouragement, or teaching?  It is never too late to repent and turn away from the influences of this world in your lives.

The hymn “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

140. Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit

1 Kings 8:54  Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven. And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, “Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”

1 Chronicles 28:9  “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

2 Corinthians 7:1  Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Wholly true and with your whole heart and willing mind serving Jesus are indicators of a life that is intentional and committed.  There was a great price paid for our salvation.  Blood was shed and pain beyond what we can imagine was endured to death and freely given so that we could be redeemed from our sin and separation from God.  The Hymn says it like this; “Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”   When we are able to see the depth and width of our sin in the light of the Holiness of Jesus and we understand that were it not for His sacrifice we would be lost and awaiting our eternal doom and torment, our heart and mind become willing to wholly serve, honor, glorify, follow, and obey the author and finisher of our salvation.  Sin knocks at our door every day and comes in many forms; lies, pride, lust, greed, self-serving, jealousy, anger, envy….  The word of God exposes these temptations and things that are starting to root in our heart and mind.  If we think we can remain wholly true with a whole heart and mind and not be feeding on God’s word each day we are fooling ourselves.  “The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  Without His active word in our life, we will slowly drift away from Him and lose sight and awareness of the price that was paid for our sin.  Worthy of all praise is Jesus Christ.  Worthy of our whole heart and mind and soul is Jesus Christ.  Worthy of our service and obedience is Jesus Christ.

73. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

Joshua 8:34   And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.

Deuteronomy 31:10-12    And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths,  when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.  Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,

Nehemiah 8:2-3     So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.  And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

Nehemiah 9:3    And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20     “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.  If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.  But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,  I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.  I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,  loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

There was times past when God’s word was read to an entire nation, a time spent listening to His word and time spent in confession and time spent in worship.  It is hard for us to imagine what it would be like to not have God’s written word immediately available and easily accessible.  Wh don’t have to wait until there is a special day for His word to be read to us, we can read it at anytime we choose.  Is it possible that His word is so readily available that we don’t find the need to spend time in it every day?  Is it possible that because it is so accessible that we just tuck it away until we think we need it?

God’s word is not to be seen or used as a remedy quick fix book for when we come to hard times or sickness, or troubles, or trials.  God’s word is to be food for every moment of every day.  His word is to be so needed that it is consumed like the very air we need and breath.  If His word is not active in your life is it possible that it is void from your choice of needing it, relying on it, clinging to it, wanting it??????

Choose to spend time in His word, neglecting it will always lead to your heart, mind and soul drifting away from Him.

68.   For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off

Joshua 4:6   that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

Exodus 12:26-27     And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’  you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

Exodus 13:14     And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

Deuteronomy 6:20-21    “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’  then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

Deuteronomy 11:19     You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Psalms 44:1    O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:

Psalms 71:18     So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

Psalms 78:3-8     things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.  He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,  that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,  so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;  and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Acts 2:39     For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

When you children ask in time, you have heard and know,, teach to their children, fathers have told us, asks you, and when your children say to you…. all indicate that your children will see something in your life, something you do, something say, something you set aside, something you don’t do, something you don’t say, something you give away and they will ask you about it.  Obviously they as well as others should see something different in our lives.  They might even ask us why.  We might be given chance to tell them the reason for the hope that we have, the reason for the way we act, speak and think, the reason we give, the reason we forgive, the reason we study His word, the reason we pray, the reason we have belief, trust and faith.  Spending time in God’s word will give you reason, purpose, and meaning.

60. I did not speak in secret

Deuteronomy 30:11   “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Isaiah 45:19    I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.

Romans 16:25-26     Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages  but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—

Colossians 1:26-27     the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Can His word be so close to our heart and so familiar to our soul that it can not be understood or not be put into practice?  NO!  I wonder how it is possible to spend day after day, and week after week, and possibly month after month without more than a glance at His word when we know of the blessings and curses that come from either obedience or neglect.  Have we watered down His word so much that following it only requires a showing up in Church a few times per month and speaking to God is dialed back to only when something troubling is happening.   

His word would tell us that we can comprehend it, we can understand it, it is revealed to us, it is not far off, and it is brought to the very door of our heart, mind, and soul.   However, it does no good in the heart, soul, and mind of anyone who does not cherish it or read it, or seek it, or desire it, or want to obey it.  Neglects and complacency are not excuses, they are a choice.