Subdue and Master!

When God was speaking to Cain after he offered an unacceptable offering of some of his crops to God, He said,

“You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:7

Isn’t this just the issue with sin in our lives today? It is not always easy to do the right thing in our lives because we are tempted on all sides, but God even told Cain that sin has to be subdued and we have to master it. This is no easy task because of trials and temptations. So, is God the one who tests us? Let’s read James 1:12-18 to find out.

“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” James 1:12-18 (NLT)

When we are tempted, God is not tempting us, but rather our own sinful desires that “entice us and drag us away”. It is when we give into those desires that we engage in “sinful actions”, and if we do not “subdue it and be its master” (Gen 4:7), we will be given over to death. We are given a strong warning in 1 Corinthians that we should heed if we are to subdue sin in our lives.

“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT)

But notice that God’s Word reminds us that God is faithful to show us a way out of temptation so we can endure it, but when we take this scripture in context and consider God’s serious charge to Cain, we realize that He will only provide a way out when we do the right thing as we subdue and master the sin and temptation in our lives. Cain did not heed God’s warning and charge to subdue the sinful desires in his life, and this led to serious consequences in his life.

One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.” Genesis 4:8-12

Cain killed his brother because he didn’t listen to God. Many times we face serious consequences for the sin in our lives when we choose not to obey his charge to subdue sinful desires. Fortunately, we are under the New Covenant, the blood of Christ, that gives us a second chance, and a third chance, and on and on. God loves us and provides us with a way out! Of course we shouldn’t keep on sinning (Romans 6:1-23), but failure does not mean we are not destitute when we actually repent of our sin and begin to subdue those sinful desires (Romans 6:23). Praise the Lord!

Romans 6

6 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? ² Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? ³ Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? ⁴ For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. ⁵ Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. ⁶ We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. ⁷ For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. ⁸ And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. ⁹ We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. ¹⁰ When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. ¹¹ So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.¹² Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. ¹³ Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.¹⁵ Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! ¹⁶ Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. ¹⁷ Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. ¹⁸ Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.¹⁹ Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. ²¹ And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. ²² But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:1-23 (NLT)

 In His Grace!

Let's Glean!

I have found a new passion! I love to glean from God’s word. A great definition of the word glean is “to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit”. I have taken part in Bible studies and have been completely overwhelmed at the Bible knowledge exhibited by the authors of those studies. It amazed me that they had “connected the dots” since I seemed to struggle every time I would sit down to read the Bible. It was hard to understand everything I was reading even though I would try so hard to put it all together.

Whenever I would make the effort, I would become frustrated to the point that it would ultimately lead to me giving up daily Bible reading for a period of time only to try again and find myself caught in a vicious cycle. Recently I have been in one of those periods of not sitting down to read the Bible every day, and yet I am finding solace because I don’t completely avoid the Bible. I am not saying it is a good idea to avoid reading the Word of God. On the contrary, I have girlfriends who send me Scriptures, friends who post Scriptures online, I pick up my Bible to read a few verses when I have a minute or two and sometimes God brings verses to my remembrance (usually upon waking in the morning). Amazingly, it seems that God is speaking to me more, reminding me of how much He loves me and showing me the way to live for Him. I am finding Sunday morning services more fulfilling, and when I come across Scriptures during the day, they are more life-giving to me.

This morning, I picked up my Bible to read for a few minutes. I have been gleaning from Proverbs 10 and 11. There are so many great verses in there that I am not going to reprint them. Here is a link to read them on Bible Gateway. Some of the verses that jumped out at me this morning are Proverbs 10:9, 12, 14, 20, 23-25, 27-28 and Proverbs 11:2, 3, 5, 13, 16-17, 27.

On Mother’s Day, we attended a church that we had been to once before. The pastor preached a wonderful message that reminded me of my role as a mother, but that was not the highlight of that day. I have been completely frustrated by a situation in mothering my three children, especially the two youngest children. I often joke about them butting heads all the time, chalking it up to sibling rivalry, but sometimes it seems to be much worse than that. They grumble, they complain, and they argue to the point that it seems they are doing it just to get a rise out of each other or out of my husband and me. I was fed up with the nonsense and was about at my wits end.

That morning at church, they had baby dedications, and they did something unique that I absolutely loved. Each couple chose a verse that really spoke to their goal in raising their child(ren). One couple chose the verse found in Philippians 2:14-16. Of course, as is usual with me, I had to read a little further in that passage, and I felt God prompting me to make the decision that we, meaning our family, will commit this verse to memory this summer. The New Living Translation puts it this way:

¹⁴ Do everything without complaining and arguing, ¹⁵ so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. ¹⁶ Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. ¹⁷ But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. ¹⁸ Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

This passage is speaking to all believers, including me, but I found it applicable to my children because it is a great reminder to not argue and complain and grumble. This morning as I was reading in Proverbs, I also noticed a verse that is applicable to training my children that goes along with the Philippians passage. Proverbs 12:1 says “To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.” The use of the word stupid in this verse is such a strong word! In our home, we do not use the word stupid because it is such a strong word, and yet God is telling us that when we hate correction to the point that we are not trainable, it is stupid. I want my children to enjoy life to the fullest, but more importantly I want them to develop good character, the kind that others want, even long, to have. As I watch my children misbehave, talk ugly to one another, argue over unimportant things and the like, I am utterly appalled, even embarrassed. I want to change that behavior, but I realize that I cannot change their behavior because they have to want to change. I can, however, influence and encourage them to want to change their own behavior. It is my prayer that this verse will speak life to my children so that every time they start to misbehave they will remember this verse and desire to develop good character by heeding correction.

Not only do my children have a responsibility in developing their character, I recognize that I have a responsibility as well, as indicated in Philippians 2:16b-18 (above). I want to be able to rejoice in their good character when they are grown, but I cannot do so unless I handle my responsibility with grace and purpose, truly offering my mothering to God. I want my actions to please my Father so I can rejoice together with my children in the joy that comes from all of us honoring Him. My prayer today is that I will be the kind of mother that pours life into my children daily, encouraging them with the Word of God. If you still have children at home, it is my prayer that you will do the same. If you no longer have children at home, it is my prayer that you will be an influence on those within your circle, whether grown children, grandchildren, friends, family. We all have the opportunity to live our lives to honor God while encouraging others to do the same. May you purpose in your heart, as I have, to do so today as well.

In His grace!

Get Your Shoes On!

Last Thursday morning was challenging, to say the least. I figured out what was wrong, what we needed to do differently and devised a plan. My youngest daughter took her time getting out of bed, took her time getting dressed, took her time brushing her hair, took her time brushing her teeth, and then played. Notice I didn’t mention anything about shoes. She waited until it was time to leave to put on her shoes, and that is no small task for her. She has to have just the right pair of shoes for just the right outfit with just the right hairstyle. She’s only seven.

The way I figured Thursday morning had turned sour was that Little Bit decided that since her brother was no longer on Safety Patrol for the last nine weeks, she didn’t have to hurry to get ready in the morning. The kids like to eat breakfast at school, so I want to get them there in time to be able to eat before school starts, but they barely had time Thursday once they got there. So I made sure on Friday morning to get Little Bit to put on her shoes after she got dressed and I had curled her hair. She was to receive a Terrific Kid Award that morning, and everything was running smoothly up to that point. I was so proud of her and just knew she would look so cute receiving her award.

So, she still had about twenty minutes to finish getting her shoes on, brush her teeth and for me to finish her hair, which should have been plenty of time. Twenty-five minutes later, she was whining and crying about not being able to find the exact pair of shoes that she wanted to wear. I had already urged her to just pick out another pair because her brother and sister had both already helped her search for that white pair of shoes she wanted to wear. When we finally had about twelve minutes left to get them to school and for them to eat breakfast before class started, I told her we had to go and yelled for her to get her shoes on, now! She balked, I lost my temper, and I said a few things I now regret.

Finally, dropping her off, I told her she deserved a Terrible Kid Award and that I was going to take her Terrific Kid Award and attach a statement about what had happened that morning so she would not forget that being a Terrible Kid at home negated the Terrific Kid Award at school. She cried more all the way to school, her face was red and splotchy and I was ticked off.

After I dropped her off, I drove my oldest to middle school, dropped her off and decided to search for Little Bit’s shoes one last time because I felt horrible about the way everything had turned out. I looked and looked, to no avail, and even today I have no idea what happened to those shoes. She worked on cleaning her room all weekend, a chore that should have taken maybe three hours tops, and she still hasn’t found the shoes. It’s as if they grew legs and walked away. Anyway, I went over to the school for the award ceremony. I wanted to be there for Little Bit because I was so angry and disappointed in myself. I am supposed to be the mature one, and instead, I basically threw a tantrum because my perfect morning had been ruined.

Long story short: I attended her awards ceremony, saw her get her award for being a Terrific Kid, took some pictures and texted them to family members. I told my Mom and my hubby that she deserved a Terrible Kid award instead of the Terrific Kid award and I deserved the Terrible Mom award. My Mom texted me back: “Momma said there’d be days like this”. All I could do was smile. I felt like I could never write another devotional or do anything for God ever again. I felt like there was no excuse for my behavior and I didn’t deserve God’s grace.

But God spoke to me and reminded me that His Grace is free because of His love for me, I cannot earn His Grace because Grace is not dependent on anything that I do or say. That reminder helped me to change my perspective on Friday. At church yesterday, Pastor Rich continued a series on Disappointment that he began on Easter Sunday. He reminded us that one of his points from his Easter sermon was: “Repeated disappointment creates Negative Expectancy.” He said that the enemy of our souls knows that he cannot pluck us out of God’s hand so he endeavors to use disappointment in our lives to bring us to a point of stagnation in our walk with Lord. I recalled Pastor Rich sharing that information on Easter Sunday and it suddenly took hold in my spirit.

As a result of that reminder of Easter Sunday’s sermon, I have been reminded of one scripture passage that has been a great encouragement to me throughout my life whenever I find myself disappointed, usually at my own behavior.

1 Peter 5:6-10 (NLT)

⁶So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ⁷Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. ⁸Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. ¹⁰In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. ¹¹All power to him forever! Amen.

Pastor Rich went on to a new sermon that greatly encouraged me to not allow disappointment to rule and reign in my life. I will share that message with you the next time! Until then, get on your grace shoes and walk in that Grace you cannot earn but has been freely given to you.

In His Grace!

Some Thoughts

I attended a youth meeting with my daughter last night. So as not to embarrass her, I stuck to the background and let her do her own thing. As such, I basically ignored her and really listened to everything going on: the message encased in worship, the message of the skit performed by dozens of youth and the message shared by the youth pastor. It was a great service for the youth because it really gave them insight into being lost without a Savior. Many of these kids have been in church all of their lives, and many of them have accepted the wonderful gift of salvation God offers us freely; but there were some who were visiting and may not have heard the gospel of Grace, and although only God can judge the heart, there may have been some kids there who grew up in church but had never really accepted the free gift of salvation.

Two verses of Scripture were shared during the message: Hebrews 13:5 and Isaiah 53:5. These are both wonderful verses that remind us that God planned long before Jesus came to send His son to take on the sins of the world and to never leave us! While listening to the message, my ever-active mind started to get curious about the context of those verses. Although I have read the Bible all the way through, I tend to be like the Israelites who wanted to go back to Egypt: they forgot! They forgot how horrible slavery was in exchange for erroneous memories of the stability they had. They forgot the beatings they endured for the meals provided for them. They forgot how sparse the meals were for the memory of knowing where their next meal would come from. I too forget the context of some of the most quoted verses in the Bible, of which Hebrews 13:5 and Isaiah 53:5 are a part.

So I began to read Hebrews 12. This chapter in a nutshell reminds us that God is a loving Father who disciplines us because He loves us. He would not discipline us if He didn’t love us. Sometimes we may find ourselves in the midst of very blatant sins, but more often than not, it’s the subtly-laid sins that capture us, the ones that infect our thoughts!

Romans 7:21-25 (NLT)

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

As I reflected on this, I realized that God gave me the answer to this prominent issue in humanity!

Hebrews 12:11-13 (NLT)

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

God also gave me more motivation for fighting this battle that wages war in our minds. I read further in Hebrews 12 to discover that He gives us a clear warning. It is His deepest desire that we worship Him with a pure heart, one that is solely devoted to Him. He wants our heart because when we give Him our hearts, He will not leave us alone but will walk with us through the things we struggle with, especially in our minds.

Hebrews 12:25-29 (NLT)

Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.

Do you see that the only thing that is unshakable is God Himself? Look to Him today to give you strength to overcome the battle that wages in your mind. I believe there is a scripture that reminds us of this.

1 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NLT)

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

1 Peter 2:11-12 (NLT)

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

The way to fulfill 1 Peter 2:11 (keep away from worldly desires that wage war against our souls) is to capture those rebellious thoughts, teaching them to obey Christ. Of course, it is only in His Grace that we can do that. So look with me today to the One who will never leave us and will help us capture those thoughts and strongholds in our lives.

In His Grace!