One Reason Why Evil Comes To People…
Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. — Jeremiah 6:19 Notice that our thoughts PRODUCE a certain kind of fruit. Ungodly thoughts produce evil-fruit. Godly thoughts produce good-fruit. This truth is as plain and simple as it gets. So, anyone who insists that their private sinful thoughts don’t hurt or harm anyone is only deceiving their own self…and they are trying to deceive you too. Moreover, notice WHY evil came to these people…it was because not only would they not listen to God’s Word, they outright rejected it. Well, guess what? This is precisely why there is so much evil in our world today. Too many people won’t listen to the Word of God…too many people reject the Word of God…too many people don’t want God or His Word (Jesus Christ) over them…and THEIR rebellion BRINGS evil upon their OWN heads. Like it or not, this IS the truth.
What Does The Bible Say About Drinking Alcohol?
There are some individuals who LIKE their booze…and who correspondingly argue that there is nothing wrong with them drinking their booze. To support their stance, they gloatingly pronounce that in the Bible, Jesus turned water into wine…and the Apostle Paul told his protege Timothy to take some wine for his stomach problems. Interestingly, these individuals can rarely quote any other significant verses or scriptures in the Bible…but they KNOW these verses…because they want to justify their affinity for alcohol. But, does the Bible really justify or condone drinking alcohol? Well, the Bible directs us that we are to live by the composite of God’s Word (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4). So, let’s have a look at what the ENTIRE Bible has to say about consuming alcohol… “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” – Proverbs 23:29-32 So in short: If yes, then partake of alcohol and you will surely gain all of these effects that ALWAYS go along with alcohol consumption. Now, in the event you need another setting of scripture to confirm that woe and alcohol go together… “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! … Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink” – Isaiah 5:11,22 “Of course it would be wrong to drink all day long“, you say? Well, let’s keep going… “They also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.” – Isaiah 28:7-8 Here are some questions for you: The answer of course is alcohol. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” – Proverbs 20:1 Here are some more questions for you: If yes, then alcohol is your ticket into all of these things. Now, let’s consider this… “…thou shalt call his name John…For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost” – Luke 1:13,15 Here, we see the pattern that is pronounced in the lives of all great people who are filled with the Holy Ghost…they do not drink any kind of alcoholic drink. What about this one… “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” – Ephesians 5:18 Here, the Bible gives two plain directives: Now, those who like their booze will argue that it is okay to have a few drinks of alcohol as long as they do not get drunk. But, has there ever been an alcohol drinker who has NEVER been drunk? Well, it is possible…but such a person would certainly be one in several million and definitely NOT the norm. But, it is a possibility, so let’s extend the question… Have you ever seen an alcohol drinker…who has NEVER gotten drunk…and who is genuinely and authentically filled with God’s Spirit? The answer of course is, “No, you haven’t!” and that is because alcohol and God’s Spirit do NOT coexist. That is, God’s Spirit does NOT dwell in the places where alcohol is consumed. “While they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.” – Nahum 1:10 Fire will flash across dry grass with such an intensity and ferocity that it is both amazing and scary. Sadly, alcohol usually affects people in the same way. If you have ever watched someone who began imbibing in alcohol…then more often than not, you were both amazed and saddened at how quickly and how fiercely alcohol devoured and ruined their life. “Strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.” – Isaiah 24:9 It is a fact that the person who consumes alcohol will soon enough find that alcohol has brought bitterness into their life. So, if you enjoy bitterness in your life, then alcohol can get you all the bitterness you want. But if you do not enjoy bitterness in your life, then abstaining from all forms of alcohol is the right choice for you. Now, what about so-called Christian religions that incorporate wine into their religious ceremonies? Well, let’s have a look at that too… “And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean” – Leviticus 10:8-10 First, notice that God classifies drinking any form of alcohol as unholy and unclean. Second, notice that God was SO AGAINST any drinking alcohol in His church…and the example that it set…that He promised death to any of the priests who did it. If we pause right here…and acknowledge the scriptures covered thus far…it is plain that alcohol consumption is NOT good. Let’s now turn to those scriptures that allegedly condone the consumption of alcohol. “It…is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of
What Is Sin? How Do I Know If I Am A Sinner?
What exactly is sin? Well, Jesus gives us the answer in Mark 7:21-23… For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man. Now, we all mostly know what these things mean but let’s look at each one a bit more clearly and comprehensively: Evil thoughts — The THINKING of sinful, base, depraved, vicious, corrupt, vile, destructive, mean, malicious, harmful, hurtful, injurious, foul, perverted, deviant, immoral, dishonorable, unscrupulous, belittling, negative, unhealthy, or any other kind of bad, wrong, or inappropriate thoughts. Adulteries — Married individuals engaging in…or imagining and fantasizing about…sexual activity with anyone other than their spouse. Fornications — Unmarried individuals engaging in sexual activity. Murders — The killing of a human being; maliciously and unjustly tarnishing or destroying another person’s reputation for no valid reason. Thefts — The taking or stealing of another’s property without permission or legal right; “borrowing” something from another with no intention of returning it; dishonestly taking credit for something when the credit rightfully belongs to someone else; to take advantage of another by exploitation. Covetousness — Strongly desiring to possess what belongs to someone else. Wickedness — Evil, malevolent, malicious, venomous, morally-wrong, intentions, attitudes, and/or actions that hurt or harm others; wishing to hurt or harm others. Deceit — To mislead by false appearance or statement; to hide the truth by concealing, misrepresenting, or distorting the truth; to cheat, defraud, or trick others through deviousness, wiliness, deception, lying, pretense, or any other form of treachery. Lasciviousness — Any form of lustful, wanton, or lewd behavior…or any manner of dressing…that is designed to arouse sexual desire, or to indicate sexual interest, or to express lust and lewdness; the feeling or revealing of overt, offensive sexual desire. An evil eye — Having malicious, hurtful, wounding, cruel, or unkind intent towards anyone; devious plotting for personal gain at the expense of others; selfishness or greediness that prefers letting another person suffer over helping them; a mindset of darkness or gloominess; one who takes pleasure in corruption or depravity; one who searches for fault or failure in others and rejoices when they find it. Blasphemy — Cursing or reviling God; speaking irreverently and sacrilegiously about anything that pertains to God; profane talk that desecrates sacred things; swearing, cursing, or taking the Lord’s name in vain; lifting one’s self up as God. Pride — An inordinately high opinion of one’s own self; feeling that one’s self is more important and more valuable than others; an arrogant person assuming superiority over others in some respect; a vain person seeking vainglory. Foolishness — Operating or interacting without good sense or judgment; speaking or acting in a manner of silliness, imprudence, irresponsibility, indiscretion, recklessness, rashness, or thoughtlessness that negatively affects, impacts, distresses, offends, obstructs, diverts, or derails anyone. Well, this spells out plain enough what sin is, does it not? Now, let’s look again at the last part of Mark 7:23… All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. Notice how Jesus specifically states that ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE EVIL! Why are they evil? Well, it is because in one way or another, committing any of these sins has the possibility or propensity to hurt or harm people. Also, notice how Jesus states that all the above listed sins defile a person. That is, these sins tear down, pollute, and DESTROY a person. That is why these things are “sins”…because of the harm they produce in people’s lives…whether in self, others, or both. Moreover, the reason God commands us to abstain from sinning is NOT because He is trying to block us from enjoying some part of life. Rather, He tells us to abstain from sin so that we can avoid being tore down, polluted, and ultimately destroyed in any part of our life! Of course, the devil works hard at trying to convince people that God’s ways and commandments are designed to keep them from having fun and to block them from enjoying certain parts of life…but the devil is a liar whose sole purpose is to deceive humankind so that he can steal and destroy the good out of their lives. One verse that sums up the underlying essence of every sin described above is 1 John 3:10… In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. In simple, easy-to-understand terms, any person who is not doing good…who is not doing right…who is not loving…or who harbors, supports, condones, or accepts those who are not doing good, right, or loving…is a sinner. If something is not right…if something is not good…if something is not based in love…then it is NOT of God! This is a guiding-principle that all of us can use to discern between right and wrong, is it not? In Romans 1:29-31, the Bible lists out an even more expansive list of sins that will be judged by God: Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: The Bible tells us expressly and specifically that anyone who commits any of the sins listed in these verse will NOT escape the penalty and judgement of God. Going farther, here is a still more expansive list that the Bible gives us in Galatians 5:19-21… Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Every person who commits any of these sins…and who does not get forgiveness of those sins through Jesus Christ the Righteous…will NOT go to Heaven…which means they