Word For Today: The pains of losing Control COTHS IMSU SUNDAY 16TH MARCH 2014. Text: 2 Samuel 11:1-5, 12:1-14. Gen 25:29-34 Gen. 27:30-40 Prayer: Lord Jesus you have promised to help all who follow you, we ask you for help as we go through life in this year. Give us strength so that we will not fall by the way side. Remove from within us any action on our part that will ruin our future. Dismiss the gang up by the wicked to stop our journey to freedom and prosperity, in Jesus name I pray. Amen. The most trying moments of our character Are times when we have to act or take decisions when no one is watching. The Bible portrays this in the life of Moses: “Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.” (Ex 2:11-12NLT). THE FLESH AND PASSION FOR GRATIFICATION: Our sinful nature is what we call the flesh. The flesh is a kind of passion in us calling for immediate gratification or satisfaction. It comes in a deceptive manner that tends to make us believe that if we do not satisfy the yearning immediately we might suffer some harm or loss. The benefits of satisfying an immediate fleshy desire cannot in any way be compared to the pain and regret that will come later. What the Devil does in convincing and trapping us to our desires is to first of all conceal the long run pain and promote the immediate pleasures that will accrue. THE CONFLICT: While the desire to satisfy a craving is going on, there is also a conflict going on in our mind. This conflict is between the Spirit of God in us that warns us of the consequences of our actions. The Bible confirms this: “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other” (Gal 5:17 NLT) THE CASE OF ESAU: This was the case with Esau after he came back from his hunting expedition very hungry. Take a look at his reason for agreeing to sell his birth right: “One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, Im starved! Give me some of that red stew! (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means red.) All right, Jacob replied, but trade me your rights as the firstborn son. Look, Im dying of starvation! said Esau. What good is my birthright to me now? But Jacob said, First you must swear that your birthright is mine. So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.” Gen 25:29-34 NLT THE PAIN: Our flesh is interested in the now than the long run. Esau treated his birth right with contempt and later he paid dearly for it. It took him weeping and berating of his breast in regret to eke out a blessing from his father. Prayer: I could not do without Thee, I cannot stand alone, I have no strength or goodness, No wisdom of my own; But Thou, beloved Savior, Art all in all to me, And weakness will be power If leaning hard on Thee.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 20:42:24 +0000
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