BIBLE BREAKFAST (#345) 03/04/20 (English)
“Wicked things- part 2 (self-deception)…”
? Psalm 101:3 “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.”
▪️Yesterday we talked about how important it is to be vigilant so that we do not give in to any temptations or enticements that the devil has laid out for us on every turn, including “wicked things”.
▪️And even worse is when a person himself puts “wicked things” before his eyes, which entice him to sin. This is what David talked about: “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me”.
▪️Our eyes are the doors to the heart. It’s one thing when someone forces themselves through those doors to tempt us; it’s completely another when we ourselves open those doors and let in the things that tempt us.
▪️ “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.” (Luke 11:34)- said Jesus. At the same time, He called us to be careful with the things that exist to tempt us, and even more so, what we ourselves put before our eyes.
▪️We talked about children and their toys so that we can understand what we lay before their eyes and what this can lead to (Bible Breakfast #344). Unfortunately, the problem of “wicked things”, which later bring with themselves temptations, apply to us adults no less than they do to children.
▪️Encountering the fact that adults sit and play computer games, sometimes even all night, and then end up falling into various addictions, I want to scream: “Do not lay wicked things before your eyes”.
▪️And how many people are there that should be sensible enough to understand the danger of sitting in front of the slot machines in casinos that rob the soul and body?
▪️How many Christians are there today that allow alcohol to be put before their eyes, at their tables, in their homes by buying it in stores or ordering it at a restaurant. At the same time, they are harming themselves by laying “wicked things” in front of them and then being tempted by them. Little by little, those things pull them into sin but they calm themselves down by saying “I can handle it”…
▪️Someone wants to stop drinking, stop playing, stop watching all kinds of dirty things, etc. With this, they do not make the decision to cleanse themselves of “wicked things” where they can: their eyes, their home, so that those things do not tempt them, instead of holding on to them, buying them, accepting them, knowing how enticing those things can be, especially if you’ve had a problem with them before, and not only…
▪️There are so many sexual and immoral sins today due to people putting “wicked things” before their eyes (sites on the internet, obscene movies, books, etc.) which then lead to this sin.
▪️I can go on and on, but I can’t name everything. The important thing I want to say to myself and everyone else: “Don’t put it there”! – “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me”.
▪️Don’t lie yourself! Do not rely on the fact that these “criminal acts” (sinful acts) will not overcome you- “I’m strong”, “I can handle it”, there is nothing scary if I put “wicked things before my eyes”.
▪️You are doing nothing more than lying to yourself. This lie was planted by the devil, even in the minds of Christians, by presenting it with “beautiful wrapping”…
▪️If I hadn’t known how many people fall and sin specifically due to them laying “wicked things” before themselves, I might have agreed with the notion “there is nothing scary about this, we are victorious therefore, we can handle it”…
▪️Flattering ourselves with this lie, we, once being victorious, become the defeated without even realizing it. It’s not always sudden but step by step, time after time, we are defeated and the sins cling to us. Devil- is a master of seduction, temptation, and sin. He “knows” how to do this with “strategy” if you are not vigilant and standing on guard.
? May God bless us and keep us safe from all temptations. However, we need to understand that if we contribute to those temptations ourselves and knowingly putting “wicked things” before us, God will not protect us. (With prayer, Valeriy Bayko).
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