The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment with no hand to help her!
Food for thought this morning.
Transgression: is willful action that violates a law or code, unexpectedly.
Iniquity: is a lifestyle of repeated patterns of sin.
Addiction has a nasty way of planting people into the iniquity category.
They slowly move down a slippery slope of bad decisions until, like Pavlov's Dog, they do what they do out of repetition. I'm not trying to simplify this, because due to the complexity of addiction, it alters our ability to choose. Use enough and you no longer have the ability to stop.
Chasing the feeling of addiction becomes the god that is worshiped. Why? Because it is a means to escape the demands of life. No longer able to cope or function, checking out through using becomes the path of least resistance. Our lives become nothing more than repeated patterns of sin. Along the way, we pick up new behaviors such as stealing.....cheating.....lying....manipulation.....violence....all the while destroying ourselves bit by bit.
But there is One!
One who can put a stop to the madness.
One who has the ability and power to restore you back to sanity, or the ability to make sound decisions.
Jesus.
"Michael, you must think that this Jesus is answer to every problem, don't you?"
Yes, I do.
You see, sometimes we create a Jesus that is no where close to the real one.
We create a "church" Jesus, based on the behavior we have seen from those who go to church. I mean, let's get honest here. Even Jesus is embarrassed by what is done in his name. Just because it has the word "CHURCH" plastered over the front door, doesn't mean it's from God or endorsed by God.
Or we create a "Santa Clause" Jesus. One whose job in life is to lavish on us all the material stuff we could ever want. No discipline to help us grow...heaven's no! Jesus would never act this way. By the way, could I get that new smart phone, my old dumb phone died on me?
Sorry, Jesus is more than "stuff". He is THE way...THE truth....and THE life. You want some of that? Then he's more than willing to pour out buckets of that on you.
My Jesus is a healer.
He can heal those wounds and scars that show on the outside.
The places you have cut yourself, just to feel alive.
The places where others have abused you, he can heal.
More importantly, my Jesus can heal those places, those wounds and scars that cannot be seen.
The wounds of abuse and neglect that sometimes are more painful than physical hurts.
Depression and gloom? My Jesus can replace it with his incredible peace and joy.
Guilt and shame? My Jesus will take that away and give you a new identity so you see yourself in a new way. Why? Because you become a new "you".
He is as near as a cry from your heart. He has been there all along waiting for you to turn to him. If the truth be known, He has probably worked in such a way that has kept other bad things from happening to you. He has had His hands on you, calling you...loving you...drawing your heart-attention toward Him so He can heal you.
Psalm 107:20
He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.
Isn't this funny?
Either this Jesus and this verse from Psalm 107 is real....
Or it's a lie.
Can't be anything other way....truth or lie.
I'm just crazy enough to believe it's the truth.
And if God spoke it, then would it not stand to reason that He is going to accomplish His word?
Why not be healed today?
Remember....
It's a journey....it's one step at a time.
Spiritual progress.....not spiritual perfection.
God on you...
mb
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