Genesis 11:30 says of Abram’s wife, “But Sarai was barren; she had no child.” In Genesis 12 God told Abram to leave his country, family, and his fathers house. He would take him to a new land, make his name great, and bless him.

Verse 3 says, “…and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abram was 75. They came to the land of Canaan. Verse 7 says, “…To your descendants I will give this land. And there he built an altar to the Lord, who appeared to him.”

There was a famine in the land and Abram went down to Egypt. Forgetting God’s promise in the face of fear, he asked his wife to lie. In Verse 12 he stated his assumption that they would take her and kill him.

His life was NOT in jeopardy. He was going to be, according to verse 2, a great nation. You and I (Gentiles) would be blessed because of his faith (all families). The Pharaoh treated him well for his wife’s sake. He gave him (verse 16) sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

When we forget God’s promises, we react in self-preservation. We rely on our flesh, which according to John 6:63 profits nothing. Jeremiah 17:5 says, “…Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.”

Note: when God appeared and spoke to Abram he built an altar. He worshipped the Lord. Each time the Lord met him in his journey, he built an altar. The Lord blessed him abundantly. So much so that the land could not hold all that he and his nephew Lot had.

Strife came between Abram and Lot, and their herdsman. Genesis 13:8 says, “So Abram said to Lot, Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.”

Abram gave Lot first choice of what part of the land he wanted. Lot chose Sodom. The Lord appeared to Abram again and added to His earlier promises. Verse 15-16 says, “For all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth…” In verse 18 Abram built another altar.

Indiscretion means behavior or speech that is indiscreet or displays a lack of good judgment. My 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary says, “The grossest vices pass under the fashionable name indiscretion.” This is rampant in our day right now. Evil is called good and good is called evil.

Ham’s indiscretion resulted in God cursing Canaan his son (Genesis 9:25). Rueben’s indiscretion caused him to lose his first born preeminence (Genesis 49:3-4). David’s indiscretion resulted in murder, and adversity against him in his own house (2 Samuel 12:9-11). 

The list goes on throughout Scripture. 1 Corinthians 10:6 says, “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.” James clearly helps us understand how we are ensnared by temptations to evil.

James 1:14 says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” Verse 16 says, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Temptations abound. Discreet means careful and circumspect in one’s speech or actions, especially in order to avoid causing offense. Ephesians 5:15 says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.”

All sin is first a thought. Offenses will come, but what we do with them in the moment determines what kind of fruit we will bear—bitter or sweet. Here is a quote from Amy Carmichael. “For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted.”

Our heart is the wellspring of our words. An artesian well refreshes with pure effervescent flowing water. Proverbs 4:23 ESV says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

James 3:11 asked a question that helps us recognize the impossibility of life-giving words coming out of a heart that is bitter from unresolved resentments. It says, “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?” The answer is no.

Our words wound or heal. They come from our heart out our mouths. Let’s adopt David’s words from Psalm 141:3-4 says, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.”

Matthew 18:7 says, “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” Offenses are a part of life. What should we do with them the moment we are offended? 

Matthew 18:15 says, “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. It he hears you, you have gained your brother.” See how any opportunity for gossip fueled by resentment was squeezed out?

Here is a great picture of a heart with buried offenses. Proverbs 18:19 Amplified says, “A brother offended is harder to be won over than a strong city, and (their) contentions separate them like the bars of a castle.”

Speaking of Jesus, Romans 4:25 says, “Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

Taking up our cross daily is a good example of forgiving the offense in the moment of the offense. Jesus already bore that offense. When we harbor it and ruminate on it we sin against Him.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 is a perfect description of a buried offense. It says, “Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.”

Matthew 18:35 Amplified says, “So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses.” What was Jesus referring to? The fruit of unforgiveness is torment.

I was thinking about tormentors this morning. A heart full of uncontrollable fear, worry, negativity, or anger are tormentors that detrimentally affect our health. I learned Psalm 119:165 in the KJV. It says, “Great peace have those which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.” Other translations use the word stumble.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” A heart that remains in trust does not give in to the devil’s temptation to harbor resentment. 

In Genesis 9, Noah and his family had just come through the flood. Verse 20 says, “And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.” In verse 21 it says that he was  drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.

Verse 22 says, “And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.” Let’s read what happened next in verse 23. It says, “But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.”

Physically that is hard to do. They put conscious effort into their actions in order to honor their father. Ham dishonored him, and as a result his son Canaan was cursed. His actions were not hidden from his father. It doesn’t say specifically in Scripture, but the other two son’s actions were noted as well. You can read his blessings in verses 26-27.

The seed of resentment sprouts, grows, and produces the fruit of bitterness. Unconfessed sin leads to contentious conflicts in our relationships. A harping, bitter person is hard to live with. Here are some Scriptures that help us understand God’s way.

Proverbs 17:9 Amplified says, “He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love; but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends.” Harp means to tell someone constantly or repeatedly.

Disregard means to pay no attention to, ignore, or take no notice of. Disregard allows for no seed of resentment to be planted. I Peter 4:8 Amplified says, “Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins (forgives and disregards the offenses of others).”

We have an excellent example from Shem and Japheth on how to cover the sin of another. We walk backwards without mentally scrutinizing their sinful actions. Our love for them is protective rather than exposing them through gossip.

When we ‘share’ our offense with someone else we sin against them. The Lord gives grace to us when we are emotionally hurt. Within that grace is the power to forgive. However, if we pass on our offense, the receiver does not have our same grace.

Eve should have refuted satan’s lie. She didn’t. She began to mull over the serpent’s next words. Genesis 3:5 says, “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The false advertising was his lure. She looked at the fruit and saw that it was good. You know the rest of the story. 1 John 2:16 says, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

We need to walk circumspectly, which means to be careful, cautious, and distinctly intentional. Why? There are enemy traps that look really good. Anything that lures us from the purity and holiness that we are to walk in is a trap. 

1 Thessalonians 5:22 says, “Abstain from every form of evil.” Abstain means to keep away, remain unattached and distant. We are to refute the lying advertisement to be like the crowd. We are not of the world, nor should we look like the world.

Paul wrote in Romans 12:2 to, “…be not conformed to this world…” The J. B. Phillips translation says, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”

The Amplified definition for God’s righteousness is to conform our thoughts, purpose, and actions to His will. He does this through our trials. His whole purpose is to develop our present character to match His. We are to reflect Him to others.

When I was small my dad taught me to have the courage of my convictions. Convictions are a firmly held belief or opinions. Those heart-convictions protected me from many lying lures. Paul had strong convictions. I love the use of his words, “I am persuaded.”

2 Timothy 1:12 says, “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”

Salvation is a heart conviction to be a follower of Jesus. His word is our mirror to reflect if what we do agrees. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

1 John 2:4 is an even stronger test. It says, “He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” Our true walking orders are encapsulated in verse  6. It says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as Jesus walked.”

This is what our progressive sanctification journey is all about. Helping us to see through Scripture if we are walking in the truth of it, or if we have been ensnared through the devil’s lying lures.

FYI
I just discovered that Amazon has put several of my paperbacks on sale! He Drew Me Out Of Deep Waters, Overcoming Daily, Displacing Fear, The Power Of Forgiveness, and Victorious Bouquet. I don’t know what it means or for how long. Just thought I’d let you know💜

Refute Lies With Truth

It is essential to understand that the devil cannot tell the truth. In John 8:44 Jesus told the Jews about the devil’s attributes. It says he, “…does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

God gave Adam and Eve specific instructions of what tree not to eat from. The serpent countered God’s word with a lie. Genesis 3:4 says, “…You will not surely die.” Since the devil can only speak lies, we counter them with eternal truth that cannot be changed.

One telltale sign of his lies is that they are pushy. They have an urgency in them. For example you might think that if you don’t follow this insistent urge you will miss out. That is how false advertising works.

The devil is a master at advertisements. They seem good on the outside, but the inside is a trap that will derail you. Not every thought is of our own origin. That is why we have to bring them captive. According to 2 Corinthians 10:5 they exalt themselves above the knowledge of God.

We know that true knowledge is a gift to those who walk in the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understandinWe know that God is the Source of truth. He has given us the Spirit of truth to lead us. John 14:17 says, “The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

1989 I was in a car wreck. That night I went into temporary paralysis. My chiropractor sent me to a neurologist. The neurologist spoke a pronouncement over me. He said, “You will be on this medication for two years.” I immediately said, “I will not be on this medication for two years.”

I needed to refute the power of his pronouncement! Refute means to deny or contradict and reject. When I got outside in the parking lot I yelled, “I will not be on this medication for two years in the name of Jesus!” I wasn’t.

Hosea 10:12 says,”…break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” Fallow ground loves weed seeds. We need to ask: What weed seeds are growing in the soil of my heart? 

We give glory to the Lord when we confess our sins to Him. Achan defied God’s command to abstain from all the spoils in Jericho. In Joshua 7:11 we read that his sin was accounted against all of Israel.

Verse 11 says, “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant…” In verse 19 Joshua confronted Achan. It says, “…give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

Achan buried his stolen articles under his tent. Any unresolved issues, such as resentments, offenses, or unforgiveness that we bury negatively affect everyone around us. Achan, his family, and all his belongings (including what he hid) were stoned and then burned with fire.

The Gadarene demoniac ran and worshiped Jesus. This man had been bound with chains and shackles, yet with demonic strength he had pulled them apart. He cried out day and night and cut himself with stones.

His bondage did not stop him from worshiping. Mark 5:6 says, “When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.” We can worship the Lord no matter how bound we are, how sick, or infirm. Worship comes from the heart.

All sin begins as a thought before it becomes a sinful action that sows weed seeds in our heart. Weeds will grow in any kind of soil. At my former house, there was a back field that never got watered. Yet the weeds grew in abundance. Their seeds blew into my garden and flower beds and defiled the soil.

Uncultivated soil can be cultivated. We are never without hope. We have One Who redeems all things. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge…” Our knowledge comes through observing His word and applying it to our lives. It is for everyone without exception.

However we must be diligent to tend to the garden of our heart. We are called to bear fruit that will glorify the Lord. Let us confess our sins to Him and forsake them. I encourage you to get my book or ebook on Amazon called “Cultivating Our Heart: repurposing fallow ground.”

The ground was pure and fertile. Man’s disobedience brought a curse. We are made in the image of God. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says regarding sin, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

Holding onto resentment instead of letting it go, brings disorder to God’s created order for our bodies. We are to tend our bodies just as Adam was instructed to tend the garden. Allowing the weed seed of resentment to germinate will cause it to propagate quickly.

Here is what uncultivated ground or buried resentments look like. Proverbs 24:30-31 says, “I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; and there it was all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles; its stone wall was broken down.”

It’s a sad picture of negligence. We are to be diligent tenders of our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 says to guard it diligently. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Our faith suffers when we allow the weed seeds of resentment to flourish. Hidden sin blocks our open fellowship with the Lord. We often try to hide from Him through our busyness. Adam and Eve hid from Him. 

Consider their relationship before their open rebellion to His words, “Do not”but they did. Genesis 3:8 gives us a glimpse into how it was. It says, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” 

There is an old hymn called, “In The Garden.” I’m sure some of you are singing it right now.  Our personal garden is our quiet time. We neglect that time when we have sinned and not confessed it.

I have certain ‘duties’ that I don’t like to do. I often quote Song of Solomon 1:6 to myself. The Shulamite gal said, “…my own vineyard I have not kept.” That is my incentive to take on the task that I didn’t want to do. Leaving sin buried and unconfessed is the same as not taking care of our vineyard.

Psalm 8:3 says, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained.” The Hebrews word for consider means to see, look at, inspect, and to perceive.

Last night I started reading the book of Genesis. I want to share my journaling with you. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” He brought something into existence that was not there. Proverbs 3:19 says, “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.”

Proverbs 8:22-31 was wisdom speaking. Verse 22 says, “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old.” Psalm 102:25 says, “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.”

Psalm 104:5 says, “You who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever.” Psalm 119:90-91 says, “Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. They continue this day according to Your ordinances, for all are Your servants.”

Thinking back to the above verses, consider that His hands who created the earth, heavens, laid the foundations, also created you and me. Psalm 119:73 says, “Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may earn Your commandments.”

David’s expression of this is in Psalm 139:14. It says, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” Do you celebrate the Lord’s handiwork in creating you?

When God formed Adam from the dust of the ground, He created a fully functioning man. In verse 8 He planted a garden and put Adam in it. Then He made trees to grow out of the ground. Consider it. Adam’s first assignment was to tend the garden (Genesis 2:15). In verse 19, it says that God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air out of the ground. Then Adam named them all.

God then put Adam to sleep and formed Eve from his rib. Everything that God did was the work of His hands. Yet because Adam and Eve sinned, the ground was cursed. Genesis 3:17 says, “…Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil; you shall eat of it all the days of your life.” More tomorrow.