What Causes People to do Evil Things....

What causes people to do evil things? To worship false gods? To turn their back on God Himself? Sin. Sin blinds us to the truth. It deceived us into thinking evil is good, and good is evil. When we turn our backs on God, He turns His back in us. He gives us over to the foolishness of a depraved mind. Our minds become dark and confused. Black becomes white, day becomes night, and good is substituted for evil. And in all this we believe our behavior is right. King Ahab did all of this, and he encouraged others to do it as well. As a result, his life and all Judah suffered greatly. Even in his trials he never consulted God. Instead he rejected Him. Think of all the evil going on today: abortion in demand, selling aborted baby body parts, same sex marriage, transgenderism, euthanasia, banning guns, racism, domestic violence, drugs, and sexual harassment.... I could go on and on. Why do people reject God? Because of their sinful behavior blinds them to the truth. How do you expect to get better if you continue to feed your problem. The bigger the monster gets, and the further you get from the solution, the end is inevitable. Fortunately, we serve a God Who specializes in the impossible. It’s a shame most people don’t realize it. It’s our job to shine the light of truth into this dark world. It’s God’s job to save them. In the darkest night, a flicker of light makes a pathway clear to see and follow. Speak truth in all you do, you might just help make some one blind see.

3 He offered sacrifices in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, even sacrificing his own sons in the fire. In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 2 Chronicles 28:3

19 The Lord was humbling Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, for he had encouraged his people to sin and had been utterly unfaithful to the Lord.20 So when King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria arrived, he attacked Ahaz instead of helping him. 21 Ahaz took valuable items from the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, and from the homes of his officials and gave them to the king of Assyria as tribute. But this did not help him.22 Even during this time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the Lord. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, for he said, “Since these gods helped the kings of Aram, they will help me, too, if I sacrifice to them.” But instead, they led to his ruin and the ruin of all Judah.24 The king took the various articles from the Temple of God and broke them into pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord’s Temple so that no one could worship there, and he set up altars to pagan gods in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 He made pagan shrines in all the towns of Judah for offering sacrifices to other gods. In this way, he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign and everything he did, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 When Ahaz died, he was buried in Jerusalem but not in the royal cemetery of the kings of Judah. Then his son Hezekiah became the next king. 2 Chronicles 28:19-27

Willfully Following God...

We all have a choice in how we respond to God’s commands. We can either: ignore them, listen but do little or nothing, or we can do exactly what He says to do. When we choose to do right, all that are involved benefit because God is pleased. When Israel was warned by the prophet Oded, several men listened. They presented their case to the leaders. Fortunately, Israel responded in proper fashion to God’s command and both Israel and Judah survived. Why is it here in America when people present their case about God, people don’t listen. They ignore His commands and thus drive this nation further and further away from truthful living. America needs to respond in obedience. If we don’t, the dissension and destruction of or way of life will continue. We succeed by willfully making the decision to follow God one person at a time. It starts with me.

9 But a prophet of the Lord named Oded was there in Samaria when the army of Israel returned home. He went out to meet them and said, “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah and let you defeat them. But you have gone too far, killing them without mercy, and all heaven is disturbed. 10 And now you are planning to make slaves of these people from Judah and Jerusalem. What about your own sins against the Lord your God? 11 Listen to me and return these prisoners you have taken, for they are your own relatives. Watch out, because now the Lord’s fierce anger has been turned against you!”12 Then some of the leaders of Israel–Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai–agreed with this and confronted the men returning from battle. 13 “You must not bring the prisoners here!” they declared. “We cannot afford to add to our sins and guilt. Our guilt is already great, and the Lord’s fierce anger is already turned against Israel.”14 So the warriors released the prisoners and handed over the plunder in the sight of the leaders and all the people. 15 Then the four men just mentioned by name came forward and distributed clothes from the plunder to the prisoners who were naked. They provided clothing and sandals to wear, gave them enough food and drink, and dressed their wounds with olive oil. They put those who were weak on donkeys and took all the prisoners back to their own people in Jericho, the city of palms. Then they returned to Samaria. 2 Chronicles 28:9-15

It’s Part of His Structure.....

I don’t know why God sometimes allows evil to reign. Why He allows it for times longer than others. I do know that what we question about His will, is His patience. Why would God allow people to speak falsely about Him? Use His name to prosper themselves? Allow people to manipulate in ways that only hurt and confuse others? I don’t know. God allows it, but He doesn’t condone it. In time it will be dealt with. And His judgement is righteous. He will judge. And when He does, it will be appropriate, exacting, just, and final. I don’t want to be on the opposing side of His judgement. This is all part of His structure. His love for us gives us the freewill to choose. Instead of questioning His patience, maybe we should be examining our faith. Do we trust Him like we should?

A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.17 The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. 18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. Acts 19:13-18

Believing Marketing’s Message...

My job requires marketing. I have to promote myself in order to get work. I don’t like doing it, but I have to to live and provide for my family. Marketing has always been kind of a deceptive practice. It’s core message is, “you need this, it will make your life better”. Since the invention of TV, marketing has continually been growing into a monster of deception. With the advent of the internet, it’s taken on a new and more powerful form of deception. It based its core on feelings. Why? Because feelings are easily altered, and they are so vulnerable to deception. The biggest ploy marketers push is, “the current thing you own is inadequate, and if you buy our product you will be happy”. It teaches us to be discontent with what we have. It’s no longer “you need this product”. Now it’s in order to be happy, you have to have this product. And with the constant progress of technology, companies are catching on and designing their products to fit this concept. Some cars now have a sealed engine block. When the car breaks, you can’t fix it. You are forced to buy a new car; and fill up landfills with your old product). Products are built to last only a couple of years now, as opposed to years ago being built to last a long, long time. We have a freezer that’s over 50 years old and still running fine. The worst is with computer software. Companies force you to upgrade because technology doesn’t allow older software to work anymore, it’s incompatible. My point to all of this is modern marketing/advertising teaches us to go for the quick-fix, take short cuts, skip important steps, and throw away perfectly good, working devices due to our deceived mindset to its inadequacy. Hard work, dedication, perseverance, and integrity will never go out of style. When society tries to tell you these aren’t true, take the short cut, don’t listen. It’s better to stand for something (you know is true), because if you don’t, you’ll fall for anything. You’ll be robbed of the real joy these truths bring, by simply believing the lies of marketing.

5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. Proverbs 21:5

God’s Will Guarantees...

When we constantly seek guidance from the Lord (pursue Him with all of our hearts), He makes our path straight. It’s God’s nature to provide for our needs. It’s His Will that we should seek. Why? Because His Will guarantees His glory, so if His glory is our purpose, success is guaranteed. It’s that simple.

4 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done. 5 Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success. 2 Chronicles 26:4-5

6 King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God. 2 Chronicles 27:6

Turning to Inadequate Things....

Why do people turn back to things (in hope of resolving their problems) when those very things have proven themselves inadequate? The answer is simple: PRIDE. When PRIDE sets in, you can forget about talking sense in to the person. Here’s how to handle it. Simply state your warning and leave the conversation. Then continually pray for God to intervene and open the eyes of the prideful person. It’s all you can do. Here we see Amaziah in this very situation. The prophet sent by God asks Amaziah why he is worshipping the gods of the Edomites when they couldn’t save them from his own troops. Amaziah’s pride eventually cost him his life. Never allow yourself the mindset to think you don’t need God. He’s the only thing we will ever need. And with Him, He will fulfill our every need. Never forget this. We need God more than anything, for He is everything to us.

14 When King Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought with him idols taken from the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down in front of them, and offered sacrifices to them! 15 This made the Lord very angry, and He sent a prophet to ask, “Why do you turn to gods who could not even save their own people from you?”16 But the king interrupted him and said, “Since when have I made you the king’s counselor? Be quiet now before I have you killed!”So the prophet stopped with this warning: “I know that God has determined to destroy you because you have done this and have refused to accept my counsel.” 2 Chronicles 25:14-16

20 But Amaziah refused to listen, for God was determined to destroy him for turning to the gods of Edom. 2 Chronicles 25:20 is

The Standard We Use....

What standard we use determines our attitude in life. If we use our own standards what we do will seem right in our own eyes. We will constantly justify our actions, and live according to what we perceive as right and wrong. It will be a roller coaster ride of a life; never knowing what true security feels like. If we use God’s standards, we will know the truth and it will set us free. We will never have to guess what is right or question if we did the right thing. And we won’t follow our feelings around wishing for stability. Gods standard in the rock on which we stand. When the storms of life come (and they will come), we will have solid footing to endure the storm and come out stronger spiritually because of it. And the best part is we will be closer to God because of it. And that my friend, is worth the journey through adversity. Don’t ever allow yourself to forget your Maker. If you do, your entire focus in life will be from a self-centered point of view. It will eventually lead you to seeing yourself as the one in control and your decision making will become flawed. It will take you down a road full of regret. Be honest. See yourself for who you truly are. Then and only then you’ll see your need of rescue and God will meet that need.

2 People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart. Proverbs 21:2