terdThe HiddeThe Hidden Cost...of SIN!n Cost...of SIN!
Shat
terd
Men
The hidden half of domestic violence
The Hidden Cost...of SIN!
My LORD, You know the burden on
my heart, the burden for those who do not know You to come to You. Yet Lord, I
feel so often YOUR people take for granted Your forgiveness. Your people,...ME
My Lord so often play games with satan...to do things that are not pleasing to
YOU...that blocks others that NEED YOU for seeing YOU in US...in ME.
My LORD, help us to realize the hidden cost of SIN. Let this message You have
placed on my heart not be mine...but YOURS. Help this message to heal each of us
My LORD. Help it to enable YOUR LOVE to flow through each of us...through ME as
never before so when others look at us...they will see JESUS!
The Hidden Cost...of SIN!
Oh how often are we told that we will not get caught. No one will know if we do
this "just this once" This reminds me of that potato chip commercial. bet ya
can't eat just one...
Sin works that way my friend. Just as that chip commercial does not tell you the
price you pay for eating way too many...those extra pounds, the high blood
pressure, the high cholesterol, SIN does not tell you the price we pay for it
either. Most of the costs you see are hidden. Lets look at some of these high
costs. Both from the Old Testament, and from things in our own life.
Most of us have had times we have been on the mountain. We have just had a major
victory. We are on top of the world..and then....WHAM....from out of no
where...we are blasted to the ground...we are Shattered. We did not even see it
coming. We often lay there, wondering if we can or if it is worth getting back
up again. We feel totally defeated, often questioning our salvation, our
relationship with God. How can we go from wining the GOLD...to the agony of
defeat so suddenly?
Lets look to the Word of God for answers: Please read Joshua 6 and 7.
If you do not have a Bible, you can find one here:
http://bible.gospelcom.net/
Joshua and Israel had one of the biggest victories ever at Jericho, a very
powerful enemy. A few weeks later, they came against a small weakly defended
enemy...and got defeated easily, much the same as with us when we do not see it
coming.
Please notice with us several things.
SUDDEN AND SURPRISING DEFEAT can often be traced back to HIDDEN SIN.
Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed
thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the
tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was
kindled against the children of Israel.
We need to go back to Chapter 6 vs 18 to see what was going on. Achan kept
something he was not to have kept. It was accused.
My friend, are you having problems living for God? Up one moment, down the next?
Are there any hidden sins in your life? Maybe keeping some accursed thing in
your possession ? An idol? An evil book...perhaps on the occult or maybe
pornography? It has to go before victory can come my friend.
HIDDEN SIN FINDS A WAY TO EXPOSE ITSELF.
This is part of the high cost of hidden sin. We are told no one will ever find out, but satan is the master blackmailer. He tells us this, and often he is the one to expose this sin. It causes maximum damage to all around us. Lets look at the high cost of sin in our own life:
We know that to break the law...it is sin. Someone that drives while they are drunk may feel they are just endangering themselves, but are they? Why don't you check with M.A.D.D. about this? (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Go to the funeral home where they are having service for a child killed by a drunk driver. Then tell me sin only effects the one doing it.
Look at the family of the man or woman that is having an affair. Look that that persons spouse...wondering whose bed their husband or wife is in now....Then tell me sin only effects the one doing it.
How about the man or woman that now has a sexual transmitted disease because of an unfaithful spouse? My very own sister in law DIED from A.I.D.E.S. because of a husband that was unfaithful. How about telling their daughter sin only effects the one doing it.
Think we can do it and then confess and all will be forgiven? Oh yes, it will be forgiven my friend, if we are sincere in the confession. Even at that however, the Law of the harvest is still in effect. When talking about this post to my new net daughter, Debra she said: " what about those who come to the Lord after years of abusing themselves with drugs...alcohol, etc.. their soul is saved but their body and lives will still suffer because of it I do know God can still heal us...but as Jesus bore the marks of our sins.. so shall we... "
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Solution? Psalm 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. If you have any of these hidden sins, confess them to the LORD. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
TEMPTATION MAKES US DEAD AND BLIND
How often do we over look the hidden cost of sin. We think we can play around with it. like a child playing around with matches Yet much as far too often a child playing with matches, ends with tragic results, so does our hidden sin. . Achan thought he got away with taking the accursed thing. The nation of Israel had to pay the price. Innocent men died in battle that should never have died. In our society too, hidden sin can literal take lives. A false accusation of abuse can lead to literal death. We can see this in one of the stories on our web site: THE ROAD HOME
Seldom do we count the cost for sin. Maybe it is time we do. Just maybe it is time we ask God to show us the TRUE cost of SIN...for there is a much deeper hidden cost to sin...it cost God....HIS SON! This is brought out in IT IS FINISHED!
SEVERE DISOBEDIENCE CALLS FOR SERVER DISCIPLINE.
We are told that we will be corrected when we sin as a child of God. Sometimes this may be a simple "no my child, I do not want you to do that" but at other times, it can result in our being taken home early.
Achan was taken out of the city and stoned to death. WE can be called home early too. The AWESOME PROMISE OF CHASTISEMENT
We see a few other things in this chapter regarding the defeat at Ai, right after the victory at Jericho
RELAYING ON OUR OWN STRENGTH & NOT ASKING FOR GOD'S GUIDANCE
The priest were the vanguard of the army at Jericho They could not be found at Ai.
My friend, are we seeking to go on in our own strength after God has given us a major victory? Is this not trying to steal HIS Glory? That is SIN my friend. For HE will not share His glory with another. In the song A Sinner Saved By Grace, one part tells us "how could I boost of everything I ever seen or done. How could I boost as mine the victories God has won." People...please understand, we are only here as sinners saved by grace. It was when we..when I stood condemned to death that Jesus took My place.
The Hidden Cost...of SIN! My friend NONE Of us can afford it. If you have hidden sin in your life, hidden sin in your heart. PLEASE come to Jesus to have it taken out. If you have never asked God to change your life, if you do not know for sure that You have eternal life, the first step is to make sure but checking these links. How to have eternal life
If you have trusted Christ for salvation, use 1 John 1:9 to confess this hidden sin and lets get the sin out of our life so we can LIVE for the Lord.
As usually, the moderators or managers are here for You my friend. Most of all, Jesus is only a whisper away!
(this message can be reposted intact in any forum it will help)
ken
(click "BACK" button to return to this page)
(please click above to vote for this site)
JUNE is Domestic Violence Against Men Awareness Month