Sickeningly Yours.......

Yeah that's right...I've been diagnosed with strep throat. Hurrah. I can not begin to tell you my excitement. :(

Ha ha! Oh well! Just got to grin and bear it. Whenever I get sick I like to think dark thoughts about Adam and Eve. Boy they really didn't know what they were getting themselves into. Especially Eve. Thanks alot sister! It's hard to imagine our world without pain, sickness or death. We see it everywhere, all the time. And yet, God knows because that was exactly how he created the world to be. How sad he must be to see what it has become.

Adam and Eve had no idea what the result of their one bad choice would be. It's so easy to blame them...after all they were the ones who ate the darned fruit, but that wouldn't be right. If it had been you in that garden, and you had what seemed to be a chance to be like God, wouldn't you try? Something so innocent as taking a bite of a fruit...

We all have our own forbidden fruit that we've chosen to taste or sometimes swallow whole. And just like Adam and Eve, once we've realized what we've done, we stupidly try to hide it. You know what I'm talking about. We've ALL done it. The fruit may look different...and we may not have consumed the entire thing...but to God it is still sin.

Our Pastor spoke about hidden sins on Sunday. He gave 4 things we should never underestimate. 4 things that lead us into hidden sin.

1 Never underestimate the dangers of distractions.

Kind David learned this with Bathsheba. I learned this when I was 15 and became more concerned with fitting in rather then standing for God.

2 Never underestimate the deceit of your darkside.

How many times I've rationalized myself into doing, saying, or thinking something. How many of you love music? You know some of those songs you're listening to are not right. "But they're not that bad!" You protest. So are you saying that God has different levels of Bad? What about those lies you throw around all day? "Aw come on! They're just a little white lie!" So now you're saying God color codes the lies?

3 Never underestimate the snowball effect of sin.

The disobedience of Adam and Eve has caused sin to enter the world. Because of sin, death has entered, and because of death, millions will go to hell. You do not sin in a closet. When you sin, you do so touching the lives of your family, friends and sometimes even people you do not know. Sin is always more complicated then it seems.

4. Never underestimate the consequences of disobedience.

Your sin will find you out. It's written in the Bible. Yes, Jesus' death on the cross covers the payment for all your sins. But forgiveness does not eliminate the consequences. While you still have breath in your body, you can always come back to God. But the journey back is only harder the deeper you've gone.

In Bible times, God gave us a picture of sin through an illness called leprosy. Nasty sickness! The nerves in the body would be eaten away, leaving you numb and without feeling. Eventually parts would start to fall off and you would die. Sin does that. It eats you inside out until you wake up one day and wonder, "God! How did I get here?"

There are 3 things that cause us to step off the straight and narrow. 1 The lust of the eyes, 2 The lust of the flesh and 3 The pride of life. That's right. I didn't say playing hooky, doing dope, or sleeping around. See, those things are part of the snowball effect. But the root? Where does it start? It starts with our hearts. When our hearts become distracted from our walk with God. The moment we stop living for a purpose bigger then ourslelves is the moment we start living for ourselves. It isn't those big sins that trip us up, but those "little" sins, the white lies, the not so bad songs, the thoughts...these are the "germs" that cause us to become spiritually sick. And what's the best way to get rid of sickness? Take your medicine and starve it out.

Forever and Always,

-Me