OUTLINE:

“How To Digest Social Injustice”
Blog - 6/12/20

The Value of Reading Your Bible
Daily reading of the Bible often results in the most profound realizations! If it is used by the Spirit to guide a pastor, it can certainly be used to guide you!

We humans have a really bad habit of forgetting where we came from.

Deu 6:10-12 [Message]
When God, your God, ushers you into the land he promised through your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you, you’re going to walk into large, bustling cities you didn’t build, well-furnished houses you didn’t buy, come upon wells you didn’t dig...

Deu 6:10-12 [Message] (cont.)
...vineyards and olive orchards you didn’t plant. When you take it all in and settle down, pleased and content, make sure you don’t forget how you got there—God brought you out of slavery in Egypt.

We humans have a really bad habit of forgetting where we came from.

We Are Fickle
Our affections change constantly! What we love today we abhor tomorrow; and what we abhor today, we love tomorrow.

“by his own desire”
DON'T blame others for YOUR sins!!! Don't say, "Oh, that person tempted me and I was totally helpless." Fact: temptation only exists because YOU are temptable (e.g., "by your own desire”). You sin because you WANT to!

“brings forth death”
The vector of sin is always death, regardless of the sense in which we ponder it. For example, sin in the Garden resulted in spiritual and physical death, sin for a believer can result in physical death, and sin for a believer can result in degradation of fellowship with God (e.g., experience the throes of spiritual death).

Wisdom...
Do yourself a favor and avoid the GUARANTEED suffering that comes with sin by avoiding the cause of it in the first place, namely sin. (Ref. Jas 1:15)

“brings forth death”
The vector of sin is always death, regardless of the sense in which we ponder it. For example, sin in the Garden resulted in spiritual and physical death, sin for a believer can result in physical death, and sin for a believer can result in degradation of fellowship with God (e.g., experience the throes of spiritual death).

The Goal of Sin
It is to take you away from the Word of Truth. Anything/anyone that does that to you ought to be considered a “friend” of sin. Sin is powerless for as long as you’re steadfast in the faith. (1Co 16:13; 2Co 1:24; Gal 5:1; Eph 6:13)

“but overcome evil with good”
You don’t have to actively or exhaustingly try to overcome evil (even that which is in your own life) by force; you simply leave it be and turn to good. Good is light and light extinguishes darkness without fail. Simply turn to good (e.g., repent).

Covert Arrogance
You are going to get ZERO help from your flesh (or any enemy of Christ) in discovering areas of covert arrogance in yourself; for this is one of the flesh’s strongholds and the very means it continues to have influence over you.

Ro 12:9
Let love be genuine [not phony, sincere and free from hidden agendas (selfish motives) – literally, "without hypocrisy" (unfeigned)]. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

The Blessing of Love
GIVING love is actually a greater blessing than receiving it! (Ref. Ac 20:35) This is opposite of what the world suggests.

Temptation
Sin tempts us to focus on US, not others - that is, to love ourselves more than others. This is opposite of what the Bible teaches us.

Ro 12:9
Let love be genuine [not phony, sincere and free from hidden agendas (selfish motives) – literally, "without hypocrisy" (unfeigned)]. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

“Money Changes Everything”
Wealth should first be considered a test, long before it should ever be considered a blessing.