FIVE REASONS WHY WE FAIL TO OVERCOME SINFUL HABITS: 1. We try to conquer habits in the energy of the soul. God wants us to exercise spiritual power over habits. Satan wants us to fight habits with the energy of our souls. Our souls (Greek: psuche) consist of our mental power, our will power, and our emotional power. These are no match for the bondage of sinful habits. Only by spiritual power can we conquer sinful habits. "For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [conquer] the deeds of the body, ye shall live" ' (Romans 8:13). 2. We are double-minded. A double-minded person has a desire to overcome sinful habits and a conflicting desire to enjoy them God warns that such a person cannot hope for any consistent victory over sin. A double-minded (Greek: dipsuchos soul) person has not yet learned to hate evil; he will be unstable in all of his ways (See James 1:8). 3. We fail to understand what it means to be in Christ. The only wa...
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IMMORAL SPENDING ON AMERICAN POLIT ICS To a follower of the meek and lowly Lord Jesus Christ, who for our sakes became poor, it is clear from the facts than that politics is not only vain and corrupted, it is also a rich man's game, and the amounts being spent are absolutely immoral! Consider the following quotes taken from CNN article: "White House hopefuls burn millions on Super Tuesday ads": Spending on political ads in the Super Tuesday states alone could reach an unprecedented $20 million, the Campaign Media Analysis Group estimates... A vast majority of the spending -- nearly 90 percent -- is being done by the two remaining top-tier Democratic candidates: Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Both campaigns are well funded. On Thursday, they reported that they both had roughly $18 million in cash at the end of December to spend during the primary season, according to the campaigns' reports to the Federal Election Commission. The Obama campaign also announ...
Blurring the Distinctives Donald L. Norbie, Greely, Colorado, USA “When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them . . . You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way . . . Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deut. 12:29-32). There was a constant tendency in Israel to conform to the practices of the nations around them. There was not an outright rejection of their Jehovah God but an introduction of heathen customs and practices. This the prophets warned against throughout Israel’s history. Israel was to be different and distinct from the nations surrounding them. The church has had the same tendency throughout the centuries. The cry of the apostle Paul was, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive y...
Giving Thanks For Meals Dr. H. A. Ironside used to tell of an experience he once had at a restaurant. He ordered his meal and just as he was about to eat a man walked up to his table and said, "Do you mind if I sit down with you?" Dr. Ironside said, "No," it was quite all right, so the man sat down. As was his custom Dr. Ironside bowed his head and said a silent word of thanksgiving to the Lord before he ate. When he lifted up his head, the man said to him, "Do you have a headache?" Ironside said, "No, I don't." The man said, "Well, is there anything wrong with your food?" Ironside said, "No, why?" "Well," the man said, "I saw you sitting there with your head down and I thought you must be sick, or there was something wrong with your food." Ironside replied, "No, I was simply returning thanks to God as I always do before I eat." The man said, "Oh, you're one of those, are you? Well, I...
WHO IS THE GOOD SAMARITAN IN THE LORD'S PARABLE?
WHO WAS THE GOOD SAMARITAN IN JESUS’ PARABLE? One of Jesus’ best-known parables is that of the Good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10. It seems on the surface to be a simple story extolling the virtues of going out of one’s way to help those in need and distress, and indeed the responsibilities of godly people to do this. This no religious or moral person would question. Theologically, however, evangelicals would part with those of a more liberal position in seeing more than this in the parable. A parable being “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning,” the meaning one gets from it depends importantly on the identification he makes with the story’s characters. The theological liberal has no hesitation in identifying with the Samaritan, who ministered to the poor man the robbers had attacked and left to die, while the priest and Levite passed by. “The meaning of the parable is right on the surface,” he would say – “you’re supposed to help those in need.” Just so, we evangelicals wo...