Let us Do Better

We end this week of Devotionals on Rejection of Gossip, Slander, Lies and Discord and pray that you were ministered to and challenged by these devotionals. Spend these last two days committing to memorize this scripture and live by it!

When you run down this check list you will assess yourself to see if you are a perpetrator of any of these hated vices. You will admit to some and reject others for either they do not describe you or you don’t want to admit it. But Jesus sees it all, Hebrews 4:13 says we cannot hide from Him and all of us are naked and open to the One whom we must all give an account. So let’s run down this check list and check out the cross references to each of these things God hates:

• Admit it, all of us have donned a proud look once and God says He will not endure it (Psalm 101:5e)!
• If you said that you have never lied, well, you just did (Psalm 120:2)!
• Some of us have physically shed innocent blood (Deuteronomy 19:10) and others of us just killed folks in our minds and both are wrong!
• How many of us have devised a wicked plan (Psalm 36:4)? Just raise your hand and admit it-even though you may not have followed through with your sinister scheme, the blueprint is still etched in your brain and if you did not have to pay the penalty of jail time, well you just might do it!
• Have you ever chased after evil?  Oh yes, we have and sometimes gladly (Isaiah 59:7)!
• No one wants to be accused of being a false witness, but some of us, to protect our family or friends or our own wellbeing, have been (Proverbs 19:5).
• The Lord saved this one for last and it is an abomination to Him for most of us have willingly or unwillingly sowed discord among the saints (Jude 4, 16-19).

Let us all repent. We are told that if any man be in Christ He is a new creation, old things have pass, behold all thing have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The former things we did in the world cannot be carried over into this “New Creation.”  The enticement to be any of these six hated things, and especially the abominable discord sower, is demonic and an enemy to the body of Christ. No wonder God hates these because 1) at its core it is the antithesis of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, (Galatians 5:22),  2) left unchecked they are injurious to the saints  and cause detrimental damage to the Church, even though the gates of hell shall not prevail against God’s church (Matthew 16:18), 3) it would be a horrendous testimony to the world, whom the Lord still desires to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4)!

Beloveds, we know better because we have been informed of what is better in God’s Word. We are supposed to be lights that shine in a crocked and perverse generation, not darkness to each other. We don’t want to be any of these 7 things, but if you are caught up in this foolishness, 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  We know better, now, let us repent and do better!

Prayer: Almighty God, these things were written for our admonition, and they are true about us. You have shown us the mirror and we have seen ourselves behave shamefully before You and others. Please forgive us for the doing the things You hate. We confess it as sin and we repent of these things. Holy Spirit, please convict us when our flesh rises up. You said in Your Word that if any man be in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed and all things have become new. We want to walk in that Newness of Faith again abstaining from these things that displease You! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!
By Sis. Paula Smith