My heart has been mulling over this topic for quite a while and I have finally put together some serious thoughts on what God‘s plans are for us girls, young ladies and women. This morning when I woke up, the song Love Without End, Amen from George Strait was stuck on my brain. The more I thought about these lyrics, the stronger urge I had to write this article for you and to let you know that God‘s love for us all is unending. He does not just love us every now and then He loves us every day! We are His and He also expects us to live for Him. For we are here on this earth because of Him and we enjoy everything we have and everything we do because of Him. We should all be thankful to Him. He created us all, men and women, for His purpose not our own and we were each blessed with a different talent. We are ALL special and needed!
in Genesis 2:18 and 20, God says it was not good for man to be alone so He created woman from man thus Eve came from Adam. In verse 20 when God used Adam’s rib to create the woman, He called the woman Adam’s helper. What is a helper? A helper stands beside someone to accomplish a task. They work beside another to provide and meet a goal. The key word is WITH not separate or against. We all are blessed with strengths and dignity that we ourselves should represent and show example to others. Proverbs 31:25-31 reads, “ Strength, and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She opened her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband, also, and he prays with her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellent them all. Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”
God specifically gave us instructions on what He expected from us all, but in this article, I am going to concentrate on the woman aspect from the little girls to the young ladies all the way to grown women and elders. In this article, I would like to break down God‘s wishes for each of us and ask that each individual has an open mind and an open heart to hear what He has instructed. I am just a vessel here on this earth doing my part for Him. This article is His work not mine. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “ As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” We all are given a specific gift to use and some are way different than others. Some are similar, but it’s what we each do with those gifts that He is observing on how we use them.
He created us for good works and at times some give into jealousy, bad intentions, lies, deceit, temptation, pridefulness, and adulterous nature. When I said that we were all given a specific gift and talent, it means that we should appreciate each individual for who we are. We are not to rise our noses up to jealousy and fall for the devil’s schemes. Jealousy is one of the faults that climb under our skin and get the best of us. It can lead to further sin and corruption in our hearts. And just what is the term jealousy? Jealousy is being envious or resentful of the good fortune or achievements of others. It is being fearful and being a worry wart of losing ones’ own position or situation to someone else especially when it includes a relationship with others. It leads to bitterness and envy. There are so many verses in the Bible that talk about jealousy and the trouble it causes. Jealousy is also the desire to want or have what someone else has! God specifically says to not covet, or desire, what another has and this was one of His Ten Commandments! It is the drive or scheming passion to take or destroy someone or something that belongs to another.
Hence, for those who think the grass is greener on the other side, if you will, or who sees someone else’s girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse, and tries to worm, their way into someone else’s relationship is considered coveting and being jealous of someone to the point of taking what does not belong to them. This is a very serious sin in God‘s eyes and God says He hates sin. If you see someone’s bicycle sitting in their yard and you want a bicycle and decide to take it then that is wanting and taking or stealing what is someone else’s. Jealousy can lead to many sins and over and over again in the Bible He warns us about that.
In 1 Corinthians 3:3 it says, “ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?” You see, when the mind is set on the physical things of this world and not Jesus our Lord, then we are still thinking of the worldly things and not Him. Our focus should be more on God and Jesus Christ than on these things that are so material in our lives that we dangle in front of us like something valuable. These worldly things are not valuable. If you look at the list of the worldly and fleshy sins in Galatians 5:19-21, jealousy is listed among that list. He says that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Therefore, jealousy will cause severe issues in our heart, and God knows and sees everything! He won’t let us go to Heaven if we keep this jealousy up. Jealousy breeds into more sin. In James 3:14-17 it say, “ but if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from heaven, but it’s earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. “ Envy is another word for jealous so if you’re jealous, don’t be happy about it be remorseful about it because the more you are envious or jealous the more the devil’s gonna sink into your heart and take over. There are so many incidents to where I look around and I see too many young girls from grade school all the way up to the elderly women who are very envious and jealous of others and all it does is causes trouble and family issues and hatred towards friends. I do not understand why some women cannot just be happy with what they have and instead want something else and something more. There are many that do not, but there are sure many that do and I find it very disheartening and we need to teach our children at a young age to be happy for someone else because those gifts that God gave us are our individual gifts and not everyone has that same gift, like I said earlier, so we should be happy for who we are and what we do. Be happy for others because this is God‘s intent. And the devil knows how to get under the skin of the weaker and he has no mercy.
In Solomon 8:6, He says, “ set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals therefore are coals of fire, which have a most bent flame.” Here it is recognized that love is stronger than anything else and to put a seal on that heart means to lock it in and to not worry about all this other junk because jealousy will cause death and death with that flame means hell. It is important to recognize that jealousy has no part of God‘s plan. And for those of you dating and married, please listen to this very carefully. In 1 Corinthians 13:4 -5 it says that love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag, and is not arrogant, does not act becomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered. When you love someone you cannot let jealousy affect your relationship. This is a hard one for girls and women, and it is so easy to be jealous in all honesty because the natural instinct is to hold onto something you like and not let anyone else have it. But when you truly love someone, you have to be comfortable in your own brain and without a doubt know that the other person is going to love you the same way. So, have faith in that concept because when you let your mind wonder and you throw in jealousy of your loved one talking to so-and-so and that person saying this or whatever looking at somebody the wrong way, it always causes trouble with a capital T. Jealousy has no part in a true relationship.
jealousy breeds into deception. When I talked earlier about jealousy breeding more sin, I meant it. Jealousy breeds and gives forth deception and lies. God also warns about those who deceive and lie. The definition of a deceiver is one who leads into error, cheats, is an imposter, and an untruth. Today more than ever, we are faced with a lot of untruth and deception. There was a lot in the Old Testament in the old days yes but today it’s like the devil is on a mission to devour and stir issues. In 1 Timothy 4:1 He says now the spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving head to deceiving spirits and doctrine of demons. Guess what? The devil is jealous of God and he thinks he can have the upper hand and he cannot – not ever. The only way to know the truth about God and how we are supposed to live His way is by reading God‘s word ourselves. This is the most important way to keep jealousy, deceit, and lies from our minds and from leaving our mouths!.
No one is immune to someone else’s jealousy. When someone else is jealous, they’re scheming ways bring forth lies and untruths to make the other person believe otherwise against another. Stirring the pot to cause arguments and fights is what deceivers do! Today we face so many youngsters who commit suicide because someone else was jealous or just didn’t like someone to the point to where they would spread lies, cause issues, and be hateful towards them.. We as parents have a responsibility to train our children up God‘s way and to teach them that this behavior is unacceptable. This type of bullying should stop and we as adults should be the great example of Jesus Christ. We need to train our children from the very beginning that we should be nice and love others due to the fact that God created them for God‘s purpose not for us to tear down and be cruel just because we don’t like something or someone. Be true to your word and honest in everything! Do not be two-faced and say something to one person and turn around and say something different to another! Being two-faced reflects badly upon your reputation and makes you an unworthy friend. Honesty is AALWAYS the best policy!
Young ladies and women, if you see someone else dating someone else or if someone else has a husband that you think is cute and you want them, you better walk away because if you cause an issue in a relationship, you will not go unpunished by God. God sees and hears everything! He hates jealousy and He hates manipulation and lies.He hates a conniver! For those of you that see someone and you have lust in your eyes for someone else’s spouse or a girl or boyfriend, you are causing yourself to be judged more severely and your soul is not worth hell is it? These things should be taught to children at a young age so they understand the severity of His punishment! . In Jeremiah 17:9 it reads that the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Yes the heart does have a sinful nature, but it is our choice as individuals to do what is right. The devil wants us to believe that we can have anything that we want we just have to go get it, but that is not what God wants us to believe.
Lying and being misguiding is a part of deceitfulness. God hates a liar. In Proverbs 19:9 it says that a false witness will not go unpunished and whoever pours out lies will perish. And for those of you that do not understand the implications of perish, it means hell and it doesn’t mean once and done it means as Heaven is eternal, so is hell. Hell will last forever and ever and ever and there will be no going back. Being deceitful and lying means that you are using your tongue to express evil and as in Proverbs 12:18, it states that the power of your mouth that is reckless, thoughtless words can pierce like a sword, causing deep, emotional or spiritual wounds. If you intentionally hurt someone causing conflict for them spiritually or physically, you will be held accountable for this when you are kneeling before the Lord. If you want to make up a lie or be deceitful to break a couple apart or to cause someone pain so bad to where they want to kill themselves, then your heart is in the wrong place, and God will punish you for that.. In Proverbs 6:16-19 there is a list of six things that the Lord hates – seven that are detestable to Him and they are haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. That’s a big list! I have seen jealousy of others and it does cause deception, lies a deceitful tongue and heart, and all of these on this list. It ruins families and it ruins yourself when you involve yourself in these acts.
Revelation 21:7-8 also says that those who are victorious will inherit His new kingdom – Heaven – and that He will be their God, and they will be His children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practiced magic arts, the idolaters and all liars– they will be consigned to a fire like a burning sulfur. This is the second death. If we look around in this world today, what do we see? We see so many people who cannot understand God‘s word because they do not even want to listen to it. They refuse to accept His word for what it is. Think how sad it’s gonna be for everyone we know who does not want to adhere to His word when that time comes and we are all kneeling before Him. What a sad day for many but iat the same time, What a joyful day for many others who listen and follow and do what He asks. Ephesians 4:5 says that each of us must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to our neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Being jealous, being deceivers, or being liars is not a way into Heaven.
Our lives should not be built on poor influences and decisions. It should be built on building each other up and doing what God expects us to do for His sake. We are all in this together. We are all different and we all have different parts about us, but we have to work together because we are all His and we have to live according to the way He wants us to. We should not be envious or jealous of each other and we should tame our mouths and watch what comes out of our mouths because our heart is precious and we don’t want it to turn rotten and have those rotten thoughts voiced through our mouths. We can strive to do better and I have faith that we can turn this world around for a better place. We can start and live His way and do what He expects us to do if we only open our minds and hearts to His word and listen. Listen to His word and also listen to those around us because He tells us that we should consider others more important than ourselves. This is found in Philippians 2:3 where it says to do nothing through selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, consider others as more important than yourselves. If we concentrate on making others happy and doing for others before ourself, it is so much more rewarding. We may not want to, but in humbling ourselves, we are accomplishing a greater good. I love the feeling of giving and doing for others and not expecting anything in return! My heart fills!
This greater good can reflect in our lives and for those of us in relationships and married, it is a must. Marriages are supposed to be sanctified. In Genesis 2:24 and then Matthew 19:2 – 9 when we marry, we become one in God‘s eyes. And He also says that no one can come between and divide which means we have a stronger relationship toward each other because when there are two, we are stronger together. I mentioned earlier that love is not to be jealous and I want to share what our preacher spoke several times about the concept of a triangle. Each individual, the male and the female is on the bottom right and left corners of a triangle. God is at the top of that triangle and the closer we get to God you can physically see that a couple gets closer to God and gets closer to themselves. That concept stood out to me and is so true. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 it states that two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. It is a pity if anyone who falls and has no one to help them. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone. Two can defend themselves and a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.. in this verse a couple is strong. They cling to each other and they need each other and when they add family to it, the Unity is stronger.
Another concept that I really loved from our preacher was the idea that women had spaghetti brains and a man has a waffle brain. Women do multitask and they are all over the place. Men usually can only concentrate on one thing at a time. And our preacher, Roger Shouse, was right on the dot when he said that if we just realize these two concepts, then we can understand each other better. When we think of our spouse is being more important than ourselves, we can lift them up and respect them better. We don’t tear them down. We don’t talk about them behind their backs. We talk to each other and we come up with solutions with each other in a calm tone, not a demanding tone and things are so much smoother. I love the scripture in Ephesians 5:25-33 where it says, “ husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; then he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So He meant to love their wives as their own bodies and that love reflects to his wife. . For no man ever hates his own flesh; but nourishes it, and cherishes it, even as the Lord for His the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, , and of His bones. For this reason shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife. They , shall be one flesh. A husband should adore and love his wife as himself. Ephesians 5:22-23 says that wives should submit themselves to their own husbands. As you do to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands. I chose to add the second part of that verse first because I wanted to make all women understand that it is not OK for husbands to beat you or to verbally abuse you but they are to love you and cherish you just as they would themselves because if I started in on the verse where wives should love their husbands and be dedicated to them, I didn’t want it to make it seem like they had to accept bad behavior. A relationship should be equal and not overbearing and each should help each other because that is how God created it to be. Just because He says that we have to be submissive, it does not mean that he has to have a ruling thumb over you. That’s not what this verse is about. This verse is about honestly loving each other and cherishing each other the way God said that we should do because of the church and the way that it is to be built upon and loved. The man should be who we lean on for support and help! He is to be respected.
The most important way to keep your marriage strong is to build upon that triangle and grow closer to God. It takes effort on both parts to be honest and upfront, to communicate with each other instead of letting our minds wonder and think, and to not let outside influences disturb your peace. The devil likes to get between anyone to cause a stir or a fight. And from several conversations I have heard in my past I have heard some say that they have drifted apart because the other one didn’t give them the attention that they needed. God says in His word that our bodies are not our own that a man has needs and a woman has needs. We should coexist with each other to please each other and part of that is in 1 Corinthians 7:5 . It says, “do not deprive each other, except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again, so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” So to keep your marriage strong, you have to remember your spouse’s needs many times more than your own at many times. I understand that this could complicate the readers eyes when they see what I just wrote, but please leave an open mind to what God is saying here not what I am saying here but what God says because this is His scripture, not mine. The devil means to strike at the tiniest weakness or the biggest weakness that we have and we cannot let him get a foot hold into our marriages. We have to stay strong. Our mindset has to be focused on God and God will provide what we need when we need it. If we keep concentrating on ourselves and what we want or what we need versus our spouses’ needs then we’re being a little bit selfish and the devil knows it and he will feed on that.
I have run across several and I am not naming these people nor am I accusing anyone out there reading this of being this way but I will give you more scripture and this verse is Proverbs 21:9 I know that a woman’s hormones can really get off of balance and I know the stress of every day life. No one is immune to it and especially nowadays when there is so much to do and so much going on in our lives that time dwindles down to almost nothing for ourselves. I get it! But here in this verse, it says that it is better to live on a corner of a roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. We are supposed to be good listeners. We are supposed to open our hearts and really hear our spouse not just think or say they’re dumb or they don’t know what they’re talking about or oh that he’s just a man but we are supposed to be respectful and calm. It is our place to be that example that God wants us to be. Proverbs 31:10 says,” A wife of noble character, who can be found? She is worth far more than rubies.” In God‘s eyes a woman with good character and not a quarrelsome heart is worth something more than rubies. In Proverbs 12:4 it says that a wife of noble character is her husband‘s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. We don’t want to tear down a relationship. We want to build it up to be strong to get closer to God and closer to each other. Psalm 85 verse 10 says that love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness in peace kiss each other. I love that if your righteous and you love and you have peace. It’s like a kiss and it’s intimate. In 1 Peter 4:8 it says, “ above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sin.” We all are of a sinful nature, and He even says there is not a single soul that does not sin and the only One that did not send was Jesus Christ Himself. . So we have to love and love deeply.
Marriage is to be held at a highest esteem.. Jealousy, lying, manipulation, deceitfulness, and evil can break a marriage apart. But not only these but committing adultery is an abomination to God‘s plan. And if you do not know what the word adultery means, it means that it is a voluntary sexual thought or intercourse between a married person and someone other than their spouse. It is a broken vow that God made between a couple. It is the desire, lust, and covetousness to have someone other than your own spouse. One of God‘s rules was that when you came together and you married, you became one and He said no man can separate. So if you think about what He said and a couple becomes one and then someone finds someone else and screws around with them they have defiled God‘s law. That is not something that I don’t think anybody really wants to do is to defy God. The consequences are severe. In the book of Leviticus in chapter 18 he specifies his expectations. if you look at Leviticus 20:1010 and read on, you’ll see the importance of even much more in Deuteronomy 22 : 22 that those that committed adultery died back in the old day. How much more is He going to punish for what we see today when one partner just goes right onto the next without giving it I thought to their souls. And this doesn’t just apply too young ladies and women. This also applies to men, but this article was dedicated just for the women.
In Matthew 528 it says, “, but I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” So if we look up upon this verse, we will see the importance that God meant because the staring eye was looking lustfully at someone else and that was part of what He meant in His Ten Commandments about not coveting. When you covet something, you want it and sometimes you want it so bad that your actions show it. If you look at 2 Samual 11-1-5, David went out at night to his balcony and he saw the woman BathSheba bathing. Instead of turning his eyes and walking back in, he watched her and he wanted her so much so that he even had her husband Uriah killed. Remember earlier, whenever I said that jealousy causes other sins? Covetousness and adultery lead to more sin. Sin breeds sin. In 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 there was a man who was having sexual relationships with his father‘s wife. It did not specify if it was his actually mom or his stepmom, but that iwas sinful. We have choices in life that we have to make. You can ignore the sin and go on or stop them in their tracks by praying to the Lord and trust him in everything to help you. In Genesis, 19: 31-38, Lot’s daughters were afraid that they would not have anyone to procreate with and have children so they got their father to drink and had sexual relationships with him and had children. They let their minds think instead of trusting the Lord to take care of them and they sinned! All of these examples in God‘s word warns us and teaches us to be careful and to live righteously and gives us examples on what happens when you don’t. The more we get the Bible into our heads and into our hearts, the more we can squash sin away! Remember the Bible verse earlier in Revelation 21:6-8? Sexual immorality is one of those that is considered an abomination to Him. Remember the verse of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10? It says., “ or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practiced homosexuality, Nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor rivals, Nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. .” That’s a hefty list who will not inherit heaven. We are a generation of women who should teach our children these concepts because who else is going to teach them how to live and get to heaven?
Not only does He hate adultery in marriages and relationships, He hates spiritual adultery. What is spiritual adultery? Spiritual adultery is worshiping idols and other little gods. It is believing in things that are not true like when we pray to a statue, that is not a live person that is not God or Jesus. It is worshiping something in our lives more so than God. It is considering other people around you high and Almighty. But I’m here to tell you that we all fall short and we all sin. We are all the same in God‘s eyes. He shows no partiality and that is also written in His word. It doesn’t matter if you are a doctor, a lawyer, a business owner, the president of the United States, or the poor man on the street with no home or food. Each person will be judged according to what they know in the Bible and what we do with it. When we worship things other than Jesus Christ, our Lord God, we are committing adultery against Him. In Judges 2:17 the people bow down to other gods and worship them. They turned from the ways of the Lord and were following these idols. He hated that. in Ezekiel 6:9 ,”then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember Me – how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from Me -and by their eyes, which have listed after their idols. They will loath themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices. .” God punished those people then how much more is he going to punish this world when the time comes?
Sometimes pridefulness and arrogance can shape our lives and pull us away from Christ. Our own desires, wants, and needs can drag us in the opposite direction in which Christ wants us to go. Stubbornness and an easy way out our tools that many cling to and are very deceiving. These things, along with jealousy, wantedness, deception, and lies can cause havoc in our souls and lead us down the bad path to hell. Isaiah 3:16-17 reads, “ The Lord says, “ the women of Zion are haughty, walking, along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, stretching, along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make their scalp bald.” In this verse, He is talking about behavior and the way we dress. It is not very becoming to act like a harlot and dress like one. There is no imagination left for a man to wonder when women do not dress modestly. God hated that. He wanted women to dress and cover themselves, and to not be adorned with all of this junk to make themselves appear to be beautiful. He demanded inner beauty. In Ezekiel 16:49-50, It says, “ now this was the sin of your sister Sodom, she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before Me. Therefore, I did away with them as you have seen..” God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their sin and He destroyed because of their haughtiness and lack of love. He says in Proverbs 31:30 that charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. So when we fear the Lord and we strive to do what He wants us to do and to act, behave, and dress accordingly then He will praise us. Also, in Proverbs 2923 it says pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gained honor. We are not to be prideful and showy. We are supposed to be humble in spirit and body so that we can have that spiritual honor that He promises.. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, “ your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles, and the wearing of gold, jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is a great word in God‘s sight.” . You know when I was in high school, I had several ask me why I did not wear makeup. Not only was it an extra expense and unaffordable, but in my heart, I knew that God created me to be me and that I did not need to change my appearance to please someone else. My husband, when I married him, was glad that I didn’t wear all of that stuff he saw the natural beauty and he loved me for me. We have been married almost 36 years. Jewelry is beautiful and not a sin to wear, but He was looking to the heart and not the showy person that had to make herself known and popular! I am here to tell every girl, young lady, young woman, women, and the elderly that you do not have to hide and cover up your beauty because God made you you for a reason. You are special and you should not hide who you are. God does not make junk and does not discriminate! He says he shows no partiality! Deuteronomy 10: 1017 says for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of Lords, the great God, mighty, and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. Did you catch that? No partiality and no bribes. You cannot hide who you are because God knows your heart and that is the key that everyone should see..
I know this article was a little long, but after you read this, I pray that you have that open mind to understand God‘s intention for us. I pray that it has touched your heart so that this can be a guide to help you understand what God expects of us. Temptation is all around us. There is so much jealousy out there and so much bitterness that we need a change for the better. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reads that no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,” He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. His way and path is found in His word and He provides everything we need to conquer the evil of this world and the devil. James. 1:12 states that. “ blessed is the one who persevere under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him..” There is a reward for blocking out all of the sin and for you to be living righteously. The devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour and God warns us to be alert and sober minded so that we are able to fight and that is found in 1 Peter 5:8. Jesus understood what it meant to be tempted and He suffered till death for us and He can help us through. We just have to reach out and ask Him and truly believe that He is the God our Lord and Savior. Not only is reading His word helpful, but that reaching out to Him means to be watchful and to pray so that we do not fall into that temptation. He says in Matthew 26: 41 this very concept and also says that the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Think about that a minute, the Spirit is willing yes but our flesh is weak. We are a sinful nation and our flesh desires, but we need to be very cautious and pray.
In Galatians 5:16, He tells us, “ so I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” and what exactly is the Spirit? He promised us when He was talking to His disciples when He was going to die and go away that He would not leave us alone that there would be a Spirit (Three in one concept of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) sent within us to fill our hearts so that we can decipher right from wrong and we should listen to that. The most important thing to do, though is to accept Him to receive that Spirit because if you reject Him, you’re not gonna have what He left for you. That gift He left is not gonna be opened until you open it. A few more verses to reiterate this is Proverbs 4:14-15, 2 Timothy 2:22, Luke 22:40, Ephesians 6:17, Psalm 119:37, and then 1 John 1:7 that says, “ but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from our sin.” We need to stand together and fellowship and help each other because as Proverbs 27:17 says, “ iron sharpens iron.” The knowledge of someone else is helpful and we should welcome it not ignore or be jealous but to welcome it into our brains and help us to grow. We all are made in His image and His plans for us are greater than we even know ourselves. Instead of tearing each other down and being jealous of each other, we need to just let go and embrace the fellowship of each other and grow up upon that. Each person with their unique talent and gift is needed because He said that we are just one part in His body and we need the rest of those parts to make a whole. Don’t let discouragement, jealousy, lying, deceitfulness, wantonness, bitterness, arrogance, pridefullness, or any other sin block your path to Heaven. He wants you and needs you! He does not just love us now and then, He loves us forever! Amen!