“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity.”
July 13, 2024
I once heard about a man in the Blue Ridge Mountains who caught rattlesnakes for a living. One day he caught a huge rattler that had a rattle with fourteen segments. He put it in a box with a glass top on the box and was out in the fields plowing when his little boy slid the top off that box where that rattler was coiled. The rattlesnake sprung out of that box and planted his fangs in the cheek of that little boy. The little boy ran out of the house and into the yard to tell his father what had happened. The father watched the boy’s face begin to swell and then the child died.
Devastated, the man lifted his voice in anguish and said, “I would not trade my sons for all the rattlesnakes in the Blue Ridge Mountains.” The company of the rattlesnake felt so harmless tucked away in a box, but it was still deadly. We cannot play with vices that will destroy our children. There is serious danger in letting sin have a foothold in our families. We may think, “It is just my problem to deal with.” But sin will hurt us and everyone around us if it is not surrendered to God and dealt with in His way.
Confess your sin to God and repent.
Love Worth Finding's newest book, "A Final Charge to the Church, "is based on the final series of messages Pastor Rogers preached before retiring in 2005. Pastor Rogers wanted to prepare his congregation for the future. In doing so, he provided a biblically sound blueprint that applies to all Christians on topics including unity among believers, standing strong in opposition to the enemy (Satan), the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives, steadfastness in prayer, true worship, faithfulness to God's Word, caring for others, and the kingdom authority given to believers in Jesus Christ. The book is a great read for all believers who want to become better prepared, as the bride of Christ, to be radiant, pure, and faithful to Jesus, the living Word of God.