Annihilation

(Matthew 18:9) “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.”

Although my eyes seem heavier this morning as sleep clings to them, there is gladness in my heart. The beauty knowledge supplies when wisdom has made a grand entrance. To lie down last night to sleep with a heaviness and yet to arise this morning to singing birds and insight to what once was burdensome. How I love my sister Wisdom, she is beautiful to behold, when the morning light reveals some of her hidden exquisiteness it leaves me grasping for breathe. How I love times like these! How great is my God, How vast His wide domain, to begin to tell these lips can only start. So let me start...

Last night I received a phone call from a good friend and he was full of advice as he always is. It is amazing how unwelcomed instruction is at times. King Solomon teachers us in the book of Proverbs that, “where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counsellors there is safety.” So as long as my analyst’s base their advice on biblical doctrine I must welcome them. Nevertheless the trail of life always wants us to oppose sound counsel and endeavours to get us to walk in the flesh. This is a natural reaction to our natural fallen state. It is at times like these that we are most vulnerable and sin comes a knocking. He will temp all in different areas, yet with the same objective, to get us to walk in unbelief and to fall in sin. It is what we fear the most that we will normally end up having to face. That is my familiarity, and I am not quoting scripture, that is just my opinion, which I have personally experienced.

When we are fearful what should we do? When fear comes upon us let us remember King Jehoshaphat’s example; he set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. He remembered the promises of God to our fathers and he brought to memory, through prayer, all of God’s great victories where He killed the enemy to save His people. We need to do the same with industriousness. We need to be vigilant when fear comes upon us, we must find grace through our resolve to walk in obedience. Our will must be His will. This thought is so overbearing but remember we need to only pursue His will for today. We need to chew only small chunks at a time; this is why we are instructed to walk one day at a time. It is an impossible task if we start worrying about next week and how we will overcome some upcoming event. Stop thinking like this and believe the Word of God and trust it. The Lord Jesus through Matthew teaches us; "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” May God have mercy and write this truth deep within our hearts. I believe the battle of faith is won or lost right here. O the cares of this life, why do we worry so? Forgive us father I pray!

As I tossed and turned last night with heaviness, whether in my dream or just through my thought patterns I cannot say, nevertheless I considered the brutal instruction God gave Israel in times past to destroy the enemy, leaving no one alive. When I considered this, on the surface it seems very harsh, young children being slaughter like animals, why? It then became clear, how can God allow that which is evil come against those He loves, that wouldn’t be love. Let me explain my findings; the enemy of God is Satan whose fruit is sin. So then to get God’s people to sin is the devils objective. God on the other hand sent His beloved Son to pay the price for sin. It was a onetime sacrifice. When we habitually sin in an area of our lives we walk in disobedience and unbelief is evident. So whatever causes us as God’s children to walk outside of Christ victory on the cross we must put off? “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.” If my eye does the work of the enemy why then should I keep it? It is better to tear it out; “it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.” Yes we have been sanctified by the blood of the Lord Jesus and we cannot earn our salvation that is a fact. However, Paul in the book of Romans poses these questions to us; “what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” By no means! “How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

We need to be diligent in carefulness, if you know sometime to be right and you do not do it, and then it is sin.

The reason God destroyed even the children when the Israelites overthrew their enemies was for this exact reason, SIN! If the children were allowed to live and through their lives influence God’s people and sin would eventually work its way into the camp. Remember that it was only Abraham’s descendants that had received the law. Before sin can take root it needs to be uprooted. That is why we are taught that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Ok you may say, but what about sin that has taken root in my life. The answer is not very pleasant but needful, “and if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.” I have heard but cannot verify its authenticity that some have literally applied this verse to their lives. That is very extreme I agree but what would be the better result, in hell with two eyes or in heaven with just one, you decide.

May the God of immeasurable mercies pour out His mercy on us His children so that we may find obedience to walk in our Saviour’s footsteps?

Signing off

Tyrone