“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them [graven images], nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me” (Exodus 20:5 KJV). The sins of the parents are punished in the children, though it now becomes the children committing the sins. When we actively engage in the same sin as our parents, we become guilty of a collective sin. Then, it is appropriate to confess and repent of our collective sin. God gave permission for the children to be tempted and afflicted by the sin of their parents. Why to the third and fourth generation? Poetic prose? Sin is a hard thing triggering God’s anger, but “His anger endureth but a moment” (Psalm 30:5), moderating unto the third and fourth generation, demonstrating His mercy. Parents, leave no unconfessed, impenitent sin to plague your children, for they will be tempted to imitate you and likewise be punished.
Springboard for Temptation
What’s Wrong With Hedonism?
To begin, what is hedonism? “HEE” + “duh” + “ni” + “zuhm” A devotion to pleasure or happiness as its highest good is hedonism. “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things” (Philippians 3:19 KJV). As a created being, our purpose cannot be for the service of self as our highest pleasure, but the service of God. Not just philosophically but practically and functionally, we cannot seek pleasure simply for the sake of pleasure. Disciples do not seek merely the fulfillment of our senses, but the fulness of God. “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Allow not the satan’s temptation to substitute your God given needs for your reason for existence. Only the Spirit of God can keep us safe. LORD, keep Your people as the apple of Your eye focused upon You, the apple of our eye. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
Voice of God: In Our Thoughts
We need to quit treating our thoughts as if they were our own creation and comprehend they come from God. “The thoughts of the righteous are right” (Proverbs 12:5 KJV). It may startle us to think this since often in the past we have stifled good thoughts and replaced them with idle thoughts, which serve only as the springboard for temptation then sin. But, the “thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness [Hebrew, môthâr, profit, abundance]” (21:5), because they flow from the mind of God. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end [Hebrew, literally, ‘a future and a hope,’ the future you hoped for, ‘future filled with hope’ (NET)]” (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV). If we want to keep the conversation going with God, we must acknowledge and honor God in all our thoughts. Amen?
We Need A Miracle 