Passions, Pitfalls and Plenty of Prayer

Exodus 20 tells us what God commands His chosen people:

1. Only have ONE God….THE ONE true God
2. Do not have any idols
3. Do not say the Lord’s name without respect
4. Remember the Sabbath Day
5. Honor and respect your parents
6. Do not KILL
7. Be FAITHFUL to your spouse all the days of your life
8. Do not take things that do not belong to you
9. Do not LIE and gossip about people
10. Do not yearn and pine for things that belong to others…do not be JEALOUS

These are directed at YOU…and at ME…they aren’t “old” laws or just for Biblical stories…God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow….UNCHANGING!! His laws don’t change either!

WOW…what would it look like if we took The Ten Commandments seriously and made them apply to our daily lives?!

1. I love God…MY God…MY Heavenly Father…there is no room for other gods…PERIOD.
2. Idol-noun-something worshiped or adored; Idolize-verb-to admire with excessive admiration or love. Idols can come in MANY forms: people, possessions, passions…they can be pitfalls…if a relationship, Facebook, drugs, alcohol, food, tv series, ETC have a high ranking position in your life…and God is NOT placed higher than those things….there is a problem!
3. Saying, “Jesus Christ” as a curse word…or “GD”…or any other variation of these is DISRESPECTFUL…it is rude and disobedient…and not submissive to Him.
4. Sundays (or your designated Sabbath Day), should be for church, church activities, spending time with family, reflecting on all His goodness in your life…not cleaning the house, catching up on work for the office, not doing homework, not being stressed…you should rest in Him.
5. Even as an adult, you should have a high regard or respect for your parents…even with their mistakes, short-comings and imperfections….they are your earthly parents that your Heavenly Father hand-picked for YOU…His child…He makes no mistakes!
6. People and animals are God’s creation and He has numbered their days…no one else gets to decide that!
7. “Monogamy” (the state of being married to one person; having one sexual partner; the habit of having only one mate) and “monotonous” (lacking variety) do not have to go hand-in-hand
8. If it wasn’t a gift or you didn’t earn it…it’s not yours…don’t take it!!
9. Don’t say mean things about someone. Don’t fill someone’s head with negative stuff about another person. Didn’t your mama tell you, “If you can’t say something nice…don’t say anything at all”?! That’s pretty good advice right there!
10. We all have desires, wants, wishes, goals, and dreams….but be happy for others’ accomplishments and the goals they have reached….God has a perfect plan…He makes NO mistakes…wait for those BLESSINGS…they will come in His time.

I would love to say that following and obeying the Ten Commandments are not an issue for me…But I would be LYING!

I might have idols…I love my alone time with my coffee…I love wine, I adore books, SHOPPPING!!!!…quite possibly my favorite past time, I have so many tv shows and movies that I could spend a large chunk of my day in front of the “boob tube”….food…especially at the holidays…I definitely don’t “eat to live.”

There are many times when I have probably killed people with my words

I am jealous (covet) when others have something “cool” or I think I deserve it more than them. I WANT, I WANT, I WANT…I want a new house, I want the kind of marriage they have, I want her face/body, I want what I don’t have….and maybe I never will…I must be content in all circumstances.

Yesterday was a Sunday (Sabbath Day), and I was gone from my house from 9am until 6pm…I DID go to church, I did do a few nice things for other people, I was with my kids; but my husband…our provider and protector, was on an airplane to get to a business meeting; we were BUSY all day and hardly RESTED in HIM at all.

My earthly daddy has passed away, but my mom is still (thankfully) in my life….but I have been disrespectful, unappreciative, unforgiving and unsympathetic...to both of them…it doesn’t matter the reason why…they are my parents and I should honor and respect them…we can disagree without being disrespectful or rude!

I am so ashamed to say that I have listened to gossip, I have offered gossip and even been the target of gossip and it is so evil…nothing good comes from it at all!

I have NEVER cheated on my husband…in the literal sense, BUT…I have lusted after actors, people I encounter everyday catch my eye, there are even some CHRISTIAN rock stars that are HOT!! Matthew 5:28 is very clear, “But I say to you anyone who looks at another lustfully has committed adultery in their heart.”

And these are just a FEW of my failures and mistakes…I am a sinner.

Romans 3:10-“No one is righteous-not even one”…this applies to me, you and all of humanity….however, Hebrews 12:2-3 says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and PERFECTER of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” The battle has already been won….we just need to “fight the good fight of faith”-1 Timothy 6:12. It may seem down right impossible, but nothing is impossible without Him. (Luke 1:37)

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