He Always Attacks Your Back

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking who he may devour."

(1 Peter 5:8)

Several years ago, I read a story in the paper about a hunter who was hunting alone in the mountains near Elko, Nevada. A group of hunters found him, dead; his back half-eaten away. Apparently, a mountain lion had stalked and then killed him in a surprise attack. He never even had time to raise his rifle to defend himself.

He never saw the attack coming.

I regularly fish in a place known to be frequented by mountain lions. But I rarely, if ever, fish alone.

And for good reason...

I need someone to watch my back.

We must heed the warning from the writer of 1 Peter and be sober and vigilant because we have an adversary. And like the mountain lion in the picture above, he hides himself, lying in wait for those who carelessly stroll through life, trying to go it alone.

He always attacks your back.

Sheepherders lose wayward sheep who stray from the flock and wander away from the protection of the shepherd. The roaming lion seeks out the young, the sick, or the weakest members of the flock.

They never even see the attack coming.

No one was there to watch their back.

Honestly, I don't feel like going to church today.

Sometimes I get tired of hearing the same old stories. The same old songs can be boring. And at times, it all seems like a big 'show' to me.

But these thoughts are not from God—they are from our cunning and crafty adversary who seeks to deceive, separate, and destroy us.

Jesus said:

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." (John 10:10)

It is on days like today when I "just don't feel like going to church" that I truly need to be there the most.

Some people have forsaken gathering with the Body of Christ altogether, and they do so to their own hurt.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25)

When we stop gathering together with God's family, we are not being encouraged, or cheered on to love people, and do good for others who are in need. 

And we are not doing the same for our brothers and sisters. 

God made the Body of Christ—His family—to love one another, to watch out for each other, to care for one another, and to pray for each other. 

To watch each other's backs.

However, sometimes we unknowingly give ourselves over to our deceitful adversary who only comes to steal our joy, kill our fruitfulness, and destroy our relationships.

It's because we separated ourselves from the flock and fell to the back of the pack, where we made ourselves easy prey for the cunning lion who seeks to devour.

For these reasons, we must be sober—awake, alert and discerning. And we must be vigilant—watchful, on guard and attentive.

Our adversary Satan never boldly charges us head first.

—He always attacks your back.

God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Transform Your Vision

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

(Romans 12:1)

We've all heard that we should look at the proverbial glass as being half-full, and not as half-empty.

However, thinking positively by itself doesn't change things at all. 

You actually have to make a change—take action.

First, how about being thankful that you have something in your hand at all. And whether it is half-full, or has just a drop or two in the bottom, think of all the people who have absolutely nothing.

One of the keys to living a joy-filled life is to be thankful for what you have, and stop focusing on what you don't have.  

Last fall I had a life-changing epiphany that the root of unhappiness and depression is an inordinate self-focus.

But knowing that, I am still prone to falling into the self-focus trap every day. Whenever things get tough, it's easy to dwell on my circumstances and get depressed.

So what's the solution?

Transform your vision.

Change your focus.  

Stop dwelling on what you don't have and remember what you do have and give thanks for it.  Don't just "be" thankful, but give thanks.  There is a difference.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind—then you will be able to test and prove what God’s will is: His good, pleasing and perfect will."  (Rom 12:1-2)

There it is:  "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

What does that mean?

First, we need to change our wrong ways of thinking.

If we don't change our focus and direct it off of ourselves and our circumstances, we can never truly be transformed.  As Paul points out in the passage above, if we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, then we will be able to test and prove what God's will is.

What is God's will?

Jesus said,

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Next, after we change our wrong ways of thinking (i.e. repentance) then we need to replace those wrong thoughts and ideas with righteous thoughts and ideas. Start by spending time reading your Bible every day.

After spending time reading and absorbing God's Word, then we must act on what we have read—on our new way of thinking. This is what Paul means by saying "Then you will be able to test and prove God's what will is."

Specifically, set your focus on God first.  If you are a Christian—a follower of Jesus Christ—you have everything to be thankful for!  Thanks Jesus for what He has done in your life, praising Him, worshiping Him.

Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart (your desires and affection) all your soul (your will), all your mind (your thoughts), and with all your strength (your deeds and actions)."

And with all our strength (deeds and actions) He gives the second great commandment, which is like the first: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." - Test and prove God's will.

If we truly love God, we will love other people as much or more than we love ourselves, with a sacrificial love.

The Greek word is "Agape"—The God kind of love.

I guarantee you, if you are loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and then you are loving others as much or more than you are loving yourself, you won't have time to focus on your own problems or your circumstances.

Paul writes in Romans 12, that we are not to be conformed to the pattern of this world.  What does that mean?  

The world is constantly focused on "looking out for number one." Self-help books such as "Getting the Love That You Want" sell by the millions.  The world is always focused on self--not on loving God and not on loving other people as much or more than they love themselves.  Certainly not on loving God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength.

So, don't be conformed to that worldly, inordinate self- focus of always looking out for number one.

The acronym for J.O.Y. is to focus on:

Jesus first

Others second

Yourself last

Transform your vision today.

And then test and prove God's will for your life.

If you do this, you won't have time to focus on yourself and on your circumstances.

-You will experience J.O.Y.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

A Tale of Two Thieves

"Father, forgive them, for know not what they do."

—Jesus

As Jesus hung on a wooden cross, on a lonely hill outside the city of Jerusalem, on a dark, desperate day 2,000 years ago, crucified at the hands of Roman soldiers, who were compelled to do so by Jewish religious leaders, He prayed for those who nailed Him to His cross, and for those who falsely accused Him—having  wrongly betrayed Him unto death.

Jesus was crucified between two condemned thieves.

As Jesus suffered in agony on His cross, He prayed for His executioners and accusers: 

"Father, forgive them, for know not what they do."

You can read the entire account in Luke chapter 23.

One of the thieves hanging on a cross next to Jesus was named Gesmas.

Gesmas had been convicted of his crimes, and was sentenced to death by crucifixion, which was the most heinous method of Roman capital punishment at that time.

As he looked at Jesus praying for His betrayers, Gesmas blasphemed Jesus, saying:

"If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!"

No remorse or repentance was in the heart of Gesmas. Only pride and unbelief. 

His heart was so hardened by his own hatred and arrogance, Gesmas could not see the goodness of this innocent Man, hanging on a cross next to him. Jesus praying for His killers only enraged Gesmas.

The second thief hanging on a cross on the other side of Jesus was named Dismas.

Dismas was also convicted of his crimes and was sentenced to death by Roman crucifixion.

However, as we read the account of the crucifixion in Luke 23, we see an entirely different response from Dismas, as he hears Jesus praying for His executioners and betrayers, and he rebukes Gesmas:

"Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong!"

Dismas was repentant. He acknowledged that his punishment was just. He confessed that he had received the due reward for his crimes. He also reminded Gesmas that his own capital punishment was well deserved.

But Dismas did not stop there.

He then turned to Jesus and called out to Him:

"Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  

Dismas addressed Jesus as "Lord."

He acknowledged that Jesus is Lord, and he acknowledged before all who stood by, that Jesus was innocent.

"We receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong!"

And Dismas also acknowledged Jesus as King.

"Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."

Jesus—the King of kings and the Lord of lords—answered a remorseful and repentant Dismas:

"Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

In his last remaining moments on earth, Dismas' first and final act of worship was to acknowledge and address Jesus as Lord and King. His heart was remorseful and repentant. He confessed that his punishment was just. He confessed his guilt before the Son of God, who hung next to him on a cross.

And the promise from Jesus was he would assuredly be with his Lord and King that very day, in a place called Paradise.

The two thieves represent mankind as a whole.

We are all guilty in the sight of God. We all deserve the same brutal crucifixion that Dismas and Gesmas suffered.

Jesus died on His cross for both of these guilty men. He died for the sin of all mankind. He died for you, and for me.

Which of the two thieves represents you?

Will you harden your heart towards Jesus?

Or will you turn to Him, confessing your guilt to Him, and acknowledge and address Him as your Lord and King?

Will you see yourself as deserving of hanging on a cross next to Jesus?

Are you Dismas?

Or are you Gesmas?

You have to choose.

A Tale of Two Thieves.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

The Razor's Edge

"But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

—Jesus

When I was a kid, my dad used to impart fatherly wisdom to me by saying things like, "Do you have to walk off of a cliff to know that it's going to hurt when you hit bottom?"

Another favorite was, "Do you have to stick your hand in the fire to know that it's going to burn?"

These are no-brainers, right?

So, why do we—who have repeatedly heard Jesus' sayings—still choose to play with fire, thinking that somehow, we will not get burned?

Here is wisdom:

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, the will he also reap." (Galatians 6:7)

Here's some more:

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25).

That last one is written twice, once in Proverbs chapter 14, and again, word-for-word in chapter 16. God repeated it for a reason. It's because this is the most common folly of man. You know what you are doing is not right, but hey, it seems right to you, so you plunge right in, diving into the deep end of the sin pool.

What "way" have you chosen in your life that may seem right or feel right to you, but you know it is contrary to what God's Word says?

You know what it is.

And the two-fold promise of God's Word is that the end result of your choice is the way of death.

Could be physical death. Could be spiritual death. Could be the death of your marriage, or some other valuable relationship. Could be the death of your career, Or it could be the death of your peace, or your joy.

But make no mistake about it—it's consequential 'end' is the way of death.

And here's the tricky part—if you continue down this path, knowing that the way you have chosen is against God—eventually, He will deem you past the point of no return; "beyond repentance" and He will give you over to your sin.

And you're done.

There's no turning back.

Don't believe me?

"Pursue peace with all people, and holiness; without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears." (Hebrews 12:14-17)

Esau was a profane man. He had this amazing inheritance coming from his father because of his birthright, but he gave it all up for a bowl of meaty stew. He sold his 'sonship' for a moment of pleasure.

And afterward, he painfully tried to take it back and repent. But it was too late for him. It was done.

How about you?

You know what is right, and what is wrong. And you know that the way you have chosen may feel right to you, but in your heart, you know God is against it.

You are walking on the razor's edge.

And the end of your chosen way is the way of death.

You are playing with fire.

Is it too late for you? Are you beyond repentance?

—That's up to you.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Guard Your Heart

"But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

 —Jesus 

The heart is central to all things.

I once heard an old pastor teach that a wife is the protector of her husband's heart. He quoted from the book of Genesis (chapter 2:21-24) where God made Adam, and then said, "It is not good for the man to be alone." He then put Adam into a deep sleep and removed one of his ribs. And out of that rib, God created Eve to be Adam's wife.

What physically protects the heart in the human body?

The rib cage.

That pastor said he believes the rib God specifically removed from Adam, and then made Eve from, was the rib directly over Adam's heart.

God specifically made Eve to be a companion to Adam—to be the protector of her husband's heart.

It is absolutely critical for all Christians that we guard our hearts.

And for those who are married, you are to guard and protect the heart of your husband or wife. For many years, my wife and I have had a saying about our marriage that we are, "two hearts that beat as one."

So, in the context of marriage, since the man and woman "are no longer two, but they are one flesh", when you guard your own heart you are, in a manner of speaking, guarding your spouse's heart at the same time.

Jesus taught that murder, adultery and every evil thing begins in the heart.

"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." (Matthew 15:19)

As a new Christian, I remember the first time I heard the passage from Matthew 5 where Jesus says, "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart" I thought, 'how can that be?'

How can you be found guilty of adultery simply by looking at a woman that way, but you haven't physically committed the deed itself?

It's because God looks at the heart.

"For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

If you hate someone in your heart, to God it's the same as committing murder. If you lust after someone who is not your spouse, Jesus said you have already committed adultery with that person.

The moral of the story, is we must constantly guard our hearts against all attacks and temptations from the enemy of our souls, who daily comes against us, trying to undo what good work God has done, and is doing in our hearts.

How do we do that?

First, we are commanded to flee from youthful lusts.

"Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22)

So, when sin comes knocking at the door of your heart, don't take a few minutes to examine it, and see if it's as bad as it looks. Get the heck out of there!

And then seek out, and spend quality time with other followers of Christ—with "those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." God designed the Body of Christ to comfort, encourage and even admonish one another when needed.

Lone Ranger Christians don't survive for long out there, alone in a wilderness of self-sufficiency. Wolves or mountain lions always attack the weak or lone sheep at the back of the pack. There's safety in numbers. We need each other.

Also, we must walk in wisdom. As a wise old southern preacher once exhorted,

"If you know sin lies down that street—DON'T GO DOWN THERE!"

We all know what most easily tempts us and trips us up, and we know where it can readily be found. Don't go anywhere near it. The bible says:

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

The first step is to submit (surrender) yourself—your heart—to God. In so doing, you have taken the most important step in resisting the Devil.

Some of the best advice I ever heard given to us as Christians, is that we are never to try and do battle with Satan on our own. He is way more powerful than we are. We need only cling tightly to Jesus, and always keep Him between us and Satan. By doing so, Satan doesn't stand a chance.

You don't have the strength in your flesh to resist the Devil. So, do what Jesus did; quote Scripture at Satan when he tries to tempt you.

"Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But Jesus answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:3-4)

The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword." (Hebrews 4:12)

The Word is also called the "Sword of the Spirit."

"Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." (Ephesians 6:16-17)

Too many church goers today place far too little emphasis on the literal reading and observance of the Bible.  And they do so to their own hurt. If God says we can 'stand' in the face of spiritual attack by wielding His Word—the Sword of The Spirit—then why would people want to disregard the Bible as not being literal, or relevant for our modern culture?

What we feed our hearts with will determine what our hearts produce.

Fill your heart with God's Word, and mediate (chew on, digest) the things that are true, noble, just and pure.

But if I fill my heart with ungodly thoughts, entertainment, or images, then I am feeding the old sinful nature (the old man) and I will reap corruption.

"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." (Galatians 6:8)

A friend once said it this way: "Your old fleshly nature is the black dog, and your new spiritual nature is the white dog. The one you feed is the one that grows."

Finally, the most important and powerful way to guard you heart is through prayer to your Father in Heaven.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

The Bible is full of instances of "if's" and "then's."  God often exhorts us, "IF you will do this, THEN I will do that."

Do you want to have the peace of Jesus that far surpasses all understanding?

—Then don't worry about yourself. Be thankful to God and pray and ask Him for His wisdom and strength, and pray for the needs of others, and then He will give you the incomprehensible peace He promises you in His Word.

Do you want God to guard your heart and your mind through Jesus Christ?

—Goes without saying, right?

So, what do you do?

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Day of Departure

"The time of my departure is at hand."

(2 Timothy 4:6)

Recently someone very dear to me found a friend of his, who he had just seen 30 minutes prior, slumped over in his chair, dead.

Gone.

Without warning, his friend stepped into eternity.

During the last few days I have had three extremely close calls in my business travels on the road.

In three separate instances, semi trucks suddenly drifted over into my lane when I was directly alongside them. I had nowhere to go and could only pray and hold on for dear life.

Had God not intervened, preserving my life, I would not be here writing this today.

The point is, none of us know when our day of departure will be.

Death can be so sudden, and it is final. There is no coming back.

"Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us." (Luke 16:25-26)

If you suddenly stepped into eternity today, do you know where you would go?

Are you absolutely sure where your final destination is?

"There is no heaven or hell! When you die it's all over!" you might say.

However, I believe that your conscience tells you otherwise.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Human beings are the only species in whom God has placed a conscience, and an innate conviction that there is indeed life after death. He has placed eternity in man's heart.

And there are only two choices when it comes to a person's eternal destination: darkness—or light.

The solution to this problem is good news indeed. And in two thousand years, the message has still not changed. Straight from the mouth of Jesus Himself: He is the way—the only way.

No matter how good a person you think you are, God will not judge you based on your worldly standard of "good." He will judge you according to His absolutely perfect standard of good—which is Himself.

But because of the love and grace of God, you can step into eternal love and light, instead of eternal pain and darkness—if you will open your heart to Jesus the Son of God.

The last six thousand years of world history proves that man, left to his own devices, will eventually destroy this planet and destroy each other. In a moral sense, mankind is clearly not evolving, but rather, devolving.

The real question is—do you personally know where you're going? 

Do you know absolutely know for certain where your final destination will be, on that day you step into eternity?

As my son did for me, call those near and dear to you today—don't wait—and tell them you love and appreciate them. 

Don't leave anything important unsaid.

...None of us know when our day of departure will be.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Oil and Water

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?" 

(2 Corinthians 6:14-15)

No matter how carefully you try to blend them, no matter how vigorously you shake them up, try as you might, oil and water just don't mix.

Their chemical makeup is different. Their molecules are different. 

They were never meant to blend together.

God, who is sovereign, has designed all kinds of simple illustrations, in normal daily things like oil and water not mixing, for our learning—to save us from a whole lot of grief and pain. 

I once heard a wise man say: 

"Sin is not bad because it's forbidden—it's forbidden because it's bad."

We see something or someone that may look perfect for us, and we go to great lengths to justify it to ourselves, and then attain it. On the surface, this perfect person for you may look like you've finally found your "soul mate."

A trap is a trap because it doesn't look like a trap. It looks good to the eyes. It looks sweet to eat. It will make us wiser. 

But it's still a deadly trap.

Just ask Eve.

"Oh, you're just being legalistic!" you might say. "Surely God will bless this relationship, because we're just so right for each other!" you might add. Or, "She'll change, if I just love her with God's love she'll hopefully want to be a Christian too!" you might reason.

Why do you think that God would give such a command that we should not be unequally yoked together with (married to, dating) an unbeliever?

"To deliver you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words, who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God. For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead; none who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life." (Proverbs 2:16-17)

That last part is extremely sobering...

"None who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life."

Sin is progressive, and it's a very slippery slope. 

You may start out slow. "Oh, we're just making out, but we're not sleeping together!" you might say to yourself.

"Well, we're sleeping in the same bed together, but we're not having sex..." you might lie, trying to justify your sin to a concerned friend or parent.

And, speaking from personal experience, before you know it, you dove into the deep end of the sin pool and you can't get out. 

You're in way too deep.

Had the careless son only heeded the wise warning of his Father...

"My son, pay attention to my wisdom; lend your ear to my understanding, that you may preserve discretion, and your lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of Hell. Lest you ponder her path of life, her ways are unstable; you do not know them." (Proverbs 5:1-6)

In my own willful dive into the deep end of the sin pool of adultery, I did not heed the warnings from my Father to flee from the lips of an immoral woman. Her words were sweet as honey—music to my ears. Her convincing explanation that "God wanted me to be happy" were smoother than oil to my hurting heart, in the midst of a troubled marriage that wasn't very happy at the time.

But as the warning from my Father clearly states: 

"Her ways are unstable—you do not know them." And "Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of Hell."

I was so far gone in my own sin and rebellion against God and against my wife, that I was actually planning to marry this other woman, who I allowed myself to be convinced, was my 'soul mate.'  But it was a trap.

But, praise God, He kept speaking to my heart, drawing me to Himself, showing me that this other woman was a trap from Satan.

God gave my wife and I grace, love and forgiveness for each other, to come back together, and give our broken marriage to Him to fix.

However, had I not obeyed Him, the sad result would have been...

"His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray."  (Proverbs 5:22-23)

The man, or woman, who chooses to follow down the destructive path of sin and iniquity is caught in the cords of his or her own sin. It's like getting caught in a big spider web of your own choosing.

"Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he who does so destroys his own soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get, and his reproach will not be wiped away." (Proverbs 6:32-33)

Spiritual death would have been my fate, had I walked away from God. It would have been impossible for me to get out of the trap I dove into, if I wandered past the point of no return—beyond repentance.

"For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead; none who go there return."

I was in so deep, I almost didn't make it out alive. 

It was only by the grace of God, and a lot of people praying for me, and a close friend who got in my face, who rebuked me, and shook me out of my sinful slumber—that I am still here today, happily married to my wonderful wife, and loving and serving God.

Many don't make it out alive.

If you will hear your Father's voice today, and heed His wisdom and instruction, then discretion will preserve you.

Don't make the same mistake that I made. You may think you've found your soul mate. He or she may look like the "perfect person" for you.

But if he or she is not a born again follower of Christ—and you are—you will only bring grief, heartache and destruction upon yourself and upon others, if you choose to continue down a path of sin that your Father in Heaven has warned you about, and commanded you not to pursue.

Oil and water do not mix.

-They were never meant to.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.