INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD

There are many reasons for wanting to come into the presence of God, but here the emphasis is on our relationship with Him. It is about enjoying His fellowship in the Holy Place, but more importantly, giving Him our love.

Can anything compare with being in the Holy and Majestic presence of the Almighty God? There is nothing in all creation that can compare with this experience. The purpose of this page is to hopefully encourage and help those who have not had, or have seldom had, this amazing experience to find out what it's all about.
Psa 16:11 You will make Me know the way of life; in Your presence is fullness of joys. At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 
Strictly speaking, this verse is prophetic and refers to the life of Jesus and His sitting at the right hand of the Father after His ressurection, but for us too, in His presence is the fullness of joy!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

We are talking about coming into the very presence of God, our Heavenly Father, so the first thing that needs to happen is to make sure we've 'cleaned up'. Our Father is Holy and Righteous, so we need to make sure that there are no unresolved issues. I know that relationships with people can get pretty messed up sometimes, but we need to forgive those who need forgiving and ask for forgiveness from those whom we have offended, either intentionally or unintentionally. Often offence can come because our actions or words are misunderstood or misinterpreted. Where possible, this should be sorted out before attempting to come into our Father's presence. 
Luk 6:37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.

It is sin that seperates us from God, so having cleared the air with other people, we need to clear the air with Him. We are all guilty of sin, whether it be by deed or thought. Saying sorry to our Father is sufficient to clear things up. This is not to be confused with repentance. That is a whole different story.

HOW MUCH TIME?

There are no hard and fast rules. Personally I find an hour too short to enter into His presence and fellowship with Him, but it's a good place to start. Look at the clock and note the time. Choose to give Him a full hour, not one minute less. In that time you can sing, pray, read the Bible, talk to Him, whatever. If you haven't done this sort of thing before it can be really hard to fill the hour, but don't give up! Perseverence is the key to building up a relationship with God that will enable you to really enter into His presence.

If you can't manage it on your own, find someone who knows how to enter into His presence and go there together. 

INSTRUCTIONS FROM DAVID

I love Psalm 100.
Psa 100:1 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise to Jehovah, all you lands.
Psa 100:2 Worship Jehovah with gladness; come before His presence with singing.
Psa 100:3 Know that Jehovah, He is God. He has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Psa 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Psa 100:5 For Jehovah is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.

Look at verse 4. It starts off "Enter His gates with thanksgiving" and goes on to say "and into His courts with praise."

Let's look at it this way, giving thanks gets us into the gates. This is the only way into the courtyard.

In the picture below we see a Tabernacle in a courtyard. The courtyard is where the people and animals are but, in this exercise, we are going to imagine God being in the Tabernacle. This is our destination.

A THANKFUL HEART

A thankful heart is a real key. Being thankful to our Father in Heaven for being the awesome God that He is. Being thankful that Jesus came and gave His all, that we can know God. Thankful for health, parents, possessions, life, the stars in the night sky, the warmth of the sun, the beauty of nature. The list is endless. If you don't feel thankful, just start thanking Him anyway because He deserves it. As you thank Him your heart will respond.

When someone comes and thanks you for something you've done, don't you feel appreciated? The feelings we experience are the same sort of feelings God has. We have been created in His likeness and share the same sort of feelings that He has. When we thank God, He feels appreciated and He responds to us. This is the beginning of getting close to Him, or if you like, entering the gates. 

AND INTO HIS COURTS

Having entered the gates with thanksgiving, we enter His courts. Praise is a natural progression from thanksgiving. It wells up inside of us as a result of having a thankful heart. How awesome is our God who knows our very hearts and loves us so completely! Praise Him who is so full of understanding and grace!
Psa 9:1 To the Chief Musician. To die for the Son. A Psalm of David. I will praise You, O Jehovah, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvellous works.
Psa 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

There is much joy to be found in the courts of the Lord. A closeness which warms the very depths of our being, but this is not our final destination!

TO THE HOLY PLACE

In the Old Testament times the Tabernacle was the Holy Place that only the High Priest went into once a year to seek forgiveness on behalf of the people. When Jesus died on the cross the veil (door) of the temple (Tabernacle) was ripped on two.
Mat 27:51 And, behold! The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And the earth quaked, and the rocks were sheared,

In other words, when Jesus died He paid the price, once and for all for our sin. In so doing He gave as many as believe access to the Tabernacle, or the very presence of God.
1Ch 16:27 Glory and honor are in His presence, strength and gladness in His place.

It is our love for our Father that takes us into the Holy Place. This is not the place for prayer. It is not the place for making your requests known to the Lord. It is not the place for questions and intercession. It is not a place to get, but rather to give.

It is a place of intimacy. A place where hearts touch and love is shared. A place of mutual appreciation and giving of onesself wholeheatedly to the other. This is a place where we can reach out and touch the very heart of our Heavenly Father, giving Him the love and intimate fellowship He deserves and desires!

How tempting it can be, once in His presence, to ask for the things we want, or to pray for someone else, but to do so is to destroy the moment. This isn't about us or what we want. This is about giving our all to Him. Giving Him our undivided attention, giving Him our love. Let nothing detract from that beautiful intimacy that is so precious and beautiful.

THE REWARDS

I feel reluctant to mention the rewards that come from spending time with our Father in His Holy Place. It seems, to my mind, to detract from what it's all about. But the fact is that there are rewards for taking the time and making the effort to spend time with Him. The rewards are things like the wonderful Presence of Him who loves us remaining with us. The utter contentment of being loved. These things permeate through our very being, affecting everything we touch and everyone we see.

JOURNEY

Perhaps the Christian Journey should be called The Amazing Journey because there is nothing that can compare to it. It is truely an amazing one. It starts off with a decision to turn away from the "old life" and to start a new life with Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and then it begins. But where does it go?

THE MAP
God supplied us with a map. The map shows the journey the Israelites took in the Exodus from Egypt. This also shows church history and the journey our lives must take. It obviously doesn't take into account our personal details, but is an overview. I think it's awesome that God put this map together in such a way that it has real significance for us today, as I will attempt to explain.
I should point out that while doing my research I found that there are many versions of the route taken in the Exodus and even the borders are a bit hazy, so this is my interpretation which is not accurate, but will serve our purposes.

Map used with permission, courtesy of Google Earth

THE JOURNEY

The journey has many challenges, ups and downs. It is amazing how many events are depicted in the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised land. I have sectioned the map by colour and number to show the various ages of the church and the Christian life.

1. 
I think it is common knowledge that Egypt is seen as the era or period of sin for the Israelites because it was the time of their captivity, which was brought about by their disobedience. This red area of the map depicts the following:

Israel’s sin, ie separation from God because of sin. During this time Israel had a knowledge of God, but He was as a memory, or a religion. They had a hope that one day God would free them from their captors.

This is like the early church, such as the Anglican (I can use this curch as an example because I was brought up in the Anglican Church) :). They had a knowledge of God, but they only had a religion. There was no relationship as such. The early church set a platform for what was to come.

This is also like a person who has not yet found salvation. They have a knowledge of God to one degree or another, but don’t know Him. It’s like He is out of reach, far off in the Heavens. Built into the depths of man is the knowledge that there is more to life. It’s this inner knowledge that may one day lead to their salvation.

2. The Passover 
The green area shows Israel leaving Egypt. God led Israel out of captivity, thereby leading them into a new life. God had a direct influence in their lives in that He led them out of Israel and set them on their journey towards the Promised Land. 
Deu 16:1 Observe the month Abib, and keep the Passover to Jehovah your God. For in the month of Abib, Jehovah your God brought you forth out of Egypt by night.
Deu 16:2 And you shall therefore sacrifice the Passover to Jehovah your God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which Jehovah shall choose to place His name there.
Deu 16:3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction, for you came forth out of the land of Egypt in haste, so that you may remember the day that you came forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.

Salvation came to the churches such as the Salvation army and the Lutheran church sprang up. The new churches acknowledged salvation and embraced the ‘born again’ experience and fellowship with God. Repentance was preached in the church and people were ‘born again’ and entered into a relationship with God. At last they could know God instead of just knowing about Him.

3.The Israelites had to cross the Red Sea to escape their enemy. As the Israelites went through the Red Sea ondry land they escaped their enemy. God parted the sea so that the Israelites could cross on dry land. As their enemies tried to follow them God caused the water to return, thereby drowning Israel’s enemy.

New churches were founded, such as the Baptist, that taught repentance and baptism (as symbolised by the Red Sea crossing) for the remission of sin. The believer’s baptism by immersion was practiced as taught in the Scriptures.

Separation from sin was embraced by the church. People who were born again were now baptized into Christ. Another giant step forward as people not only got to know God, but were also baptized into Christ in obedience to Him. Baptism was and is both a public declaration of faith and a separation from sin.

4. PentecostThe Feast of Pentecost (Weeks) was held on the 6th day of the 3rd month to commemorate the giving of the Law. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the Pentecostal experience of today and separates us from the need of the Law because the law is written on our hearts, thus fulfilling the Law.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit saw huge revival and the onset of the Pentecostal churches such as the Assembly of God, Apostolic, Elim and many others. People started speaking in tongues and doing miracles, prophecying and other wonderful things as led by the Holy Spirit.
1Co 12:8 For through the Spirit is given to one a word of wisdom; and to another a word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;
1Co 12:9 and to another faith by the same Spirit; and to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
1Co 12:10 and to another workings of powers, to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; and to another kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues.

At this stage the Israelites were still wandering in the Wilderness. In fact the Wilderness journey continued right through to the Jordan River (all of the area in blue). I believe that on the map, 4 represents the birth of the Pentecostal Church. Pentecost is a wilderness experience!

5.This shows where the spies entered the Promised Land. They were chased out by the residents of the land at that time. God was sending a very clear message to the church. The only way to the Promised Land is by crossing the Jordan River. This is for a very good reason. 
6. This part of the map takes us to the edge of the Jordan River. Here the Israelites are faced with the challenge of not only crossing the Jordan, but also the giants and great armies living in the land that was promised to them.

The Jordan, translated The Desender is, according to the New Bible Dictionary, the deepest depression on the face of the earth. This is very significant because crossing the Jordan is the deepest experience that mankind has to face. When God asked me what the deepest experience we had to face was I answered Him death. Crossing the Jordan is a death experience. Not a physical death, but a death of the identity or soul. It is only through enduring death that you can be raised by the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead into the glorious ressurection. It is this death and ressurection experience that takes us from the wilderness of Pentecost to the wonderful Promised Land. 

7. Tabernacles
The Feast of Tabernacles remembered the time that the Israelites dwelt in tents in theWilderness. It also marked a whole new era. A new relationship with God in the Promised Land. A land where Jesus - Saviour, Lord, King of Kings, Prince of peace, Son of God, once again takes up His former identity as the Word of God. God Himself is Father, and we dwell in His very Presence.

If you haven't seen the PowerPoint presentation called Beyond Pentecost, which is found on the page Beyond Pentecost, can I suggest you take 10 minutes to have a look at it. In the presentation I share personal testimony of how God took me through the Jordan and what He taught me about the experience. It also shows the amazing truth about the 23rd Psalm and how it ties in with this teaching.

If you have any questions about this or want further information, please don't hesitate to ask. Email me atLes@all4god.net

The Future
God will have His way. The next great move of the Holy Spirit will be to take His people through the Jordan. I wonder when this movement will take off. I wonder too what it will be called. Perhaps the Tabernacle movement?

I believe the churches are like monuments that show what God has done in the past. They show the different moves of God. This is why it is my personal opinion that the Pentecostal churches will not receive this teaching, but God will raise up a new church. I also believe that the message needs to go first to the existing church before God raises the new one.

MUSTARD SEEDS

The Mustard Seed

How significant is the mustard seed? Scripturally it starts off as the tiniest of seeds and grows into a large tree that offers lodging and shelter to the birds and a rich herb for people. If you want to "spiritualise" it, you could say a place where angels dwell and the life experiences of people become very exciting. I know that that could be seen as taking liberties, but think about it. It's probably not too far off the truth.

Mat 13:31 He put out another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;
Mat 13:32 which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.

Faith Like a Mustard Seed

Mat 17:15 Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and grievously vexed; for oftentimes he falls into the fire, and often into the water.
Mat 17:16 And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.
Mat 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him here to Me.
Mat 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and he departed out of him. And the child was cured from that very hour.
Mat 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus apart, and said, Why could we not cast him out?
Mat 17:20 And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you.
Mat 17:21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Luk 17:6 And the Lord said, If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this sycamine tree, Be rooted up and be planted in the sea! And it would obey you.

Now we have to ask the question, has anyone seen any mountains or sycamine trees on the move lately? I personally have never seen a mountain or a tree move. Does that mean none of us have faith? Not at all. First up, we need to have a look at what faith is, and then compare it to the mustard seed.

Faith

The Bible tells us that Rom 10:17 Then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

I am going to use editors license here. In this verse Word is rhema. The Word (logos) of God is Jesus and that which comes from the living Word is rhema. So in effect, you have the person (logos), and what He says (rhema).

So in effect, when Jesus tells you something, or plants a seed in your heart, it will grow until it becomes something you can act upon. It's a bit like having a feeling that won't go away and when you do something about it, you discover that your feeling was absolutely right. When you know that it is Jesus telling you something or giving you wisdom, knowledge, word in season, prophesy etc, you can act upon it with the assurance that it is right. That is faith. Hearing what Jesus is saying to you and believing it.

The works of that faith is to do what Jesus is telling you to do. The fruit comes later when your obedience comes to fruition.

The Mustard Tree

A life of faith will start out small and, as you nurture it, it will continue to grow into something incredible. The faith that Jesus had came from His Father.

Joh 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son does likewise.
Joh 5:20 For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all the things that He Himself does. And He will show Him greater works than these, so that you may marvel.
Joh 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and makes alive, even so the Son of Man makes alive whomever He wills.

Jesus said that He did nothing except He saw His Father do it first. In those times when Jesus drew aside from the crowd and went to spend time with His Father (and ours), His Father showed Him the things He needed to do.

In like manner, as we draw aside to spend quality time with our Lord, so we also will be shown what to do. This may start of small (as the mustard seed) but will grow as we nurture our relationship with God.

We will indeed live an incredible life surrounded by angels and full of adventure. Mustard will be the very spice of our lives.

ISAIAH 9:6

THE PROPHECY

Ever since I can remember, this verse has puzzled me. It reads like this:
Isa 9:6 For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

THE QUESTION

This verse is obviously prophetic of the coming Messiah, Jesus, but I have a number of issues with it. The most obvious is that Jesus is the way to the Father (John 14:6), therefore how can He be called the Father? I also felt uncomfortable with Him being called mighty God, because that is one of the titles/names given to the Father.

I know that the Godhead is made up of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and these three are one (1John 5:7), but I know all three. I love and adore my Father with whom I have an intimate relationship. I worship, love and honour Jesus who is my Saviour and Lord, the One who brought me out of darkness and gave me life. I relish and love the Holy Spirit who guides me and makes known to me the things of God. So how does it fit to call Jesus the everlasting father?

THE VERSE REVEALED

We know that very often things are lost in translation, so I did some investigating. This is what I have found.

For to us a Child is born

This is pretty straight forward. A Child, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin. The Word of God was made flesh (John 1:14), and was born. Luke was a medical practioner or a physician in his day (Col 4:14) and it is written in his gospel that Jesus was born of a virgin (Luk 1:26-35). Even though Luke was not around during the time Jesus was, he obviously had no doubt about the miraculous conception.

to us a Son is given

Firstborn Son of God, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Born to save mankind from their sin and reconcile us to God so that we might also be sons of God (John 1:12).

and the government shall be on His shoulder

Literally, the government will be set against Him and upon His back as a heavy burden.

and His name shall be called Wonderful

His name. In the Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) languages a name is also a description of the very nature or character of the person. His name is not only the title He has, but is also who and what He is to us. The "shall be" indicates that He grows into this name.

Counselor

As One who grows to be a counselor He is One who gives wise counsel, even from the age of 12 (Luke 2:42-47).

The mighty God

This is another interesting passage. God (the Father) is the Almighty God (Gen 17:1) and Jesus is seen as mighty God. The difference recognises that the Son is not the Father.

The everlasting Father

This piece of the verse caused me most concern. How could the Son, who is the Way to the Father (John 14:6), also be the Father? When I found the answer to this is was like lights going on. Jesus is the everlasting Father of the Christian faith in the same way that Abraham was the Father of many Nations (Gen 17:5). He is NOT Father God.

The Prince of Peace

He is the Prince, head person (of any rank or class): - captain (that had rule), chief (captain), general, governor, keeper, lord, ([-task-]) master, prince (-ipal), ruler, steward (Strongs Dictionary H8323)

of Peace, From H7999; safe, that is, (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, that is, health, prosperity, peace: - X do, familiar, X fare, favour, + friend, X greet, (good) health, (X perfect, such as be at) peace (-able, -ably), prosper (-ity, -ous), rest, safe (-ly), salute, welfare, (X all is, be) well, X wholly.

SEEN JESUS, SEEN THE FATHER?

It is also interesting to note the statement Jesus made in Joh 14:9 Jesus said to him, Have I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And how do you say, Show us the Father?

The word 'seen' in this instance means to discern or perceive, rather than physically see. In other words, if they had perceived Jesus for who He was/is they would have also had an understanding or perception of the Father.

MARRIAGE

When we were married I chose to set you free,
I saw an individual who was in love with me,
My love for you was vibrant and very much alive,
And in our relationship I've never had to strive,

Freedom was given you to come and go my love,
To be your own person, flying like a dove,
The woman I fell in love with had so much appeal,
I cherished you my darling, my feelings so very real.

But now things have changed, I have a different view,
The meaning of the word love is altogether new,
I am rediscovering what love is all about,
You have enlarged my heart, of that there is no doubt.

I love you with all my heart, completely and so true,
Praising God every day for uniting me and you,
You are a free person with your own mind and will,
And I am so thankful that you choose to love me still.

Just a thought.......... If you want to be loved, be loveable! :)

Marriage, blessing or not?

Marriage is a beautiful way to totally include the one you love in your life in every way, but it also allows you to be included in their life in every way. Because people are different and have different ideals, standards, interests and perceptions, it is not hard to imagine that there would be some difficulties along the way. True to form, God has set out a blueprint for marriage that will lead to success in this very complex relationship. Even marriages that are going through hard times can be set right using God's blueprint, although it's best to apply the blueprint before things get out of hand.

It's always easier to see things in hindsight and I have learned much from a failed marriage and the lessons I have learned I am now applying to my current marriage with great success. One of the things I have learned is that divorce is definitely not a good option. It destroys lives, especially those of the children involved, no matter how old they are. I don't think the destruction caused by divorce ever goes away.

Individuals

It is important to recognise each other's individuality. The best thing you can do for your spouse is to give them the freedom to be themselves. By doing this you enhance their beauty and they will love you all the more for it. Give your spouse the opportunity to have their own life. Because they love you their own life will include you and your relationship will be all the richer for it. Two individuals who are free will enjoy love as only those who are free can. This love is what will bond the two together.

The moment you try to control or manipulate your spouse, or make them "submit", you are killing any opportunity for love to flourish.

Divorce

Scripture tell us that
Mat 19:8 He said to them, Because of your hard-heartedness Moses allowed you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. 
I know that things can get pretty tough when things go wrong in a relationship, but Jesus said that divorce was allowed because of our hard heartedness. Can I suggest that if a marriage is not as good as it should be, then both should search their hearts before God to see if there is any hard heartedness there. Things like unforgiveness can be very destructive.

For the sake of this exercise, let us rule out divorce as a bad option and look to what a marriage could be with God's blueprint applied. I know that God is well able to restore any marriage. 

The Blueprint

God's blueprint for marriage is often misunderstood and has been the cause of much hardship in marriages. Can you imagine being in a relationship where the woman is commanded to obey and submit to the husband, no matter what? Or what about when the wife remembers everything that the husband has ever done wrong? It was NEVER meant to be this way! God knows that men and women are different. He created us that way and He also made a way for us to be able to enjoy our differences. When understood, God's blueprint makes for a vibrant and harmonious relationship that is fulfilling and uplifting for both people.

Become part of the answer

Whenever we are faced with problems, especially with other people, we can choose to become part of the problem by condemming them, or part of the answer by praying for them and working alongside them to overcome the problem. Most people who are faced with a problem area in their lives will welcome the opportunity and support to overcome the problem.

In order to do justice to God's blueprint for marriage, we need to split this into two sections. One for men, the other for women. 

For men and for women

The best way to change your husband/wife, is to change yourself and become the person who blesses them and gives your best to them no matter what. Good breeds good and bitterness breeds bitterness, but one person choosing to change can change things for both. Give the hurts and disappointments to God and continue to pray. Never give up hope.

God bless.

SEVEN DEADLY SINS

I woke up one morning with seven deadly sins very much on my mind. I had never heard of them before as such, but God was telling me to put the seven deadly sins on this website. I have a tendancy to err on the side of caution, so rather than rush into things I first browsed the net to see what I could find. I was amazed that there is so much about the seven deadly sins out there. Still not totally convinced of the Scriptural authenticity of naming the seven sins as such, I checked it out with my Pastor. He gave it the thumbs up, so here we are. Sorry Lord, for taking so long to obey.
	The Sin	Opposing Virtue
	PridePride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity. Pride and vanity are competitive. If someone else's pride really bothers you, you have a lot of pride.	HumilitySeeing ourselves as we are and not comparing ourselves to others is humility. Being happy with who we are because that's the way God made us. Knowing that God has begun a good work in us, but will continue it until the day Jesus returns. It is also being happy for those who are better than us.
	EnvyEnvy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, assets or situation. It fails to be content with God's provision, and looks to materialism to give satisfaction in life, rather than allowing God to be God of their life. Envy resents the good others receive or even might receive. Envy is almost indistinguishable from pride at times.	Love "Love is patient, love is kind…" Love actively seeks the good of others for their sake. Love is not self seeking, but rejoices in the success and well being of others. Love will happily work towards the betterment of others. Love is kind, considerate, patient, generous and has many other attributes.
	Gluttony Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires. It delights in excess, whether that excess be food or drink, or some other form of indulgence.	Temperance Temperance accepts the natural limits of pleasures and preserves this natural balance. This does not pertain only to food, but to entertainment and other legitimate goods, and even the company of others.
	Lust Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body. This includes cravings for sex, pornography, and even looking upon a member of the opposite sex with desire. Lust is the self-destructive drive for pleasure and has a tendency to become obsessive and is likely to earn the offender the title of 'creep' or worse.	Self Control Self control is best achieved by putting God in His rightful place in your life. There are many pleasures to be had in life, and when these are in their rightful place they are enjoyable from a selfless point of view. Self control allows one to enjoy healthy relationships with God and other people.
	Anger Out of control anger is dangerous and destructive to all involved. Left uncontrolled anger can flair up with little provocation. It leaves the angry person with little self control and can easily end with violence or other regrettable results. It takes a selfish view rather than a Godly view of the circumstances that provoke it.	Kindness Kindness takes the time to look at a situation objectively, looking for the opportunity to gain the very best results from a situation. There is such a thing as 'Godly anger', but this is controlled and has God's stamp of approval. Often it is best to walk away from a situation that makes us angry until we have had time to pray about it and think it through. Anger, given over to God, usually results in patience and understanding.
	Greed Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness. Once again, it is self seeking and has little or no consideration for others. It is never satisfied and always desires more. Greed wants to get its "fair share" or a bit more.	Generosity Generosity is more interested in meeting the needs of others than in personal gain. It gives, taking no credit for giving, but rather, giving glory to God. It is happy to work behind the scenes without receiving the credit.
	Sloth Slothfulness is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work. It often lies in late in the mornings and is late going to bed. It achieves little and will go to great lengths to avoid anything resembling work. It degrades a person emotionally and spiritually. It often suffers from boredom, but is too lazy to do anything about it.	Zeal Zeal is the energetic response to life with a relationship with God being at the fore. It delights in being actively involved in life and all it has to offer. It is usually happy and enthusiastic, having a positive uplifting effect on those that it comes in contact with.

The seven deadly sins are very real and the greatest problem with them is that they become as God to the people that have them. They are obsessive and controlling and will, in time, destroy those that they control.

God has given us an answer in Jesus Christ. A life surrendered to God will eventually take on the attributes of God, leaving the unhealthy sins behind. For more information on how to achieve this God centered life, please go to this page.

The Bible says
James 4:7 Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

It is a good idea to put some thought into an area that causes you concern and to plan an escape route. When temptation confronts you there is a moment where you can say no before giving into it. Resist the temptation and use the escape route while you can. The escape route could be something such as making a phone call, going for a walk, playing a game or the like. You could also opt to spend time with the lord in prayer or praise and worship. The choice is yours, but I would encourage you to put some thought into your escape route before temptation comes your way again.

If you are a Christian and recognise that you need help with one or more of these areas of sin then it would be wise to talk to your Pastor or Minister, or and elder at your church. If these options are not available to you, then please feel free to email me and I will pray for you and help you as much as I am able.

OF INCENSE AND CAT SPRAY

This is Fraidy. We first met around 1999. He had obviously been mistreated by someone as no one could get near him. Some of the neighbours used to leave food out for him and he would timidly creep around at night eating what he could find. Then, one day as I was hanging out the washing, he stood some distance off and spoke to me. He said "I'm lonely, but I am also very afraid." Yeah, I know cats don't really speak, but nevertheless, that's what he was saying. So I stopped what I was doing and sat down on the doorstep and spoke softly to him for quite some time before he plucked up the courage to come over to me. Even then, the slightest movement would send him running for cover. He really was a fraidy cat, hence the name.

Adopted

It took about a month for Fraidy to pluck up the courage to actually spend some time with me and let me pet him. As courage grew he ventured inside and even sat on the couch. Not too long after that he adopted me and I became his human. He was still very much a fraidy cat though and if anyone came to the door he disappeared very quickly.

Today he is the devoted follower of anyone who will give him attention and will sit on any lap that's available, but mostly prefers mine.

Freaked out

When Fraidy first moved in with me I very quickly discovered that he had to have an escape route. If he was unable to see a way out he would run frantically around the room, eyes wide, belly low to the ground and very nervous. I got into the habit of leaving the window open and he was happy.

Unwelcome visitors

Of course, leaving the window open was an open invitation for other cats to come in as well. I only saw a couple of other cats come in and it was hard to discourage them without upsetting Fraidy.

The stench

It had to happen, one morning I woke to the stench of cat spray in the flat. I don't know if Fraidy was responsible for that, or if it was one of the other cats, but I do know that the flat stunk for days! It was such an offensive smell that I couldn't stand being in the place. The window got shut for a few nights and Fraidy was limited to daytime visits. In the daytime of course every window and door was wide open to try and get the stench out of the place.

Incense

Incense is first mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 25:6 and was used to bring a sweet fragrance into the Tabernacle of God. They even had an altar to burn the incense on and burning the incense was part of the worship to God, which was done every morning and it would continue to burn throughout the day. The incense had to be exactly according to God's recipe and no strange incense was allowed to be burned at the altar.

The burning of incense was used repeatedly throughout Biblical history to make ammends for wrong doing and often turned God's hand of judgement aside.

Of incense and cat spray

The offensive smell of cat spray is like the sin that we all too readily engage in. It is an offensive smell to God and causes Him to turn aside from us. The effect often lasts days.

On the other hand, the prayers of the saints arise as incense to the Lord Rev 5:8 And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having harps and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Therefore, let us be careful not to cause offense to God, becoming as a stench to Him because of our sin, but let our relationship with Him, and our conversation with Him, be as a sweet smelling fragrance that brings delight to His heart.

Remember that no-one has ever loved us more than God, and the greater the love, the more easily one is hurt. But it is also important to know that the greater the love, the greater joy there is in a right relationship.

It's our choice. We can be as incense or cat spray to the Darling of our lives.