Category Archives: Proven Path Ministries

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

The In’s and Out’s

Well ladies it is five days until the 33 day challenge is scheduled to begin… are you ready… whose in with me?

One of the quotes of Shannon Ethridge that I read in her book Every Woman’s Battle was this: “who I really am isn’t the Shannon the world sees, but the person my family sees.”

Don’t we all have a tendency to put on a smile and be all polite when there are those around we want to think highly of us… then we come home and we just let the frustrations fly… they fly all over our spouse, they fly all over our kids, they fly all over our parents, and possibly even other extended family.

I used to have those moments alot… I would be totally worn out from trying to keep up a good face and front with those outside of my home so no one would notice that I was struggling… then come home and hear Momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, just one too many times and then boom, SNAP!, over someone needing help tying a shoe… or something else simple like that.  Or you might find me blowed up and pouting, as I slammed dishes in the dishwasher, loudly closed cabinet doors, and hid in the bedroom for several hours folding clothes or cleaning the bathroom as I worked out a good mad at my husband for doing or saying something that hurt my feelings and ticked me off.

It has taken me almost thirteen years of  marriage and my youngest baby being seven, to finally understand that my family deserves the best of me as much as (and even more than) the rest of the world. I signed up for this wife and momma gig… I can’t stomp around like a wild madwoman when I actually have to push myself to carry out this great commission of womanhood.  

Now granted my family is going to see the worst of me. I mean they see all of me, all the time, and it ain’t all always so good. But my point being they don’t deserve to see only the worst of me simply because I know they are going to love me anyway… they deserve as much of the best of me as I can give them, simply because they are willing to love me at the worst when others would have already walked away.

Who I am is who I am at home, behind my closed doors, with those who are trapped here with me.

That is the In’s.

Now the Out’s.

Just as who I really am is who I am in my home who I also really am is who I am out of my church. You know the one that goes to Target. The one that calls AT&T on the phone with a DSL modem not working. The one that goes to work during the week (or to school), or the one that’s been sitting in the doctor’s office for my appointment that was two hours ago… that’s who I really am.

I mean really, anyone can pull off saint-hood for a couple of hours on Sunday morning when only surrounded by other people who are also all on their best behavior… 

So as you look at the in’s and out’s… who are you really. Is this the person you want to be? 

Here is one of the awesome things about God… He never changes. He is who is no matter where He is. As we are being conformed into the image of Christ, by growing in the grace and knowledge of God and by being sanctified by His Word… then we too should be becoming women and men who do not change. We should be who we be no matter where we are. We should represent the name Christian with integrity.

May the Lord never stop growing me, us, into the image of His Son.

Devotional Studies Through the Bible, Proven Path Ministries

Look To The Light

 

Then the LORD said to Moses,

‘Stretch out your hand toward the sky,

that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt,

even a darkness which may be felt.’ 

Exodus 10:21 

 

Have you ever been in a place that was so dark that you lost your sence of stability? A place so dark that you could not even make out the shadow of your hand? A darkness so thick that for a sudden moment it felt as though you were suspended in time and air, without a body and form? This darkness that can even be felt I have experienced both physically and emotionally.

Darkness that can be felt is a heavy thing. The weight of emotional darkness can quickly become unbearable. It can feel as though Satan himself as laid himself upon you, suffocating you with his presence. It’s a place where you can find yourself in the fetal position in the middle of a floor with your ears covered and your eyes closed and your heart gripped in a fear that you cannot even explain.

Darkness is a powerful thing and something about it stills even the most courageous heart. In 1 John 1:5 the Word declares, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” How thankful I am for the absolute truth of this verse.

Now, here in this ninth plague God is on the brink of reaching His climax with Pharoah.

This plague of darkness is an attack on the Egyptian god known as Ra. Ra was known as the sun god. He was believed to be the father of all Pharoahs. He was the most universally worshiped god in Egypt and was represented in both upper and lower Egypt. He was worshiped as the father of creation. In this ninth plague the True Creator is going to make Himself clearly known.

The true Creator, Eliohim, had been watching over Egypt from the beginning. It was He always who had taken care of the nation of Egypt, yet they gave their worship to false gods. “However at that time, when you did not know God, or rather to be known by God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.” (Galatians 4:8) The nation of Egypt, the people of Egypt, did not understand that they were sharers in demons, “they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.” (1 Corinthians 10:20). Their true Creator is trying to set them free. One plague at a time, He is destroying their faith in these false gods that hold them in chains.

God is Light and in Him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5). When this thick darkness fell upon the land of Egypt, light still shone upon the land of Goshen. For three days the darkness was so thick upon the Egyptians that they could not see one another, and no one even rose from their place (Exodus 10:23). I believe that where ever they were when the darkness fell is where they stayed. Yet Israel had light.

The Egyptians would know that it was not their sun god, Ra, who provided light for them. It was not this demonic hawk headed figment of man who created the earth and caused the sun to shine. It was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was the God of Moses and his Hebrew brethren. It was the “I AM”

I don’t think that God had to send darkness upon the nation of Egypt, I believe God simply made them aware by opening their eyes to the darkness they were already in “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may recieve forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:18) God desired to rescue them from this domain of darkness and transfer them into His kingdom (Colossians 1:13). He wanted them to become children of Light (Ephesians 5:8).

Oh precious one, are you walking in the Light? “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

God is Light and in Him there is no darkness.

Dear friend, if you have found yourself in darkness, look to the Light.

Do not remian huddled in a ball of fear. Do not believe that you are without form. Do not remain in the domain of darkness. If you have discovered yourself to be blind, to be in a darkness so thick that you cannot see, then cry out to Christ for sight (John 10:39-41). There may be darkness in Egypt, but there is light in Goshen!

 Oh Father,

 There was light in the land of Goshen. Goshen in Hebrew means “drawing near.” Oh Father may I never forget that light is found in drawing near to You, for You are Light and in You there is no darkness. Thank You for rescuing me. Thank You for making me aware of the darkness that I was in so that I could see the light.        

My Jesus, it’s in Your name I pray,

Amen

 

Proven Path Ministries

>Moving to a New Place

>I am just letting everyone know that I am moving my blog. You will now be able to find me at Proven Path Ministries. I have loved my Blogger… the move is to a personally owned site as I step forward in this ministry and to whatever God has called me to do in each day.

Also, being an approval addict, this new site does not have “followers” or “stats” so it will save me from the heart dropping condemnation I experience when I see no new followers or worse… when I see that I have been “unfollowed”. It also will keep me from constantly stopping by the computer just to see if anyone is reading my posts and what countries they are from.

I don’t write for the glory of me, but for the glory of God and the building up of His church. I have to be reminded of that constantly… as I catch myself too easily seeking approval and validation from those who are not my Lord and Savior.

Devotional Studies Through The Bible will continue.
Confessions of a Christian Housewife will continue.
Proven Path Ministries will encompass these as well as eventually will make available several Bible studies I have written as I have taught and studied.

I hope you will continue to join me and share in this ministry with me.
I pray that I will be able to continue to encourage you…

Many blessings in Christ to you all!

Book Reviews, Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

>Every Woman’s Battle Review

>I received Every Woman’s Battle through the Blogging for Books program. I poured over this book. I have had a passion for purity since the day I was wholly surrendered to Christ. I was a complete failure in this area and I reaped the consequences. My heart’s desire has been since to do all that I can to give others the info and encouragement they need to not go through what I went through and to help them realize that there is hope if they are where I was.

What I love about this book is that she brings sexual integrity back to where it begins… the mind. Most women think that if they have not crossed whatever line they have written in the sand then they are living a pure life… but then they wonder why they struggle if they haven’t “done anything”. Sexual purity and integrity is so much more than physical sex… physical sex (outside of marriage) is not where the battle begins… that is where it is lost.

I have often wondered how I ended up traveling the path I did when I had such a wonderful father… and then I read this:

“I recognized that I was looking for love, approval, and acceptance from every authority figure in my life except my real father and my heavenly Father.” ~ Shannon Ethridge

When I read this quote it took my mind to the book of Isaiah.

Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils;
For why should he be esteemed?
Isaiah 2:22
 
I realized that I had stopped looking for approval in my father’s eyes… and my Heavenly Father’s eyes and began looking for approval from mere man. This is when my life went of course in a major way. I know now that this is when it began. How thankful I am for the grace and unconditional love I have in both my earthly father and my Heavenly Father… and yes today, my husband. 
 
Every Woman’s Battle is a must read for every woman, it really is.
If you feel you are alone in a struggle… after reading this you will realize that you are not alone.
 
The last thing you want to do is keep your struggle in the dark. We are to expose what is hidden in the dark and the love of the Light of Christ will heal us… always. When David cried out to God in the psalms he cried out for God to go deep and dig out whatever was hiding in the darkness of his heart.
 
 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way. 
Psalm 139:23-24
 
This book, along with another that I read right before it, has inspired me to do a thirty-three day challenge with any one who would like to join me. I will be using the study that comes with this book combined with the other that I read, What Are You Waiting For by Dannah Gresh.
 
In this challenge I hope that we will allow God to go deep and dig into our hearts and expose all our anxious thoughts and hurtful ways so that we might turn to Him and be healed. 
Feel free to join me 🙂
 
*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

One Flesh

>

In the intensive care unit of Marshalltown’s hospital, nurses knew not to separate Gordon and Norma.
“They brought them in the same room in intensive care and put them together — and they were holding hands in ICU. They were not really responsive,” said Dennis Yeager.
Gordon died at 3:38 p.m. holding hands with his wife as the family they built surrounded them.
“It was really strange, they were holding hands, and dad stopped breathing but I couldn’t figure out what was going on because the heart monitor was still going,” said Dennis Yeager. “But we were like, he isn’t breathing. How does he still have a heart beat? The nurse checked and said that’s because they were holding hands and it’s going through them. Her heart was beating through him and picking it up.”
“They were still getting her heartbeat through him,” said Donna Sheets.
At 4:48 p.m., exactly one hour after Gordon died, Norma passed too.

Read more: Couple Married 72 yrs Dies Holding Hands

 
 
The man said,
   “This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother,
and be joined to his wife;
and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:23-24
Poetry, Proven Path Ministries, Uncategorized

ABC Poem of Praise

I wrote this as I was studying through the book of Psalms and learned that some of the Psalms had been written with each line beginning with a letter in the Hebrew alphabet…

Almighty God, in You do I trust.
By Thy hand I am guided,
Comforted by Thy touch.
Deliver me, my Father
Encompass me in Your arms.
For in Thee, my LORD, I shall not remain in harm.
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Honored is Your name.
In Thee be all majesty in glorious display.
Justice and righteousness alone are found in You.
Kindness and mercies,
Love, every morning they are new.
Mighty and awesome, before Thee I bow,
Not a God besides You,
O LORD, in Thee all things be, in, from, and through.
Peoples and nations shall one day Your name confess.
Quickly come my Saviour,
Redeem Thy saints from all distress.
Salvation is found in Thy name alone.
True is Your word, perfect is Thy law,
Upright are Your judgments, before Thee I fall.
Victory is found in Jesus Christ my Lord.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain before the world.
Xplained by all creation, for creation Thy did create.
You uphold all things by the power of Your word.
Zion is Thy mountain, O come my King and reign!

Proven Path Ministries, Uncategorized

God Doesn’t Swing

This FB status lost me a few FB friends…

If you are married to Jesus (Eph 5:31-32), why are you still having sex with the world (Jam 4:4), God doesn’t swing!!(Heb 10:26-31, Ex 34:14)

So I followed the status with a FB note:

In the Scriptures God refers to Israel as His wife and the Church as the bride of Christ. God first instituted marriage in the beginning. It is the first blood covenant recorded in Scripture. When a man and a woman are joined together as “one flesh” there is in this act the shedding of blood. This act was designed to take place under the marriage covenant, the seal of this covenant being the shedding of blood that occurs at first intercourse.

A covenant is a lifelong binding agreement. That is how God designed marriage. One man, one woman, one flesh, one life. This marriage covenant has and always will be one of God’s illustrations of His relationship with man.

When Israel entered into her covenant with God at Mt Horeb it was inaugurated with blood from that moment on God referred to Israel as His wife. When Christ shed His blood on Calvary it was His blood that inaugurated the new covenant by which we are redeemed, justified, and become from then on His betrothed.

In the Old Testament Scriptures Israel’s unfaithfulness to God is spoken of as harlotry, as adultery. A wife unfaithful to her Husband. You can read the books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea so many of the prophets and you see the truth illustrated.

In the New Testament Scriptures the church as the bride of Christ is there in Ephesians, Revelations, and weaved in and out throughout the books of the New Testament. Don’t take my word for it, read it for yourselves.

So therefore if we are married to Jesus why should we be having sex with the world. In other words, bride of Christ, why are we intimately joined, playfully engaged, flirtatiously indulged, sensually entertained, by those things that we sought forgiveness, this world that held us captive, this flesh, this nature, that put our Bridegroom on the cross?

There is a difference between willful and unwillful sin.
God knows the difference, and I believe so do we.

James 4:4 calls those who play with the world adulteresses. You cannot be a friend of this world and a friend of God. You cannot sleep with the enemy and sleep with the Friend that sticks closer than a brother. God will not allow you to continue to hop in and out of His bed. He wrote Israel a writ of divorce. She can only return to Him through a new covenant (Jer 33), the New Covenant, through Christ.

Yet those who claim to be the church, the bride of Christ, if we commit adultery through whom shall we return? Hebrews 10:26 says “if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice of sins…”

First of all ask yourself am I truly married to Christ?
Have I forsaken all others and cleaved only to Him?
Do I love, honor, cherish, and obey Him, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, till death us unite?

If you can say yes to these questions then know that just as our physical marriages have ups and downs, fears and failures, joys and sorrows, so does our marriage with Christ. Just as we seek forgiveness and healing and growth and intimacy in our physical marriage so we do in our marriage with Christ. He is perfect but we are not, but He is also mindful that we are not, and He is a patient, loving, compassionate, and merciful spouse.

He promises to never stop loving His bride and His faithfulness is forever (Psalm 89:19-37). Our physical marriages sometimes fail, but our marriage to Christ will never fail. “Love never fails” (1 Corin 13:8) and “God is love” (1 John 4:16). The question is will you try with all that is within you to be His faithful bride? He would and has died for you. Will you do the same for Him?

Oh do not be one who is a dog that has returned to its vomit (2 Peter 2:17-22)
Oh do not be the virgins who delayed in filling their lamps with oil and missed the Bridegroom (Matt 25:1:13)
Oh do not be those who were too preoccupied with the things of this world to go to the wedding feast or the man who showed up for the wedding feast without being properly clothed (Matt 22:1-14)

Today is the day of salvation (Hebrews 3-4)
Today is the day of repentance and forgiveness (1 John 1:5-10)
Today is the day of reconciliation (Romans 5:1-11)
Today is the day to be clothed in Christ (Romans 13:14)

Casting Crowns has a song “While You Were Sleeping” and these are some of the words:

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we’re sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we’re lying in the dark
There’s a shout heard ‘cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night
America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping?

Dear one, are you sleeping? (Song of Solomon 5:2-16)

Proven Path Ministries, Uncategorized

>The Dance

>Lost in thought, lost in His eyes,
Dreaming of the day I’ll throw off this disguise
Watching the clouds drift slowly by
Listening and watching for my Knight to arrive
Drifting away from the weight of this world
Eagerly anticipating my freedom unfurled

Oh to dance with my arms open wide
Singing and shouting to the Love of my life

To twirl and to trust as a child understands
To walk in a faith that is able to move mountains
To swim in a sea of forgiveness freely gave
To be firmly established upon the Rock that never caves
Throw off all inhibitions, all chains destroyed
No cords encompassed, no locks on the door
Cast all cares away, all fears to the depths
No burdens bore, no worries felt

Oh this world how captivating it is
The serpent’s a charmer he does persist
Forsake he says, forsake your first love
Forget His voice, ignore His shove
No need to give all, what you’ve gave is enough
Your His, you are, no need to fanatically rush
Stay a while enjoy this place, after all life is short
No need for these pleasures for you to abort
Isn’t God good, doesn’t He want happiness
Then come says the serpent, with me dance
I’ll twirl you and spin you and give you a high
Keep your eyes on my world for soon enough you will die
Come fill your plate with the things of this world
Don’t you know when you go these will be no more
No regrets I promise after all would I lie

Would he lie?
Would he lie?
I ask you twice.

Forsake? No! Forsake my first love ?
My Savior, my Life, draw me unto You from above.
Fill me anew, afresh from Your heart
Pour down Your Spirit, Your truth do impart
Flood my mind and my soul with Your joy abound
Make me drunk with Your passion, I am Your renown

I shall shout I shall sing I shall declare Your praise
Lift high, lift high, Thy banner I raise
I run this race, I shall run till the end
For Jesus, my Lord, has also callen me friend

I love You I do, I love You so
My Jesus teach me, into Your image might me You mold
Into your hands I fall, into your arms I rest
Encompass me Father, let me inhale Your breath
Fill my lungs with Your life, my mouth with Your song
Oh my Father, it is here, in You that forever I belong

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries, Thirty-three Day Challenge

Thirty-three Day Challenge

4 Comments

I am up for a challenge… I would like you to join me in this challenge.
I am a Christian.
I am still proud to carry this name no matter what the world has done to try to discredit it.
I carry it with honor.
I do not carry it lightly.

As a Christian I have read the end of the book.
I know that this world is only going to get worse.
I am not here to save the world.
I am here to be used by God to save those who are His out of the world.
This challenge is for those that are His.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of the church not looking any different than the world. I am tired of cults that profess the name of Christ being lumped in with the true Church. I am tired of the lost not being able to find the way of peace because the highway of holiness is so crowded and blocked with briars and thorns and fruitcakes that they can’t get through to see the real Christ. I am ready to be the tree of life that Zacchaeus was able to climb to get over the crowd in order to see Jesus.

I have just finished reading What Are You Waiting For by Dannah Gresh and am now in the middle of Every Woman’s Battle by Shannon Ethridge. Both of these books mentioned this challenge.

Then I saw this:

 

After reading these books and seeing this video and knowing my own experiences and weighing it against about what I know of the Word of God, I can’t help but feel my heart break from the marriages that I am sure have fallen apart simply because that serpent of old snuck his way in and wreaked havoc. I hurt as I think of how many marriages have not even been because the girl couldn’t see God’s man for the fog of Twilight and the fluff of the fairytales. To many of us are too weak and too desensitized to Satan’s presence to even know when to fight him, much less how.

It’s time for the Church to get busy about the Father’s business.
It’s time for the bride to make herself ready for the Bridegroom.

I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness;
but indeed you are bearing with me. 
For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy;
for I betrothed you to one husband,
so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. 
But I am afraid that,
as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness,
your minds will be led astray
from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:1-3

Today I ask that you bear with me in a little foolishness… because I too am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I want you to be presented to your Bridegroom as a pure virgin… standing unashamed before Him because you made yourself ready for Him. If your Groom were to come today would you drop your head in shame or would your head be lifted up ready to be received by Him?

I am afraid that many of us have indeed been deceived by the serpent… Adam and Eve alike. We have no doubt been led astray from them the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

So if you will bear with me in my foolishness to believe that the Word of God is true and relevant in our day and powerful beyond measure… if you will bear with me in my foolishness to believe that their is still believers in the world today who desire to carry the name of Christ with honor and truly desire to live a sanctified life proclaiming His excellencies… then take this challenge with me.

The challenge:
For thirty-three days.
One day for every year that Christ gave us give to Him.
For thirty-three days we shall live to Him and not ourselves in a purposeful way. For thirty-three days let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh.

Therefore, having these promises,
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all defilement of flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1

Beginning February 14th, the secular day of “love” let us begin to live true, real, Biblical, Christ love.

The challenge will end on March 17th, St Patrick’s Day, the day given in remembrance to the man who is believed to have ran all the snakes out of Ireland.

Let us, in this thirty-three day challenge run that serpent of old out of our minds, out of our home, out of our church by loving the LORD our God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength.

How do we do this?

On February 14th put out the trash.

Turn off the television programs that feed your flesh, your lusts, your pride, and yes, your depression. If you wouldn’t watch it sitting next to your Mom or your Pastor or kids Sunday School class turn it off. If it places a burden of dissatisfaction in you and makes you see yourself or your spouse in a negative way, turn it off.

Do the same with what you read, and the music you listen to, and with the conversations going on around you at work, at school, on facebook and twitter, or even in your home with your family.

Take that time and instead study God’s Word.

Listen to God’s Word.

Read God’s Word.

Thirty-three days is all I am asking for.

I will do the challenge with you.

Each day I will share a Scripture to meditate on.

I will share with you excerpts from the books above and together we will work to become women of integrity.

A woman of integrity lives a life that lines up with her Christian beliefs. She lives according to the standard of love rather than the law. She does not claim to be a follower of Christ yet disregard His many teachings on sexual immorality, lustful thoughts, immodest dress, and inappropriate talk. A woman of integrity lives what she believes about God, and it shows everywhere from the boardroom to the bedroom.  ~ Shannon Ethridge

This is not a flippant challenge I am asking you to join.

It is a challenge that could save your marriage if it is struggling.

It is a challenge that can lift you up out of the pit of defeat.

It is a challenge that can give you the strength to say no to what before you caved in to.

It is a challenge that can free you from your past and prepare you for your future.

It is a challenge that can open your eyes to the invisible chains that have been entangling you.

It is a challenge that you are not to do alone. Pray for a fellow sister in Christ to openly take it with you, not someone you pushed into it, but someone who is serious about it, God will send her.

Don’t try to force your spouse to join you, but explain to them what you are doing, and how serious it is, they will need to know because I have no doubt that there will be changes you will have to make to meet this challenge.

It is a challenge that I want you to pray about before you commit to it.

That’s why it doesn’t begin until Feb 14th.

Pray and if the Lord wills… join me.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come
and His bride has made herself ready.
Revelation 19:7
Proven Path Ministries

>The Human Heart Experiment

>Science teaches us many things through experiments, and through these experiments we come to logical conclusions, and most of the time we call these logical conclusions proven facts. When we conduct an experiment we form a test group and from this test group we pronounce a verdict on the whole.
Hmmmm I wonder where man developed this concept?

In the beginning God created man in the image of Himself, male and female He created them in the image of God. Man and woman were in intimate fellowship with their Creator, yet they were deceived by the great deceiver and they believed the lie and denied the truth and sin entered the world and their hearts.

Since this moment the world that was once good has become not so good, and man in the garden tried to blame God for his choice then and still today man tries to blame God for his choices and for the choices of others and for the receiving of the consequences of these choices.

We see all through the Scriptures how man has tried to prove his own goodness by comparing himself to others he deemed not as good as himself. All through the Scriptures we see man blaming God for his choices and blaming God for the consequences of a fallen world. All through the Scriptures we see man trying to make his own way to a god he created because he could make the rules. All through the Scriptures we see man arguing with God out of foolish ignorance of the magnitude of His holiness. All through the world, in the media, on t.v., on the Internet, we see man is still doing the same thing today.

So how does God respond?
I believe God responded with the “Human Heart Experiment.”

God repeatedly has reached out to man and He has not stopped and He won’t until the day of the white throne judgment (Daniel 7:9-10, Rev 20:11-15). Man for some reason just does not want to admit that they need God. Man wants to think that he is not so bad and is doing just fine. He just needs a break, needs society to adapt to him, needs better circumstances; he’s merely a product of his environment and his upbringing. No not at all, he is merely a product of his heart, and he needs God, not a god, but the GOD, and God conducts His experiment to prove it, not to Himself, He knows our hearts, but to prove it to us.

Many years ago a man named Abram was born in the Middle East in a city called Ur. This ordinary man God called out, and said go with Me, listen to Me, I will make you a great nation, give you a land, and in you all the nations will be blessed. This man listened.

God kept His word as He always does, and Abram became Abraham, and he had a son Isaac, who had a son Jacob, who had twelve sons who became the nation of Israel (the accounts of their lives are recorded in the book of Genesis). Israel would be God’s test group in the “Human Heart Experiment.”

We know that Jacob and his twelve sons moved to Egypt during a famine, and there they eventually ended up an enslaved people, yet even in their slavery God blessed them and they grew in number and became a nation. (This was all foretold to Abraham and passed down from father to son as we can tell from the words of Joseph at his death recorded in Genesis 50.)

God brings this nation out of slavery led by a man named Moses. In Exodus 12 God institutes His test group, as He says this month shall be the beginning of months for you, God delivers the nation of Israel out of slavery redeeming them with a great and mighty outstretched arm. He does all the work for them, cares for them , feeds them, and the whole time they are complaining, God has delivered them out of slavery, given them food money and clothing and shelter and yet they still aren’t happy, He still isn’t doing enough to satisfy them (does this sound familiar?).

It took the nation three months to get to Sinai, once there God made the people, the nation of Israel, a proposition. He told them that if they would obey His voice and keep His commandments He would bless them like crazy but if they turned away from Him and broke their promise He would curse them.

God delivered to them His standard of righteousness, the Law, the nation heard the commandments and agreed with God that they were good (because they merely were the written moral law that already was within them) and God gave them the ceremonial Law, which showed them how to approach Him, their holy God. The nation entered into covenant with God, they shook hands and sprinkled blood and said “it’s a deal”.

The test group formed, the standard presented, the variable in place, now what would be the result? We see the result from Exodus 32 through the Prophets, the variable could never meet the standard. No matter how hard they tried, no matter how many chances they had, no matter how many times they went over the rules, they couldn’t do it. Here’s the thing, God knew they couldn’t do it, but they, we, have to realize it ourselves.

Throughout the Scriptures God describes the nations as waters, so we shall do here. Let’s picture the world as a well of water, and we want to check the purity of that water, how do we do it? We take a sample of that water and we test it, and if in that one sample we discover pollutants and disease we declare the entire well polluted and unfit.

God took a sample for the purity of the human heart through the hearts of the nation of Israel, and He tested that sample. He gave them amazing advantage through the revealing of Himself in signs and wonders and His written word, but still the hearts of the people remained polluted. God already knows all human hearts are polluted (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9). He has so proven it to us through the Law and the nation of Israel and if we are honest we know that He has proven it within our own hearts.

Now we know that whatever the Law says,
it speaks to those who are under the Law,
so that every mouth may be closed
and all the world may become accountable to God;
because by the works of the Law
no flesh will be justified in His sight;
for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:19-20

One of the reasons God gave us the Law was to erase any questions and all excuses. Those who do not have the written Law, yet try to walk by the moral law within them, show the others around them their own sin thus the reason we constantly try and find someone who is worse than us or either we gather all those around us who are most like us with our same sin to somehow make our sin not so bad in our own eyes.

People respond to the knowledge of their sin in several ways, they try to hide it, deny it, justify it, fix it, or seek to destroy the who or what that brought attention to it.

Makes sense now why the nations have always hated the Jew, why the people fight to have the Ten Commandments yanked down from public display, if we destroy the test sample, if we ignore the standard, then we can pretend as though we are just fine. Sorry it doesn’t work that way, whether a sample of the well water was taken or not doesn’t change the pollutants and disease that is there, it just keeps killing the people who in ignorance drink the water.