Introduction

Since the emergence of self-help books, support groups, on-line support, man has been seeking to solve his/her problems, in part, by aligning him/herself with those who have endured similar conflicts.

This is a good concept, especially if people refuse two possible tendencies:

1. to build a sectarian spirit; and
2. to think that one has a unique problem.

While it is true that each person is unique, we must reject the notion that our behaviors are classified in this manner.

To properly view this, we must gain our focus from the Bible, God’s road map. In this study we will see that all life-dominating sins (what our world calls “addictions”) are equal in God’s eyes, though they have varied and extenuating rippling effects, in some cases.

These behaviors, though seemingly different on the surface, are actually threaded together by similar means. If one can discern the actual thread which is causing the mantle of behavior to remain on them, then the thread can be undone and the behavior’s power dissolved.

This study will detail the way these threads of common nature actually hold behavior in place. This is the reason why we can come together from diverse backgrounds, problems, and so forth, and find common ground in freedom.

Instead of solely gathering around the type of problem you now face, it is the prayer of this author that you will identify with your Savior, not your behavior. Open now into the world of the Master Weaver.

Fashion This

To appreciate the importance of attire in our culture, one needs only to recall the words of President John F. Kennedy at the Houston, Texas political breakfast on November 22, 1963. In some of the last words he would ever utter, the President referred to all the attention given to his wife, Jacqueline. In the middle of his speech he said: “. . . no one wonders what Lyndon or I wear . . .” He was referring to Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, and though the response drew a roar of laughter and applause, it also said something about the place clothing and its associated structure have in our culture.

It is not a surprise, therefore, that God’s word regales us with images of attire. God knows what a premium we place on our clothing, so He utilizes it to the maximum in His expression of how we appear to Him.

The Bible history begins with a description of a garden, where its occupants had to wear skins, contingent upon their failure to follow Him wholly. The storyline continues with coverings of animals, tapestries, and other skins which relay to us the way in which we approach heaven – specifically, the tabernacle, its furnishings and covering. The biblical record will describe much of Christian life in this way: our works for salvation is described as “rags of unrighteousness”; our eternal mantle will be “the white linen of the saints”; we need not clothe ourselves in worry, for God takes care of the lilies of the field. God inspired His word to be woven together as a coat of armor.

If our behavior is the true clothing we wear – and Ephesians indicates this – then God is coming for a church with a clean mantle; one that is without spot or wrinkle. Guess what clothing He is going to be pressing and cleaning? Our behavior, attitudes, and will, of course.

God will do a double deed in our soul; He will allow the mantle of sin to fall off us, while fitting us for His robe of righteousness.

Which designer label do you want to wear – “heavenly work in progress”, or “carnal work of depress”?

The Weaving

Weaving is a process of making cloth by interfacing (linking) yarns or threads generally at right angles. Fibers are first bound by the spinning process twisting them together. Increased speed of the spin allows the fibers to be drawn apart making them a stronger and smoother yarn or thread. Fabric that is woven is produced on a loom with warp and weft threads. Warp threads run the length of the loom under tension and weft threads run horizontally interfacing over and under the warp threads.

The process of weaving involves spinning, twisting, binding, speed, tension. This is the reason why we need to be aware of what we are bound to; what we allow to be spun into the fabric of our lives, and how, more importantly, we need to be woven closer to Christ. To accomplish this, we must realize how cords or threads are holding the old cloth in place. Ephesians 4: 22, 25, 31 tells us to “put off” those behaviors, and put on these – Ephesian’s 4: 24, 32. The imagery here is about what we wear – our mantle. In order to do this, however, we must know what we are dealing with and do so honestly. This involves unraveling the cords.

Hank and JoAnne Zywicki are parents of a girl named Tammy; a daughter whose disappearance led them on a journey to try to find out this mystery. They hail from Evanston, Illinois, and the August 23, 1992 disappearance of their beloved daughter made them, as they called it, seek to find out the mystery and “unravel” it. They would need facts, information, a timeline of evidence to trace steps. God’s Word is a map of sorts to help us unravel the binding upon us and within us, and whatever threads are common in our experience, we can meet at the cross and see their potency disintegrate. We may begin this by getting snagged in a situation. In this journey, we go from the “warp”ness of sin and crazy thinking, and we (link) interface it with the cross, and watch the stubborn cords lose their grip on us. We will see mantles of discouragement, fear, anger, dependency, and so forth fall off of us automatically when these cords are exposed and untwisted. Like Lazarus, our “death clothes” will come off and we will walk in the new life Christ intended.

What Is A Cord?

The following definitions come from the American College Dictionary, (Random House, New York, 1968) and further develop the imagery here:

1. A fine cord of flax, cotton, or other fibrous material spun out to considerable length; especially such a cord composed of two or more filaments twisted together;
2. That which runs through the whole course of something, connecting successive parts, as the sequence of events in a narrative.

Together, these definitions portray a spinning, twisting motion which forms into a cord, and then affects the course of something. This adequately conveys our subject.

Now, there are portions of Scripture which use cords as a metaphor:

1. as fellowship, where a cord of three is not easily broken (speaks of strength);
2. in kindness – Ecclesiastes 4: 12 (God’s working in us is of kindness, gentleness);
3. in love – Hosea 11: 4 – we must be bound in love.

Additionally, there are instances in Scripture where cords are instruments of choice:

1. fastening tents – Exodus 35: 18 (for the upholding of the tabernacle);
2. hitching a plow – Job 39: 10 (for service in the field);
3. measuring the ground – Psalm 78: 55 (for marking territory – Hebrew word chebel is cord);
4. binding prisoners – Judges 15: 13 (for restraint, bondage).

A cord can be used for good or bad. It falls to us to allow God’s cords to be the ways in which our lives are upheld, useful, and bound to Him as a love slave. Recall also, that a cord of the old order can become loose, snagged, and therefore, unravel the garment in places. This would be beneficial if we are wearing those old garments of works and self-righteousness; we would ultimately be grateful that a cord became unraveled and lost its hold. It would be better if we weren’t found to be trying to affix worn-out patches on worn cloth (Matthew 9: 16-17). God has given us a new garment to wear. Ephesians 4 tells us to take off the old, and put on the new (verses 22-25). This mantle of which it is speaking is our behavior, and if we attempt to try to fix, patch up our behavior ourselves, we will put a further tear on the garment. The Matthew narrative puts in an additive when it talks about not putting new wine in old bottles (wine skins). This is a New Testament verse of Hebrew poetry in parallelism; it says the same thing as the phrase before, it just deepens it. The portion about the new bottles is added to show that it is not only what we wear, in terms of cloth of our character, it is also our vessel as a whole – how we maintain it. The term “new” in this regard is the (Greek) word “kainos”, and it means “unused” (new-especially in freshness). This new wine was to be put into unused bottles, and these wineskins were to be soaked in water to soften them for the wine to be properly preserved. Are we getting softer to God? We, in the same manner, must be washed in the blood and in the Word, and let our minds and bodies be preserved for Him and by Him – God’s process is purposeful. The tomb which was given for Jesus’ burial had one distinction: it was unused (John 19: 41), and it serves as a grand reminder that our new resurrected life in Christ should be a virgin placement for Christ, as one made white as snow at the cross, and cleansed daily by His Word. Reject any other offers for rental. They’ll leave you in a mess! If we take not special care to preserve ourselves, the wine of God’s presence can, in its powerful force, weaken us because we do not contain it – we explode in stubborn, willful living.

A cord is very durable, and one can see why God’s love and kindness are depicted in this verbiage. It is also easy to see why the cords of sin are difficult to unwrap. They entwine themselves in our lives, and in our Christian life, we sometimes wind up anchoring ourselves to the wrong post. Let us be watchful and careful, for if any are wrapped around a post, we move by its will, not by our own. It can lead one out to dangerous waters.

Let the Holy Spirit’s spotlight point out what cords are fastened to you, and why. The two or more filaments can be composed of the following in any degree: one filament of hurt because of past abuses or behavior, one opportunity to try to squirm our way out of trouble, one negative association twisted into the mix, one fear of tomorrow, one guilt of yesterday, one hopelessness in great measure. When any of these join up with opportunity, the cord of sin is stronger and more strangling to us.

Tension

One of the components in the development of a weave or cord is tension. The cord or thread is pulled, twisted, and in so doing, tension is built on the line to make it secure and strong enough to hold.

It is similar to the tension in a bridge, where the tension is included to provide a give and take aspect in order to carry the weight of the added stress. Now tension is a neutral term; it is amoral. It has no resident goodness or evil within. It is merely a component which can be used for good or bad. We know this because we find tension or stress when we are in a difficult way, or if we are in a good and productive time in our life. This can be realized when we read the stress test, which gives a list of sad times (deaths, divorce, unemployment) and good times (weddings, vacations, promotions). Tension and stress will always be part of the mix, no matter what form it may take.

Our goal is to learn to discern between tension that is productive and helps us to build bridges to better mental health and service, and tension that simply knot us up and tighten our nerves, building walls.

The tension in a cord or thread means that there is a pulling at both ends. We are painfully aware that in this life there is a pulling in many directions, and often the world and Satan are seeking to pull us so hard that we snap in two.

Thankfully, God is working in us to build cords of strength that are soft to Him and impenetrable to the enemy. This way, we do not break in half because we are not hard and brittle. It is wise, concurrently, that we take a look to see who it is who is pulling at the other end. Sometimes it is God Himself, working on the weave. The finished product will be like the tabernacle of old – the outside covering was durable and strong to protect from the elements, and the inside was spun with gold and finery. The importance in God’s work is that the work He accomplishes will be beautiful, resilient, and able to withstand the pull of the abyss

Do The Twist: — A Study of Jesus Wearing Our Dress —

In the early sixties a dance permeated the dance halls of rock and roll youth. It was called “the twist”, and it was presented by Chubby Checker. In dance, young people would gyrate their bodies and twist their spines as they moved to the music.

This dance is not unlike the quality of sin in our lives, although this is not meant to attach any moral judgment to the dance itself. Twisting is a motion which vastly affects the spine, and can move the body out of alignment. In our world today, we are being taught how to move, lift, and twist properly, so as to avoid causing ourselves bodily harm.

In our birth we are born with the bent or twist to sin. The term “iniquity” (the Hebrew term “hawon”, meaning “crookedness, twisting away intentionally from God’s straight path of righteousness”) is used to show its many moods. Its connotation is that the bent to sin puts us out of alignment with God and others. This term has the dual idea of iniquity and guilt. The connection of these two elements causes a great strand of bondage.

It may also be of interest that the term iniquity is used in the Ten Commandments regarding the honoring of Jehovah (see Exodus 20: 4-5). The bowing down to idols, which is any activity or attitude of the heart which one puts above God, causes iniquity and its bent to travel down through generations, until it finds itself stopped by one who chooses to change the behavior through Christ.

We may be born into sin, iniquity (Psalm 51: 5), but when we are born again we are born into freedom from bondage and its grip. Why?

The reason is clear: someone bore the brunt of iniquity and paved a way of freedom. Isaiah 53 paints the picture of such a one – the suffering servant. It is not coincidental that the term is used of a servant. Jesus, in His death, did all the “work” of our salvation, and He was born to serve us in that way.

The Isaiah chapter details the pain suffered by this servant. Read it and note the physical, emotional, and spiritual results of sin. This servant suffered immeasurable mental pain, physical distress, and ultimately, separation from God. This portion particularly mentions Him as being “bruised” for our iniquities. A bruise is formed when the body sustains a blow of some sort.

Underneath the skin, beneath sight, blood vessels burst and blood flows, causing the discoloration of the surface skin. The bruise indicates a deep wound. The ultimate sacrifice of this servant demanded His blood be shed totally – both outwardly and inwardly. The blows we sustain, particularly through the course of sin, can be healed through the bruising of this servant.

In the greatest sense, the servant – also seen as the Shepherd (Psalm 23) – extends the shepherd’s crook to pull in wayfaring sheep who’ve gone astray by the bent to sin (see Romans 3: 23).

In the New Testament, John the Baptist spoke of making a straight path for the One coming; that One is Jesus Christ. Walking the straight path comes only by yielding ones life solely to Christ and allowing Him to live through us, by the Holy Spirit. Any other person or thing we serve – including ourself – will twist us off the path of righteousness.

There is a story in Christ for the Nations Magazine (The Power of One-Part 2, Mike Hayes, July, 1995) concerning Schneider von Uhm. Mr. von Uhm was a tailor who had a vision: he wanted to fly. So, on weekends he would make wings in his tailor shop. He would strap these wings on his body and go to a nearby bridge, where he would jump off, hoping to fly. People looked on and laughed at him, but he never wavered in his determination. He died never having flown, but the story does not stop there.

Right after his death, some engineers in Germany found his drawings and put together his ideas with those of the Wright brothers. Soon, man did fly. At Jesus’ death, was that the end of the story? No! It is the beginning. We need to uncover the manuscript of His blueprint – the Bible – and learn how to fly spiritually; living not by the weight of this world, but by the wings of faith (Isaiah 40: 30-31). Jesus bore the cloak of our sin so we could wear the mantle of His righteousness. That coat will lift us up.

Alterations

An important facet in the tailoring industry is the one who makes alterations on the material; this function is crucial to the finished product.

Though the worker takes the measurements and generally works off a pattern, there are still those variables which constitute the need for personal alterations: weight gain or loss, to be the most likely culprits. So, the finishing work needs alteration. In as much as mankind, in coming to God, must adhere to the pattern of righteousness through Jesus Christ, God’s way in fitting us for His glory is an individual work, and demands each of us come to the “alter/altar” place.

Our Lord knows each of us individually. He understands us afar off, and can read the thoughts and intents of our hearts. Only He, therefore, can take His word and keep its integrity and wholeness, while applying it specifically to a specific need. The pattern does not change; it is just that the piece of cloth must be sized to each person. We adjust to the pattern, not the other way around.

Thank God our Master Tailor, through the precious Holy Spirit, shows us the places where the garment is ill-fitted. He cuts and excises off of us those things which displace or mar the garment.

At times we may decide that the garment of righteousness is too restrictive – perhaps we have added too much self and we want the garment to move with our choices.

Sometimes we feel it is too loose – it has no hold on us. Could it be that our faith muscles have not yet been built sufficiently, and God’s gracious and abundant garment is too much for us?

Isaiah 28: 20 speaks regarding the situation in Judah concerning her defense. She was ill-fitted at that time. The cloak of righteousness Jesus formed for us will be to His specifications, though His personal work in our lives will be tapered to our needs and obedience.

The Process of Unraveling

One would not think that a finely woven garment could come undone, especially when this garment is made of seemingly durable weave, and thereby, brought to the right tension to perfect its completeness.

Sometimes, however, a snag occurs; someone or something gets snagged on a particular garment, and the entire piece of fabric begins to unravel.

We look at unraveling as being something inconvenient and negative, and certainly we would site it in that regard if we were in public and something of that nature occurred with our clothing.

In the spiritual sense, on the other hand, it may do us a world of spiritual and emotional good if some of the garments we are wearing would unravel. We do not always comprehend the danger they are to our soul, and the weight of pressure they bring to us. How might a snag happen, in this regard? Well, some crisis could perpetuate it. Also, a conflict could instigate it. Anything or person, event, or incident, which puts a snag into the routine of our life, pleasure, or plan, could fit into this category.

Very honestly, sometimes the snags that irritate and inconvenience us can be tools of God’s timing to spare our soul. Case in point is brought to mind in the following radio caller story. A man named John called “The Ruth Koizilak Show” on January 19, 1996 (WCCO). He was recalling the cold snap in 1982 when it was 85 degrees below zero with wind chill. He remarked about a situation where a couple was sleeping in their home. The two children were asleep also. Suddenly, they saw their power go out. What a time for that to happen. Anyway, the gist of it was that they did not realize that their home was being filled with carbon monoxide, and had that power outage not occurred (a truck had smashed into an electrical pole, thus taking out their power), they would have died.

Some of the snags which undo our plans and self-awareness, may, indeed, be a God send. Perhaps we are wearing heavy expectations, or guilt, or someone else’s dreams, or we may be lugging around baggage of sin and attitude with our name on the claim tag.

We may feel very frayed and have begun to hold on tighter to the weave and refuse help. Is God helping you out of that garment? Allow God to loosen its grip.

That caller on the local radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota saw a truth. Do you?

A Snag or Slub

In viewing a garment, one must distinguish between a snag and a slub.

A snag is when something catches the piece of fabric, and in so doing, can unravel the piece. This snag should not be present, in that it is not a part of the original fabric. It occurs when the cloth comes into contact with a nail, stick, fingernail or some such thing.

A slub, on the other hand, is a small bump within the material itself. It is part of the fabric and pattern, gives a texture to the cloth, and will not fray the garment, and provides a unique personality to it.

Consider this: we each have slubs in our personalities; we are born with a carnal nature, and we all have unique bumps which characterize us as individuals. These bumps do not tear us apart; they simply define us. They are not evil, but are our personal traits. I recall a conversation I had with a man at a bus stop many years ago. During part of our talk, he said that he was not of the Christian personality. I responded that I was not either; in fact, there was no Christian personality, just individual personalities which have been changed through a personal relationship to Christ. I told him that God does not change our personality; He refines it and heals it.

Part of the journey of life is to accept bumps residing in our personality, yet reject any sinful choices as a result of the snags which pull on our beings. Oh God, help us to accept ourself for who we are, while at the same time, embrace the eternal work God is doing as He fits us for the eternal robes of righteousness. I am reminded of the words of Oswald Chambers, in his book, My Utmost for His Highest (edited by James Reimann, Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, MI), 1992; “Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been” (His June 8th devotional).

Shall we enlarge our comprehension of God to envelope this concept, that when snags do come, perhaps it is a part of God’s own intention to fit us for His glory? Allow that snag in your life to be handled by the Master Weaver Himself. He will do a masterpiece. He will even reveal to us that His design on the loom is based on His perfection, not ours.

The Standard Measure

A tailor or seamstress would never measure a piece of fabric by another piece, nor would they estimate the amount of fabric needed.

They would measure the material by a standard: a measuring tape or ruler. This way, all the fabric is put against one specific measurement; it is not relative to the pull, weave, or quality of the other piece.

The tailor or seamstress then takes the fabric and measures out the amount needed. It is cut with an eye to the end of the cutting board, always keeping an eye on the finished cut.

God, in like fashion, does not measure us by other people, nor by our own standard of righteousness. Rather, He measures us by the true Ruler – The Standard Bearer, His Son, Jesus Christ.

Every incision into our lives is done with a divine eye looking to the end result. He does nothing carelessly, or without purpose. Again, Jesus Himself is our example, for He had His eye to the cross and its eternal glory – Hebrews 12: 1-3. We, likewise, must determine to measure ourselves and others, for that matter, by His revealed standard.

As that is attempting to be done, recall that Jesus is our banner, ensign, standard. Not only is He the measurement of righteousness, but He also is the yardstick to the world as to how much we are loved by God. This banner is put way above the head and is part of a military parade after a conquest, and this banner or standard reads: He loves me, He really loves me (Song of Solomon 2: 4). We walk under a canopy of grace, if we only read the message.

This standard is a foundation of growth for all; comparing oneself to another is harmful to the soul. Comparing others in general, or judging them from emotion and self-thinking is an incarnation of the sect of the Pharisees. They’re not “fair, you see”. Is progress impeded by improper measurements? No wonder life does not “fit” so well.

Phariseeism: — Do you feel morally superior to others? —

In our society, and throughout the ages, people have sought to grade sins by degree: this one is worse than that, and I am better than all you people.

This disruptive attitude has the same root as Phariseeism, a religious Jewish sect intent on keeping the letter of the law. The problem was, they applied the law to suit their own perspective, whereas in a true law, man adjusts him or herself to its precepts; the law is not altered by the experience or privilege of man.

The term “Pharisee” is believed to be derived from the Hebrew word “parash”, meaning, “to divide or separate”. Thus, they were the “separated ones”. They probably originated during the Maccabean period, between the Old and New Testaments. They were first mentioned in Israel during John Hyrcanus (135-104 B.C.), and the Jewish historian Josephus says they exerted great influence with the masses.

Most of their separation involved separating themselves in sectarianism, as opposed to true holiness where God separates a people unto Himself. The Pharisees continued to expand the oral law. Jesus, Himself, called them “hypocrites”, a Greek word which means “actor, to play a part”. They were legalistic, not literalistic, and their works were goods carried on their shoulders to be seen of men.

Matthew 5: 20 adjures us that our holiness must exceed this kind of behavior. Therefore, we must be careful not to compare our behavior by the deeds of others, or we may emerge with a Pharisee spirit. Then, we need a return to grace.

2 Corinthians 10: 12 reminds us about the danger of comparison viewing. Comparative shopping is good stewardship, but comparative assessment of self and others is most unnecessary: we were all bought with the same currency – the blood of Christ. No one has any more value than another.

The healthy Christian is one who views him or herself through the eyes of God’s love and purpose. Never rob yourself of this intimate perspective.

Your Behavior is a Groupie

One can always tell when an actor, singer, politician, or personality is powerful: they attract groupies. Groupies are people who live their lives vicariously through being a part of these followings. They are primarily known for their associations. Behaviors are groupies also. Have you ever wondered why, in general, behaviors travel in groups or clans? In light of the fact that misery loves company, and evil cannot stand alone, behaviors invite other behaviors to join and reinforce them.

This desire to be a part of a group is an extremely powerful urge; it adds to the innate fear of abandonment and hence, grouping oneself is born.

We will delve into these groupings of behavior, and offer a partial explanation of why they are listed as such:

1. The early Greeks liked to group things in categories, so these reflect the Bible times;
2. Behaviors usually unite in force, and one behavior opens the door for the others;
3. Ever since the expulsion of Lucifer from God’s presence, Satan has used armies of his foot soldiers to keep man walking towards a dead end;
4. Theologically, God views them all the same; hence, He addresses them as such. God’s posture in this outlook is “E.O.S.” = equal opportunity sin, and equal opportunity Savior. Though certain sins have greater devastation and cause more disarray, in nature and offense to God they are equal.

Consider this: is a three-month pregnancy less pregnant than a nine-month full term? No, of course not. The seed form of new life is just as substantive as a newborn, and sins, whether in the fertile soil of the mind, or in actual growth and conquest, are the same to God. The New Testament recounts the words of Jesus regarding the heart attitude in sin as being equal to the sin itself; it actually is in its gestation period. The effort here is to focus on three (3) sections of Scripture listing like behaviors. To “fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 6: 12), take the Greek word “fight”, which is “strategias”. Mark a strategy in this warfare and identify, isolate, and immobilize the threads keeping these sinful behaviors alive. Life starts with the seed, so allow the seed of God’s Word to bring death to that which is suffocating life in you.

What are the Parts of Sins Cord?

In light of the fact that sinful behaviors cannot be defined in some simple statement, the following provides a breakdown of the biblical terms describing its life. When these concepts are put together, the full extent is more properly conveyed.

1. The first word here is “hamartian”, a Greek term meaning, “to miss the mark”. The idea is like target practice – you aim for center (biblical perfection), but you hit off center. You could be close or farther away; either way you miss it. The reason you cannot hit center is because we begin off balance; we are born a sinful being (Psalm 51: 3-6). We do our best to aim well (good works) and often judge ourselves better for being closer than others. The truth is, whether one gets close or far off, you still miss the center mark. We measure ourselves relatively, while God judges us by our relationship to Him.
2. The second word is “chata”, an Old Testament Hebrew word meaning, “lose the path or miss the mark” (Exodus 20: 20). Judges 20: 16 and Proverbs 8: 36 cite this word as being a deliberate mistake, not just innocent failure. Here it would be worthwhile to recall that though sins of innocence are covered by the blood when one is truly repentant (2 Corinthians 7: 9-10), once we become aware of our behavior and choose to continue, we are talking about choice (Romans 7: 9). The term repentance literally means “to cut in two” or “to pierce”. Repentance, therefore, literally assaults us before it restores us. Our Savior-Surgeon uses His double-edged sword (Hebrews 4: 12) to wield His work; He first punctures our skin with the instrument of His Word, and then He brings the healing. Thankfully, while one edge of the sword is healing us, the other side is destroying the hold of the enemy.
3. Another Hebrew term for sin is “asham”, meaning, “guilt”. This speaks of the result of sin (Genesis 26: 10). This term is usually associated with rituals connected to the tabernacle and temple, as seen in Leviticus, Numbers, and Ezekiel. Basically, guilt enters in as a consequence when there is an awareness of sin and its result – separation from God (Genesis 3: 7-11). This also causes us to conclude that all sin, ultimately, is against our Creator (Psalm 51: 3-6). It reveals, additionally, that apart from a relationship with God, there is no possibility of coming to terms with our sinful behavior. When all is right with God, all is right! Psalm 32: 5 shows us God’s response to true sorrow for sin, and His choice in freeing us from sin and its accompanying guilt or shame.
4. The New Testament Greek term “adika”, means “unrighteousness”. It signifies sin as making one “not right with God”. 1 Corinthians 6: 9 shows sin as unrighteous conduct, in the broad sense, and 2 Peter 2: 15 defining it as any departure from the way of righteousness. It draws a picture of a road; one being drawn away from its center and weaving its own path. Hence, sin is tantamount to a door that opens to other behaviors and therefore, makes it a lifestyle of drifting farther away. Sin, in this sense, indicates a lifestyle choice, and this road leads to something else, for sin begats (births) sin. This shows the life of sin – what it embraces, and what it adds in the process.

In a general sense, the Old Testament portrays sin as a wayfaring of His commands, while the New Testament goes farther in expressing that it is not only the act of sin, but the thought behind it that misses the mark of God’s intention for man. We must change our thought life, accordingly, as well as our physical actions. Freedom in the grace of God includes the mind (Romans 12: 2). This transformed mind is caused by a metamorphosis of God; this Greek term “renewing” being “metamorphoo”, a “born again mind”. The mind must be drawn into this mix, for it is the incubator of sin; the place where sin nestles in and begins to tell the body what to do.

There is a reason why Jesus paid for our sins on the center cross – only through Him can we hit the center of God’s will and purpose.

Parallel Passages

Galatians 5: 17-18; Ephesians 4: 17; and 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 will serve as our main passages of thought. Through word studies and narrative surroundings, we will see that these portions deal with the same general problems, life-controlling behaviors, but their difference seems to lay in the respective epistle’s audience and thrust.

Herein is built a tri-level home; three floors, if you will. All three connect to one:

1. The Lust of the spirit – Galatians 5: 17 deals with the longing for the flesh. The term “flesh” is the Greek word “sarx”, meaning, “the physical”. It speaks of the longing for desires (the Greek term “epithumei”, meaning, “to long for, desire, with the genitive – meaning “possession or close association” of the thing being desired”). There is a particular object of desire, in order to satisfy the flesh. This desire is in opposition to the Spirit of God. Notice the term “against”. It is the Greek word is “hantiketai”, which, when you break down the term, includes the word “anti”, being opposite or against. The desires of the flesh and the working of the Spirit of God take opposite stations; they are adversaries. The term “lust” is also included in the desires, for it is “the rising in protest against something”. There is a crescendo of lust; it builds its fortress and ultimately seeks to form a contrast to the Spirit, in order to be in mortal combat with the Almighty. The Galatians portion, therefore, deals with the realm of the spirit of man and the battle in the heavenlies.
2. The Lust of the mind – Ephesians 4: 17 speaks of “not walking in the vanity of the mind.” Vanity is a term expressive of emptiness, and here the portion further explains it as causing a “darkened understanding”. This, in turn, alienates such a one. The term “alienate” (Ephesians 4: 18) is the Greek term “apallotrioo”, meaning, “to estrange, alienate”. Lust will alienate us from reason, God, and consequently make us feel as aliens. Its purpose is to estrange us from our relationship to Christ and others. This occurs when we allow ignorance (the Greek term “agnoeo”, meaning, “not to know, be ignorant of”) to be our friend. This ignorance, the section explains, comes as a result of hardness of heart. The mind, heart, and affections are interactive. What affects one, affects the others. Much of the captivity of our minds comes from the hardness of heart, stemming from the estrangement from God, caused by ignorance and vanity/lust. In return, we cast off all feelings, and become numb to its effects. It causes a novocaine of the mind and by its very nature, can keep us from recognizing symptoms of unrest in our life. Someone who has nerves deadened cannot determine the source of a potential problem, because they do not feel its existence. Feelings are helpful, therefore, though they should not be the full estimate of our condition. Let’s talk about this hardness of heart which causes ignorance. Hardness is a process, like limestone, a rock consisting of calcium carbonate chiefly, and originating principally from calcareous remains of organisms. When heated, this cement yields a quick lime. Soft when first prepared, it afterwards becomes hard. Consider your thoughts, attitudes or whatever. At first you think they are pliable, controllable. Then, under heat and pressure, they become hard, like cement, resulting in a seemingly unmovable foundation. Sin becomes cemented in the mind, so we must not allow our mind to be ignorant. One comfort for the Christian is that this cement can be exploded by the power of God. In 1 Corinthians 6:14 the Greek word for “power” is “dunamis”; it has the same root word as the word dynamite. God’s power can explode the foundations of cemented sin and like the walls of Jericho, these foundations will fall outward, not on top of us. Again, the Ephesians portion focuses on the realm of the mind and the digression of the hardness of heart.
3. The Lust of the body – I Corinthians 6: 9-11. Preceded by chapter 5: 9-11, where we are admonished to not associate with bad behaviors, but to flee fornications, we see the way the body deals with sin. It infers that we should not be misled, but flee (the Greek “pheugete”, meaning, “to run away from, as if in terror”, with the Greek tense calling for the reading: “make it your habit to flee” 1 Corinthians 6: 18). Our spirit must decide to make proper habits, which our minds must enforce, and our bodies obey. This section, therefore, is talking about how we need to take physical mastery over our bodies and habitually make them do what our spirit desires, and to where our relationship to God blossoms. The soldier prepares his/her physical armament, but must also have a mind that is centered on purpose, and a spirit that knows they are doing what is right. Verse 20 of this chapter says our bodies belong to God. We often forget that the Lord bought the entire package. We treat Him, however, like He is our care package – leave your sins, prayers, and drop a few bucks in the offering plate. Jesus gave Himself without the “taking” mode; He gave Himself no matter what our response would be. Actually, Jesus gave His physical body up to the cross, His mind was in great agony, as Isaiah 53: 3 prophecies, and He agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane over the separation of Him and His Father. No sectioning at the cross. It would be unkind for God to ask us to yield our entire beings to Him, without Him doing so first. Indeed, we have a great example with which to follow.

In summation, Galatians deals with sin in the spirit; Ephesians deals with sin in the mind; 1 Corinthians deals with sin in the body, the physical. If God has mastery over each of these parts, the enemy and his hold are broken. This three-fold cord can not easily be broken, especially when it is woven to the Master. It is eternally helpful to know which part of this tri-level is being attacked, so you can protect that part of your life with the armor of God (Ephesians 6). When you find yourself attacked by the enemy, make yourself more attached to God.

The Realm Of Probability

Just as a “three-fold cord is not easily broken”, so the need to conquer sin in all of the three areas of our being is imperative.

The workshop of sin is in the physicality of it; the blueprint is measured and marked in the mind of man; and the house itself is either vacant or filled with the Spirit of God, our spirit being the light switch.

If a person fails to address sinful behavior in the soul or physical area, its power will remain. Jesus already took care of the spirit problem on the cross. He, by His great gift, liberated our spirits to be able to have a relationship with God. We are like the ark of Noah – we are a tri-level house; a trichotomy, if you will. 1 Thessalonians 5: 23 remarks on the need to have our body, soul, and spirit reserved blameless. This is accomplished by God as we yield each area to Him, and in so doing, He frees us from shame and blame (Romans 8: 1).

A poignant story of a prospective Olympiad brings this tri-level issue home. Christy Henrich, a gymnast, who barely missed the 1988 qualifying round for the Olympics, had a life-absorbing behavior — eating disorders. Her self-doubt melted into the strict body shape of gymnastics, fueled the engine of despair, and ultimately, and most unfortunately, took this young life.

Where this story finds relevance is in this perspective. It was said of Ms. Henrich, “Her body quit at the moment her spirit and had decided to live” (People magazine, “Dying for a Medal”, August 22, 1994). Her focus on the physical shape of her body, to the exclusion of her spirit and emotional health, helped to fray this gentle life. She died on July 26, 1994 at a weight of 46 pounds. The damage to the body could not be rectified at that point. Such a sad occurrence. A victim of image.

It would do us well to incorporate health into each part of our being; never sacrifice one for the other, and seek to have the spirit portion under the control of the Holy Spirit. He will do a full house cleaning on all three floors.

View these three levels as a three-fold cord — together they are strong and durable; separated they lose their hold. The probability of hope will result in its actuality.

Word Studies — Unraveling God’s Word —

In understanding the cords of sin, it is helpful to see their roots in the Greek language. The portions of Scripture paralleled previously will be dissected:

Galatians: The portion in Galatians 5: 19 (KJV) which outlines these behaviors is given in stark contrast to the fruit of the Spirit (5: 22-23). It said, “. . . these are manifest . . .”. That word manifest is the word “phanera”, meaning “try to hide, but come out”. It adequately conveys the fact that we try to hide and cover sin, but the Spirit brings it out. The following studies come from A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volumes III & IV, Broadman.1931, as will each of the sections, unless otherwise noted.

1. Sexual sin – “sexual” is the Greek “porneia”, from which comes our word pornography. It refers to prostitution, harlotry, and any sexual practices outside of marriage. The term uncleanness is included: “akatharsia”, moral impurity. This speaks of the state of the cloth, so to speak. The term lasciviousness is “aselgeia”, and it means “wantonness”. This adds the lust to obtain, and flagrant regard for righteousness. Sexual sins are seen as the prostitutes that inhabited the temples – they were abhorred. You and I are the temple of the Holy Spirit. What is going on in your temple?
2. Idolatry – “idolatry” is the term “eidolatreia”, the worship of idols. One can sit at an image of stone, wood, or worship success, money, others, self. Included in this section are these terms: witchcraft, the Greek word is “pharmakeia”, from the word “pharmakon” – our word pharmacy comes from this root. Witchcraft is control, and often in occult, cults, or in any control valve of this society, you will find drugs in small or large measure. Sorcerers monopolized the world for a while in magic arts and used drugs as well. Acts 19: 19 calls this the “perierga”, or “curious arts”. “Curiosity killed the cat”, or so it says. It’s not the only thing that is killed by a curious spirit. Be curious, instead, about your Savior. Live in awe of Him. God equates idolatry with witchcraft in 1 Samuel 15: 23, where God strips Saul as being king because he was seeking to control his own destiny. Upstaging God’s place in one’s life is serious, and any idolatry has its own purpose: to remove God from first place.
3. Personal relations – the list here (Galatians 5: 20) refers to behavior which affects others: “Enmities” is the term “exthrai”, meaning “personal animosities”. God adds that any friendship of this world is making one an enemy of His (James 4: 4). An interesting sidebar here is this: James was written by the half-brother of Jesus Christ, one who turned to follow Christ after His resurrection. Do you think perhaps James knew what it was like to feel at enmity with God, in the form of His brother Jesus? James is speaking with the authority of experience. Until he followed Jesus, would he not have sensed that wall, marking them as opposites? The term “strife” is “eris” meaning rivalry, discord. Notice the word “cord” in the latter term. Strife severs cords of friends, family, and business affiliates, not to mention churches, and the testimony of faith. Jealousy is the word “zelos” or “zeloi” and is a destructive force, for it hovers over what it does not possess and seeks to steal it in thought and intent, and forces this canopy of desire to cast a shadow on relationships in every venue. “Wrath” is the term “thumoi”, meaning “to stir emotions”, “cause an explosion”. There is a volcanic thrust in this term and it, unwatched, can cause an eruption which will have long-lasting and far-reaching effects. Factions are explained in the Greek term “eritheiai”, meaning, “a day laborer for hire, worker in wool, a party spirit”. Factions come out when people feel they are the rightful recipients of something, whether it be a philosophy or whatever. Party spirits do one thing, though: they ignore the “facts” in factions – they live on feelings and responses. The term “division” is “dichostasiai”, and it means “to split in two”. This is one of the results of wrath and strife – it tears in two. This split causes a rift, a chasm, and makes both sides frayed. No split is a clean cut. Always allow the veil that was rent in two to be the healing portion for any factions and divisions in your life. An additional word, “heresies” is interesting. Its Greek word is “haireseis”, and it means to have preferences. Notice the actual Greek word. We can rightly say that heresies do this: they split hairs, usually over personal preferences, instead of vital doctrine. The last word in this section is envying, or “phthonoi ”, meaning, “feelings of ill will”. Envy feels sorry for itself.
4. The fourth portion (Galatians 5: 21) deals with drunkenness and its party favors. The term “drunkenness”, is “methai”, an old word for being drunken, and it is here used in the plural. This behavior is never a singular event – it is always a continuous pattern. The word “excesses” is aparty to this. Revellings is the term “kumoi”, meaning “drinking parties”. The tense in the term drunken is “to cause to become”; we don’t start that way.

This list in Galatians is not exhaustive, but is representational of behaviors which are within, without, and each one has fruit which extends beyond itself. Notice we have not forgotten the word “murder” at the end of the third portion. It is put here to put an emphasis on it. The end of hatred, jealousy, envy, divisions, disagreements, can often be murder, and if you add the sexual betrayal, along with the use of drugs or alcohol, you have a car accelerated on a hill that is going to crash into something or someone. Ask God to help you unravel any of these behaviors at any level, so you can avoid that “big bang” that ends your world, or someone else’s. We now proceed to the next book.

Ephesians: The portion in Ephesians 4: 18 is in reference to the walk of the believer: how to “mind” your Spiritual business. It shows how the emptiness and darkening of the mind are the contributor to the behavior in Ephesians 4: 19 which is described as follows:

1. Incorrigibility means “shameless, bad beyond correction”, beyond reforming” – in a state of intoxication, a person is ambivalent, willful, and seemingly hopeless. This is a phrase saying they are past feeling; a deadening of the senses. The Greek word here is “apalegakotes”.
2. The Greek word for “debauchery” is “aselgeia”. It means “to corrupt by seducing”. The ride of allure continues to widen its path – it corrupts itself and others;
3. Dissipation is a term meaning “to indulge in extravagant pleasure”, and its Greek term is “akatharsias”. This continual life-style does bring a katharsis to a life – it reeks of the word “crisis”. It adds, “with greediness”, or cravings. This brings this portion to a pinnacle of continual craving, greediness, wanting more; being never satisfied. Remember, if our spirit and mind are not satisfied, neither will our temples feel satisfied. In hunger, they go on a feeding frenzy instead of to God’s table.

Here Are Some Strong Threads

In the portions we have listed, there are certain attitudes and behaviors which are common to more than one of the narratives. These words resurface in the different portions as a type of sinful encore. One can imagine the conductor, Satan, just calling for that same sin to come out again, for they performed well previously.

In general, some of the behaviors voiced in these portions are as follows: drunkenness, sexual immorality (houses the temple of rebellious longing), lying (the script of the behavior), anger (a controller to move attention from the inside behavior to other people’s feelings), greed, envy, hatred.

Individually, these are very powerful surges. They are destructive, selfish, and ever-gaining control in the life of their house.

While that is true, these behaviors are really the tools and apparatus used to perpetuate the real thread. Some are defensive mechanisms, desensitizing modes, and outrageous assaults on any around them.

With all of these itemized, what could possibly be the motivator to keep these alive? That would demand a stronger pull, a larger vacuum. It would include secrets and privacy, so as to live in this

house unknown and uninterrupted. Of course, this is not to say that we should ignore these behaviors and not deal with them. No, not at all. The perspective to retain is that while the issues are being worked on in our lives, we must recognize that they only fuel the deep furnace of fire in the soul. We must extinguish what stokes the fire, true, but we must also ultimately be aware of its origin.

A Streetcar Named . . .

In following a pattern throughout these passages, there is a motivation that fans the flame of sin. It is found in Ephesians 4: 22, Galatians 5: 16, and 1 Corinthians 5: 11. Let’s cut out the pattern and see what form it is taking. This inclusive term is “covetousness”. It is a relative of lust or desire.

2 Timothy 3: 1-2 (KJV) sites it as one of the signs of the last days. It was also present in the first days, those days in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3: 6). Ponder for a moment and reflect on what the enemy used to draw Eve to the acceptance of this fruit. Look at the term “desire”; it is a wanting, yearning, lusting – it takes many forms.

In its fullest sense it is covetousness because it seeks its life blood from things, people, position, money, fame, instead of a satisfied relationship to Jesus Christ; an intimate union with the Creator who wraps us in His love and warms us in His protection.

The Israelites lusted in the wilderness; they longed for water, food, idols, former days (reality checks are important here, for truth will implore the mind to recall that those days were not great at all). Read Ecclesiastes 7: 10. Mark 7: 21 refers to these: evil thoughts (Greek term “dialogismoi”) from which comes our term dialogue, and deeds of coveting (Greek term “pleonexiai”) meaning “to crave for more and more”. You can tell if covetousness, lusting, or desire has braided itself to the heart; it has the Proverbial substance of “. . . the eye is never satisfied” (Proverbs 27: 20). Its palate is never full enough.

Fundamentally, this is the reason why we must excise the evil thoughts, or dialogue of the devil. Covetousness, lust, desire has a script in the soul, and there is normally a dialogue in the mind which leads us on the road to sinful deeds. Perhaps if we learn to hide God’s Word in our hearts and include it in these mind dialogues, we will have a better armament for the sin which rages in the needy soul. 2 Corinthians 10: 5 draws us a picture of catching our thoughts in the net; let not your soul be caught in the snare or net of the fowler, but look to God (Psalm 20: 4; 124: 7). Underneath are the everlasting arms (Psalm 91).

Fibers Of Idolatry

An Expository Dictionary of the New Testament, by W.E. Vine (Fleming Revell: Old Tappan, N.J.), 1966, pp. 297-298, cite the terms of desire and covetousness as this: 1) the verb “epithumeo”, a Greek term for “fixing desire upon” (“epi” meaning “upon”, and “thumos” meaning “passion”). Desire has within itself the spark of passion; that which ignites and becomes very powerful. This term also means “to long after, lust after/covet”. Notice that this word is a verb, so it describes action. This type of passion propels a person into action. It refers, therefore, to one fixing their desire upon something or someone and then doing what is necessary to obtain.

Other terms associated in this dictionary are as follows: 2) “zeloo”, (pp. 249) from which comes the term “zealot”. This Greek word means to covet earnestly. We find it in a good sense in (KJV)

1 Corinthians 12: 31; 14: 39; with regards to spiritual gifts. We balance the spreadsheet with the negative in Luke 16: 14, where religious leaders of Jesus’ day were often fanatics and zealots. Jesus called their behavior covetous. The distinction between coveting the gifts only, as the fanatics did, and to covet the gift and giver, as the followers of Christ were implored to do, would be the way we discern the difference; another term, 3) “orego”, meaning “to stretch after”, “covet after”.

1 Timothy 6: 10 and its preceding verse 9 show us the fiber of covetousness in this regard; to stretch after money, financial gain. It is a lust of greed. Verse 11 says to flee, for this sort of desire can pierce us through and through. History is documented with people who sold their marriages, families, peace of mind, etc. and stretched themselves beyond means and reason. Vine’s listing continues with 4), the noun “pleonexia”, meaning “covetousness”, “a desire to have more”. The emphasis here is the insatiable appetite which needs constant filling. This word can also be seen in the descriptive form as an adjective, “pleonektes”, which literally means, “eager to have more”. It includes wanting what belongs to others; in particular, greedy gain. Colossians 3: 5 shows greediness as equated with idolatry. Why? Because the building of an idol of whatever form is based out of the “worshipper’s” need, instead of the pure motive of self-sacrifice.

Passion has had one particular positive equation in history. The word is equated with the last earthly week of our Lord. He sought what belonged to Him, and fixed His gaze on that.

When a Cord Becomes a Knot

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Volume 1, page 393, is addressing the subject of covetousness. It is speaking of the rich young ruler in Luke 18: 18-23, a story Jesus told out of an initial question posed by this ruler. It remains of interest how Jesus taught eternal truths in response to a simple question. We can ask questions without questioning Him. This rich man is asking how to inherit eternal life. The Greek word “inherit” is “kleronomeso”. It is in the aorist meaning it has rippling effects; it is in the active sense and future active indicative. This means that this question is about something which will affect his future; it will have residual effects.

The ruler defines Jesus as “good”; Jesus says that only God is good (notice He did not deny His goodness; He merely qualified it as a fiber of deity). This sentence propelled Jesus into a list of the Ten Commandments, that treatise which dispelled the notion that mankind is intrinsically good. Jesus is using the tablets of stone as a mirror to show the man his inadequacy for eternal life.

The mastery of Jesus’ own questions here poses a curiosity. Jesus deliberately presented five of the six latter commandments for consideration by this man. The only law Jesus did not quiz him on was about the last commandment , “. . .thou shalt not covet”. Only Jesus knew that this was the weak link in the grand arsenal of this man’s achievement.

In view of the fact that covetousness is often the bridge to the other behaviors, Jesus purposely focuses on it when He asks the man to sell all that he has and give to the poor. The man refused to do so and walked away sorrowfully. The Greek word in verse 23 “perilupos”, means “sorrowful”. Notice the word “peril” inside that term. This request put his eternal life in peril. At that point, he chose the wrong response.

In verse 22 Jesus told him that he lacked one thing. Now obviously, the man did not lack passion. The Greek word “lack” is “leipei”, and it means “to fail thee”, or “is wanting in thee”. The ruler thought he had everything, but Jesus saw his emptiness. Covetousness, in its fullest form, ultimately gives us the barren place, for by its nature it must continue to conquer, obtain, and possess. This cord pulls at the soul and will try to weave itself into the other aspects of life; it will invade and form a knot. This knot will function like a blood clot in the body; it will close us off on our blood supply, and our heart for God will suffer.

Covetousness is very selfish; it finds no room for someone else. Now, Jesus was not asking the ruler to give away money because poverty would be a virtue; virtue is in the character anyway, not in the portfolio, or lack thereof.

Some people may think Jesus was harsh in His response, for the man was evidentially honorable in other areas. This is not the case. Jesus inadvertently explains this in Mark 12: 28-34, where He is giving the measurement of importance of the commandments. Jesus is asked by a Pharisee which was the foremost commandment. The Greek term “foremost” is “prote”, and “protos”; these words together mean, “first in rank and importance”. This religious leader was trying to corner Jesus with a categorization of the commandments, and by doing so, devalue the other nine. Matthew 22: 35-40 recounts the story by using the adjective “great”, which is “megas” in the Greek.

Jesus answered with a statement: “The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6: 4). He was prefacing His remarks by saying that God is united as one, for the Hebrew term “one” is “echad” meaning “be united, be united as one, one in number”. This is a reflection of the Godhead. In the same way that the Godhead cannot be listed in terms of comparative value, for they regard each other as higher, so the commandments, and in particular, the new summary Jesus expounds on, here and in Matthew, reveals that the commandments are one in essence, and if you offend in one part, you are guilty of the rest of them (James 2: 10). It should be further noted that when Jesus said to “. . . love the Lord with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength” . . . “and the second is similar . . . to love your neighbor as yourself”, He was summing up the essence of the law into two primary portions: the love of God (laws 1-3), and love for others (laws 4-10). In consideration of the fundamentals of these laws, many of the ten feed into the other (lying about stealing or murder or adultery; coveting possessions, people). Actually, the last one listed is about covetousness, and in a real sense, is this not a thread to the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20: 3)? After all, covetousness is idolatry, Jesus said.

If the man knew that the inheritance he sought came from a relationship — he would have stayed.

The First Letter In Idolatry

Ephesians 5: 5 tells us that “covetousness is idolatry”. Out of this verse we receive the truest measure of coveting. It is self-oriented, focused on idols of some sort, and is offensive to God. Why? Because it draws its focus onto a particular object, be it a person, thing, or plan. It does not draw one to God first, only as a later or last resort. Idolatry, in whatever form, is really the link which clasps together the Ten Commandments. “Thou shalt not covet …”, is the last commandment, while “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”, is the first one listed.

Covetousness very naturally travels the road to putting other things before the glory and person of God. It is by intent exclusive, and by purpose intrusive. It develops a life of its own and will in time, seek to take over the home in which it dwells. Looking at the letter “I” in idolatry is helpful here. It begins with the most anti-God word in the human language: “I”. I, me, or my is not always evil, but it can promote a self walk.

Usually most people get “I” or “me” oriented when they feel they have been ignored, hurt, or infringed upon in some way. “Looking out for number one”, has become a very popular phrase over the past decades of life, specifically in the United States.

While it is necessary during the healing stages to be more self aware, it cannot remain the thrust of ones life. It will eventually see everything out of its own eyes – hurt, disappointment, and so forth – instead of looking through God’s looking glass. This is very detrimental to the soul and that person can be broadsided quite easily, because this self-orientation is a type of blinder.

Can you now recall which pronoun you use more readily: I, me, we, or You, Him? Does the letter “I” find its way more into your vocabulary than the word God? Are you more concerned with your needs and how you view things, versus a God-point of view?

If for no other reason, this type of inventory can prove therapeutic because it can show you the most prominent focus of your existence. In other words, does God exist to serve you? Or do you exist to serve Him?

From here on out, always remember the letter “I” in idol; anything you use to make yourself feel better is really an idol.

This Wanting Is A Taking

Consider for a moment the reason why this type of desire or lust is detrimental to the soul. This thrusting forth, or yearning to obtain, is always connected to an object of desire. This object, in its truest essence, is generally the possession of someone else. This is the reason why God, for instance, deplores this type of drawing; it is taking, not giving, and it is taking it from someone else.

One can categorize most modes of lusting – sexual, emotional, financial, social. Each can contain the component of seeking what belongs to another, whether it be someone’s position we vie for, or someone’s spouse we hunger for, or someone’s possessions we covet. Our focus here is seeking for what does not belong to us. Does this other person belong to you? No. The Bible goes further in specifying that we actually do not even have the right to defile our own body through sexual gratification or whatever dishonors it. Our bodies belong to God (1 Corinthians 3: 16-17). God created the earth and everything in it; we are caretakers of its bounty, accordingly. We are prohibited as well from propelling gain from its shores. Our minds and bodies remain the precious offering we lay before His throne – Romans 12: 1-2. We are to give to Him, not dwell on the taking.

To proceed one step further, when we seek God and His righteousness, as Matthew 6: 33 implores us to do, we are not seeking what does not belong to us. God, in His selfless act of eternal giving, gave us Himself as a gift. We do not need to steal or lust for His gifts; we simply need to receive them and appropriate them properly. Matthew says God will “add” these things to us; we need not “take” them from someone else. This outlines the reason why we need to have our needs met at the cross. Otherwise, innate needs already present, coupled with the empty chasms seeking to obtain, will make us a bottomless pit of need; nothing will satisfy.

Sadly, the ultimate result of such a search can put such great pressure on unmet needs that the soil of your life will give way and you will become a sinkhole; a portion of land that sinks into the ground and takes whatever is resting upon it, into the ground. Unhealthy, lustful appetites cause great strain and pressure. Lighten the load at the cross.

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction

One of the many hits of the rock band, The Rolling Stones, is: “Can’t Get No Satisfaction”. The lyrics says, “. . . I try, and I try, but I can’t get no, no, no, no . . .”

There is a great effort in the soul to derive satisfaction from any avenue; the source, manner, or effect does not typically matter. The truth is, many are more taken with the journey, than any reality. It’s the drive, not the road taken. Richard Dreyfus, Oscar-winning actor for the motion picture The Goodbye Girl, said this about himself in an interview with Barbara Walters: He remarked (3/25/96) that he was definitely more comfortable with the pursuit of reality, rather than the realization itself. He was referring to a question posed to him by Ms. Walters, where she asked him what he would dream of as a child. He insightfully said that he always wanted to have serenity. He seeks what might, prestige, and influence cannot buy.

If we do seek to sustain satisfaction by any of these means, we will come up empty. If we approach potential relationships with a “give me” component, it will bring a cancer-type cell which will eat up any good things in the relationship. We must pause for a moment and reflect if we are doing this; for then our “love ethic” is borne out of a take mode, and it will be to provide for ourself, rather than for the real recipient – intended spouse, friend, and so forth.

There is a phrase that seems to be a good indicator of our yearnings: God satisfies, the devil gratifies.

We can only get satisfaction when God is satisfied that we have, first, come to Him; second, turned away from hurtful doings; thirdly, continually seek God and the water of life as the reservoir of supply. “The Lord is my Shepherd. I have everything I need”. If we recognize a deep need, we evidentially have not gone deep enough into the well of God’s supply.

Giving Birth To Lust

Since our lustful passions incite us to sin, it would do us well to know what road map takes us to such a destination. James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, is our guide in understanding this. His epistle shows the digression of lust, and since James was also the leader of the church at Jerusalem, he was well acquainted with the behaviors of church folk. Here we find his teacher’s manual, as seen in James 1: 14:

Step 1:

We are tempted. The preceding verse (13) establishes the fact that it is not God who tempts man; He cannot be tempted with evil – we saw that in the account of the wilderness temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4). Man, however, does have that tendency, so we ought to pray for red lights to be superimposed on those insidious temptations that arise. Also, we must recall that temptation does not always come in the form of some big rebellion – it can be unassuming and within our reach. Never judge temptation by its size, but by how sizable your drawing to temptation is;

Step 2:

We are drawn away. If an emptiness is resident within, a temptation can send forth a signal, a type of magnetic pull which, in turn, draws the soul away from its own steadfastness. Lust is the magnet, but it is the lust of and in each individual person that draws us away. No one else, including the devil, can draw anyone away. It comes from the void within a person, reacting to a moment of choice;

Step 3:

We are enticed. Lust is the bait here; enticement is the words/phrases used by the tempter. The Greek word “deleazontes”, means “entice”; it can signify “beguile”, as in 2 Peter 2: 14, or “allure”, as in 2 Peter 2: 18 (KJV). It is a common denominator with the first occupants in the Garden of Eden, where the eyes of man’s carnality made a pact with the pridefulness within, and the devil paid back God for God’s eternal eviction notice. Proverbs 8: 13 tells us that the fear of God hates sin – to see sin as an enemy and not a friend in waiting;

Step 4:

Conception takes place. The seed of need, fertilized with the soil of temptation, creates sin, which, in its full term is death. The labor pain of this birth comes afterwards.

In conclusion, James says do not be deceived, for what you reap you will sow. Sin when fully birthed brings death.

If I Lust, I Must

Bill Gothard, founder and expositor of Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts says this: “Love can’t wait to give; lust can’t wait to get.” This is a good guideline in determining meaningful emotion from meaningless journeys of the wandering soul.

One must decipher between the pull of lust drawing you into something, versus love making you stand for something. The following portion is from the book, Seven Deadly Sins (Anthony Campolo, Victor Books, Wheaton, IL. 1988 – p 37): “Eric Fromm – disciple of Freud – understood this truth (lust results in emptiness), and broke ranks with his academic mentor, primarily because he recognized that Freud failed to grasp the real hunger of human personality. According to Fromm, all of us have been created to gain our ultimate fulfillment in life from loving, rather than through the gratification of our sexual appetites. This world-famous neo-Freudian humanist is correct when he declares that lust creates a desire to gain through sex, with the partnership of our fantasies what can only be gained through loving self-GIVING” (emphasis mine).

Lust, whether defined as a sexual desire or a general yearning, is an attractor to the chasm of the empty soul; that ocean depth of need seeking fulfillment in whatever venue is opportune at the moment.

We need to question anything which draws our soul away. We should specifically ask ourselves questions such as the following: 1) What do I want? 2) Why do I want it? 3) What am I willing to do to acquire it? There must be a point whereby we seize the seizor and determine the factors allowing us to be led in any particular path, be it a behavior, relationship, lifestyle or whatever.

If we are making choices based on the needs in our life – especially if we are unaware of the vacuum inside, then we must have those needs met by a life-sustaining person: God Himself. Then and only then, will our choices, service, behavior, etc., be out of a reference of giving and not taking.

To Covet Is To Love It

Uncovering the layers of desire and lust is no easy task. What we perceive to be our purpose may not be the real goal of our soul. We may not even know what that is; it is possible to be lured along without really being aware of what is occurring. All the more reason we should be inviting the Holy Spirit to be and remain our yardstick, thereby, enabling Him to inform us when we go off course. In as much as God is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, only He can authoritatively tell us when danger is near. It is not uncommon to feel that if the desire is innocent, the results will be good. That is not necessarily the case. Just because it seems good doesn’t mean it is (Proverbs 14: 12).

Does the guideline for your life look something like this: what I love, I follow? Obviously, in the true theological sense – and in the specific guidelines of 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter – our earthly loves, passions, and desires are finite and thrusting out to feed themselves. It is not love in God’s definition. Having said that, on whatever level we feel love, we are drawn to it in whatever shape or form it relays itself to us. It is especially powerful when the vacuum of need is sucked in by the desire for love, and the object of our love is right in front of us. Tangible receptacles are always more accessible and make us more vulnerable. If we crave love, acceptance, position and the like, its lure is so potent that we give our love and devotion to it and follow the empty bait of the deceiver.

This is why God came to earth in the incarnation – the physical form of His Son, Jesus Christ. He knew we needed the physical touch of God. Always know that your Creator wants you to feel His acceptance, love, power, peace, and everything He has prepared for you. He is just concerned if you seek these things from what is around you. Your good intentions are not good enough if you leave God on the sidelines and only holler to Him when your plans have failed.

How can you know what is most important to you? What do you love? What do you desire so much that you are willing to give up time, money, friends, family for?

If this object is not God Himself, than you have missed the mark, my friend.

The Doorkeeper

One of the results of having a door open, is that more enters in than you anticipated. Case in point, our term “lust”. This is a type of doorkeeper; the nature of this craving usually invites in other behaviors – they love to party, and need reinforcements. We can see this in the biblical phrases which identify drunkenness and gluttony, jealousy and strife, lying and stealing, and so forth. Scripture also pairs these sins together: greed and murder – Proverbs 1: 19, Isaiah 56: 11; poverty and rebellion – Proverbs 11: 24; oppression and violence – Proverbs 22: 16; it reminds us of the writer’s sentiments in Proverbs 30: 7-9, in that we ought to pray for no excess or absence of goods. These behaviors are also the root of disputes (James 4: 1-10). Colossians 3: 5-17 gives a good round up of what we should avoid, and what we should embrace. These lists are to be considered as a guideline in Christian living. This portion includes the viewpoint of God towards the passions we display.

In 2 Peter 2: 1 begins a treatise concerning the rise of false prophets in the latter day. It falls upon the wise Christian to read this thoroughly and engage its dialogue. These false teachers will draw through sensuality (verse 2), and many will follow that scent. Greed will be their tool, and judgment of God, their final reward.

This strong language is interspersed here because we are not only led away by our own lusts and desires (James 1: 14), but there are those leaders (both religious and secular) who survive by a magnetism of pleasure; it is what they utilize to gain followers. If there is this vacancy of soul, it will rise up to the charge of gain and make plans for you.

May every lust, desire, and impure passion knock at our door and find Jesus. If Jesus is on the inside, communing with us daily, He will be the new Doorkeeper (Revelation 3: 20; John 10: 1-15).

A Swatch

When a customer is looking to choose drapery, upholstery material, or fabric for clothing, a swatch or piece of the cloth will provide the prospective buyer with the texture, color, and pattern of the desired decoration or clothing.

This swatch is vital in selling the services of the interior design firm, consultant, and so forth; the piece gives the customer the touch and sight of a concept look. God gives us swatches throughout the Bible. He provides for us a physical touch and look of how He has dealt with man. This touch is a small piece of what His eternity is, but it is the same substance of His wholeness. In Colossians 2: 9 it says that “The fulness of the Godhead bodily dwells in Him.” In Jesus, the same eternal God, gave us a fabric to touch and see; by Him we more fully appreciate the way God has decorated eternity (Hebrews 1: 3).

One of the swatches God provided in showing us His love and passion is in John 4. This story shows us the fabric of humanity coming into contact with the holiness of Jesus Christ. A beautiful restoration is in store.

Look through this story and see the interlacing of God’s love and tenderness, finding His truth and purpose.

Get a feel for the work of the Master.

A Swatch Thrown Away – The Woman at the Well – John 4: 7-42

How many people unknowingly throw out a valuable piece of paper, artwork, or finery simply because it does not appear to be of better value? Stories abound of those who have found works of art in old attics, under other pictures. In a city in the New England territory, someone found old writings in a dingy room. They were some of the actual writings of Abraham Lincoln. These pieces, in whatever present condition, are priceless to our American history.

If someone knew that value resided under a seemingly worthless object, more people would be searching. This is exactly the reason why God came to earth and proceeded in His search and rescue. He knew what was underneath the surface.

When He came looking for a person who was needing to drink at the fountain of His eternity, He found someone at a well; a place of deep reserve – a physical resource. Here are some of the lessons we can learn, as we see Jesus Himself touch this swatch and see beyond the games she played and the life she led.

1. Jesus did not engage in conversation with her to learn about her. He already knew. He wanted her to learn about Him, that He was not ashamed to approach her;
2. The time period of this exchange made it a cultural and spiritual no-no for a man to approach a woman, not to mention a Samaritan (half Jewish, hated as a people);
3. Jesus does not care about His reputation, He cares about her redemption. How often we find ourselves questioning God’s interest in us. He is the divine Pursuer;
4. She realizes her unworthiness, but she views it more from a political/social standpoint, than from its spiritual need. God is never offended by our social status, problems, hereditary, form; He is offended when we refuse Him because of our lack of understanding of Him;
5. She sees Jesus as having no physical tool with which to draw the water (verse 11). How often do we see what isn’t there, instead of allowing God to open our spiritual eyes and see what is there? At the onset, it looks like Jesus is promising something (water of life), without any way to bring it to her. Often, He looks to see if we believe Him first. The ram is in the fence when we obey God and trust Him (Genesis 22: 13);
6. Notice that Jesus does not answer her cries regarding how He will supply an instrument. Sometimes God speaks through silence; He is not deadened to the plea. He just waits for the right time to unveil the vessel. So many walk away before God has a chance to show His answer. What a shame!
7. She asks for water (verse 15), but Jesus first asks about her personal life. Why? He has to get any secrets out of the way, and truth must enter into the fray in order to show her that she is flawed. Truth is the key to life. He may also be testing to see if she will run away. Some can never face their choices;
8. Jesus asks her to call her husband. He tightens the knot here. He is, by this statement, introducing her to the fact that He is all-knowing, yet still accessible. Is He badgering her with this banter? No. He is just wanting to free her from the canopy of shame and self-loathing. He must open the cloth to show her He still loves her, despite it all. Verse 16 reveals the heart of the Master: “come here”. She now knows that He is aware of her pretense, yet summons her to Himself;
9. She recognizes Jesus as a prophet (verse 19), so spiritual questions and search begins. Parenthetically, it is heartbreaking that myriads of people see Jesus as a prophet, but do not advance beyond that perspective. The woman begins what many of us do to God: she tries to sidetrack the conversation with questions regarding the proper place to worship. This question was important to Samaritans, for they did worship at a different mountain than the Jewish people. Whether or not it was an issue to this woman, or an avoidance technique, eternity will judge. Suffice to say that Jesus refocused the conversation and impressed on her the state of the heart in worship, not the state the mountain resides in. Jesus, in this exchange, takes her question and molds it into a vital spiritual lesson. It is possible for God to delay answering a question because He is in the process of meeting a need;
10. Verse 25 finds her regarding Jesus as the Messiah. Notice her understanding of Him is changing little by little. It is occurring because she maintains a conversation-relationship with Him. He, in verse 26, reveals to her that He is indeed the One. Imagine this woman who most people avoided and discarded as unimportant, is here given a look into the pure eyes of the divine One. Truly, Jesus saw something in her that she herself did not see. Additionally, while Jesus refused to reveal Himself to the religious zealots, He chose to unmask His humanity and reveal His eternity to this “nobody”;
11. Even the disciples question her presence. Thankfully, Jesus gets to her before His devoted followers do. Should we not be joyful that God gets to us first before others tell us we are not good enough?
12. Verses 28-29 recount how this woman went into the city and told everyone about her encounter with Jesus. The fruit of this interaction is evident: it became fruitful, effective, and evangelistic (verse 30). She left the well and brought the living water to as many as would drink it in.

What can we learn about God’s retrieval of used up people, those discarded as worthless and past their peak? We discover that God goes on a search for such a one, and that He is not ashamed of being in a relationship with us, even though He already knows what is under the covers, so to speak.

When the woman at the well grows in her understanding and acceptance of Jesus Christ, it affects her entire person. It propels her out of her secret lifestyle, and gives her someone worth crossing the barriers for.

The glimpse we gain is hopeful; its substance is eternal.

Too Salty

Our taste buds have a keen awareness when the food we are eating has too much salt. It has that pungent taste. Too much salt actually makes food taste bad, even if the food might have been especially good that day prior to the additional salt. Salt has that effect, to be sure. The Bible likens us to salt of the earth. We are a preservative; we are here to make a difference for good, otherwise God might have chosen to rapture us upon salvation. Read Matthew 5: 13.

Too much salt, too much of us, does not preserve anything. It can actually make the gospel taste bad/pungent to the world. James 3: 9-12 relates this to our conversation. When covetousness makes us self-oriented, there is simply too much of us in our own view finder. We become a seasoning of self, and this permeates our conversation, expectations, relationships, and effectiveness.

Covetousness is like the Dead Sea, the body of water in the Mediterranean. The Dead Sea has water flowing into it, but nothing flows out of it. It is stale water, because all of its current is inward. This sea is salty and its tributaries are not.

Have you ever been frustrated with yourself? Do you ever get sick of thinking about yourself? Do you lose friends along the path of your self-realization? Maybe you are too salty, too self-oriented.

Genesis 19: 26 recounts the story of one woman who yearned for the past glory, as well as probably grieving over the loss of a future placement. Her longing for this lost place was immortalized when she was made into a pillar of salt. Keeping self on the throne of life and allowing its desires to be the director of your walk, will calcify you into a stone; paralysis will be a result, and you will be unable to move forward. Let God shake the excess salt out of you and refill you with His seasoning of grace. You will proceed with a stronger step, and God will retain His proper place in the center of your world.

The Undertaker

A prominent mark of what covetousness brings to the soul is this: you become a taker, and are cradled in what you can get out of something or someone.

It is a self-oriented result, which when coupled with the self-centered society in which we now live, a monster has been born.

This “taking” evidences itself also in areas of service. Are you serving God and man so that you give to them, or are you, in effect, actually giving to get – trying to fill the need of importance and respect?

Do we all need to be needed on some level? Yes. It becomes a snare, however, when you are doing it to heighten your position before man, make yourself feel more important, or seeking to work your way into God’s favor.

How can you tell if you are giving to get, or if your primary need is seeking its fulfillment in taking honors, gratitude, or satisfaction in what you do, versus who you are?

It is evidenced often by the anger when the service is not rendered properly, or when the recipient does not appreciate it your way. It is evidenced when you find yourself wondering how “you” feel, as opposed to the person you are seeking to help. It is evidenced when you are looking for what you receive from your gift, instead of giving out of pure motives. Jesus’ own words are this: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” He ought to know. Look at what He gave!

If a person’s total focus is to obtain the desire of the heart, it is a type of bondage and darkness, because it depends upon some light at the end of the tunnel. One of the captives in Lebanon, upon his release, said this when asked how captivity had affected him: “I became more self-centered.” In captivity, after all, who else do you have to think about?

The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3: 5 to mortify your members on the earth (KJV). The Greek word “mortify” is “nekroo”, and it means “put to death”. We need to become a mortician in God’s sense, and not in our modern day comprehension of a mortician or undertaker. We do not beautify sin, nor make it up as alive. Let’s kill it, or it will try to kill us. Do not let it Take you Under.

The Covetous Grab Bag

Thirty some years ago there was a local program in the Twin Cities which catered to children. Children in the audience were given a grab bag. The show would set aside time for the children to open their grab bags. It was always interesting to see what was in the bags and what it said about the child’s response to what was in their bag. It said a lot about them personally.

If the grab bag of covetousness were open, what might reside in the sack? Titles, possessions, financial securities, personal achievements, social standing, etc.? Think for a moment . . . do the deep things you really need come out of that bag? Can a bag contain these: peace of mind . . . acceptance . . . knowledge of the love of God . . . forgiveness, and such like-minded gifts?

No, they are held in the heart and soul of a person. They are not part of the collection of residuals for this life, for they are too powerful to be wrapped up in such earthly entrapment.

With regard to these gifts of God, they are not something we can keep in storage, so to speak. Rather, they are summoned into our lives at such point wherein they are needed; they operate like the white blood cells of our body – dispatched to heal infectious wounds and injury. We never own any gift of God; we are a steward for it within our being. Forgiveness, for example, is not something we receive and then we never need to forgive or receive forgiveness again. On the contrary, forgiveness is a perspective, a state of mind and heart; that which we are to embody each day, all the time. When Peter asked Jesus how often we should forgive, Jesus said “…seventy times seven”. In other words, Jesus was not into numerology; He was implying the continuance of such a spirit to Peter. This is the same with all of the gifts of God. They are resident, but time-released when the need is present. Talk about your eternal vitamins and minerals!

The intrinsic difference between the grab bag of idolatrous achievement and the gifts of eternal merit is this: you hold the one, and the other one holds you. Let God hold you in His arms of provision. “The Lord is my Shepherd. I have everything that I need.”

Holes, Like your Soul

The Holy Scripture, in its poised mirrored sense, gives form to the definitions of the need of man. Case in point – the emptiness of man, and its continuous need to fulfill itself. We find this array in Proverbs 30: 15-16 (ASV). The image formed here is that of the horseleach. The Hebrew term “alukah” means “blood sucker”, something that drains you. It explains the manner of this being:

1. It has two daughters who say “give, give, but they are not satisfied, and nothing is ever enough. It would be difficult enough to have one offspring with this quality, but to have double dissatisfaction would be horrific;
2. It details in Proverbs 30:16 the four places which are never satisfied:
   1. the grave – sheol – it is the voracious appetite of death that is never filled; it always wants more, and opens its mouth to swallow one more;
   2. the barren womb – this is the place that craves a life within – many women of the Bible found themselves in this condition (Hannah, Rachel, Sarah, Elizabeth), and in those cases, God filled them with a miracle; herein is a powerful emptiness;
   3. the dry earth – it longs for water to quench its thirst, that the surface may be fed (Deuteronomy 28: 23; James 5 18);
   4. fire – it seems to have an identity of conquest – to continue to encompass and dominate; it almost appears as a personality, with a reckless abandon to scorch its own path.

Proverbs 27: 20 gives us an insight into the nature of this appetite: “…so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” It is what we see, coupled with what we feel we do not have, that fans this flame. May we mature to the place that as our eyes feast on the Great Shepherd, we will know all is right, and our appetites will be fed in His presence. Our eyes – that telescope into the empty holes in space, should instead be viewing our fulfillment, not our incessant need.

Only Jesus can make us “whole”.

New Clothes – New Hope

The need for new clothing after an oppressive captivity, was never more vital than after the Allied liberation of the Nazi death camps in April, 1945. Newsreels documenting this grisly unearthing, reveals the process of burying the dead, while caring for the living.

“Memory of the Camps”, a newsreel kept in the War Museum in Great Britain for scores of years, was taken from actual footage of the initial movement of the Allies into these grave pits. They walked through the gates and went into the chamber of horrors. This newsreel film was narrated by the actor, Trevor Howard, and other distinguished persons aided with its production, namely one such notable director – Alfred Hitchcock. This footage points out the viewpoint of the camera as the S.S. guards had taken the clothes off the condemned and had the garments re-stitched for new camp occupants; people, clothing, jewels, and most importantly, humanity, was treated as exchangeable. To a great degree, the material items of the victims were more highly regarded than the victims themselves.

After the liberation, one of the things the Allies did was to secure a section of the camp to be used as an apparel store of sorts. People would come and get new clothes to wear. They could choose their own clothes, and none of the articles were re-stitched, worn, or second hand. It is highly possible that some of the newly dressed might not have even been able to pay for these clothes before the war.

One of the statements in the narrative of Mr. Howard is a striking summation: “. . . new clothes meant renewed hope . . .”

To feel newness after such filth – softness after stench! The smell of something clean, and the sight of something unmarked. What a difference a few moments made.

This is a great illustration of our Lord of Hosts, the Captain of our Salvation. He entered the stench of our prison and refitted us with His newness: “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away, behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5: 17 – KJV).

Allow the Master Liberator to clothe you in newness. What an exchange for rags!

Be Clothed In Him

From the moment God placed the skins of animals on the naked Adam and Eve, and until He places the white linen of righteousness on the saints in glory, it is the work of God to clothe us appropriately for our walk in this sinful world, and to dismantle any other piece. Now that we have seen how behaviors can loosen their grip and cause the mantle of sin to drop off of us, we need to see also how God replaces that mantle with His covering and protection. It allows us to be seen of Him during our sojourn in this world.

Let’s take a closer look at the purpose for His draping us in covering:

1. The Garden of Eden – God gave skins to clothe the nakedness and shame of the inhabitants. This way, they would feel covered and acceptable in coming to Him and each other. Knowledge of our own complicity and error prompts a self-conscious attitude and it clouds our relationship to God and others. God did not bestow skins on them because He was embarrassed to be with them, for He had been with them in their naked condition since the creation of man. He knew that the response of man would be to flee and hide from Him. At the cross of Christ, our Savior – the Lamb of God – was flayed open, and His blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. In a powerful imagery, the blood is for the sacrifice, and the skin – or in this case, His body – was accepted as a covering for us in coming to Him in communion, prayer, and in worship. This event SECURED OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!
2. The Warfare and Armor – God provided armor for the battle we face. As David, we are given armor suitable for our walk in Christ (1 Samuel 17: 38-39); we must put off any armament that is molded to the replication of other Christians, ministers, whomever. Christ is our armor bearer and we wear what He provided in Ephesians 6: 13-17. This armor protects our minds, hearts, walking, and it is truth which keeps the armor together. It is a belt of security; without truth, your life and armor falls apart. Keep in mind that the portion relayed by Paul in Ephesians regarding this armor is at the top of his mind when he is writing. He was chained to a soldier for two years and this soldier wore a suit of armor. Paul was a student by nature and obviously studied the pieces very closely. What a lesson in chains! As you consider this armor, remember it has no back piece, no retreat mechanism. Always go forward! This armor SUMMONS US TO WARFARE. We were born on the battlefield, and we must turn our attention from hurting ourself, to wounding the one who deserves it – the enemy.
3. The Clothing of Lifestyle – As has been previously mentioned, Paul writes in the book of Ephesians, to put off these lifestyles and put on other behaviors. Included in those to take off are: lying, anger, stealing, corruption of words, bitterness (word means “having a bitter root”), clamor, etc. We need to put on kindheartedness (recall this as one of the cords of God), forgiving, tenderness. It tells us, of course, what to take off first. You cannot put on a garment if you have something else you are presently wearing. Paul obviously believes that doing this is a choice, and it is accessible – within our reach. Do you want to stink like the bitterness of the old, or would you rather be a sweet fragrance of forgiveness, knowing first and foremost, that God forgave you graciously. This change of clothing SHOWCASES OUR SPIRIT, for we are a pane of glass showing by our behavior, what is really inside.
4. The Mantle of Worship – Isaiah 61: 3 speaks about the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Oh, what a joyous coat we wear when we ascend in worship. God has given us the robe of righteousness and we enter in proudly and humbly. As we center on His daily and perpetual grace, we begin to praise and delight in Him – thanking Him in all things is a good daily dose of medicine – our spirit is lifted and the heaviness of heart dissipates, for it cannot hold its form in worship. This garment of praise is an even exchange for our garment of heaviness, depression. Whenever a cloud of doom and depression cascades over you, start praising God – the light will pierce the gloom. The drapery PARTS FROM THE MERCY SEAT, and allows us inside.

The robe of Jesus Christ was stripped off of Him, and used in a lottery. What a comfort it is to know our naked shame has been clothed, and we have been appropriately clothed for whatever aspect of the Christian life we are embracing at that moment. It was the “wool” of the Shepherd that made a coat for the sheep.

The Lone Isle

One of the prominent reasons we seek things and people to be around us, is because we are looking to them to fill us with the deep needs resident in our soul. Consequently, God has no choice but to seek to isolate us from these longings and resources, and in so doing, make us content with Him. To accomplish this, He must make us dissatisfied with our personal pursuit, and help us to realize that without Him, every realization needs a realignment.

A great image in the Scripture is found in the term “paradise”, that place of blissful peace and contentment in the presence of God. It is here where our longings are met. The Hebrew term “pardes” can mean: “a forest (Nehemiah 2: 8), and orchard (Ecclesiastes 2: 5, Song of Solomon 4: 13). The Hebrew word “gan” is found in Genesis 2: 8 and it is the place of first mention. Revelation 2: 7 and 22: 2 round out the biblical development of this place. It is the return to the contentment and satisfaction of God alone, which Adam and Eve abdicated in favor of sin.

It is the ultimate eternal union with Christ, for Luke 23: 43 cradles us with the great promise of paradise given to the repentant thief.

The paradise we seek for, while we tread on this earth, is a place where we are shaded and protected, fed of a bounty, showered in the beauty of the garden of delight, and able to find a suitable resting place for our soul.

Outside of a personal walk in Jesus Christ, this place does not exist; it is merely a fairy tale concocted by one who thinks it resides in a man-made reservoir. The old Persian word “paradise” is “pairidaeza”, meaning, “a garden with a wall”. In God’s garden of joy, He sets Himself as the hedge around us, as He did for Job. In the old Persian word here, notice the four letters: “pair”; this garden was not intended for solo occupancy. God created it to celebrate our life with Him. Psalm 84 is a rousing anthem to this special retreat. “My soul longs for the courts of the Lord” (verse 1).

To further develop this spiritual topography, there is an island in the Greek peninsula called “Makarios” or “The Blest Isle”. This is a place where all sustenance comes from within the island; there is nothing coming from outside its properties.

This gives us a wonderful illustration into the heart of God. God Himself is the “Blessed One”; in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17: 28). It does not say that “by Him”, or “about Him” – it says “in Him”; His heart must reside within us – no outside source will do.

As long as we find our source in Him, we will find the blessing, happiness, contentment, purpose, and protection that comes from Him alone. God in His infinite wisdom, knew that if the help came from Him as only an outside source of rescue, there would be deliverance with no relationship. God chose, instead, to come inside the pit and dwell among us.

Jesus Christ will satisfy us wholly!