madness – Praying Pint

52.p. Wilderness – 16.v. “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart”

Deu 28:21  The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed. “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away.  The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you.

Deu 28:34  so that you are driven mad by the sights that your eyes see.

Deu 28:37  And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the LORD will lead you away.

Deu 28:45  “All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you.

Deu 28:47  Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,

Deu 28:58-59  “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting.

Deu 28:61  Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the LORD will bring upon you, until you are destroyed.

Deu 28:63  And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you.

Deu 28:66-67  Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see.

The same variety of expression is used in these terrible curses, as in the preceding blessings, to intimate every kind of prosperity or adversity, personal, relative, and public.

If we do not keep God’s commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it rests upon him. Whatever he has is under a curse. All his enjoyments are made bitter; he cannot take any true comfort in them, for the wrath of God mixes itself with them. Many judgments are here stated, which would be the fruits of the curse, and with which God would punish the people of the Jews, for their apostacy and disobedience. We may observe the fulfilling of these threatenings in their present state. To complete their misery, it is threatened that by these troubles they should be bereaved of all comfort and hope, and left to utter despair. Those who walk by sight, and not by faith, are in danger of losing reason itself, when every thing about them looks frightful. (Henry)

Oh that our hearts and minds would grasp the holy blessings of God in light of the wrathful curses. Sin has a way of blinding us to only see blessings from God. Sin blinds us to the holiness of God. Neglect of His Word deafens our ears to the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin.

May the Word of God open your hearts and minds to His holiness and give you a deep desire to honor and glorify Him more and more each day. We do not honor and glorify Jesus christ for the blessings we receive, but for who God is.

34. Be sure your sin will find you out.

Numbers 32:23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.

Deuteronomy 28:15-68 “But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. “The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do,… The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness…. and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually, so that you are driven mad by the sights that your eyes see….“All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God,… They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,… And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you…. Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life.

Leviticus 26:14-46 “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic,…And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, and I will break the pride of your power,…“Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins….“But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins….their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me,

Of all the ways, says Dr. South, to be taken for the prevention of that great plague of mankind, Sin, there is none so rational and efficacious as to confute and baffle those motives by which men are induced to embrace it; and among all such motives, the heart of man seems to be chiefly overpowered and prevailed upon by two, viz. secrecy in committing sin, and impunity with respect to its consequences. God assures us, that how covertly and secretly we move into sin our sin would infallibly find us out. Though the subject and occasion of these words are indeed particular during the proclamation of the law, yet the design of them is universal in application. Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him. Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. 1 Corinthians 4:5 who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

Sin, obedience, and serving God with a humble heart and mind are not spoken of much anymore. What is being spoken of are Grace, Mercy, and Love of God and neatly tied with a little red bow of prosperity, blessing, and problem free life. God has not changed and just because we are living in a time where it appears His wrath is being restrained does not mean we are guiltless. If we are not approaching each new day with our deepest heart and mind’s desire to humbly honor, glorify, seek, serve, follow, and obey Him, we are being very neglectful and complacent with our walk with Him. How do you know if you are sinning against God if your eyes are blind and your ears are dull or deaf to His word? How can you have wisdom and knowledge of His holiness and your sinfulness if His word is not seen as a means to gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding? How can He be a light in your life if you choose to live in darkness caused by a complacent approach to serving Him?

The truth is you cannot. Living in complacent neglect allows the heart and mind to be influenced by culture, society, and human nature – “doing what seems right in your own eyes”

There are consequences – God assures us, that how covertly and secretly we move into sin our sin will find us out. Choose to walk each day in the light of His word for the single purpose of humbly serving and honoring Him.

Do no be deceived

“Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brother”

John 13:27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

John 13:2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,

Matthew 12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.

Proverbs 1:16 for their feet run to evil,

Ecclesiastes 9:3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

If we are born with a sinful nature and this is the natural mindset and heart of man how are we to know what is sin in our life? How do we know the difference between good and bad? Our natural mind would conclude that if it benefits society and the culture identifies it as good, then it must be pleasing to God. Viewing this from this standpoint gives a very strong illusion of being right with God and serving Him. However nothing could be worse for our soul. Trying to be and do good is not serving God. It is nothing more than trying to earn and work way to be right with God. Performing acts of goodness and kindness apart from humbly seeking, serving, honoring, following and obeying God are man’s unworthy attempts and used by Satan to blind us into thinking we are right with God. this mindset leads us down paths of complacency and neglecting God’s word in favor of doing what we think is right. They mindset tells us we are doing what God wants. This is a lie. It is false. True servants of God desire and seek His purpose and plan. They continue in reading scripture and are fully aware of their sinful nature. They seek God to expose their sin and lead them in paths that honor Him. They do not try to please God apart from seeking His purpose and plan. They choose to be lead and their heart, mind, eyes and ears are open to His leading. Be mindful of your sinful nature and it’s desires, and Satan’s deceits.

You must rule over it

Joh 12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.

Joh 12:9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Luke 16:31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Genesis 4:6 So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

Exodus 10:3 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?

Daniel 5:21-23 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.

Psalms 73:9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.

Job 9:4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength —who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?

Psalms 73:11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

Those who believe, those who inquire, and those who criticize, mock, and harden their heart are all around us all of the time. We have opportunity every day to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ. We never know when God has softened a heart to the point of hearing this Good News and it is not up to us to determine who is and who is not worthy of it. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Keep this close to your heart and mind and ever present in your conversations. Be a light unto a dark world. On another point on the scripture today is from Genesis 4:6 – “Sin is crouching at your door but you must rule over it.” Paul said – Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then. Stay in His word and be right minded toward keeping it close to your heart, mind and soul.

Fear and Panic

Zechariah 14:13 And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other.

Zechariah 12:4 On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness.

Judges 7:22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army.

1 Samuel 14:15-23 And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.

2 Chronicles 20:22 And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped.

Ezekiel 38:21 I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord GOD. Every man’s sword will be against his brother.

Revelation 17:17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

Genesis 35:5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

Leviticus 26:36 And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf shall put them to flight, and they shall flee as one flees from the sword, and they shall fall when none pursues. They shall stumble over one another, as if to escape a sword, though none pursues. And you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.

Exodus 23:27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

Psalms 14:5 There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous.

Deuteronomy 11:25 No one shall be able to stand against you. The LORD your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you.

In scripture we often read of the power of God over the physical properties of earth and sky. God is not limited in anything. He is God. He is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. I am reminded in these scriptures again of how powerful and mighty and awesome God is. He has great power over all there is, even the heart and mind of man. He is able to place fear and trembling in the heart and mind. He also places what can be known about Himself into the heart and mind of man. In Romans it says “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,” Our God is in control and able to overcome anything that comes our way. This is for sure. The proper mind when thinking about this is stated very clear in Daniel when the three followers told the king “our God is able to save us but even if He does not, we will not bow to you”. And again when Christ prayed for the cup of wrath that he was going to experience to be removed/stopped, but not his will but God’s. We must always put our total faith in the one who is able and rely on and trust in His perfect plan.