Article #13 (www.fatherspiritson.com)
Foolish Behavior Leads Nowhere!
It is easy to fall into momentary relapses of foolish behavior. Even when we know that we should surely stay away from them, we often struggle with falling into such temptations. The word of God is crystal clear on this, and it is up to us whether we want to face these universal truths or not. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 for example, we observe that it is God's will for us to be sanctified and refrain from sexual immorality. We should not fall victim to lustful desires and be slaves to such potentially sinful habits. (See V*1).
It is also vitally important that we do not get discouraged in our struggles with these sorts of sins. They are certainly obstacles, and a significant challenge for many of us, and we should certainly turn these over to God to take care of for us in prayer. I would argue that one doesn't have to wallow in guilt and condemnation as a result of their sins, but rather re-focus on God as soon as possible and seek forgiveness from Him in prayer right away. To some degree, I would think that feeling guilty may be healthy, and lead you in the right direction. Overall though, I believe that the guilt and condemnation typically serve to deter you away from your life missions and waste your time.
It is undoubtedly best to avoid sin altogether whenever possible. However, after the error has already been committed, I believe it is best to pray and seek forgiveness. Ask God to remove any guilt, condemnation, fears, worries, anxieties, or stress related to the sins from your mind, body, soul, and spirit. This will free you up and you will immediately begin to feel the burdens of your past melt away from your very being. This is why forgiveness is essential in our relationships with other people, if you harbor angers and grudges against others, God's forgiveness will be much harder to attain if while you are trying to ask for it, you keep remembering all the people you haven't forgiven yourself. How do we figure we deserve forgiveness from God, when we can't forgive someone else for wronging us? Even if the person has offended you in a great way, and it may take some time for you to forgive that person, at the very least forgive them so that you can move on with your life.
God wants us to move forward according to His will and repent of our sins, He does not want you to sit there and have a pity party with yourself or with others for that matter. I would also pray for the desire in my heart and mind to draw closer to God and His truths instead of drifting away from Him through sinful acts. Furthermore, we should seek to successfully repent from such a lifestyle by taking action steps in conquering the sin at hand. If you have a compulsive gambling problem for example, why not self-exclude yourself from the casino and internet gambling? If you acknowledge your weak areas and act accordingly, you are essentially proceeding in a cautious and wise manner. If you know your weaknesses and still decide that you will rely on will-power to overcome the problem, you will set yourself up for failure nearly every time. We need to learn to rely on God in all matters big or small in order to maintain our relationship with God in proper order according to His divine plans. You can rest assured He will always be there for you! (See V*2).
I am certain that God will continue to forgive you, even if you are in the midst of overcoming a habitual sin that you fall into over and over again, but eventually it is only natural that we repent of our sins and actually take more proactive steps to overcome it once and for all. Sooner or later you will feel the Holy Spirit tug on your heart to make the decision to free yourself from the bondage of such sins. Once you trust Him and take that step in abstaining from foolishness, you will feel an inner-sanctification, peace, and fulfillment that you know can only be derived from properly serving Him.
One of things we ought to repent from is boasting in man's wisdom (or worldly wisdom in other words). This is located in 1 Corinthians 3:18-23. (See V*3). To me this set of verses, written by Paul, mean that we should not consider ourselves wise or even humble in our own eyes. Doing so would be considered quite foolish. Essentially our greatest worldly wisdom is foolishness in the eyes of God. For example, the moment you start thinking you know it all and do not even seriously consider the best of criticisms offered to you from the people that love you and have your best interests at heart, it is possible that there is a serious problem of pride present in your life. To some degree, I may argue that a sense of pride in your values, certain actions, and maybe a handful of other areas is fine and perfectly healthy. The pride I am mainly referring to as problematic is the type that causes you to comport yourself in an arrogant manner, being inconsiderate of others, and possessing an inflated ego. This pride is characterized by a hard-headed, stubborn mentality that disregards major components of the word of God, and is typically engulfed in a self-serving, self-seeking way of life. This type of pride is certainly capable of leading one in the wrong path, and is only solved upon realization that humility needs to be acquired. The acknowledgement that a prideful person needs to humble themselves, I would think, is the first step in solving the problem at hand. Once the person is able to make this admission and takes action steps towards humbling themselves and genuinely changing their way of being, wisdom will follow. I don't think that this is an overnight process, but over an extended period of time, they will experience emotional healing. (See V*4 & V*5).
The Bible says that grief is better than laughter. This is because while you may appear to be sad on the outside your heart can still be filled with joy on the inside. It also goes on to say that the heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, while the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure. Wouldn't you agree that it is better to be filled with a desire to repent of your sins or even mourn the loss of the sinful pleasures you once thought were a fixed part of your life? I know I can relate to this in a few different ways, but the main highlight of this verse comes down to the fact that pleasure only gives you short term happiness and is typically followed by all sorts of negative feelings and consequences while mourning normally purifies your heart and clears your mind. Finally, it says that it is better to listen to the criticism of a wise person, instead of listening to the "song of fools". In other words we should pay much more attention to a wise person's criticisms than to the compliments of a foolish person. These verses are located in Ecclesiastes 7:3-5. (See V*6).
I believe that sins related to foolishness occurs the most when we are particularly lacking in faith, and at that moment we are bombarded by attacks from the Devil who is constantly looking for someone to devour. This means we need to be sober and alert, and try our absolute best to stand firm in faith and resist when temptation strikes us. (See V*7). At some point in time between the temptation hitting us like a ton of bricks and the time which we choose to conquer that temptation or fall victim to it we either have sufficient faith or require more. When we require more faith, we often times will rely on our own will power to avoid the temptation, and as you know this is never sufficient for the long term battle. It is absolutely vital that we turn to God in prayer, preferably with family or friends praying for you as well, during these times. The Bible says when two or more gather in one prayer, that much more God will listen to us in the midst of our difficulties. You can find this in Matthew 18:19-20 (See V*8). We need to remember that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, and we need to attain mastery over our own actions. Accountability is an important aspect of it. Often times we tend to rush our feet into evil instead of pursuing God's will for our lives, and remember God detests this kind of action among several others like it. (See V*9).
Keep this article in mind next time any of you struggle with the temptations of folly. God is always there to help you through any obstacle, and remember He sympathizes with our greatest weaknesses! He also knows you better than you know yourself, imagine that!
As always, thank you for reading and considering my article. Please contact me at fatherspiritsonmail@yahoo.com if you have any questions, comments, or general feedback!
Until next time,
-Victor Nunez
Biblical References:
V*1- "For this is God's will, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, 4 so that each of you knows how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not with lustful desires, like the Gentiles who don't know God. 6 This means one must not transgress against and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you. 7 For God has not called us to impurity but to sanctification." Thessalonians 4:3-7 (HCSB)
V*2- "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit." Psalms 34:17-18 (HCSB)
V*3- "No one should deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, he must become foolish so that he can become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, since it is written: He catches the wise in their craftiness – 20 and again, the Lord knows the reasonings of the wise that they are futile. 21 So no one should boast in men, for all things are yours.
V*4- "When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom." Proverbs 11:2 (HCSB)
V*5- "Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice." Proverbs 13:10 (HCSB)
V*6- "Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. 4 The Heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure. 5 It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than to listen to the song of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:3-5 (HCSB)
V*7- "Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9 (HCSB)
V*8- "Again, I assure you: If two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for; it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them." Matthew 18:19-20 (HCSB)
V*9- "Six things the Lord hates; in fact, seven are detestable to Him: 17 arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, 19 a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19 (HCSB)