How to we avoid falling into the pitfalls, snares and temptations laid before us? I will try to tackle this topic in a series of posts and would appreciate your suggestions and contributions on the tactics and antidotes God brings to your minds.

2 Corinthians 10 BSB “……3For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. 4 The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

https://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/10-4.htm If you would like to see other verses pertaining to our weapons, please check out this link as it is a helpful tool to become familiar with.

This is literally one of the oldest tactics in the book… If you sin against God, justify and excuse your own behavious by casting the blame on someone else.

Antidote 1: Acknowledge that to blame/accuse others breaks the greatest of God’s commandments. 1st, in doing so, we are not sincerely repenting for and acknowledging our sin. He says against Him alone have we sinned. Hence we culturally have been trained to break the two greatest commandments and think it is so normal to do that we often miss it. The first commandment to love God with all and we are breaking the second greatest to love others as Christ loved us.

Antidote 2: Meditate on the fact that God categorically rejected this tactic.

Note in the verse below that God held all three parties involved to account and blaming others did not gain them any mercy or pardon. God will hold us all to account regardless if someone else tempted us to break His Word.

“9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.”

This blame game will not fly in God’s courtroom

Antidote 3: Not the least of the 3, eyes on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2 Berean Study Bible “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart”

Antidote 4: Recognize that God has promised redemption and forgiveness to the repentant who are willing to take responsibility for their actions.

2 Chronicles 34:26-28
New Living Translation
26 “But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: 27 You were sorry and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this city and its people. You humbled yourself and tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord. 28 So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You yourself will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city and its people.’”

So they took her message back to the king.”

This passage floored me. God delayed His wrath on an entire generation for the sake of one sincerely repentant man. God is merciful and faithful to the repentant. We must never forget the profound depths of His mercy towards such a one.

1 Corinthians 2:2-5King James Version”2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

I have been meditating on this passage. “I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified”.

Who Jesus is, who we are in Him and what He has fully accomplished on the cross impact absolutely every part of our lives. Our perspective is perpetually amiss if we see things through any other lens than who Jesus is and what He has done.

It dawned on me that every need we have, every single can be satisfied in knowing , understanding fully and in truth, the Lord Jesus Christ (this means an intimate and continuous relationship with Him) and getting a revelation of everything that He accomplished on the cross. The gospel is very simple and is expressed fully in this passage of scripture. Knowing Jesus and Him crucified are the master keys that unlock every door of the Kingdom.

Areas of intense impact. (Oh, and I get it, there is likely/ possibly something on this list that will potentially contradict what you believe, that’s ok. Let me know what it is and I can send you the verses that each is based on as there are many verses to support each statement)

1. We can now live under the New Covenant
2. We can now inherit every benefit and blessing outlined in Jesus’ Last Will and Testament (these are huge)
3. We live within a complete hedge of protection like Job did before and after His time of “sifting” as we get a revelation that we are now the righteousness of Christ in HIM.
   1. Job 1 KJV “⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?¹⁰ Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”
4. We can do everything that scripture says we can, including heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, live in perfect peace, live in radical health, walk blamelessly AND we now have the capacity in Him to stop sinning as part of our general lifestyle Mark 16:16-20 see also post https://healinganddiscipleship.com/2019/08/13/the-call-to-be-holy-blameless-and-spotless/
5. We really can to do everything He says we can in Him, and through Him (the list is mind blowing and extensive) “We can do all things in Christ who strenghthens us”

This is one of those topics that just seem to elude my understanding and slip through my grasp so many times. And this week, I was blessed with iron sharpening iron and the picture has come dramatically more into focus. Not perfectly in focus mind you but much much clearer.

In my mind I have a picture of a page with the Words… I havent unlocked how to format this in wordpress so I will do my best.

THE WORD OF GOD

The Ministry of Grace, Blessings and Life VS The Ministry of Condemnation, Death and curses

And beneath all the verses that pertain to these things.

I also have the image of God’s courtroom in my mind, where the enemy is accusing the brethren day and night. I have the image of me standing as the accused before God.

Revelation 12:10 KJV “10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

I have the picture of the perfect Judge, the Lord Almighty speaking to me before the trial opens with these words from Deuteronomy 30. He tells me the terms of His courtroom and than invites, nigh, almost pleads with me to choose life.s

“¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:²⁰ That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

I hear in His words the echo of the choice He set before Adam and Eve, here are two trees, the Tree of Life (I believe this is Jesus Christ and His Word) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (I believe this is self rule and self will and choosing that our own reasoning and understanding is greater and more greatly to be trusted than God’s Word)

I hear God giving the same message in both. If you obey me, I give you all of these things, I will fellowship with you, I will bless you and give you all things pertaining to life and godliness.

2 Peter 1:2-4 KJV “2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

You have only two choices before you, submit to God and build your life on believing Him utterly and obeying Him completely out of Love…. Noah, Abraham, Job, Moses, Joshua were such men… and reap blessings and life abundantly.

OR

Choose to apply your own understanding to God’s Word and elevate your own intellect and reasoning above the Word of God… King Saul, Samson, and too many other kings mentioned in the Bible to list… and reap the penalties for rebellion… and live under curses, death, shame and condemnation.

My I think “Aha” moment came when I realized these are all part of the same eternally consistent, legally binding, absolutely just, absolutely unchanging Word of God… and what some I have learned refer to as the Law of God…. The legally binding elements of His Word.

Back to the court room picture. I stand as the defendant. If I have the wisdom through studying the Word of God to obey the Lord’s instructions in these circumstances, I quickly agree with my accuser…

Matthew 5:25 KJV “25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.”

I accept Jesus Christ’s impossibly generous gift of paying the penalty by enduring the tortures and death and persecutions that He went through for my sake and I “plead the blood of Christ” “Yes I am guilty of all that He says, I deserve all that he demands, but I stand before you a free woman as this marvellous wondrous Saviour has paid my penalty in full. I am eternally His and My life and every judgement you try to level at me has been marked by the blood of Jesus. Therefore address all your accusations to my Advocate and to the Judge. I have no defense. And yet I stand here utterly accepted and forgiven, sealed by the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit.”.

If I am in the flesh, in the mindset of the world, in what the Word of God calls foolishness, I quickly jump to my own defense, I argue about how I was certainly justified, falsely accused, I reason that anyone would have done the same in my shoes, I convince myself more than anyone else that my self righteousness is worthy enough argument to dismiss all charges…. and even in taking up my own defense act in utter rebellion against God’s own Word and Law. My case is closed and my file stamped with guilty, condemned and sentenced to every curse written in the Word and death.

If I am understanding this rightly, this one thing. Whether or not I sincerely accept Jesus and Lord and submit to Him utterly as master of every aspect of my life and I live under the ministry of GRACE…. I now qualify to live under GRACE… I have agreed with God to study His Word passionately, to submit to His correction, to His washing, to HIs convictions and to repent, be moldable, be sincere, walk with integrity and to adhere to His regulations as He has outlined them in HIS Word directed to those walking under the ministry of GRACE. Every blessing of the Word of God has been opened to me as a citizen of His Kingdom. The same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, is now quickening my mortal body, leading me into all truth, I am hiding the Word in my heart regularly that I might not sin against Him. When I falter, He convicts me, counsels me, raises me up, renews me, empowers me, changes my desires as I seek Him. He lives in me, He never fails me, He never forsakes me and He showers my life with mercy and grace.

As one under grace, my primary training comes through intimate ongoing fellowship with the Son, in studying His Word continuous, fellowshipping with the saints, in submitting to other believers, in submitting to the loving correction of my Heavenly Father, in continuous ongoing incessant praise and thanksgiving… yes, God certainly sets boundaries for such a one, and the closer one draws to Christ, the less appealing even approaching those boundaries becomes. The punitive rod of correction is minimally required as the heart of such a one is so tender and responsive to the slightest rebuke of the Master and longs and takes such great delight in pleasing/living for Him. Thank God He is still faithful to allow us to experience the consequences of walking outside of His will so we can recognize that we have left the right path.

OR I choose to continue to be my own God, refusing to obey Him and submit utterly to His Word. Here is what the Word of God says about such a one. Condemned, subject to sin, subject to the beggarly elements of this world, destined to die and suffer eternal separation from God, subject to every curse written in God’s Word.

John 3:17-19 KJV 17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Such a one lives under the curses of the fool listed in Proverbs. The rod is constantly required and still they refuse to turn and be healed. There is hardness of heart, intense self will, and rejection of God, His Lordship, His Word and His Law.

Proverbs 26:2-4 KJV ” As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. 3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back. 4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.”

Proverbs 9:8-10 KJV “8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. 9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

Proverbs 13:1-3 “13 A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. 2 A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. 3 He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.”

There are many such verses that I pray will now leap out to you as you read… There are so many promises directed to those marked and sealed as righteous… and also so many curses that those who are marked as rebels/condemned may suffer.

John 5:23-25 “23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

2 Corinthians 3 ESV “⁷ Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, ⁸ will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? ⁹ For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.”

Acts 20:24 ESV “24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.“

Romans 8:1-4 KJV “8 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

So in the simplest terms possible, I believe there is the Law of God, but there are two separate ministries under that Law. The Bible tells us the default setting is condemned per John 3 above. For those who are condemned it a source of condemnation, fear, feeling judged, wrath, buffetting etc.

But when we accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord (truly submit to Him in all areas of our life). For Kingdom citizens the Law is a source of guidance, protection, healing, favour, blessing, security, hope, joy, peace.

Let’s look at the root language of these words.

from https://biblehub.com/greek/1248.htm

definition ministry:

diakonia: service, ministryOriginal Word: διακονία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: diakonia
Phonetic Spelling: (dee-ak-on-ee’-ah)
Definition: service, ministry
Usage: waiting at table; in a wider sense: service, ministration.

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 1248 diakonía – ministry; active service, done with a willing (voluntary) attitude. See 1249 (diakonos).

For the believer, 1248 /diakonía (“ministry”) specifically refers to Spirit-empowered service guided by faith (4102 /pístis, “the Lord’s inbirthed persuasion“).

[Observe the close connection of faith (4102 /pístis) and 1248 (diakonía) in Ac 6:1-7,21:19,20; Ro 12:3,7; 1 Cor 16:13,15; Eph 4:12,13; 1 Tim 1:12,14; 2 Tim 4:5,7.]

from https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/ministry

Ministry

---

MIN’ISTRY, noun [Latin ministerium.] The office, duties or functions of a subordinate agent of any kind.

1. Agency; service; aid; interposition; instrumentality.

He directs the affairs of this world by the ordinary ministry of second causes.

2. Ecclesiastical function; agency or service of a minister of the gospel or clergyman in the modern church, or of priests, apostles and evangelists in the ancient. Acts 1:17. Romans 12:7. 2 Timothy 4:5. Numbers 4:12.

3. Time of ministration; duration of the office of a minister, civil or ecclesiastical.

The war with France was during the ministry of Pitt.

4. Persons who compose the executive government or the council of a supreme magistrate; the body of ministers of state.

5. Business; employment.

He abhorred the wicked ministry of arms.

CONDEMNATION

Word study

Cognate: 2633katákrisis (from 2632/katakrínō, see there) – the sentence of condemnation handed down after someone is found decidedly guilty.

Isn’t this amazing? Decidedly guilty and the sentence handed down to such a one. Most of us believe we can and are swinging wildly back and forth living moment to moment under grace when our performance is good and under condemnation when it is bad. I believe what the Word says is that we are under one or the other. That this is established per the conditions outlined in His Word and that we ultimately choose which one we live under. I do think there are verses indicating that if we repent and turn then we come under righteousness. I also see verses that indicate if we persistently and continually reject the ministration of the Holy Spirit, rejecting His counsels, in other words if we turn from the ministry of grace, then we come back under the ministry of death and condemnation.

Hebrews 10 BSB”…25Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 26 If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.…”

Confusion comes in when we try to straddle both ministries and live under both.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

https://biblehub.com/greek/1343.htm

HELPS Word-studies

1343 dikaiosýnē (from 1349 /díkē, “a judicial verdict”) – properly, judicial approval (the verdict of approval); in the NT, the approval of God (“divine approval”).

1343 /dikaiosýnē (“divine approval“) is the regular NT term used for righteousness (“God’s judicial approval“). 1343 /dikaiosýnē (“the approval of God”) refers to what is deemed right by the Lord (after His examination), i.e. what is approved in His eyes.

I could not help but laugh out loud when I saw the meanings of these words. God showed me the truth in His Word by quickening it to my heart, and the word studies utterly confirmed what He had revealed. He is truly astonishingly good.

Some scriptures to take especial note of

James 2 ESV “8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Mercy triumps over judgment. Those who walk under the law of liberty (I believe another term for the ministry of righteousness) Therefore we must go forward circumspectly and guard our heart against judging others.

LIBERTY

https://biblehub.com/greek/1657.htm

Strong’s Concordance

eleutheria: liberty, freedomOriginal Word: ἐλευθερία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: eleutheria
Phonetic Spelling: (el-yoo-ther-ee’-ah)
Definition: liberty, freedom
Usage: freedom, liberty, especially: a state of freedom from slavery.

Matthew 7 KJV “7 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

1 John 2 “…10Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

Therefore, we need to put aside all bitterness, we can not live under the ministry of righteousness while condemning and judging and not forgiving others. We must understand that there are two central commands on which everything else hangs and on which the judgement over our lives is decided. Love the Lord with all and Love our neighbour. To break these is to be found guilty and sentenced to the ministry of condemnation.

I will continue to add to this post if and as I am led by the Lord. It is in rough form yet so I ask you for grace and forbearance… but what I joy to think of what it means to live as one whom the Lord will not impute their sins.

Romans 4 Berean Study Bible “Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

COVERED

https://biblehub.com/greek/1943.htm

Thayer’s Greek LexiconSTRONGS NT 1943: ἐπικαλύπτω

ἐπικαλύπτω: (1 aorist ἐπεκαλυφθην); to cover over: αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἐπικαλυπτονται, are covered over so as not to come to view, i. e. are pardoned, Romans 4:7 from Psalm 31:1 ().

Paul’s Thorn… an example of the struggle we have with this reality.

In light of these things, let us revisit Paul’s thorn.

2 Corinthians 12:5-9 “5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

So Paul, having lived under the ministry of condemnation up until his conversion on the road to Emmeaus shows us he was still working this out. He believed he needed a thorn to minister righteousness to him. He believed a rod of some sort would be the best tool to keep him in line. The Word of God says that “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”. It is written that the wise learn via instruction, and the fool with a rod to the back per the verses I quoted above. God’s answer to Paul again reveals Paul’s transition from condemnation to grace. God says, Paul you don’t need that thorn anymore, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Do you know what some of the fruits of the knowledge and wisdom of Christ and His Kingdom is? Meekness and humility. The greater the revelation we have if our hearts are right with God, the greater measure of these fruits become possible.

Galatians 5
English Standard Version
5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.’

The enemy would be delighted to keep us in confusion. He would be delighted to keep us in any form of bondage he can.

James 1:5-8 “5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

I hope to keep adding as I have so many more verses running through my head as the Lord leads into even deeper understanding of these things. The more intimately I grow to know Him, the more clear things become.

Genesis 3:22-23 King James Version 22 “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.”