Dishonesty is doomed …

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June 19
Dishonesty is doomed 
For reading & meditation: Proverbs 14:1-13
“A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.” (v.5)

We need to fix it as an axiom in our thinking that nobody ever gets away with anything, anywhere, at any time, if that “anything” is dishonest or untrue. The whole history of humanity is a commentary on this. The first lie, uttered by Satan in the Garden of Eden, was this: “You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4). And he keeps repeating that well-worn but discredited lie to every man and woman who comes into this world. Something dies the moment you are dishonest or fail to be a person of integrity. Self-respect dies within you. Death begins to eat away at your heart the moment dishonesty comes in. You are not so much punished for your sin. You are punished by sin for sin. In one sense, sin is its own punishment. “Dishonesty puts sand in the machinery of life,” says one writer. I would add: “And honesty and integrity put in oil.” We can choose to live with sand, or oil, in our inner mechanism. I cannot say whether or not I would ever lie. I would like to think not – but I am fallible and human. I know this, however: my moral joints will creak if I am dishonest. I am made for integrity and I will not function well without it.
Prayer:
O Father, help me grasp this simple but important fact – I am designed in my inner being for truth and honesty. When I work with truth, I go leaping into life. When I work without it, I limp. Drive this truth deep into my being. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
For further study:
1. What is the meaning of Numbers 32:23?
2. What does deceit lead to?

Gun News …

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Gun control advocates turn to Hollywood for messaging help
The group has discussed targeted voter-registration programs with visiting Democrats, as well as the party’s framing of issues ranging from abortion rights to gun control. In one recent meeting, a Midwestern senator sought advice about……

New Jersey To Gun Owners: Hand Over Those Magazines Or We Could Throw You In Jail

If you don’t submit to our so-called common sense gun control policy, we’ll throw you in jail. That’s the mindset of New Jersey.

New Jersey: Want to buy a gun? Town officials just made that nearly impossible here

The all-Democratic governing body in Piscataway has unanimously approved an ordinance targeting weapons retailers — a move apparently without precedent in N.J.

What American Gun Grabbers Could Learn From Brazil

When anti-gunners look to other countries, they tend to only focus on Western Europe. They argue that culturally, we’re similar countries with similar values and similar systems of government. Because they have strict gun control and…..
There was once a time when investment firms wanted one thing, and that was profits. The mindset of the old guard was that everything must be sacrificed to make money. It did not matter if it meant dumping chemicals in the ground or…..

GOP Candidate Releases First TV Campaign Ad With Gun By Her Side

It’s often not enough for people to simply agree to disagree when it comes to a politician’s policy proposals anymore. For reasons rational people don’t understand, there are voters out there who believe death threats are the appropriate way to influence their representative’s decision-making.

Snopes Betrays Bias With Anti-Gun Meme Defense

If you spend much time on social media, you may well have seen an image that claims to be a realistic representation of the hole an AR-15 creates in a human body. The hole in question is massive, probably at least the size of a tennis ball, if not larger, and it might well be sufficient to convince some people that maybe…..

3 Armed Citizens Take Out Gunman At Washington Walmart

An armed carjacker shot two people in a Walmart parking lot before he was stopped by three armed citizens.

Making Decisions by Hearing God……

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Making Decisions by Hearing God

June 18

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

God speaks to his children in many varied ways. God has said that his ways are not our ways. If left to our reasoning, we will fail to fully walk in the full counsel of God, which leads to poor decisions.

Thus, our goal is to avoid being deceived and to develop a listening ear that hears the voice of God with confidence. Our goal is to have such intimacy with God that we can walk in the full blessing of our decisions and to be assured they are not based on our own reasoning alone. This does not mean that we do not use the intellectual and logical skills that He has equipped us with.

A.W. Tozer said that the man or woman who is wholly and joyously surrendered to Christ can’t make a wrong choice – any choice will be the right one. J. Oswald Sanders explains his method of receiving guidance from God for decisions; “I try to gather all the information and all the facts that are involved in a decision, and then weigh them up and pray over them in the Lord’s presence, and trust the Holy Spirit to sway my mind in the direction of God’s will. And God generally guides by presenting reasons to my mind for acting in a certain way.”

The apostle Paul said, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13). God has equipped us with everything we need to make good decisions. Hearing His voice is the first step toward making right choices in life.

Do you have a decision to make? Submit that decision to the Lord, ask God for clarity. Ask Him to make the desires of your heart the same desires that He has for you in this matter. Await His perfect timing on the matter. Then you can be assured of making the right decisions.

Two important facts…..

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June 18
Two important facts
For reading & meditation: Proverbs 6:12-19
“There are six things the Lord hates ‘ a false witness who pours out lies ‘” (vv.16, 19)

We return to the question we raised yesterday: What if someone came to your house to murder a member of your family and asked if that person was in? Would it not be right to lie in such circumstances? The “situational ethics” people would say “Yes.” The Bible, in my opinion, says, “No.” Situational ethics is notorious for coming up with hypothetical situations in which a person must sin because that is what ought to be done. But once we view sin as a “must” and an “ought,” we are finished. A Christian view of ethics rejects every constructed situation which the situational ethics people advance because it fails to take into account two important biblical facts. First – God’s sovereignty. God will always make a way for His people to avoid sinning. Second – the Holy Spirit’s power. The believer is encouraged not to worry about what to say in difficult situations. “At that time you will be given what to say” (Matt. 10:19). Also, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). God is not ignorant or stupid. He did not fail to see that sometimes His laws would seem to contradict one another. He knew full well that there would be occasions when it might seem prudent from a human point of view to violate one of His principles, hence His promise to us in 1 Corinthians 10:13. Those who try to excuse the breaking of any of God’s moral laws on the pretext that it feels “right” or seems “good” sow the seeds of disruption in their own inner being. It is not the way of wisdom.
Prayer:
Father, Forgive us that so often we prefer human wisdom to divine wisdom simply because it “feels” right. Help us to trust Your Word even when it runs counter to our own feelings. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
For further study:
1. What conclusion had the psalmist come to?
2. How does Paul communicate God’s abhorrence of lies?