Devotional for March 20

Let All the Earth Understand the Fear the Lord

13 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:13-19 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Beware of the old “dangle the bait and hide the hook” strategy of our enemy. The bait is always to entice the senses and stir up the desires with sin that is pleasing to the flesh. The hidden hooks persuade with such thoughts as the wages of sin are either not important, don’t exist, or somehow can be avoided. Those who have no fear of God before their eyes live as if God can be mocked, but He who has said “as you sow, so shall you reap” is faithful and true. The momentary pleasure of sin leads to death. Understand that sin—actions, thoughts, deeds of commission and omission—lead only to death of all types—fast, slow, and eternal. Sin is by definition that which is ultimately harmful to ourselves. Therefore, sin is as hateful to God as any hateful thing would be to a human parent that harms a dearly beloved child. Better to suffer by deny self today than it is to enjoy many pleasures and multiply our suffering in the future. As we sow, so shall we reap—this is a fundamental Kingdom principle. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and to depart from sin is understanding. Choose the narrow more difficult way that leads to eternal life, or by default we will be trapped on the wide and easy way that leads to eternal damnation. Let us not grow weary in doing good. Our eternal reward is sure.

Question

How do we turn from habitual sins?

Answer

Stop fighting the flesh in the flesh. Confess, repent, and call on our Lord Jesus Christ for mercy. Words with Kingdom authority spoken in faith can do all.

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring us again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. from the Book of Common Prayer