The Trouble With Tribbles
Greetings,
How can something so cute and fuzzy cause so much trouble? Problem is they multiply and use up all your resources. In fact they multiply so rapidly that they are tough to gather up so that you can get rid of them. But they are so cute, right?
“Watch out for the little foxes that steal away the grapes and ruin the vineyards.” (Song Of Songs 2:15) Many times it is the simple, cute, little things that do us the most damage. I am thinking of all the little sins I commit at times, and how they add up and cause more trouble in my life. The sins that are really easy to rationalize and perhaps laugh at, instead of dealing with and moving past them. Like any small amount of lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life. (I John 2:16) I have learned, the hard way, from experience that there really is no such thing a cute or little sin. The enemy is the one who wants us to minimize our actions. And “I have met the enemy and he is us.”( Pogo)
I sin almost every day, perhaps more, but I have learned that my shortcomings in this area are anything but cute and fuzzy. I used to believe that my personal sins did not harm anyone, but myself. However, now I have come to understand that “the ripple effect” of my poor choices actually does damage to others around me. So I no longer laugh or smile at white lies, porn, lust or masturbation. Instead I take it to The Lord as soon as I can, hopefully before the thought becomes an action or sin. Don’t get me wrong… I walk in freedom, the freedom that Jesus purchased for me on the cross. I try not to obsess on this sort of thing, but being human I still do at times. However Jesus tells me to just press on in HIM and that HE has already taken care of it all.
Jesus wants us to follow Him and not sweat the small stuff. Living in a continual daily, moment to moment, surrender and connection to Jesus allows us all the chance to walk through this life in freedom. “Therefore , since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith….” (Hebrews 12:1-2) I don’t know about you, but when I have my eyes on Jesus instead of my stuff and sin I just walk a better more healthy walk. No sin is cute or harmless. So let us all be simply honest about it…. Continually turning it over to HIM because HE loves us, and HIS love is more than enough to get us THROUGH, and NOT over or around or under any obstacle, to the exact pathway HE wants us on each and every day.
Love and ……
Kirk Out!
notesfromthebridge 
Once again I apologize for the formatting of this post. I wrote it with paragraph breaks, but wordpress would not allow me to publish it with the breaks. ARGH! SIGH…
NOw I see that wordpress correctly formatted this post and posted it correctly in the previous entry. I tried to delete this inferior copy, but it won’t let me. SIGH….
This has been an area of great transformation (playing off my last blog post) for me, because I used to feel so much shame over the sinful things I do, but as Jesus has renewed my mind, I don’t dwell on them, anymore. I acknowledge them to myself and to Him and move on, trusting that it is He who is doing to work of freeing me of the nagging things that I still try to find fulfillment in, or use to control my situations and surroundings.
I attended a sports ministry conference, last week, and one of the speakers was a former LPGA golfer, who had been physically and sexually abused as a child. She explained the difference between guilt and shame, saying that guilt can be an appropriate emotion that we feel, when we know we’ve done something, or thought something inappropriate. Guilt doesn’t have to be condemning, though, but can be corrective. The problem is, as a society, we have been taight that our bad behavior is shameful and as a result, we believe WE are shameful. Unlike guilt, shame is, without question, condemning. It becomes our identity and is never corrective. In fact, as it is embraced, more and more, as our identity, it actually drives a person deeper into the sin that they feel shameful about. I can attest to this and I’m sure many others can, as well. I really appreciated the differentiation between the two words, as I was released from a great deal of shame that I’ve carried for decades!
I cannot believe I lost my post when I left to look up a scripture !! I will have to finish my comment later . The devil does not ever stop ! But he will never prevail !! Thank The Lord !!
Amen to this post Kirk, to be released without pride is key, when one comes out of shame as said by 2trakmind
We are at a fight between flesh and blood of the Humankind verses Father and Son in Spirit and truth, nothing has changed in this fight it is still the same today.
Galatians 4:29Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
So today we all the choice to believe or not and learn to walk by Father’s spirit or not, As we all are learning this today in different stages.
Like look at a Orange tree, much fruit is hanging on the branches there, And some ripe, some not so ripe and some just new born
Yet all are perfect in God’s sight
I love this post. So true! Judy, i have found when posting from my cell, that i have to hit post 2 times or it is lost. And i fat finger too much on my cell. Blessings
Thank you Kris for starting this discussion. And thank you “2trakmind” for your input. What you said about turning over to God and letting Him work it out in you, really helped encourage me. I have been feeling a disconnect lately . It was good to be rem8nded that God hasnt given up on me.