Category Archives: Blasphemy

Accountability, Affliction, Bible, Blasphemy, Condemnation, Deception, Following, Forgiveness, Idols, Judgment, Obedience, Persecution, Punishment, Scripture

CARRIED BY THE WIND

HOSEA 4:19

“The wind wraps them in its wings, and they will be put to shame because of their sacrifices.”

The wind truly is amazing. We can’t see the wind, but we can see its effect. Gentle breezes over a lake are so peaceful, but you don’t want to be on that same lake if the winds get violent. I have had the displeasure of living through several hurricanes and tornadoes. No fun! Wind can be good, but it can also do a lot of damage.

Just ask the Israelites. They are being carried off to exile as if by an invisible wind. The nefarious forces that have swooped in like the wind are going to carry them away because of their disobedience and lack of faithfulness to our God. They never saw it coming before it was too late. Just like a tornado appears out of seemingly nowhere, they are wrapped up in the winds of exile.

APPLICATION

We may not have to worry about exile (notice I said “may not”), but we certainly have to be concerned about not being loyal to our heavenly Father. The same God who judged Israel and Judah judges us today. As a believer in Christ, your sins have already been judged. But don’t think that gives you the freedom to live as you want. We have commands to obey.

So, is God this ruthless, uncaring God who only wants to be obeyed? Of course, not. He loves us and wants us to want to obey Him. He won’t force us into submission. He desires that we willingly follow Him. That’s the way He operates.

But He still holds us accountable for following or not following His law. While we are under grace through Jesus, there are still expectations for holy living which the Lord places on us. He has given us these guidelines to follow to draw us closer to Him. Will you follow them today?

O God, I know You expect certain behaviors from me. Forgive me when I fall short. I do desire to follow You.

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LEAVE HIM ALONE

HOSEA 4:17

“Ephraim is allied with idols; Leave him alone.”

Some people have made up their mind about God. They refuse to believe in the Son of God. Nothing you can say will change their mind. You have preached to them. You have shared your testimony, and still they refuse to believe that Jesus died for their sins. We should still pray for them, but there comes a point when the Lord may just tell you to leave them alone. That’s hard.

Ephraim had reached that point. Nothing Hosea was going to say was going to tear them away from their idols. Isn’t that sad? They knew the power of Jehovah. They had been told about all the things He had done on behalf of Israel, yet they had been blinded by the devil to believe the false idols of the land were more worthy of their worship. It doesn’t make any sense.

APPLICATION

But we are just as bad. Don’t look at Ephraim and claim to be better than them. We do the same thing. We put our trust in false idols just as much. We trust people over God. We trust money over God. We trust medicine over God. We trust a lot of things rather than putting our trust in the Almighty.

I am not saying those things aren’t important. We need people in our lives, but we can’t trust them as we can Jesus. We need money to live in this world, but I know a lot of people who trust their paychecks and bank accounts more than the provisions of the Lord. We need medicine to fight diseases, but doctors and medicine only treat the disease. It is God who heals.

So, before we get all high and mighty and say we don’t act like Ephraim, check out your idols. Do you have anything you trust more than the Lord? When push comes to shove and you are in a deep hole, who do you turn to? It had better be Jesus because He is the only one who will always be there. He is the only true God. Amen?

Lord, You are my only source. I worship You and You alone.

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Accountability, Advice, Bible, Blasphemy, Condemnation, Denial, Forgiveness, Hypocrisy, Infidelity, Judgment, Lies, Satan, Scripture, Sin, Victors

WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE…

HOSEA 4:14

“I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, or your brides when they commit adultery, because the men themselves slip away with the prostitutes and offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes; So, the people without understanding are ruined.”

You probably have heard the expression “What is good for the goose is good for the gander.” That sounds good, doesn’t it? But not always. If both parties are going to get punished, I would prefer to not be the gander, lol. I would hope that I could learn from others’ mistakes and avoid them.

That’s not what happened in Israel. In fact, God has given them up to their sins. The verse sounds like the women are being forgiven. No! God is allowing them to continue in their adultery. The men are doing the same. When God gives you up, that’s a bad thing. Don’t you think?

APPLICATION

So, how do we deal with this verse? We need to confess our sins and live our lives honoring the Lord. We cannot live like the world and pretend there are no consequences. The Lord may not hold us accountable immediately, but every sin has consequences sooner or later.

Now, listen to me. As believers we should never chase sin. After salvation, sin chases us. We have to decide if we want to stop and let it catch us. But we need to remember that in Christ, we have power over sin. We are free in Jesus. Don’t believe the lies of the devil. He will try to convince you that you just can’t help it.

I choose today to live in victory. There is nothing more freeing than knowing that. When we surrender daily to the Lord and walk in the light of His Word, we have victory. Hallelujah! I refuse to be defeated. Jesus has defeated the devil. Don’t forget that.

I praise Your name, Jesus. Thank You for defeating the devil and putting him in his place. I walk today victorious.

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UNDER THE SHADE TREE

HOSEA 4:13

“They offer sacrifices on the tops of the mountains and burn incense on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is pleasant. Therefore, your daughters play the prostitute, and your brides commit adultery.”

Growing up in South Georgia I spent many lazy summer days under the shade of a tree with my buddies. After playing and riding bikes we would find a favorite spot under a tree and just lay around shooting the breeze. We could talk for hours about nothing. Those childhood memories will be with me forever.

That is not what the people of Israel were doing, however. They were offering sacrifices to false gods under those trees. These idols and their worship led them to do things that were abhorrent to God. They deserted the worship of the one, true God for the momentary pleasures of false ones. They were lulled into this by Satan himself. He wanted them to stray and offered every opportunity to do so.

APPLICATION

What are you allowing Satan to lull you into? You see, we are in a spiritual battle every day. The devil loves to get our eyes off of Jesus. He puts things in our paths that seem to provide security. Right now, here in America, most of us have received stimulus checks to assist families during this covid economy. These checks can provide a false sense of security. Government funds are not the answer. God is.

Now, before you ask, yes, I did receive a check. Yes, I will accept it. And yes, I will spend it. The difference is I realize that check is not the answer to any financial concerns I may have. I can’t rely on any source of income to be my Savior. All those resources can dry up overnight. There is only one reliable source for me – Jesus. If I have nothing material, I will always have Him. He will provide for me. He has promised to do so. I must trust that.

I won’t ask you how you spent your stimulus check from the government. That’s none of my business. I will ask you who you are trusting, though. If it’s not your Lord, you need to stop and reassess your priorities. This may sound like I am brow beating you today. I don’t mean to. I only want to challenge you to trust Jesus with everything. Will you today?

Thank You, Lord, that You are my only source of provision. I am thankful how You use others to meet my needs when applicable, but I know it is You who are really my one true and safe source.

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NOSE RINGS

HOSEA 2:13

“‘I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she used to offer sacrifices to them and adorn herself with her nose ring and jewelry, and follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,’ declares the LORD.”

I have never understood the fascination with nose rings. I would not want someone to drill another hole in my nose. I’ve seen nose rings with chains that attached to an earring. I’ve seen simple studs in a nose. I’ve even seen large hoops hanging from the center of the nose, actually covering their mouth. If that’s your thing, have at it. I just don’t get it.

Now, that I have offended half of you, lol.  Gomer was all about her nose rings and jewelry. But you need to understand something. She was doing that to make herself more presentable to her false gods. Israel was doing the same. They would dress up to worship the false gods that had infiltrated their land. It was all futility. God was going to show them that.

APPLICATION

What are you doing in the name of religion that is absolutely futile? We often dress up and put on airs to impress others in church. We pretend to be something we aren’t. We play the part well, don’t we? It used to be that people would dress to the nines with their suits or dresses. Now they see who can dress down the most. It seems jeans and sneakers have replaced the three-piece suit.

So, who are you trying to impress? It’s not about what you are wearing, is it? God could care less what we look like on the outside. It’s all about what is on the inside. You could have the most elaborate nose ring collection in the world, but it wouldn’t impress a holy God.

I want to ask you to examine how you come to worship. Do you come humbly, asking the Lord to teach you? Or are you coming to church to just hang with your friends and see what others are looking like? Will you step back and just take a look in the mirror before you leave your house for worship. Who are you dressing for?

Lord, I want to come before You in all humility. I also want to dress in a way that honors You.

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NOT NICE PEOPLE

2 PETER 2:10

“and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties,” 

I had to read this verse a few times to catch all the negative words in it. All of them are referring to those who will be judged by the Father for their conduct and behaviors. Just look at this list:

  1. Indulge the flesh
  2. Corrupt desires
  3. Despise authority
  4. Daring (this word means to foolishly ignore safety)
  5. Self-willed (this word means to selfishly satisfy self)
  6. Do no tremble at God
  7. Revile God

Wow! Unfortunately, we are seeing that all around us today. These behaviors are front page news. We see it being carried out in protests and riots across our world. This is nothing new. Sin is sin. Until the Lord returns, we will be faced with an ever- growing resistance to the Lord and His teachings.

APPLICATION

Thanks Carl. Now that I am thoroughly depressed, what do we do about it? I didn’t mean to depress you. It’s just our reality. But there is hope. The Lord will handle those who rebel. We don’t have to. Our job is to be Jesus in a lost and fallen world. We can change the world one life at a time.

As parents, we can affect the next generation by teaching our children to do the exact opposite of those things listed above. We should teach them to not indulge the flesh and to respect authority. You can go through the whole list and develop ways to teach them how to do it God’s way.

Can you live in this world and live for Jesus? Certainly! But you have to depend on Him to guide you. You can’t do this on your own. And when you encounter those who live like Peter describes in this verse, just be Jesus to them. Respond to them in the same way Christ would have – in love.

Lord, I know I live in a fallen world. But with You living in and through me, I know I can face any challenging person or situation.

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ANYTHING GOES

2 PETER 2:2

“Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;” 

This one little Greek word for “sensuality” is so big in meaning. One definition is outrageous conduct, conduct shocking to public decency, lewdness. You get the picture. Anything goes! Some people want to display their lewd conduct to disrupt and disturb the moral fiber of our society, what’s left of it.

We think these behaviors are new, but as we can see from today’s verse, they existed long ago. The depravity of man began at the fall of man in the garden. Sin exists for one purpose and Peter nails it – to malign the truth. What does that mean? It means to blaspheme or speak evil against. In other words, anything that tries to correct evil behaviors is seen as wrong in the eyes of these who practice them.

APPLICATION

Oh, moms and dads, the application is plain. You have got to protect your children from the influence of such evil doers. Okay, Carl. How do we do that? I’m glad you asked. You insulate them with the Word of God. You wrap them up daily with His teachings and tell them why they are true. You point out the evil when it rises its ugly head.

You will never protect your children from all the evil in this world. It’s too rampant. But you can help them by teaching them to navigate around it. There will be times they will have to take it head on, but that should be out of defense of the truth, not for trying to make a point. Live true to His Word.

What kind of “sensuality” have you allowed in your life? It is so easy to allow it to creep in today through our digital world. You may think no one knows, but God does. Every time you get “sensual” and dwell in that immoral world you are maligning the truth. Repent of that today and dwell in the holy.

Guard my heart and eyes from the influence of the evil one. Protect me as I walk this earth in anticipation of seeing You, the Holy One, one day.

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Blasphemy, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Completeness, Contentment, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Money, Obedience, Parenting, Scripture

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF?

2 TIMOTHY 3:2

“For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,”

Paul begins a long list describing how people will act and live in the last, difficult days. There is no way we can look at each word, so I looked at similarities. Guess what I found. Most of the words in today’s verse (in the Greek) were totally changed by the prefix. Yep, that little thing that is attached to the front of the word.

That got me thinking. Do I have any prefixes on me? Do I allow outside influences to change me? For instance, do I use money or love money? Do I work to improve myself or love myself? Am I obedient or disobedient? Am I grateful or ungrateful?  Am I holy or unholy? I don’t want prefixes hanging on me that move me away from the Lord.

APPLICATION

Ask your child to describe themselves to you, as if you did not know them. They can use any words they want. Write those down on a poster or sheet of paper. Now ask them to describe how they want to be seen by others in twenty years. Write those words down on the same sheet of paper.

Are there any descriptors on the first list that will conflict with the desired descriptors on the second? Talk about that with them. The Lord wants to show us through His Word how to become more of what He wants us to be. But without direction, without purpose, we tend to drift to be more like the world and just fit in.

Do you have any prefixes hanging on you? Look closely. Are you allowing the world to change who you are? If you are consciously pursuing Jesus each day, you can rest knowing that He will only lead you in a direction that honors and lifts Him up. Let your influences come from within, from your Jesus-filled heart.

I praise You for transforming me at salvation from a godless person to someone who loves You and others. Help me focus on pleasing You and leading others to do the same. You are my prefix remover.

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JUST ONE WIFE

1 TIMOTHY 3:12

“Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households.”

Most of us could not imagine a husband having more than one wife. But in some parts of the world, that is not an unusual custom. That undoubtedly was an issue where Timothy was or Paul would not have mentioned it here and back in verse 2 of this chapter. Paul would not have wasted words on this if it wasn’t an issue.

So, what does Paul say about this – that a deacon should only have one wife? He is specific – he said ONE. But why? So he could concentrate more on things of the Lord. If a man has multiple wives, he would not be able to focus on his responsibilities as a deacon. That’s all Paul is really trying to say.

APPLICATION

Now, I am not telling you to talk to your children about only having one husband or wife. That would be silly. So, how do you apply this verse to them? Let me ask you a question. Do you believe every verse of the Bible has meaning for everyone? Of course, it does. 

I believe our focus should be on teaching our children to not allow distractions to pull them away from their service to Christ. Whatever that might be should be removed or avoided. As believers, we cannot allow anything to tear us away from serving our Lord. Even the choice of a mate needs to be highly considered.

Are you single focused? Do you allow anything or anyone to distract you from serving Jesus? I can’t imagine having more than one wife. I would be torn who to love the most. I would be so concerned about them that I would be useless for my Master. Don’t you do that.

Thank You, Father, for working in and through me. Help me stay focused on You and eliminate things that pull me away. Staying focused is key.

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INTO SATAN’S HANDS

1 TIMOTHY 1:20

“Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”

How awful! How terrible! Handed over to Satan! What a way to have your name remembered! Hymenaeus was teaching false doctrine according to 2 Timothy 2:17-18. And Alexander may have been the same Alexander who was called the coppersmith who did great harm to the apostles and may have believed in the same false doctrines as Hymenaeus. 

Irregardless of their exact beliefs, they undoubtedly had blasphemed against our holy God. This was something which Paul could not tolerate. So, he had obviously withdrawn fellowship from them and was praying God to allow Satan to discipline. But even in this action, Satan is given an exact task which he couldn’t supersede.

APPLICATION

Children have to learn that choices have consequences. They may not experience the consequence immediately, but it will come. That is a truth you must teach your children. Some consequences are hard, like the one mentioned in today’s verse. Some may not seem so harsh. The bottom line is there will be consequences.

Direct disobedience can bring the harshest of consequences from God. Now, I am not telling you to teach your kids to watch out for God’s zaps from heaven. No, teach them to obey because they love the Lord, not because they fear His wrath. But obey they must.

Are you a Hymenaeus or Alexander? Are you thumbing your nose at God, not believing He is aware of your actions? Beware! He is. He knows all and sees all. He will hold you accountable. He has to because He is holy and just. Why not obey Him in all things? By doing that, you are pleasing the One who loves you dearly and longs to see you in His service.

Father, forgive me of failing You. I want to obey You willingly and joyfully. Thank You for holding me accountable.

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