Finding true security in such trying times.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

We are living in times where things seem uncertain , our live can rapidly change, man has become so corrupt it is difficult to know what is right and what is wrong. The lines between what is right and what is wrong have become so skewed that most do not know what the right thing to do is. I am going to discuss how we can be more sure of things and know what God would require of us. In doing so this will give us a security and peace that many do not know. They live in constant anxiety and confusion because of the things that are happening in the world now. I will also discuss how this will protect our mental abilities.

Being insecure means we lack trust in something or someone. We are living in the final moments of this system. We were warned how false religion would corrupt man. This is going to cause sin to be rampant and the results of those sins many will be harmed emotionally, physically and may even struggle to survive. This can lead to many insecurities. We can avoid being insecure if we put our trust in God instead of ourselves, man or the world. The bible warned us the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. We know this is true because when Satan tried to temp Jesus he offered him all the kingdoms of the earth. Jesus did not contest that those kingdoms where in the power of Satan. Jesus himself called Satan the ruler of this world. So if we put our trust in the world we are putting our trust in the wicked one. Satan is the inventor of the lie so putting our trust in the world would be putting our trust in a lie since the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. It is very difficult to know what to expect when putting trust in a lie, this can cause many insecurities.

God does not change, cannot lie and all the promises he has made he fulfilled so we can be certain of the things he promises us. Not only that if we write his word on our hearts it protects our minds because we get the security and confidence that comes with being certain of the decisions we make when we know what God’s will is and do his will instead of that of our will , or the will of the world or man. We are all imperfect humans, God is perfect so if we rely on his word to guide us instead of ourselves or others then we can be certain we are making the correct decisions. In doing so it gives us a certain confidence. God is merciful and forgiving. Man tends to show very little mercy and tends to hold error against us even if we have repented. They will constantly throw your error in you face and remind you of your error. Something we are told not to do. There is a security that comes with knowing we have such a loving and forgiving God.

How can we find security in our worship of God with false teaching prophesied to be rampant and religion being corrupted? How do we know whether we are worshiping in truth? True worship will bring security because we will be certain of our decisions because we will know what God’s will is and know what he would want us to do. If we look at our fruits and the fruits of those we worship with or associate with , we will know whether we ourselves and others are worshiping in truth. The bible tells us by looking at person’s fruits those worshiping in truth would be recognized. So if we know what fruits we and others produce we can identify true worship and whether we are worshiping in truth.

What are these fruits? One such fruit would be the fruit of the lips. Those who worship in truth would have such a deep love and faith in God that they would be driven to teach others about God and Jesus. Sacrifice of the lips which means telling others about God , Jesus and the heavenly kingdom so they can have hope, as things become more confusing and gloomy. Those who do not worship in truth are insecure and full of anxieties and fears. The mess man has made only God can fix. By putting their hope in God and and trusting Jesus who God has sat on the throne, to set matters straight we will produce good fruits because by sharing God’s word with others we can offer them hope and show them how to enter the narrow gate which means we imitate Jesus in every way. So if ourselves or another person gets others to put their trust and faith in God instead of man or the world they are producing the fruits of the lips. Not only that but those who produce the fruit of the lips do so with a thankful heart even when suffering trials or tribulation because they have confidence that God will fulfill the promises he made of bringing death to nothing and of restoring the earth to the paradise it was meant to be. Their actions and words even when being tried show because they are thankful for the hope God has given them and the security that comes with it. Many take things for granted, never thinking about the fact the bible warns this system and the things in it will be done away with soon including world governments. Those who may have a form of Godly devotion but put more trust in the world, themselves or God will not be thankful for the future hope God has given us and will betray one another even now as things get more distressing they are starting to betray each other. By knowing whether we are worshiping in truth and those we worship or associate with are worshiping in truth we can be more sure that we will not be betrayed by those we associate with. So if we, or those we associate with are are leading others to put their faith and trust in God and they are thankful and praise God even when being tried then good fruits are being produced. If we do not tell others about God how could they learn to trust him and what hope would they have with all the things that are happening in the world? Someone had to teach us would it not be the right thing, for us to also produce fruit by giving others hope in such dire times?

Another fruit that would be produced is peace. We are told in the bible the result of true righteousness would be peace. But how can this be so if the bible tells us the world will hate and persecute those who follow Jesus and worship in truth? When persecuted, or as we see the morals of the world and the ruining of the earth occur we get an inner peace knowing we produced fruits of the lips and those doing the things they are doing had a chance to draw closer to God and Jesus. We get an inner peace that comes from trusting God and Jesus because we know things will be better when God fulfills the future promises. Many fear death but by putting our trust in God we have the inner peace knowing even death does not have a hold on us because there will be a resurrection when the final enemy death has been destroyed. With all the indecisiveness in the world many do not know what is right and what is wrong. Trained mental experts often times have opinions that differ from the bibles. If we put our trust in God instead of man we get an inner peace knowing we are doing what is right. So the peaceful conditions we sow God’s word in will be an inner peace which is developed by producing the fruits of the lips. When we are hated or persecuted for our faith, and our trust in God we get an inner peace knowing the persecution, and trials are a sign we are no part of the world and God is with us. Jesus said the student is no better then the teacher, if the world hated him it will hate you. When persecuted or suffering trials and tribulation because of our obedience to God , we get an inner peace knowing we are entering through the narrow gate which means we are doing our best to imitate Jesus and we are entering the narrow gate and not taking the road to destruction. When Jesus said he gives us peace but not in the way the world gives it what did he mean. Reading the text in Philippians can help us better understand the peace Jesus was referring to. (Philippians 4:4-7 4 Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I will say, Rejoice! 5 Let your reasonableness become known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.) As you can see the peace is an inner peace that protects our hearts and minds and prevents us from experiencing the anxieties that others will experience who chose not to draw closer to God and Jesus. So those who are producing fruit will have an inner peace and will not get overly anxious. We will become anxious at times but eventually the inner peace takes over from our faith and it will protect our hearts and our minds. So those producing fruit of peace will make better decisions because their hearts and minds will be protected.

Those producing fruit in righteousness will be blessed with the holy spirit and produce fruits of the spirit and not fruit of the flesh. (Galatians 5:19-24) 19 Now the works of the flesh are plainly seen, and they are sexual immorality, uncleanness, brazen conduct, 20 idolatry, spiritism, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, dissensions, divisions, sects, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and things like these. I am forewarning you about these things, the same way I already warned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom. 22 On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed to the stake the flesh together with its passions and desires.) If someone is producing fruit of the flesh they will have fits of anger, they will show hostility, jealousy, the will be attached to the physical things of the world which is a form of idolatry. The bible warns those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom. If we or those we worship with are producing fruits of the flesh we should do our best to overcome them and to show those we associate with they are not doing what God would require. If they do not respond in a positive way then we know they are part of the world. If they respond by correcting their error then we can be sure they are doing their best to do God’s will. Strife mentioned in the bible refers to bitter conflict or violent dissension. So those reaping fruit of the flesh would be unreasonable, not agreeable to anything, they would often times be combative and have violent outburst. If we see ourselves or others producing such fruit then it indicates we need to focus more on the things unseen because we are to worship in spirit because God is a spirit person. If we are producing the fruit of the spirit it will give us security knowing we have been blessed by God and he is with us no matter what we have to endure. When we are blessed by the holy spirit we become more patient with others which prevents us from wanting to have conflicts and impose our will on them. We learn to love like Jesus and God loved which means we learn to forgive even our enemies. Those producing fruits of the spirit will have self-control, meaning they will not give in to their short comings. Knowing we and those we associate with have mastered self control and will not draw us into sin or put us in a bad situation because of sin or bad decisions gives us a security because we know what to expect from them and know they will have no hidden motives for the things they do. This is why it is very important to make sure we and those we associate with are producing the fruits of the spirit. We can get a certain security because it will make it clear who we can trust and who we cannot when we pay attention to their fruits. This also gives us security that we most likely would not be betrayed by those we choose to be close to. Next I will discuss love because it is a fruit of the spirit.

Lets take a look at what the bible tells us love is. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.) . God is love and Jesus perfectly reflected God’s image. Jesus knew God was going to hand him the heavenly kingdom over to him and he still did not view himself as superior to others and did not get prideful about the position he was going to be given. Jesus remained humble and continued to serve others. He set an example for us by washing the disciples feet which was something a servant would do. So to know love we need to get rid of any false pride we may have and be humble as Jesus was. If someone is prideful then we should see it is a sign they may not know love. The bible says if we love we do not behave indecently. This means we dress appropriately, we act appropriately, we do our best not to offend others, though that is a little difficult now days with few truly knowing what God requires they become easily offended. We do not gossip or say things we should not say. We should not flirt excessively especially if we are married. We should not use vulgar language. If someone shows such behavior then they do not know love because Jesus never acted indecently. If someone we associate with displays such behavior we should be cautious they are a bad association. Love bares all things which means it is patient. We all are imperfect, we should not be unreasonable with our expectations of others. Keep in mind people have to deal with our short comings also, so should we not do the same for them as they grow and draw closer to God? The bible tells us love does not hold account of injury. Jesus did not hold grudges, not even against his enemies. He told us we must forgive those who trespass against us. Imagine if someone wronged us and some day God touched their heart and was calling them to him. If we reacted in a way God would not want us to react we could hinder them drawing closer to God. This is why Jesus told us to forgive our enemies. By showing mercy and being forgiving we are setting an example for others and may possibly through our behavior get them to draw closer to God and Jesus. Holding onto anger and feeling resentment can negatively impact our hearts, our minds and our health. By learning to forgive and show mercy even to our enemies we protect our minds, our hearts and our health. By forgiving others we have the security knowing we have done our best and have conquered the evil with the good. If a person chooses to remain our enemy even when we are kind to them and have forgiven them we can be secure knowing God will judge them and they have piled fiery coals on their own heads. They will have to face judgment from God. The bible tells us we will be judged as we judge others. The bible warns do not judge or we will be judged as we judge others. If we freely forgive then God freely forgives us to the degree we are willing to forgive others. This can give us a security knowing by us showing mercy by being forgiving God will show us mercy and forgive us for our errors. If a person holds onto grudges and does not forgive but reminds people of their errors then we know they do not know love and we should be cautious. This is what causes many conflicts now days people do not forgive others and constantly hold peoples errors against them even if they have repented. By freely forgiving others we prevent the conflict that is so prevalent in others now days. The bible tells us love is the perfect bond of unity so by knowing fully what love is and knowing how to identify it in others we learn to trust them and even ourselves which gives a unity and oneness of mind lacking in the world today. By knowing love we will not become overconfident and view ourselves as being superior to others. It will help us remain united in oneness of mind and thought. (Philippians 2:1-4) 2 If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any spiritual fellowship, if any tender affection and compassion, 2 make my joy full by being of the same mind and having the same love, being completely united, having the one thought in mind. 3 Do nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with humility consider others superior to you, 4 as you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.) There is such an emptiness in the way the world views love now days. We can gain a certain security when we learn to identify love in the biblical sense and know those we associate with are showing love. The oneness of mind and heart gives us security from knowing we can trust and rely on the ones we associate with when they have proven they know love.

The bible tells us love covers a multitude of sins. This is because when we learn love we do our best to imitate Jesus and the love he showed which drives us to overcome our short comings and repent and draw closer to God. In doing so we have his protection. The bible tells us no weapon forged against us would succeed when we put our trust and faith in God. Death is often times used as a weapon to cause fear and get people to disobey God. Even that weapon will not succeed because the bible tells us even death cannot separate us from the love of God and the love of Jesus. If we are faithful and loyal even if we face death then we can be sure God will remember the things we have done in serving him and will remember us in the day of resurrection. Which means even death will not succeed at deterring us from putting our faith and trust in God and Jesus. We can gain a security knowing no matter what happens to us or whatever man does to us God can undo and desires to bless us.

Those who make it through the great tribulation will live on the new earth. In that system the bible tells us even, before they call out God will answer and before they are done praying he will hear. We can gain security in knowing the new earth will be here soon and there will be no more suffering, no more violence, pain , sickness , death, and corruption. Things happening in the world can be overwhelming and can take the security from us. If we focus on the spiritual things and trust God and Jesus it protects us from being overwhelmed and consumed by all the bad happening. . All these things will be gone soon. What security is there in knowing all governments, wealth, many of the people and organizations people put their trust in will be gone soon. The heavenly kingdom will rule over the earth and will not end. So many are living in fear and full of anxiety because of the uncertain times we are living in. If we put our trust in God and Jesus and keep our eyes focus on the things unseen then we gain a security knowing there is a better future for us and others, that is very very near. Many live in fear of losing their material possessions or their wealth. Many live in fear of death or fear of losing loved ones in death. Those who know God and have faith in him know that God will greatly reward them for their love , loyalty and faith in him in the new system and they will see their loved ones during the resurrection. They experience a security that brings an inner peace that most in the world do not know.

1 John 5:18We know that everyone who has been born from God does not practice sin, but the one born from God watches him, and the wicked one cannot take hold of him. 19 We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one. 20 But we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us insight so that we may gain the knowledge of the one who is true. And we are in union with the one who is true, by means of his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and life everlasting. 21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

(2 Timothy 3:1-7) 3 But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away. 6 From among these arise men who slyly work their way into households and captivate weak women loaded down with sins, led by various desires, 7 always learning and yet never able to come to an accurate knowledge of truth.

(Jude 17-23) 17 As for you, beloved ones, call to mind the sayings that have been previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 how they used to say to you: “In the last time there will be ridiculers, following their own desires for ungodly things.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, animalistic men, not having spirituality. 20 But you, beloved ones, build yourselves up on your most holy faith, and pray with holy spirit, 21 in order to keep yourselves in God’s love, while you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ with everlasting life in view. 22 Also, continue showing mercy to some who have doubts; 23 save them by snatching them out of the fire. But continue showing mercy to others, doing so with fear, while you hate even the garment that has been stained by the flesh.

(Luke 4:6) Then the Devil said to him: “I will give you all this authority and their glory, because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

(John 12:31) Now there is a judging of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

(James 1:5-8) 5 So if any one of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep asking God, for he gives generously to all and without reproaching, and it will be given him. 6 But let him keep asking in faith, not doubting at all, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about. 7 In fact, that man should not expect to receive anything from Jehovah; 8 he is an indecisive man, unsteady in all his ways.

(James 4:7, 8) 7 Therefore, subject yourselves to God; but oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you. . . .

(Hebrews 6:17, 18) 17 In this same way, when God decided to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 in order that through two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to the refuge may have strong encouragement to take firm hold of the hope set before us.

(Isaiah 55:10, 11) For just as the rain and the snow pour down from heaven And do not return there until they saturate the earth, making it produce and sprout, Giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 So my word that goes out of my mouth will be. It will not return to me without results, But it will certainly accomplish whatever is my delight, And it will have sure success in what I send it to do.

(Habakkuk 1:11, 12) . . .Because they credit their power to their god.” 12 Are you not from everlasting, O Jehovah? O my God, my Holy One, you do not die. O Jehovah, you appointed them to execute judgment; My Rock, you established them for punishment.

(Matthew 7:18-20) 18 A good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. 19 Every tree not producing fine fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men.

(Hebrews 13:14-16) . . .. 15 Through him let us always offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that make public declaration to his name. 16 Moreover, do not forget to do good and to share what you have with others, for God is well-pleased with such sacrifices.

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) 16 Always be rejoicing. 17 Pray constantly. 18 Give thanks for everything. This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

(James 3:17, 18) 17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, not hypocritical. 18 Moreover, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peaceful conditions for those who are making peace.

(Isaiah 32:16, 17) . . .And righteousness will dwell in the orchard. 17 The result of true righteousness will be peace, And the fruitage of true righteousness will be lasting tranquility and security.

(John 15:17-20) 17 “These things I command you, that you love one another. 18 If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. 20 Keep in mind the word I said to you: A slave is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have observed my word, they will also observe yours.

(Matthew 7:13, 14) 13 “Go in through the narrow gate, because broad is the gate and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are going in through it; 14 whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it.

(John 14:27) 27 I leave you peace; I give you my peace. I do not give it to you the way that the world gives it. Do not let your hearts be troubled nor let them shrink out of fear. . .

(John 4:23, 24) 23 Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for indeed, the Father is looking for ones like these to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit, and those worshipping him must worship with spirit and truth.”

(Galatians 5:19-24) 19 Now the works of the flesh are plainly seen, and they are sexual immorality, uncleanness, brazen conduct, 20 idolatry, spiritism, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, dissensions, divisions, sects, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and things like these. I am forewarning you about these things, the same way I already warned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom. 22 On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed to the stake the flesh together with its passions and desires.

(John 13:3-11) 3 So Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he came from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the evening meal and laid aside his outer garments. And taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. 5 After that he put water into a basin and started to wash the feet of the disciples and to dry them off with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him: “Lord, are you washing my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him: “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand after these things.” 8 Peter said to him: “You will certainly never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him: “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him: “Lord, wash not only my feet but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him: “Whoever has bathed does not need to have more than his feet washed, but is completely clean. And you men are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For he knew the man who was betraying him. This is why he said: “Not all of you are clean.”

(Proverbs 25:21, 22) 21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; If he is thirsty, give him water to drink, 22 For you will be heaping burning coals on his head, And Jehovah will reward you.

(Romans 12:18-21) . . .. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: “‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ says Jehovah.” 20 But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap fiery coals on his head.” 21 Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.

(Matthew 7:1-5) 7 “Stop judging that you may not be judged; 2 for with the judgment you are judging, you will be judged, and with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you. 3 Why, then, do you look at the straw in your brother’s eye but do not notice the rafter in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Allow me to remove the straw from your eye,’ when look! a rafter is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the rafter from your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to remove the straw from your brother’s eye.

(1 Peter 4:7, 8) . . .. 8 Above all things, have intense love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

(Proverbs 10:12) Hatred is what stirs up contentions, But love covers over all transgressions.

(Proverbs 17:9) Whoever forgives a transgression seeks love, But the one who keeps harping on a matter separates close friends.

(Isaiah 54:17) 17 No weapon formed against you will have any success, And you will condemn any tongue that rises up against you in the judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, And their righteousness is from me,” declares Jehovah.

(Isaiah 41:10-12) 10 Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.’ 11 Look! All those getting enraged against you will be put to shame and humiliated. Those who fight with you will be brought to nothing and perish. 12 You will search for men who struggle with you, but you will not find them; The men at war with you will become as something nonexistent, as nothing at all.

(Hebrews 6:9-12) 9 But in your case, beloved ones, we are convinced of better things, things related to salvation, even though we are speaking in this way. 10 For God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name by ministering and continuing to minister to the holy ones. 11 But we desire each one of you to show the same industriousness so as to have the full assurance of the hope down to the end, 12 so that you may not become sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

(Romans 8:35-39) 35 Who will separate us from the love of the Christ? Will tribulation or distress or persecution or hunger or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 Just as it is written: “For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we have been accounted as sheep for slaughtering.” 37 On the contrary, in all these things we are coming off completely victorious through the one who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers 39 nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(1 Corinthians 15:24-28) 24 Next, the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has brought to nothing all government and all authority and power. 25 For he must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet. 26 And the last enemy, death, is to be brought to nothing. 27 For God “subjected all things under his feet.” But when he says that ‘all things have been subjected,’ it is evident that this does not include the One who subjected all things to him. 28 But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone.

(Acts 24:15) 15 And I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.

(Isaiah 65:17-25) 17 For look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be called to mind, Nor will they come up into the heart. 18 So exult and be joyful forever in what I am creating. For look! I am creating Jerusalem a cause for joy And her people a cause for exultation. 19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people; No more will there be heard in her the sound of weeping or a cry of distress.” 20 “No more will there be an infant from that place who lives but a few days, Nor an old man who fails to live out his days. For anyone who dies at a hundred will be considered a mere boy, And the sinner will be cursed, even though he is a hundred years of age. 21 They will build houses and live in them, And they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. 22 They will not build for someone else to inhabit, Nor will they plant for others to eat. For the days of my people will be like the days of a tree, And the work of their hands my chosen ones will enjoy to the full. 23 They will not toil for nothing, Nor will they bear children for distress, Because they are the offspring made up of those blessed by Jehovah, And their descendants with them. 24 Even before they call out, I will answer; While they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, The lion will eat straw just like the bull, And the serpent’s food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” says Jehovah.

Love is God’s law not a command.

If you don't read it how can you have faith.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

Love is the law. It is not a command but a law. Commands in the bible were to be obeyed, but the laws had a higher meaning because not only were they to be obeyed but they were revealing a quality about God that we should try to imitate. Laws are commands but also carry a quality of God with them meaning if we want to imitate God then we need to make that a quality we have.

Things we must do to fulfill the law of love. The bible tells us that out of faith , love and hope love is the greatest of them. One of the fruits of the spirit is Love so being able to love is a gift from God. The bible tells us to love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins.

The bible tells us love does not look for it’s own interest, and does no wrong to anyone. The bible tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are to love our enemies. Anyone can love those who love them. But we need to imitate God’s example. He loved man so much he gave his only begotten son as a ransom for man. This provided a way for our sins to be forgiven and those who died could be resurrected. Would we have enough love that we would give our life for another as Jesus did? God did not force Jesus to give his life for us he did it willfully.

Love hates what is bad but we do not hate the person. So if someone wrongs us we can hate what they do but we are not to hate them. Jesus instructed us to forgive our enemies and pray for them. If they are hungry or thirsty to provide for them.

In 1 Corinthians the bible gives a perfect description of love. (1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.) When someone wrongs us, we should not get provoked easily. God was very very patient with Israel and they wronged him many times. He gave them time to correct their error before he punished them for not repenting. Love endures all things I have found is very true. I have learned to love everyone even my enemies and with all the corruption and bad going on whenever someone wrongs me, it still hurts, it is frustrating and may make us angry but by forgiving them we are showing our love and it prevents us holding onto those negative emotions which can drag us down. Love does not look out for it’s own interest. Again anything we do for others cannot top what God and Jesus have done for man. So we should do our best to look out for the interest of others. Studies have shown people who are selfish and only look out for themselves and their own interest have high rates of mental illness , especially depression.

The bible says God is love and Jesus stated he only did what he saw his father do. So he perfectly reflected God’s image. So if we do our best to imitate Jesus then we will know what love is. There were times love had to take corrective actions. God disciplined those he loves. Just as children are disciplined so they will not ruin their own lives or harm themselves God disciplines those he loves. So when someone is doing something that we care about that would displease God wouldn’t it be the loving thing to do if we let them know what God would want them to do and take appropriate action based on their response and how God would want us to react? If they repent we are to forgive them. If they continue in their sin then the bible tells us to hand them over to Satan. In other words we should not associate with them and we should be careful in our dealings with them. Our love for God and Jesus must come first.

My favorite part about love is not even death can separate us from the love of Jesus and the love of God.

Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to anyone. That’s why it fully satisfies all of God’s requirements. It is the only law you need.


Galations 5:14For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.


1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.


1 Peter 4:8 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.


Galations 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Romans 18:8 Pay all your debts except the debt of love for others—never finish paying that! For if you love them, you will be obeying all of God’s laws, fulfilling all his requirements. 9 If you love your neighbor as much as you love yourself you will not want to harm or cheat him, or kill him or steal from him. And you won’t sin with his wife or want what is his, or do anything else the Ten Commandments say is wrong. All ten are wrapped up in this one, to love your neighbor as you love yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to anyone. That’s why it fully satisfies all of God’s requirements. It is the only law you need.

Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Matthew 5:43 “There is a saying, ‘Love your friends and hate your enemies.’ 44 But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust too. 46 If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much. 47 If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even the heathen do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Proverbs 17: 17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

(Hebrews 12:4-6) 4 In your struggle against that sin, you have never yet resisted to the point of having your blood shed. 5 And you have entirely forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not belittle the discipline from Jehovah, nor give up when you are corrected by him; 6 for those whom Jehovah loves he disciplines, in fact, he scourges everyone whom he receives as a son.”

(Proverbs 3:11, 12) 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of Jehovah, And do not loathe his reproof, 12 For those whom Jehovah loves he reproves, Just as a father does a son in whom he delights.

(Romans 8:36-39) . . .” 37 On the contrary, in all these things we are coming off completely victorious through the one who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers 39 nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Conquering the Evil With The Good.

If you don't read it how can you have faith.

We are in the last days. We know evil abounds. We are told in Romans to conquer the evil with the good but how can we do that?

(Romans 12:21) 21 Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.

The previous scriptures in Romans 12 gives us a guide on how to overcome the evil with the good it stresses the importance of treating other good even if they are our enemy.

(Romans 12:17-20) 17Return evil for evil to no one. Provide fine things in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, as far as it depends upon YOU, be peaceable with all men. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah.” 20 But, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap fiery coals upon his head.

It can be difficult at times. It seems that those doing bad go unpunished.

(Ecclesiastes 8:11-13) 11 Because sentence against a bad work has not been executed speedily, that is why the heart of the sons of men has become fully set in them to do bad. 12 Although a sinner may be doing bad a hundred times and continuing a long time as he pleases, yet I am also aware that it will turn out well with those fearing the [true] God, because they were in fear of him. 13 But it will not turn out well at all with the wicked one, neither will he prolong his days that are like a shadow, because he is not in fear of God.

We need to keep in mind God is the judge and he desires no one to be destroy so he is very patient. We need to learn to be patient also.

(2 Peter 3:9) Jehovah is not slow respecting his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with YOU because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance

If we return evil to them we become just like them and Satan has won because he has made us no different then the world.

(Romans 2:3-11) 3 But do you have this idea, O man, while you judge those who practice such things and yet you do them, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and long-suffering, because you do not know that the kindly [quality] of God is trying to lead you to repentance? 5 But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and of the revealing of God’s righteous judgment. 6 And he will render to each one according to his works: 7 everlasting life to those who are seeking glory and honor and incorruptibleness by endurance in work that is good; 8 however, for those who are contentious and who disobey the truth but obey unrighteousness there will be wrath and anger, 9 tribulation and distress, upon the soul of every man who works what is injurious, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who works what is good, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.

Many who know their bibles and do bad have no excuse. There are those who do not know God’s laws and still obey them. So we cannot use the fact that they do not know God’s laws as a reason for treating someone bad. Neither can they use the excuse they did not know. The bible clearly shows we have been born with a conscience.

(Romans 2:12-16) 12 For instance, all those who sinned without law will also perish without law; but all those who sinned under law will be judged by law. 13 For the hearers of law are not the ones righteous before God, but the doers of law will be declared righteous. 14 For whenever people of the nations that do not have law do by nature the things of the law, these people, although not having law, are a law to themselves. 15 They are the very ones who demonstrate the matter of the law to be written in their hearts, while their conscience is bearing witness with them and, between their own thoughts, they are being accused or even excused. 16 This will be in the day when God through Christ Jesus judges the secret things of mankind, according to the good news I declare..

Our actions show who’s wisdom we are relying on. We are told to imitate our heavenly father, in doing so we show we are guided by the him.

(James 3:13-18) 13 Who is wise and understanding among YOU? Let him show out of his fine conduct his works with a mildness that belongs to wisdom. 14 But if YOU have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in YOUR hearts, do not be bragging and lying against the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is [the] earthly, animal, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and contentiousness are, there disorder and every vile thing are. 17 But the wisdom from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, not making partial distinctions, not hypocritical. 18 Moreover, the fruit of righteousness has its seed sown under peaceful conditions for those who are making peace.

Jesus perfectly reflected his heavenly father. So if we imitate him we can bring God glory instead of smearing his good name as many have done. Doing this requires us to be no part of the world. So we must not imitate the worlds behavior.

(John 17:4, 5) 4 I have glorified you on the earth, having finished the work you have given me to do. 5 So now you, Father, glorify me alongside yourself with the glory that I had alongside you before the world was.

We must do to others what we would want them to do unto us. We all fall short if others sought revenge for all our errors how would we feel? Doesn’t it feel much better when you are forgiven? Those who do not repent or who take your forgiveness for granted will be dealt with soon. We cannot let their actions effect ours.

(Matthew 7:12-14) 12 “All things, therefore, that YOU want men to do to YOU, YOU also must likewise do to them; this, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean. 13 “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; 14 whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.

(Ephesians 4:31-5:2) 31Let all malicious bitterness and anger and wrath and screaming and abusive speech be taken away from YOU along with all badness. 32 But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave YOU. 5 Therefore, become imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and go on walking in love, just as the Christ also loved YOU and delivered himself up for YOU as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling odor.

We need to make sure that since God has not acted it means he is not seeing and fall into the trap of taking action ourselves and start developing a worldly attitude.

(Ecclesiastes 8:11-13) 11 Because sentence against a bad work has not been executed speedily, that is why the heart of the sons of men has become fully set in them to do bad. 12 Although a sinner may be doing bad a hundred times and continuing a long time as he pleases, yet I am also aware that it will turn out well with those fearing the [true] God, because they were in fear of him. 13 But it will not turn out well at all with the wicked one, neither will he prolong his days that are like a shadow, because he is not in fear of God.

When we are suffering evil we must keep in mind the example Jesus set. He did not strike out or seek revenge. His fine conduct drew many to our heavenly father. In showing humility and kindness we are showing our heavenly father what is in our hearts.

(1 Peter 3:16-18) 16 Hold a good conscience, so that in the particular in which YOU are spoken against they may get ashamed who are speaking slightingly of YOUR good conduct in connection with Christ. 17 For it is better to suffer because YOU are doing good, if the will of God wishes it, than because YOU are doing evil. 18 Why, even Christ died once for all time concerning sins, a righteous [person] for unrighteous ones, that he might lead YOU to God.

How could we avoid becoming like the world?

We know we are in the last days. Salvation is very near so now is not the time to give in. We were warned that there would not be much love in the world. Even the love for the truth in God’s word would be uncommon.

(Matthew 24:9-13) . 10 Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and mislead many; 12 and because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off. 13 But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.

(2 Timothy 3:1-7) 3 But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away. 6 For from these arise those men who slyly work their way into households and lead as their captives weak women loaded down with sins, led by various desires, 7 always learning and yet never able to come to an accurate knowledge of truth.

One thing that can help protect us is to make sure good things are what we speak and that the things that come out of our mouths produce good fruits. We do this by making certain that the things we say are things our heavenly father would approve of. We must do our best not to imitate the behavior of the pharisees who produced bad fruits.

(Matthew 12:34-37) 34Offspring of vipers, how can YOU speak good things, when YOU are wicked? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man out of his good treasure sends out good things, whereas the wicked man out of his wicked treasure sends out wicked things. 36 nI tell YOU that every unprofitable saying that men speak, they will render an account concerning it on Judgment Day; 37 for by your words you will be declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned.

(John 14:15) 15 “If YOU love me, YOU will observe my commandments.

We have to keep in mind vengeance is Jehovah’s we cannot read their hearts and do not know their intentions or reasons they do the things they do. . We are all imperfect.

(Romans 12:17-21) 17 Return evil for evil to no one. Provide fine things in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, as far as it depends upon YOU, be peaceable with all men. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah.” 20 But, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap fiery coals upon his head.” 21 Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.

We can help by teaching others about the heavenly kingdom and helping those in need.

(Luke 9:10, 11) 10 And when the apostles returned they recounted to him what things they had done. With that he took them along and withdrew to privacy into a city called Beth·sa′i·da. 11 But the crowds, getting to know it, followed him. And he received them kindly and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those needing a cure.

(Matthew 5:14-16) .15 People light a lamp and set it, not under the measuring basket, but upon the lampstand, and it shines upon all those in the house. 16 Likewise let YOUR light shine before men, that they may see YOUR fine works and give glory to YOUR Father who is in the heavens.

Need to be as open minded to the truths in the bible as a child is.

(Luke 18:15-17) 15 Now people began to bring him also their infants for him to touch these; but on seeing it the disciples began to reprimand them. 16 However, Jesus called the [infants] to him, saying: “Let the young children come to me, and do not try to stop them. For the kingdom of God belongs to suchlike ones. 17 Truly I say to YOU, Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a young child will by no means get into it.

We need to appreciate what God has down for us and the ransom sacrifice that provided a way for us. We need to keep in mind many have come from the world an many more will come. Our behavior could draw them to God or push them away.

(Ephesians 2:1-3) 2 Furthermore, [it is] YOU [God made alive] though YOU were dead in YOUR trespasses and sins, 2 in which YOU at one time walked according to the system of things of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit that now operates in the sons of disobedience. 3 Yes, among them we all at one time conducted ourselves in harmony with the desires of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and the thoughts, and we were naturally children of wrath even as the rest.

The bible teaches us God is love. We need to let love guide all we do if we want to remain in his love.

(1 John 4:16-19) . God is love, and he that remains in love remains in union with God and God remains in union with him. 17 This is how love has been made perfect with us, that we may have freeness of speech in the day of judgment, because, just as that one is, so are we ourselves in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love throws fear outside, because fear exercises a restraint. Indeed, he that is under fear has not been made perfect in love. 19 As for us, we love, because he first loved us.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7) 4 Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

By letting love guide all we do it protects us.

(Romans 13:8-10) 8 Do not YOU people be owing anybody a single thing, except to love one another; for he that loves his fellowman has fulfilled [the] law. 9 For the [law code], “You must not commit adultery, You must not murder, You must not steal, You must not covet,” and whatever other commandment there is, is summed up in this word, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does not work evil to one’s neighbor; therefore love is the law’s fulfillment.

(1 Peter 4:7, 8) 7 But the end of all things has drawn close. Be sound in mind, therefore, and be vigilant with a view to prayers. 8 Above all things, have intense love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

We all are imperfect, if we were perfect we would not need the bible to guide us and Jesus would not of had to die for us. We need to learn we are sinners also and we all fall short at times.

(Romans 3:21-26) 21 But now apart from law God’s righteousness has been made manifest, as it is borne witness to by the Law and the Prophets; 22 yes, God’s righteousness through the faith in Jesus Christ, for all those having faith. For there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom [paid] by Christ Jesus. 25 God set him forth as an offering for propitiation through faith in his blood. This was in order to exhibit his own righteousness, because he was forgiving the sins that occurred in the past while God was exercising forbearance; 26 so as to exhibit his own righteousness in this present season, that he might be righteous even when declaring righteous the man that has faith in Jesus.

(Ecclesiastes 7:21, 22) 21 Also, do not give your heart to all the words that people may speak, that you may not hear your servant calling down evil upon you. 22 For your own heart well knows even many times that you, even you, have called down evil upon others.

Do not want to lose hope and start believing in ourselves, in doing this we may lose sight that there is a God who sees all we do.

(Psalm 14:1) The senseless one has said in his heart: “There is no Jehovah.” They have acted ruinously, they have acted detestably in [their] dealing. There is no one doing good.

(Proverbs 6:16-19) 16 There are six things that Jehovah does hate; yes, seven are things detestable to his soul: 17 lofty eyes, a false tongue, and hands that are shedding innocent blood, 18 a heart fabricating hurtful schemes, feet that are in a hurry to run to badness, 19 a false witness that launches forth lies, and anyone sending forth contentions among brothers. . .

(Jude 17-23) 17 As for YOU, beloved ones, call to mind the sayings that have been previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 how they used to say to YOU: “In the last time there will be ridiculers, proceeding according to their own desires for ungodly things.” 19 These are the ones that make separations, animalistic [men], not having spirituality. 20 But YOU, beloved ones, by building up yourselves on YOUR most holy faith, and praying with holy spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love, while YOU are waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ with everlasting life in view. 22 Also, continue showing mercy to some that have doubts; 23 save [them] by snatching [them] out of the fire. But continue showing mercy to others, doing so with fear, while YOU hate even the inner garment that has been stained by the flesh. . .

We know very soon those who remain on the earth will be those who loves God and seeks his will.

(Matthew 5:5) 5 “Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.

(Psalm 37:10, 11) 10 And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; And you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be. 11 But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. . .

What Is Sin, This Is The Continuation Of A Previous Study.

If you don't read it how can you have faith.This is a continuation of my post on repenting, this list is to help keep our minds alert to sin so Satan cannot lure us in as easy thus helping us draw closer to God.

If you haven’t read my other post on repenting you can read it here. https://iamajuicer.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/what-is-sin-and-some-steps-to-repenting/

      1. Abusive speech. For example lying about someone or spreading rumours. Or talking down to them or things they have done. ( Ephesians 4:29 ) ( James 5:9 )
      2. Oppression- to suppress by maltreatment to depress mentally. ( Psalm 52:1-5) ( Isaiah 10:33 )
      3. Eating blood or taking it into your body. ( Deuteronomy 12:27 ) ( Acts 15:29 )
      4. Bragging or boasting. ( James 4:13-16 ) ( Psalm 94:4 )
      5. Deliberately making cuts in yourself. ( Leviticus 19:28 ) ( Mark 5:2-8 )
      6. Getting tattoos. ( 19:28 )
      7. Getting involved in various aspects of fortunetelling. ( Leviticus 19:31 ) ( Acts 16:16-17 )
      8. Not honouring your parents. ( Ephesians 6:2-3 ) Obeying God on this one comes with a promise that your life will be extended. ( Deuteronomy 5:16 )
      9. Stealing, committing theft. ( Leviticus 19:11) ( Ephesians 4:28 )
      10. Deception – dishonest act or misrepresentation. ( Leviticus 6:2 ) ( Proverbs 2:22 )
      11. Defrauding – to take or hold by deceit. ( Deuteronomy 24:14-15 ) ( Proverbs 14:31 )
      12. Seeking revenge. ( Leviticus 19:18 ) ( Proverbs 20:20 ) ( Matthew 5:43-44 )
      13. Hating others. ( Leviticus 19:18 ) ( Matthew 5:43-45 )
      14. Gluttony – over eating. ( Proverbs 23:20-21 )
      15. Laziness – inclined toward inactivity. ( Proverbs 12:11 ) ( Proverbs 20:13 ) ( 2Thessalonians 3:10 )
      16. Greed – excessive desire for something. ( Luke 12:15 )
      17. Bestiality – immoral relations with animals. ( Leviticus 18:23 )
      18. Murder ( James 2:11 )
      19. Slander – uttering false statements or defaming. ( Leviticus 19:16 ) ( Psalm 15:1-2 )
      20. Divorce, except when sexual immorality is involved. ( Malachi 2:16 ) ( Matthew 5:32 )
      21. idolism – excessive devotion to something. Images, money anything that you devote most of your time to. ( Exodus 20:4 ) ( Isaiah 44:9 )
      22. Tradition – getting involved in traditions of man or traditional rituals or celebrations. ( Jeremiah 10:1-5 ) ( Mark 7: 1-7 )
      23. Not returning something found if you know who the owner is. ( Leviticus 6:3-4 )
      24. Cross dressing. ( Deuteronomy 22:5 )
      25. Lying ( Proverbs 12:22 ) ( Revelation 21:8 )
      26. Obscene gestures or language. ( Colossians 3:8 ) ( Ephesians 4:31 )
      27. False pride – artificial self esteem. ( Isaiah 2:17 ) ( Psalm 10:3-4 )
      28. Haughtiness, arrogance. ( James 4:6 ) ( Psalm 10:4 )
      29. Cowardice, lacking courage. This is referring to not having courage to resist the world and do what God would require. ( Revelation 21:8 )
      30. Not studying the bible. ( Proverbs 28:9 ) Ignorance is no longer accepted as an excuse because Jesus clarified everything and set matter straight. ( John 15:22 ) God sends messengers so there is no excuse, if people do not know God it is because they refused to get to know him. ( Revelation 12:11 ) The act of ignoring those willing to teach is severely punished. ( 2Thessalonians 1:7-9 )
      31. Homosexuality – being attracted to persons of the same sex. ( Leviticus 18:22 ) ( 1Corinthians 6:9 ) ( Romans 1:24-27)
      32. Adultery – unfaithfulness by one who is married. ( Matthew 5:27 ) ( Hebrews 13:4 )
      33. Incorrect hair length for your gender. ( 1Corinthians 11:14-15) I had trouble with this one I had hair half way down my back. It took me years to get the courage to cut it. Kind of nice not having guys that are walking behind me thinking I am a women and not having kids ask me if I am a women or a man or why I have a beard if I am a girl.
      34. Coveting – excessive desire for someone else’s things. ( Exodus 20:17 )
      35. Having bad associations. (1Corinthians 5:11-15 ) ( 2Timothy 6:1-9 )
      36. Causing strife or rivalries. ( Proverbs 29:22 ) ( Proverbs 15:18 )
      37. Presumptuousness – assuming something is true, making assumptions without the facts. ( Proverbs 21:24 ) ( 2Chronicles 26:16-21 )
      38. Enslavement to things around you, letting them consume too much of your life. ( 1Corinthians 6:12 ) ( Colossians 2:8 )
      39. Having a low regard for spiritual things, believing your way is better then God’s. ( Proverbs 28:6 ) ( Psalms 78:31-32 )
      40. Making a show of your worship. ( Luke 20:46 ) ( Matthew 6:1 ) ( James 2:1-6 )
      41. Exalting others or showing favouritism. ( Matthew 23:8-12 ) ( James 2:8-9 )
      42. Murmuring about others. ( 1Corinthians 10:10 )
      43. Judging others. ( Matthew 7:1-5 )
      44. Violence ( Psalm 11:5 ) ( Proverbs 6:16-17 )
      45. War, getting involved or supporting it. ( 1John 4:20 ) ( Isaiah 2:4 ) ( 2Corinthians 10:3-4 )
      46. Superstition – an irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious. ( 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 )
      47. prostitution ( Leviticus 19:29 )
      48. Tipping the scales. Using dishonest measures. ( Leviticus 19:36 )
      49. Contentiousness – causing to argue or disagree. ( Proverbs 1:14-19 ) ( James 3:16)
      50. Not taking care of the poor. ( Proverbs 28:27 ) It is part of the reason Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. ( Ezekiel 16:49-50 )
      51. fornication – immoral intercourse. ( Ephesians 5:3 ) ( Jude 7 )
      52. Incest – sexual relations with those who are closely related by blood. ( Leviticus 18:6-18 )
      53. Having relations with a woman while she is on her menstrual cycle. ( Leviticus 18:19 )
      54. Moving another’s property markers. ( Deuteronomy 27:17 )
      55. Treating handicap people bad. ( Deuteronomy 27:18 ) ( Leviticus 19:14 )
      56. Breaking the laws of your nation. ( Romans 13:1-7 ) ( 1Peter 2:13-14 ) You must obey God’s laws first. ( Acts 5:29 )
      57. Drunkenness ( Proverbs 23:20-21 ) ( 1Corinthians 5:11 )

I have also placed my link below for information on repenting. If you would like more information for help with dealing with a short coming you may have become aware of go to http://www.jw.org . There you will find wonderful and helpful information.

https://iamajuicer.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/what-is-sin-and-some-steps-to-repenting/

What Is Sin And Some Steps To Repenting.

Sin What Is It?

If you don't read it how can you have faith.  Sin means to fall short or miss the mark. Sin is so prevalent now days that a lot of people don’t even realize that they are missing the mark. So people have become so out of touch with God’s laws that they believe they don’t sin. The bible warns us about developing an attitude like that. ( Proverbs 16:18 ) ( Luke 18:9-14 ) Satan influences so many aspects of peoples lives that people aren’t even aware of when they are sinning. The bible tells us that ignorance of God’s laws is no longer accepted. ( Acts 17:30 )Jesus came and he clarified things. God always sends messengers to teach what his will is. ( Revelation 12:11 )We may feel that small sins don’t matter but the bible tells us that they do, knowing this should motivate us to work harder at pleasing our heavenly father.( James 2:10)I did this study years ago and I keep adding to it. I am not posting this to make anyone feel like there is no hope for them because they sin, I am writing this to help them realize that they can over come it. When I first started studying the scriptures I became aware that I was sinning way more then I realized. I started making a list of things I had to watch for so I could work on doing better. Once in a while I would review the list to help keep me from back sliding. I hope this will help others.

The world is a mess because people will not listen to God. He is trying to tell us what it takes to be happy but we just aren’t learning that we can’t guide ourselves we need him to guide us. He did not give us his laws to hinder us or to control us like puppets, that is what Satan would do. He gives us his laws to teach us how to be happy and to draw us closer to him.( 2 Timothy 3:16 )

This will not be a comprehensive list. As I see short comings I will have to work on I add to it. Some I don’t have to work on but I keep them on the list so Satan can’t lure me into doing them. To be forgiven for a sin we have to repent so I am going to cover some the steps involved with repenting.

Steps To Repenting.

      1. First we must take in an accurate knowledge of our heavenly father and his laws.( Psalm 38:18 )

      2. As you take in knowledge you will become aware of sin.( Ezekiel 18:21-23 )

        When you study and learn what God requires of us our conscience will start to heal. We may start to feel guilt that is good it means you are drawing closer to God and you want to please him. If you don’t feel guilt right away that is okay remember some things have been deeply entrenched and will take a will. We have to let God continue to guide us.

      3. As we become aware of our sins we need to talk to God about them. Please don’t give up that is what Satan would want. He wants nothing more then to take others into destruction with him.( Revelation 20:10-14 )

      4. We must try our best not to commit the sin again. Keep in mind that Jehovah God provided a ransom for repentant sinners. ( Acts 10:43 )

        If you do slip up don’t give up just dust yourself off and keep trying.( Proverbs 26:17 )

      5. We must continue to take in knowledge to give us the strength and wisdom to over come our short comings.( Philippians 4:9 )

      6. We must forgive ourselves, we are a new person when we have repented.( 2Corinthians 5:17 )

        God doesn’t even remember our sins if we truly repent.( Micah 7:18-19 )

      7. Use Gods personal name Jehovah.(Psalm 83:18 )

        The bible tells us there is only one true God. ( John 17:3 )

        We must approach him through his son Jesus Christ.( John 14:6 )

  This is the link to the list of sin.  https://iamajuicer.wordpress.com/2014/11/02/what-is-sin-this-is-the-continuation-of-a-previous-study/

If you want to learn more about repenting go to http://www.jw.org . They will have information that is very will written and easy to understand. Always check the scriptures that have been quoted never take someone’s word on what the bible says.