Choose a Devotional Below:
Act like a Man Clean Vessels Crosswalk Eighteen Inches Every Moment Growing or Dying Joy Squared Momentum My Precious Playdough Playing With Magnets Prepare with Faith Pruning Put Me in Coach Something in the Way What is in Your Garden
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Act Like a Man
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13, ESV)
If you ask most men the question, “What does it mean to be a man?” they will most likely give you a long list of attributes associated with their idea of a proper male figure. The most common of these attributes include protector, provider, responsible, honest, honorable, loyal, and courageous. While these are great attributes of a man, the most important of any attributes seems to be left off the list: spiritual leader.
A spiritual leader is a servant-leader. A man’s calling is to model and exemplify the example given to us by God the Father. We are in a position of authority and our authority calls for our obedience to God, accountability to other men, and to sacrifice for others. That really is what it boils down to: obedience, accountability, and sacrifice.
Obedience: Real men obey Gods commands (Deuteronomy 6:7,18, John 14,15,21,23) Real men are obedient to the Word of God and teach it to our women and children. We do not compromise or discount any of it, nor do we leave things out. We apply every letter to our lives. We don’t just talk about it, we live it.
Accountability: Men hold each other accountable for their attitudes and actions, especially when it hurts. Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17, NAS) Real men surround themselves with other godly men: Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. (Proverbs 13:20, NLT) Remember, accountability is more than just calling someone on the carpet; it’s also being the example that walks on the carpet with them. We are to be mentors and role models to young men who are still learning what it means to be a man and to provide encouragement to each other.
Sacrifice: True love only comes in the form of sacrifice. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8, NIV) Real men are not self-serving but self-giving. We are responsible for the souls of our children and our wives and are commanded to sacrifice everything, up to the cost of our lives, to bring them to Christ. We do not give up or quit when it gets tough. We persevere and fight to our last breath. We are courageous. We do not allow our families to live in filth, we lead them in faith. We wash them in righteousness, no matter the cost.
We are men. Understand and respect the position God has given you as a man. Be obedient to God. Be accountable to other men. Sacrifice for your family. Be a spiritual leader. Act like a man.
Clean Vessels
You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. (Leviticus 20:26, NIV)
If you were going to pour a glass of your favorite beverage would you pour it into a dirty glass? Of course not. You would pour it into your favorite, pristine, squeaky-clean glass that was ready to be used. The glass that is set apart from all the rest. You may keep this glass in a curio, a china hutch, or a particular spot in the cupboard, but it’s different. It may be reserved for special occasions or it may be used regularly for everything, but it is set apart and it’s special to you. Now, if that glass of yours were dirty, you would thoroughly clean it before you poured your beverage. No floaties in your glass. Both inside and out, your glass is clean and presentable. You probably would not use a glass that couldn’t stay clean- the one that stubbornly holds onto those dingy brown stains, because it would pollute your favorite drink and give it a gross aftertaste. Similarly, God will not use a vessel that refuses to be cleansed and ready for the power of His Holy Spirit to be poured. If we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be used in a powerful way, we must ask God to continually cleanse us (1 John 1:9).
God sets opportunities in front of us every day that may or may not be used in our sanctification. It is through our daily personal choices and challenges that God uses to sanctify us. To be “sanctified” means to be set apart, consecrated, declared holy, legitimate, free from sin, purified. We are saved from the penalty of sin, justified, and purified through the blood of Christ, but our sanctification is a gradual process. It’s a choice to live clean, striving to conform to the pattern of Jesus Christ every day (Romans 8:29).
I do not believe that while we are in this sinful flesh, we will be made completely sanctified, however, we are commanded to try (Leviticus 11: 44-45, 19:2, 20:7, 1 Peter 1:16). It is Christ’s sacrifice that sets us apart and it is our willingness to allow God to clean us that allows His power to be displayed in our lives. Let’s be sanctified for Him. Let’s be set apart from all the rest. Let’s be clean vessels.
Crosswalk
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:6, NLT)
One day, while driving home from work and came to a red light. I didn’t think anything of it until I looked over at the crosswalk. A man was standing there, impatiently waiting for the crosswalk signal to change. He repeatedly and aggressively hit the crosswalk button while he was waiting for the signal to change. He was off in his own little world, completely oblivious to his surroundings, just hitting that button over and over again. Interestingly, regardless of how many times you press that button, it will not say, “WALK” until the timing is right, traffic has stopped, and it’s safe for you to walk across the street.
It does not matter if there is one person waiting or one hundred people waiting, you cannot speed up the crosswalk’s timing. It will signal you when to cross, you just need to wait and watch. If you refuse to wait and you disregard the rules that are put in place for your safety, you may end up getting hit by traffic, or maybe some innocent bystander next to you gets hit. If you just wait patiently for the appropriate time, you’ll cross the street at exactly the right time, safe and sound.
Our Christian walk is full of crosswalks. We may be impatiently praying for something without seeing immediate results, just like the guy at the crosswalk hitting that signal over and over again. God hears you, He always does, but it may not be the right time to answer that prayer. God may want you to wait for traffic to stop before you can cross that street. Otherwise, you just might get run over by a truck. Maybe God doesn’t want you to cross the street at all but to stop, turn around, wait a little longer, or even completely change your direction. Wait patiently, pay attention and watch. It’s just a crosswalk.
Eighteen Inches
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10, NIV)
What keeps a person from going to heaven? We know that it is not a particular sin, because we all fall short of “good enough.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:10, 3:23, 1 John 1:8) And we know it’s not an ethnicity, nationality, race, social status, or sex. (Galatians 3:28) So it must be a belief that saves you, right? We certainly hear a lot of well-intentioned sermons or books that emphasize the necessity of believing in Jesus Christ. But maybe we neglect to explain in depth the meaning of “belief.”
While in the Roman colony of Philippi, Paul and Silas were preaching the gospel. They were thrown into prison where they met a Roman guard who asked what he must I do to be saved (Acts 16:30). They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household,” (Acts 16:31, NIV). We see a great example of this belief in action a few verses before Paul’s imprisonment. Paul and Silas meet a woman named Lydia. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message (Acts 16:14). This is the belief that originates from within your heart, not from within your head. The Lord opens our hard hearts to receive His message, we respond, He saves us and changes us. It’s that simple. “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,” (Romans 10:10, NIV). These are the words that bring us great comfort and assurance of our salvation if we truly have a heart of belief in Jesus Christ. It’s not enough to intellectually or rationally believe in Jesus. Even Satan and the demons “believe” and know Jesus is Lord (James 2:19). You must believe it in your heart. It must be open and receive the Gospel.
On average, our head is about eighteen inches from our heart, but the eternal separation between them could be immeasurable. The difference between heaven and hell can literally be eighteen inches.
Every Minute
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV)
How do you spend your time? Money is one thing- it’s here one minute and gone the next. You can earn more, save it up, or spend it all at once. But time is one thing that you can’t change. You cannot earn more time from working hard or being more diligent. You cannot save up the minutes of one day and spend them on another. No extra hours to spend on Christmas or another special occasion. Our time on this earth is a priceless gift from God. I wonder if we are spending it wisely.
So many things have the propensity to steal our time, but the Lord instructs us to be wise with our time and make the best of every opportunity. We are not here on this earth to follow someone on social media and bury our nose in a phone. Nor are we here to fill up our days with video games and television. We are here to live out and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Spend your time on people, because it is in those short minutes that we may impact eternity!
It is not the money or the things we buy that we remember. We will never wish we had more stuff while we lie there breathing our last breath. We will remember the moments we had, how we spent them, and how we impacted the lives of others as a follower of Christ. Spend your time wisely my friend, every minute.
Growing or Dying?
He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:28, NIV)
Plants grow and plants die every. Season after season they absorb water and minerals from the ground in which they are planted and carbon dioxide and sunlight from the atmosphere in which they are surrounded. They take these elements from their environment and produce life-sustaining oxygen as a byproduct. This healthy environmental relationship is beneficial for the entire ecosystem, but if plants absorb the wrong nutrients their growth will be hindered and, in some cases, even die.
If the environment is toxic, and if this plant absorbs this toxin, it will produce a toxic byproduct and poison the surrounding vegetation. Similarly, our Christian walk will either grow or be hindered and possibly die due to the environment we place ourselves. The environmental conditions surrounding our lives will either enrich or poison us. If we are grounded in soil that is rich in nutrients and are refreshed with good clean water that flows from Jesus Christ, our spiritual development will flourish. But if our environment consists of filthy oil-soaked dirt, bitter water, and weeds that choke out life, we are polluting ourselves and our environment.
We cannot fill our minds and our lives with filth and then expect to grow. We cannot listen to gossip and trash-talk, watch pornography and violence, surround ourselves with ungodly people and join in that behavior, and then expect our lives to flourish. It is a poor example of Christianity and it is the kind of poisonous environment that will infect those around us. The end result is not only our own spiritual pollution, but the poisoning of our sons and daughters, wives, friends, and coworkers. What are you feeding your family? Are they growing or dying?
Joy2
The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4, NIV)
A man finds joy in giving an apt reply- and how good is a timely word! (Proverbs 15:23, NIV)
Sometimes we are completely surrounded by negative people (or we ourselves are the negative people). Even if the sun is out and the birds are chirping they will find something negative or hurtful to say. They are the people that may win the lottery and turn right around and complain about the taxes that are to be taken out of their winnings. But Christians are not to be this way.
There will always be something negative to say and something to complain about if that is what you are expecting, but we need to be sharing the love of Christ with the world. We must expect opportunities to bring healing words not hurting words. We must expect to encourage others and build them up when the world discourages them and tears them down.
Something else amazing happens when you encourage someone. “A man finds joy in giving an apt reply,” (Proverbs 15:23, NIV). When you place your hand on someone’s shoulder and encourage them, not only do they feel better and more confident, but you do as well. When you bring others a feeling of encouragement and joy it multiplies and spreads to you. The joy of the Lord can change everything about your day- if you share it. Because, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 15:4, NIV).
Momentum
“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22, ESV)
A former coworker of mine really loved his chair and never liked anyone else sitting in it. But there I was sitting in it, with my feet on the desk, when he walked into the room. I told him that I was just keeping it warm for him as I started to move. He told me not to move and that I could sit in his chair, but I was already in motion. I said, “Too late. You can’t stop momentum!”
Momentum is a funny thing. It may help you or hurt you depending on your speed and circumstance. It can carry you through the mud when you have no traction, but it can also carry you off a cliff. Momentum will carry you in the direction you have been going. Even if you want to stop, you can’t always change direction or stop destination.
We have momentum in our spiritual lives as well. It is only with God’s help that we are able to turn from a dangerous direction before we fall of the proverbial cliff. Where is your momentum carrying you? Have you been battling an addiction or behavior that gets you into a wreck? Or, maybe your momentum has carried safely through the mud when you had no traction. Have you been wanting to change directions or start moving in the right direction, but just can’t seem to take the first step? Turn to Jesus Christ for help. Stop trying to turn the tide on your own; you simply cannot do it. Turn to Jesus Christ and be saved. He alone is able to save us, to help us, heal us, and bring us home. He is the momentum we need.
My Precious
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44, ESV)
Statistics say that the majority of Americans are not happy. In-fact, America comprises the vast majority of the depressed in the world and have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. But why? It’s because they know there’s something missing. There is a void in our soul that can only be satisfied by the Creator of that soul. God alone is worthy of this place, yet we continue to make futile attempts to be precious to someone or something other than God. Every attempt made to fill our hearts with anything other than God fails miserably. Our misconception as to what is valuable leads to unhappiness, depression, and even suicide in some cases. Even some Christians begin to lose perspective and fall into the deadly trap of depression. What is the reason for this? I think we forget just how valuable God says we are to Him.
Many Christian teachings explain the parable of “The Hidden Treasure” (Matthew 13:44-46) as an example of how we ought to live our lives as Christians: we should seek the treasure of heaven and live our lives as the rich man who sold everything to have the priceless gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This view designates us as the rich man. We should joyfully sell everything and invest in the eternal riches of salvation that is hidden in the field. This is true. We are to be completely sold out for God and to treasure our priceless gift of grace, but I think there is an additional view of this parable. The very next two verses read, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46, ESV) What if God is the rich man who sells everything, and we are the treasure of great value? That would mean that God the Father (the rich man) sold everything (Jesus) for the treasure (us) hidden the field (world).
Let’s look at the Old Testament. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. (Exodus 19:5, ESV) They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. (Malachi 3:17, ESV) Sounds a lot like “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, ESV)
If we saw ourselves as God’s precious and priceless possession, how could anything ever devalue us? Do you feel valuable yet?
Playdough
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2, NIV)
Kids love playdough. They can mold, shape, and form this lifeless lump of stuff into anything that their minds dream of. My son would make his playdough take the shape of cars, trucks, snakes, and slugs. My daughters, on the other hand, would use the same exact playdough and turn it into butterflies, flowers, princesses, and ponies. The playdough itself is exactly the same. It is the mold that they use that forces the playdough into different shapes.
We will conform to whatever mold we press ourselves into. We can take the shape of a beautiful and unique representative of Christ, or we can be pressed into the pattern that our culture and allow society to shape us. We can be special, priceless, unique, and set apart, or we can just be another sloppy copy of the world. Pressure is coming, and the pressures of this life will press you down and spread you out. The environment in which you place yourself- the television programs you watch, music you listen to, books you read, and the people you surround yourself with- will shape you into the very pattern that they themselves are shaped. If you have surrounded yourself with cynical, angry, and judgmental people and influences, chances are you have become cynical, angry, and judgmental yourself. But when you surround yourself with Christ-like people and you fill your environment with the things of God, you will slowly be conformed into the perfect pattern of Jesus Christ (sanctification). So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord–who is the Spirit–makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT)
Do not be a sloppy copy of this wicked world. Press yourself into the perfect pattern of Jesus Christ and allow him to change your actions and your attitude. Allow Him to shape you like playdough. Pretty soon, people won’t see snakes and slugs or butterflies and flowers, they will see Jesus Christ living in you.
Playing with Magnets
Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. (Proverbs 4:14-15, ESV)
Remember when you were a kid and you played with magnets? My favorite magnets to play with were the big marble magnets. They were fascinating. I would watch as the invisible magnetic field would actually move solid matter without ever having to physically touch it. The pull was automatic. Every single time, without fail, once the magnets got close enough they would slap together in the blink of an eye. The only way to keep them apart was to keep distance between them.
Some people will push themselves as close as possible to sin without “actually sinning.” This is extremely dangerous to a Christian. We may be drawn into a particular direction without even feeling the magnetic pull until it is too late. Before we know it, we are slamming into sin at breakneck speed. Our lives, our relationships, and our careers could all be shattered in the blink of an eye, all because we were too close to sin. There just wasn’t enough distance.
Temptation has an invisible pull on us. It attracts us to sin in a similar way magnets are attracted. The only way to avoid this magnetic pull and avoid a costly wreck is to stay far away from it- to keep a safe distance between what is trying to pull you into sin. Walk away from the temptation to sin as soon as you recognize it, before the attraction slams you into the consequence. Never play with magnets.
Prepare with Faith
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. (James 2:17, NLT)
There is a story about two hardworking farmers living in rural America. Both farmers were genuine men of God with families to provide for and both were living through the worst drought in recent years. Each man prayed for rain but only one man went out into his field and prepared the field to receive the rain. When rain finally came, it only fell on the field that was prepared to receive it.
Our lives are full of droughts, discouragements, and adversities. We can have all the faith in the world but without action we will see no result. James, the brother of Jesus, explains in his epistle how faith and works go hand in hand. We do good things for others because we are so thankful for what has been done for us. God’s grace motivates us and spurs us on to the act of loving others. We do not just sit around and wait for God to move. We are men of God and men take action.
If you are a Christian, The Holy Spirit lives in you. He gives you the authority to use His power to accomplish His purpose (Matthew 21:21-22), but to do this you must have faith that it will actually happen (James 1:6). You also must be prepared when God moves. Be thankful and faithful and ask God to move in your life. He will show you His power. He will send the rain, but you must not doubt and you must be ready to receive it. You must prepare with faith.
Pruning
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:1-2, NIV)
Roses are one of the most beautiful and complex flowers in God’s creation, but it takes great care to ensure that they stay strong, healthy, productive, and beautiful. There are many things that factor into the development of these beautiful flowers, but there is one key element that truly makes the difference. The key to maintaining roses is pruning.
Pruning ensures that roses stay healthy and vigorous while producing larger flowers with strong stems. Pruning eliminates dead and diseased parts and it decreases the likelihood of any form of fungus or mildew buildup. It cuts away what is dead and dying in order to live healthy and grow stronger. Pruning also must also be done at the proper time. This allows the gardener to become creative and to shape their plant into any design he sees fit. But if you trim the wrong part, or prune in the wrong season, you may cause irreversible damage or even kill the plant. Furthermore, when a plant has been infected and the damage has already been done, the only way to stop the complete destruction of the plant and be rid of the fungus completely is to cut off the diseased branch. God knows the evils in the world and the damage they can do if they attach themselves to us it’s like a fungus. That is why He wants us to avoid the many harmful things that can destroy us.
We will go through several seasons in this life. Some of which are times of rapid growth and others painful pruning and heavy loss. But in every season, what is being done is eventually for the good of the plant. Maybe you have been pruned lately and felt the deep cut of God’s pruning shears, or maybe have been lying dormant, waiting for the sun to come out. Whatever the reason or the season, we have a skillful Gardener who knows what’s ahead. He knows what we can bear and what we cannot. He knows what is healthy for us and what is like fungus. He knows which branch in our lives will bear fruit and which ones need to be removed. We are the most complex and beautiful of all of God’s creation and God is shaping us to be even more productive and beautiful. He is perfectly tending His garden of believers. God loves you and wants what is best for you, even if He has to prune you.
Put Me in Coach
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB)
Most team sports share some basic principles like teamwork, dedication, and preparation. They also have a coach. He’s the one that develops the plays, calls the right plays at the right time, and is willing to teach the plays to those who listen to him. A good coach loves his team and wants them to succeed. He wants his young players to play safely, effectively, and with honor, but not every coach is so blessed as to have an entire team of hungry and dedicated kids that yearn for knowledge and new challenges. There are always players on the same team with differing levels of talent, interest, dedication, and desire. However, it is the dedicated and hungry players that get the game time.
Some players may be a teammate in name only and not really care for the coach or team at all. They may even have all the talent in the world but never apply themselves and just squander their talents. Others may just show up and do the bare minimum and nothing more- the lukewarm players. But then there are some players who show up to every single practice and every single film study. They are the first on the field and the last ones to leave. They eat, sleep, and dream of their sport with the desire to constantly improve. These guys jot down every word that comes out of coach’s mouth and pour over every detail because they love their sport, they love their teammates, and they love their coach. Their coach sees their love, availability, and effort and he rewards them by sending them on the field to make the big plays.
Our Heavenly Father is looking for the dedicated players to put into the game. Those that love Him and His church, study, learn, and implement the playbook. Those are the ones that will be prepared when the ball is snapped and when the pressure is on. They will be the ones that make the big plays. So, be diligent, study, love your team and your Coach. And be ready when your number gets called.
Something in the Way
A person’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand their own way? (Proverbs 20:24, NIV)
In the book of Numbers, we read about a prophet for hire named Balaam. Balaam was not an Israelite, but he had the gift of prophecy. Unfortunately, he allowed his greed to consume him and to pollute his perspective to the point that he could not see what was standing in his way. What frustrated him and took him off his reckless path was the very thing that saved his life. His steps were being directed by the LORD, even though he couldn’t see it.
Balak was the king of Moab. He hired Balaam to put a curse on the people of Israel. But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.” (Numbers 22:12, NIV) Balaam initially obeyed, but later we find that he had enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the LORD by eating food sacrificed to idols and engaging in sexual immorality (Numbers 31:16, Revelation 2:14). As a direct result of their unfaithfulness to the LORD, a plague struck the Israelites.
While Balaam was on the road heading to Moab, God sent an angel prevent him from continuing. Balaam couldn’t see this angel but the donkey he was riding did. Three times the angel stood in Balaam’s path and three times the donkey stopped. All three times Balaam got off of the donkey and beat her until she got back on the road. After the third beating the donkey actually spoke to Balaam. She asked, “What have I done to make you beat me three times?” Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and he finally saw the angel standing there with his sword drawn. The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.” (Numbers 22:32-33, NIV)
Is there something blocking the path that you have planned to walk today? Balaam couldn’t see the danger that was standing only a few feet in front of him, and it was ready to end him. Sometimes we do not see the dangers that are staring us in the face until it is too late. Maybe God has placed something in your path to stand in your way in order to lovingly spare you from tragedy. Maybe God is directing your steps in a way that you don’t see or understand for a very good reason. Have faith that whatever the Lord puts in your path is there for a purpose. There is always a bigger and better purpose in your life than what you are able to see. Maybe we should appreciate having something in the way.
What’s in Your Garden?
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. (Genesis 3:6-7, ESV)
What is sin? Technically, sin is any action, attitude, or thought that opposes God. Sin is both commission (doing what is wrong) and omission (not doing what is right). It’s “missing the mark.” But, honestly, we all know what sin is. We are born into the knowledge of good and evil (our sinful condition, or original sin). We automatically know that murdering, stealing, lying, adultery, elevating anything in place of God are all evil and we know it without being told. We know all of this because Adam allowed sin into his garden.
Adam and Eve were created as sinless representatives for the human race. Their actions, and lack of action, allowed sin to enter humanity and into the very nature of all of creation. And because of their choices, every child of Adam enters the human race stained with sin, condemnation, and death (Romans 5:12-21). When evil presented itself in Adam’s home, he allowed it to stay there and deceive his wife (Genesis 3). Adam should have eliminated the threat with extreme prejudice. He should have walked over and defended his bride and his home and ripped that serpent apart. But, he didn’t. Adam sinned by omission (not driving evil from his home) as well as commission (willful disobedience to God) and the result of that sin was the fracture of the very nature of mankind and of all creation. In an instant, sin entered God’s perfect creation.
Now, it’s up to us to be a new creation that comes from a re-birth in Christ. It is because of Jesus that we may drive evil from our hearts and from our homes. He has given us this ability and we must exercise it. If you have allowed sin to remain in your life, start doing the job God gave you: drive evil out from your home. We have all the authority and power of Christ Himself in us. He has granted us everything we need to lead our family and to protect them from evil (Luke 10:19). You know what is right and what is wrong. Man-up and protect your home from evil. Hate it, have no part of it, and kick it out of your home. What’s in your garden?