WHAT ARE YOU CRAVING

Good morning, brothers. Have you made your gift for the Colony of Mercy Family Freedom Walk? Don't let the girls beat us! Call today: 732-350-1187. Thank you!

WHAT ARE YOU CRAVING?

As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. Psalm 42:1

Jan's mom mad a special fruit juice drink for our Sunday School picnic. I was a mixture of orange juice, lemonade and Welches grape juice. On a hot day, it was supposed to quench your thirst. But it really did just the opposite. It made you even thirstier and you wanted to just keep on drinking more and more of the drink.

In the negative, that is what happens when we yield to sin in our lives. It creates in our lives a thirst for more. I don't care what your besetting sin is -- you know it is true. If you are honest with me, and most importantly, yourself, you know it is true. When we yield to sin its tentacles latch on to our hearts. We say in our heads, "Just this one time ..." and before we know it, we are in its grips and the chains of it wrap around us to the point that if we are not careful, we will be in complete bondage to it.

That sin becomes the thing that is on our minds. At first, it might be just a fleeting thought. But then it begins to manifest itself in our minds, and before we know it, we are seduced and that sin gives birth in our hearts.

I wasn't planning to write this today because I wanted to share a devotional from a different perspective. But obviously God had other plans. As you are reading Proverbs (and if you aren't reading a chapter a day, you can begin today!!!), you will see many references to being careful how you walk. The first step in defeating a negative craving in your life is to rebuke it. Turn it over to God. Don't even dabble with the thought or allow your mind to entertain it. Before you know it, you will find it occupying your every thought. You know its true.

As men, we need to be reminded of our identity -- who we are IN CHRIST! We must have our hearts firmly fixed on the grace of God. We must continually remind our flesh that it was crucified with Christ on the cross (Galatians 2:20) and live in the victory.

The bottom line is that just as we crave bad things, we can train our hearts and minds to crave RIGHT things. God things. In fact, that will be the theme of tomorrow's devotional -- we must get to the place where the psalmist was: "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for YOU, O God." (Psalm 41:1). What are you craving for today, brothers? Think about it! -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 4; 1 Kings 16-18; Luke 22:47-71

Dig This Quote: It is the failure, in season and out of season, to proclaim these great doctrines that accounts for their fading from sight and from faith. Every doctrine of the Bible that is not continually preached dies out of the faith of the people. Our fathers had to fight for every inch of ground on which they advanced these great truths, and this age requires a loyal and militant campaign for God's great truths. An unsheathed sword is the only preserver and defender of God's truth. The truth of God will flourish and conquer if its preachers have faith to boldly proclaim and courage to fight for it without compromise or wavering. Edward McKendree (E. M.) Bounds

Determined Digging: Level 1: Proverbs 4:18; Level 2: Proverbs 63:1-5