Daily Devotional, Year 2 – AUGUST 29 (The Heart, Part 4: “Desperately Wicked! The Remedy”)
By admin On February 2nd, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – AUGUST 29
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The Heart,
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Part 4:
“Desperately Wicked! The Remedy”
To read Part 1, click here… April 20th (The Heart: Treasure Chest of the Mind!)
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“Be careful (anxious) for nothing;
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but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
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let your requests be made known unto God.
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And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
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shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6, 7
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This above passage from Philippians gives us a taste of what that wonderful chapter 4 
is all about! And if that 4th Chapter were to be given a name, many might call it, “The Prescription For a Peaceful and Contented Heart Chapter”. Yes, this very uplifting chapter gives us the recipe of the necessary ingredients for perfect peace and faith-filled contentment in the Believer’s heart!
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And since today’s devotional is all about how to overcome the feverish lusts which so often ensnare Christian souls, in this cornucopia of a society, let’s continue to explore this subject for a few moments!
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Prescription icon – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
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LOOKING BACK ON SODOM
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In yesterday’s devotional (click here), it was focused on the desperation and feverish lusts which take captive so many Christians!
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Yes, many of us naively look back on the lusts and pride of this cornucopian super- society, and think that we too must also pursue these same vain world-loving pleasures and meaningless earthly treasures!
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And so, as a result, today’s church-world has co-mingled the common things of the world with the holy things of Heaven! Even the so-called conservative churches are filled with Mammon-loving pursuers of the same pleasures and cares which the world goes after!
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People on Times Square – cropped image – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License
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THE ROOT CAUSE OF OUR CANCER
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So just where do we look for the deep-seated root cause of this terrible crisis which has been like an aggressive cancer within the Christian community?
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The big reason why we have been feverishly and desperately seeking after the vain and selfish things of the world is that we have forgotten (or never understood) what our great commission was: to become fit representatives of Christ to this selfish Mammon-loving world!
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Yes, God has elected us out of the world to become transformed into His image and likeness, so that the world might be convicted of their selfishness and indifference and sinfulness!
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Paul Tentmaking – cropped image – La Vista Church of Christ – Creative Commons License
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DECEIVED BY ‘THE gOD OF THIS WORLD’
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But “the god of this world” has successfully diverted us from our high and holy calling, thus deceiving us into becoming lukewarm pretenders!
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Instead of rebuking the world for their folly and selfishness, exposing them by the light of our godly example, we have instead gone head-long after the same folly and the same selfish lifestyles of this lost world!
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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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RENOUNCING THIS EVIL & SELFISH WORLD
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When Jesus called His disciples, He plainly told them…“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33
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Jesus is being perfectly clear about the basic requirement to becoming a disciple: to forsake all that we have, and follow Him out of this hopeless world!
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Jesus Teaching His Disciples – Luke 4:31-32
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‘FAMILY DUTIES’ MERELY AN EXCUSE FOR SEEKING WORLDLY RICHES?
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Of course, if we have a family, we have to provide food and warm covering for them. And as far as possible we will try to make them content and happy. And so, to a certain extent, we must pursue the things which will provide for the needs of our family.
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The problem comes in when we begin to go so aggressively after these things that we put our “great commission” on the proverbial “back-burner”. We allow our hearts to become overcharged with the cares and pleasures of life.
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And such world-loving pursuits are when desperation and lust begin to show up in our hearts.
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Multitask – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License
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PAUL’S WARNING IGNORED!
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Listen to this warning by Paul…
“And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare,
and into many foolish and hurtful lusts,
which drown men in destruction and perdition.”
1st Timothy 6:8, 9
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Yes, this above verse has been mostly ignored by Christians…“And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
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Prescription icon – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
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“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”
2nd Timothy 3:7
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And so, the great cancer which has all but destroyed today’s church-world, is that the vast majority have never forsaken, in heart, all that we have, and therefore have never become true disciples of Jesus.
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Oh yes, they may regularly attend church. We may pay our tithes and offerings. We may even do a 15 minute Bible study each morning! But as soon as they leave church, their hearts turn once again to their other gods: the gods of pleasure and Mammon. And as soon as we close our Bibles, we forget all about what we have just read!
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No, our minds are all revved up and ready to charge back into the world, in pursuit of so many of its vain affections and lusts!
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Prescription icon – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
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THE GOOD NEWS!
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Now the very Good News is that there is a remedy for our spiritual poverty. And this prescription for restoration is found in the Book of James…
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Listen…“Ye adulterers and adulteresses,
know ye not that the friendship of the 
world is enmity with God?
whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God…
Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;
and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:
let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”
James 4:4, 8-10
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So here is our prescription for the healing of our sin-sick soul! The question to be answered is this:
“Am I willing to take this prescription?
Am I willing to part ways with this selfish order of things?
Am I willing to become a poor and despised disciple and follower of Jesus?”
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David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain
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NEEDS VARY FROM PERSON TO PERSON
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Now, having said all this it must be emphasized that the needs of each Christian differ, one from another.
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Those with families who are unsaved must pray for wisdom to make sure that they adequately provide for the happiness of their household. And none of us should judge others who may have greater financial needs and seemingly more extravagant lifestyles.
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Let’s just behold what’s in our own mirror (of the Bible) and stop worrying about what others are doing!
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Family Portrait – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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MERELY A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE…
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And this devotional is a simplified prescription for personal victory. But 
the Reader is encouraged to study Philippians Chapter 4:4-9 very carefully to the point of knowing those chapter verses by heart.
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Because that chapter is a big piece of the puzzle in understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and just who He is!
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Magnifying Glass – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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TO READ PART 5, CLICK HERE…
February 29 (The Heart, Part 5: “Does Jesus Come Into My Heart? Or Not?”)
Question Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to take inventory of my life, to see if I am truly walking in the Spirit of holiness, or if I have unwittingly entered onto a path that leads to destruction. Give me the will to apply the prescribed remedy found in James 4, and Philippians 4, so that I may walk in spiritual health and restoration…
Prayer – Mother and Daughter – Wikipedia – (cropped image) the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… Revelation 12 Woman & The Narrow Gate Stars (Orion’s Gate to Heaven) or you can also read this shorter article…February 4th (Why Doesn’t My Christianity Work?)
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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THE SWINE: “LUST OF THE FLESH”
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“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1st John 2:16
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This article will introduce this third beast-like face, inscribed in the Moon: a swine. And it will be shown that the three beast-like faces in the Moon, represent the concept taught in the above verse 
concerning “the lust of the flesh…the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”.
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It has become apparent that the second face in the Moon, besides appearing as a wolf-like beast, also appears as a Swine. Let’s explore this concept, for a moment. First of all, when a person sees the second face up in the sky, it’s arguable whether or not it looks like a swine.
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But it must be conceded that the photos do indeed make it appear as if this character has a “sawed-off” snout like a swine. And of course, a swine is spoken of quite frequently in Scripture.
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…“Moon Into Blood: Addendum to 2nd Face: The Swine Eater“
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TOMORROW…
AUGUST 30 (Revelation 9, Part 3: The Three Woes!)
Revelation – www.pri.org/stories/2011-08-10/revelations-book-revelation – courtesy www.pre.org
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY
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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
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THIS IS STUDY #606 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
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Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain
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