Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Matter of the Heart (Proverbs 24:8-9)

Have you ever planned out how you are going to sin? What I mean is, have you planned for a set of circumstances that would allow you to be able to fulfill your flesh. I remember as a young man, I would always plan for things to happen that would allow for me to stay up late to watch the Cinemax channel because of the risque programming they had after midnight. Did you realize that even planning to do it is just as sinful as committing the sin?

"He who plans to do evil will be called a mischief-maker." Proverbs 24:8, Amplified

Planning to do sinful and evil things effect our earthly relationships as well as our heavenly relationship. Here on earth, the planner will eventually be identified as a mischief-maker. The New King James actually refers to this man as a "schemer". The difference between one who plans ahead and a schemer is that the schemer plans ahead to receive evil gain. I am a planner, but early on in my marriage I was also a schemer. I was not the man that I needed to be for my wife, kids or my Father. That is how my wife identified me, not because she wanted to, but because that was the only option I gave her.

"The plans of the foolish and the thought of foolishness are sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to men." Proverbs 24:9, Amplified

Plans and thoughts of foolishness are sin. Most people define sin as an action, but that is not true. The transgression begins in the heart. Sin does not need to manifest itself physically for it to bring a barrier between the sinner and the Lord. "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." (Psalm 14:1a, NKJV)) "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28, NKJV) Murder begins in the heart as well (Matthew 5:21-26). Sin has never been an action issue, it has always been a heart issue. The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.

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