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Pastor Beal

CURIOSITY KILLS THE CAT

"A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself:
but the simple pass on, and are punished." Prov. 22:3

Do you sometimes feel spiritually anemic? You know, like you are an easy target for the devil's traps? The truth is, that we are all weak and vulnerable to the enticements of the flesh. The Bible speaks of three gates that the devil targets: "the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life." (I Jn. 2:16) God has instructed us how to handle the temptations of Satan. Prov. 4:15, "Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away." God also tells us in I Thess. 5:22, to "Abstain from all appearance of evil." Instead of seeing how close we can get to evil, we should see how far away we can stay. Why? You're weaker than you know. The devil, your adversary, knows the following truths:

SIN WILL TAKE YOU FARTHER THAN YOU WANT TO GO!
SIN WILL COST YOU MORE THAN YOU WANT TO PAY!
SIN WILL KEEP YOU LONGER THAN YOU WANT TO STAY!
SIN WILL AFFECT INNOCENT PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY!

That's why God tells us in Eph. 4:27, "neither give place to the devil." Sin grows out of what might seem cute and innocent to you (NOT TO GOD), but sin brings death and sorrow. Let's learn to have foresight and not just hindsight and it will save us a lot of heartaches. Let's practice Ja. 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Thanks and God bless! Pastor Earl Beal