A Proverbs A Day

Proverbs 16:6:  By mercy and love, truth and fidelity (to God and man- not by sacrificial offerings), inquity is purged out of the heart, and by the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord men depart from and avoid evil. 

Sometimes I think I can get away with something or it's not that big of deal or the Lord won't mind. I go through with whatever it is thinking that way and go to bed still thinking that way. In other words, I lie to myself and/or listen to the author of lies and do a pretty darn good job convincing myself that I know what I'm doing. Then I wake up and He is there.

Gentle.
Caring.
Questioning.

Do you really think this is gonna work?

Now we're not talking anything major here, at least not by the world's standards. No murder. No adultery. No thievery taking place. Just a mind game of sorts. Things I want to read. Things I'd like to watch. Things that will choke His presence out if I give it half a chance. Things that bother me and yet tempt me all at the same time.

I sat down to read my Bible this morning even though I didn't want to, and I didn't want to because I knew as soon as I did I would have to give up something I just paid ten bucks for. Look, we all have our convictions, right? No matter who agrees with whom or who thinks the other person is a little over the top, we all have things that bother us on a sub-conscious level... within our spirit, I guess you could say. My convictions won't necessarily agree with yours. I suppose it all depends on who we are and where we are and how we got there.

Anyway, I read a few verses and even as I was reading, the Lord was dealing with me. I laughed to myself as I made a mental decision and I'm certain He was laughing along with me. I got up to put a physical action to that decision and felt a weight lifted from within me. That was that. Sometimes you just know you have to act quickly because if you don't, that weight can become harder and harder to cast off. At least that's how it is with me, but then again, I am anything but normal.

I am me.

And He's good with that.