HOOKED ON VICE

Vice: An immoral or evil habit or practice. Immoral conduct, depraved or degrading behavior. A life of vice. Sexual immorality esp. prostitution.

As we approach the return of the Lord Jesus for His family those who claim Him had better not be involved in vice. Satan’s influence is more evident today than at any time in my memory. The internet has been a hot bed for his influence. Gambling, pornography, child endangerment by homosexuals are only a few of the sins that are so evident today.

 

Please remember this as you arise in the morning as part of God’s army. I am assuming you are not down in your Christian “foxhole” with your helmet of Salvation pulled down tightly against you ears. If you are the “Commander in Chief” is not happy with you. Not one Christian has been excused from the battle field. We are told to go into “all the world” and make disciples. You just can’t get away saying, “I paid the preacher to do mine.” That won’t cut it on Judgment Day. Trust me in this!

 

God expects His family to work. He said through Paul, “If you don’t work you don’t eat.” I don’t think he is only thinking of those who will not go to the work place and earn their own bread either. There is a powerful Christian song that says, “My table is full but my field is empty, who will go and work for me today?” One time I asked our organist to play it and he said he couldn’t as it was too depressing. I was shocked!

 

Why in the world do we think God has left us here after redeeming us? We have much to do and not much time to do it. God gives us the same Holy Spirit to empower us to get it done too. Have you asked the Lord for the gift of the Holy Spirit? Jesus said that God would give it to us. He wouldn’t give us a stone if we asked for an egg. Or a serpent if we asked for a fish. Amen How much more would the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who asked Him. Could this be an add on?

 

Please do not assume you have been baptized with the Holy Spirit if there is no power in your life. That is why He comes. Peter and John were on the way to the Temple to pray after Pentecost. They see a lame man, left there for them by Jesus who often came this way. He was begging for money and they said, We don’t have any but what we have [now] we give to you, stand up and walk. Not only did this cripple walk but he jumped up and down shouting praises to God.

 

If you recall the Church leaders were very upset over this and tried to shut him up but couldn’t as he was healed and set now free to serve God and he was going to do it. We don’t see much of this today in America but I have a friend that is used of God in Africa and this is common there. I witnessed the healing of Esther Mae Smith in Wing Alabama a few years ago after Charles prayed for her. She had been dying for a long time with leukemia. She looked like a shadow of herself and was laying upon her hospital bed in her living room with tubes going in and out of her body.

 

What surprised me was that Charles preached the Gospel to her for at least 20 minutes before he prayed. I was praying, God please have Charles pray now as she could die at any second. How little I knew that God had plans for Esther Mae. Charles had noticed her beautiful flowered plants when he arrived at her house and in his prayer said that she would soon be outside taking care of them. Her husband, Durrant, stood near the fireplace shaking his head, no she won’t. He had been ministering to her for months and she was dying.

 

About two weeks later I drove by the house and there she was, standing there with a tiny hoe, weeding under one of them. I could do nothing but shout, PRAISE THE LORD!

 

Charles Omuroka comes to America from Kakamega Kenya on a near yearly basis. When he isn’t here he is being led by the Holy Spirit to have conferences in Tanzania, Kenya and other countries there. Miracles are common there but not here and this troubles me. Could it be that we have assumed we have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit when we haven’t? Could it be that when we have been so blessed we haven’t followed Him? I suspect we all know the answer don’t we?

 

I believe there is one more requirement to be used like Charles. We have to be dead to our own desires. Do you recall St. Paul saying that he no longer lived, it was Christ who lived in him? And he lived by faith in the Son of God who had died for him? What is stopping us from the same pronouncement? I suspect vice! Vice is always out there to trip us.

 

Are you living a holy life in Christ? This means are you living only for Christ and in Him? It is not impossible and should be our goal. The Holy Spirit will be your shield of faith. Why not begin today and see what God can do through you. He isn’t limited, Amen?

If you desire to know more about this Jesus Christ who loves you, and you want to ask Him  into your heart, receiving His Saving Grace please click on this Salvation Prayer