A Sneaky Tie

Good morning! Uh, oh, the Wednesday Men's Bible study will soon come to a close for this session. As this happens each year about this time, I will miss those meetings until autumn comes and we start again. However, I also enjoy the break. We study deep scripture each week and the break is good for a while. The Bible study is a good thing and it is good to miss it, but what if you have something else that may be bad for you in God's eyes and the time comes to part ways or give it up. You think you have removed all ties to the old place or habit, but one sneaky tie still binds you. We know from what we have heard or seen that an alcoholic cannot keep a bottle of hooch stashed in a back corner of the laundry room because inevitably she will find it and, oh dear, the troubles begin again. All ties must be removed from the old life, or the same problems will come right back. Sneaky ties can be difficult to root out.

We not only fight our sinful nature, but we also have a tempter who is actively working to trip us up. Then we have that desire to hold on to what we know; sort of the comfort of the frying pan over jumping out into the fire we fear. Trusting in God means that we first admit that we don't know there is a fire over that edge. We give up the sneaky tie when it is discovered, and though it may prove difficult we know that God has our best in mind. Discovering that sneaky tie may require listening to God and searching for it. Something of the old life goes on for long enough, and it may become almost a part of you. Cutting that old tie might take an intervention from God.

Will God intervene in that manner? Free will, personal choice, responsibility for our own actions, and all that stuff? Ask Him! Make the personal choice to let God cleanse through His Holy Spirit. Give up your personal freedom in the matter: Lord, I don't want to do this anymore. Take it from me, please! The Lord may say 'No'. The best for you and me could be to struggle against something until we are called home. In that case, we also trust that God knows what is best for us. That sneaky tie may be left for our testing. The faith we have says that God will complete His good work in us. Strengthen your faith on the Word, and trust Him completely.

Praise God for the morning!
Bucky