Indeed, the God hater has voted God out– self sets on the throne, misery fills his days, sin marks his ways, and he lives as a slave to his own lusts. Not until the end, when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord, does he realize that he cast a losing vote. What about you? How will you vote? “Choose you this day whom ye will serve..“(Josh. 24:15). I’m voting for Jesus!  –HDS

“..He wist not that the LORD was departed from him.” –Judges 16:20

I’ve probably said it 1000 time–“Backsliding is like a slow-leak rather than a blow-out”. Just as spiritual growth is so slow that we don’t feel it happening, so it is with backsliding. When we see the fall of a man it appears to have happened overnight, when actually he had been in a spiritual decline for months or years. Let us learn a lesson from Samson.

F. B. Meyer said, “Beware of unconscious deterioration! Grey hairs may be here and there upon us without our knowing it. The Lord may be gone out on feet so noiseless, that we are not aware that His Spirit has glided along the corridor, and through the doorway, whispering, Let us depart.

Deterioration is unconscious because it is so gradual. The rot that sets in on autumn fruit is very gradual. The damp that silences the violin or piano does its work almost imperceptibly. Satan is too knowing to plunge us into some outrageous sin at a bound. He has sappers and miners engaged long before the explosion, in hollowing subterranean passages through the soul, and filling them with explosives.

Spiritual declension blunts our sensibility. The first act of the burglar is to gag the voice that might alarm, and poison the watch-dog. So, sin blinds our eyes, and dulls our keen alertness to the presence of evil. Thus, the stages of our relapse are obvious to all eyes but our own. We are drugged as we are being carried off captives.

The progress of evil within us is a matter of unconsciousness, largely because we are quick to discover reasons to justify our decadence. We glaze over the real state of affairs. We call sins by other names. We insist on considerations which in our eyes appear to justify our conduct. We still attend to our religious duties, and try to persuade ourselves that it is with us as in times past. To avoid deterioration we must ever watch and pray, and realize that we are the temple of the Holy Ghost. Then shall the peace of God as a sentry guard our hearts and our thoughts in Christ Jesus.”

Regardless of how knowledgeable, talented, strong, or famous you are the possibility of you falling and bringing reproach upon Christ never goes away. It can happen to anyone. Stay alert!–HDS

Getting people to see their need is what’s difficult. You can make a list of all the benefits and preach sermons about it, but that doesn’t assure that they will get the message. Although the Bible clearly declares and describes man’s need for God’s Word few are impressed enough to do anything about it. Whatever it takes, every person has to decide for themselves. For some, a few it seems, instruction is enough, but for others it takes a need or crisis of some sort. They won’t develop a desire for the Word until they are devastated in some way. Then out of desperation they might turn to the Bible for help. The truth is that you need help whether you realize it or not and Bible study affects you whether you know it or not. Just do it then watch God work. –HDS

To understand our text we need to see the big picture. The nation’s sins had reached the point that judgement was certain–so much so that God forbid the prophet to pray for the people (vs. 14). Then he discovered that the people he loved had plotted against him to take his life (vs. 18-19). So it is in the light of all this that he prays,”But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.”Notice, he brought his problem to the Lord, rather than ranting against his enemies. He prays that evil would be extinguished. That was the proper thing to do–even though it involved people he cared about deeply.

Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better– so getting “worse” isn’t bad when it is the means of bringing better. Jeremiah knew that God’s judgement is righteous, therefore he prays, “let me see thy vengeance on them”. This was not personal–a plea for God to hurt those who hurt him. His prayer is prompted by the hope for healing, not hatred. The wise prophet knew there was a price to be paid for removing evil from the land. He was aware that his people would have to hurt before they could be helped. Wanting to see God take action is not cruel, especially when there is no other solution. We should desire the destruction of the destroyers who set themselves against God and desire to bring our nation to naught. Praying for such is not “unchristian” as some people would have you to believe. It is in fact our duty to pray that God will do whatever is necessary to stop those who are plotting the downfall of God’s people. Looking at the moral landscape today, the identity of our enemies is clear and just voting against them is not enough– we must also pray ” let me see thy vengeance on them“. Only God can defeat those who would destroy us.–HDS

The Greek word for “race” (agon) is the word from which we get the word “agony”. It speaks of that which is grueling, agonizing, and exhausting. Although compared to a contest, the Christian life is no game. This analogy is used only to show us what great effort we should put into it. It is also likened unto warfare– implying conflict, battle, and struggle. The fight is fierce, the enemy is strong, the flesh is weak, and the stakes are high. Thought weak, wounded and weary we must not quit. We must press on with all our might until we cross the finish line. Your flesh will resent it and your foes will resist it, but we must keep on. The goods news is that we don’t have to depend on our own strength to run this race. As Paul said, “ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”–Phil. 4:13. — HDS, 10/24/16