BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing English Emagazine December 2019 | Page 4

www.bymonline.org | December 2019
go together. Watching 'closely' is important. Never say,
“Oh, it is a small matter, it is a slip.” Small pits in the path
can tumble you down. Nip any dangerous thing in the
bud. Ground yourself in the Word of God. So many so
called 'teachings' are bogus and a mockery of God. Look
before you leap. Don't fall for any of the exciting
teachings that are making their rounds these days. Those
who are not grounded in balanced doctrinal teachings are
sure to be swept away by these novelties. Many jump into
it just to see what it is and drown in it. “Only a fool tests
the depth of the water with both feet,” says an African
proverb. Stay away from it all. Having no checks and
balances with the rest of God's people, and no
accountability to other men of God outside our own little
circle is dangerous.
g)“Above all else guard your heart for everything you
do flows from it” (Prov 4:23). I talked to someone about
the misunderstanding he was having with another
brother. The first sentence he defensively said was, “Oh,
we are ok. Nothing is wrong with us.” But when I
cornered him, he came out with the truth. What does this
show? This shows that we have learnt to speak lies to
ourselves without a twinge of guilt and cheat ourselves.
Rightly did John write, “If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John1:8).
We can bluff to ourselves, rationalize, make excuses or
deny. Then we are cheating ourselves. The way to guard
your heart is to learn to speak the truth to yourself.
Honesty is speaking the truth to others; integrity is
speaking the truth to yourself. When something goes
wrong you've got one problem .When you try to cover it
up you've got two. If the truth is unearthed you are in
soup. Admit your faults openly and encourage your
associates to do so.
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h)“What does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So
be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of
your youth” (Mal 2:15). Our culture is changing and
increasingly hostile to the family. Unless we show utmost
watchfulness without batting an eye, we will be
slaughtered in this area. God seeks godly offspring
“So”… Unfaithfulness destroys your life and children.
Husband and wife must hold on to one another faithfully
against all odds to guard their brood and not let satan
enter their fort. If you are not faithful to each other, how
can you bring up godly children? Consider family
sacrosanct. “When we are tempted to think it is hard to
deny ourselves and to crucify fleshly lusts, we ought to
consider how much harder it will be to lie forever in the
lake that burns with fire and brimstone,” says Bible
Exponent Matthew Henry. If you think you cannot
overcome this temptation, then prostrate yourself before
God and weep. Deliverance is sure to come.
i)“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees,
which is hypocrisy” (Lk 12:1). Hypocrisy is acting or
cheating or showing ourselves to be somebody who we
are not. We try to cover up our inner moral decay by
outward grandeur. Basic honesty is lacking here. Let us
not be charlatans trying to hide our true self from people.
Let us learn to be open and honest. We have our failures,
so what? Why try to hide our sicknesses for fear people
will mock our faith? That is dishonesty. We are all fallible
human beings and that's an open secret.
j)Faith is vulnerable and prone to break down. That's
why Jesus prayed for Peter's faith. We must stand firm in
all situations of life, holding tight to our most precious
faith with watchfulness. If a stalwart like Peter could be
sifted like wheat by satan and his faith faced the danger of
failing, and needed the prayer of Jesus to preserve his