Manna Moment -- Sinful Nature Part 3

[Rev. Lyn Bell]

Galatians 5:19-21 “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Good morning it is Happy Feet Friday! I know everybody is glad to see this day because we are living for the weekend! If you look to support an awesome ministry, Back to Basics Ministries are hosting a play tonight “Crying from the Streets”, at 1863 Brightseat Road Landover, MD. Its FREE, so stop in and support. Don’t forget to tune to WYCB-1340 AM at 6:00 p.m. for CLR Community Empowerment on Domestic Violence with special guest Rev. Lyn Bell, call in questions at 202-432-1340.

We are still looking at acts of the flesh today and understanding idolatry and witchcraft. Remember this was written to the Greeks in Galatia by Apostle Paul. Idolatry means the worship of gods that are made by man. Yes I know you will say that the cross is man-made and Christians use that as a symbolic reference to the faith, is that not idolatry. It could very well be if used in the wrong way. We are not literally worshipping the cross, it’s just a symbol. There are some beliefs that worship the carved statute, stone or whatever and that’s their belief. They have faith in its power! Today we are prone to worship our possessions like cars, handbags, even shoes for some people. It may be the latest big screen TV or power tools for that matter. For some great cooks it could be the possession of a Kitchen-Aid or Wolfe appliance. Anything that comes before God in your life can be an idol. It could be a person that you idolize that has influence over you and comes before God’s will in your life. Wow! Some simple things we never think about. The point is you won’t inherit the kingdom.

Part two is Witchcraft and this literally means the use of drugs. It’s often used as a meaning of healing in some cultures, but it also means poisoning, particularly the use of drugs for sorcery of which the ancient world was quite found of. In some circles, I have heard witchcraft applied to disobedience to leadership and other acts of disobedience and I am not inclined to agree with that. Disobedience is just that: disobeying. Often it is referred to when it appears there is great influence over others as in mind control and it’s considered some type of witchcraft in today’s circles. What’s your take on some of the modern applications of this word? Regardless none of it is the Fruit of the Spirit, so if you engage in it, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. Well have a great weekend and I am waiting to hear feedback on this for better understanding and application. God bless!