Les pièges du diable (Séries): David

Les pièges du diable (Séries): David

Les pièges du diable: DAVID
A Series Taken from Dr. Charles Stanley

(2 Samuel 11:1-17-12:1-10)

This week, we will look at the sins of King David, a successful military leader and a man after God’s own heart. Led astray by lust, he actively pursues another man’s wife and opens himself up to all kinds of evil. David attempts to hide his sin of adultery with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba. She becomes pregnant with David’s child, which leads David to murder Uriah. God sends Nathan the Prophet to show David the error of his ways, and David is convicted. Although, he does not escape punishment and the consequences of his sin. His child’s life is taken by God, and the sword never leaves David’s house (2 Samuel 12:10a).

Through Scripture, we observe the rapid progression of sin in David’s life so that we can learn to guard our own hearts from the devil and his devices. No one is exempt from sin. We must do all we can to stay untarnished from the world by confessing sin daily, by being in the Word and praying throughout the day.

David’s first mistake is when he chooses to stay at the palace in the spring when kings customarily go into battle. One day, bored from laying on his bed, David decides to walk upon his rooftop from where he observes a beautiful woman bathing. When we are not doing what God has called us to do and we become lazy or bored, we are prey to the devil and his demons. Be sober and vigilant because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Who do you think would be living close to David’s palace? Most likely, his most trusted warriors. He inquiries about Bathsheba and learns that she is the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah, both of whom are members of David’s special forces known as David’s Mighty Men. He knew them well, for they had served the King for many years and had sacrificed their lives to keep him safe. But that doesn’t stop David from pursuing her.

Let’s apply David’s situation to our lives. As I remember, I had made my appointment to have my abortion, and I knew how to prepare for the upcoming procedure. toutefois, on my way to the clinic, I was so hung over that I stopped to get something to eat. I was also driving myself, which shows you how unaware I was about the effects of abortion on a woman’s body. When I finally arrived at the clinic and they discovered that I had just eaten, they canceled the procedure. Here was God giving me a way out. But did I take it? NO! I rescheduled my abortion for December 10, 1980, and at the time of this writing, next week will be 40 years since my abortion. I should have stopped to reconsider what I was doing, as David should have, yet neither of us did. Par conséquent, many people suffered a horrible fate because of our sins.

Did God give you a way to escape sin but you did not heed His warning?

We read that David involves other people in his sinful plan when he asks his servants about the beautiful woman and tells them to bring her back to his quarters. At this point, his secret lust has been made public and known to his servants. They know he loves the Lord, and he is about to commit adultery. When one is in leadership, he or she is a target for the enemy to destroy, especially a person of faith in Jesus. We must protect ourselves and be diligent because the enemy would love to destroy our testimonies and our ministry. Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

How do you protect yourself from the enemy?

As we move further along in the story, David devises a plan to bring Uriah home from battle so that he will sleep with his wife and appear to conceive a child thus hiding the pregnancy from everyone, except from his servants and Joab, his military commander. Uriah refuses to go home to his wife because the Ark of the Covenant and his fellow warriors are still on the battlefield. Par conséquent, he does not sleep with his wife but lays at the king’s gate with all of the other servants. They were probably whispering, Isn’t that Uriah the husband of Bathsheba?

Whenever we try to cover up our sin with another sin, it never ends well for anyone. During the time of my abortion, I had to hide the fact that my boyfriend, the father of my aborted baby, and I were living together. My parents would be coming to town to attend my college graduation, so I needed to find a quick solution. Dans le 3 years I lived in Ohio, my parents never visited, so I was able to live like the devil without fear of being discovered. But the day of reckoning was coming. When my sister called off her wedding in the summer of 1982, six months before my graduation, I decided to get married to cover up my sin. De cette façon, when my parents came in December, my lifestyle would be acceptable. Looking back, it took many years of Christian counselling and recovery work for me to finally become the woman God created me to be. Over the years, my husband and I had a very rocky marriage and were on the brink of divorce twice. God graciously intervened, and now our marriage is stronger than it has ever been.

When have you tried to cover up your sin with more sin?

A famous quote, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.”

Tu es aimé,
Toni

 

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Obéissance

Obéissance

Romains 6:23
« Car le salaire du péché, c'est la mort, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Matthieu 11:28-30
"Venez à moi, tous ceux qui travaillent et sont chargés, et je te donnerai du repos. Prends mon joug sur toi et apprends de moi, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Romains 2:4b
“Not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?"

John 10: 28
“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

As a young child, I developed a strong sense of responsibility. I took on shame immediately for any wrong doing. My fear of authority figures caused me to become a people-pleaser. I was a very compliant child because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, especially my parents. I yearned for love and acceptance so much so that I would do anything to obtain it. I developed an unhealthy thinking pattern and a false belief system because of what I witnessed in my home and in church. I saw those in authority—attributing their behavior to God—act very harshly when someone disobeyed the rules. Please read my blog, Pensée puante: Ma vision déformée de Dieu. Par conséquent, I obeyed my elders out of fear of punishment and rejection, not out of love or reverence.

I demonstrated good moral behavior until I reached the age of 12 when “the good, quiet one” persona no longer sufficed. I began rebelling against everything I knew was right. Because of my fear of rejection, I put a great deal of energy into not getting caught. You can imagine how I lived with many secrets and hid behind a mask. I lived a lie. At home, I played the role of the “good, quiet one.” However, in public, I got drunk, used drugs and started having sex at the age of 16. All of this culminated in my abortion at the age of 21. With a firm grip on my soul, the evil one led me down a path of death and destruction. Blinded by pride and deception, I believed that I could live a life of freedom by pursuing my own desires and pleasures. toutefois, the opposite was true. My life belonged to the devil. He would eventually use me to do the unthinkable—murder my own child. I firmly believe that if we truly knew the love of God and understood it, we would not seek love outside of marriage. We would feel cherished, whole, secure and free. We wouldn’t need drugs, alcohol and other empty vices to fill the void in our hearts because we have such a strong connection to the true source of love—Jesus.

God wants us to obey Him out of love, not fear of punishment. It’s the goodness of God that leads to true repentance and a relationship with Jesus—a relationship without bondage but true freedom. Striving to be perfect by obeying unattainable rules does not draw us closer to Christ. He desires to show us His way of love, grace, forgiveness and peace. I pray that we can share this message of hope with others. For God so loved the world that He gave His most precious gift—His only Son—to die for us. If that is not a picture of sacrificial love, then I don’t know what is.

I have found that true joy comes from obeying God no matter how I feel because my emotions can be deceiving. Being faithful to follow God’s lead in my life brings a long-lasting peace. Women often say to me, “I am really struggling in my relationship with Christ.” What I have come to understand is that the key to a strong relationship with Him is obedience. If you desire a more fulfilling relationship with God, then obey the leading of the Holy Spirit even when you don’t see how God can intervene in your circumstances. Remember that God’s ways are not our ways. True peace comes from obeying God. When we do that, we are safe and secure under His protective umbrella. He shields us from the enemy’s fiery darts, and no one can snatch us out of His hand.

In this season, we are embarking on a very important study, “In the Wildflowers,” which deals with the evil of sexual abuse. The enemy has been hard at work to derail this study. Tormented by the enemy, one of my family members has begun lashing out and attacking me verbally. Someone also attempted to take out a $75,000 small business loan in my name through identity theft. Stay close to God, mon cher, because the enemy knows that many will be saved, guéri, redeemed and set free. Obey God even when life becomes difficult and you struggle to understand His plan. Rest assured. You will be blessed.

Je vous aime tous,

Toni

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Moins de contrôle & Plus de confiance

Moins de contrôle & Plus de confiance

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding: In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

Who or what are you trusting in: yourself, another person, an institution, or God?

I learned at a very young age to take control of every area of my life, that unfortunately was not a good thing. A 12-year-old is not mature enough to take on such a responsibility. I controlled my voice, I did not use it, I controlled how I performed in school, sports, and in anything I set my mind to do by practicing until I could do something perfectly. When I was older, I controlled my weight by taking speed and diet pills and exercising excessively. I controlled what others perceived about me by wearing a mask to hide my true feeling and identity.

Relinquishing control was not a comfortable thing for me, because I didn’t trust others not to hurt me. I became very self-sufficient and proficient in all I did. I had a huge wall around my heart that no one was going to penetrate, not even God. I grew up with a distorted view of God; He was angry and He would punish me if I was out of line, this is what I heard and saw as a child. Church was dark, they spoke in another language, it was not warm and welcoming. Alors, I attributed these attributes to God. I felt He was dark and harsh and unloving; nothing could be further from the truth.

I had everything under control so I thought, until my life and health started spiraling out of control, I couldn’t stuff anymore and my health was failing, my marriage was on the brink of divorce, and I didn’t know what to do. I was plagued with suicidal thoughts because I just couldn’t deal with my depression and self-loathing anymore. This was not a life it was a prison; I was just surviving I needed someone to take my pain away, someone I could trust to love and accept me for who I was. Did such a person exist?

Dear One I want you to know that there is such a person, His name is Jesus, He is the only one who will love you right where you are, He will never hurt you or force you to do something against your will. He is kind, affectueux, dependable, faithful, merciful, forgiving, and He is your Savior and friend. Why not relinquish control of your life to God, honestly what do you have to lose at this point?

Matthieu 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

Bénédictions,

Toni

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La tromperie de l'égoïsme

La tromperie de l'égoïsme

Genèse 3:6, Luc 1:38, 2 Corinthiens 12:9, et Hébreux 12:2

L'égoïsme est consumé par des pensées concernant soi-même et par le fait de ne pas se soucier des autres et des conséquences de nos actions sur une autre personne.. Le péché est agréable pendant une saison, mais c'est très destructeur pour nous et pour ceux qui nous aiment et prennent soin de nous.

Où a commencé l'égoïsme? Tout a commencé avec Adam et Eve dans le jardin, dans le chapitre de la Genèse 3:6 nous lisons, "Et quand la femme vit que l'arbre était bon à manger, et que c'était agréable aux yeux, et un arbre à désirer pour devenir sage, elle en a pris le fruit, et j'ai mangé, et donna aussi à son mari avec elle, et il a mangé. Le désir d’Ève d’être comme Dieu connaissant le bien et le mal l’a amenée à devenir égocentrique et à ne penser qu’à ce que cela pourrait faire pour elle et non à ce que le péché aurait sur sa relation avec Dieu ou son mari.. Elle n'avait aucune idée que son péché plongerait toute l'humanité dans le péché., désespoir, et la mort. Peut-être que si elle avait réfléchi une seconde avant de prendre le fruit, attends, Dieu m'a dit de ne pas faire ça, Il m'aime et m'a fourni tout ce dont j'avais besoin. Pourquoi irais-je contre lui? Le diable l’a amenée à douter de l’amour de Dieu. Au lieu de cela, elle sentait qu'elle avait le droit, c'était son droit à ça, et Dieu lui retenait quelque chose de bon. Mais la vérité était qu'il l'aimait tellement qu'il la protégeait, parce qu'Il savait la destruction qui résulterait de son choix. Tout comme avec nous quand nous avons eu nos avortements. Dieu nous a donné un moyen de nous échapper, mais non, nous avions pris notre décision et nous faisions ça! Pendant tout ce temps, son cœur se brisait pour nous parce qu'il savait que nos âmes seraient brisées en un million de morceaux et que nous serions dévastés et dévastés., nous aurions du mal avec notre choix pendant de nombreuses années à venir. Dieu nous permet de faire nos propres choix, tout comme il l'a fait avec Ève.. Dieu veut que nous choisissions de l’aimer et de lui obéir.

J'ai eu une conversation avec une femme pro-choix, et pendant que nous parlions, elle a dit combien elle aimait les enfants et qu'ils étaient un cadeau. Et j'ai pensé, comment peut-elle aimer les enfants tout en étant pro-choix? Puis je me suis rendu compte qu'elle avait adhéré à l'idéologie féministe.. Le mensonge que le féminisme dit aux femmes est, c'est ton corps et ton droit d'avorter. Ils ne veulent pas avoir de comptes à rendre à Dieu, ils veulent avoir le contrôle. Ils veulent décider de ce qui est bien ou mal pour eux et ils veulent être comme Dieu., tout comme Eve l'a fait. Le monde leur dit tout ce qui leur fait du bien, fais-le, tu le mérites. Ils ont mis leurs désirs égoïstes au contrôle et se sont transformés en petits dieux « g », avoir le contrôle de son propre corps et de son destin. Ils ne voient pas que l'avortement met fin à la vie. Au lieu de cela, ils y voient une démarche égoïste et d’auto-préservation et ils ont le courage de le faire.. Et ils se mettent en colère quand quelqu'un essaie de leur retirer le contrôle. Parce qu'au fond, ils savent que c'est un bébé, mais ils préfèrent sacrifier la vie de leur enfant pour leurs désirs égoïstes.

Il y a une autre femme dans la Bible, qui avait le choix d'être égoïste ou d'obéir à Dieu. Elle s'appelait Marie, la mère de Jésus. Lorsqu'elle s'est retrouvée enceinte du Saint-Esprit alors qu'elle était adolescente célibataire, elle a risqué sa vie parce qu'elle aurait dû être lapidée, quelle était la loi; sinon elle aurait été divorcée de son fiancé Joseph. Mais au lieu de cela, elle fut courageuse et dit à l'Ange de Luc : 1:38, « Voici la servante du Seigneur! Qu'il me soit fait selon ta parole. Je prie pour que nous regardions Marie comme notre exemple, une femme de courage qui aimait et obéissait à Dieu, surtout quand c'était dur, ou peu pratique, ou difficile; elle n'a jamais hésité. Elle nous a montré que la grâce de Dieu est suffisante et que nous pouvons être victorieux, si nous gardons les yeux fixés sur Jésus, l'auteur et le consommateur de notre foi.

Repenser à votre propre avortement, comment étais-tu égoïste?
De quelles manières faites-vous maintenant confiance à Dieu et souhaitez-vous lui obéir?

 

Bénédictions,

Toni

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Votre vie a-t-elle été ressuscitée?

Votre vie a-t-elle été ressuscitée?

John 1:1,14, Titus 3:5, Luc 1:28, 2 Corinthiens 5:21, Matthieu 27:3-4, 1 Corinthiens 15:3-4, and Colossians 3:1

For those of us who have suffered the trauma of abortion, can agree that every part of our being, physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional, has been broken and shattered into a million pieces. We found ourselves barely able to function and as a result we chose unhealthy mechanisms to cope with our state of despair; such as alcohol, sex, drugs, achats, unhealthy relationships or anything that could fill the black hole in our heart. There is only one person who can pick up the shattered pieces of our broken lives and fill the hole in our heart and that is Jesus the only begotten Son of God. Have you truly met the Savior, the lover of your soul? Have you been led out of the darkness and chains, into His glorious healing light?

Where were you when you found Jesus? I was 34 years old and literally on my back laying on my couch for weeks at a time, and thinking this is not living, I am barely surviving, and wanting to end this torment of a life. My depression was so severe that I was incapable of getting on with my life and daily responsibilities. I was a broken, depressed, addicted, suicidal mess. On the outside, I pretended to have a perfect life, but inside I was dying and it became exceedingly more difficult to put on my mask every day. The only thing that kept me from formulating a plan to end my life were my 2 children who were very young, at the time around 7 et 8. I could not abandon them and leave them without a mother.

My husband had been on a quest to find the truth about Jesus and he was attending several churches in our area. In my desperation, I told him I wanted to attend church with him on one such Sunday. All four of us attended a small Baptist church in Browns Mills, NJ on January 2, 1994. For the next four weeks we would attend church as a family for Sunday School, Sunday Service, and on Sunday and Wednesday night meetings. My heart and mind were being saturated with the Bible, the Living Word of God (John 1:1,14). My Spirit was slowly being regenerated or reborn (Titus 3:5). My eyes and ears were opened and I heard things I had never heard before, and I had attended church my whole life. I heard that Jesus was born of a virgin teenager, a woman blessed and chosen by God, (Luc 1:28) but no different from you or I. He lived a sinless life, (2 Corinthiens 5:21) was betrayed by Judas Iscariot for 30 pieces of silver, (Matthieu 27:3-4) was tortured and crucified on a cross, died, was buried and rose again on the third day. (1 Corinthiens 15:3-4) He is alive and sitting at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. (Colossiens 3:1) When I realized that Jesus loved me so much that He died for me and He took upon himself my sins and He willingly died for me. I was finally broken of my self-sufficiency and pride and I humbled myself before God and I asked Him to forgive my sins and I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior.

The most memorable life transforming day of my life was on February 6, 1994 when I became a born-again believer in Jesus. I will never forget that evening after Church when I was of all things, smoking a cigarette in my garage; that addiction took longer to stop than my drinking which stopped immediately. It was a clear crisp beautiful February evening and looking up I saw the moon and stars and I had this overwhelming feeling inside that something happened, I felt my spirit quicken in me and I said, “I feel you in me, I am changed, thank you Jesus.” Tears streamed down my cheeks and I was filled with gratitude, love, and hope for the first time in my life, I felt completely loved.

Have you encountered Jesus?

Once you do you will never be the same.

Tell me your story, where were you when Jesus found you?

Bénédictions,

Toni

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