Tag Archives: self conceit

An Oracle Concerning the Fallen

The term oracle has 2 distinct meanings.  The first refers to a priest or spiritual leader who provides advice to those seeking direction or guidance from God.  Meanwhile, oracle also eludes to an ambiguous or obscure message given by a person speaking on behalf of God.  In Psalm 36, King David provides insight on those in his kingdom who had fallen from God’s grace.

Based upon the words David received, the Holy Spirit blames a lack of fear of God as the root cause.  This created a spiritual blind spot as self conceit eliminated God from the radar screen.  Like a disease slowing attacking the central nervous system, poison filled their mouths, disguised by deceit.  Subsequently, wisdom vanished from the lips of the fallen.  Idleness led to new hobbies of plotting evil as scheming became a favorite pastime.  In the end, the fallen followed a similar course, embracing wrong behavior each and every day.

Beginning in Psalm 36:5, David provides a spiritual prescription for anyone considering a change of heart.  This portion of the chapter serves as a precursor to God’s promise in Psalm 103:11-12, a picture of forgiveness, love and mercy.  Although Ponce de Leon claimed to discover a fountain of youth in Florida, David introduces the lost to the fountain of spiritual life, Psalm 36:9.  Dangling this carrot in front of the fallen, the choice is yours.  May these words of David, inspired by God, provide hope to those of you feel lost, fallen or ready for a change.

by Jay Mankus

You Don’t Smell As Good As You Think

In his prime, comedian Bill Cosby had a stand up act about the transformation infants go through.  Cosby was a genius, not needing to use cursing or rely on vulgarity to make people laugh.  Instead, Bill spoke about how babies’ poo does not smell initially.  However, any parent who has had to change a dirty diaper understands the stench and mess that comes out of the body of someone so little.  Thereby proclaiming, “you don’t smell as good as you think that you do!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjIskTJ1PgA

Last spring, I suffered from a severe sinus infection that my body could not Fight off.  No matter what I did to battle this ailment, over the counter drugs could not relieve the constant pressure in my head.  One of the side effects of this cold was extreme sweating and an unusual body odor, foreign from my typical workout smell.  I changed my deodorant and shampoo to improve my aroma, without much success.  Fortunately, by the end of June, God healed me from this daily hindrance.  Through it all, I learned a difficult life lesson, “I didn’t smell as good as I thought.”

Today, arrogance, pride and self-conceit serves as a false sense of security.  These defense mechanisms blind individuals from reality.  No cologne, deodorant or perfume can mask anyone from the sinful nature inside them, Romans 3:23.  The only way to overcome this spiritual condition is by bathing in the presence of God, Psalm 23:6.  Whether you read the Bible, Romans 10:17, worship the Lord in song, Psalm 150 or withdraw to pray, Mark 1:35, spending time doing with God will lead you in the right direction away from the stench of sin.  May you come to acknowledge what the apostle did in the first century, “you don’t smell as good as you think,” 1 Timothy 1:15.

by Jay Mankus

So What… Nobody Cares Anymore

 

Last week I interrupted a conversation between 2 co-workers.  As I was passing through an aisle, I overheard a gal say, “nobody cares anymore!”  Feeling compelled to interject hope, I responded, “I care.”  Unfortunately, this young lady is right, as apathy, complacency and self conceit has hardened the hearts of many Americans.

 

In the days of Pharaoh, God allowed a similar behavior to take hold of the king of Egypt.  Despite seeing Moses perform miracle after miracle, he refused to let the Israelites leave for 3 days to hold a festival in the desert.  As a result, Pharaoh punished the Hebrews, making their workload more difficult and beating foremen whose crews did not meet their daily quota, Exodus 5:4-14.

 

The pessimists will turn to passages of the Bible like 2 Timothy 2:1-5, claiming the end is near.  Meanwhile, optimists will highlight others verses like 2 Peter 1:3-4. proclaiming victory over evil desires is possible.  However, the negativity which persists throughout the world often creates a wave that knocks over good intentions.  Thus, harmful attitudes pollute the air, making it difficult to influence minds.  Therefore, if you want to break this trend, you will need spiritual intervention to break the regional strongholds that exist in the spiritual realm, Ephesians 6:12.

By Jay Mankus