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Ask yourself, “Am I a good person?”    How do you answer that question?    Most people answer in a very similar fashion. Often times they’ll say, “I'm pretty good. I mean I haven’t killed anybody or anything like that.”     Is this your answer as well?     People today think of their sinful nature as human nature; and that is how they comfort themselves when confronted with their sins. They will just state, “Well, everybody does it!” So, they mollify their conscience by redrawing the line of good character at a lower standard. Thus, they now can feel good about their sinful nature by comparing it to OTHER sinners.     We are not compared to OTHER people when God judges us after this life. We are compared to the Lord’s standard, NOT MAN'S!       Romans 3:23-24, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”     Psalms 37:38-40, “But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off. The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.”      Another problem is the idea that people believe they are basically good. That is a major problem in today’s society. If they sin, it is not their fault! It is always someone else’s fault that they sinned or did something bad. They are given a false notion about the nature of people.     This passing of the blame is Satan’s lie that people today have swallowed whole so that they do not feel the need to seek forgiveness for their sins. If it is someone else’s fault, then they have done nothing wrong themselves. Either by justifying their guilt or searing their conscience so that they can sin without interruption, people today do not fear God and the consequences of their sinful ways. Sadly, this false sense of security in a person's own character makes them blind to the cliff that leads ultimately to eternal hell.     You will be held responsible for your own actions!     Each person has a choice, and they must make a choice. Jesus Christ wants you to choose the side of the fence that He is on. Either you will go to heaven and be with the Lord evermore or you will plummet into the lake of fire. There is no other choice. You cannot sit on the fence, because the fence is owned by Satan. By not recognizing your need for a Savior and choosing the Lord, you have, in effect, made your choice!     Galatians 6:8, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” God has given us the standard by which we will be judged. From Exodus 20 that standard is stated.     Check out the 10 Commandments below and check yourself! Commandment #1 --------------------> You shall have no other gods before Me.     This means real or imagined forms of deity. Your personal relationship with the Lord is of utmost importance. Life can be cluttered with so many things that God can be pushed aside in your mind and in your heart and "money" or other things can become the object of our worship. This pre-occupation with other things, in fact, a violation of this very commandment! Do you push God aside in your mind and in your heart with other passions in your life?      This is called IDOLATRY! If you are guilty of this sin, then you would be called an IDOLATER!                  Commandment #2 --------------------> You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.    Because God has no visible form, an idol intended to represent Him would be a sin. It states that the Lord our God is a jealous God who demands exclusive devotion to Him. This means that one should devote himself in prayer and acts of worship to the Lord our God ONLY. It says what it says, means what it means, and is what it is. To justify anything else, is man just fulfilling his own needs. Idols of ANY kind, or graven images, are still idols, and are a violation of this commandment! Have you ever knelt down in prayer and supplication before a statue of ANY kind?... a graven image?... or maybe even a statue of a saint, perhaps?     If you have at any time, then you are guilty of this sin.                    Commandment #3 --------------------> You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.     When you speak the Lord’s name without reverence but use it as a curse word, you are, in fact, using His name in vain. Without repentance, we will ALL will be held accountable for this lack of respect. A person that speaks His name without reverence is spitting on Him and mocking His Lordship, the same way the soldiers spat on our Lord Jesus Christ.     Remember your words are a mirror into your heart. What you say does matter!      Have you ever used the Lord’s name as a curse word or in an act of disgust over some circumstance? That's called BLASPHEMY!                Commandment #4 --------------------> Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.     For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. It is to be a Sabbath to the Lord our God. It is a day to worship the Lord; rest, and recharge our batteries so to speak. We are to celebrate and be thankful for what the Lord has done for us. To enjoy the life that God has given us, and more importantly, to enjoy that life WITH HIM!      Work is to be put aside for one day every week. Today, life is so cluttered and we keep ourselves so busy that we simply cannot slow down and "smell the roses" so to speak. Jesus states that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. He gave us this day of rest and recharging as a way to fend off the effects of stress on our bodies physically, mentally, and most importantly, spiritually. Centering our lives every seven days is a way to keep God a part of our lives.       Have you ever committed this sin?      Remember this. James 2:10, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” We are all guilty in the eyes of God. Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" So understand that without God's gift of salvation thru the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, we are all doomed. He has given us a way out of this quandry thankfully. If you accept His redemptive plan given to us freely because of His love for us, then our sins will be wiped away and forgiven because He redeemed us.        Commandment #5 --------------------> Honor your mother and your father so that you may live long in the land, the Lord your God has given you.      This is a fascinating commandment. It is the only commandment that has a promise attached to it if you observe it.    "Honor" means to prize highly or to show respect for. The opposite of this commandment would be to show disrespect for your father and mother. To argue with in an argumentative fashion or more importantly, to not value their experience and wisdom for sake of one’s own pride and opinion. This commandment is given again as a guide to wisdom and long life. By adhering to this commandment you will be able to build upon the foundations laid by your parents. You can learn from the wisdom they have gained. You do not have to make the same mistakes!     Heed God's warning here! Either bask in the Lord’s provision or violate God’s command.     Have you ever dishonored or disrespected your parents? ...Have you ever disobeyed or dismissed their instruction?             Commandment #6 --------------------> You shall not murder.      This is so often confused with thou shall not kill. There is a difference between the words, murder and kill. In the act of self-defense or in the line of duty, killing is not a violation of this command. However, murder is a malicious act done with the intent to harm or kill another. Murder is a violation of this commandment. With this understanding alone, most people might think that he or she is innocent of this sin. However, they would be WRONG! 1 John 3:15, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer,” Matthew 5:22, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother (another) will be subject to judgment." Have you ever been angry with another person regardless of position of right and wrong?      If so, then you are guilty of committing murder in your heart and have sinned in the eyes of the Lord.              Commandment #7 --------------------> You shall not commit adultery.      Adultery is not just a sin against your spouse. It is a sin against God, Himself. The body is the temple of the Lord, for it is what houses the Holy Spirit. To defile the body is to defile the temple. Your body is not your own which is contrary to the teachings of man today. Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral."   God sees all things! And this INCLUDES your thought life as well. Matthew 5:28, “I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."  You must guard your thoughts at all times. Keep your eyes from wandering. Keep your eyes fixated upon the Lord and be aware of your thought life.      Have you ever looked at another person in a lustful way? That would make you an ADULTERER!             Commandment #8 --------------------> You shall not steal.     To steal means to take the property of another without right or permission. Ephesians 4:28, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but work doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need." Have you ever stolen something or taken something that is not yours? Whether it be a pencil or a diamond ring, it does not matter to God. The value of the item does not matter, it is the intent that God measures. To not trust in God’s provision for your needs is ultimately what you are saying when you take another’s possession.      Remember God sees ALL things! By breaking this command, you are a THIEF in God's eyes!               Commandment #9 --------------------> You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. Psalm 52:3, "You who practice deceit. You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth…Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin,"    Lying and the practice of deceit or deception are not only wrong and are a sinful act, but God assures us that this act will not go unpunished. Lying becomes infectious often times because you must continue to lie to keep up the deception. Eventually, it only brings more hardship, stress, and guilt. Just remember you NEVER get away with it for God sees all things!       Have you ever lied before? A person that has lied is a LIAR!            Commandment #10 --------------------> You shall not covet.      To covet is to want or desire enviously another person’s possessions. This commandment is broken in the thoughts of man. Envy is the deadly sin here. It is again the acknowledgement of dissatisfaction with God’s provision for you. To question the Lord’s omnipotent power over our lives is blasphemy! Matthew 15:18, "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’"  Your trust in God and the decisions He makes for your life are the essence of this command. Hard work and the fruit of your labor are GOOD! Contentment for what you do have brings peace to your life. Joy in the provisions that God has placed in your stewardship, brings peace of mind. Chasing happiness thru possessions or things only brings despair and discontent. Be thankful in the provisions from God is the only way to find peace. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks a lot on this topic. Being thankful to God for what you have is pleasing to God.     Again remember to guard your thoughts at all times for it is there that sin enters!        Have you ever been envious of another?       So, when you measure yourself up against God's standard, how did you do?      Please, understand we are ALL guilty in the eyes of the Lord!     The payment for sin is death, and we all deserve death.     With that knowledge, we should have a much better grasp of the mercy, grace, and love of God for us. We should be so thankful that God has such patience and mercy to an ungrateful creation. His love for us is such a beautiful gift.      When people question God’s existence by looking at the evil in the world; or ask the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people? They truly have a incorrect idea of what a “good” person really is.     There are NO “good” people in this world!      We are ALL sinners in the eyes of God and deserve death. The real question is why does God allow any of us to live?       God says that if we break one of the Laws of God, we have broken them all and shall not see the glory of heaven. Only thru repentance and the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ can we find salvation from the wrath of God.      Each one of us is going to have to open the doorway called death. That much is certain; for we all die!      Are you going to be joyful on that day?.......................... or fearful?      Our transgressions against the Lord have been paid by God thru the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ if we accept His payment!      Either we pay for those sins or we seek God's payment for those sins, but someone has to pay for God is a Holy and Just God!     He is also a Loving God, so He gave us a way out of the quandry.     He, in essence, satisfies all of His attributes at the same time thru His redemptive plan.     I implore you to: Take time this very day, in private, and get on your knees and pray to God to save you! Ask for Him to give you a new heart and new desires!       Believe in His Son, Jesus Christ!     Repent of your sins! Ask for forgiveness from God, and turn away from your sins so that you are not caught in a compromised position when that clock strikes 12! Remember you do not know when that time is going to happen.     Start to read His Word getting to know Him more and more everyday.     Start praying everyday. Just talk to Him. Share your day with Him.      And finally, reach other people with the good news of Christ and God's gift of eternal life forever. You have a choice. It is a free gift from God, yet people so often just slap His hand away and chase their own desires. He is right there with love and mercy. Choose Him now! Unclutter your life and bring God into your heart today before it's too late!        Do not wait, for life can change in an instant for this day could be your last day!