We are ever striving for what is forbidden, and coveting what is denied us.

Ovid

But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your destruction.

God's instruction to the Israelites as recorded in Joshua 6:18

Do you remember how your parents treated you when you were little? Don't touch that! Stay away from there! Don't get into that! Get down from there! It seems that no matter what we wanted, a meddlesome parent was there to tell us we couldn't have it. Of course, I'm not bitter - no, no, no, I'm just making an observation.

Do you remember when you got old enough to do the things that your parents told you not to do? Do you remember that ever working out well? We have all eventually learned (some later than others) that Mom and Dad actually knew what they were talking about - that when they said, "No!" it was for our benefit, not our harm.

In the Joshua passage above, God was instructing his chosen people in keeping away from the forbidden things. God did that a lot, and never without reason. Every time that the people of Israel disobeyed God's instruction in this, they ended up in more trouble than they could have possibly imagined... like, for example, a four year old boy getting into a can of paint at a vacant house - not that this ever happened of course - just a theoretic example. Nothing to see here!

Just like the people of Joshua's time, we have our own forbidden things in the Christian era in which we live. God tells us to stay away from certain types of behavior - not because He doesn't want us to have any fun, but because they are bad for us, and sometimes for others. Sexual immorality always has a consequence, even if it's just "peeking" at something on the internet. Lying always destroys trust, even if it's just a "little white" lie. Filthy language and gossip and deceit always, always, always come with a penalty, even if we cannot see that penalty at the time.

The point is that God tells us to stay away from the forbidden things for the same reason our parents tried to keep us away from certain things, and for the same reason we forbid certain things for our own children.

It is because He loves us!

Are you getting too close to the forbidden?

But He disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.

Hebrews 12:10, RSV

It does not take great men to do great things; it only takes consecrated men.

Phillips Brooks

Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.

Joshua, to the people about to enter the Promised Land

"Consecrate" is a word we do not use much any more. It means to make perfect. It's meaning is in the context of setting yourself aside for a holy purpose. It is a word that we need to know because the Bible says that without holiness, no one will see the Lord. So how can we become, "consecrated".

The answer is one of the themes of the New Testament, for Christ Jesus came into this world to take away our sins in order that we might be holy before the Lord. The field of holiness, consecration, and the removal of sin, is extremely broad and we could hardly scratch the surface of the topic in a small article. Sufficient for the purposes of this brief writing is that we must be holy in order to see God, holiness is found only in Christ, and we are told that we can be placed into Christ through a faithful, penitent, baptism.

If this is a new teaching to you then please, please search these topics for yourself. You can get an exhaustive concordance just about anywhere and research these truths, in the Bible, for yourself.

Now, for the purpose of today's article: If you want to do great things for God, then you are going to have to first consecrate yourself for the task. The fact is that the worthwhile things in life require an intense commitment. I'm not talking about a mindless obsession; rather, a "magnificent obsession".

Once the people of Israel set themselves apart for God's purpose, being firmly decided in their own hearts and minds to follow Him in strict obedience - in other words, once they had consecrated themselves - they were given success by God.

You and I can do great things in our lives, but we won't do them because we are great ourselves, but because we have allowed God to do great things through us. So, what great things do you have to do? How about raising godly children? How about encouraging the discouraged? How about loving your neighbors? How about praying for your enemies?

How about living the rest of your life for God so that you can someday enter the land He has promised to the faithful?

Greatness in the eyes of the Lord is not about an accumulation of worldly goods, awards, or the various praises of men. It is about faith and hope and love. For those who realize these great truths, the Promised Land awaits, but it awaits only those who have consecrated themselves for the Lord's service.

Are you ready... for great and amazing things? Better consecrate yourself!

"And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name."

Acts 22:16

So, I hated life. King Solomon

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. Helen Keller

How is it that a king who had been given wealth and power and peace and wisdom could hate life, while a woman without sight and hearing was filled with joy and happiness?

Resolve! Resolve, not just in any old source, but a resolve that comes from God and which can, if we let it, dwell within us. It is this resolve, I am convinced, that we need right now. The world needs it, our nation needs it, the church needs it, and we as individuals need it.

The First Great Awakening occurred in Europe with men such as John Wycliffe, Martin Luther and William Tyndale. The Bible had been kept in Latin and was literally chained to the pulpits. The leader's thinking was that the Bible was not for the little people. Then came those three men who translated the Scriptures into English and German, and the world has never been the same.

Once people found out what God wanted from them, they woke up. The millennial-long Dark Ages, interrupted for only a brief time during Charlemagne's reign, was now at an end.

The Second Great Awakening began in America during the early 19th century. Free men realized that many of their religious leaders were every bit as corrupt as King George had been. Religion was at a low point and the consequences were showing up in society. So, righteous men and women began seeking God in a different way - not through the whims of their religious leaders - but in truth and spirit... and it changed the world.

If you and I want a Third Great Awakening, it will require a resolve to turn away from the dictates of power hungry men, whether in politics or religion, and a turning back to God. This will require the same things that accomplished the first two great awakenings - an opening up of God's word.

It will also require prayer. We cannot hope to understand what God has for us if we are not honestly and sincerely seeking His Divine guidance. I realize that this will seem foolish to some... that it will somehow seem "unenlightened". In fact, it is just the opposite.

We live in a time where our political leaders actually believe they are here to assist people in using whatever gender of restrooms they wish, and to control our intake of something called "trans fats". We also live in a time where many of our religious leaders honestly believe that they can change or remove those difficult passages of Scripture that no longer conform to the ever changing social mores of this "enlightened" era.

It is time for a Third Great Awakening! I do not believe it can happen with people looking for great reformers to lead them. I believe it can only happen if you and I will wake up and let God lead us.

It will begin with prayer.

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. James 5:13, NIV

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Ephesians 3:20, NKJV

I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.

from the 119th Psalm

One of the greatest gifts that God has given to mankind is His written word. In it, He reveals the history of the universe. He reveals His love for man throughout the ages. He tells us about Jesus, our Savior. He tells us what our lives will be like, if we will listen to Him, and He tells us of the eternity that awaits us. He cautions us about the things that lead to death, and He reveals the path that leads back to life.

He talks of our struggles, and how to get through them. He tells us how we are to love our neighbors, and our enemies. He tells us how to raise our kids, and how to treat our spouses.

He tells us the secret to happiness.

He tells us about grace, about faith, about repentance, about confessing our belief in His Son, about baptism, and about walking in the light as He is in the light.

He tells us how to handle our everyday problems. He tells us not to worry, and then tells us why we don't have to.

He tells us about Hell, and how to avoid it.

He tells us about Heaven, and how to embrace it.

In a world filled with bad new, is there any wonder why it's called the Good News?

Fifteen minutes a day will nearly get you through the Bible in a year's time - for sure it will get you through in two.

Can you afford fifteen minutes for God today?

Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy.

Luke 2:10