We, as a people, claim to be a Christian nation, yet many of us do not have a biblically defined understanding of what we believe. Why? Our belief is not based on what we have studied in the Bible but on what has been told to us by people we choose to listen to.  

The sad thing is that you cannot determine if what you are being told is correct if you are not studying the Bible for yourself.

As a result of this dilemma, many people are practicing sinful lifestyles but somehow are able to convince themselves that all of what they are receiving via their sinful practices is a blessing from God.

A basic example of this would be a single woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a child or a single man who impregnates a woman. Their words are ‘‘look at what the Lord has blessed me with” or “this child is a blessing from the Lord.”

Rather than seeing the complete picture and acknowledging that the act of fornication (sex between an unmarried couple) is a sin; they look at the end result and see only the baby as a blessing. 

What we must realize is that there are certain laws of nature that will take place no matter when we engage in particular acts but God has ordained a specific time when those acts may be engaged in.  

If you or I are engaging in anything that goes against what God has outlined in His word – no matter what the benefits may be - we are committing sinful acts. The sooner we acknowledge this fact and confess our sins to God, the quicker we can receive forgiveness and move into the path that leads us into the direction of the purpose God has ordained for each of our lives.      

You are ultimately responsible for you. The best advice I can give you is the advice I have given to myself:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2nd Timothy 2: 15, KJV) 

Velyn Cooper

March 3, 2012