Are you toe-dipping?

"Toe-dipping" is stuck in my head. I am guilty and I know others that are guilty.
Years ago we did a bible study and discussed "toe-dipping". It is basically when we get right to the edge where sin is located and start dipping our toes in it... knowing we shouldn't do it. Pretty soon we are wading in sin.... next thing you know you are swimming in it. Been there done that. Starts out harmful enough. Next thing you know when you're wading in it you think "This is ok... it's not that big of sin.".... or "It's not that bad." When you are swimming in it you can totally justify the sin as fun, God forgivcs, is it really a sin, who is it hurting?

What is the pool? Any place you know is dangerous... bad for you... may hurt our family or others.... destroys our witness as God's child... makes God unhappy that we are there.... sin.
Some place I thought of were....

1. Sex outside a marriage.... starts out flirting or porn... that is toe-dipping. I don't think I need to go any farther with it. We know where it will lead.

2. Drinking alcohol .... is it a sin? The general contours of biblical teaching are that wine is a blessing from the Lord, something to be enjoyed. But like any good gift from God, it can be abused: in this case, abuse involves addiction and drunkenness. But whenever we condemn others who are able to enjoy God’s good gifts in moderation as though they were abusers, we misrepresent biblical Christianity. So if dipping your toe in alcohol lake could lead you to sin... addiction or getting drunk... I guess you have to ask yourself if it will lead to wading often or worse yet swimming in it? It happens before you know it.... I saw it in my own family... and it is a dip that hurts the whole family and your witness. Has drinking changed your relationship with God?

3. Tobacco....Is the use of tobacco wrong? Does the Bible say it is sin? These are frequently asked questions that deserve an answer. No, the Bible does not specifically mention the use of tobacco. But it does give directions and principles that can be used as a guide. The Bible clearly teaches that our bodies arc not our own, that they are intended to be temples for God and for the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:16,17 shows that it is sinful to harm or defile our bodies: The use of tobacco has been clearly shown to weaken and even destroy the body that was meant to bring honor and service to God. God pleads with men to abstain from those fleshly appetites that dull their spiritual senses. 1 Peter 2:11. Can it be said that the use of tobacco is a clean, pure, harmless habit that is inoffensive to others? Does it belong to a person who has been separated from the world by the cross of Christ? We must conclude that its use identifies one with those many others on the broad road who seek their own pleasure rather than the will of God.

4. Gluttony..... Is over eating a sin? Being fat sinful? The real root of so many illnesses and diseases we struggle with in our society are spiritual, not just poor nutritional habits and inactivity as many would suggest is the case in obesity. What about the faith factor? I think that it, or the absence of it, makes all the difference in the world. Jesus was once asked what the greatest commandment was. His reply, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” If we do not love God as He intends for us to, and love others and ourselves as He desires us to, then we’re going to have many problems in our lives. Think about it – God calls us to love him with our entire being. He calls us to be in loving relationships with others just as we love ourselves. The unhealthy and long-term thinking patterns and associated toxic emotions of feeling unacceptable, worthless, unloved, guilty and anxious is not loving ourselves. What does this do to your relationship with Christ?

5. Anger and Unforgiveness. We can start out being perturbed with a person... pretty soon we can't stand to be around them and have made the issue bigger than it was because we cannot forgive. Next thing you know you are swimming in bitterness and hate. Who are you hurting? Are you hurting God? The other person or people around you? Your relationship with Christ?

God love you and wants you to come to him just as you are. He is well able to deliver you. Even though tobacco, alcohol, gambling, over-eating is strongly addictive, and you may have a craving for it, God will gladly bring His almighty power to bear upon your problem.

Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.(Micah 7:18,19).

If you are using _______ there may be many questions that come to your mind!You may ask, "What will my friends think if I stop _______ ? What will they think if I can't stop? I've tried before and failed. The desire for _______ is so strong. ________ gives me some relief until I need the next one. Who will help? Does God understand how I feel?"

You can fill in your own blanks...

God sees your heart. He not only sees your habits and problems, but he sees how Satan has trapped you. Your own pride may have brought you into these problems through your desire to find acceptance from your friends. Jesus died on the cross to bring deliverance from the hard master of sin. Those who recognize then need for deliverance and crucify self will find help. Romans 6:5,6 instructs us: "If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin." (This was Andrew's verse today!)

Remember this....

There are many areas that are called grey areas.... and the things that get lumped into this cauldron of evil deeds are quite numerous: attending the opera, playing cards, attending any kind of motion pictures, owning a television, listening to rock or country-western or even Mozart, investing in the stock market, observing Christmas with a decorated tree, reading mystery novels, spouses having separate checking accounts, women wearing make-up or slacks, etc. What all these areas have in common is that they are not discussed in scripture. Thus, if one wants to label them as evil, he either has to do some rather ingenious interpretation of the Bible or else simply appeal to one’s conscience as the standard by which others are to be measured.

We can package such as ‘practical Christianity’ or ‘a wise and godly lifestyle’ or ‘principles to live by,’ but at bottom when such advice goes beyond the scriptures and turns into more than advice, it is legalism. I don't want to be legalistic... I want to be close to my Lord and Savior.

Do you need a GPS?

“Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” (Psalms 119:35)

Imagine this.... Stopping to get gas in unfamiliar territory, finding yourself on a one way street heading in the opposite direction from where you need to go. It's rush hour. The intersections are busy with preoccupied drivers, and everyone knows where they are going, except for you. Lane changes are out of the question. A series of wrong turns deepens your plight, and you soon realize there is no getting back to the exact point where you first made the wrong move.

But then you remember your GPS. Unused and unplugged, it's hidden beneath the passenger’s seat, just waiting to be asked the question, “How do I get back on the right path?”

Our spiritual lives are similar to this. A few ill advised steps to the right or the left quickly turn into massive detours; unplanned and full of obstacles. But we keep moving, never recognizing how lost we are until we finally stop to look back. We no longer recognize our surroundings. Unintentionally perhaps, but because of our own choices, we left the people who once traveled with us far behind.

But just like the GPS underneath the passenger’s seat, there lies the Bible, just waiting to be asked the question, “How do I get back on the right path?”

A GPS and a Bible only point me in the right direction when I choose to use them. Many might say my Bible is filled with nothing but rules. But I know better. If I follow what it recommends, I will make fewer mistakes. I will hurt less. My family and loved ones will hurt less. My Bible tells me to embrace life; to “go, and sin no more.”

The GPS tells me to make a U-turn. Stop following this path that leads in the opposite direction from where I want to end up. “Turn around when possible,” it cautions repeatedly.

They both recognize the dangers of being lost and alone. Thank goodness.

Dear God,

Sometime I make the wrong turn. I am slow to realize what happened and why. But I thank you for never giving up on me. I thank you for creating a path just for me that will lead to eternity. I pray that you give me the strength to follow. I thank you for the Bible, our GPS systems, and for each other. All are needed for this journey.

In the name of Jesus I pray! AMEN!

Just some one liners I learned about me and God...

• This world is not our home nor is it where our focus should be.
• Don't take refuge in people.... take it in God. Man cannot be trusted or able to handle the burden.
• The Lord has saved you and brought you all this way... don't go backwards!
• You must live according to Him not the world to stay on the right path.
• The Bible needs to be my map. Man can lead you the wrong direction.
• I don't have to worry about pleasing others. I need to please God first.
• The Lord is my protector.... He gives me help, watches over me while I sleep, He will keep me from harm, He will watch my comings and goings over my life!
• We should NEVER trust a lesser power than God Himself!
• God is never diverted or deterred.
• God is holding nothing against me!
• We need to please God.... not grieve God with our thoughts, attitudes and activities.