Jeremiah 23:31-32

Hear this, I am against the prophets,” says the Lord, “who use their (own deceitful) tongues and say, “Thus says the Lord.” Hear this, I am against those who have prophesied false and made-up dreams,” says the Lord, “and have told them and have made My people err and go astray by their lies and reckless boasting.

As followers of God, it is our job to rightly discern the word from whoever preaches or writes about the word.  We are to be well versed in the Bible to recognize the error in the doctrine that isn’t according to the word.  God doesn’t want us to go astray and be led down the wrong path.  He does, however, want us to be wise so we can’t be deceived.

1 Corinthians 15:54

And when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal put on immortality, then the Scripture will be fulfilled that says, “Death is swallowed up in victory (vanquished forever). (Is 25:8)

Jesus’s most significant victory on our behalf is to redeem us from eternal death.  Our salvation through Jesus freed us and transformed us into the immortal.  Our lives are more than this earth, and we will spend eternity learning from and living with God in heaven.  

1 Corinthians 10:14

Therefore, my beloved, run (keep far, far away) from (any sort of) idolatry (and that includes loving anything more than God, or participating in anything that leads to sin that enslaves the soul).

Paul sets up a mindset that we should have when it comes to dealing with sin.  Having an action in our minds to run away from sin when it presents itself doesn’t give us time to think about the sin.  We get into trouble when we rationalize the sin before us and think it over before deciding to turn away. We don’t want to let the seed of sin have time to get planted.

Romans 8:4

So that the (righteousness and just) requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh (guided by worldliness and sinful nature), but (live our lives) in the ways of the Spirit (guided by His power).

Listening to and being guided by the Holy Spirit is the best way to avoid sin’s pitfalls and defeat the obstacles.  The flesh will talk to us and try to take us down the wrong path, but we don’t have to listen.  The Holy Spirit is our helper as we turn away from the flesh and let ourselves be guided by the Spirit.

Romans 1:7

(I am writing) to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called to be saints (God’s people) and set apart for a sanctified life, (that is set apart for God and His purpose): Grace to you and peace (inner calm and spiritual well-being) from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  

God wants us to be calm on the inside to be productive for Him on the outside.  We are God’s people set apart and sanctified for His purpose on earth.  The stronger the foundation that we build on the word of God, the more stable we will be.  No matter the storm out foundation in God’s word should mean we are operating if faith and peace.

Luke 10:41-42

But the Lord replied to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part (that which is to her advantage), which will not be taken from her.  

Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to the word.  Martha is working, worried and anxious, and not listening to the word coming from Jesus.  The word of Jesus takes away our fears and anxieties, had Martha put aside her troubles and listened to Jesus, her burdens could have easily been lifted.  Our circumstances can change when we make better choices.

John 4:14

But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again.  But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water (satisfying his thirst for God) welling up (continually flowing, bubbling within him) to eternal life.  

Have you ever talked to someone who doesn’t know Jesus, and they feel dissatisfied on the inside and don’t know why?  They don’t understand the soul and its connection to God.  They may seek to find what they are missing in many ways but always seem to come up short.  The only thing that will ever satisfy is the living waters of Jesus.

Luke 5:31

And Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician but (only) those who are sick.”

Most times, we don’t take stock of our lives until something happens.  Those who believe in Jesus should take stock of their spirituality regularly.  Those who are in sin don’t usually see a problem until their sin causes issues for them.  Repentance is like an awakening to missing the mark laid out in the Bible and seeking the healer to bring them back to righteousness.  

Luke 5:15-16

But the news about Him was spreading farther, and large crowds kept gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their illnesses. But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray (in seclusion).

The news about Jesus is spreading, and His ministry is growing, and He finds time to pray alone out in the wilderness.  Jesus pulled away from all of the demands of Him to center Himself and get direction from God. In many ways, we have to learn how to take time to follow God for us to lead in this life.  

Matthew 18: 33-35

Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave (who owed you little by comparison), as I had mercy on you?  And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (jailers) until he paid all he owed.  My heavenly Father will also do the same to (everyone of) you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from the heart.

As this world turns away from God, the opportunity for offense and strife will increase.  We must come up with a plan for our reaction when the offense comes.  God forgave us of our sins, and we are to forgive.  It doesn’t say what happened was right. It just releases us from the possibility of the sin of unforgiveness.