In 1 Timothy 4, Paul talks about those whose consciences—their moral consciousness—have been literally “cauterized” or rendered insensitive in the same way the hide of an animal scarred with a branding iron becomes numb to further pain. For human beings, having one’s conscience seared is a result of continual, unrepentant sinning. Eventually, sin dulls the sense of moral right or wrong, and the unrepentant sinner becomes numb to the warnings of the conscience that God has placed within each of us to guide us.

    In chapter 3 of the book, “Prayers that Rout Demons and Break Curses” John Eckhardt says:
“Every person is born with a conscience.  The enemy must neutralize the conscience before seducing men to commit certain sins.  According to Titus 1:15, the mind and conscience can be defiled.  To defile means “to contaminate or make unclean.”  This is obviously a reference to evil spirits operating in the conscience.

When the conscience is seared, men and women are opened to all kinds of unclean spirits and their curses and are capable of all kinds of unclean acts.  For example, there are many today who no longer feel that homosexuality, lesbianism, and incest are wrong.

Belial has cauterized (deadened) the conscience to accept these things as acceptable lifestyles.  When the conscience has been seared, men are capable of the vilest and most sickening acts.  These is almost no limit to the depravity that men can exhibit when they are bound by the curse of a seared conscience.”

Today it seems too easy to become numb to our habitual sin.  Far too many Christians can quote scripture, tithe, pray, dance and shout praises to God; but have not even a moment's conviction about habitual sexual sin, living together, having multiple sex partners, homosexuality and adulterous affairs.  These are as common in the church today as they are in the world!  God's word, God's character never changes.  If it was sin, it IS sin and when we, as born again believers, become comfortable committing sin our consciences are becoming seared.  Part of the problem is that in our minds we are deceived into believing that things are different today than they were in Biblical times.  We are deceived into believing that in today's world no one can live up to Biblical standards and we get some kind of free pass for living in today's society without living by God's standards.

A seared conscience is like being out in a boat without a rudder.  At first we can still see the shore, but one day we wake up, can no longer see land and have lost all sense of direction!  Finding our way back seems impossible... we feel lost and overwhelmed and wonder how we EVER ended up here. 

These comments aren't meant to condemn or judge, only to ask "Have you drifted too far from the shore?"  Do you feel numb to habitual sin?  Ask God.  He will show you if you sincerely ask... and listen.  Repent... turn around... go the other way... and pray for strength to never go back to the sin that so easily ensnared you. When your conscience is seared you quench the Holy Spirit within you.  God is a God of restoration.  Let Him restore your conscience and guide you in your daily life.  The Holy Spirit will once again thrive in you and through you!  Be blessed.... Arlene

There are many good things out there to do, but they may not be good for YOU to do.  To be truly effective--to fulfill God's purpose for our life--we must live intentionally, keeping focused on our purpose. 

Of course, first and foremost, pray and seek God so you will know your purpose.  What do you "notice" often?  What makes you cry?  What makes you angry?  Do you look at a situation and the whole scenario of how YOU would fix it runs through your mind?  When you realize those things, you are on your way to knowing your purpose.  Meditate on those things and pray.  The Holy Spirit will "leap" within you and you will know for certain.

Now that you know your purpose, you have the measuring stick--the tool--to decide whether that "good thing" you are approached to do is in line with your purpose.  We need to have tunnel vision with a single minded purpose to effectively run the race placed within us by God.

Recently I was reading about John the Baptist.  I can think of no greater example of a man born to fulfill a purpose.  A man whose purpose was evident even while he was in his mother's womb.  Luke 1:41  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  While still in his mother's womb, he announced the presence of Jesus, in His mother's  womb! 

John the Baptist's purpose was to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus and His message of the Kingdom of Heaven... to announce that the Messiah was coming.  He certainly didn't fit into any "religious boxes" of the day.  He was unique and single-minded in purpose.  When the people heard his message, people repented and he baptized them.  They were being prepared for Jesus.

I went on to read about his death and God showed me something in those scriptures I had never noticed before.  We can read a scripture many times and then God shows you that same scripture from a different perspective!  In Matthew 14, it tells the story of Herod Antipas putting John the Baptist in prison.  John the Baptist had angered Herod's "illegal" wife, Herodias, (she had been divorced several times and had been married to his brother, Phillip) by confronting Herod about his sinful marriage.  Even though Herod put him in prison, he would not kill John the Baptist for fear of public opinion.  Herodias--operating under a Jezebel spirit--contrived a way to force Herod to behead John the Baptist.

When reading Matthew 14 I saw, for the first time, the perspective that even though John the Baptist was speaking the truth and he was doing a good thing, telling Herod that he was in a sinful illegal marriage was not his true purpose.  He was called to prepare the people for Jesus' ministry.  John the Baptist wasn't put to death for his true purpose.  He was murdered because he boldly dared to confront the king about his sinful life.  Don't get me wrong, I am not criticizing John the Baptist or his actions.  He was passionate and outspoken.  He spoke the truth with boldness.  Wow...to be that passionate and committed!  But when I was reading, God showed me the importance of being single-minded and so "zoned in" on my purpose that I will not even be distracted by a good--or even great--thing!

Find your purpose and be specific.  Plant it in your heart and mind.  Then always use it as your measuring stick when deciding how you will spend your precious time and energy.  Use it in everything you do! 

Be blessed..Arlene

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    This is the time of year when our thoughts turn to Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement.  Our society only changes for the better when passionate committed people stand up and bring that change.  If we look throughout history, we will find people making incredible sacrifices, giving all they have, even risking their lives to bring about a change they passionately believe in: Our independence from England, The Holocaust and Hitler's reign of terror,  bringing down the Berlin Wall, protests in Tainanman Square, abolishing slavery, the equal rights protests and countless stories throughout the Bible!

    What do you believe in so passionately that you would risk your life for?

    I am concerned that our society has lost it's passion and it's moral compass.  We have become desensitized to violence, suffering and injustice.  Political correctness is our Lithium, which leaves us dazed and silent.  We shrug our shoulders and say "whatever"  "not my problem". "Who am I to judge?" We have an extreme aversion to "committing" to anything!  We're "with you" and "back you 100%" as long as it doesn't require a commitment or sacrifice of any kind.  We want to know "what's in it for me?"  We have become a self-absorbed society that  seeks only our own comfort.

    How different would the outcome of those historical times of crisis be if today's society was our only hope of fighting for change.....

    So I ask again... What would you die for?  What would it take?  What makes you cry?  What injustice makes you angry?  Complacency never won a war.  A "go along to get along" attitude will, in time, cost us our freedom.

    Study world changers in history and get fired up!  I, for one, am thankful for our "world changers"--Thomas Payne, George Washington, Paul Revere, John Brown, Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Garrison, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, to name a few.  What would our world be today, without their passion and commitment to their cause?  World changers are just everyday people with a purpose and the passion and commitment to never back down.

    Seek God for your purpose!  Find your passion!  Find your voice and never back down!  "All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing"......  Be blessed, Arlene

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    We often hear the following scripture about love quoted:

    Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, "  I Corinthians 13:4-7

    It tells us what love is, and tells us what love is NOT.  All too often, we find ourselves in lust--or being lusted after--but no one says "I lust you"  "He lusts me"  "We're in lust"  "I lust that"  "I lust ______" (just fill in the blank!).  It may be the truth, but no one says that because it sounds so sinful! 

    Remember that God creates, Satan imitates.  God purifies, Satan perverts.  Satan takes what God created, perverts it into a dark, sinful version for his own purposes.

    Lust is defined as an overpowering desire or craving. We often see this in terms of sex, but we can lust for anything!

    By looking at I Corinthians 13, we can also get a picture of what lust is.  Why is it important to know the difference?  Knowledge is power.  Satan rules in our ignorance.  Any area of our lives in which we are ignorant gives him permission to wreak havoc.  For too long I also sailed on the sea of denial, wanting to believe I was in love--that "he" loved me.  A more accurate picture was that we were in lust.  Only when we face that kind of truth, can we find true love... the kind of love described in I Corinthians 13.

Lust:
Is Selfish

Looks out for number 1

Produces nothing good

Gives no peace

Is cruel

Creates insecurity

Is impatient

Is fleeting

Is never calm

Is proud and boastful

Is fickle

Hurts

Is possessive

Grows

Is out-of-control

Is conditional

Is NEVER satisfied!

You deserve better than Satan's perverted imitation of love!  Do not be deceived by a cheap copy!  Be blessed.... Arlene