Spiritual Warfare #24

Continuing on with Compromise and why we compromise by Charles Stanley

We fail to give God what He requires. Many people leave God out of their finances completely. In their minds they draw a line between God and their bank accounts. They go to church and worship God, but never transfer what they have learned through the teaching of His Word to the area of their finances. Whether we admit it or not, God owns everything. He is the One who gives us the "power to make wealth" (Deut. 8:18). When we fail to tithe and to give to His work, we miss a tremendous blessing. We also face the consequences that come from disobeying God. He is specific about giving - it is something we do not want to compromise, especially if we want to obey him.

We become spiritually weak and discouraged. When we compromise our basic convictions, our very thought patterns become corrupted. After a while, something inside us changes. Even other believers may end up being used by the enemy to create an atmosphere of discouragement and fear around our lives. You may feel weak in your devotion to the Lord, but He is your fortress-your deliverer, your shield, and the horn of your salvation-not just in times of trouble but through every season of life (Ps. 18).

We are blinded by pride. Pride isolates us from God and prevents us from experiencing the depth of His love and goodness. Many times, prideful people fail to realize the extent of their condition until it is too late or until God does something major to gain their attention.

Tomorrow we'll look at the consequences of a wrong decision. Good stuff? Have a great Sunday.