You
shall not curse the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but
you shall fear your God.
Deuteronomy, Chapter 13, Verse 11-12
11You shall stone
that person to death, for seeking to lead you astray from the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 12And all
Israel shall hear of it and fear, and
never again do such evil as this in your midst.
What is worst to kill a
person’s body or to kill a person’s soul?
When a person leads you
astray from the Lord they indeed are killing your soul. The soul is meant to be
free to do the will of God and when the soul is busy doing the will of God we
are indeed happy; even in abject poverty. When a soul is hampered from doing
the will of God by another or your own free will this is a form of slavery and
God is reminding us that He brought us out of the house of slavery. We are to
stone anyone or thing that leads us away from God for it kills the soul.
To stone something is to
bury it not in earth but in stone so that it will never rise again. What are
the things that are leading you astray from God? Stone them!
Five Enslaving Habits We Must Avoid[1]
While the horror of slavery is
thankfully dead as an institution, it sadly lives on in many other forms in
many lives today, all around us, in ways maybe not considered slavery by some. I
hope to get you to reconsider. But let’s first define our terms:
Slave: “One that is totally subservient to a dominating
influence.”~ Merriam-Webster-There are 5 basic areas of life in which we can
become totally subservient to dominating influences, and thereby live
less-than-ideal and something less than happy lives.
5
Ways Slavery is still with us
1.
Slavery to addictions.
Whether we are talking about being enslaved to tobacco or alcohol, or whether
we’re talking about enslavement to illicit material online or simply to the TV
or to junk food or gossip, any addictions rob us of a measure of freedom and
independence. But freedom is required for happiness. So anything that enslaves
us limits the degree of joy we can have in life.
2. Slavery
to the office: When spouse and family and our spiritual lives are
playing second fiddle to the office, things are likely out of whack. Of course,
there will be times, like the first few years of starting a business, when
things will be lopsided. But if the office always is master and you
are always its servant, then change may be needed for the fullness of a happy
life to be experienced. Remember, your family is not a footnote to your
journey. They are there in the thick of things, experiencing it with you,
alongside you, maybe, in some ways, because of you. So give them the
time of day, from time to time!
3. Slavery
to success: When success becomes more important than integrity or
honor or self-respect, then our subservience to the call of the dollar sign
becomes self-destructive, as all addictions are. Happiness is robbed of its
internal rewards when our insides are all twisted inside out as we compromise
our values in the pursuit of wealth.
4. Slavery
to pleasure: Is the pursuit of pleasure hurting your relationship with
your spouse? Are you pursuing pleasure at the expense of your spouse’s pleasure?
Is that pursuit violating sacred vows and trusts? Are you spending your family
into debt as you chase pleasure from one mountain top to another – or one
casino to another – or one vacation to another – or one, well, you get the
idea.
5. Slavery
to fear: Does fear and worry prevent you from taking steps to break
free of a dissatisfying life? Do you wish for something more, but keep the door
closed and locked and continue to do what you’ve always done? Are you trapped
in a cycle of sameness, worried that if you tried to start a business, or tried
to learn a skill, or tried an adventure on for size, or tried to learn to write
or sing or climb, that you would fail and fall and sink and drown?
Afterthoughts
Slavery may be dead as a formal
institution of human bondage, but it is alive and well in the hearts and minds
and lives of too many people who have the ability to loose the shackles, but
haven’t exercised the courage to do it yet.
Preparing for Battle[2] Know Your Weapons
The
weapon of worship
Worship is a spiritual weapon. When
we worship God, we enter into His presence in a powerful way. Because demons
tremble at His presence, they are reluctant to follow us there.
·
Frequent Mass attendance, then, is an effective
weapon of our warfare.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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