What To Watch For

"All sin begins with lies told to one's self." This was the experience of downfall of some biblical characters who suffered a lot because of it. David and his wandering eyes. Solomon with his addiction to wives and wealth. Uriah with his boredom. And many others. Fruit? Regret, loss, destruction. Just thinking of this can really make the Lord and every devoted Christian weep.

"Lord and Father, How sad you must be when you see the most powerful and the weakest of your children fall prey to the energy of sin and evil. There is nothing any one has ever done that we –each of us—is not capable of doing. We pray not out of pity or self-righteousness but with a humble spirit because we stand with him on level ground before the cross. Father, give us the gift of your grace. Protect us from the constant accusations of the evil one who will seek to deny us sleep, tempt us to talk too much, arouse conflict between couple and with their children. Send the right people into our lives who can provide the correct mixture of hope and healing love. Deliver us from people who will curry favor by telling us things we should not hear. Restrain us from making poor judgments in our most fearful moments. Lord, be present to our family. And to the others who has to live with the side effects of this tragedy. And to those who are wondering today who they can trust. What more can we pray for? You know all things. We, so very little. Amen." (G. Macdonald)