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Lessons
For Christian Ladies
This
Series Of Lessons Was Taught By
Mrs.
James Modlish
Ten
Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Spiritual
Lives
Introduction:
The popularity of Dr.
Laura Schlesinger points out the need for American women
in particular to discuss personal problems and have
specific guidelines laid out for their lives. These "groupies" hang on Dr. Laura's every word and wouldn't
dream of missing a broadcast of her radio program. The
doctor is especially proud of her Jewish religion with
its vast rules and way of life, and one would assume that
because of this, she would have more than a passing
knowledge of the Old Testament. I was listening to the
program one afternoon when Dr. Laura was having a
particularly hard time pronouncing the name of a caller
which was apparently on her computer screen. After much
fumbling with it, the caller finally helped her,
explaining that his name was Malachi. I have 4th grade
Sunday School class children who could have figured that
out!
If the secular world can
have their advisor and mentor, shouldn't the Christian
world have their own "stupidity guidelines?" The Bible
says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." Your
spiritual life is far more important that your physical
one.
Each one of
our ten items has a Bible example; let's take a look at
them:
1. Rob God (Acts 5:1-11)
Sapphira was given a chance to
act independently of her husband even though she was privy
to the scam. She blew her second chance and was found guilty
of robbing God. Do you rob God?
A. Money --- A
portion of all you earn belongs to God. Malachi
3:10
B. Time --- God is
entitled to a portion of each of your days.
C. Talent --- The
word "talent" seems to give people a reason to sit on
idle. "I have no talent; I'm too old; I served when I was
younger" are just a few of the reasons tossed about for
not serving the Lord. Being selfish with your talent,
abilities, and energy is a sure way to sabotage your
spiritual life.
2. Be a "thorn in the flesh"
to your husband (2 Sam. 6:16)
A. Michal loved
David at one time. (1 Sam. 18:20,28)
B. She was given to
another by her father Saul. (1 Sam. 25:44)
C. She returned to
David possibly reluctantly. (2 Sam.3:13-16)
Despising, resenting,
ridiculing, undermining your husband can have serious
effects on your spiritual life. We are taught in (Tit.
2:5) to be obedient to our husbands, and if we behave
according to God's word, we can be a crown to him, not a
thorn. (Prov. 12:4)
Being a "thorn in the flesh"
to your husband not only damages your spiritual life; it
hurts his, too.
3. Become too busy in the
physical (Luke 10:38-42)
A. Martha was
busy but not blessed. Can you relate? On that fateful
April night so many years ago five warnings were
telegraphed to Titanic. At the 6th warning the Titanic
operator wired back, "Shut up, I'm busy!" See what
happens when you're too busy to listen to God? Your ship
sinks!
B. Stress and
activity are signs of our time....people running to and
fro as the spirit of the antichrist is with us
now.
C. The Bible teaches
us there is only one needful thing."One thing have I
desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that
I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days
of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and
to enquire in his temple." (Psalms 27:4)
4. Complain (Numbers
12:1,2)
A. God always
hears. (Num. 14:27) I am reminded of the cartoon that
shows a little boy praying, "I know you hear everything,
God, but please don't believe everything you
hear!"
B. Miriam is judged
for her complaining by leprosy, a visual continual
reminder of her complaining.
C. Through Moses'
graciousness, she's healed but spiritually the scars
remained. This woman, once a prominent part of God's
plan, is not mentioned again until her death in (Ex.
20:1).
D. Continual
complaining will drive a fatal stake in the heart of your
spiritual life.
E. Paul admonishes us
in Philippians regarding murmuring. "Do all things
without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be
blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke,
in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom
ye shine as lights in the world;" (Philippians
2:14,15).
5. Ignore God's Word
"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying,
Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt
not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die." (Gen. 2:16,17) "But of the fruit
of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath
said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it,
lest ye die." (Gen. 3:3)
A. First, Eve adds to
God's word, then she ignores it completely with
devastating consequences
B. Reading your Bible
and obeying its admonitions is essential to your
spiritual health. Without it you're like a traveler in a
foreign country without a roadmap.
C. Allow God to speak
to you through prayer. "<<A Prayer of
David.>> Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto
my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of
feigned lips." (Ps. 17:1)
6. Cause trouble for God's
annointed (1 Kings 18:4; 19:2)
A. Elijah
troubled Ahab's house. Sometimes the preacher will
trouble your house----that's his job!
B. In addition,
Elijah challenged the prophets who ate at Jezebel's
table. (18:19)
C. Jezebel's revenge
- she went after Elijah with a vengeance. (19:1-3) Ahab
tattled!
D. They picked on the
wrong person. Don't mess with God's prophet. (2 Kings
9:30-37)
E. She gives a whole
new meaning to the phrase "gone to the dogs!"
F. God gives explicit
instructions in regard to His annointed. (Ps.
105:15)
G. David is the best
example. (1 Sam. 26:9) "Destroy him not; for who can
stretch forth his hand against the Lord's annointed and
be guiltless?"
7. Usurp the man's role
(Gen. 27:6-10)
A. Rebekah in
her zeal to circumvent Issac's authority and put her
favorite son in a superior role, messed up God's plan for
20 years and robbed herself of the companionship of that
son.
B. Look at the
present ramifications of "Women's Liberation." Are we
really better off? (Jer. 31:22)
C. God's order always
works out better. (1 Cor. 11:7-9)
D. Do you want to
mess up your spiritual life? Go ahead---be a
man!
8. Marry the wrong mate (1
Sam. 25:3)
A. Mrs. Billy
Graham once said, "God has not always answered my
prayers. If He had, I would have married the wrong
man...several times!"
B. Abigail married an
idiot who nearly got them all killed. He was on equal
footing with Ahab!
C. Abigail honored
her commitment and interceded for her foolish
husband.
D. She lives "happily
ever after" but not all stories end that way.
E. Look for the right
characteristics in a mate. (2 Cor. 6:14) Forget about
looks, money or social position.
[1]. Common
beliefs
[2]. Similar upbringings
[3]. Same goals
9. Worship other "gods."
(Gen. 19:24-26)
A. The sole
reason for Mrs. Lot to look back was her loyalty to other
gods.
[1]. May
have been her beautiful home.
[2]. May have been her social position.
[3]. May have been her two daughters. (Yes,
you can make gods out of your children!) (1 Tim.
6:6-8)
B. We live in an era
when the worship of anything other than God is totally
acceptable. (Rom. 1:24-25)
C. Perhaps Mrs. Lot
was changed to salt because she wouldn't be the "salt" in
her community. (Matt. 5:13) - "Ye are the salt of the
earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith
shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing,
but to be trodden under foot of men."
10. Feel sorry for yourself
(Ruth 1:20-21)
A. Naomi may
have forgotten why she was in this circumstance in the
first place - they left Bethlehem and went to Moab, a
land which worshipped false gods.
B. Many times our
dire circumstances are a result of poor
judgement.
C. Self-pity is a
destructive tool of the devil to render you ineffective
in God's work.
D. The anti-dote?
(Phil. 4:8)
E. Remember, God had
great blessings in store for Naomi; she just had to climb
out of the well of "poor me" to receive them.
Any
one of these ten mistakes can and will do damage to
your spiritual life. You don't need Dr. Laura....you
simply need a daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then, even when all else is crumbling around you, your
spiritual life will be healthy and
thriving.
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