Autolysis

The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous endures.
Proverbs 12:12

Bad people live in trouble all the time but pretend otherwise. They are guided by their sinful nature which causes them numerous setbacks and makes them stumble and fall more often than they would like. Their hearts are filled with evil desires, which can adversely impact them in two different but complementary ways. Firstly the principle of reciprocity cannot be violated and every evil thought they produce becomes a boomerang against them which hits them with the same intensity with which they wish evil to their neighbors. Moreover, bad intentions make the evildoers rationalize their behavior and they end up convinced that the end justifies the means so they will do everything in their hands, usually bad actions, to achieve their goal of harming others, falling deeper in their spiritual failure.

The upright, however, allow their life to be led by the Holy Spirit of God, so they don’t have to worry about reciprocity. On the contrary, their good wishes are a source of continuous blessings for them. Also the Holy Spirit imparts them wisdom and discernment so they can realize immediately whether the actions to be undertaken are good or evil before falling into temptation, giving them time to rectify. How do you live? Want to live afraid that your evil desires result in serious consequences for your life? Or do you let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit to live peaceful and confidently? The choice is yours. Seek the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart and he will give you life and direction. Follow his steps at all times and do not let the carnal nature dominate your thoughts and your behavior. God will give you a firm victory. Only to God be the glory!

Greed’s trap

The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.
Proverbs 11:6

Greed is the result of man yielding to the temptations that the world offers. It is a deep sense of dissatisfaction with what God has given us. Because of our pride we feel we deserve more than we have received. In fact, we think we deserve to have everything our hearts desire without obstacles or limit. We complaint and murmur because we think God has let us down and we’re getting less than we deserve. Of course, this position put us face to face with God, which is something impossible to achieve as well as being  a highly disrespectful attitude because it ignores the obedience and respect that we must show him because of his majesty and authority. Greed can never be satisfied. When we achieve something, that something we have achieved immediately becomes unattractive and it makes us desire even more. Wise King Solomon put it this way: “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.This too is meaningless.” God’s law is also very clear: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The apostle Paul said that he had learned to be content whatever the circumstances were: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” By the way, this last verse is taken out of context by many but that’s a topic for another day. The important thing here is that the control and dominion over greed is something that is learned. It is God’s job, through his Holy Spirit to transform our lives and one aspect that he changes is precisely that of our natural greed. So, let us not act stubbornly, but let us learn the lesson God teaches us to live happy with whatever we have. Let us learn to rely on him and only him. To God alone be the glory!