Isaiah 1:11-18 "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

I recently read a story about how the Romans sometimes compelled a captive to be joined face-to-face with a dead body, and to bear it about until the horrible odor and discharge destroyed the life of the living victim. Virgil describes this cruel punishment: 'The living and the dead at his command Were coupled face to face, and hand to hand; Till choked with stench, in loathed embraces tied, The lingering wretches pined away and died. Without Christ, we are shackled to a dead corpse -- our sinfulness. Only repentance frees us from certain death, for life and death cannot coexist indefinitely.”

As horrible as this story seems it reveals to us the hideousness of sin in our lives. The life that is bound to sin will eventually be consumed by the demoralization and spiritual death of the one who is carrying it. Sin never just disappears without us making a firm choice to remove it from being attached to us. You may attempt to hide it…cover it up…push it to the back of your mind…but it will never be removed until you have experienced your own genuine relationship with God. A relationship that is founded on faith in Him…repentance of your sins…obedience to His Word…cleansing through being buried with Him in baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. Then finally allowing His Spirit to come into you and fill you to overflowing until you receive the greatest gift this side of glory. That gift is nothing less than the Holy Ghost that is evidenced by speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives us the ability!

Want to know more? Listen to us On-Demand by going to my broadcast - The Body of Christ Broadcast, where our "Teachings are geared towards a Life Change" and "Teaching Relationship not Religion", By clicking HERE. May the Lord continue to bless you.

Shalom,
Daniel Candelaria Jr.