Burying

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Burying Your Head

Leviticus 20:4

"And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:"

Have you ever heard of someone burying their head in the sand? This statement comes from the idea that an ostrich buries its head in the sand thinking that it is safe. However, though its head may be buried in the sand, its whole body is shown and is vulnerable to its enemy's attack. The only thing that is accomplished for this ostrich by burying its head in the sand is a false sense of security that will eventually get it killed.

The verse above says, "And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man,..." God was teaching Israel not to bury their head in the sand when it came to idolatry. God held them responsible for knowing about someone's idol worship and not doing anything about it. It was very important to God that they face reality and not bury their head in the sand. Likewise, you must be careful about burying your head in the sand especially in four areas.

First, don't bury your head in the sand about yourself. There are many Christians who bury their head in the sand about their spirituality only to hurt themselves. If you would be honest with yourself, you would acknowledge that you have some work to do on your spirituality. When you won't be honest with yourself about your spiritual problems, then the only one who you are truly fooling is yourself. You will never change the problems in your life without taking your head out of the sand and facing your problems head on.

Second, don't bury your head in the sand about your family. I find that there are many people who just won't face the reality that their family has problems that need to be corrected. When a school teacher approaches a parent about their child, many parents get upset at the school teacher instead of fixing the problem. When church members approach their pastor with a good attitude about problems with his children who are on staff, I have watched many pastors blacklist the church member instead of taking care of the problem with their family. Every family has problems, and until you take your head out of the sand you cannot fix those problems.

Third, don't bury your head in the sand about your church. Christian, you must be careful not to allow liberalism to creep into your church. When liberalism creeps in and you continue to stay because you refuse to accept that your church could be going liberal, then the one's you are hurting the most are you and your family. You should never bury your head in the sand when your church begins to go liberal. Realizing that everyone is capable of going liberal will help you to keep your head from being buried in the sand.

Last, don't bury your head in the sand about your nation. Their are many citizens who bury their head in the sand about their nation's problems by not listening to its nation's problems. It is imperative for a nation to stay right that its citizens are informed about what their government is doing so they can do what they can to keep it from being destroyed.

Burying your head in the sand like an ostrich about any area of your life will only hurt you in the long run. Sure, you may get a false sense of security by doing so, but you cannot change any problems until you face them. Be determined in your life not to be one who buries their head in the sand.

The Point

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The Point of Responsibility

Leviticus 5:3

"Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty."

One of the questions that I am often asked is if a person does wrong and doesn't know it, is it still a sin. This is asked because people know that there are times when someone does wrong and doesn't know it. However, though ignorance may be bliss, ignorance is no excuse to do wrong. It is the responsibility of humans to find out what they are supposed to do. God fulfilled His responsibility by giving us His Word. Therefore, we are to do our part to find out what is right and wrong. Let me give you several principles that God discusses about a person doing wrong through ignorance.

First, God acknowledges that there is a sin of ignorance. In Leviticus 4:2, God says that a person can sin through ignorance. God understood that there would be times when we would do wrong because of our lack of knowledge concerning His Word.

Second, ignorance of sin does not change God's laws. In Leviticus 4:13, God shows us that though a person sins through ignorance, they are still guilty in His eyes. Just because you don't know God's laws in a certain area doesn't mean that you are not guilty. For instance, there are times when you may be speeding and not know it. Maybe you entered a certain roadway and the speed limit sign is not posted. Depending on the laws of the state, the unposted speed limit could be lower than what you expected. Does your ignorance of that law make you not guilty when the policeman pulls you over? No! You are still guilty of breaking the law. Likewise, you are still guilty of breaking God's laws even when you break them through ignorance.

Third, the point of knowledge is the point of guilt. In the verse above, you will notice that God says, "...when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty." It is when you know that you have done wrong that you are now guilty, not only in God's eyes, but also in your own eyes. You are already guilty in the eyes of God when you committed the sin, but when the knowledge of sin comes to personal reality, then guilt will set in.

Fourth, the moment of guilt is the point of accountability. In Leviticus 5:5, God shows that a person is to immediately confess their sin upon the point of accountability. God holds you accountable for your sin once you know that you have done wrong. You become accountable for your actions at the moment you know you have done wrong. In other words, accountability should cause you to confess your sin to God.

Last, your response at the point of accountability determines God's blessings. What you do once you know you have done wrong will determine how much God blesses you. If you continue to do wrong after the point of accountability, then God will withhold His blessings from you.

Let's make this applicable to your daily life. When dealing with people, if they do wrong out of ignorance you need to use that opportunity to show them where they were wrong. However, if they did wrong out of ignorance then apply mercy, but from that point forward you must hold them accountable. This principle should be applied to rearing children, the workplace, the church, etc. When people know that they have done wrong, then that is when they should be accountable for what they have done.

Don't Promise

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Don't Promise

1 Samuel 24:1

"And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi."

One of the mistakes many people make is in making promises that they knowingly cannot fulfill. Making a promise should be something that is taken very seriously, for your name is put on the line with every promise. David made a promise to Saul that he knowingly couldn't fulfill. Saul asked David to promise when he became king that he would not have his family killed. It was a normal practice that when a king from a different family took the throne that he would kill the family of the preceding king. The purpose of this was to protect their throne from any uprisings. David, being a sincere and upright man, promised Saul that he would not destroy his family. However, in 2 Samuel 21:6-8, David was faced with having to destroy the family of Saul. Though David still kept his promise by keeping Mephibosheth alive, he destroyed the rest of Saul's family. Though David was sincere with his promise, he made a foolish promise that was difficult to fulfill.

Let me warn you about making promises that you cannot guarantee. Many times in your sincerity you make a promise without really thinking through the ramifications of your promise. You can't always guarantee what the future holds, therefore you should be very guarded with promises that you make for a lifetime. For instance, when you get married you are making a promise that is for life. This is why you should be guarded about whom you marry. Once you say, "I do," then you have made a promise that you must fulfill for the rest of your life.

Furthermore, don't promise what you can't always do. Many times you will make a promise to your spouse that you don't know you will always be able to fulfill. Likewise, parents must be careful about promising their children something that they don't know for sure that they can do. This is what leads to hard feelings between a child and their parent. If you promise your child something, then you better be sure that you carry out your promise. If you don't know that you can carry out your promise to its fullest, then don't promise at all. It is better not to promise than to promise and not be able to follow through.

Moreover, don't promise something that could be taken away. For instance, be careful about promising money for a lifetime. I have watched churches promise a retiring pastor a salary for the rest of his life, then not be able to fulfill that promise because of rough financial times. Though they were sincere in their promise, they could not see what the future would hold for their finances. When you promise something forever, then you better have the capability already in place to fulfill that promise.

Making a promise should never be taken lightly. Many relationships have been damaged because of broken promises. Whenever you make a promise, be sure to follow through. Though you may have good intentions with your promise, good intentions can't fulfill a promise. Be sure when you make a promise that you have the wherewithal to completely follow through with it. If you can't, then don't make the promise.

Tongues

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Medicinal Tongues

Proverbs 15:4

"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit."

Most often when you hear a sermon on the tongue, you hear about how the tongue is used in a negative way. Sadly, this is most often the case. However, the tongue that has been used to destroy can also be used to heal. The verse above talks about the "wholesome tongue." The word "wholesome" means, a healing or medicinal tongue. Just like you go to the doctor to get medication to heal an infirmity, likewise the tongue can be used as a medicine to heal different situations that it faces. The power of the tongue can be a healing power. There are four ways to use your tongue as a medicinal tongue.

First, use your tongue to appease a wrathful situation. Proverbs 15:1 says, "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." This verse is teaching that you need to use your tongue to diffuse explosive situations. When you see people coming who have a countenance that is filled with wrath, instead of answering in a sharp way, answer them with a soft answer. For instance, when someone comes to accuse you of things that are wrong, then you would be wise to diffuse their wrath by acknowledging they are right. I recently had a pastor tell me about a man who came to him and told him that he wasn't right with God. This pastor responded back to this man by telling him he was right. This pastor told the man that he is constantly working on making sure he was right and asked the man to pray that one day he would be right in all areas of his life. This man who came to accuse and attack with his tongue was diffused because of a soft answer. You don't always have to retaliate with your tongue. Learn to answer softly so that you can diffuse explosive situations.

Second, use your tongue to heal a broken spirit. The verse above says, "...perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit." The medicinal tongue will be used to help heal those whose spirit has been broken. Learn to use your tongue to let those with a broken spirit know that you are praying for them. Just a simple statement of encouragement can be used to help heal the broken spirit.

Third, use your tongue to refresh someone's soul. Proverbs 16:24 says, "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." Using pleasant and graceful words can be refreshing to someone's soul. In other words, giving a right answer can help refresh someone's soul. Knowing what to say at the right time can make or break someone's thoughts of you. Always ask God for His wisdom so that you will have the right answer for every situation.

Last, use your tongue to create a happy atmosphere. The word "pleasant" not only talks about having the right answer, but it also means to be cheerful. There is nothing like being around people who use their tongue to lift the atmosphere. Let your tongue bring happiness to people. Work hard at using your tongue to cause people to be happy that you have been in their presence.

Christian, don't let your tongue be used to destroy, but let your tongue be used to be a medicine to everyone with whom you come in contact. When you have a medicinal tongue, then you will find that people will want to be around you because your tongue helps make them feel better.

Where?

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Where Do You Draw the Line?

Ruth 1:17

"Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me."

Whenever you read the Scriptures, you should always look for pictures of Christ. The story of Ruth is one that resembles the relationship of the Christian and Christ. When Ruth was asked by her mother-in-law to go back home, she replied by saying the only thing that she would allow to separate her would be death. This is dedication to the core! Though Ruth owed nothing to Naomi, she decided that she was going to stay no matter what came her way.

This world is in desperate need of Christians who have the dedication of Ruth. Quite often little things will cause Christians to quit on God, when we need Christians who will decide that death will be the only thing that will cause them to stop serving God. I find in Ruth 1:16-17, five things that can cause Christians to draw the line and quit on God. I ask you, will you draw the line with God and quit serving Him if these five things happen, or will you be like Ruth who will say that death will be the only thing that you will let part you from serving God?

First, will you let the Christian path be the line that causes you to part ways with God? Ruth said, "...for whither thou goest, I will go:..." She made very clear that the Christian path would be the path that she would walk. Many will think the Christian path is too demanding to walk with Christ, but you must decide that whatever this path demands that you won't draw the line with God. The Christian path demands that you forsake all to follow Christ. Have you drawn a line with God and said that you would only go so far with Him?

Second, will you let family be the line that causes you to part ways with God? Ruth said, "...where thou lodgest, I will lodge:..." She made it very clear that she was willing to leave her own family for God. There are many Christians who for the sake of family quit on God. However, Luke 14:26 makes it clear that you must be willing to leave your whole family if needs be to serve God. If your family said they would forsake you if you continue to serve the LORD, is that the line you will draw with God?

Third, will you let friends be the line that causes you to part ways with God? Ruth said, "...thy people shall be my people,..." She was choosing Christian people to be her friends. Many people will allow their friends to pull them away from serving the LORD. You should never choose your friends over God. Simply put, would you be willing to lose every friend for the sake of Christ? If your answer is "No," then your line with God is your friends.

Fourth, will you let other gods be the line that causes you to part ways with God? Ruth said, "...and thy God my God:..." Ruth was willing to put aside all other gods to serve God. What god is it that will cause you to quit serving God? Is it wealth, status, job promotion or fame where you draw the line with God? Whatever you would be willing to put ahead of God is the line that you have drawn with God.

Last, will the loss of loved ones be the line that causes you to quit on God? Ruth said, "Where thou diest, will I die,..." Many Christians have quit serving God over the death of a child, spouse, pastor or friend. Will you allow the death of a loved one to be the line that causes you to quit serving God?

What is the line that you have drawn with God? Don't draw any lines with God, but say as Ruth said, "...the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me."

Leadership

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The Absence of Leadership

Judges 18:1

"In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel."

One of the well known quotes of Dr. Lee Roberson was, "Everything rises and falls on leadership." I often repeat this quote to those who are in leadership as I find that leadership today seems to be very weak. The verse above says,"In those days there was no king in Israel:..." This phrase is mentioned several times in the book of Judges. God was showing us what would happen without leadership. An absence of leadership is not always that there is no one to lead, but it could also be that those in leadership are not leading. In any case, we find in the book of Judges that the absence of leadership always leads to adverse results.

First, the absence of leadership leads to self guidance. In Judges 17:6, the absence of leadership caused God's people to do that which they say was right in their own eyes. When the husband won't lead in the home, then you will have children do what they think is right. When leadership in a country won't lead, then the absence of leadership will cause every person to do what they think is right. Leadership helps to enforce the rules that were set up by God.

Second, the absence of leadership leads to a lack of motivation to conquer. The verse above shows us that Israel stopped conquering the land. This was brought about because those in leadership were not leading. One of the purposes of leadership is to motivate people to do more than they think they can. A good leader will bring the best out in people. If there is no leadership, then people will lack the motivation to shoot high.

Third, the absence of leadership leads to careless living. In Judges 18:7, we see that the lack of leadership caused people to live carelessly. In other words, they were not guarded with their lifestyle. The lack of leadership will cause people to live for the present without a thought of tomorrow. This is evident in our current society when you see people who have spent on possessions and have nothing for retirement. The lack of leadership will always cause people to be careless with their money as well as careless with their lifestyle. Leadership is to remind people that they must live tomorrow with the consequences of today.

Fourth, the absence of leadership will lead to squabbling. In Judges 18:25, you will see that the tribes of Israel were fighting among themselves. Anytime leadership is weak, you will have fighting among the people. Great leadership gives a stability that will cause people not to feel that they need to fight. Likewise, great leadership will not allow fighting among the ranks.

Fifth, the absence of leadership leads to wrong priorities. In Judges 19:24, you see the priorities of a husband were wrong. Leadership's responsibility is to help people keep their priorities straight. When leadership fails to lead, then people will get their priorities of life wrong.

Last, the absence of leadership will lead to illicit living. In Judges 19:25 you will see the wicked lifestyle that was brought about by a lack of leadership. Weak leadership will think it is loving not to correct people who are living an illicit lifestyle. However, true love will cause leaders to let people know when their lifestyle is wrong.

Let me ask you, do the areas where you lead have an absence of leadership because you fail to fulfill your responsibilities? You can guard those whom you lead from straying if you will be the leader God intended for you to be.

More than a Choice

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Choosing God is More Than a Choice

Joshua 24:14

"Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD."

To say that you are going to make God the God of your life is an easy thing to say, but to follow through with the choice of serving Him is what shows whether you truly chose God. Joshua presented the children of Israel with the choice of serving God or the gods of the heathen. However, he also showed them that three things would be present if they actually made God their choice. He was trying to show them that choosing God is more than just a choice. If this choice was a reality, there would be other things present in their life that proved that choice to be true.

I often say when I preach that you don't get right with God when you walk down to the altar to make a decision, but you get right with God when you walk out the doors and put into action what you decided to do at the altar. The altar is where the decision is made, but following through with the decision after it is made is when you get right with God. Likewise, choosing God is simply a decision, but you actually choose God when three things are present in your life.

First, you choose God when you begin to fear Him. The verse above says, "Now therefore fear the LORD,..." Fearing God will always be present when you decide to serve God. This is your attitude towards God. When a person decides to make God their God, then their attitude towards God will change. There attitude will change from being flippant towards God speaking to them to an attitude of reverence and respect of what God can do to them and for them. Fearing God is simply respecting what God's power can do to you if you don't obey Him, and what His power can do for you when you do obey Him. When you choose God to be your God, then your attitude towards God will certainly change.

Second, you choose God when you begin to serve Him. The verse above says, "...serve him in sincerity and in truth:..." Choosing God will turn into an action. However, your service to God will have sincerity and truth with it. When you choose God, you will serve God with your entirety. In other words, you will not serve God halfheartedly, but you will serve Him with your entire being. Moreover, you will also serve God in truth. This means when you choose to serve God, you will faithfully serve Him. Serving God in truth means that you won't be in and out with your service, but you will be faithful in your service. Action will follow someone who truly chooses to serve God.

The last thing that will be present when you choose to serve God will be where you place God. The verse above says, "...put away the gods..." When you choose God to be your God, then you will put away anything that would cause God not to be number one in your life. Sometimes what we will have to put away is not bad, but it is something that has taken preeminence in our lives over God. When you choose to serve God, then He will have the proper position in your life.

Have you really chosen God to be your God? If you have, then these things will be present in your life.

Yourself

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Conquering Yourself

Joshua 18:2

"And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance."

One of the hardest things you will accomplish in your life is that of conquering yourself and bringing your flesh under control. There are too many people in the Christian life who have never learned to conquer themselves, and then they find themselves being up and down in their Christian life. When Joshua addressed the children of Israel about conquering the land of Canaan, he told them several things they must do to conquer that land. The same things that Israel had to do to conquer Canaan applies to you when trying to conquer yourself.

First, learn to study yourself. Joshua 18:4 says, "Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me." Joshua was telling these men to do a survey of the land and study how they could conquer its inhabitants. Likewise, you will never conquer yourself if you don't learn yourself. You must learn your habits and what causes you to do what you do. One of the greatest reasons why people don't conquer themselves is because they have never studied what makes them do the good and bad that they do. The greatest subject you could study other than God is yourself. If you plan to conquer yourself, then you must learn the habits and trends of your life.

Second, categorize your life. In verse 8, Joshua divided the land by lots. Once you have studied yourself, then you need to categorize each aspect of your life. For instance, some of the categories of my life are my family, my church, my ministry, etc. I believe you get the picture. To conquer one's self, one must have his life categorized so he can make sure each area will be properly maintained.

Third, schedule your life. In verse 9, they divided the land into seven parts that they were to conquer. What they were doing was scheduling how they would conquer the land. The reason you need to categorize your life is so that you can schedule your life. You must schedule yourself to work on each category of your life. For instance, part of my weekly schedule consists of spending time with my family, doing work for my church, spending time walking with God on a daily basis and doing work for my ministry. If you don't learn to schedule your categories into your life, then those categories will suffer.

Fourth, grow your weak areas. In Joshua 19:47, Joshua told the children of Dan that they needed to conquer more land if their inheritance was too small for them. When studying yourself, you will learn what your weak areas are in your life. When you find those weak areas, work on strengthening them so they don't continue to hinder you from becoming what God wants you to become.

Last, give yourself room for mistakes. In Joshua chapter 20, God told Joshua to set up cities of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone. In other words, you will never conquer yourself if you don't learn to give yourself room for mistakes. You will make mistakes in life, but don't let those mistakes beat you down to the point of discouragement. Get back up and try doing better the next time. Learn to forgive yourself when you make mistakes.

One of the greatest victories you will accomplish in your life is when you conquer yourself. Let these five areas help you conquer yourself so that you can better serve the LORD.

Dream Killers

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Overcoming Dream Killers

Joshua 14:12

"Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said."

Caleb is one of my favorite characters in the Scriptures. One of the things that I like about him is that he never stopped serving God until the day he died. In the verse above, Caleb was eight-five years of age. Yet, at eighty-five years of age he still had his dream of getting a mountain. Not only was his dream still alive, but he wanted to be part of conquering that mountain. At a time when most people are retired and looking back at life's accomplishments, Caleb was still going strong with a desire to fulfill his dream. However, when you look at Joshua 14, you see there were five things that Caleb had to overcome that tried kill his dreams. If you want your dreams to be fulfilled, then you will have to overcome the same five dream killers.

The first dream killer is age. At eighty-five years of age Caleb's dreams were still alive. Let me challenge the senior saints who read this devotional to never stop dreaming. Yes, your energy level may not be what it has always been, but you must not stop dreaming. When you stop dreaming, then you start existing and life becomes something that you must endure. Don't let age kill your dreams. Show the younger generation that no matter what your age you still need to have dreams. At the writing of this devotional my father-in-law, Dr. Steve Heidenreich, is sixty-two years of age. Yet, when you get around him he still has dreams that he wants to conquer for missions. I love this because his dreams convict many pastors and people who have stopped dreaming. Don't let age kill your dreams.

The second dream killer is time. There are times when your dreams cannot be immediately fulfilled. However, you must not let time stop your dreams. Too many people had a dream years ago that they have allowed time to kill. It took Caleb forty-five years to finally see his dream come to fruition. Whatever you do, don't allow time to dampen or kill the dreams you had years ago.

The third dream killer is people. Caleb had a dream of going into the Promised Land and taking that mountain. However, there were men who almost killed his dream because they wanted to go back to the land of Egypt. Nobody will be as excited about your dream as you will be. There are many people who will try to throw cold water on your dreams when you share them with them. Don't let people kill your dreams. Keep pursuing your dreams even when others tell you it can't be done.

The fourth dream killer is obstacles. Caleb faced the obstacles of walls and iron chariots, but he kept pursuing his dreams. When you start pursuing your dreams, you will find that obstacles will try to discourage you. However, you must expect obstacles to come, and you must not let them kill your dream.

The fifth dream killer is your attitude. I am sure there were times when Caleb had to battle his own attitude of wanting to quit. If you are not careful, your attitude towards your dream can kill it. Keep a positive attitude so that you can still acquire your dream in spite of everything that you face. Don't let your own negative attitude kill your dreams.

What dream killer are you facing today? What dreams have you given up on? I challenge you to push the dream killer aside, pick up your dream, and start pursuing it until it becomes a reality.

Situation ethics

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What's Wrong with Situation Ethics

Joshua 2:4

"And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:"

Someone recently asked me about the story of Rahab hiding the spies and her lying to keep them from being killed. They asked me if it was right for her to lie because she ultimately saved their lives. On the surface this seemed to be the right thing to do, but when you look at the whole picture, you will see that what she did was wrong. She allowed situation ethics to determine what she should do instead of allowing God to work. In all reality, she replaced God by determining what she thought was right.

We live in a day where situation ethics seems to determine what is right and wrong. You will often hear commentators in the news media justify a wrong because of the situation. Sadly, I have watched many men of God justify wrong for the sake of trying to salvage lives. On the surface it seems like it's the right thing to do, but situation ethics will guide you down a wrong path the majority of the time. Let me give you a few thoughts about this story and situation ethics.

First, lying is never right! Rahab justified lying about the men being in her house to save their lives. She felt it was right because they were servants of God. However, when you look at the Scriptures, you will see that lying is always wrong. Proverbs 12:22 says, "Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight." God does not change His stance on lying just because it seems as though it will do good. I have never seen a lie have good results. Oh, it may produce good results immediately, but when you look at the end picture you see that lying always hurts more than it helps. If anything, you are teaching a younger generation who is watching that they should lie if it keeps them from being hurt. 

Second, situations should never dictate whether you should tell the truth, God's Word should be the determining factor in telling the truth. God's Word is the measuring stick of right and wrong. When you take right and wrong into your own hands, then you have replaced God with yourself, making yourself an idolater. When someone is willing to tell a lie in one area, then they will be willing to tell a lie in another area. People who justify lying for a situation cannot be trusted. Always remember that God's Word should dictate what you should do.

Last, situation ethics take the opportunity away from God to show His power and perform miracles. The saddest part about this story with Rahab is that we will never know what God would have done to save the lives of these men. Because one woman took the situation into her own hands, she took away the opportunity for many generations who followed to see God's power work. Any time you allow situation ethics to determine right and wrong you are taking opportunities away from God to show His power. Maybe one of the reasons why this generation doesn't know much about the power of God is because too many people live by situation ethics. God can only show His power when we wait long enough on Him to come through.

Christian, don't be guilty of allowing situations to determine right and wrong. When it comes to right and wrong, always obey God's Word. When you obey the Word of God, you will then give God the opportunity to prove to you that He is still God. It is then that you will see God come through and your faith in God will grow.