Proverbs 9:17 (KJV)
Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.
Illicit pleasures are more enjoyable than those that are legal. (officially permitted) Though this verse is built in to a text concerning a harlot’s behavior, we can still find a spiritual application. Believers who are ruled by a similar highly stimulating value system end up adulterous in heart and deed! They are two-timing, two-faced, and double-crossing. In other words, they are disloyal and faithless to an authorized way of life! This mode of operation is fitted to persons of an independent spirit…
Genesis 3:8 (KJV)
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence
of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
Is there a possibility you might be suffering from the same secretive symptoms as Adam and his wife? Do you hide when you sense the spirit of God approaching or do you welcome the light? Do you find yourself intensely drawn to things that are prohibited, either by God or some other earthly authority? Is it more satisfying to you to sneak around the rules than to follow them? Do you favor working behind closed doors, in an obscure environment, to develop intimate relationships, or do you choose to operate out in the open, where there is greater accountability?
Ladies, there is no doubt that bread and water are both indispensable to our physical well-being. BUT, if your sustenance as a Christian rests upon stolen waters and bread eaten in secret, you are in bad spiritual shape!! In fact, your pleasure will be short lived, for scripture teaches that death is just around the corner…
Genesis 2:17 (KJV)
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.
Though it was real, the tree of life was a symbol to test the first human couple’s character. Would they obey God or would they assert their own wills in opposition to God’s clear command? On the same note, what “trees” has God planted in your life to test your actions? As with our first parents, these specific trees also represent the freedom of choice we have been given to live with respect to God’s will or to refuse to obey the Lord. Think about it; do these opportunities now stand as monuments of obedience or rebellion in your life? What is the condition of your walk with the Lord today?
Romans 8:6 (KJV)
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life
and peace.
The Bible teaches that it is a deadly practice to live under the influence of a carnal mind, for it is in direct opposition to the law of God. A carnal mind will come under no obedience, nor will it subject itself to any type of authority. Hence, you are not following Christ when you give way to the evil of your own heart. Thus, from that point on, your interactions turn illicit. When you forfeit the kind of life God offers, there is no law but your own governing your conduct, and your capability for any type of wickedness increases immensely. It is in this condition one’s appetite for stolen waters and bread eaten in secret will become a driving force as you indulge yourself in a “death diet”…
James 1:14-15 (KJV)
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
[15] Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when
it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Christians with an irrepressible passion for self-gratification rather than God’s glory usually seek to satisfy their cravings for pleasure in settings outside of the local church, where the pastor is not present, or church family members in close proximity. Their own immediate satisfaction is placed above what pleases God. Thus, religious codes are either skillfully avoided or cleverly utilized in order to attain that sweet, yet stolen item that excites the sinner’s soul. Persons of a self-serving nature are not ignorant of their boundaries; they know full well the limitations of authority. Hence, they are expert at slithering in and around godly regulation so as to avoid censure and reproof. Like Judas, some may shrewdly gain the approval of authorities in order to achieve their selfish purposes!
Proverbs 26:24-26 (KJV)
He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within
him; [25] When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven
abominations in his heart. [26] Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his
wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.
Ladies, we are too quick to give credit to persons who speak nicely to us! Bear in mind, speech can be used for good and for evil. We are usually more alarmed by a slanderer than we are sweet-talker, yet it should be the other way around! There is obvious mischief and hidden mischief… Persons who are out to embezzle things that don’t belong to them are charmers whose lips oppose their hearts. They are secretly working ruin, hoping to steal something for themselves – and it could be your affection! Notwithstanding, God, in His providence, sees to it that if an individual is insincere, his or her crime will be exposed to everyone…
Eccles. 12:14 (KJV)
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
So then, dear lady, what holds the strongest appeal in your life today; stolen waters and bread eaten in secret, or the bread and water of life that Christ has freely offered in His Word? Have you rooted out all your filthy lusts? What purposes motivate your life? Is your way such that you do what you want, when you want, however you want, then clean up, and go after your next victim? Better be careful; there is a bitter curse to anything you acquire by way of unethical methods! Though you may think you got away with something, God has you pegged and will deal with you according to the quality of your bread and water… Chances are your stomach will be quite upset by your underhanded eating habits!
Proverbs 20:17 (KJV)
Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled
with gravel.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2004 Pamela A. Iannello
