This verse broke my heart when I read it this morning: James 5:5
"Here on earth you have abandoned yourselves to soft (prodigal) living and to the pleasures of self-indulgence and self-gratification. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter"
You may not be drinking, smoking, prostituting or doing any of those things that we as Christians consider "carnal" but there are other things we do. As Christians, we are to be ever conscious of the God we serve. To be wholly submitted to him and to walk only in his ways for us. How many times has God told you to do a certain thing, but instead you chose to take a different route. In your mind you are not sinning. You are just making the decision that YOU think is best, but if it is not God's decision for you it is sin.
He says that we have taken the way of self-indulgence and self-gratification. It is what I want. What feels good to me. We forget that God has our lives all mapped out according Psalm 139. The days of our lives were planned out by him before any one of them ever came to be. We have been sent here on earth with a mission to accomplish, but we have turned away from that mission and purpose and have created missions and purposes for ourselves outside of God's will. Sadly, we still profess to know him and to walk in his ways. We have deceived ourselves!!
One thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after, that I may know Him as I am known by Him. That I may find out and do the works which God predestined or planned beforehand for me to do. Taking paths which He prepared ahead of time that I should walk in them (Eph 2:10).
