Don't get sidetracked!

                    " Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that." (Matt 27:3-4)

         It is interesting to see what happened to Judas when he betrayed Jesus. The word says he repented himself. What does that mean? When we talk about repentance, we think that everything is all right and that God will forgive- but that is not true! You can repent to yourself and not to God. You can feel remorseful, terrible, try to do restitution, but not repent before God. That was Judas mistake. He was so remorseful that he refused to forgive himself. What happened? Scriptures recorded that he hung himself. 

          When we sin, don't run from God-RUN TO HIM! Confess it and get it out of the way. If you are bound, ask God to give you the grace to be free. The Holy Spirit is your helper and if you let him, he can help you break any bondage in your life. We need to learn to set proper priorities in our lives!

           The religious leaders were, also, sidetracked in their hatred for Jesus! Here was Judas, remorseful and needing ministry, yet they neglected their calling to minister and left him to his fate. They were not only guilty of the blood of Jesus, but of Judas. Their hatred of Jesus not only enslaved them, but caused spiritual blindness. It blinded them of their priesthood ministry toward Judas. 

               The apostle Paul says that all things are lawful but are not expedient. (I Cor 6:12) Did you know that even a good thing can sidetrack you and cause you to miss out on what God has for you? For example, if you listen to gospel CDs, watch Christian TV and don't have your own personal devotional, it can hurt you. We need to learn how to get a  personal word for our lives and studying the word is the key to learn to hear from God. A good thing can enslave you and before you know it, God has second place instead of being first. In this day, decide to put Jesus first in everything! Doing this will enhance our relationship with him and allow us to enjoy God's best for us! 

Prayer--Lord, help me to set proper priorities in my life. Help me to put you first in all I do. Show me the things that are sidetracking me. I love you, Lord, and desire to hear from you. Help me to be red hot for you so I can honor you in all I do---In Jesus name. Amen!