Chronicles of the Axe
"Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1)
The Axe is Sin. The Axe causes us to sin because when we sin we lose our OIL we become in debt and an easy target for evil. Therefore we are cut off. When I was in my youth this shrewd, tactical Axe caught me. The backstory was that in my childhood back in Jamaica, I was exposed to sexual influences with other CHILDREN from the age of 3. This led me to develop an addiction to adult content as I became older into adolescence.
After attending and growing up in the church where I found Jesus; at some point in my adolescent I was free and delivered from that addiction. However along my initial journey of developing my communion with Christ I found myself weakened by the discords at home that made me to become weak in my faith having been poisoned by bitterness and weakened by feelings of REJECTION. This disabled me from giving more and I became complacent in my faith and my serving at home so that at an appointed time I was confronted by the Axe… Sin.
"You wicked and LAZY servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the UNPROFITABLE servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (2)
It was just a random day I was just watching TV when it came. Just by the contents of the show that I saw, it almost seemed harmless, a strong desire overtook me and from that moment I reverted to my former conduct of exposing myself to contents that further led to my total downfall of faith, morals, ambition and hope. Having fallen back into old habits even at the end of my journey in education, stipulated a cycle of failure, hopelessness and a deep dark DEPRESSION.
Thus the Axe of Sin cut me off. I no longer had strength, nor desire to achieve anything in life. My initial sin of hypocrisy in not forgiving weakened me thus so that the Axe of the sin that followed finished off my then journey with Christ. So I entered my apostasy, deciding that if I could not be faithful to Christ caught and trapped in my relapse; so I would at least be faithful to something, to sin. Not recognising the diabolical tail that slithered at the end of those thoughts... So I left for the world and experienced it so far away from Christ but still having Him in my heart as a cast away.
Deliver such a one to Satan...(1)
The devil tempts us but we are the ones who will eventually fall if we succumb to the temptation. If we are not founded on the Rock on the Word of God and the will of God, If we don't have UNDERSTANDING of our weaknesses and inclinations; then it is an easy pray for evil. The Axe delivers us to the inclination of our hearts. The Axe brings the temptation to turn our hearts so when we finally fall, we will be cut off because of sin if we are ignorant of the Word of God and the will of God and are not SINCERE to see and know our own inclinations and hearts desires. The Axe is sin and temptation. When we don’t do well (3) sin and temptation will come to cut us off, our DESIRES.
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him SEVEN other spirits more WICKED than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is WORSE than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”(4)
These seven worse that enter through sin are usually through the people around us, the things we see, hear and their influence on our senses. People with a lifestyle plagued by sin, enter our lives all of a sudden and the evil inclinations and habits in their life find a way to enter our lives through INFLUENCE. Someone who is a drug addict enters your life, a new friendship, a new partner all of a sudden you start taking drugs. Someone who is very promiscuous or unfaithful enters your life then you find yourself also being unfaithful and doing the same things that they do. Influence from a show that you watch, a new friendship. This is the way that evil brings 7 more WORSE spirits into our lives when we are caught by the Axe of Sin... when we do not do well(3), we will be sought after and chomped.
So how to confront these strategies of evil, how to overcome the Axe of sin? CONFRONT evil, react or run for your life aka AVOID. Because when we agree or partake with what is not right eventually that same evil will find a way when we least expect it to enter our lives. It could be through a word, a romantic film or even commercial; a new friendship introduction, a particular place that will initiate the work of sin and DESIRE through music, the lyrics of a song, what you hear and before you know it you will enter the rabbit hole of sin and lust with no way out… Except through Jesus as He has done for me and many others.
Call upon me in your day of trouble and I will deliver you... (5)
Yes friends Jesus is the Word. Jesus is the Promise. And He is faithful to help those who believe and pray to Him to take us out of any rabbit hole of darkness. But if we do not watch and are not careful to know our INCLINATIONS and weaknesses; we will always succumb to its persuasive powers. The Axe cuts us off through Sin; because when we sin we become weakened, like losing the oil of FAITH that comes when we keep the Word of God. Doubts come when we disobey so that we are weakened until we fall away like a dead branch from the vine of FAITH. The Axe is sin. When you sin you get cut off. The Axe is the temptations that come to cut us off... when we do not do well (3). So we must be ACCOUNTABLE and not forget that the Axe is RIGHTEOUS (6) to cut off sin and flesh. Therefore be ready to face the CONSEQUENCES of our failures that may deliver us to Satan (1) but do not be DEFEATED. Overcome the Axe through repentance to be better and PERSEVERE to change so that you... RULE OVER IT (3).
Don't give up.
So what does the Axe chump? What does the Axe of sin accomplish when it chumps our lives? The first and most valuable thing at risk that can be cut off is to be cut off from Jesus, from faith in Jesus. The Axe of sin again raises the topic of guilt. The guilt that leads us to give up, to quit and this happens in faith. Many, including myself, have given up because they lost the oil of faith, filled with doubts and guilt, left Gods presence as Cain did dramatically, in the Garden, when he left to become a vagabond after he fell into sin dramatised by his own HYPOCRISY (7). The Axe of sin chumps relationships, marriages in the case of betrayal. The sin of infidelity causes a family to be cut off, separation. Where there is dishonesty and unfairness a Community or Nation can be torn in disorder, wars and strife… when we do not do well (3).
Like Peter he was being sifted by the devil so he would be cut off but Jesus was praying for him because He saw his SINCERITY. “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail. (8). Judas was also sifted but indeed fell into sin and was cut off; to eternal perdition because he did not believe but Peter kept his faith preserved like the little oil that was left in the darkness. Judas' oil was low as he had been living in sin, in deceit and hypocrisy (9) throughout the ministry of Jesus and then he did not rule over it (3). The guilt that followed so that in his final act of unbelief, he took his life and did not have faith in the God of his Salvation to save him because he did not have courage to face his sins, ACKNOWLEDGE before all in SINCERITY and confession. There is no hope for the deceiver, the one who is false and a coward to take responsibility for their own faults and mistakes. But there is HOPE always ready and available with arms outstretched wide to those who BELIEVE and are sincere even if they are the worse of the worse of all men if they run to the feet of Jesus in Prayer; even as the notorious thief on the cross; then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (10). Sin is the Axe to cut one off. When we sin we become weak and we eventually fall away and give up. Departing from the branch, from Salvation that is in Christ.
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