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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

SEVEN DEADLY SINS - NYOBS 38.02

SEVEN DEADLY SINS
Depending on where you are in your relationship with God, it makes a difference
on whether this list is considered normal accepted behavior or “Seven Deadly Sins”.

First Word

·         The FIRST LIST that the Lord specifically hates is found in the Book of Proverbs stating SEVEN THINGS that are an abomination to Him - A proud or haughty look - A lying tongue - Hands that shed innocent blood - A heart that devises wicked plans and plots - Feet that are swift to run into mischief and evil - A deceitful false witness that utters lies - Him that sows and spreads discord among the brethren.
·         The SECOND LIST is found in the book of Galatians and includes more of the traditional sins, but with a substantially longer list which includes; ImmoralityImpuritySensualityIdolatrySorceryEnmitiesStrifeJealousy - Outbursts Of AngerDisputesDissensionsFactionsEnvyingDrunkenness  and Carousing. - Since the Apostle Paul goes on to say that the persons who practice these sins "shall not inherit the Kingdom of God", they are usually listed as (possible) MORTAL sins rather than just major vices.
·         The THIRD LIST is the traditional list handed down through the centuries which we will study here; Anger - EnvyGluttonyGreedLust - Pride and Slothfulness.  These are considered the “Capital” or head of all the others.

Proverbs 6:16-19 – Seven things the Lord hates
16 There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
17 Haughty
(proud) eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. (NASB)
Galatians 5:19-21 – Longer list of the deeds of the flesh
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (NASB)

Sin Defined
·         Scripture comes straight to the point – Sin is Lawlessness in Word, Thought and Deed.
·         It’s rebellion against God; defiance of His holy Lordship and rule; it’s a violation of what God demands - It is deliberate wrongdoing.
·         God is not mocked – Whatever a man sows; that he shall also reap – He will reap more than he sows and for longer than he sows.
·         The word “sin” literally means “To miss the Mark” as an archer missing the target. – We are urged to press forward to the Mark of God’s high calling for the PRIZE of Jesus Christ.
1 John 3:4 – Sin is Lawlessness
4 Whoever commits sin commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
James 4:17 – Sin is when you know to do good; and don’t
17 To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Galatians 6:7-8 – You will reap what you sow
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (NASB)
Philippians 3:14 – Hit the MARK for the Prize of God’s calling
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (KJV)

#1 Anger THE SUDDEN SIN
·         Anger, Wrath or Rage is a SUDDEN SIN that speaks in BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS to the listener. It is an inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred. - In its purest form it is violence, self-destructiveness, and hate that may fuel and provoke feuds that can go on for centuries and persist long after the person who did another a grievous wrong is dead. These feelings can manifest in different ways including impatience, revenge, and self-destructive behavior such as drug abuse or suicide.
·          Anger indicates that a person’s basic boundaries have been violated. – It’s an emotional response related to one's psychological interpretation of having been threatened.
·          It involves a strong emotional and uncomfortable reaction or response to a perceived harm that is considered deliberate or of unfair treatment or provocation by others.
·          It is displayed as a correction of wrong behavior by others and a promotion of social justice. It is when a person makes the conscious decision to take action to immediately stop the threatening behavior of an outside force.  Sometimes anger is released through retaliation, similar to a pressure cooker that cooks until it explodes.
·          Physical and Mental Consequences; Anger causes increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and increased levels of adrenaline. It impairs one's ability to process information and to exert cognitive control over their own behavior. An angry person may lose their objectivity, empathy, prudence or thoughtfulness and may cause harm to others. Un-resolved anger turns inward and becomes Depression.
·         Changed Countenance - It can be observed in facial, body language, physiological responses, and at times in public acts of aggression, sometimes making loud sounds, attempting to look physically larger, staring and baring or clinching of one’s teeth.
·          Manipulation Strategy - Displays of anger are a result of "what has happened to them personally," – The angry person can exhibit Tantrum Behavior that is used as a manipulation strategy for social influence in order to get what they want.
·         The Bible teaches to Forgive and forget – to turn the other cheek – to harness the passion of anger for good. – Do good to your enemy; it will be like heaping hot coals on their head.
·         Righteous indignation was displayed by Jesus Christ as He chased the merchants out of the Temple; they had turned the House of Prayer into a den of thieves. – Harness and focus your ZEAL for the things of God.
Luke 6:29 – Turn the other cheek
29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. (NIV2011)
Matthew 6:14 – Forgive and God will forgive you
14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (NKJV)
Matthew 18:21-22 – Forgive so many times that you lose count.
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (NIV2011)
Proverbs 25:21-22 – Harness your passion for GOOD
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22  For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the LORD will reward you. (NKJV)
John 2:14-16 - Righteous indignation
14 In the temple courts he
(Jesus) found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.
15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” (NIV2011)
John 2:17 – Have a Zeal for the things of God
17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (NIV2011
)

#2 Envy – UNSPOKEN DISSATISFACTION
·         Envy disparages everything – It’s Unspoken competition - Jealousy – It spoils the pleasure of others – Hates everything – Some are so consumed with ENVY that they are unconscious and totally unaware of it. – Envy is a huge sin leading to anger and is a condition to be pitied.
·         Envy is characterized by an insatiable desire similar to jealousy. - Envy and Jealousy both feel discontent towards someone's traits, status, abilities, or rewards. The difference is the envious also desire the entity and covet it.  This is related to the Ten Commandments, specifically, "Don’t be envious of anything that belongs to your neighbor or their status."
·         Cain & Abel was the first Prototype of envy found in the first book of the Bible when Cain was envious of God’s approval of Abel’s offering. – Abel had a relationship with God; Cain was just going through the motions - This envy led Cain to murder his brother Abel. – NYOBS 16.06 - CAIN & ABEL
·         Jacob (Israel) is another example of Envy, when he gave a coat of many colors to his 1st born son of Rachel the sister of Leigh who Jacob was tricked into marring.  Joseph‘s brothers from Leigh and her maid were envious of Joseph’s special coat and plotted to kill him.   Just for the record; Leah had 6 sons, Zilpah her maid, 2 sons - Rachel 2 sons; Bilhah her maid, 2 sons for a grand total of 12 sons and also one daughter by Leah.
·         Peggy and Polly were twins that I grew up with at church and Peggy was by far the most popular, but as time moved on, Polly’s happy and positive personality drew people to her and Peggy with ENVY withdrew into sarcasm and negativism pushing herself far into the background. With arms folded, she seemed mad all the time and it slowly CHANGED HER WHOLE FACE. – They were no longer twins.  – This was sad as she seemed so unaware of how her reactions were being received as people distanced themselves from her.
·          ScriptureEnvy is like a cancer that eats you up from the inside out.  ENVY ROTS THE BONES.
Gen 4:4-5 – God was more favorable over Abel’s offering
4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
5 but on “Cain” andhis offeringhe did not look with favor.
 NIV
Genesis 4:7 – Don’t be envious or sin will overtake you
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." (NKJV)
Genesis 4:8 – Cain killed his brother Abel
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. (NIV2011)
Heb 11:4 – Abel had FAITH - Cain just went through the motions
4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
Genesis 37:3 – Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. (KJV)
Genesis 37:19-20 – Let’s kill Joseph
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer
(Joseph) cometh.
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him.(KJV)
Prov 14:30 – Envy rots the bones
30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones. KJV
Exodus 20:17 – Don’t  be envious or desire your neighbors goods
17 No lusting
(envious) of your neighbor's house—or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that is your neighbor's. (MSG)

#3 GluttonyTHE SIN OF PLEASURE
·         Chocolate is naughty, but it’s nice – Bacon is your friend; the more the better.  Eat your desert FIRST just in case the RAPTURE comes before you are finished eating.
·         Gluttony - The excessive indulgence of food and drink – A longing and thinking of food – It comes from the Latin meaning the “over indulgence” and “over consumption” of anything to the point of waste.
·         Food was the Heart of Jewish observance.  It begin with a feast to show wealth and the more you had to eat was symbolic of your prosperity; you should eat as much as possible in case of a bad day, even though that day probably never comes.
·         Vomiteriums were available in order to get rid of your food so you could go back quickly and GRAZE some more.
·         The Epicureans world view was an ethic of individual pleasure as the sole or chief good in life and advocated living in such a way as to derive the greatest amount of pleasure possible during one's lifetime.
·         Quail Hunt – When the Israelites gorged themselves with Quail, God slew the FATTEST of them while the food was still in their mouth. -  God says you should just cut your own throat if you are given to gluttony. – Greedy cravings revile the Lord.  NYOBS - 25.10 - MANNA
·         Gluttony can be interpreted as selfishness; essentially it places concern with one's own interests above the well-being or interests of others. – It is considered a sin when the excessive desire for food causes it to be withheld from the needy.
·         We see it in the warning from Paul about taking “communion” or THE LORD’S SUPPER which was for the rich and poor alike. - The rich were pushing ahead eating and getting drunk leaving the poor with little food to be able to even participate. -  He said if they were that hungry to eat and home first and then come participate. - NYOBS 05.11 - THE LORD’S SUPPER
·         The Sin of Gluttony is considered EVIDENCE of lack of control in other areas of your life.
Ps 78:30-31 – God slew the FATTEST of them.
30 But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths,
31 When the anger of God went up against them, and slew of the fattest of them, and smote down the young men of Israel. ASV
Prov 23:2 – Cut your throat if you are a glutton
2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. NIV
Ps 10:3 – The greedy cravings revile the Lord
3 He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. NIV
1 Cor 11:20-21 – Don’t forget why you are partaking
20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat,
21 for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk  NIV
1 Cor 11:34 – If you’re hungry– eat at home
34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. NIV

#4 Greed - NEVER SATISFIED SIN
·         Monopoly – I first learned of Greed while playing Monopoly – I would buy up all the properties I could and put hotels on them so I could make more money from the rentals and bankrupt the other players who landed on my properties. – Oddly enough, I would often borrow so much money from the bank that I would be the one that would go bankrupt. – Earning more money raises the expectations of what you need.
·         I don’t get NO satisfaction. - When does wanting something turn into greed? – I’ll tell you; it’s when you have a very excessive desire and pursuit of material possessions. - Greed exist when you don’t need it, but you would like to have it – When you are wanting more, regardless of what you already have. - It can be defined by TWO different characteristics;
1.   Never satisfied with what you have,
2.   The need to keep hold of what you’ve already got.
·         Greed exist when you know that there is an injustice going on, but you carry on the injustice so that it does not affect your personal lifestyle.  – Greed spins off Hoarding – Trickery – Manipulation – Theft and Violence.
·         The “parable” of the Rich man and the beggar Lazarus is a great example of Greed; when giving is so hard to do.  The rich man’s attention was on his earthly life and not on the divine.  He could not even give the crumbs from his table to the beggar Lazarus.
·         Our Excuse – I don’t give to poor people, because it encourages them to NOT get a Job.
·         When does the desire to “acquire” become bad? – When you have to have the latest device or a particular brand or some “Bling” that’s showy, so that everyone will know that “you have arrived”.
·         Debt is the punishment for the sin of Greed. – The LOVE of money is the root of all evil.
1 Timothy 6:10 – LOVE of money is the root of all evil
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
(NIV2011)
Luke 16:19-26 – Rich man was GREEDY
19 There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores
21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
26
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ (NIV2011)
Habakkuk 2:5 The Greedy are like death; never satisfied
5 Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples. (NLT)

#5 Lust MOST POPULAR SIN
·         Lust is the Most Popular Sin - Lust is selfishness; an intense desire for money, food, fame, power or sex. – Lust or lechery is an intense desire or drive – SEX is not Love, it’s a function for the pleasure of the body – It deviates into affections for Prostitution – Pornography – Fetish’s; leather, pain, Homosexuality and Lesbianism which the world identifies as just another lifestyle.  - A lifestyle that God calls an abomination that He groups with the sin of witchcraft.
·         Lust of the Flesh is at war with the Spirit, and the Spirit is at war with the flesh. – It starts with your eyes and fires up your imagination, which spins off 17 more sins; : Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, Lewdness,  Idolatry, Sorcery, Hatred, Contentions, Jealousies, Outbursts Of Wrath, Selfish Ambitions, Dissensions, Heresies, Envy, Murders, Drunkenness, and Revelries.  – NYOBS 08.18 – ADULTRY AND FORNIFICATION - NYOBS 18.05 – SAME SEX MARRIAGE – NYOBS 02.02 – HOMOSEXUALITY.
·         God makes it pretty plain about how He feels about the sin of LUST; He says “do not be deceived”; the unrighteous; the fornicators, adulterers, the effeminate, and Homosexuals, SHALL NOT inherit the kingdom of God.
·         BUT WAIT – You are not yet Died and Fried. - You can still humble yourself; pray and seek God’s face and turn from your lifestyle and receive forgiveness.  - Life IS Choice driven. - You don’t have to stay where you are.
1 John 2:16 – Lust of the eyes is from Satan.
16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. (NKJV)
Galatians 5:17-18 - Lust of the flesh wars against the Spirit
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
(NKJV)
Galatians 5:19-21 – Lust spends off 17 more sins
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (NKJV)
Proverbs 6:25 – Lust starts with the imagination of the eyes
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.
(NIV2011)
Matthew 5:28 – Lust of the eyes has already committed adultery
28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
(NASB)
Gal 5:19-21 – Sexual immorality is grouped with WITCHCRAFT.
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. NIV
Prov 15:26 - Lustful thoughts are an abomination to God
26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD,
NKJV
1 Cor 6:9-10 – Unforgiven Lust; NOT inherit the kingdom of God
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God
2 Chronicles 7:14 Humble – Pray – Turn – Get Forgiveness
14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. (NLT)
#6 Pride – ORIGINAL SIN
·         Wikipedia - Pride, is considered the original and the most serious of the seven deadly sins, and is the SOURCE of all the others. It is identified as; believing that oneself is essentially better than others; Pride fails to acknowledge the accomplishments of others and exhibits excessive admiration of the personal self. – A boaster.
·         Fat Cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for. - They scoff and speak evil; wear pride like a jeweled necklace, clothing themselves with cruelty, seeking to crush others.
·         Pride is the love of one’s self; perverted into contempt for others. – It’s the overwhelming excessive confidence in one’s self – It is “Self Love” - Pride comes just before the fall; before destruction and before disgrace. – I see elected officials who swing their weight around, thinking highly of themselves and then they are caught; SPIN LIES and WEAVE ILLUSIONS and put up SMOKE SCREENS as they tumble from power to disgrace.
·         It is considered the deadliest of all the sins and leads directly to damnation as shown in the example of the story of Lucifer, also known as Satan, who displayed pride within himself as he indicated his desire to compete with God; this caused his fall from Heaven. 
·         Eve’s Pride - I wonder if Eve didn’t think a lot of her own self; possibly she thought in her IMAGINATION that she knew as much as God and with her ”EYE CANDY”, made a decision to eat the forbidden fruit. – Life is choice driven  - NYOBS 37:29 – FREE WILL
·         Pride is the opposite of Humility - Is what we think “God centered” or “ME centered”? – Do we hold ourselves out of “proper position” toward God?  
Ezek 28:12-15Satan - Given Free Will – Birthed PRIDE
12 The Lord GOD says; You … full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
15 You were perfect in thy ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity was FOUND in thee
Ezekiel 28:17 – Satan’s PRIDE corrupted his wisdom
17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; (NIV2011)
Proverbs 16:18 – Pride comes and then the fall
18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (NIV2011)
Proverbs 11:2 – When Pride comes, so does disgrace
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. (NIV2011)
Jer 18:12 – The heart is full of evil IMAGINATIONS
12 And they said there is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.
Genesis 3:6 – Eve’s EYE CANDY gave birth to PRIDE
6 When the woman SAW that the fruit of the tree was good for food and PLEASING to the EYE, and also DESIRABLE for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (NIV2011)
Psalm 73:6-8 - They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
6 They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty.
7 These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!
8 They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others. (NLT)

#7 Slothfulness - THE DO NOTHING SIN
·         Sloth has been defined as a failure to do things that one should do. -  While slothfulness is sometimes defined as physical laziness, it’s the spiritual laziness that is emphasized. - In the Christian faith, the sloth fails to utilize his gifts and talents, and for the most part rejects the grace and spiritual matters of God.
·         Slothfulness is a Sin that requires you to DO NOTHING AT ALL – It’s a Lack of zeal – An Inability to get going – Just browsing or hanging around doing mostly nothing – From the bar to the bed, then back to the bar. - Evil thrives when slothful men fail to act. – This is the sin that fertilizes all the other sins. - Sodom was characterized by Pride, Gluttony and slothfulness as well as other detestable sins, and GOD wiped them out.
·          Failing to develop spiritually is key to becoming guilty of the sin of slothfulness. – Did you get that…? -  FAILING TO DEVELOP YOURSELF SPIRITUALLY IS THE SIN OF SLOTHFULNESS.
Proverbs 10:4 – A sloth makes himself poor
4 Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth. (MSG)
Proverbs 19:15 – Laziness makes you go hungry
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.
Ecclesiastes 10:18 – Laziness make your house fall down
18 Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks. (NKJV)
Ezekiel 16:49-50 – Sodom PRIDE, GLUTTONY, SLOTHFULNESS
49 Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.
50 She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen. (NLT)

Last Word
·         The Seven Deadly Sins; Anger, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride and Slothfulness is actually the worship or IDOLATRY of one’s SELF. - They are the ORIGIN of all the other sins and are in rebellion against God.  
·         The Seven Holy Virtues are the counterparts of The Seven Deadly Sins.
·         Patience, Anger - Kindness; Envy - Temperance; Gluttony - Charity; Greed - Chastity; Lust, Humility; Pride - Diligence; Slothfulness.
·         Believers are called to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to display the FRUIT of the Spirit. Although there are some nine characteristics listed for the Spirit filled Christian; they all compose just ONE FRUIT. – The Christian should display them ALL, not just one or two.
·         Humility seems to be the NEUTRALIZER for the Seven Deadly Sins – Scripture encourages us to look at the life of Moses as an example of humility as God said he was more humble than any other man. – God teaches His ways to the Humble and blesses them. – SELAH -
Galatians 5:22-23 – Be filled with the FRUIT of the Spirit
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Numbers 12:3 - Moses was more humble than anyone else
3 Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. (NIV2011)
Matthew 5:5 - God blesses those who are humble
5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. (NLT)  

In the multitude of counselors,
 there is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:14


I am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical information, and scripture verses.  Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further that I otherwise ever could have.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Seven Deadly Sins – British Broadcasting Network
Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The - Tyndale
Illustrated Bible Dictionary - Nelson
Nave’s Topical Bible; NIV – Zondervan
Who’s Who and Where’s Where in the Bible – Stephen M. Miller
Wikipedia