Psalm 139:23,24, ”Search me. O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

Recently my husband and I went to an Italian restaurant and ate a tasty meal. About three hours later we realized something was really amiss. He appeared to have a case of food poisoning, and his symptoms were quite severe. His body knew there was something rotten in his system, and proceeded to repel it. There were several foods he had eaten during dinner which could have been the culprit, and we never knew which one was so spoiled that it made him violently sick.

Isn’t it interesting that our bodies tell us when something rotten has entered it, and it does it relatively quickly? But what happens when something enters our spirit and turns us sour? Just like the food incident, there are a variety of things which can enter our spirits and turn us sour. There is greed, adultery, lying, stealing, murdering (EVEN WITH THE MOUTH), and many other things which keep us away from God. Satan is very crafty in his methods of spoiling our souls. He may work subtly or over a long period of time or He may move swiftly in his poisoning of our souls. When there is an obvious wrong that enters our life, we may have a ”dose” of conscience, and seek repentance. However, when the poison is administered slowly, we may be unaware of the damage it is doing to us. This is when we form “hardness of hearts.”

I pray that I will always be in tune I with God, asking Him to reveal my wrongs to me. Today’s Bible verse is one Christians should remember to pray every day.

Marion Smith Noles65@aol.com