"Setting the Groundwork" -2

"I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me." (Psalms 101:3)
Think of this as "Making Promises 101." If that works for you, then go ahead and use it; you don't even need to mention my name. The word "wicked" that is use here is one that pretty much means that whatever it is, it is worthless; and compared to God, on a scale of one to ten, it does not even hit the chart. It is so worthless, that being enticed by it only causes one to move away from God; even the thought being entertained in our mind, is sufficient to cause one to stumble. You see, this is not just something that gets flashed before you, or something that gets stumbled upon; no, this is a thing that you "set" before you with intent, as if you purpose in your heart to see where it will take you, or move you, or satisfy a secret desire. As for those children of Israel, they "set" those giants in the land before their eyes, making them appear more fearful than God; and to moved their hearts out of the promise land, and kept them out in the wilderness. God only gave them what they asked for, it be left out in the wilderness to die! This is not just for that kind of situation, it will work for almost any kind of area of our lives. Once you have "set" that thing before you, and once you have entertained the possibilities, you have already crossed the line in your own heart; now you will require intervention in order to stay away from it, or to stop from going any further. Take it a step further, and you have the "work" of them that turn aside; meaning those that have latched onto whatever is wicked, and now they need company in order to make themselves feel better. In the case of the children of Israel, it would be the eight spies that convinced the people how big those giants really were, saying, "We would be like grasshoppers before them." The people no doubt pictured the feet of the giants stepping upon them and squishing them like bugs. The word "work" means exactly what it is meant to mean, to work at something, or work upon anything. Not only is it something that takes or moves away from God, but now it is something that you are going to continue to make something out of, or get more out of it. Now it goes beyond seeing where it takes you, you are seeing how you can take it along in your journey with God. These are the kind of things that cause churches to split, that break up families, and crumble kingdoms; we are talking about making a wicked thing become something more than it should ever be; it's not only worthless, it's destructive. And if it is going to be worked into a family, a church, or even a nation, then it is going to destroy everything and everyone that it is worked into; especially a child of God. The word "cleave" is another word that means what it says, to take it unto yourself; much like the "cleave" first spoken of in Genesis 2:24, "and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." No, anything that is that kind of worthless needs to be moved away from, right away; don't let it cleave to you, in the very least...
"These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness. They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception. They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way of righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. They prove the truth of the proverb: "A dog returns to its vomit." And another says, "A washed pig returns to the mud."" (2 Peter 2:17-22) NLT