Are you in a furnace?

The Preacher's Sincere Talk Exodus 23 20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. 22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. 23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. 24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. 25 And ye shall server the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. The angel was a manifestation of God. According to Hebrews 1:14, angels are God's created messengers. God chose to make Himself known in this special way for a special purpose. God was in the angel in the same way He was present in the pillars of cloud and fire. Today He manifest in us through the Holy Spirit. If you are in the furnace, it's easy to catch on fire. God warned the Israelites about their neighbours whose beliefs and actions could turn them away from Him. We also live among neighbours whose values may be completely different from ours. We are called to maintain a life style that shows our faith. This can be a struggle especially if our Christian life style differs from the norm. Our lives should demonstrate that obeying God takes precedence over confirming to our neighbors' way of life. God's Word, not society, dictates how we should live. Let the Word of God be our measuring standard of living. Be blessed.-Rev Sithole