Today, I wonder if you would care to take a trip back in time with me, to the year 33 a.d. I want to step back in time and go to Jerusalem. It's a crowded place, full of busy activity as Jews come from all over to keep the feast. Extra Roman guards have been posted because of the growing numbers of crowds. Jesus is with His disciples en route to Jerusalem. It is almost time for the Passover. The religious crowd is plotting to kill Jesus after the Passover. It is a time fraught with activity, conspiracy, spiritual darkness and warfare of the highest level, and yet, as the powers of darkness lift up themselves against the Son of God, He takes time to get alone with His own, and commune with them. On the way to Jerusalem, He talks to the disciples. He has begun to warn them repeatedly of what is coming but they do not understand. Before He reaches Jericho as they travel toward Jerusalem, He tries again to warn them. He knows they are going to face one of the hardest trials of their lives soon and tries to prepare them. The Lord never lets His people be caught unprepared, if we will only listen.

Mar 10:32 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,

Mar 10:33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:

Mar 10:34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Luk 18:34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

That word amazed means stupefied, astounded. He had told them what waited for Him in Jerusalem. They were amazed that He would boldly, purposely lead the way, His face set with determination to fulfill the course His Father had set for Him. They did not see a fearful man dreading the coming confrontation with darkness-although His flesh was. He was telling His disciples some hard truths here. He was warning them their faith was going to be tested harder than they could ever imagine because they were going to see everything they had put their trust in, everything they had come to depend on crucified and killed. He had taken them from the religious system they had grown up believing in, and showed them how they had not been taught correctly. He revolutionized their lives, turned everything around. He spent three years and a half teaching them, and illustrating the heart of God. But now, they would see what they believed in put on trial and and found guilty of heresy, and put to death and everything they trusted and believed to be right, they would watch it die a horrible death. As children of God if we are trusting in anything other than Jesus Christ, His provision, His shed blood, His promises set forth in the Word of God, and His commands,, we need to bring it to the cross and ask God to kill it-no matter if it's our own flesh (personal strength and intelligence and ability and carnal mind).

On the way, they stopped in Bethany where Jesus received an invitation to dinner at Simon's house, and Jesus went, and during the course of the evening, this precious little woman comes in, uninvited, and pours out pure worship on the Lord, in the midst of the shocked gasps and harsh criticism of the carnal and religious crowd. (Mat_26:7-13)

The host of the dinner is offended, the disciples are offended, and Jesus, in the midst of all this carnality, defends what this woman has done in breaking the alabaster box, and pouring this expensive ointment on Him while weeping brokenly. Oh, could you imagine the love and humility in this lady's heart to ignore the condemnation of those around her, to not let what others think of her stop her from getting to the Master and adoring Him? She wasn't ashamed. Again, Jesus reminds them He is soon to die, mentioning what she has done is for His burial, because it was their custom to anoint the body of those who died. It did not sink in. No one listened to what He said concerning His burial-they were too upset by what she had done, and misjudged the whole situation with their carnal reasoning. According to Matthew, right after this, Judas went to the Pharisees. He knew they were plotting to destroy Jesus. He asked what will you give me if I deliver Him to you? He was so offended. I believe the devil had probed and probed at the minds of the disciples, until he found one he could talk to that would listen, and that was Judas. There was something in his heart-he didn't like the meekness of Jesus. He didn't like the part of being poor in worldly goods, or in servitude to others. It so offended him to see this woman pour this expensive ointment on Jesus-that had to be more than just greed for money. I don't understand Judas or his reasoning. I do believe the devil was criticizing Jesus constantly to the mind of Judas, and Judas began to agree with the wicked thoughts he heard in his mind.

Luk 22:1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.

Luk 22:2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.

Luk 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

It's very important to remember that John tells us in John 13 that it was at the end of their last supper with the Master, after He washed their feet that Satan entered Judas as we continue watching this unfold. These Scriptures are so precious and it's so important to understand how this applies to our own lives. As we remember this, remember that even as the devil was there at the table hovering closely to Judas, the Lord can prepare a table in the presence of the enemy and strengthen us in the midst of the battle, but we have to partake of HIM, and trust HIM. We must remember everything written in the Scriptures is written for our learning. There is no other book out there that can accomplish so much. This precious Book instructs, chastens, reveals, feeds the soul, lights and directs our path, and it can also kill our flesh and carnal mind as well as soften stony hearts. What a magnificent Word from a magnificent God. I just had to take a minute there and just wonder in awe at this God who loves us so much and who knew there would be so many voices trying to lead us astray and had such provision to keep us straight laid out for us to read over and over and feed on as HE Himself gladly would help us understand. I have to praise Him, He's so wonderful to us, folks.

Let us reverently, with awe, watch this scene unfold and oh, please, pray for understanding (Luk_24:45). And, love Him...He's so worthy....

He gives the disciples instructions to prepare for the Passover and when you remember in Acts 2 they were all in the upper room waiting for the Promise of the Father, I wonder if the upper room they ate the Passover in was the same room the Holy Ghost came to them in Acts 2.

Luk 22:14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

Luk 22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

Luk 22:16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

Now, I have to wonder-the disciples had been with Jesus for 3 1/2 years. Was this the first time they had shared the Passover meal as a group? He says "with desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer" so perhaps it was or perhaps it was because this would be the last one before His death, and the last one here on earth physically with His people. That word "desire" means a craving, longing. It implies a strong hunger. Now, after carefully considering the four accounts in the Gospel, I want to look at this through their eyes by the help of the Lord. For some reason, Matthew, Mark and Luke fail to mention anything about the foot washing. But they did give important information on what Jesus said.

Luk 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Mat 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

Mat 26:27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

In Joh_15:1, He says He is the true vine. We are told the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit, and we know He means the fruit, or results of the Spirit of God working in our lives the things pleasing in His sight and they are listed in Gal_5:22-23. Also, peace and righteousness. (Rom_14:17) He was the Word made flesh (Joh_1:14) He was the Living Bread that came down from above. (Joh_6:51) He gave us a contract, a new covenant and it was full of hope. As they are sitting there, Jesus turns the conversation again.

Joh 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

Mar 14:19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?

Child of God, carefully ask yourself this: Do you sit in His house and read His Word, but refuse to obey what you read and live your life your own way? Do you yield to it as the Only Authority for your life? Do you meekly accept it as the Governor of your life? Let us all search ourselves as we dig into these Scriptures and examine ourselves to see if we are hearers of the Word but not doers? Judas heard but did not let the Word change his heart. It takes courage, humility and sincerity to present your heart to the Word of God, so it can be broken.

Luk 22:23 And they began to inquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.

Luk 22:24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.

Now, isn't this like a bunch of children? They have just been told by the Lord they love one of them is going to betray Him. They start talking to each other, and here comes pride rearing its ugly head. I can just see Peter, indignant at the thought, and shaking his head, "No, I would never do that! I love the Lord more than all of you! I was brave enough to get out of the boat and walk on water with the Lord! Why, God Himself revealed to me Jesus is the Son of God!I would never betray Him!" And remember the sons of Thunder, James and John? They could have said, "Yeah, Peter, and didn't Jesus have to turn around and tell you to hush and get behind him, and said Satan had your mouth?" And from there, they start arguing and bickering about who loves the Lord most, and who's going to do the most for the Lord in His kingdom. I wonder what the Lord thought watching this childish display, knowing eleven of them were as sincere as they could be. I don't think Judas participated in this conversation. I can almost see Judas sitting there, the voice of the enemy strong in his ears, criticizing the others, and I think Judas sat quietly watching the others argue. I wonder if he turned and saw Jesus watching him with a sad look in His eyes. I wonder if he felt guilty, knowing what was in his own heart toward the Lord. Jesus loved this man-and we will see how much before too long.

I'm paraphrasing here, but, Jesus, gently, I believe, interrupts their bickering to gently remind them that is how the world does things, children. They seek to be lord over each other, caring only about their own power and position, and strive to have it so. But that's not the way you will be. You will have a servant's heart. He reminds them He, even though He is Lord, came as a servant. Then He commends them for remaining faithful and steadfast with Him during His adversity and trials during His ministry. He reveals He has appointed them a kingdom and they will sit on thrones as judges of Israel. But one must surely know before they can be elevated to such authority, they must be fiercely tried, and purified, because pride and arrogance will not be allowed by the Lord in such a position of honor and authority. Remember, even the Lord was humbled to come down from glory and take on flesh-and He did that so He could be a faithful and merciful High Priest. He could not faithfully judge something He had never partaken of. Man could have looked at Him and accused Him of not being able to understand.

Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Luk 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Here, the word desired means to demand for trial in the original Greek from which this was translated. Remember when Satan challenged God over Job? He demanded the right to try his faith. God had a plan and purpose in allowing Job to be tried. He knew Job wouldn't curse Him. He knew a record would be written of the trials of Job and God would use it to expose the devices of the enemy and how he attacks the children of God. Here, Jesus knew once again, that Satan had demanded the faith of another child of God be tried. The word sift means to shake in a sieve, by inward agitation to try one's faith to the verge of overthrow. Where does that inward agitation come from? It's focused in our minds-the only place the devil can attack.

How precious it is that the Lord reveals He has prayed for Peter that his assurance and belief in the Lord would not die under the coming vicious onslaught of Satan. Remember, Satan had already defiled Judas. He meant to pick them off one by one-the Scripture doesn't say that-but we know each one, except John was martyred, and they tried to kill John by throwing him in boiling oil, but according to history he did not get hurt and that was when he was sent to Patmos. He knew Peter would come back. He knew Peter would run, and weep, and cry and repent, and that he'd come back and then be able to strengthen, to help establish the brethren. Peter must have looked at the Lord as if he'd been slapped in the face. "What me? I'm ready to die for you, Lord, I'll go to jail , or the grave, where ever you go, I'm ready to go with you!" It must have really hurt his feelings when the Lord told him that he would deny Him three times before the next morning.

Now, let's focus our attention on John.

Joh 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;

Joh 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

Joh 13:4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

Oh, how much better it is when you know who you are in the Lord and the authority you have been given, and who is in control. He knew He was the Word of God made flesh, He knew He was the Son of the Most High God, He knew warrior angels HE had helped to create were on standby, with swords drawn wanting to defend Him. He knew all He had to do was speak the Word and humanity would be vaporized. But look at the meekness on display here. He could have looked at the disciples and shook his head and sharply rebuked their carnality, their selfishness, and threw up his hands in disgust and accused them of not being able to do anything right. Love demanded a different response. So, what does He do? He lays aside His robes, and picks up a towel, and pours water in a basin and goes to His disciples, kneels before them, and begins to wash their feet. Peter is watching this in amazement. When the Lord got to Judas, I believe He knew the man's mind was being sifted and attacked and that Satan was very present, still, Jesus knelt before His betrayer and washed his feet with every bit the same consideration as the others. He had heard Jesus tell Peter about being cleansed. How could you be in the presence of the Lord, unclean, and not know it-in the face of such holiness? Was there conviction and shame in Judas' heart? Or was there only anger and discontent? I believe it was the latter. What was the Lord thinking when He did this? Was there any of Judas left looking out by then? I don't know if He did this so much for Judas' benefit, because He knew Judas would betray Him. He did set a powerful example about how we are to treat our enemies-and in turn heap coals of fire on their head. This was God in the flesh, kneeling before a man about to be possessed by Satan, washing his feet and He knew it. I believe if Judas had cried out for deliverance, Jesus would have cast Satan out. I think Judas had embraced his rejection of Jesus or he would have cried out for help.

They didn't understand what He was doing, in washing their feet, especially Judas' feet, but they would later, when the Holy Ghost come. Peter, still infected with pride, did not want Jesus to lower Himself to wash his feet. Peter thought it was beneath Jesus to do so. But the Lord quickly set him straight.

Joh 13:12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

Joh 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

Joh 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

Joh 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

Joh 13:16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

Again, He reminds them they are not to serve themselves, but one another, and others-as He has. He does not like pride and self-exaltation. If anyone had right to such things, it would have been HIM. But He did not come with fierceness, selfishness, or pride. He did not arrogantly come and rightly take control of everything. He came as a Teacher, full of humility, compassion and love. He begins to talk to them after He finishes washing their feet.

Joh 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

Joh 13:22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.

Joh 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

Joh 13:24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.

Joh 13:25 He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

Joh 13:26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

Joh 13:27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

Why then? Why did Satan wait until that exact moment to enter in? Here's what this ministered to me: Up until that moment Judas could have backed out and repented and received forgiveness. He could have got deliverance from the works of the devil in his life. He could have been saved. All throughout this dinner, the Lord had ministered specially to these men. Gently. He did it with kindness, and love. He made it clear one of them needed cleansing, and put on a display of cleansing, by washing their feet. Judas had been walking in the wrong direction in his heart. Just as Jesus washed his feet, He could have cleansed his heart, had Judas wanted to retain that knowledge in his mind. He had seen Jesus cleanse lepers-he knew the power was there in front of him. Let's look at verse 26 carefully. In the Greek this word "give" means to hand over or surrender, and this comes from the Greek word epididomi, from where I'm pretty sure we get the English word "epitomy" or "epitome" and that word means to cut short, a brief summary of what was a larger work. The testimony Judas could have had was cut off because he let the devil steal it from him. We know the devil is after the testimony and life of Jesus Christ in the children of God. He seeks to corrupt that testimony. Judas' name means the praise of the Lord. His life could have been one of victory and it could have been one others could have looked at and cried out "praise the Lord, He's merciful toward the children of men!" His life could have brought honor and glory to the Lord. We all have the opportunity and privilege and honor to glorify God by how we choose to live. Our lives can bring honor to His name or shame-depending on who we let lead-if we allow the Holy Spirit to lead, we will bring honor to His name. Just as Achan was cheated out of what God had for him in Joshua 7, Judas is cheated, too. They heeded the voices of their carnal minds and the enemy of their souls. I can hardly fathom this. He handed Judas a piece of bread-symbolic of the bread of life, dipped in some kind of liquid, which alludes to the Spirit of God, for the word for 'dipped' here in the Greek is bapto, and it means to cover wholly with a fluid, to moisten, or immerse. Remember the warning Paul gave the Roman church about those who did not like to retain God in their knowledge?

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Judas had learned a lot, heard a lot and had seen a lot during the time he had spent with Jesus, watching the Lord minister and teach. He did not value the Lord and reverence Him in his heart as he should have. He did not value the Word the Lord was ministering or the way Jesus dealt with others. That term "gave over" in Romans 1:28 is similar to the one used here, in John 13. It's three different words that are very similar and mean about the same thing. In Joh 13:26, it says when he had dipped the sop he gave it to Judas. Now, here is why I believe it was at the moment Jesus gave the sop to Judas that Satan entered the man. In the Greek, that second word 'gave' is different from the first word 'gave' in the same verse. It's more final, like the one above. One of the definitions for this word is chilling: to give one back to someone to whom he already belonged, to return. (Thayer's Greek Definitions). When I read that, I thought about the Scripture in Rom 1:28. God turned him over like Paul said He would under these circumstances. Satan couldn't enter Judas until Jesus turned him over. Judas did not want to retain the Lord in his knowledge, he was discontent with the Lord and how He did things. Satan cannot come unless he is allowed.

Joh 13:27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

Joh 13:28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.

This man has sat at the table of the Lord, in His presence, and received bread and communion. He sat and watched the Lord wash his feet. Judas ate the provision of the Lord, and then surrendered to the devil. That is a disturbing thought to my heart. That causes a ripple of fear to flow through my heart. It doesn't seem like it could happen this way. I wonder how you could eat the Bread of Life then surrender yourself to the powers of darkness that would destroy and consume you? We have to remember that Satan is not one who likes to serve but one who demands to be served. He is selfish, and cruel, and surely whispered vicious lies to the mind of Judas, harshly criticizing every kind and gentle thing Jesus did. I can easily imagine the disdain in his voice as the Lord knelt before Judas and washed his feet. I can imagine the enemy whispering to Judas, "Is this what you signed on for? To wash people's feet, to always have poor, ignorant, weak and powerless people around you, who always need something but never offer anything? This is not how it's supposed to be!" Oh, this is going to get sticky. Because, to benefit from what we are reading, we must have understanding of the Lord how it applies to us, personally.

How many times have we sat in the House of God, at His table, so to speak, and sat under the pure Word of God, coming forth through the lips of a man who's been in prayer, who has received something from the Lord and comes to share it with the flock? We hear about self denial, and about decreasing so He can increase, we hear about fasting and prayer, about how we are to talk different, act different, think different and look different from the world, and how we are to separate ourselves and present ourselves to a God we can't see, and let Him have complete control of our lives, hearts, minds, and spirits. All these things the Lord requires we surrender are in truth small, beggardly, and corrupt without HIM. In return, HE offers eternal glory and eternal life in splendor with Him. Folks, we get the better end of the deal, but we need our eyes anointed with that spiritual eye salve to see it. We need Divine Help to be able to look past now and toward things above (Col_3:2). But that is not what we want to hear. How many sit there, with their minds on some TV program they want to watch when they get home, or a football game, or what they are going to eat when they get home, or their jobs, or some problem that is troubling them, and they sit there, in the House of God, listening to the Bread of Life being shared out, and don't partake of it? Then, go home after the service, turn on the TV and present what is supposed to be the Temple of the Holy Ghost (1Co_6:19) to the TV and turn it on and allow themselves to be influenced and even entertained by worldly spirits, by demonic spirits, through the commercials and the programs viewed. How can you watch a soap opera without being courted by a seductive spirit of lust and sensuality? How can you watch crime shows, without being influenced by spirits of darkness who hate humanity and would destroy it? You can see all kinds of terrible crimes, often taken from the latest headlines, and re-enacted-and call this entertainment? What are you feeding on but rebellion against God and death? Even the commercials are unclean, they feature scantily clad women, which caters to lust. They advertise products aimed at soothing your flesh, boosting your self image, or appearance, lose weight, take this pill, you'll feel better, buy this book, you'll be smarter, drink this drink, and you'll feel energized, come to our resort, and vacation-what happens here stays here....MY GOD IN HEAVEN!! I thank Him for opening my eyes! How blind are the people who say they belong to God and yet don't feast at HIS table but go the devil's table instead, feasting on a smorgasbord of lust, covetousness, flesh, sensuality, betrayal, and garbage? I can say all this because I've been guilty of doing it myself-and I praise GOD He loves me enough to deal with me about these things! I used to try to rationalize it to my mind-"oh, it's Andy Griffith-that's not bad. It's wholesome." Yeah, right. They regularly feature an alcoholic who makes it look funny to be drunk, gossips who get together for church socials and then rip some poor unfortunate person to shreds with their tongues, and then stand up in the church and sing "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms". I had to ask myself this, "If I am sitting in front of this TV watching something and the Lord comes, will I be ready to go? Will I be acceptable in His sight? Or will I be found by HIM in the camp of the enemy, cheating on my Lord, indulging my eyes and mind on things that are unholy?" The answer is obvious, and sobering.

I am bad to want to watch the news. I try to stick to Fox News, but invariably I always want to know what the "other side" has to say. I end up disgusted, having fed on something that leaves a bad taste in my mouth and a sick feeling in my gut. Like spoiled meat. See what I mean? God has been dealing with me about this, and I know I am not the only one. I know this sounds harsh and extreme-but so was the suffering of the Lord when He went to Calvary. It doesn't have to be pornography to be sinful. You can't get clean from something that is unclean. You can't get HOLY from unholy. It's gotten to the point when I sit in front of the TV the Lord keeps bringing the Scriptures to mind about not bowing to idols. People around me think I'm taking it too far. But ask yourself this: what are children learning by watching this stuff? Even cartoons are terribly inappropriate any more. They are full of sorcery, violence, and bad behavior. If we let our children watch unclean things, it will make them unclean before the Lord. I read an undated article David Wilkerson wrote for the World Challenge Pulpit Series titled "31 reasons Scriptural Reasons Why Overcoming Christians Should Remove the Idol of Television from their Home." He is right. I cannot argue with any point he made, and my flesh didn't like it. I caught myself trying to make excuses. "Well, what I'm watching is the news. I need to know when bad things happen so I can pray for those who need help-like missing children". Oh, and here's a good one, "it's educational. It's the History Channel, or the Discovery Channel." But it's fed by a society who have rewritten and changed much of the truth into a lie. The commercials target your wallet, the lust of the flesh, the love of the world, and the sight of your eyes.(1Jo_2:15-16) When I rationalize like that, it's just grasping fingers not wanting to lay the idol down, clutching at feeble excuses. "I don't watch Rated R movies, or porn, I'm alright." You can't even watch a PG-13 movie without hearing someone curse God's name. You can't watch any movie without seeing too much bare flesh, hearing too much profanity, and seeing His commandments-which are for our own good, broken constantly. TV has been ingrained in to us from birth. We've come to regard it as a necessity in today's society. They are everywhere-in restaurants, malls, department stores, bars, almost everywhere you go-but you shouldn't be in a bar, now, I'm just making a point here. They are in schools now, too. They are in the waiting rooms in the hospitals. They are portable now, and people can take their TV's with them. They can take their DVD's and their computers with them. How can we have our minds on the Lord when we choose to present ourselves with so many worldly distractions? More importantly, how can we ever hope to have a pure mind when we expose it to a fountain of impurities? When you consider Judas and why he betrayed the Lord, you must consider things carefully. And you have to remember, those who do not care to retain God in their knowledge, they will fill their minds with things that will crowd Him out. It is a conscious decision, perhaps not with malicious thought, but it's a conscious decision to concentrate on things of this world rather than God. The results of such a decision are terrifying. We need to understand when we do things like this, while professing to know HIM, we deny Him by our actions. It is betraying Christ. If we do it in ignorance, He is merciful to teach us. But oh, let us take heed to the example of Judas.