The Key To Peace | Page 8

wanting to know something, imbibed an evil spirit and
were tormented by it day and night. God will protect His people if they
will look to Him and not yield to evil spirits. It is dangerous. Read Lev.
19:31; Deut. 18:10:12; Acts 16:16-19; 8:11-21; 13:6-12.
Hatred is a sin. Even if someone does us a wrong we must forgive them
or Jesus has said that He would not forgive us. (Matt. 6:14,15).
Ill-feeling toward someone is a cousin to hatred. We need to forgive

and ask God to help us to love everyone regardless of what they do to
us. Wrath is also a sin and many times is connected with hatred. We
must not give vent to our anger but bring it under control. God has help
for everyone who will pray to Him and seek after Him.
Variance means "a verbal strife followed by strained or severed
relations: wrangle or squabble: to dispute angrily." This is connected to
hatred and wrath.
Emulations means "to strive to equal or excell with a view to out do;
ambitious or envious rivalry." In other words stepping on someone else
to get ahead of them or others. Oh, the Lord wants us to be considerate
of others!
Strife and envyings come under this same thing. We must love every
soul and not try to disregard their feelings or desires. Be happy for
others to get ahead and "rejoice with them that rejoice and weep with
those who weep," is what the Bible tells us to do.
Murderers are those who wilfully kill and are sinners. They must seek
forgiveness to be ready for heaven. If a person accidentally kills, that is
not a sin, but it is a tragedy. It is the person who purposely kills who is
a murderer and a sinner. To take one's own life is a sin, that is if the
person is in his right mind. We know that some people's minds are
afflicted (or wear out), and they are not responsible, yet there are some
close lines even in these cases.
Drunkenness is a sin. Drunkenness is the "state of being drunk with
strong drink or alcoholic liquor so that the use of the faculties is
materially impaired." (Web. Dic.) Oh, the sorrow and trouble that
drunkenness has brought to little children, homes, wives and husbands,
mothers and fathers, sisters, brothers and nations! It is a terrible thing!
Today there is so much dope being taken. It is a terrible thing to abuse
one's body. God will not hold a person guiltless who abuses his body in
any manner. Read Prov. 23:29-32. God has deliverance for all who get
into this sin if they will only seek after God. But my dear grandson, flee
from all of it. "Touch not the cup." Never even taste it and you will
never be a drunkard. Some say they can take it or leave it, but many did

that for awhile and today they are on "skid row." They lost their health,
their wealth, their children, and their companions. Their life is wretched.
Some might say, "It would not happen to me," but they must flee from
it as they would a serpent that is ready to strike.
Smoking cigarettes and taking anything that harms the body is a sin.
The Bible says, "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God
destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." I Cor.
3:17. What could be plainer? My dear grandson, I am expecting you to
flee from all of these sins which are against the body which will
destroy your body and soul in eternal torment for all eternity.
Remember that eternity never ends. There is no time in eternity. Death
seals your doom. It will pay to live each day in a way that we will be
ready to meet God, or will be ready in that hour of death. It might come
unexpectedly.
Seditions and heresies are sins. False teachings which are contrary to
the Bible teachings are heresies. They are sin. We want to live
according to the Bible and know its doctrines so we can not be led into
heresies. So many are being deceived by false teachers. People today
believe everything they hear and do not search the Bible to see if it is
true. We must not believe teaching from false teachers. Some will say,
"But that person has studied the Bible many years and he ought to
know." He may have a degree in theology etc., but that doesn't make
any difference. We still must stay upon a firm foundation and find it in
the Word for ourselves. There is a chain running through the Bible that
links truth and it must not be broken, or it will