Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;  who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!  Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant men mixing strong drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame, so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts and despised the Holy One of Israel.  Isaiah 5:20-24

The definition of woe is great sorrow or distress or things that cause sorrow or distress; troubles. The words of Isaiah 5:20 issue some pretty strong warnings for those who fail to follow God’s commandments. God had previously warned the Israelites in Deuteronomy 28, that curses will come upon those that do not obey the LORD and observe His commandments and His statutes. Now He is telling them that woe or great sorrow and distress will come to those who fail to obey His commands.

When we fail to acknowledge that God is in control, we often feel free to go about and do as our flesh pleases. This is where we make a huge mistake. You see this is where we think that we can get away with the very things that God tells us not to do.

We think that we can get away with repaying evil for evil, but God clearly tells us in Romans 12:17 that we should never pay back evil for evil to anyone. He tells us in Proverbs 8:13 that the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. We are told that he who seeks evil, evil will come to him (Proverbs 11:27).  In Proverbs 17:13 we are told that He who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. Our scripture passage tells us woe to those who call evil good.

We think that we can get away with adultery as long as no one finds out. Well, you may want to read the whole story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11. David suffered great tragedy throughout the remainder of his life for his sin.

I bet like me, all your life your momma has told you to “watch your mouth” and perhaps you have failed to do so, but the bible tells us to do the same. Proverbs 6:2 tells us that we can be snared with the words of our mouths. Proverbs 10:11 tells us that the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

We like to think that our sin is hidden, but God knows all. We are told in 1 Timothy 5:24 that the sin of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after them. Our sin brings about death. We are told in James 1:15 that when lust is conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

We live in a world where crime runs rampant, sexual immorality is all around us, people sin openly and are proud of the things they do that go against what the bible teaches. These are truly the end times, my friend.

If you are enslaved in sin, know that there is a way out. Jesus Christ died so that your sins may be forgiven and so that you may have eternal life (John 3:16). Trust in Him today. None of us know how much longer we have on this planet. We don’t know whether we have a few seconds or a few years. But one thing we can be sure of is that God will come to judge each and every one of us. We will stand before the Great White Throne of Judgment and give an account for every empty word spoken (Matthew 12:36). Woe to those who are not living according to God’s commandments. Woe to those who practice evil, sexual immorality and have tongues that get them into a snare.  If you are not prepared for judgment, please turn to Him. Confess your sins to Him and ask for His forgiveness. Ask Him to send His Holy Spirit to live on the inside of you to help you to resist the temptation to sin.

Please know that no good can come from your sinful behavior, only woe will come to those that sin.

If you are a Christian, don’t lose heart. Know that God’s got this. Know that He is in control. Keep on keeping on and trust in Him.

Have a great day!