1 Corinthians 6:12-13 all things are lawful for me but not all things are profitable all things are lawful for me but I will not be mastered by any do you know Torah the word of God is like an owners manual that tells you best practices for your life if you buy a car usually the manufacturer gives you a manual it tells you when to change the oil what kind of fuel to use how to rotate the tires what pressure you should put in the tires all the various things concerning your car best practices if you want your car to last a long time and serve you well that is in a sense exactly what Torah is that’s what the word of God is this is describing best practices for your marriage best practices for your children best practices how to handle your money best practices how to rest your body best practices for food and nutrition this is a manual for best practices and what Paul is telling us here all things are lawful that means like… and the analogy with a car you don’t have to change the oil ever if you don’t want to it’s just not going to go well with you all things are lawful not all things are profitable or you could decide to fill your fuel tank with half gasoline half water you can do that it’s lawful it’s just not profitable if you have houseplants at your house you can pour hydrochloric acid over your houseplants instead of water with plant food it’s lawful it’s just going to kill your plants its not profitable we have today for example many people that live together without being married they say I don’t see any harm in that do you know what you’ll destroy the potential of your future marriage I was just reading an article that my brother Dave sent me this week and it was talking statistically about the fact that the more sexual encounters a person has before they get married the greater…. it’s correlated directly with the degree of divorce in other words people who have had no sexual encounters they get married as virgins their chance of never getting divorced is very very high people that have lived with other people people that have had multiple sexual relationships before they get married have a much greater chance of having a divorce destroying their marriage relationship why is that? because it violates a principle that God outlined in his word again can you do that is it possible yes you can it damages and destroys relationship with God it damages and destroys relationship with people it diminishes the future potential of your marriage but you can go and do that what I’m saying is there are many things that you could do they’re just not helpful they’re not profitable the word of God what God said in the Bible what Yeshua Ha Mashiach said the red letters you know in the new testament these are things that cause your life to prosper you can violate them for example another real simple one is God said you ought to rest your body one day in seven it’s called Shabbat you ought to not do work you ought to set that day aside and have that as a special day if you don’t do that you’ll still live God will still love you you’ll decrease your quality of life and you’ll decrease the amount of work that you get done I hear many people say well all that stuff in the law you know in the old testament I don’t have to follow that because we’re set free from the law here’s what I’m telling you all things are lawful it’s just not all things are profitable you don’t have to tithe use 10% of your money as dedicated unto the Lord it’s very profitable if you do I guarantee you many can testify I can in my own life you’ll end up with a whole lot more money available if you honor the Lord’s tithe than if you don’t but all things are lawful not all things are profitable so here’s the question what is Holy Spirit speaking to you today are there areas in your life where you’ve been violating principles in the word of God and saying well I’m not under the law I don’t have to do that and yet you’re bearing a consequence maybe there’s something that you would want to consider changing and saying you know what I don’t have to do that I choose to do that because it’s going to bless others around me it’s going to extend my life another one for example Deuteronomy 5:16 honor your father and mother two reasons it will go well with you and you’ll live long in the land which the Lord your God gives you do you have to do that no you don’t have to do that you can dishonor your parents its a principle you just shorten your life and it won’t go well for you in your own adult life all things are lawful not all things are profitable I encourage you grab hold of what the word of God says these things were written for a purpose and they will bless your life so Father I pray for each one of us today that you would speak to us are there things in my life Lord that I need to change they might be lawful but they’re not profitable I’m damaging myself I’m damaging others Father would you just reveal that to me just take a moment and ask God God is there something in my life that you want to speak to me about today and whatever it is that God shows you will you make a commitment to bring that before Him and say God Give me Grace to change that area of my life if you’ll do that you will like Deuteronomy 5:16 said you will live long and prosper in the land which the Lord your God gives you God Bless You today