When confession is made to God for the selfish mentality of the believer, God can then cleanse the penitent person, moving them on to greater holiness. God will not change a person who does not want to be changed, or believes they are already great. He will allow their mean spirited soul to wander and falter as they experience the storms of life that will show them a need for truthfulness and confession.
Only those who do not have the Holy Spirit can possess a lack of kindness and empathy for others. When self is on the throne and all actions are based on personal aggrandizement, we know there is sin that is dominating them, most likely there is no Holy Spirit in them.
Authentic believers will be ashamed of themselves, apologize and enjoy forgiveness from God and others as they move forward in holiness. Authentic believers are not perfect, but they do experience shame and separation of fellowship with God when they are disobedient. When they confess their sin and are brought back into fellowship, they are free of guilt and chastisment once again.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Hebrews 12:8 "But if ye are without chastening, of which all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."
Those who believe they are perfectly walking with God and have no need of chastisement, might want to take a look at the verse that says if you are not chastised you are bastard children, illegitimate, not saved, lost and going to hell.
Praise the Lord when He corrects us to bring us back into fellowship with Him and others, this is a step forward, a growth spurt.
Those who are too prideful to admit their sin will not enjoy freedom from guilt and the blessing of sweet fellowship. They remain full of reproach, freedom eludes them while they struggle daily to justify their own rebelliousness, blaming others, lying against anyone who would attempt to help them return to righteousness.
The world is full of those who are rebellious as 2 Timothy 3 tells us. It is a picture of the end times, a warning to be careful not to become like those who love their pride. When we see ourselves being sucked into the ways of the world through too much contact with them, it is time to "come out from among them", as the Word of God tells us to do.
2 Corinthians 6:17
"17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."
2 Timothy 3:1-5
“Difficult Times Will Come”
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Our sense of joy is sucked out of us when we remain with those who love their rebellion. The joy that was deep down returns to the surface when we surround ourselves with those who love the Lord, those who care deeply about pleasing Him, obeying Him and living forever with Him. The joy never leaves but the struggles of dealing with rebellious people often keep us so distracted that we feel as if we have lost that joy. We never lose it, but it can be overwhelmed with the nastiness of wicked people, making us think it has left.
How to sense the joy of the Lord again after a round with rebellious people, it is this, pray, read the Word and remove ourselves from those who love their sin and refuse to repent of it.
Don't worry about losing mean people, they know where to find us when they are ready to repent and trust Christ. I am more likely to be patient with non-believers who have never known the way of salvation or the ways of God, than I am with people who call themselves Christians and act like heathens with stubbornness in their hearts and strife in their conversations.
That's just me, I count on the Holy Spirit to make me what I should be every time I need Him, He is always there. I don't have to worry whether I am "doing it right." I know that it will be far different from the way the worldly church thinks we should act. Ignore those who want to suck you into the worldly church mess, let it be the Holy Spirit Who guides and directs.
John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
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