I find it interesting that sometimes we are accused of bitterness for not forgiving an unrepentant heart, but the one who sins and lives in rebellion refusing to confess and turn is hailed as the victim.
It is psychology that has perpetrated this falsehood on the world. The devil knows that when someone is not required to be accountable for their life or actions they will only grow worse.
Ignoring sin does not make it go away, facing it, confessing it and resolving to be cleansed by Christ will remove sin.
This is classic narcissism in our world: pamper the one who has done terrible things and is not sorry while pressuring and demeaning the one who will attempt to hold the evil person accountable.
Think about it!!!
Isaiah 26: 10-11 "10 Though grace is shown to the wicked man, he does not learn righteousness. In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly and fails to see the majesty of the LORD. 11 O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people, and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!…"
Proverbs 24:1 "1 Do not envy wicked men or desire their company; 2 for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.…"
Romans 16:17
"Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them."
1 Corinthians 5:11
"But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one."
Psalm 26:4
"I do not sit with deceitful men, Nor will I go with pretenders."
The challenge today is to ask ourselves if we are seeking Christ and reading His word for His truth?
Friday, November 30, 2018
Advise to Fellow Believers
What should the response be when a fellow Christian advises someone to quit smoking because it dishonors God?
Just recently a woman told me she is a good mother because she is teaching her children not to smoke. She smokes herself but tells them not to do what she does.
My response to her was that when we do something that we tell others not to do we are a hypocrite.
Matthew 7:4-5 "…4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
Not only was this woman flying in the face of God's word she was teachingt her children far more by actions than by words.
"More is caught than taught" is a saying we might want to pay close attention to, since the realization that we are more powerful in our actions than our words makes a big difference in how we live our lives.
Titus 2:7
"Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,"
As I muddled through the conversation frustrated that the attacks against me had nothing to do with what I was trying to convey, but all about how "mean" I was in saying it. The way I said it was not mean, just that I said it at all incurred her wrath.
I was not mean, I didn't call names nor did I accuse her of bad character, I simply repeated the words of God. Showing her the difference between the lack of power of words and the power of example.
Not only did this woman use filthy language to show her disdain for me, she also proclaimed loudly the people she knew that were godly. She told me of her relatives that were preachers and missionaries while stating boldly "you don't know who I am" as though knowing all those people made her special. She claimed to be a Christian herself.
I stated that I didn't care who she knew, I was only concerned about the discussion at hand.
Then the real attacks came, her friend on the thread derided me for my delivery saying nothing about the filthy language or smoking of the other woman. They commiserated with one another at my brashness and lack of love, while they were displaying these things and I was not.
The other woman in the discussion who was upholding and pampering the smoker, was demonstratively compassionate toward the smoker as though she were a victim of her addiction rather than having made a choice.
This is common now in the church. Those who tell the truth unreservedly will be personally attacked while the message is ignored completely.
Any challenge at all no matter how mild will be met with hostility.
It is absolutely classic that those who are rebellious and are convinced they are special people will not hear a correction or rebuke.
After all that in the discussion, when I did not retaliate in any way, just quoting scripture, this woman returned to say that she believed her thyroid condition may cause her to be cranky, no mention of her bad habit or her filthy language. Then she regressed even further into excuses stating that maybe our genes from our ancestors caused us to act certain ways.
Once again the truth burned within me, the Holy Spirit could not remain silent. Making excuses that make others at fault for our own sins is also classic narcissism.
Explaining that when we get before God we will not be asked who else made us do something, I added more scripture. We will stand before the Lord by ourselves without excuses for our behavior. We will not be allowed to blame others for our sins.
This set the bomb for another attack. Once again those simple words of truth ignited a fire storm of attack against me for being so harsh. No mention at all about "what" I said only that I said it at all.
Everyday I run into more and more people who demonstrate their psychological bent who think that all their own sins were someone else's fault.
It was interesting to me that the woman didn't consider it a sin to smoke, but just a bad choice. The sin of addiction to anything is clearly mentioned in the Bible. The way anyone begins smoking is to show off for their friends to fit into the culture. Generally it all starts at the bars. Sadly, perhaps the showing off is over, someone grows up and is not showing off anymore but now they are addicted, an equally sinful condition.
It is also sinful to defend those who are in sin to spare their feelings. When we do not speak truth to help someone overcome an addiction then we are a willing partner in their sin.
Proverbs 27:17
"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."
We are to hold our brothers and sisters accountable for one another's lives. We are to help them in their journey toward holiness.
James 5:16
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
Those who will not confess their sin in defiance of God's Word will see the consequences of that defiance.
James 5:19-20
"My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."
Satan has taken over the modern church through the lies of psychology that do not permit accountability or even caring God's way.
A narcissist sees a correction or rebuke as a personal attack. It is my opinion that someone who cannot be corrected by a Christian brother or sister will not stand correction by God. Their heart is stubborn and God will have to bring harder and harder trials to get this person's attention.
Colossians 3:16
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
When there is denial of accountability and resistance to correction, there is rebellion that prevents any spiritual growth If the resistance persists then there is regression.
It is my observation that most people in our world today are not born again. Those who are born again and have a besetting sin will be ashamed, not angry and vengeful, but ashamed.
Jeremiah 6:14-15 "…14 They have dressed the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all. 15 Were they ashamed of the abomination they committed? No, they were not at all ashamed. They did not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse,” says the LORD."
Those who enable the one who sins participates in their rebellion. These enablers have no help for those they encourage in their sin.
Hebrews 3:12-13
"Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
When someone is caught in an addiction they are not only involved in the addiction itself, they are examples for all others around them, they are denying the need to be delivered, therefore they deny Christ no matter what their words say.
When we deny Christ by refusing to stop the sin we are saying the following things without a word:
"I don't care what God thinks"
"I will not ask God to help me become delivered"
"I don't care what kind of an example I am to others."
"I don't care that I am defiling the temple of God.
"I don't care that this addiction will one day cause me illness and distress.
"I don't care that others will have to take care of me when my body reacts violently to the poison of this habit.
When we love people God's way it is far more important that we support them in seeking holiness than it is to make them feel momentarily happy. The love of God has nothing to do with feelings it has to do with truth. Feelings are a by product of stimuli, they are often wrong and based on self exaltation. Facts and truth are what help people to overcome that which keeps them captive.
Here is how it all could have sounded;
"oh my goodness, I never thought of all that, thank you for sharing, I will pray to be delivered."
Wow what a difference that would have made in the smokers life.
Just recently a woman told me she is a good mother because she is teaching her children not to smoke. She smokes herself but tells them not to do what she does.
My response to her was that when we do something that we tell others not to do we are a hypocrite.
Matthew 7:4-5 "…4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
Not only was this woman flying in the face of God's word she was teachingt her children far more by actions than by words.
"More is caught than taught" is a saying we might want to pay close attention to, since the realization that we are more powerful in our actions than our words makes a big difference in how we live our lives.
Titus 2:7
"Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,"
As I muddled through the conversation frustrated that the attacks against me had nothing to do with what I was trying to convey, but all about how "mean" I was in saying it. The way I said it was not mean, just that I said it at all incurred her wrath.
I was not mean, I didn't call names nor did I accuse her of bad character, I simply repeated the words of God. Showing her the difference between the lack of power of words and the power of example.
Not only did this woman use filthy language to show her disdain for me, she also proclaimed loudly the people she knew that were godly. She told me of her relatives that were preachers and missionaries while stating boldly "you don't know who I am" as though knowing all those people made her special. She claimed to be a Christian herself.
I stated that I didn't care who she knew, I was only concerned about the discussion at hand.
Then the real attacks came, her friend on the thread derided me for my delivery saying nothing about the filthy language or smoking of the other woman. They commiserated with one another at my brashness and lack of love, while they were displaying these things and I was not.
The other woman in the discussion who was upholding and pampering the smoker, was demonstratively compassionate toward the smoker as though she were a victim of her addiction rather than having made a choice.
This is common now in the church. Those who tell the truth unreservedly will be personally attacked while the message is ignored completely.
Any challenge at all no matter how mild will be met with hostility.
It is absolutely classic that those who are rebellious and are convinced they are special people will not hear a correction or rebuke.
After all that in the discussion, when I did not retaliate in any way, just quoting scripture, this woman returned to say that she believed her thyroid condition may cause her to be cranky, no mention of her bad habit or her filthy language. Then she regressed even further into excuses stating that maybe our genes from our ancestors caused us to act certain ways.
Once again the truth burned within me, the Holy Spirit could not remain silent. Making excuses that make others at fault for our own sins is also classic narcissism.
Explaining that when we get before God we will not be asked who else made us do something, I added more scripture. We will stand before the Lord by ourselves without excuses for our behavior. We will not be allowed to blame others for our sins.
This set the bomb for another attack. Once again those simple words of truth ignited a fire storm of attack against me for being so harsh. No mention at all about "what" I said only that I said it at all.
Everyday I run into more and more people who demonstrate their psychological bent who think that all their own sins were someone else's fault.
It was interesting to me that the woman didn't consider it a sin to smoke, but just a bad choice. The sin of addiction to anything is clearly mentioned in the Bible. The way anyone begins smoking is to show off for their friends to fit into the culture. Generally it all starts at the bars. Sadly, perhaps the showing off is over, someone grows up and is not showing off anymore but now they are addicted, an equally sinful condition.
It is also sinful to defend those who are in sin to spare their feelings. When we do not speak truth to help someone overcome an addiction then we are a willing partner in their sin.
Proverbs 27:17
"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."
We are to hold our brothers and sisters accountable for one another's lives. We are to help them in their journey toward holiness.
James 5:16
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
Those who will not confess their sin in defiance of God's Word will see the consequences of that defiance.
James 5:19-20
"My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."
Satan has taken over the modern church through the lies of psychology that do not permit accountability or even caring God's way.
A narcissist sees a correction or rebuke as a personal attack. It is my opinion that someone who cannot be corrected by a Christian brother or sister will not stand correction by God. Their heart is stubborn and God will have to bring harder and harder trials to get this person's attention.
Colossians 3:16
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
When there is denial of accountability and resistance to correction, there is rebellion that prevents any spiritual growth If the resistance persists then there is regression.
It is my observation that most people in our world today are not born again. Those who are born again and have a besetting sin will be ashamed, not angry and vengeful, but ashamed.
Jeremiah 6:14-15 "…14 They have dressed the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all. 15 Were they ashamed of the abomination they committed? No, they were not at all ashamed. They did not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse,” says the LORD."
Those who enable the one who sins participates in their rebellion. These enablers have no help for those they encourage in their sin.
Hebrews 3:12-13
"Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
When someone is caught in an addiction they are not only involved in the addiction itself, they are examples for all others around them, they are denying the need to be delivered, therefore they deny Christ no matter what their words say.
When we deny Christ by refusing to stop the sin we are saying the following things without a word:
"I don't care what God thinks"
"I will not ask God to help me become delivered"
"I don't care what kind of an example I am to others."
"I don't care that I am defiling the temple of God.
"I don't care that this addiction will one day cause me illness and distress.
"I don't care that others will have to take care of me when my body reacts violently to the poison of this habit.
When we love people God's way it is far more important that we support them in seeking holiness than it is to make them feel momentarily happy. The love of God has nothing to do with feelings it has to do with truth. Feelings are a by product of stimuli, they are often wrong and based on self exaltation. Facts and truth are what help people to overcome that which keeps them captive.
Here is how it all could have sounded;
"oh my goodness, I never thought of all that, thank you for sharing, I will pray to be delivered."
Wow what a difference that would have made in the smokers life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)