Meditate on this and you will remain confident and at peace!

Isaiah 41:9-11 "…9 I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said, ‘You are My servant.’ I have chosen and not rejected you.
10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.
11 Behold, all who rage against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will be reduced to nothing and will perish.…"

Joshua 1:9
"Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Matthew 28:20
"and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

2 Timothy 1:7
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control."

Romans 8:31
"What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Last Days of Deep Deception

In these last days of deep deception, it is good to know the tactics of the 2 Timothy 3:1-5 mentality that many people, even most people will display regularly.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult (ragingly insane)Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, 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 people as these."

Notice God says to "avoid such people." He never says to hang around with them because maybe they will like you and then like Christ. Just the opposite is true, these people if in our company too often will provoke us to be like them, engaging in silly arguments about things that are untrue or don't matter. They are an enormous distraction to our walk with Christ.

 
They will argue against God's Word while claiming to be Christians. They warp the truth to fit their agenda and bludgeon those who do not fall in line with them.
Satan did this in the beginning with Eve, causing her to doubt what God said so that she would willingly disobey Him. The devil makes us doubt our beliefs about God through the attacks of those who are controlled by Him. They do it to weaken us so they can feel superior to us.

 
John 8:43-45 "…43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message.

44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!…"

The devil seeks to control and dominate us so we can no longer feel secure in our walk with Christ. He convinces us that we didn't read what God said in His Word correctly, distorting it to destroy our relationship with Christ.

 
Those who wish to control and dominate others for their own desire for superiority will lie and claim they are concerned about us but really what they want is to manipulate us into following them.

 
2 Corinthians 11:14-15
"14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds."

Those who wish to own and control us will punish us when they don't get out of us what they want.

 
Those who want to control us while attempting to make it seem as though we are always wrong, and always foolish in whatever we say and do. The tactics are very subtle but just as damaging as if they spoke them outright. They do it subtly so they can deny it if confronted, making their target the bad one for exposing them.
These controllers blame us for the chaos they create and refuse to listen to any resolution to problems. They thrive on false accusations and when we are not affected by them, they begin the gossip to turn others against us.

Pretenders are like this, they demand respect toward them but show none to others. They are hypocrites who show to the world, and even in the church how kind and giving they are, but in private with those they are jealous of, they use every tactic possible to undermine and harm the one who will not follow them like a puppy.
These people judge others harshly for past forgiven sins while they live in an attitude of sinful pride as though they have no sins of their own.

 
These people easily rage when confronted about their own self-righteousness and are ruthless with those they cannot control.

These people are addicted to admiration but have no desire for transformation, they do not self-reflect to pray for holiness.

Matthew 23:27-28
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

Those who love themselves more than God and others often display entitlement tendencies. They take what doesn't belong to them, claiming they deserve it. They expect special treatment and any gift from them comes with strings attached as though now they have something over the one who received the gift, affording them the right to mistreat and disrespect the one who received the gift, a sort of control through giving.

 
Gift giving is about bringing glory to themselves not because they love the one to whom they are giving it.

 
Our fear of them is their food, they need it to continue their facade. Their grudge toward those they hate is a lifelong bitterness and resentment against those they cannot control.

 
Those who practice continual aggrandizement to appear superior are demonstrating the same pride that got the devil thrown out of heaven. Their superiority and authority is an illusion not reality.

Isaiah 14:13-14 "13 You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”…"

Those who are controlled by the devil think they are under their own control, deceiving themselves, they never forgive and never forget, they enjoy their anger the only thing that sustains their sense of self-exaltation.

 
Those who walk in this kind of anger don't just hate us they have to make sure others hate us too.

God's instruction to us with those who hate us is the following;

Romans 12:19 "19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”

Those who harm others to elevate themselves, play the victim while they remain the aggressor. When they are exposed they play the victim as though you are the bad one. This tactic is the evidence they are not sorry and refuse to change.

 
These people in Christian circles will twist scripture, cry, and even blame others for their own bad behavior, after all, they claim to only be reacting to others, when they started the whole mess with their disrespect and ruthlessness. They pretend to be humble while covertly tearing others down. They hide all this from those they wish to impress and don't know what they are doing to others.

 
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves."

We need not agonize over those who are pretenders and troublemakers, we can understand them, disengage, and avoid them.

Give it to God and Then Leave it with Him

We are living in times when the people are hardened. 

 
God told me that all my prayers for my children and this country for the past 50 years still count and one more prayer is not going to deter Him from His will.
I have come to understand that begging God is tantamount to not accepting His will in many cases.

 
Paul prayed three times for his infirmity to be removed, when God did not do it he accepted it and lived with it to the end of his life.

 
Christians use one passage out of context about a woman who nagged a leader to give her what she wanted, as evidence that we should nag God until we get what we want.

 
This woman was begging an unjust ruler, how does this relate to God? This passage is telling us to expect God to exact justice on our behalf, not that we keep praying for whatever we want and expect God to give it to us.

 
God knows in these last days justice will be nearly expunged from the earth by wicked men. We cannot expect justice in a time when the whole earth is evil but we can expect justice eventually when God judges the earth. Believers in Christ have no need for revenge against their enemies because they know He will eventually have their back the best way possible through His justice.

 
Luke 18:1-8 "18 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged,

2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person.
3 Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’
4 For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect any person,
5 yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice; otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge *said;
7 now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night, and will He delay long for them?
8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly." However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [d]faith on the earth?”"

God is saying here that we ought not to become discouraged over injustice, and that God will bring justice in His time His way even if he has to use an unjust person to do it. However, often we do not get what we want because it is not God's will that we have it.

 
Do not feel as though you have sinned by leaving someone or a nation to God and abandoning prayer for a particular matter. I never stop praying, it is continual every day about many things but not about the same thing over and over again as though God will hear me better because I begged Him.

Matthew 6:6-8 "…6 But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

7 And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.…"

The pagans think they are righteous because they repeat mantras over and over again, God said not to be like them.

And, don't forget that the Holy Spirit leads us as to what we should pray and He prays on our behalf when we don't know what we should pray. We can trust Christ with our needs and desires, and we should accept His will and move on to other things when we know He heard and now the ball is in His court.

I hear Christians all the time chastising people to keep praying, this is not necessarily Biblical, it lacks trust in Christ that He has heard and that He will do His will in the matter.

 
Remember all the prayers you brought to God over the years still count!

"He who spares the guilty punishes the innocent." (Author Unknown)

When the offender is not confronted to repent and the offended is confronted to forgive without any sign of repentance, we are punishing the offended and coddling the offender, further supporting the evil.

God has mercy for those who are sorry and ashamed but does not have mercy for those who have no shame over their sin.

 
Jeremiah 6:15 "Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done? They were not ashamed at all, Nor did they know even how to be ashamed. Therefore they will fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They will collapse,” says the Lord."

Mercy is for the repentant not for those who flaunt and defend their sin. Forgiveness is for those who are sorry, not for those who are proud of the sin.
Jeremiah 7:16, God instructs the prophet Jeremiah to "do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you".

 
Jeremiah 11:14:
"Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry nor prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble".

 
Jeremiah 14:11:
"Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good".

 
Notice one important thing, God allows consequences for those who are rebellious, when we care more about our own feelings to be seen as kind, than we do about the offending person, we will be solidifying the hardness in their heart. We are not a help to them but a hindrance.

 
It is only through consequences that unrepentant people learn the tragedy and devastation of their sin on themselves and others around them.

 
In a nation that promotes happy feelings over emotional and spiritual growth, we will be soft on sin, causing the weakness of the culture to become incurable.
People don't repent anymore, if they are confronted they justify and defend their actions rather than confess to be cleansed of them.

 
Every sin that is unconfessed leads to a hardened heart until all is admitted and the desire to be changed by Christ is fully realized.

 
Proverbs 28:12-14 "…12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves. 13 He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. 14 Blessed is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble."
When feelings take priority over truth and righteousness we have lost the nation.

Love God's Way

Those who are secure in Christ and can discern truth from error are not easily offended. It is a self-focus and worry about what others think of us that makes us offended. If we get rid of the people pleasing and learn to see things correctly we will not be offended.

 
I am not personally offended when people are regularly rude to me, I know it comes from their own insecurity. However, I do not choose to be around people who are easily provoked by simple things, they bring drama, chaos and broken relationships everywhere they go.

 
The only reason someone is easily provoked is if their entire existence is focused on themselves.

James 1:19:
"Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger".

 
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
"9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor; 10 for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up! 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart."

Christ is that third cord in a relationship.

Friends are people we love and edifiy one another with the word of God in all matters, they always have our backs and we have theirs. This is Christian love!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 " Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
8 Love never fails; "

I Love a Good Analogy!

Do not allow the Devil to take control over your heart!

The devil wants believers to be caught up in emotions so we will not think clearly. Knowing the Word of God keeps us from following our emotions. Our natural man tends to place more emphasis on how we feel momentarily than we do no truth.
As we speak the word of God to ourselves in our hearts the emotions dissipate and are left powerless.

The devil often uses half-truths and whole lies which are both full lies, to cause us to believe things that are not true, igniting our emotions like gasoline on a fire.
Those who have Jesus Christ and are seeking Him will not be fooled by the irrational emotions, by doing this they will avoid the consequences of unreasonable and ridiculous actions that destroy relationships.

The devil is all about relationship destruction, using emotions full of lies more than anything else to motivate the words and actions that lead to hate and misery.
1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

When we meet petty, angry and irrational people who twist the truth to appear superior to others, we know the devil is at work in their hearts.

 
Born-again believers who walk but the Spirit of Christ in them, have His love dwelling in them and enjoy blessing and loving others His way.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails;"

When someone walks in love they do not look for the worst in others, they never consider themselves superior to anyone because they know they are not perfect themselves. Those who love others seek to edify one another, bless others with wisdom and come alongside to be support to them when they are in need.
Born-again believers love to edify, share their life experiences with one another showing empathy and joy as they walk together in agreement.

 
Galatians 6:2
"2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Romans 12:15
"15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

It is not love to demean and mock what others are experiencing, it is self exaltation and of the devil.

 
May every believer enjoy the peace that comes from sharing with one another in life's pains and joys.

 
I love a quote my husband uses: "Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow" ( A Swedish Proverb)

 
When we share with others their situations in life we are demonstrating the love of Christ. Our focus is off of self and onto those we love.