There have been times when I have tried to search my heart and my past to see what I may have done to foster hateful attitudes against me on the part of others. Guess what...I can't see anything that isn't normal human interaction, the same interaction others have, that no one is mad at them for.
I believe that when we are following hard after Christ, those in rebellion, interpret our words and actions differently than they do the same words and actions of those who are not born again. Often people interpret what we say and do in terms of their own attitude rather than what we meant by them. When we desire to clear things up they don't want to have the discussion, as though they have chosen to believe what they want to.
There is an automatic rejection of those who have been born again by those who are unsaved. They hate us, so their interpretation of all that we do will be twisted and skewed to make us look wrong.
Prejudice against the believer is monstrous in our world. The Devil has managed to twist the minds of those who are not saved, into deep anger, even without realizing they are doing it, they have formed their opinions of us based on their own hatred for God's principles.
Thank the Lord He warned us this would be the case. I have been chastised by believers for speaking truth, because someone got angry. The psychology of this thinking says that if someone got angry, then someone else "made them angry."
No one can make anyone else angry, we choose to be angry. We either have righteous anger or unrighteous anger. The anger of the unsaved person toward the believer is irrational at best. Because they have minds controlled by the flesh and the devil they cannot understand the ways of God. Nor do they have a desire to.
The only reason to write about this is to comfort those who may be questioning themselves thinking they may have done something wrong because the world acts as though they hate them.
Don't worry about figuring it out. If you have the Holy Spirit and He has given you peace about what you said or did, then you can leave it with Him, confident that if you do wrong in your words and actions, He will let you know. Learn how to discern between real guilt and false guilt, because the world will attempt to instil false guilt in you to silence you. If you have obeyed God, prayed about it and have peace, then dismiss any accusation against you by non-believers.
1 Peter 4:12-19
"12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?
19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right."
Friday, January 2, 2015
The Real God Like Love
I heard a rabbi recently explain that the Hebrew word for love means two things:
1. an action word for giving and 2. an action word for withholding.
The American culture does not understand the second action of love. We have been taught to allow everyone to have whatever they want while believing anything they want, and that is love.
Unfortunately we have the society we have today, because we did not understand love, when to withhold and when to give. We also misunderstood love to be praising one another no matter what our choices.
We have also misunderstood love to be merely what we say to people, "love ya", without any action to prove it. Words are empty when not accompanied by God's kind of love in action.
Love is determining to give what is good for the person, not necessarily what they want.
Love is often a spanking to show the seriousness of sin in one's life. Love can be putting up with small offenses to heap hot coals of kindness. It can be giving someone what they don't need to show kindness, however it can also be withholding what they need so they will learn to work.
Love is telling the truth even if it hurts, to bring the sinning brother or sister back in line with God's principles.
Love never demeans in order to elevate self. Love is SELFLESS!
When we withhold the truth to make others feel good about themselves, we are really loving only our self, the motive is often to be liked rather than to honor God with truth. We feel bad when others are unhappy, but our motivation is often more about relieving the pressure of pain than what the pain can reveal, therefore cleansing.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
When we feel convicted over sin, we feel bad, but the cleansing that comes from confessing with the desire for change, brings great joy. We rob others of the joy of cleansing and a changed life when we pretend there is no sin by dismissing it through our silence, or giving them excuses for their sin.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
"1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love"
The key to all this, is being able to hear the Holy Spirit as to what is needed and when it is needed. God looks into the heart and can see the need of each person, but the best we have is a guess based on what our culture has taught us.
We must read the Word, know the heart of God and seek the Holy Spirit for each situation to know the right things to do. I no longer listen to the advice of most people in our culture when it comes to love, far too many people have been indoctrinated with the worldly psychological love, to know the heart of God, not to mention their ignorance of the Word of God to make good judgments or have discernment.
Christ knows, lets ask Him!
1. an action word for giving and 2. an action word for withholding.
The American culture does not understand the second action of love. We have been taught to allow everyone to have whatever they want while believing anything they want, and that is love.
Unfortunately we have the society we have today, because we did not understand love, when to withhold and when to give. We also misunderstood love to be praising one another no matter what our choices.
We have also misunderstood love to be merely what we say to people, "love ya", without any action to prove it. Words are empty when not accompanied by God's kind of love in action.
Love is determining to give what is good for the person, not necessarily what they want.
Love is often a spanking to show the seriousness of sin in one's life. Love can be putting up with small offenses to heap hot coals of kindness. It can be giving someone what they don't need to show kindness, however it can also be withholding what they need so they will learn to work.
Love is telling the truth even if it hurts, to bring the sinning brother or sister back in line with God's principles.
Love never demeans in order to elevate self. Love is SELFLESS!
When we withhold the truth to make others feel good about themselves, we are really loving only our self, the motive is often to be liked rather than to honor God with truth. We feel bad when others are unhappy, but our motivation is often more about relieving the pressure of pain than what the pain can reveal, therefore cleansing.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
When we feel convicted over sin, we feel bad, but the cleansing that comes from confessing with the desire for change, brings great joy. We rob others of the joy of cleansing and a changed life when we pretend there is no sin by dismissing it through our silence, or giving them excuses for their sin.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
"1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love"
The key to all this, is being able to hear the Holy Spirit as to what is needed and when it is needed. God looks into the heart and can see the need of each person, but the best we have is a guess based on what our culture has taught us.
We must read the Word, know the heart of God and seek the Holy Spirit for each situation to know the right things to do. I no longer listen to the advice of most people in our culture when it comes to love, far too many people have been indoctrinated with the worldly psychological love, to know the heart of God, not to mention their ignorance of the Word of God to make good judgments or have discernment.
Christ knows, lets ask Him!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Did You Ask Him?
Sadly there are those who think they are born again, have never trusted Christ, wanting only to be protected by Him, but not wanting Him to interfere in their lives. They didn't want to seek His counsel, they didn't want to follow His principles, but they wanted His protection.
They wanted His stuff but they didn't want Him.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Micah 3:4 "Then they will cry out to the LORD, But He will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time Because they have practiced evil deeds."
Proverbs 1:28 "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:"
Psalm 66:18 "If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;"
James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Proverbs 1:22-25 "“How long, O [a]naive ones, will you love [b]being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?
23 “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.
24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you neglected all my counsel
And did not want my reproof"
For those who think that they can ignore God, spurn His instructions, defy His principles while persecuting His people, through flagrant disregard for their counsel, do not think that you will get away with it forever. There is a judgement coming, all your excuses, lies and ignorance will not save you from the wrath of God.
Christ came because He wants to save you from sin, from yourself and from hell. He is giving you every chance through His Word, the Bible. He has sent prophets and other believers for two thousand years until now, to bring this message. He died to this end, in payment for your sin, so that you could be rescued from all this mess, losing nothing but the evil and gaining all the peace and joy God has to offer.
Our circumstances do not necessarily change because we trust Christ, but how we view them takes an immense turn, they no longer control us. May you find the blessed peace that come through turning to Christ, no longer depending on your own devices but to completely trust in Christ.
They wanted His stuff but they didn't want Him.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Micah 3:4 "Then they will cry out to the LORD, But He will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time Because they have practiced evil deeds."
Proverbs 1:28 "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:"
Psalm 66:18 "If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;"
James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Proverbs 1:22-25 "“How long, O [a]naive ones, will you love [b]being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?
23 “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.
24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you neglected all my counsel
And did not want my reproof"
For those who think that they can ignore God, spurn His instructions, defy His principles while persecuting His people, through flagrant disregard for their counsel, do not think that you will get away with it forever. There is a judgement coming, all your excuses, lies and ignorance will not save you from the wrath of God.
Christ came because He wants to save you from sin, from yourself and from hell. He is giving you every chance through His Word, the Bible. He has sent prophets and other believers for two thousand years until now, to bring this message. He died to this end, in payment for your sin, so that you could be rescued from all this mess, losing nothing but the evil and gaining all the peace and joy God has to offer.
Our circumstances do not necessarily change because we trust Christ, but how we view them takes an immense turn, they no longer control us. May you find the blessed peace that come through turning to Christ, no longer depending on your own devices but to completely trust in Christ.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Your Goodness Will Not Save You
When we consider that Christ had to shed His blood for us, how could we ever think that human effort to not sin would have any value? It is silly to think that we could keep our salvation by avoiding sin in our human effort when it took the shed blood of the Perfect Lamb to atone for it.
The only payment for sin is the shed blood of the Perfect Lamb, we could never atone for our own sin by working to keep from sinning, we can't even shed our own blood for our sin, because we are sinful through and through.
Hebrews 9:22 "And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
1 John 1:7″… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth
us from all sin.”
4. Revelation 1:5 “… Unto him that loved us, and washed us
from our sins in his own blood.”
5. Exodus 12:13 “… and when I see the blood, I will pass over
you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you,
when I smite the land of Egypt.”
6. Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood
of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony …”
7. Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience …”
8. Hebrews 10:19, 22 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus … Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience …”
9. Exodus 29:37 “Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for
the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy…”
10. Hebrews 13:12 “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify
the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
God never said during the passover..."when I see how good you have been I will pass over you." NO! He said "when I see the blood I will pass over you."
The Old Testament account of the Passover lamb being killed, his blood being spread on the door posts, was an example of Christ to come and what He would do. His blood covered our sins when we trusted Him by faith. It was prophesy showing what God would do in the future. When Christ came, He fulfilled that prophesy, so that there was no longer any need to have the example, because the real Christ had finished that work.
When the Jews slaughtered the unblemished lamb and smeared the blood of that lamb on the door posts, the Holy Spirit would not bring death to that house.
When a person trusts Christ's shed blood on the cross for their sin, God looks at them and passes over us for judgement. We are no longer under the law of judgment for sin.
Then the Lord moves in, to be our helper, our counselor, our guide and our disciplinarian. All to grow us in holiness after being bought by His precious blood.
Later when the real Lamb of God was slaughtered on that cruel cross, He said that His blood was sufficient to cover the sin of all those who would place their trust in what Christ, nothing more is needed, not self effort of any kind will keep what we never earned in the first place.
John 15:26 "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"
John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
John 14:16-18 ""I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
Notice in verses 16-18 of these passages that God said "that He may be with you forever", in reference to the Holy Spirit. I believe God when He said that He would be with us forever.
Romans 8:16 "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,"
"that we ARE of God." are words that speak very loudly to me. When we have trusted Christ we are signed, sealed and delivered.
Romans 8:26 "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;"
We can't even pray effectively, we need help with even that. When we know Christ is our righteousness, that we have none of our own, then we have no reason to think that anything we do would be of any value apart from Christ. There will be no boasting in heaven or on earth for those who have been born again.
Ephesians 2:1-10 "2 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
So you see, we have no part in our salvation except to believe, placing our trust completely in Christ, all that He did and all that He will do in the future. If you are still trusting in your own ability to be good enough, then you are not born again.
The only payment for sin is the shed blood of the Perfect Lamb, we could never atone for our own sin by working to keep from sinning, we can't even shed our own blood for our sin, because we are sinful through and through.
Hebrews 9:22 "And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
1 John 1:7″… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth
us from all sin.”
4. Revelation 1:5 “… Unto him that loved us, and washed us
from our sins in his own blood.”
5. Exodus 12:13 “… and when I see the blood, I will pass over
you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you,
when I smite the land of Egypt.”
6. Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood
of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony …”
7. Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience …”
8. Hebrews 10:19, 22 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus … Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience …”
9. Exodus 29:37 “Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for
the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy…”
10. Hebrews 13:12 “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify
the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
God never said during the passover..."when I see how good you have been I will pass over you." NO! He said "when I see the blood I will pass over you."
The Old Testament account of the Passover lamb being killed, his blood being spread on the door posts, was an example of Christ to come and what He would do. His blood covered our sins when we trusted Him by faith. It was prophesy showing what God would do in the future. When Christ came, He fulfilled that prophesy, so that there was no longer any need to have the example, because the real Christ had finished that work.
When the Jews slaughtered the unblemished lamb and smeared the blood of that lamb on the door posts, the Holy Spirit would not bring death to that house.
When a person trusts Christ's shed blood on the cross for their sin, God looks at them and passes over us for judgement. We are no longer under the law of judgment for sin.
Then the Lord moves in, to be our helper, our counselor, our guide and our disciplinarian. All to grow us in holiness after being bought by His precious blood.
Later when the real Lamb of God was slaughtered on that cruel cross, He said that His blood was sufficient to cover the sin of all those who would place their trust in what Christ, nothing more is needed, not self effort of any kind will keep what we never earned in the first place.
John 15:26 "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"
John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
John 14:16-18 ""I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
Notice in verses 16-18 of these passages that God said "that He may be with you forever", in reference to the Holy Spirit. I believe God when He said that He would be with us forever.
Romans 8:16 "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,"
"that we ARE of God." are words that speak very loudly to me. When we have trusted Christ we are signed, sealed and delivered.
Romans 8:26 "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;"
We can't even pray effectively, we need help with even that. When we know Christ is our righteousness, that we have none of our own, then we have no reason to think that anything we do would be of any value apart from Christ. There will be no boasting in heaven or on earth for those who have been born again.
Ephesians 2:1-10 "2 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
So you see, we have no part in our salvation except to believe, placing our trust completely in Christ, all that He did and all that He will do in the future. If you are still trusting in your own ability to be good enough, then you are not born again.
The Godly Man is Mocked in the Churches
The way the unregenerate man looks at God's people and God's preachers! And you think we will escape the judgement of God?
Hosea 9:7-9
7 The days of punishment have come, The days of retribution have come;
Let Israel know this! The prophet is a fool, The inspired man is demented,
Because of the grossness of your iniquity, And because your hostility is so great.
8 Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet; Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways, And there is only hostility in the house of his God.
9 They have gone deep in depravity As in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their iniquity, He will punish their sins."
Hosea 9:7-9
7 The days of punishment have come, The days of retribution have come;
Let Israel know this! The prophet is a fool, The inspired man is demented,
Because of the grossness of your iniquity, And because your hostility is so great.
8 Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet; Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways, And there is only hostility in the house of his God.
9 They have gone deep in depravity As in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their iniquity, He will punish their sins."
Rejection has no Power Over the Believer
I have been researching the matter of rejection and what it causes in people who have been left out of things or ignored. It can cause very serious emotional lifelong damage, however, in Christ we have the ability to overcome it with prayer and Bible reading. God has so much encouragement for those who follow hard after Christ and are rejected for it.
If I had not known the verses in the Bible about the rejection of those who bring the truth of Christ to the unsaved, I might be tempted to think that I was a nut case, unworthy of anyone's love.
What I discovered in my study is that, without Christ, those who are treated with disdain in family situations, can become mentally unstable with life long malities that seem impossible to get rid of.
All the information I read, from secular psychologists and even Christian psychologists made claims that if we "do" certain things we will be able to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and carry on a normal life, choosing for ourselves those who might love us.
I felt sad that these "do" things were also seemingly impossible, since we are not able to control the responses of others, we can "do" whatever, but if the response that comes back is more rejection, then we have accomplished nothing except further sadness and depression. Since it is human nature to choose to be friendly to those that look good on the outside, are in style with their clothing, engage in all the party trappings and never challenge anyone, we can expect that manipulative ploys don't work unless we meet all the other criteria for being accepted.
God commanded us in His Word to obey HIS commandments, which include walking away from those who do not want our message.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
We are capable of obeying God no matter what the circumstances, but through Him and not of our own devices.
The focus of the psychologists, was building your own self esteem rather than developing a closer walk with Christ.
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;"
Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
When we seek to be acceptable to others by our manipulative ploys, we are setting ourselves up for failure. People do not respond the way we want them to and they are, at times, able to see through our disguise, not to mention the dishonesty of people and perception management through manipulation.
When the acceptance of people becomes our goal, then we have lost the battle. The goal of the believer should be to please God, grow in holiness and leave the decision of our companions to Him. There is much to say in the scriptures about those we choose to spend time with.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
Those who have lived a life of rejection know that no matter what they it do, does not necessarily bring positive results. When we are dealing with a fallen world, a Christianity that looks more like a club full of beautiful people who are concerned more about fitting in than they do about Christ, we are left with a social organization that promotes popularity rather than holiness, no amount of manipulation will cause these people to live as they should, they must hear the truth of God's Word, that will reveal what is in their hearts.
Those who seek to manipulate their victims to be accepted by them, don't realize they are being dishonest. When we "play act" to win others, we are effectively lying to them. We are leading them to believe we love them, when in reality, we love ourselves and desire to be elevated in their eyes.
Love is not necessarily making others "feel good", that can happen when we show God's love, but there are times when love is discipline or correction. Correction and discipline are the most neglected and even denied forms of love on the planet today.
Verses about disobedience and discipline:
Acts 17:11-13, Deuteronomy 21:18-21, 1 Samuel 15:23, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Proverbs 23:13-14, Colossians 3, 1 John 3:4-5.
Remember when you are rejected because you wanted to obey God, you are not only, not alone, in terms of others who have been, but you have Christ living in you that has not rejected you, but accepted you fully because you trusted in His shed blood on the cross.
If I had not known the verses in the Bible about the rejection of those who bring the truth of Christ to the unsaved, I might be tempted to think that I was a nut case, unworthy of anyone's love.
What I discovered in my study is that, without Christ, those who are treated with disdain in family situations, can become mentally unstable with life long malities that seem impossible to get rid of.
All the information I read, from secular psychologists and even Christian psychologists made claims that if we "do" certain things we will be able to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and carry on a normal life, choosing for ourselves those who might love us.
I felt sad that these "do" things were also seemingly impossible, since we are not able to control the responses of others, we can "do" whatever, but if the response that comes back is more rejection, then we have accomplished nothing except further sadness and depression. Since it is human nature to choose to be friendly to those that look good on the outside, are in style with their clothing, engage in all the party trappings and never challenge anyone, we can expect that manipulative ploys don't work unless we meet all the other criteria for being accepted.
God commanded us in His Word to obey HIS commandments, which include walking away from those who do not want our message.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
We are capable of obeying God no matter what the circumstances, but through Him and not of our own devices.
The focus of the psychologists, was building your own self esteem rather than developing a closer walk with Christ.
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;"
Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
When we seek to be acceptable to others by our manipulative ploys, we are setting ourselves up for failure. People do not respond the way we want them to and they are, at times, able to see through our disguise, not to mention the dishonesty of people and perception management through manipulation.
When the acceptance of people becomes our goal, then we have lost the battle. The goal of the believer should be to please God, grow in holiness and leave the decision of our companions to Him. There is much to say in the scriptures about those we choose to spend time with.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
Those who have lived a life of rejection know that no matter what they it do, does not necessarily bring positive results. When we are dealing with a fallen world, a Christianity that looks more like a club full of beautiful people who are concerned more about fitting in than they do about Christ, we are left with a social organization that promotes popularity rather than holiness, no amount of manipulation will cause these people to live as they should, they must hear the truth of God's Word, that will reveal what is in their hearts.
Those who seek to manipulate their victims to be accepted by them, don't realize they are being dishonest. When we "play act" to win others, we are effectively lying to them. We are leading them to believe we love them, when in reality, we love ourselves and desire to be elevated in their eyes.
Love is not necessarily making others "feel good", that can happen when we show God's love, but there are times when love is discipline or correction. Correction and discipline are the most neglected and even denied forms of love on the planet today.
Verses about disobedience and discipline:
Acts 17:11-13, Deuteronomy 21:18-21, 1 Samuel 15:23, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Proverbs 23:13-14, Colossians 3, 1 John 3:4-5.
Remember when you are rejected because you wanted to obey God, you are not only, not alone, in terms of others who have been, but you have Christ living in you that has not rejected you, but accepted you fully because you trusted in His shed blood on the cross.
Monday, December 29, 2014
From Such Turn Away
In case you were wondering where we are in the prophetic time line, these verses will clear things up:
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
I am noticing the last verse, that many people violate because of family and a desire to be accepted by those close to them. "from such turn away."
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
I am noticing the last verse, that many people violate because of family and a desire to be accepted by those close to them. "from such turn away."
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