There is no cleansing and growing without confession, there are no restored relationships without confession first and the forgiveness that comes after. We must have both elements to see progress for both parties.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Both Confession and Forgiveness are Necessary
We can not grow in holiness without confession of sin. Even the help programs for alcoholism understands the need to own our sins to go forward in forsaking them. When we forgive without requiring a confession of the offenses, we defy the purpose of confession and forgiveness. The confession helps the sinner to feel cleansed and more able to move forward in refusing that sin the next time they are faced a temptation.
There is no cleansing and growing without confession, there are no restored relationships without confession first and the forgiveness that comes after. We must have both elements to see progress for both parties.
There is no cleansing and growing without confession, there are no restored relationships without confession first and the forgiveness that comes after. We must have both elements to see progress for both parties.
Those Who Speak Falsely
2 John 1:10 "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;"
When we meet people who bring a false gospel into our relationships, we are to correct them, if they will not stop then they must be ignored them and put away from us. Sadly our culture teaches us that we are never to reject anyone, they may breathe in some of our "Christian air" and by osmosis trust Christ.
2 John 1:10 "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;"
Titus 3:10 "Reject a factious man after a first and second warning,"
2 Timoth 4:2 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
This thinking, our demeanor alone will cause a person to want Christ, is not in line with the principles of Christ. God clearly says that keeping company with unsaved people does not cause them to become believers, it only taints our walk with God and ultimately validates the life by our silence.
Isaiah 26:10
“But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the Lord."
People become born again by hearing the gospel, not because they think we are "nice people." When we speak the gospel boldly, most will not like it, but we must do it anyway. In fact in most cases, no matter how calmly or nicely we speak the gospel the response to it will be hostile.
Luke 6:26 "“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets."
Luke 10:16 ""The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.""
John 3:36 "John 3:36
"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Romans 2:8 "but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation."
Those who do not want Christ will accuse us of things that are not true while attempting to undermine our character. The only way to please an unsaved rebellious person is to do, be and say everything they want you to, then they will see you as an extension of themselves and therefore acceptable to them. Honor and respect must be earned by validating everything they are and everything they do. Do we see the problem here?
The gospel doesn't validate anything in a human beings life, rather the opposite is true, it exposes our sinful nature and requires change that only Christ can make in us. The rebellious person refuses to listen to anyone let alone submit to God Whom they cannot see, taste or feel.
The important thing to remember is that we need to be immersed in the Word of God, directed by the Holy Spirit and uninfluenced by the culture to remain strong and grow in righteousness and wisdom.
When we meet people who bring a false gospel into our relationships, we are to correct them, if they will not stop then they must be ignored them and put away from us. Sadly our culture teaches us that we are never to reject anyone, they may breathe in some of our "Christian air" and by osmosis trust Christ.
2 John 1:10 "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;"
Titus 3:10 "Reject a factious man after a first and second warning,"
2 Timoth 4:2 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
This thinking, our demeanor alone will cause a person to want Christ, is not in line with the principles of Christ. God clearly says that keeping company with unsaved people does not cause them to become believers, it only taints our walk with God and ultimately validates the life by our silence.
Isaiah 26:10
“But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the Lord."
People become born again by hearing the gospel, not because they think we are "nice people." When we speak the gospel boldly, most will not like it, but we must do it anyway. In fact in most cases, no matter how calmly or nicely we speak the gospel the response to it will be hostile.
Luke 6:26 "“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets."
Luke 10:16 ""The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.""
John 3:36 "John 3:36
"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Romans 2:8 "but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation."
Those who do not want Christ will accuse us of things that are not true while attempting to undermine our character. The only way to please an unsaved rebellious person is to do, be and say everything they want you to, then they will see you as an extension of themselves and therefore acceptable to them. Honor and respect must be earned by validating everything they are and everything they do. Do we see the problem here?
The gospel doesn't validate anything in a human beings life, rather the opposite is true, it exposes our sinful nature and requires change that only Christ can make in us. The rebellious person refuses to listen to anyone let alone submit to God Whom they cannot see, taste or feel.
The important thing to remember is that we need to be immersed in the Word of God, directed by the Holy Spirit and uninfluenced by the culture to remain strong and grow in righteousness and wisdom.
Stand For Your Marriage!
Our actions prove our heart!
Manipulating others through covert maneuvers shows the inner heart of a person who wants to control rather than bless others. When we do things to people in order to force them to do things our way, then we are selfish lacking a servants heart.
As believers, all that we do, should be out of concern for the well being of those in our life. Nothing else should motivate us except blessing those around us with truth, seeking their good and their desires.
When we have a relationship it should be based on "working out" the matters of life together, this requires communication and concern. When one person seeks to continually have their own way without regard for their spouse, it is hurtful and damaging to the relationship. God never intended for a marriage to be one party getting all they want their way, without regard for the other person.
1 Peter 3:7 "You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered."
To completely ignore or disregard the desires and feelings of our spouse is to tell them they don't matter or are not worthy of respect and honor. When a spouse gets this message they become discouraged in the relationships and lose trust for their spouse.
It has been my observation recently that many people are experiencing interlopers who attempt to poke their noses into the marriages of others because of their idolization of one person in the marriage while showing contempt for the other. This favoritism is devilish, it seeks to undermine the marriage for the sake of diverting attention from the spouse to the interloper.
I have heard of such a case, where those who interfere in the marriage, attempt to influence the easily manipulated target for their own desires, while covertly picking on the spouse for their own gain.
When we see this happening we need to remove those nosy parkers from our life to protect the marriage. These people target the easily manipulated spouse to make decisions without their husband or wife. The goal of the narcissists who do this is to turn the one spouse against the other so they can maintain control over the marriage.
NO ONE outside a marriage should be allowed to remain in a friendship with a couple who are using these methods to undermine a marriage.
2 Thessalonians 3:11 "For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like BUSYBODIES."
1 Timothy 5:13 "Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not."
1 Thessalonians 4:11 "And to aspire to live quietly, and to MIND YOUR OWN AFFAIRS, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,"
Proverbs 20:3 "It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling."
Leviticus 19:16 "You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord."
I think we have sufficient evidence from the word to show that judging someone else's marriage while attempting to interfere by influencing one person against another is sin. Those who recognize the culprits must stand against them to protect the marriage.
Manipulating others through covert maneuvers shows the inner heart of a person who wants to control rather than bless others. When we do things to people in order to force them to do things our way, then we are selfish lacking a servants heart.
As believers, all that we do, should be out of concern for the well being of those in our life. Nothing else should motivate us except blessing those around us with truth, seeking their good and their desires.
When we have a relationship it should be based on "working out" the matters of life together, this requires communication and concern. When one person seeks to continually have their own way without regard for their spouse, it is hurtful and damaging to the relationship. God never intended for a marriage to be one party getting all they want their way, without regard for the other person.
1 Peter 3:7 "You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered."
To completely ignore or disregard the desires and feelings of our spouse is to tell them they don't matter or are not worthy of respect and honor. When a spouse gets this message they become discouraged in the relationships and lose trust for their spouse.
It has been my observation recently that many people are experiencing interlopers who attempt to poke their noses into the marriages of others because of their idolization of one person in the marriage while showing contempt for the other. This favoritism is devilish, it seeks to undermine the marriage for the sake of diverting attention from the spouse to the interloper.
I have heard of such a case, where those who interfere in the marriage, attempt to influence the easily manipulated target for their own desires, while covertly picking on the spouse for their own gain.
When we see this happening we need to remove those nosy parkers from our life to protect the marriage. These people target the easily manipulated spouse to make decisions without their husband or wife. The goal of the narcissists who do this is to turn the one spouse against the other so they can maintain control over the marriage.
NO ONE outside a marriage should be allowed to remain in a friendship with a couple who are using these methods to undermine a marriage.
2 Thessalonians 3:11 "For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like BUSYBODIES."
1 Timothy 5:13 "Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not."
1 Thessalonians 4:11 "And to aspire to live quietly, and to MIND YOUR OWN AFFAIRS, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,"
Proverbs 20:3 "It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling."
Leviticus 19:16 "You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord."
I think we have sufficient evidence from the word to show that judging someone else's marriage while attempting to interfere by influencing one person against another is sin. Those who recognize the culprits must stand against them to protect the marriage.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Showing Off is Sinful!
I don't like the videos of people in shopping centers or on the street paying for someone else's groceries. These seem like "show-off" acts to me since they are not even discerning whether or not people need it. I believe when we give like that it ought to be in secret and if there is a real need.
Just making yourself feel good momentarily while getting praise from others for it, does not mean it is a selfless act. Often good deeds are for self aggrandizement. God hates this kind of giving and says that we have our reward already it will not count in heaven.
I also am a little appalled when ball players get out on the field and bow down in public, when they could have done it in the locker room. I wonder what a ball player is praying for when he does this? Is he praying to win the game or to be a better player or even worse is he praying to impress those in the stand. If he is praying for anything but the salvation of the people in the stands, then he is probably just a show off.
Matthew 6:1-8 "6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
3 But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."
Many people love themselves for their good deeds but those deeds don't save them.
Just making yourself feel good momentarily while getting praise from others for it, does not mean it is a selfless act. Often good deeds are for self aggrandizement. God hates this kind of giving and says that we have our reward already it will not count in heaven.
I also am a little appalled when ball players get out on the field and bow down in public, when they could have done it in the locker room. I wonder what a ball player is praying for when he does this? Is he praying to win the game or to be a better player or even worse is he praying to impress those in the stand. If he is praying for anything but the salvation of the people in the stands, then he is probably just a show off.
Matthew 6:1-8 "6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
3 But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."
Many people love themselves for their good deeds but those deeds don't save them.
Bad Company Corrupts Good Character
"Bad company corrupts good character." 1 Corinthians 15:33
When we hang out with, enjoy and spend lots of time with ungodly people we tend to act like them to be accepted, it is human nature.
It is also true that we hang around those we feel most comfortable with, rather than those who will challenge us to greater holiness. We used to hear a saying years ago that covers this principle. "if you are in the bad crowd, you are the bad crowd."
Those who refuse to be corrected or instructed, have a habit of choosing friends who elevate them, not questioning anything they do, allowing them to feel elevated in their own eyes. They tend to reject anyone who will expose a wrong attitude or thinking, their elevated status in their own minds does not allow them to think anything but positive about themselves. There are those who will even "rage" at us for the slightest correction or rebuke.
Proverbs 11:2 - [When] pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly [is] wisdom.
Proverbs 16:5 - Every one [that is] proud in heart [is] an abomination to the LORD: [though] hand [join] in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
Proverbs 29:23 - A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Proverbs 16:18 - Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Galatians 6:3 - For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Proverbs 27:2 - Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
Proverbs 26:12 - Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? [there is] more hope of a fool than of him.
James 4:6 - But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Jeremiah 9:23 - Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches:
Philippians 2:3 - [Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
1 John 2:16 - For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Romans 12:16 - [Be] of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
If we are secure in our walk with Christ, we are able to look at all sides of ourselves. We can say, "I was wrong" or "that was dumb of me", without flinching. When our goal is to learn all we can about Christ in us, we can look negative comments straight in the face and truthfully evaluate them.
If we cannot see anything negative in ourselves, or take a rebuke from anyone, we have a spirit of pride, there will be no spiritual growth until we can do this. Many people remain spiritual babies their entire lives because they don't care about "being" holy, they only want to "appear" that way, no effort is required, except keeping up a superficial persona. These people are very different at home with family than the rest of the world sees them.
Are you the same everywhere you go, whether alone or in a crowd? Do you act differently depending on which crowd you happen to be with? Those who love God are the same everywhere at anytime, they are steady and steadfast.
1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
Psalm 61:3 "For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy."
Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
Those who change their colors like a chameleon depending on who they are with, walk in fear, fear of rejection by those who might find out the "real them."
When we walk with Christ everyday, we can rest in who He is making us, admitting who we are while having joy that God is working on us and we don't have to be anything, He is everything, it's all about Him, every bit of it.
Psalm 136:1-26
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew[a] Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
17 to him who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
When we hang out with, enjoy and spend lots of time with ungodly people we tend to act like them to be accepted, it is human nature.
It is also true that we hang around those we feel most comfortable with, rather than those who will challenge us to greater holiness. We used to hear a saying years ago that covers this principle. "if you are in the bad crowd, you are the bad crowd."
Those who refuse to be corrected or instructed, have a habit of choosing friends who elevate them, not questioning anything they do, allowing them to feel elevated in their own eyes. They tend to reject anyone who will expose a wrong attitude or thinking, their elevated status in their own minds does not allow them to think anything but positive about themselves. There are those who will even "rage" at us for the slightest correction or rebuke.
Proverbs 11:2 - [When] pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly [is] wisdom.
Proverbs 16:5 - Every one [that is] proud in heart [is] an abomination to the LORD: [though] hand [join] in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
Proverbs 29:23 - A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Proverbs 16:18 - Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Galatians 6:3 - For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Proverbs 27:2 - Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
Proverbs 26:12 - Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? [there is] more hope of a fool than of him.
James 4:6 - But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Jeremiah 9:23 - Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches:
Philippians 2:3 - [Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
1 John 2:16 - For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Romans 12:16 - [Be] of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
If we are secure in our walk with Christ, we are able to look at all sides of ourselves. We can say, "I was wrong" or "that was dumb of me", without flinching. When our goal is to learn all we can about Christ in us, we can look negative comments straight in the face and truthfully evaluate them.
If we cannot see anything negative in ourselves, or take a rebuke from anyone, we have a spirit of pride, there will be no spiritual growth until we can do this. Many people remain spiritual babies their entire lives because they don't care about "being" holy, they only want to "appear" that way, no effort is required, except keeping up a superficial persona. These people are very different at home with family than the rest of the world sees them.
Are you the same everywhere you go, whether alone or in a crowd? Do you act differently depending on which crowd you happen to be with? Those who love God are the same everywhere at anytime, they are steady and steadfast.
1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
Psalm 61:3 "For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy."
Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
Those who change their colors like a chameleon depending on who they are with, walk in fear, fear of rejection by those who might find out the "real them."
When we walk with Christ everyday, we can rest in who He is making us, admitting who we are while having joy that God is working on us and we don't have to be anything, He is everything, it's all about Him, every bit of it.
Psalm 136:1-26
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew[a] Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
17 to him who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
An Apology is only Forgiven if there is a Change of Action
I need to clarify something, when we say we are sorry for offending by placing porn, masquerading as journalism, on facebook, but refuse to remove the pictures, we are saying "I'm sorry you got offended, but I really don't care about you." This happened to me just today. I was asked to forgive a man for posting vile pictures in a parade, when I said I did forgive him I was forced to take back my forgiveness because he refused to take the pictures down. There is no forgiveness for someone who will not stop sinning.
Why do so many men think it's alright to post just because it was an article by someone who was against the acts. I suggest that if someone is really against the act, then they would avoid all contact with news about it, especially photos.
This kind of apology was given to me privately in chat with scripture to justify it by saying "I am not under the law."
When we are not under condemnation of the law, it does not mean that we are free to be as sinful and vile as we choose while thumbing our noses at a brother or sister. Using Scripture out of context to justify sin is blasphemous at best.
What could possibly be so important about showing the wickedness that evil people do, that we would be willing to destroy the sensibilities of another believer to do it. It is in fact, a violation of God's Word to put up wicked pictures of what evil people do.
Psalm 101:3 "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me."
When we put up pictures of men depicting Jesus or photos of porn to prove a point, we are in serious danger of making a brother or sister fall. IT IS SIN!!!!!!
Romans 14:21 "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak."
Ephesians 5:12 "For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."
Don't think for one moment that it is alright with God to put up pictures that normally one would have to go to a porn store to buy. It doesn't matter whether it really happened or not, we are not to indulge in that filth to any degree. We do not need to see it, nor do we need to show it.
Brothers and sisters, let's be careful to keep a clean heart while protecting the minds and hearts of God's family.
Why do so many men think it's alright to post just because it was an article by someone who was against the acts. I suggest that if someone is really against the act, then they would avoid all contact with news about it, especially photos.
This kind of apology was given to me privately in chat with scripture to justify it by saying "I am not under the law."
When we are not under condemnation of the law, it does not mean that we are free to be as sinful and vile as we choose while thumbing our noses at a brother or sister. Using Scripture out of context to justify sin is blasphemous at best.
What could possibly be so important about showing the wickedness that evil people do, that we would be willing to destroy the sensibilities of another believer to do it. It is in fact, a violation of God's Word to put up wicked pictures of what evil people do.
Psalm 101:3 "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me."
When we put up pictures of men depicting Jesus or photos of porn to prove a point, we are in serious danger of making a brother or sister fall. IT IS SIN!!!!!!
Romans 14:21 "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak."
Ephesians 5:12 "For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."
Don't think for one moment that it is alright with God to put up pictures that normally one would have to go to a porn store to buy. It doesn't matter whether it really happened or not, we are not to indulge in that filth to any degree. We do not need to see it, nor do we need to show it.
Brothers and sisters, let's be careful to keep a clean heart while protecting the minds and hearts of God's family.
Never Fear Brothers and Sisters!
-Psalm 45:10-11 KJV
Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; 11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him."
Who is the most important to us in our lives? If we say children, husband, wife or extended family, then we have idols. We can love these people, however, when they attempt to destroy our walk with God or undermine the path God has for us personally, then we are to place Christ first. We wish they would come with us in our pursuit for holiness and God's will, but most often they will not.
Matthew 22:1-14
"1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,
2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to [b]a king who [c]gave a wedding feast for his son.
3 And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
4 Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’
5 But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,
6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
7 But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
8 Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
9 Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’
10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests."
11 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,
12 and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.
13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 FOR MANY ARE CALLED BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.”
Losing family is not the worst thing that can happen to us. Losing the protection of the Lord because we are choosing family over Him, is far more important. God will not listen to those who choose other gods over Him.
Proverbs 1;28 ""Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,"
Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear."
Even believers can stray from making God their first love. To place family above God is always sin! Without realizing it we can diminish our obedience to Christ in favor of the love of family. Fear of being alone drives us to capitulate to family when Christ in us can make us completely content with being alone if that is His will.
John 14:16-18
"16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
17 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.
18 “I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU AS ORPHANS, I will come to you."
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."
To follow Christ means that we will lose nearly everyone we thought were suppose to love us. They love the things of the world, their pride and their pleasure more than they love God and more than they love us. We must choose between the world and God, how we choose may be an indication of whether or not we were ever born again.
Matthew 10:32-39
"32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I came to [d]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 He who has found his [e]life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it."
The act and attitude of declaring Christ before men, no matter how the delivery, will chase off those who are contemptuous toward Him. They may attempt to make us look like the one they hate, but in fact it is not us, it is the Holy Spirit that lives in us that makes them so very uncomfortable. They will have to concocted perceived wrongs against them to make us the fall guy, however, we know it is not about us, but God that frightens them.
Often a frightened animal will become vicious, their fear drives them to attack. This is the case with non-believers who come in contact with the Holy Spirit, they will attack anyone or anything that makes them feel convicted about their sin. We know this because of the death of Christ. He did nothing but good, harmed no one and healed many while He was walking the earth, and yet, remember their response was to revile Him.
John 15:18-25
"18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have [b]sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.
25 But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’"
Never fear brothers and sisters, we can expect this to intensify, but we have the King of Kings living in us, we do not need to fear what the world will do to us. What a blessing to be a child of the King, knowing that soon it will all be over and we will get to go home. In the mean time we keep speaking truth according to the love of Christ and leave all the results to Him.
Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; 11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him."
Who is the most important to us in our lives? If we say children, husband, wife or extended family, then we have idols. We can love these people, however, when they attempt to destroy our walk with God or undermine the path God has for us personally, then we are to place Christ first. We wish they would come with us in our pursuit for holiness and God's will, but most often they will not.
Matthew 22:1-14
"1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,
2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to [b]a king who [c]gave a wedding feast for his son.
3 And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
4 Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’
5 But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,
6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
7 But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
8 Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
9 Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’
10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests."
11 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,
12 and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.
13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 FOR MANY ARE CALLED BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.”
Losing family is not the worst thing that can happen to us. Losing the protection of the Lord because we are choosing family over Him, is far more important. God will not listen to those who choose other gods over Him.
Proverbs 1;28 ""Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,"
Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear."
Even believers can stray from making God their first love. To place family above God is always sin! Without realizing it we can diminish our obedience to Christ in favor of the love of family. Fear of being alone drives us to capitulate to family when Christ in us can make us completely content with being alone if that is His will.
John 14:16-18
"16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
17 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.
18 “I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU AS ORPHANS, I will come to you."
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."
To follow Christ means that we will lose nearly everyone we thought were suppose to love us. They love the things of the world, their pride and their pleasure more than they love God and more than they love us. We must choose between the world and God, how we choose may be an indication of whether or not we were ever born again.
Matthew 10:32-39
"32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I came to [d]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 He who has found his [e]life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it."
The act and attitude of declaring Christ before men, no matter how the delivery, will chase off those who are contemptuous toward Him. They may attempt to make us look like the one they hate, but in fact it is not us, it is the Holy Spirit that lives in us that makes them so very uncomfortable. They will have to concocted perceived wrongs against them to make us the fall guy, however, we know it is not about us, but God that frightens them.
Often a frightened animal will become vicious, their fear drives them to attack. This is the case with non-believers who come in contact with the Holy Spirit, they will attack anyone or anything that makes them feel convicted about their sin. We know this because of the death of Christ. He did nothing but good, harmed no one and healed many while He was walking the earth, and yet, remember their response was to revile Him.
John 15:18-25
"18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have [b]sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.
25 But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’"
Never fear brothers and sisters, we can expect this to intensify, but we have the King of Kings living in us, we do not need to fear what the world will do to us. What a blessing to be a child of the King, knowing that soon it will all be over and we will get to go home. In the mean time we keep speaking truth according to the love of Christ and leave all the results to Him.
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