God must judge America even if we were to repent as a nation. We have 55 million babies who have been murdered in their mothers womb, the mothers and the doctors are both cop-able.
When a murderer has been convicted, even if he repents he still must pay the penalty for his sin and will either go to jail for life or pay with his own life through the death penalty.
We have had little justice in our land for 40 years. The penalty for the sin of murder has been ignored, and we have even legalized the act of murder. God will not let us get by with murder without the payment for that sin.
We are under God's judgement!
Psalm 106:32-41
"They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah,
So that it went hard with Moses on their account;
33 Because they were rebellious against His Spirit,
He spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the peoples,
As the Lord commanded them,
35 But they mingled with the nations
And learned their practices,
36 And served their idols,
Which became a snare to them.
37 They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons,
38 And shed innocent blood,
The blood of their sons and their daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with the blood.
39 Thus they became unclean in their practices,
And played the harlot in their deeds.
40 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people
And He abhorred His inheritance.
41 Then He gave them into the hand of the nations,
And those who hated them ruled over them."
Thursday, January 22, 2015
The Holy Spirit Convicts of Sin
When I became born again I did not live for the Lord, I wanted God, but didn't understand what that meant. I wanted His safety and love, but had no understanding of what that looked like.
I didn't read my Bible, because it was not common in our household to open the Bible and there was no prayer except over the meal that was a canned recited one in a hurry to get to the food.
I accepted Christ as my Savior at church camp at 12 years old but didn't live for the Lord until my early twenties. I sinned often out of weakness, rather than turning to Christ for help I turned to other things and people for comfort.
When I became weary of the continual guilt and conviction of the Holy Spirit I fell to my knees confessing my sin, at which time I began pouring over the Bible to learn more about God. I am convinced I was saved, often I questioned my salvation during that time because no matter how much I confessed I felt I was not forgiven. Then I felt guilty for not believing God when He said that He will forgive when we confess.
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."
2 Corinthians 13:5 "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?"
I know this sense of not being forgiven was ingrained in me in childhood when every slightest infraction was met with extreme harshness, even when there was sorrow over sin, there was the condemnation from those who thought they could never sin. I didn't think anyone could or would forgive the past. This thinking extended to my view of God. There was little love in the house, mostly ridicule and mocking, never encouragement.
Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted."
The day I realized that I was a work in progress, that God loved me in spite of my failings and would extend that love to such a degree as to redirect me when it was needed, then is when my spirit began to blossom, peacefully experiencing His love in spite of what was going on around me.
Hebrews 12:11 "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."
James 1:2-8 "2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
I am a believer in harsh rebukes for those who are rebellious, however I do not believe the Bible teaches to continue to be harsh with someone who has repented. Then is when we weep with our brothers and sisters and rejoice at the growth. When we act as though the sin could never be forgiven and that no one else sins that badly, we are walking in pride, a sin that destroys. Often those who think they are above sin, unnecessarily judge harshly others who have turned from their sin and are forgiven, but the prideful judge remains in theirs.
Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted."
Titus 1:10-16 "10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.
12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith,
14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed."
There is a time of patience we must have with new believers, or those who are sinning from weakness and heartache.
There are no excuses for sin, but there is also no excuse for meanness with a brother or sister desiring to be restored. Pride is the motivating factor in reviling one who is seeking Christ.
1 John 5:4 "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
Mark 11:24 ""Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."
1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:"
We know it is God's will that we be cleansed, so we know if we pray for that He will do it. We can have victory over every struggle.
Let go of self and hang on to Christ! Desire what He desires and He will do it.
I didn't read my Bible, because it was not common in our household to open the Bible and there was no prayer except over the meal that was a canned recited one in a hurry to get to the food.
I accepted Christ as my Savior at church camp at 12 years old but didn't live for the Lord until my early twenties. I sinned often out of weakness, rather than turning to Christ for help I turned to other things and people for comfort.
When I became weary of the continual guilt and conviction of the Holy Spirit I fell to my knees confessing my sin, at which time I began pouring over the Bible to learn more about God. I am convinced I was saved, often I questioned my salvation during that time because no matter how much I confessed I felt I was not forgiven. Then I felt guilty for not believing God when He said that He will forgive when we confess.
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."
2 Corinthians 13:5 "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?"
I know this sense of not being forgiven was ingrained in me in childhood when every slightest infraction was met with extreme harshness, even when there was sorrow over sin, there was the condemnation from those who thought they could never sin. I didn't think anyone could or would forgive the past. This thinking extended to my view of God. There was little love in the house, mostly ridicule and mocking, never encouragement.
Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted."
The day I realized that I was a work in progress, that God loved me in spite of my failings and would extend that love to such a degree as to redirect me when it was needed, then is when my spirit began to blossom, peacefully experiencing His love in spite of what was going on around me.
Hebrews 12:11 "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."
James 1:2-8 "2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
I am a believer in harsh rebukes for those who are rebellious, however I do not believe the Bible teaches to continue to be harsh with someone who has repented. Then is when we weep with our brothers and sisters and rejoice at the growth. When we act as though the sin could never be forgiven and that no one else sins that badly, we are walking in pride, a sin that destroys. Often those who think they are above sin, unnecessarily judge harshly others who have turned from their sin and are forgiven, but the prideful judge remains in theirs.
Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted."
Titus 1:10-16 "10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.
12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith,
14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed."
There is a time of patience we must have with new believers, or those who are sinning from weakness and heartache.
There are no excuses for sin, but there is also no excuse for meanness with a brother or sister desiring to be restored. Pride is the motivating factor in reviling one who is seeking Christ.
1 John 5:4 "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
Mark 11:24 ""Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."
1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:"
We know it is God's will that we be cleansed, so we know if we pray for that He will do it. We can have victory over every struggle.
Let go of self and hang on to Christ! Desire what He desires and He will do it.
Everyone Needs To Grow In Marrage
Sadly there are those who get married to have someone to serve them. They have little desire to be an asset to their spouse, but merely hope to be elevated in the eyes of the world because of their choice of a spouse. These people love their popular status, loving sacrificially is not in their mind and the needs of their spouse is irrelevant.
Do not get married if you cannot admit sin and seek Christ, you will only bring misery to the relationship and set the marriage up for failure.
I can speak from experience and authority, since I have been married 43 years to the same man, since my teen years.
When we mess up in marriage, bad attitudes, selfishness and other malities in our character, we can swallow our pride, confess them and do better with Christ helping us. Growth will be necessary in every marriage no matter how wonderful you think you are or how wonderful you think your spouse is.
There are many ups and downs, marriage is two very different personalities coming together. Since opposites do attract, we are impressed with someone different from ourselves, because they seem to have what we lack. Even so, those differences will eventually irritate us if we do not see the value in them long term.
Men and women are very different, they process information differently, God made us that way for a reason. When we learn to respect those differences, we can work together to solve the problems of life, they can enhance one another. There is no room for mocking and ridicule over the differences, this only creates hurt feelings while thwarting any resolution of conflict or moving forward in growth.
When we mess up we must admit it openly and resolve to walk anew.
Anyone going into marriage thinking it will be all about "gooy love", are on the wrong foot to start with. Our aim should be to go into marriage to be an asset to the other person rather than counting on what we think we will get out of them.
THE SELFISHNESS, NARCISSISM AND DOWN RIGHT STUBBORNNESS HAS TO GO!!!!
The final and most important aspect of marriage is that of unity. We must foster unity in the relationship, not by our human effort but by knowing the will of God by studying His Word to find His principles for a married couple.
All the principles for a God honoring relationship, the role of the woman and the role of the men are clearly written in the Word. When we seek God and not men for our model for marriage we have a successful marriage.
Please, Please stay away from the oppressive and demeaning teachings of PHARISAICAL. mentalities (marked by hypocritical censorious self-righteousness. Marriam-Webster Dictionary) there are many, adding to Scripture things that God never said that bring hardship into the marriage.
Proverbs 31 is a wonderful source for learning the woman's role in the family.
Ephesians 5 is another source that teaches the love that is between a man and woman based on their particular roles.
Remember that God has given specific roles to men and women that are unique to their gender bents. Each role is important and the instructions for each role were given to that gender. We can appeal to one another when we see error or sin, but forcing, manipulating and demeaning to get our spouse to do what we think they should do, it not acceptable to God.
When someone is not acting as they should in disobedience to God we are to lovingly appeal while praying for them. Often we find out that someone is not nearly as bad as we thought, we just misunderstood their struggle.
The bottom line in this matter of marriage is this: Seek the Lord with all your heart even if your spouse doesn't seem to be doing it. Love Christ with all your heart and treat your spouse as God wants you to and you may see changes needed in yourself first. Often people are reacting to our wrong attitudes, when they see us change, they can more fully see themselves.
Do not get married if you cannot admit sin and seek Christ, you will only bring misery to the relationship and set the marriage up for failure.
I can speak from experience and authority, since I have been married 43 years to the same man, since my teen years.
When we mess up in marriage, bad attitudes, selfishness and other malities in our character, we can swallow our pride, confess them and do better with Christ helping us. Growth will be necessary in every marriage no matter how wonderful you think you are or how wonderful you think your spouse is.
There are many ups and downs, marriage is two very different personalities coming together. Since opposites do attract, we are impressed with someone different from ourselves, because they seem to have what we lack. Even so, those differences will eventually irritate us if we do not see the value in them long term.
Men and women are very different, they process information differently, God made us that way for a reason. When we learn to respect those differences, we can work together to solve the problems of life, they can enhance one another. There is no room for mocking and ridicule over the differences, this only creates hurt feelings while thwarting any resolution of conflict or moving forward in growth.
When we mess up we must admit it openly and resolve to walk anew.
Anyone going into marriage thinking it will be all about "gooy love", are on the wrong foot to start with. Our aim should be to go into marriage to be an asset to the other person rather than counting on what we think we will get out of them.
THE SELFISHNESS, NARCISSISM AND DOWN RIGHT STUBBORNNESS HAS TO GO!!!!
The final and most important aspect of marriage is that of unity. We must foster unity in the relationship, not by our human effort but by knowing the will of God by studying His Word to find His principles for a married couple.
All the principles for a God honoring relationship, the role of the woman and the role of the men are clearly written in the Word. When we seek God and not men for our model for marriage we have a successful marriage.
Please, Please stay away from the oppressive and demeaning teachings of PHARISAICAL. mentalities (marked by hypocritical censorious self-righteousness. Marriam-Webster Dictionary) there are many, adding to Scripture things that God never said that bring hardship into the marriage.
Proverbs 31 is a wonderful source for learning the woman's role in the family.
Ephesians 5 is another source that teaches the love that is between a man and woman based on their particular roles.
Remember that God has given specific roles to men and women that are unique to their gender bents. Each role is important and the instructions for each role were given to that gender. We can appeal to one another when we see error or sin, but forcing, manipulating and demeaning to get our spouse to do what we think they should do, it not acceptable to God.
When someone is not acting as they should in disobedience to God we are to lovingly appeal while praying for them. Often we find out that someone is not nearly as bad as we thought, we just misunderstood their struggle.
The bottom line in this matter of marriage is this: Seek the Lord with all your heart even if your spouse doesn't seem to be doing it. Love Christ with all your heart and treat your spouse as God wants you to and you may see changes needed in yourself first. Often people are reacting to our wrong attitudes, when they see us change, they can more fully see themselves.
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