I never liked the internet in the beginning, I saw so much foolishness posted, that I resolved to stay away from it four times. The Lord continued to draw me back to it. One day I asked the Lord what the pull was, in being on these social media sites. His answer to me was "use it for Me."
After that prayer was answered, I began to write, expecting most people to reject me as they have in life. The more we love to talk about the Lord the more we are rejected by those around us, even believers, especially if we are women.
After a few weeks on facebook, I became astonished at the responses. I had resolved to continue to write no matter what the response, but never expected what happened.
Family members didn't ask to be my friend and when I asked some of them, they either didn't accept me or they accepted me and said nothing, not even a "hi." They just clicked the little accept button and ignored me, as far as I could tell.
Then there were those who began to disappear as friends after several posts about God. The embarrassment at my boldness about the Lord was more than they could stand and they left.
But the most wonderful thing happened, I had accepted the comings and goings, the rejection and dismissiveness and continued on anyway, knowing this was just a part of the package.
Within a few weeks people began to ask me to be their friends, I didn't know where they were coming from, I had never met them before and they were from all over the country and the world. The Lord helped me in discerning who was genuine and who was not.
I prayed over the whole matter of using the internet for this, tellling the Lord that I was willing to keep going no matter how many friends or if no one became my friend. I never expected total strangers to come to read or interact with me.
When the Lord tells us to do something, He takes care of all the rest of it.
There have been people who have mocked me for being on social media, not really knowing what I do and not being interested, but I laugh at that, because my life has been deeply enriched by those who have come. I have learned much, prayed much and my faith in Christ has soared.
I have met and interacted with people all over the world, even skyped with some of them. I have been blessed by ministries, articles and videos about the Lord, much more than I ever thought I would be, or could have been in just a local gathering.
Seemingly, not that long ago, I had to go to the library to do research, pouring over card files, searching for books by number to do my research, now I type in words and many resources come up to choose from.
It is my opinion that God has opened up this media for such a times as this. Believers who live in places where there is little fellowship, while being rejected by family, they have found each other through the internet. They bless one another with their thoughts about God, their worship and vital information for spiritual growth. They share their concerns and even pray for one another.
I cannot think of a better way to challenge our minds through having to evaluate all that we see, while searching the Word to prove truth.
I cannot see the difference between meeting someone on the street and having a conversation, talking on the phone or the internet. They are all ways that God has used to connect believers and witness to non-believers.
God is using internet to reach the entire world as prophesied in the Bible. We used to have to be missionaries, moving long distances to reach the world, but now we can do it from our own homes. Every believer can witness Christ around the world without leaving their houses.
It is truly a fulfillment of "go into all the world and preach the gospel."
Christ is coming soon, perhaps this massive media push is the final leg in the journey of the fulfillment of prophecy before the Lord returns to take out His church.
I praise the Lord for every one I have had the privilege of meeting and for all the knowledge I have gained through the internet.
Man has used it for evil, but so he did with everything that has been invented, however, God has used it for good. There is no medium that God has allowed us to discover that has not been used for Him in one way or another.
Keep looking up brothers and sisters, it won't be long now, we will all be together at the marriage supper of the Lamb, what an amazing reunion that will be. We have never felt as much love and joy as we will there.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Growing In Holiness
Christ must be the One to make us into the person He wants us to be. To grow in holiness we must ask Him frequently to show us much in our lives. That will involve a little pain, some discipline and even diligence.
A lazy Christian life will produce superficiality, rebellion and backstepping. If we want to go forward in holiness, we must ignore our feelings, heed the correction and direction of other believers.
In order to do this we must ask the Lord to remove all pride and self will, without the removal of these things, we cannot grow in holiness. We will be like stagnant smelly swamps, useless for the kingdom of God.
1 Thessalonians 3:11-4:2
"11 Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you,
12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you,
13 so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. [Amen.]
Chapter 4
1 Finally, brothers, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God—and as you are conducting yourselves—you do so even more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus."
A lazy Christian life will produce superficiality, rebellion and backstepping. If we want to go forward in holiness, we must ignore our feelings, heed the correction and direction of other believers.
In order to do this we must ask the Lord to remove all pride and self will, without the removal of these things, we cannot grow in holiness. We will be like stagnant smelly swamps, useless for the kingdom of God.
1 Thessalonians 3:11-4:2
"11 Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you,
12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you,
13 so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. [Amen.]
Chapter 4
1 Finally, brothers, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God—and as you are conducting yourselves—you do so even more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus."
Is Our Christianity a Show
Do we like to pray in public when it is expected, but neglect prayer when we are alone? This will tell a lot about who we are!
"Character is who we are alone in the dark."
"Character is who we are alone in the dark."
Do We Love The Unlovely?
Do we only love those who elevate us and enhance our lives or do we love those that others might think "unlovely"?
There is no Love in Favoritism
Favoritism is ungodly!
When we choose to favor one parent over the other or one child over the other, we have committed sin.
Acts 10:34 "Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,"
There is no love in partiality!
Ignoring, negating, neglecting and dismissing others simply because we like one personality over another is hateful and mean. Only those who are hiding and angry in their souls choose to elevate the personality they like and in some way enhances them, while negating those that do not enhance them. When we are focused on Christ, we can see the qualities of all believers as a valuable part of the body.
Chances are good, if we play favorites, then we have sin in our own hearts, based not on righteousness but on personal pleasure and our own self promotion.
Every personality and gift has value in God's eyes, He gave us our bents and under God's guidance, we are valuable in the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 12:12-26
"12 As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
14 Now the body is not a single part, but many.
15 If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
16 Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.”
22 Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary,
23 and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,
24 whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
26 If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy."
When we choose to favor one parent over the other or one child over the other, we have committed sin.
Acts 10:34 "Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,"
There is no love in partiality!
Ignoring, negating, neglecting and dismissing others simply because we like one personality over another is hateful and mean. Only those who are hiding and angry in their souls choose to elevate the personality they like and in some way enhances them, while negating those that do not enhance them. When we are focused on Christ, we can see the qualities of all believers as a valuable part of the body.
Chances are good, if we play favorites, then we have sin in our own hearts, based not on righteousness but on personal pleasure and our own self promotion.
Every personality and gift has value in God's eyes, He gave us our bents and under God's guidance, we are valuable in the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 12:12-26
"12 As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
14 Now the body is not a single part, but many.
15 If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
16 Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.”
22 Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary,
23 and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,
24 whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
26 If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy."
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