Humanistic Psychology is based on the premise that all people are basically good. Those who do bad things are merely working through a difficulty in their life, their sin is not their own fault, but the reflexes of hardship.
The Word of God says the opposite, our bad behavior comes from our desperately sinful heart that has to be changed into a new creation by God to operate as it should.
The condition of the unbeliever's heart!
Jeremiah 17:9 ""The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?"
The condition of the Believers heart changed by God!
Ezekiel 36:26 ""Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
No Excuses For Sin
How many times have you heard someone say that they were sorry they sinned but it was because of some things that happened to them when they were children?
This is a ploy used often in Christian circles. Most Christians don't realize that the idea that our life experiences cause us to act in certain ways, is based in humanistic psychology.
Excusing or justifying is not, nor ever has been, acceptable to God. If we think that mankind sins because of their childhood problems, then what excuse could we give to Adam and Eve for their sin against God? After all God the Father was the perfect Father, the original couple lived in a perfect environment without worries!
Every child has difficulties in their growing up years, mostly because of their own youthful sin and partly because they have imperfect fallen parents, every single one.
Very few children grow up in a Christian home and even those have their challenges. No parent is perfect, neither are any children. Children who blame their parents for their own sin, are forgetting that they were also sinful and often rebellious, resisting teaching and training from parents who loved them.
The perspectives of children are often based on their own ignorant and skewed idea of right and wrong, propelled by their own desires. They lack self control, do not honor their parents and seek pleasure more than upstanding character. If not guided properly by parents or if the child is guided but refuses the instruction, then we end up with an future adult who will follow his natural bent toward sin.
As adults we cannot blame any of our sinful behavior on what happened to us in childhood. We have all had challenging circumstances, some have even had evil perpetrated on them, when they were tender and vulnerable, however, as adults we have choices we can make, no one can claim that they have to be completely controlled by emotions from the past.
We can ignore our emotions to carry on to do what is right before God, we can even diminish our emotions by choosing to divert our attention to more productive matters and most of all we can saturate our minds with the Word of God that diminishes the pain.
Philippians 2:5 "5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"
Ephesians 5:26 "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,"
The Word of God washes our minds, makes us think a different way.....God's way!
We may not be able to completely forget about the past, but we do not have to let it control us. The more we cogitate on what happened earlier in our life the bigger it gets, most likely much bigger than it actually was, not always but often. When we have not taken the time to ask questions and listen carefully to the perspectives of others in our life, we are left to our own faulty memory and residue feelings.
God never told us in His Word to follow our emotions, or to indulge in a bitter thought life concerning the past, quite the opposite. God knows that our memories are deeply flawed as we fostered anger in our heart toward our parents, often unjustly. I am sure that those who use their childhood as an excuse to sin, causing the uninformed to feel compassion for them, know it was not their childhood that caused them to sin, it was their own sinful character. When we stand before God we will not be asked "what did your parents do that caused this?"
It is possible that those who are holding things over the heads of those they have contempt for, are forgetting that they too could not earn love, it was a free gift from God even before we were saved. We had to accept that gift, but we didn't deserve it, neither do we deserve it now even after salvation.
It is uncanny the way a child can remember something as a negative, keeping that in their mind forgetting that the only reason they saw it as a negative was because they just didn't like the decision or discipline of the parent at the time. The memory of what happened faded or morphed but the power of the recollection was based on the anger they felt rather than the reason for the chastisement of their parent. A child almost never sees the instruction, correction or discipline from the parents perspective. If they have harbored bitterness long enough they won't even have a desire to speak to the parent to hear their side of the story.
2 Corinthians 10:5 "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,"
When we feel bitter about how we are raised, it is best to own that bitterness, cry out to God for cleansing and ask Him to show us the truth, even if we have to admit we were in the wrong in some way. And, never forget, it was God Who gave us the parents we have, He has a purpose in all things, if even just to show us the anger that we still have inside, that needs to be cleansed.
Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
This is a ploy used often in Christian circles. Most Christians don't realize that the idea that our life experiences cause us to act in certain ways, is based in humanistic psychology.
Excusing or justifying is not, nor ever has been, acceptable to God. If we think that mankind sins because of their childhood problems, then what excuse could we give to Adam and Eve for their sin against God? After all God the Father was the perfect Father, the original couple lived in a perfect environment without worries!
Every child has difficulties in their growing up years, mostly because of their own youthful sin and partly because they have imperfect fallen parents, every single one.
Very few children grow up in a Christian home and even those have their challenges. No parent is perfect, neither are any children. Children who blame their parents for their own sin, are forgetting that they were also sinful and often rebellious, resisting teaching and training from parents who loved them.
The perspectives of children are often based on their own ignorant and skewed idea of right and wrong, propelled by their own desires. They lack self control, do not honor their parents and seek pleasure more than upstanding character. If not guided properly by parents or if the child is guided but refuses the instruction, then we end up with an future adult who will follow his natural bent toward sin.
As adults we cannot blame any of our sinful behavior on what happened to us in childhood. We have all had challenging circumstances, some have even had evil perpetrated on them, when they were tender and vulnerable, however, as adults we have choices we can make, no one can claim that they have to be completely controlled by emotions from the past.
We can ignore our emotions to carry on to do what is right before God, we can even diminish our emotions by choosing to divert our attention to more productive matters and most of all we can saturate our minds with the Word of God that diminishes the pain.
Philippians 2:5 "5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"
Ephesians 5:26 "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,"
The Word of God washes our minds, makes us think a different way.....God's way!
We may not be able to completely forget about the past, but we do not have to let it control us. The more we cogitate on what happened earlier in our life the bigger it gets, most likely much bigger than it actually was, not always but often. When we have not taken the time to ask questions and listen carefully to the perspectives of others in our life, we are left to our own faulty memory and residue feelings.
God never told us in His Word to follow our emotions, or to indulge in a bitter thought life concerning the past, quite the opposite. God knows that our memories are deeply flawed as we fostered anger in our heart toward our parents, often unjustly. I am sure that those who use their childhood as an excuse to sin, causing the uninformed to feel compassion for them, know it was not their childhood that caused them to sin, it was their own sinful character. When we stand before God we will not be asked "what did your parents do that caused this?"
It is possible that those who are holding things over the heads of those they have contempt for, are forgetting that they too could not earn love, it was a free gift from God even before we were saved. We had to accept that gift, but we didn't deserve it, neither do we deserve it now even after salvation.
It is uncanny the way a child can remember something as a negative, keeping that in their mind forgetting that the only reason they saw it as a negative was because they just didn't like the decision or discipline of the parent at the time. The memory of what happened faded or morphed but the power of the recollection was based on the anger they felt rather than the reason for the chastisement of their parent. A child almost never sees the instruction, correction or discipline from the parents perspective. If they have harbored bitterness long enough they won't even have a desire to speak to the parent to hear their side of the story.
2 Corinthians 10:5 "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,"
When we feel bitter about how we are raised, it is best to own that bitterness, cry out to God for cleansing and ask Him to show us the truth, even if we have to admit we were in the wrong in some way. And, never forget, it was God Who gave us the parents we have, He has a purpose in all things, if even just to show us the anger that we still have inside, that needs to be cleansed.
Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
Our Companions Reveal Our Hear!
I am convinced that most people who claim to be Christian, are not growing spiritually for two reasons: The first reason is that they don't know their Bibles and the second reason is that they are not removing rebellious people from their lives. They are continuing to remain with those who have resisted God, causing the Christian to stagnate and regress in their walk. God commands us to get away from those who have heard about and rejected Him.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the [e]knowledge of the truth."
2 Corinthians 6:17 ""Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you."
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
We must make our constant companions those who love Christ. We will be witnessing to unbelievers, even helping them at times when needed, but they should not be our constant close companions, unless we are in a living situation in which we have no escape.
Far too many believers are constantly interacting in extended family groups where most, if not all the people are unsaved. The pressure that comes from a group like this causes us to compromise in ways we would not among strong believers. Not to mention the influence those unsaved family members have on small impressionable children.
We will choose for our friends those who reflect our desired lifestyle. IF we find ourselves with non-believers more than believers, it is very likely a clue that we enjoy the company of the unsaved. We may be more comfortable around them because they do not expect standards from us while we still love to indulge in ungodliness. Some believers tend to enjoy the non-believers because they have had a superficial conversion to Christianity but were never born again by the Holy Spirit of God.
Those who love the Lord enjoy the company of strong believers, even feeling like a fish out of water around the unsaved. We have a desire to reach the unsaved, but we do not enjoy the things they talk about, the activities they indulge in and the attitudes they continually exude.
John 3:5-8
"5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
When we become born again God changes us into a new creation. We are no longer what we used to be, sort of like the metamorphosis that happens when a butterfly emerges from the worm. When the butterfly crawls out of that cocoon it is changed forever, never to go back to being a worm again.
When someone claims to be a Christian, but they have never changed from a worm to a beautiful butterfly free in Christ, but still crawls impotently along the ground, without any change at all, then they were never born again, they never became a butterfly.
The freedom in Christ is far greater than the freedom unregenerate non-believers think they have.
John 8:34 "Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin."
Romans 6:20 "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness."
Those who are slaves to sin cannot experience the beauty of righteousness. Believe it or not those in bondage to sin never enjoy a clear conscience or assurance of salvation. They are continually at the mercy of worry, anger and many other debilitating emotions, while the believer rests comfortably in the certainty of God's love and provision.
Those who have trusted Christ have battles from time to time with the feelings of unbelievers, but they are not overcome by them. Unbelievers do not have the help of the Lord as believers do, they are left entirely to their own devices.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 "9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."
John 16:33 "33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Isaiah 41:13 "13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you"
Psalm 27:1 "1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid."
Psalm 37:23 "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way."
Psalm 1:24-25 "
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"
God will not help or listen to those who have not trusted Him. The only prayer God will hear of the non-believer is the prayer of brokenness over his sin that motivates him to trust Christ.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the [e]knowledge of the truth."
2 Corinthians 6:17 ""Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you."
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
We must make our constant companions those who love Christ. We will be witnessing to unbelievers, even helping them at times when needed, but they should not be our constant close companions, unless we are in a living situation in which we have no escape.
Far too many believers are constantly interacting in extended family groups where most, if not all the people are unsaved. The pressure that comes from a group like this causes us to compromise in ways we would not among strong believers. Not to mention the influence those unsaved family members have on small impressionable children.
We will choose for our friends those who reflect our desired lifestyle. IF we find ourselves with non-believers more than believers, it is very likely a clue that we enjoy the company of the unsaved. We may be more comfortable around them because they do not expect standards from us while we still love to indulge in ungodliness. Some believers tend to enjoy the non-believers because they have had a superficial conversion to Christianity but were never born again by the Holy Spirit of God.
Those who love the Lord enjoy the company of strong believers, even feeling like a fish out of water around the unsaved. We have a desire to reach the unsaved, but we do not enjoy the things they talk about, the activities they indulge in and the attitudes they continually exude.
John 3:5-8
"5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
When we become born again God changes us into a new creation. We are no longer what we used to be, sort of like the metamorphosis that happens when a butterfly emerges from the worm. When the butterfly crawls out of that cocoon it is changed forever, never to go back to being a worm again.
When someone claims to be a Christian, but they have never changed from a worm to a beautiful butterfly free in Christ, but still crawls impotently along the ground, without any change at all, then they were never born again, they never became a butterfly.
The freedom in Christ is far greater than the freedom unregenerate non-believers think they have.
John 8:34 "Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin."
Romans 6:20 "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness."
Those who are slaves to sin cannot experience the beauty of righteousness. Believe it or not those in bondage to sin never enjoy a clear conscience or assurance of salvation. They are continually at the mercy of worry, anger and many other debilitating emotions, while the believer rests comfortably in the certainty of God's love and provision.
Those who have trusted Christ have battles from time to time with the feelings of unbelievers, but they are not overcome by them. Unbelievers do not have the help of the Lord as believers do, they are left entirely to their own devices.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 "9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."
John 16:33 "33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Isaiah 41:13 "13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you"
Psalm 27:1 "1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid."
Psalm 37:23 "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way."
Psalm 1:24-25 "
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"
God will not help or listen to those who have not trusted Him. The only prayer God will hear of the non-believer is the prayer of brokenness over his sin that motivates him to trust Christ.
See Why Context is Everything?
See Why Context is Everything?
Click on the link and you will see why!https://www.facebook.com/purpleclvr/photos/a.375609882543951.1073741828.369508529820753/725146150923654/?type=1&theater
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