Excellent thoughts: Posted on April 6, 2016 by William Earnhardt
"After conducting a funeral for an elderly lady, I was eating at the table with her grown children. Each one was talking about projects they had going on in their homes. I was surprised how easily their lives seemed to be moving on. I thought to myself, “If they can move on so easily after losing their mother, how quickly will people forget me after I die?” The thought was making me a little depressed. While they were talking among themselves, I quickly checked my Facebook under the table. And I saw that a friend had written, “Living my life so that people will remember me after I die is too small a cause to live for.” With the timing, I took that as a message straight from heaven. Had I been focusing more on God’s love like John the Baptist did, instead of myself, I probably would not have had that moment of insecurity and depression."
Friday, May 13, 2016
Forgiving Without Repentance is Disobedience to God
God does not forgive those who are not repentant. He says that if we regard iniquity in our hearts He does not hear our prayers. We are not called to forgive the unrepentant.
Forgiveness is for no other reason except to reconcile a relationship. When that relationship cannot be reconciled because the offender will not repent, then the perpetrator of the evil will not change their behavior. Repentance is evidence of someone who does not want to repeat the sin against another person. They are truly sorry and want to change their attitudes and behavior.
When a perpetrator continues to sin against us, God says we are to remove ourselves from them. There is no value in being continually battered by those who are enjoying doing it.
2 Timothy 3:1-5,
"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, [a]haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [b]godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Proverbs 1:15
"My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path,"
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."
Forgiveness is never for keeping us from being bitter. We don't automatically take on bitterness because we don't forgive. We are to forgive the way God did, that is when there is a repentant spirit.
Luke 17:3 "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him." Notice the "If's" in this verse!
Isaiah 26:10 "Though the wicked is shown favor, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD."
It is humanistic psychology not God, that says that showing kindness to an evil man changes his heart. It is not true in reality, if it happens it is rare and often manipulation.
Our culture has proven that the more we forgive without repentance the greater the sinfulness of the culture expands and widens. Our job is not to be so nice bad people will like Jesus. Our job is to speak truth and conviction to those who are rebellious, what they do with it is between them and God.
Galatians 5:9-10 "9 A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.…"
So often humanistic psychology drives contemporaries to carry out futile and ineffective ways of handling evil people, allowing the evil to grow and progress while the victims are villified for holding them accountable.
1 Corinthians 5:6-8 "6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
Our culture loves to boast about how "forgiving" they are, even when nothing ever comes of it because the forgiveness is done the way of humanistic thought rather than the way God told us to. Holding people accountable has a greater chance of effecting their heart than passively and flippantly forgiving without accountability.
God's Way always works better, He knows their heart and He knows ours. Often we are wanting to do things our own way because it is the easy way, we can feel good about ourselves while fostering and enabling further evil in the heart of the unrepentant soul.
Forgiveness is for no other reason except to reconcile a relationship. When that relationship cannot be reconciled because the offender will not repent, then the perpetrator of the evil will not change their behavior. Repentance is evidence of someone who does not want to repeat the sin against another person. They are truly sorry and want to change their attitudes and behavior.
When a perpetrator continues to sin against us, God says we are to remove ourselves from them. There is no value in being continually battered by those who are enjoying doing it.
2 Timothy 3:1-5,
"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, [a]haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [b]godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Proverbs 1:15
"My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path,"
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."
Forgiveness is never for keeping us from being bitter. We don't automatically take on bitterness because we don't forgive. We are to forgive the way God did, that is when there is a repentant spirit.
Luke 17:3 "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him." Notice the "If's" in this verse!
Isaiah 26:10 "Though the wicked is shown favor, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD."
It is humanistic psychology not God, that says that showing kindness to an evil man changes his heart. It is not true in reality, if it happens it is rare and often manipulation.
Our culture has proven that the more we forgive without repentance the greater the sinfulness of the culture expands and widens. Our job is not to be so nice bad people will like Jesus. Our job is to speak truth and conviction to those who are rebellious, what they do with it is between them and God.
Galatians 5:9-10 "9 A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.…"
So often humanistic psychology drives contemporaries to carry out futile and ineffective ways of handling evil people, allowing the evil to grow and progress while the victims are villified for holding them accountable.
1 Corinthians 5:6-8 "6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
Our culture loves to boast about how "forgiving" they are, even when nothing ever comes of it because the forgiveness is done the way of humanistic thought rather than the way God told us to. Holding people accountable has a greater chance of effecting their heart than passively and flippantly forgiving without accountability.
God's Way always works better, He knows their heart and He knows ours. Often we are wanting to do things our own way because it is the easy way, we can feel good about ourselves while fostering and enabling further evil in the heart of the unrepentant soul.
They Refuse To Ask God
God used us for a time as a country, but that is over now and the control of this country has been turned over to the devil because of the hardness of the hearts of the people. Never mind abortion, homosexuality, divorce and remarriage, these are the larger more open sins that everyone can see. It is the doctrinal issues in error that cause division and rebellion and lead eventually to acceptance of the more devastating sin.
When we speak Biblical principles to those in church gatherings and they become angry at it, then we know we are through as a nation. So many rebellious people in church gatherings all over this country have bought in much deception, refusing to listen to truth, they hang onto their lies and pleasures the way a toddler hangs on to a bottle.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 "1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, 3 for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?…"
Sadly any attempt to correct bad doctrine among believers is often met with hostility and revenge. When someone rages because they have been corrected, that is our clue that they are full of self and refusing to go to prayer to ask God.
I have actually asked people not to take my word but to go and ask God. Their rage at being challenged to ask God was evidence that they loved their sinful doctrine and would never take it to God. They love their sin!!!
When we speak Biblical principles to those in church gatherings and they become angry at it, then we know we are through as a nation. So many rebellious people in church gatherings all over this country have bought in much deception, refusing to listen to truth, they hang onto their lies and pleasures the way a toddler hangs on to a bottle.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 "1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, 3 for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?…"
Sadly any attempt to correct bad doctrine among believers is often met with hostility and revenge. When someone rages because they have been corrected, that is our clue that they are full of self and refusing to go to prayer to ask God.
I have actually asked people not to take my word but to go and ask God. Their rage at being challenged to ask God was evidence that they loved their sinful doctrine and would never take it to God. They love their sin!!!
A Friend Sticks Closer Than Family
I measure interest in someone, by interaction and involvement, not events. When we are interested in someone, we call, write or visit the one we love. When we attend an event with many others there, that's nice, but it is not an indication that the attendee really cares, they are there out of obligation, curiosity, perhaps to see others who attend, but not necessarily for the one that was the focus of the event.
Is anyone else like me? I understand the concept of "acquaintances" and even love those I don't see often whom I have been connected in some way over the years. I also enjoy someone from long ago coming into my life, a sort of blast from the past, to reconnect with.
However, a close friend, is someone who partakes of our life and who allows us to partake in their life. Too many superficial acquaintances will dilute our walk with Christ, eventually we will become like them, focused on merely the unimportant and shallow experiences, satisfied with that because it really does, at times, feel happier.
Proverbs 18:24 "24 A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
As believers, our closest friends ought to be those who dearly love Christ, who would enhance our walk with Him, while deeply interested in our spiritual welfare, as we are interested in theirs.
As the Bible clearly states in Amos, two cannot walk together who are not agreed.
Friends are not people who remain superficial, desiring only the happy fun times, enjoying us when we enhance or elevate them. When we love someone we are deeply concerned about their spiritual well being above everything else. Material things they have or we get, are happy experiences, but take a back seat to our inner heart and spiritual development. In fact, material wealth tends to distract us from the real issues of life that matter for eternity. We thank God for His blessings of material wealth, but we cannot make them center stage rushing after them as though they really do have importance.
When our focus is Christ, our goal is in sight, that to be profoundly connected and dedicated to the principles of Christ, the material wealth seems at the bottom of the list in importance.
I would have probably made a change in the poster below to say, "Friends come and go but a true friend sticks by us even when family does not."
1 Corinthians 15:32-34 "…32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.…"
Is anyone else like me? I understand the concept of "acquaintances" and even love those I don't see often whom I have been connected in some way over the years. I also enjoy someone from long ago coming into my life, a sort of blast from the past, to reconnect with.
However, a close friend, is someone who partakes of our life and who allows us to partake in their life. Too many superficial acquaintances will dilute our walk with Christ, eventually we will become like them, focused on merely the unimportant and shallow experiences, satisfied with that because it really does, at times, feel happier.
Proverbs 18:24 "24 A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
As believers, our closest friends ought to be those who dearly love Christ, who would enhance our walk with Him, while deeply interested in our spiritual welfare, as we are interested in theirs.
As the Bible clearly states in Amos, two cannot walk together who are not agreed.
Friends are not people who remain superficial, desiring only the happy fun times, enjoying us when we enhance or elevate them. When we love someone we are deeply concerned about their spiritual well being above everything else. Material things they have or we get, are happy experiences, but take a back seat to our inner heart and spiritual development. In fact, material wealth tends to distract us from the real issues of life that matter for eternity. We thank God for His blessings of material wealth, but we cannot make them center stage rushing after them as though they really do have importance.
When our focus is Christ, our goal is in sight, that to be profoundly connected and dedicated to the principles of Christ, the material wealth seems at the bottom of the list in importance.
I would have probably made a change in the poster below to say, "Friends come and go but a true friend sticks by us even when family does not."
1 Corinthians 15:32-34 "…32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.…"
A Car is not a Pickup
LOL, LOL!!! This is also what "transgender" is like. If I decide to call my car a pickup because I want something to be able to haul things in, no matter what I do that "truck" that is really a car, will never haul things as a truck would do.
My concern is that many very stupid adults will encourage their young children to decide which gender they want to be, rather than what God made them. Their choice does not change what or who they are, it merely pretends to be something that is not true at all.
My concern is that many very stupid adults will encourage their young children to decide which gender they want to be, rather than what God made them. Their choice does not change what or who they are, it merely pretends to be something that is not true at all.
Here's the concern; that young children will have important body changes in their ignorant and uninformed state, based on emotions and the encouragement of their parents. When their hormones will emerge later in life, demonstrating what they really are, perhaps even making them desire to be what God made them, what happens then? Do they go into surgery to go back to the original God given gender? Are they able to go back to what God made them or are the parts necessary to be who they really are, forever gone?
Rebellious liberals never think of the long term consequences of anything, they fly by the seat of their emotions without any thought to the long term effects.
2 Timothy 3:13 "13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."
We live in a culture now that thinks as long as we "claim" something that makes it so. Believe it or not the most vulnerable of the so called "Christian" Pentecostals are the perpetrators of this tragedy.
They fostered for years the idea that all we have to do is pretend something will happen or something is so, without any evidence.
Then they proceeded to make it happen and blame God as though He did it when in fact it was really their own idea, their own will and their own demanding rebellion that made it happen. In short, they did it their way and lied against God saying it was He Who did it.
Proverbs 19:2-3 "…2 Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, And he who hurries his footsteps errs. 3 The foolishness of man ruins his way, And his heart rages against the LORD. "
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