Narcissists are always more concerned about winning in a conversation than they are about sharing ideas and discovering the best way.
Narcs are not interested in working as a team, they must always be the boss, the one in control while negating the ideas of those they consider to be under them.
God's purpose for believers is to work together, even with a leader to guide things, no one is above another in terms of wisdom. Everyone has something to offer and everyone is to be considered unless they are blatantly unBiblical in their stance.
When "hierarchy" becomes the goal as apposed to leading to protect and help, there is no longer "love" involved, just pressure to conform and often not to Biblical standards but the standards of the controlling leader.
Whenever we hear a leader say, "you must do it because I said so", unless it is a parent raising small children, the controller only has his own interest in mind not the welfare of the hearer.
God said "call no man on earth your father." This tells me that God wants to be the One Who instructs me not people. He can use people to bring to light a principle I may not know or have missed, but they have no authority to force or intimidate me into submission, only Christ has that power.
Narcissists do not work well with others, they must have things their way or make it miserable for anyone else who may think differently. Confidence is the opposite of what the narc wants to foster in anyone. They prefer mousy, wishy-washy insecure people to be their drones that do their bidding.
Sadly the 2 Timothy 3 description of the end times is in play right now. We are beginning to meet more people like this than normal and reasonable thinking people. I am sure this was the experience of Lot in Sodom and the world in Noah's time.
It is wonderful that God gave us the example of Lot and Noah to help us understand these times we live in and what we would be faced with. When we know what we are dealing with, then it does not devastate or control us, we can observe the nonsense and continue on with Christ overflowing with His joy.
I am grateful to God for His Word that describes in advance what we will see and how it will affect us, as well as the joy in knowing it isn't about us, but the condition of the world in which we have to live.
Hallelujah for God's Word!
Friday, March 31, 2017
Thursday, March 30, 2017
No Corrupt Talk From Believers
Today I was pondering something that has become common in the news feed these days, posted by Christians.
Let me inform those who think they are being spiritual by writing the first and last letter of a filthy word with stars in between the two letters absolves them from any judgment about using filthy language.
First, there is no need for any believer to use filthy language to get their point across, none whatsoever.
Secondly just because you leave out a couple of letters doesn't mean you have not used the word.
In my judgment and opinion, anyone who desires to use a word but appear not to use it by leaving out letters is still putting the idea into the mind of the reader. It is merely an excuse to use the word but claim not to, absolving them of any accountability.
Perhaps those who use these filthy words with missing letters think they are protecting them through plausible accountability, but I am not fooled by it and neither should any thinking Christian.
When a believer desires to use a word, even leaving out a couple of letters, they are revealing that they watch too many movies with this filthy language, have become accustomed and desensitized by it, that they no longer feel shame about hearing it or using it.
Jeremiah 6:15 "15 "Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the LORD."
Ephesians 4:29
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
Bottom line: using a filthy word while leaving out a couple of letters is the same as using it. The picture comes to mind in the reader and the damage is done. The more people hear this crude and filthy language, two missing letters or not, they will be influenced to use it.
When I was growing up there were no crude words used by anyone around us. In school most children didn't ever hear these words because it wasn't in the movies nor did anyone around them ever use them. Now we have Christians using vile and filthy language that even non-believers would have spanked their children for using if they even knew them.
Brothers and Sisters, if you have used this language simply to make a point, then please confess the sin and clean up your act. You will be responsible for those you influence.
And, don't come here arguing that it's alright or that you didn't mean anything by it, it won't fly!!!! Just confess it and move on to never do it again.
Let me inform those who think they are being spiritual by writing the first and last letter of a filthy word with stars in between the two letters absolves them from any judgment about using filthy language.
First, there is no need for any believer to use filthy language to get their point across, none whatsoever.
Secondly just because you leave out a couple of letters doesn't mean you have not used the word.
In my judgment and opinion, anyone who desires to use a word but appear not to use it by leaving out letters is still putting the idea into the mind of the reader. It is merely an excuse to use the word but claim not to, absolving them of any accountability.
Perhaps those who use these filthy words with missing letters think they are protecting them through plausible accountability, but I am not fooled by it and neither should any thinking Christian.
When a believer desires to use a word, even leaving out a couple of letters, they are revealing that they watch too many movies with this filthy language, have become accustomed and desensitized by it, that they no longer feel shame about hearing it or using it.
Jeremiah 6:15 "15 "Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the LORD."
Ephesians 4:29
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
Bottom line: using a filthy word while leaving out a couple of letters is the same as using it. The picture comes to mind in the reader and the damage is done. The more people hear this crude and filthy language, two missing letters or not, they will be influenced to use it.
When I was growing up there were no crude words used by anyone around us. In school most children didn't ever hear these words because it wasn't in the movies nor did anyone around them ever use them. Now we have Christians using vile and filthy language that even non-believers would have spanked their children for using if they even knew them.
Brothers and Sisters, if you have used this language simply to make a point, then please confess the sin and clean up your act. You will be responsible for those you influence.
And, don't come here arguing that it's alright or that you didn't mean anything by it, it won't fly!!!! Just confess it and move on to never do it again.
Are You Growing?
When a person is mean to someone they are idolizing themselves, I know many Christians who are mean to others. Sin is present every day in the lives of many Christians. Christians walk in unbelief all the time. Our entire culture doesn't believe God about the head covering, it is disobedience for a woman to be uncovered in the gatherings, but most women in churches today refuse to do it.
Sin is sin, it does not matter how big it is, however when someone walks in sin without conscience over it and even defending it, it is quite possible they have never become born again.
Many "Christians" watch wicked things on television, they do not lose their salvation but they are delaying character growth and fostering a spirit of disobedience through the example of these things.
Many Christians refuse to pray when we ask them to pray about a matter, there is great pride in most of the Christians I have met. This is also sin, they are even proud of themselves for not doing certain sins, while walking in rebellion against God in many things they consider to be small.
NO true believer will be "sin free", but they should be growing in holiness, sins should be falling off their entire lives. I see so much arrogance in the church today, many Christians with their thumbs in their suspenders acting superior because of the sin they think they don't do, this is sin in and of itself!
We need to confront sin in the body, even if all we see is pride. Pride alone would be enough to send a person to hell. It's the sin that got the devil thrown out of heaven. But because Christ died, shed His blood and rose again, believers can become born again by trusting Him. NOT my doing good deeds or avoiding bad ones, but by trusting Him. Then He will come to live in them and begin the process of cleansing which lasts throughout our lives until He takes us out of here.
If we are not continually morphing into a better person, new attitudes, new responses and new desires, then perhaps the "born again" experience never occurred.
Think about it!
Sin is sin, it does not matter how big it is, however when someone walks in sin without conscience over it and even defending it, it is quite possible they have never become born again.
Many "Christians" watch wicked things on television, they do not lose their salvation but they are delaying character growth and fostering a spirit of disobedience through the example of these things.
Many Christians refuse to pray when we ask them to pray about a matter, there is great pride in most of the Christians I have met. This is also sin, they are even proud of themselves for not doing certain sins, while walking in rebellion against God in many things they consider to be small.
NO true believer will be "sin free", but they should be growing in holiness, sins should be falling off their entire lives. I see so much arrogance in the church today, many Christians with their thumbs in their suspenders acting superior because of the sin they think they don't do, this is sin in and of itself!
We need to confront sin in the body, even if all we see is pride. Pride alone would be enough to send a person to hell. It's the sin that got the devil thrown out of heaven. But because Christ died, shed His blood and rose again, believers can become born again by trusting Him. NOT my doing good deeds or avoiding bad ones, but by trusting Him. Then He will come to live in them and begin the process of cleansing which lasts throughout our lives until He takes us out of here.
If we are not continually morphing into a better person, new attitudes, new responses and new desires, then perhaps the "born again" experience never occurred.
Think about it!
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Trials Build Character
It's not important the things we have to go through as much as what we learn from the experiences.
The trials are far less crazy making and unhappy than they used to be for me. In fact I feel stronger than I have ever been in my life, because the Lord has trained me through my trials and my confession of sin.
When a weight lifter lifts those weights over and over again he is deliberately breaking down the muscle so when they heal they come back stronger.
Often we have to break down something before we can make it better. We break the walls of an old house to put in better ones. We tear apart the seems in clothing to remake them to fit. There are so many analogies from which we can learn the principle of tearing down to build up.
Perhaps spanking a child who is disobedient is a very good example of breaking the stubborn will of the child to reshape it to be more compliant.
When a society removes all the obstacles and consequences of sin, there are no lessons. People do not change and grow if there are no trials or consequences.
We are such a paranoid culture that we are using "sanitary wipes" everywhere we go to keep from getting illnesses. The studies are showing our children are becoming sicker because they are far too protected from germs than they were 60 years ago.
Our bodies build up resistance when they come in contact with illness because it had to fight them off before, we become stronger than if we had never been sick in our lives.
The church does this with sin, as a whole most people are protecting those who sin from heartache by overlooking it, coddling and neglecting to rebuke when necessary, to help others confess and turn from their sin.
We are a culture that bails people out of their trials preventing their spiritual and emotional growth. We not only bail them out but we encourage laziness in perseverance.
Because of this mentality of protecting every one beyond what is reasonable, we have created an entire generation, perhaps two now, that cannot tolerate correction or rebuke on any level without raging.
2 Timothy 4:1-3 "1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.…"
Hebrews 12:10-12 "…10 Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. 11 No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a peaceful harvest of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees.…"
James 1:2-7 "2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
As a culture we also direct people with trials to the "experts" instead of God. Many of the experts don't have it right in terms of trusting and waiting on God.
Egypt has always been synonymous with paganism and sinfulness. We have gone down to Egypt for our help instead of Christ.
Isaiah 31:1-2 "1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD! 2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster And does not retract His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers And against the help of the workers of iniquity.…"
As a nation we have trusted in our cleverness, our leaders, our experts and ourselves to manipulate things in resolving problems. We did all this instead of turning to Christ for our help.
As a result of our own self-righteousness and confidence we have killed our babies instead of caring for them. We allow murderers to spend the rest of their lives in jail on the dimes of those they terrorized, instead of executing them, we have devalued the lives of their victims and caused far more murders to occur in the process.
A book could be written about the trusting in everything and everyone but God. Suffice it to say that our nation is becoming more and more wicked every day and will eventually be taken over by those who want to destroy us.
Guess what? We are coddling too, the very people who will take this nation down and place us under their evil laws.
Think about it!
The trials are far less crazy making and unhappy than they used to be for me. In fact I feel stronger than I have ever been in my life, because the Lord has trained me through my trials and my confession of sin.
When a weight lifter lifts those weights over and over again he is deliberately breaking down the muscle so when they heal they come back stronger.
Often we have to break down something before we can make it better. We break the walls of an old house to put in better ones. We tear apart the seems in clothing to remake them to fit. There are so many analogies from which we can learn the principle of tearing down to build up.
Perhaps spanking a child who is disobedient is a very good example of breaking the stubborn will of the child to reshape it to be more compliant.
When a society removes all the obstacles and consequences of sin, there are no lessons. People do not change and grow if there are no trials or consequences.
We are such a paranoid culture that we are using "sanitary wipes" everywhere we go to keep from getting illnesses. The studies are showing our children are becoming sicker because they are far too protected from germs than they were 60 years ago.
Our bodies build up resistance when they come in contact with illness because it had to fight them off before, we become stronger than if we had never been sick in our lives.
The church does this with sin, as a whole most people are protecting those who sin from heartache by overlooking it, coddling and neglecting to rebuke when necessary, to help others confess and turn from their sin.
We are a culture that bails people out of their trials preventing their spiritual and emotional growth. We not only bail them out but we encourage laziness in perseverance.
Because of this mentality of protecting every one beyond what is reasonable, we have created an entire generation, perhaps two now, that cannot tolerate correction or rebuke on any level without raging.
2 Timothy 4:1-3 "1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.…"
Hebrews 12:10-12 "…10 Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. 11 No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a peaceful harvest of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees.…"
James 1:2-7 "2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
As a culture we also direct people with trials to the "experts" instead of God. Many of the experts don't have it right in terms of trusting and waiting on God.
Egypt has always been synonymous with paganism and sinfulness. We have gone down to Egypt for our help instead of Christ.
Isaiah 31:1-2 "1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD! 2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster And does not retract His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers And against the help of the workers of iniquity.…"
As a nation we have trusted in our cleverness, our leaders, our experts and ourselves to manipulate things in resolving problems. We did all this instead of turning to Christ for our help.
As a result of our own self-righteousness and confidence we have killed our babies instead of caring for them. We allow murderers to spend the rest of their lives in jail on the dimes of those they terrorized, instead of executing them, we have devalued the lives of their victims and caused far more murders to occur in the process.
A book could be written about the trusting in everything and everyone but God. Suffice it to say that our nation is becoming more and more wicked every day and will eventually be taken over by those who want to destroy us.
Guess what? We are coddling too, the very people who will take this nation down and place us under their evil laws.
Think about it!
Entitlement Mentality in the Church
Born again, means believers have been changed into a new creation by Christ because of our response of confession of sin and desire to be changed by Him. Christ will not change or save anyone who does not want to be changed.
Most people who claim to be Christians today are more interested in feeling safe than they are in obedience to Christ. As long as they feel safe they don't care about what God says in His Word.
They relate their salvation to the parent child relationship, when they are naughty, the parents now days do little to correct them, the children are rebellious and disrespectful, but the parents just keep putting up with it hoping the children will some day grow out of it.
This idea people have of God, is one where they get all they can from their parents but care nothing about giving back.
When the culture courts this view of God, an entitlement mentality toward Christ, then they cannot become born again and they have no respect for Christ and what He did. No matter what they say, they have not been broken over their sinfulness, they have not confessed and they have no desire to seek Him for anything.
When we meet someone who cannot admit to their sin against man, will not be able to do it with a God they cannot see. The pride is too great, this person cannot be saved until they are broken.
Our prayer ought to be that God break their stubborn will so they will see their need for Him. After this happens they will no longer have a list of commands for God to follow, they will begin to ask God His Will for them.
Many pretenders today demand things from God instead of bow in humility to ask Him His will.
Most people who claim to be Christians today are more interested in feeling safe than they are in obedience to Christ. As long as they feel safe they don't care about what God says in His Word.
They relate their salvation to the parent child relationship, when they are naughty, the parents now days do little to correct them, the children are rebellious and disrespectful, but the parents just keep putting up with it hoping the children will some day grow out of it.
This idea people have of God, is one where they get all they can from their parents but care nothing about giving back.
When the culture courts this view of God, an entitlement mentality toward Christ, then they cannot become born again and they have no respect for Christ and what He did. No matter what they say, they have not been broken over their sinfulness, they have not confessed and they have no desire to seek Him for anything.
When we meet someone who cannot admit to their sin against man, will not be able to do it with a God they cannot see. The pride is too great, this person cannot be saved until they are broken.
Our prayer ought to be that God break their stubborn will so they will see their need for Him. After this happens they will no longer have a list of commands for God to follow, they will begin to ask God His Will for them.
Many pretenders today demand things from God instead of bow in humility to ask Him His will.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Divorce and Remarriage is Adultery
God may not choose to restore a marriage because He will never work against a person's heart. If a spouse is hell bent, then God will not change His heart.
God will only change a heart that wants to be changed. Sometimes we have to accept the circumstances and continue with God not having what we would like, but what God has ordained for us.
When we lose a spouse to death, we never get them back again. This is how some broken marriages have to be viewed, that those who have lost a spouse to divorce may never get them back again, but they can continue on for God anyway.
Divorce and remarriage is devastating for those who have to endure it. The divorce is bad enough, but then watching someone we love dearly remove their love and give it to another is devastating.
Those who have accepted second marriages as legit marriages, need to remember the pain those remarried people cause their real spouses. I say real because remarriage after divorce, is adultery, God said so and I believe Him.
It is cold hearted for friends of the divorced couple to continue contact with the one who walked away and with the couple in the remarriages. It is agonizing for the victim of these remarried people who have to watch someone else getting the love from their spouse that belonged to them alone.
Sadly, most of the Christian church has accepted the humanistic concept that man can undo what God did when He made two people one.
Mark 10:8-10 "…8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” 10 When they were back inside the house, the disciples asked Jesus about this matter.…"
In the passage in Mark God is not saying "don't separate the spouses", He is saying "no one can." I know this because of the context that God has made them one. No one can undo what God does.
Just as no one can take away our salvation when HE makes us into a new creation. HE keeps us until He comes for us. In the same way, no piece of paper by the law of the land will undo the "ONE" that God made two people in marriage.
Matthew 19:6 "6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”"
This is the reason removing oneself from a spouse is devastating no matter how angry someone may be at them. There is a spiritual connection to a spouse that is never removed until death.
1 Corinthians 7:39 "39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord."
As long as a spouse is still living that spouse remains one with the other spouse.
Luke 16:18 "18 Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. "
In the Matthew 5 passage that contains the phrase everyone uses as an excuse to divorce for adultery, they completely misunderstand the passage and the Jewish customs.
Many years ago I prayed to understand these verses because everyone was saying it was alright to divorce for adultery, but it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the Bible on God's promises. He never leaves us no matter what we do because we belong to Him. Yes we hate sin and don't want to sin, but sometimes His children do. He does not throw them away because they sin.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
In the Jewish custom of betrothal, the engagement was nearly as binding but not quite as the actual marriage. When someone was engaged as we say it, the man was called the husband and the woman was called a wife, even though they had not married yet and had not lived together.
Jesus Christ was speaking to Jews in the book of Matthew, when He said "except for fornication", meaning that if one was betrothed, or engaged and one of them was unfaithful with someone else, they could dissolve the betrothal. There was a contract for betrothal, in the Jewish custom, that said one had to have a certificate of divorce from the engagement.
This is what Christ was speaking about to the Jews when He said a couple must remain married in betrothal unless someone during that time were unfaithful to the other. The engagement, not the marriage.
Notice in the other gospels Christ gives no such direction because those books were written to Gentiles who had no such custom of divorce from engagement or betrothal.
Our modern world loves to twist Scripture to fit what they want. Up until about 70 years ago, everyone in the church understood God's mandate to remain married until death. What changed in 2000 years? The culture no longer cared what God thought, they were now looking for excuses to disobey God while twisting His own words to do it.
Now, in this generation we have pastors who are married more than once, we have people in the church gatherings who are shacking up without challenge and we have everyone accepting these second marriages as though it were not sin.
Because so many children have been raised with divorced parents, these parents cannot instruct their children to remain married for life because they didn't. If they did, then they would be seen as hypocrites because they would be telling their children one thing and doing another.
Most people who are divorced and remarried defend their status as though it came from God, but it is the opposite of what God commanded.
John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
Acts 5:29
"But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men."
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
When the pastor of a church will not obey God in the area of divorce and remarriage, then he has no business leading others. Pastors who remarried people, or remarried themselves after divorce or who accept without challenge remarried people in their congregations are in rebellion against God.
There is no excuse for disobedience against God except the willful arrogance and rebellion that dwells in the hearts of many if not most people in the churches today.
Matthew 15:7-9 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”…"
The devil loves that divorce and remarriage is rampant, because marriage is a picture of Christ and the church, permanent and binding. It is God's picture of salvation and oneness in Christ when we become born again.
If the devil can remove all the pictures of God's promises and His love by destroying marriage, then He will destroy many people this way.
Marriage is more than just "do this, do that", it is a commitment that demonstrates God's commitment to those He has changed into a new creation. God never removed any of His promises, but the devil wants it to look that way by destroying marriages.
2 Peter 3:8-9
"8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
Just as God has been deeply wronged, He still waits for those who might become born again. Christ died for mankind and waits for every soul that will trust Him.
How callous and mean has our culture become that people will throw away spouses because they sin, as thought they themselves never sin. Who are we to throw away spouses because they are sinful.
Divorcing someone over adultery is nothing more than lack of faith and an excuse to dispose of someone who has been difficult. Yes, adultery hurts, but so do all the other unloving things spouses do to one another. There is no unforgivable sin, not even adultery.
Our culture likes to make adultery worse because of the pride, "look what they did to me", it's all about that pride. There are no excuses for adultery and there are no excuses for divorce and remarriage.
Here's the key to it all! God said don't commit adultery, and He also said remarriage after divorce is adultery. He told us never to leave our spouse for any reason. Do we obey God or do we excuse our sin by changing the rules to fit our desires?
And we want God to save America? Right!!!!!
Think about it.
God will only change a heart that wants to be changed. Sometimes we have to accept the circumstances and continue with God not having what we would like, but what God has ordained for us.
When we lose a spouse to death, we never get them back again. This is how some broken marriages have to be viewed, that those who have lost a spouse to divorce may never get them back again, but they can continue on for God anyway.
Divorce and remarriage is devastating for those who have to endure it. The divorce is bad enough, but then watching someone we love dearly remove their love and give it to another is devastating.
Those who have accepted second marriages as legit marriages, need to remember the pain those remarried people cause their real spouses. I say real because remarriage after divorce, is adultery, God said so and I believe Him.
It is cold hearted for friends of the divorced couple to continue contact with the one who walked away and with the couple in the remarriages. It is agonizing for the victim of these remarried people who have to watch someone else getting the love from their spouse that belonged to them alone.
Sadly, most of the Christian church has accepted the humanistic concept that man can undo what God did when He made two people one.
Mark 10:8-10 "…8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” 10 When they were back inside the house, the disciples asked Jesus about this matter.…"
In the passage in Mark God is not saying "don't separate the spouses", He is saying "no one can." I know this because of the context that God has made them one. No one can undo what God does.
Just as no one can take away our salvation when HE makes us into a new creation. HE keeps us until He comes for us. In the same way, no piece of paper by the law of the land will undo the "ONE" that God made two people in marriage.
Matthew 19:6 "6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”"
This is the reason removing oneself from a spouse is devastating no matter how angry someone may be at them. There is a spiritual connection to a spouse that is never removed until death.
1 Corinthians 7:39 "39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord."
As long as a spouse is still living that spouse remains one with the other spouse.
Luke 16:18 "18 Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. "
In the Matthew 5 passage that contains the phrase everyone uses as an excuse to divorce for adultery, they completely misunderstand the passage and the Jewish customs.
Many years ago I prayed to understand these verses because everyone was saying it was alright to divorce for adultery, but it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the Bible on God's promises. He never leaves us no matter what we do because we belong to Him. Yes we hate sin and don't want to sin, but sometimes His children do. He does not throw them away because they sin.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
In the Jewish custom of betrothal, the engagement was nearly as binding but not quite as the actual marriage. When someone was engaged as we say it, the man was called the husband and the woman was called a wife, even though they had not married yet and had not lived together.
Jesus Christ was speaking to Jews in the book of Matthew, when He said "except for fornication", meaning that if one was betrothed, or engaged and one of them was unfaithful with someone else, they could dissolve the betrothal. There was a contract for betrothal, in the Jewish custom, that said one had to have a certificate of divorce from the engagement.
This is what Christ was speaking about to the Jews when He said a couple must remain married in betrothal unless someone during that time were unfaithful to the other. The engagement, not the marriage.
Notice in the other gospels Christ gives no such direction because those books were written to Gentiles who had no such custom of divorce from engagement or betrothal.
Our modern world loves to twist Scripture to fit what they want. Up until about 70 years ago, everyone in the church understood God's mandate to remain married until death. What changed in 2000 years? The culture no longer cared what God thought, they were now looking for excuses to disobey God while twisting His own words to do it.
Now, in this generation we have pastors who are married more than once, we have people in the church gatherings who are shacking up without challenge and we have everyone accepting these second marriages as though it were not sin.
Because so many children have been raised with divorced parents, these parents cannot instruct their children to remain married for life because they didn't. If they did, then they would be seen as hypocrites because they would be telling their children one thing and doing another.
Most people who are divorced and remarried defend their status as though it came from God, but it is the opposite of what God commanded.
John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
Acts 5:29
"But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men."
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
When the pastor of a church will not obey God in the area of divorce and remarriage, then he has no business leading others. Pastors who remarried people, or remarried themselves after divorce or who accept without challenge remarried people in their congregations are in rebellion against God.
There is no excuse for disobedience against God except the willful arrogance and rebellion that dwells in the hearts of many if not most people in the churches today.
Matthew 15:7-9 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”…"
The devil loves that divorce and remarriage is rampant, because marriage is a picture of Christ and the church, permanent and binding. It is God's picture of salvation and oneness in Christ when we become born again.
If the devil can remove all the pictures of God's promises and His love by destroying marriage, then He will destroy many people this way.
Marriage is more than just "do this, do that", it is a commitment that demonstrates God's commitment to those He has changed into a new creation. God never removed any of His promises, but the devil wants it to look that way by destroying marriages.
2 Peter 3:8-9
"8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
Just as God has been deeply wronged, He still waits for those who might become born again. Christ died for mankind and waits for every soul that will trust Him.
How callous and mean has our culture become that people will throw away spouses because they sin, as thought they themselves never sin. Who are we to throw away spouses because they are sinful.
Divorcing someone over adultery is nothing more than lack of faith and an excuse to dispose of someone who has been difficult. Yes, adultery hurts, but so do all the other unloving things spouses do to one another. There is no unforgivable sin, not even adultery.
Our culture likes to make adultery worse because of the pride, "look what they did to me", it's all about that pride. There are no excuses for adultery and there are no excuses for divorce and remarriage.
Here's the key to it all! God said don't commit adultery, and He also said remarriage after divorce is adultery. He told us never to leave our spouse for any reason. Do we obey God or do we excuse our sin by changing the rules to fit our desires?
And we want God to save America? Right!!!!!
Think about it.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Love the Victim Punish the Perp
Is anyone else weary of mean people getting away with their meanness?
They do whatever they want and others remain silent so as not to enrage the mean person, but in the process the victim is without comfort.
In fact the victim is told by the perp and everyone around them that they are unloving if they don't forgive.
So, the power is given to the perp while love is withheld from the victim.
This is not Biblical, perps should experience disapproval and consequences for their hateful actions while the victim is comforted. Forgiveness is for those who are sorry, extending it to those who have been empowered to act in hateful ways by pressure on the victim is sinful.
The perps these days expect to be forgiven even if they enjoyed what they did and are not sorry. This comes from a perverted culture that demeans and mocks those who are harmed while coddling the evil person.
The devil loves this perverse version of love in the church, it lets the evil man off the hook while beating up on the righteous.
Isaiah 26:10-11 " 10Though 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. 11O LORD, Your hand is lifted up yet they do not see it. They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame; Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies.…"
Not only are we preaching a gospel of works in the gatherings, we are preaching a false gospel of forgiveness without repentance, by the foolish thinking that someone will be forgiven by God if they refuse to repent.
Acts 3:19
"19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;"
God does not wipe away the sins of the unrepentant and neither should we, it elevates the evil one and devalues the victims.
Evil is growing in our country and our churches because it is no longer dealt with!!! It is no longer dealt with because of the mentality that we should not judge anyone's actions. Clearly this is unBiblical. Many Scriptures speak of having discernment about matters, there can be no discernment without judgment. We are told to expose the false teacher, the sinning brother and any false doctrine that enters the church gatherings. It's all in the word all over the place, just go and read it.
Stop listening to people who spout psychological jargon to control others. Listen only to the Word of God, it won't be easy for people pleasers because it will mean swimming up stream against the tide of public opinion. Truth and resolve in Christ is not for wimps.
Paul the apostle knew all about it!
2 Timothy 3:11-13 "…11 my persecutions, and the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.…"
They do whatever they want and others remain silent so as not to enrage the mean person, but in the process the victim is without comfort.
In fact the victim is told by the perp and everyone around them that they are unloving if they don't forgive.
So, the power is given to the perp while love is withheld from the victim.
This is not Biblical, perps should experience disapproval and consequences for their hateful actions while the victim is comforted. Forgiveness is for those who are sorry, extending it to those who have been empowered to act in hateful ways by pressure on the victim is sinful.
The perps these days expect to be forgiven even if they enjoyed what they did and are not sorry. This comes from a perverted culture that demeans and mocks those who are harmed while coddling the evil person.
The devil loves this perverse version of love in the church, it lets the evil man off the hook while beating up on the righteous.
Isaiah 26:10-11 " 10Though 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. 11O LORD, Your hand is lifted up yet they do not see it. They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame; Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies.…"
Not only are we preaching a gospel of works in the gatherings, we are preaching a false gospel of forgiveness without repentance, by the foolish thinking that someone will be forgiven by God if they refuse to repent.
Acts 3:19
"19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;"
God does not wipe away the sins of the unrepentant and neither should we, it elevates the evil one and devalues the victims.
Evil is growing in our country and our churches because it is no longer dealt with!!! It is no longer dealt with because of the mentality that we should not judge anyone's actions. Clearly this is unBiblical. Many Scriptures speak of having discernment about matters, there can be no discernment without judgment. We are told to expose the false teacher, the sinning brother and any false doctrine that enters the church gatherings. It's all in the word all over the place, just go and read it.
Stop listening to people who spout psychological jargon to control others. Listen only to the Word of God, it won't be easy for people pleasers because it will mean swimming up stream against the tide of public opinion. Truth and resolve in Christ is not for wimps.
Paul the apostle knew all about it!
2 Timothy 3:11-13 "…11 my persecutions, and the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.…"
The Crazies Have Taken Over the Asylum
We are living in a world that knows how to schmooze when it is to their advantage to do so.
In the past few years I have encountered people who claimed to be Christian, said all the right things, even acted wonderful when in their presence, but when they were challenged about doctrine or behavior they would rage as though they could kill if they could get away with it.
I am convinced based on my many encounters with people that there are hordes of people who are pretenders. They have all the right words and actions until there is an attempt to keep them accountable, then these same lovely, friendly and helpful people turn into wolves, growling and snarling at those who are helping them to move past a wrong attitude or sin in their lives.
In the past few years I encountered a woman who seemed to latch onto me to become her new best friend. For months she called every day, as she put it "just to touch bases." She listened to all my "god talk" as though interested but never responded unless it had to do with an action or particular sin. She was against shacking up, she hated abortion etc. but she was not interested in Biblical concepts or principles of God.
As time went on, when she thought I had completely accepted her as a close friend she began to interject into our conversations questions about important things. She called me one day to reveal that she "no longer believed in the trinity." Then in another conversation she didn't believe Christ was God, that he was only the Son of God. Before this she was acting as though she believed everything I was talking about in our conversations but without much response.
The first clue about the Trinity was bad enough but the next clue was the clincher for me. I assessed from those conversations that she was either a JW or she was a witch who was infiltrating churches to cause trouble. She told me in one of our earlier conversations that she was going to different churches to rebuke them and then leave, but she never told me what she rebuked them about. When asked about the rebuke she spoke in vague and nonsensical language, I never did figure out what her rebukes were about.
There is no doubt that the churches in our town need rebuke, but she was using a Christian word to describe chastising a church for their core beliefs of Christianity.
I was reminded of this when I recently read an article describing how witches were infiltrating church gatherings to cause trouble, getting into prominent positions within churches with all the right verbiage, then subverting the teachings of Christ while in those positions.
We are experiencing an infiltration of practicing witches in gatherings to undermine Christ and the Christian. They come as angels of light, often claiming to be new believers to get everyone all excited about them. It is working because most people that warm the pews today lack basic Biblical discernment, that's why they accept foolishness such as "The Purpose Driven Live", "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe", prosperity preachers such as "Beth Moore" and many other things that mock and demean God.
The church gatherings as a whole are not discerning, they do not see the clues because they are more focused on the verbiage. When we are content to hear words and believe them, we miss important clues. I listen to words, but I no longer believe them unless there is strong lifestyle evidence to prove them.
The Holy Spirit often warns me about someone, and it always proves to be right. I usually wait for more evidence that I heard Him right, and it always comes. There is no excuse for being deceived when we can ask God about everything all the time.
The thing that trips people up, is their insatiable need to be liked by people. Often they see or hear the warnings but ignore them because they don't want to be seen as mean or negative. Everyone else seeing the same thing does the same thing and the evil grows until a terrible mess is left to clean up, but no one has the courage to clean it up, therefore the carnage within the gathering grows, the masses accept the sin and others are hurt along the way. These people who are obssessed with acceptance from others are in disobedience to the Word that says we are to confront sin and bad doctrine in the body.
Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”
Proverbs 3:13 “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,”
Philippians 1:9 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment…”
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
No where in the word of God does He tell us to make sure we don't hurt anyone's feelings with the truth. Nor does he say anyone should like you or something is wrong.
The wrong in the church today is there because godly people were intimidated into silence by superficial people who were more concerned about pleasing people than they were about pleasing God.
The other problem is that we now have more pretenders in gatherings than we have born again believers. The pretenders have overtaken the gatherings leaving the true believer without alleys and without a voice.
Our government has gone this way too, the crazy people have taken over the asylum. There are now more insane legislators than rational ones, just as there are more pretenders in the church than born again believers. It has happened in everything every where. And, there are some who think we can get our country back again? Think again!!!!
SAD BUT TRUE!
In the past few years I have encountered people who claimed to be Christian, said all the right things, even acted wonderful when in their presence, but when they were challenged about doctrine or behavior they would rage as though they could kill if they could get away with it.
I am convinced based on my many encounters with people that there are hordes of people who are pretenders. They have all the right words and actions until there is an attempt to keep them accountable, then these same lovely, friendly and helpful people turn into wolves, growling and snarling at those who are helping them to move past a wrong attitude or sin in their lives.
In the past few years I encountered a woman who seemed to latch onto me to become her new best friend. For months she called every day, as she put it "just to touch bases." She listened to all my "god talk" as though interested but never responded unless it had to do with an action or particular sin. She was against shacking up, she hated abortion etc. but she was not interested in Biblical concepts or principles of God.
As time went on, when she thought I had completely accepted her as a close friend she began to interject into our conversations questions about important things. She called me one day to reveal that she "no longer believed in the trinity." Then in another conversation she didn't believe Christ was God, that he was only the Son of God. Before this she was acting as though she believed everything I was talking about in our conversations but without much response.
The first clue about the Trinity was bad enough but the next clue was the clincher for me. I assessed from those conversations that she was either a JW or she was a witch who was infiltrating churches to cause trouble. She told me in one of our earlier conversations that she was going to different churches to rebuke them and then leave, but she never told me what she rebuked them about. When asked about the rebuke she spoke in vague and nonsensical language, I never did figure out what her rebukes were about.
There is no doubt that the churches in our town need rebuke, but she was using a Christian word to describe chastising a church for their core beliefs of Christianity.
I was reminded of this when I recently read an article describing how witches were infiltrating church gatherings to cause trouble, getting into prominent positions within churches with all the right verbiage, then subverting the teachings of Christ while in those positions.
We are experiencing an infiltration of practicing witches in gatherings to undermine Christ and the Christian. They come as angels of light, often claiming to be new believers to get everyone all excited about them. It is working because most people that warm the pews today lack basic Biblical discernment, that's why they accept foolishness such as "The Purpose Driven Live", "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe", prosperity preachers such as "Beth Moore" and many other things that mock and demean God.
The church gatherings as a whole are not discerning, they do not see the clues because they are more focused on the verbiage. When we are content to hear words and believe them, we miss important clues. I listen to words, but I no longer believe them unless there is strong lifestyle evidence to prove them.
The Holy Spirit often warns me about someone, and it always proves to be right. I usually wait for more evidence that I heard Him right, and it always comes. There is no excuse for being deceived when we can ask God about everything all the time.
The thing that trips people up, is their insatiable need to be liked by people. Often they see or hear the warnings but ignore them because they don't want to be seen as mean or negative. Everyone else seeing the same thing does the same thing and the evil grows until a terrible mess is left to clean up, but no one has the courage to clean it up, therefore the carnage within the gathering grows, the masses accept the sin and others are hurt along the way. These people who are obssessed with acceptance from others are in disobedience to the Word that says we are to confront sin and bad doctrine in the body.
Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”
Proverbs 3:13 “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,”
Philippians 1:9 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment…”
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
No where in the word of God does He tell us to make sure we don't hurt anyone's feelings with the truth. Nor does he say anyone should like you or something is wrong.
The wrong in the church today is there because godly people were intimidated into silence by superficial people who were more concerned about pleasing people than they were about pleasing God.
The other problem is that we now have more pretenders in gatherings than we have born again believers. The pretenders have overtaken the gatherings leaving the true believer without alleys and without a voice.
Our government has gone this way too, the crazy people have taken over the asylum. There are now more insane legislators than rational ones, just as there are more pretenders in the church than born again believers. It has happened in everything every where. And, there are some who think we can get our country back again? Think again!!!!
SAD BUT TRUE!
Sunday, March 26, 2017
The Days of Lot
I didn't allow the disrespect when they were all at home, but after they left they picked it up so much so that I have gone no contact with them. It is astonishing how a few years in the world can change a compliant child to a rude one. But I suspect that they were compliant on the outside and rude on the inside all along to avoid discipline.
My circumstance reminds me of the little boy who was told to sit down in a chair and said defiantly, "I am sitting down on the outside but standing up on the inside.
So sad that our children have chosen to go the way of the world in their arrogance and disrespect. The culture around us had more pull over them than the training in our home.
Sadly they married people who encouraged their disrespect. May the Lord show them their need for repentance.
Every child has a choice, we can lead a horse to water but we cannot make them drink.
My circumstance reminds me of the little boy who was told to sit down in a chair and said defiantly, "I am sitting down on the outside but standing up on the inside.
So sad that our children have chosen to go the way of the world in their arrogance and disrespect. The culture around us had more pull over them than the training in our home.
Sadly they married people who encouraged their disrespect. May the Lord show them their need for repentance.
Every child has a choice, we can lead a horse to water but we cannot make them drink.
Manipulation is on the Rise
Manipulation is big now more than ever because people have been taught not to tell the truth it might make someone angry. They will do covertly mean actions against others, but never openly for fear of being discovered and judged, while they continue to harshly judge others without evidence.
The narcissist judges very harshly, but is enraged if anyone evaluates what they do. Hypocrisy is a large part of the life of a narcissist. They allow themselves the freedom to say and act any way that elevates them, but cannot stand it when someone else calls them out on their sin or lack of good judgement.
Proverbs 27:5-7 "…5 Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. 7 A sated man loathes honey, But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.…"
May the Lord bless us with friends who speak truth in love to us, that we might continually evaluate ourselves to grow in holiness. May we not be so prideful as to spurn the correction of those who care about us.
The narcissist judges very harshly, but is enraged if anyone evaluates what they do. Hypocrisy is a large part of the life of a narcissist. They allow themselves the freedom to say and act any way that elevates them, but cannot stand it when someone else calls them out on their sin or lack of good judgement.
Proverbs 27:5-7 "…5 Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. 7 A sated man loathes honey, But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.…"
May the Lord bless us with friends who speak truth in love to us, that we might continually evaluate ourselves to grow in holiness. May we not be so prideful as to spurn the correction of those who care about us.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
It's Called Empathy
It's called empathy, when everyone cares about everyone else, then everyone feels what everyone else is feeling!
1 Corinthians 12:25-26
"25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."
1 Corinthians 12:25-26
"25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."
Growing Up Takes Confession
Narcissists cannot admit their mistakes, they can only relay their successes, but often they are not even successes but embellished accounts to appear superior.
When someone cannot admit mistakes, it is not possible for them to come to Christ. The only way to come to Christ is in brokenness over sin, no one can do this who is obsessed with appearing perfect.
Those who are humble rejoice over successes but give the glory to God while completely comfortable with admitting when they have failed.
Pretending to be perfect is abhorrent to a humble person. They have no need to be seen as perfect because they know where they came from and that it was Christ Who had to change them in order for them to saved from their sin and hell.
The saddest person is the one who inwardly knows their imperfections but can never let anyone discover them. There is a continual hiding their lives in order to demonstrate a perfect persona. These are very insecure people because they know what they are on the inside and live in fear of others discovering them.
A secure confident person has no need to be seen as perfect or elevated above anyone else. They are comfortable in their own skin, knowing that only Christ is good.
The only way to grow in holiness is to continually be confessing our sins to God and those we have offended. When this does not happen, those who hide remain spiritual and emotional children all their lives.
Maturity is based on growth spurts from confessing and moving forward. Without confession there is no progress toward holiness or maturity.
James 5:15-16 "…15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail."
I have met many people in the church and in the world who seem spiritually and emotionally immature even though they have lived a long life, they seem to have learned very little in terms of wisdom.
We want to continue to grow, we do not want to be in our aged years acting and thinking the way we did when we were six years old.
When someone cannot admit mistakes, it is not possible for them to come to Christ. The only way to come to Christ is in brokenness over sin, no one can do this who is obsessed with appearing perfect.
Those who are humble rejoice over successes but give the glory to God while completely comfortable with admitting when they have failed.
Pretending to be perfect is abhorrent to a humble person. They have no need to be seen as perfect because they know where they came from and that it was Christ Who had to change them in order for them to saved from their sin and hell.
The saddest person is the one who inwardly knows their imperfections but can never let anyone discover them. There is a continual hiding their lives in order to demonstrate a perfect persona. These are very insecure people because they know what they are on the inside and live in fear of others discovering them.
A secure confident person has no need to be seen as perfect or elevated above anyone else. They are comfortable in their own skin, knowing that only Christ is good.
The only way to grow in holiness is to continually be confessing our sins to God and those we have offended. When this does not happen, those who hide remain spiritual and emotional children all their lives.
Maturity is based on growth spurts from confessing and moving forward. Without confession there is no progress toward holiness or maturity.
James 5:15-16 "…15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail."
I have met many people in the church and in the world who seem spiritually and emotionally immature even though they have lived a long life, they seem to have learned very little in terms of wisdom.
We want to continue to grow, we do not want to be in our aged years acting and thinking the way we did when we were six years old.
You Won't Get Away With Sin
Do you think you will get away with sin just because you have become born again? Do you think God winks at and over looks our sin just because we have His blood to cover our sin? Think again!
God removes His fellowship and will not hear the prayers of believers who are in sin. They retain their salvation, but God will not help them and He will bring trials to bring them back to obedience.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Even though someone may be saved while in sin, they may experience life long consequences, even severe ones because of their disobedience. If we do not confess and turn, then we will miss many blessings in this life and the next.
1 Corinthians 3:14-16 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…"
God removes His fellowship and will not hear the prayers of believers who are in sin. They retain their salvation, but God will not help them and He will bring trials to bring them back to obedience.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Even though someone may be saved while in sin, they may experience life long consequences, even severe ones because of their disobedience. If we do not confess and turn, then we will miss many blessings in this life and the next.
1 Corinthians 3:14-16 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…"
No Promises for America
It is important to remember that God has no promises for America, only for Israel.
We are a nation in rebellion against God like all the other nations at this time.
We may think we are a "Christian" nation but I don't see it. I see a form of religion that pretends to be Christian but it is an illusion.
2 Timothy 3:4 "…4 traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power."
We are a nation in rebellion against God like all the other nations at this time.
We may think we are a "Christian" nation but I don't see it. I see a form of religion that pretends to be Christian but it is an illusion.
2 Timothy 3:4 "…4 traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power."
Christ is a Jew
Jesus Christ will rule from Israel in Jerusalem in the Millennium, because He is a Jew and the Jews have a special place in His heart.
Replacement theology is a tool of the devil to turn "Christians", if they really are Christians, against the Jews!
The devil hates Christ and He hates what Christ loves.....the Jews.
Replacement theology is a tool of the devil to turn "Christians", if they really are Christians, against the Jews!
The devil hates Christ and He hates what Christ loves.....the Jews.
The Gag Order It's Sin
Quenching the Holy Spirit is Sin
So, there are others who are being abused in the church through gag orders!!! I have been experiencing this for years, even though I do not advocate women preachers or elders, I do believe in women teaching women and speaking in conversation with men.
Dreams and Visions are not Necessary
Yep, the devil will get us distracted with dreams and visions when all we need is what God gave us in the Bible.
1 Corinthians 1:22-23 "22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,…"
1 Corinthians 1:22-23 "22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,…"
Sealed Means Promised
Yes, this is a wonderful truth, we are His forever, for those who are born again!
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
Seal: A promise of our inheritance.
God keeps all His promises!
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
Seal: A promise of our inheritance.
God keeps all His promises!
Never Trust Any Man Completely
Never trust another person for your spirituality,
never emulate a person,
never believe everything another person may say no matter how good it sounds.
Discussing Scripture with someone who is profoundly and genuinely invested in the Word of God and depending on the Holy Spirit, can be a great help to us, however, asking the opinion of others who have used Scripture to validate their wrong doctrine, are not people we want to consult with, they will not be able to give us true answers based on the Word.
Test everything through the Scriptures and prayer that the Holy Spirit would show you truth.
John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
You see, God promised us that if we seek Him, the Holy Spirit Who lives in us will tell us what we need to know. If we know His Word and we know Him, then we will have the answer to anything and everything.
Christ in us may delay the answer for a time, so that we can learn more before we get the answer. Then when the answer comes it will be intensely clear!!!
never emulate a person,
never believe everything another person may say no matter how good it sounds.
Discussing Scripture with someone who is profoundly and genuinely invested in the Word of God and depending on the Holy Spirit, can be a great help to us, however, asking the opinion of others who have used Scripture to validate their wrong doctrine, are not people we want to consult with, they will not be able to give us true answers based on the Word.
Test everything through the Scriptures and prayer that the Holy Spirit would show you truth.
John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
You see, God promised us that if we seek Him, the Holy Spirit Who lives in us will tell us what we need to know. If we know His Word and we know Him, then we will have the answer to anything and everything.
Christ in us may delay the answer for a time, so that we can learn more before we get the answer. Then when the answer comes it will be intensely clear!!!
Degrees Don't Make Us Born Again
A college degree in theology cannot make anyone born again, nor can it make them wise or holy!
Often a degree like this merely enhances an already prideful view of the recipients own importance.
The day we realize we are not capable of understanding anything no matter how educated we are, is the day the Holy Spirit can begin His work in us.
When someone is degreed, often they believe they have arrived and can begin the process of impressing others with their level of knowledge. There is no need to seek the Holy Spirit for the small things, only the big ones and only if they cannot figure them out for themselves based on their education.
This thinking will lead to arrogance and destruction for them and everyone else they influence.
How quickly Christians forget their need to trust Christ not only for their salvation but also for everything else after that.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.…"
This verse is quoted a lot by educated people, but ignored in practice. It's nice to know the words, but actually trusting Christ for everything all the time is the real discipline.
So many false practices and doctrines have permeated the churches today that there is little faith and even less practice of God's principles.
We live in a culture that thinks it's enough to just know and say things, they don't have to be real in our lives as long as we know and say them. WHY?, you might ask, is this so? It is because our culture is more about appearances than substance. Most Christians are Christians in "knowing and saying" only, the substance of trusting Christ is just not there.
We know this because when they are challenged to evaluate their lives they become enraged, angry that anyone would even suggest they need to evaluate their lives. A humble person will be happy to answer calmly when challenged or will be ashamed and admit their need to rethink their life.
Often a degree like this merely enhances an already prideful view of the recipients own importance.
The day we realize we are not capable of understanding anything no matter how educated we are, is the day the Holy Spirit can begin His work in us.
When someone is degreed, often they believe they have arrived and can begin the process of impressing others with their level of knowledge. There is no need to seek the Holy Spirit for the small things, only the big ones and only if they cannot figure them out for themselves based on their education.
This thinking will lead to arrogance and destruction for them and everyone else they influence.
How quickly Christians forget their need to trust Christ not only for their salvation but also for everything else after that.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.…"
This verse is quoted a lot by educated people, but ignored in practice. It's nice to know the words, but actually trusting Christ for everything all the time is the real discipline.
So many false practices and doctrines have permeated the churches today that there is little faith and even less practice of God's principles.
We live in a culture that thinks it's enough to just know and say things, they don't have to be real in our lives as long as we know and say them. WHY?, you might ask, is this so? It is because our culture is more about appearances than substance. Most Christians are Christians in "knowing and saying" only, the substance of trusting Christ is just not there.
We know this because when they are challenged to evaluate their lives they become enraged, angry that anyone would even suggest they need to evaluate their lives. A humble person will be happy to answer calmly when challenged or will be ashamed and admit their need to rethink their life.
It's All About Christ
Many people who go to Bible school come out with more knowledge that produces pride in them, but does not make them better Christians, it only enhances their already high opinion of themselves.
1 Corinthians 8:1-2 "1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.…"
When we depend on knowledge rather than Christ, it only brings us lower not higher. Some of the least educated people who are on fire for Christ, are that way because they depended on Him instead of status through knowledge.
It is the Holy Spirit that teaches and makes wise!
2 Timothy 3:12-17 " 12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
Notice none of these verses tells us to seek out "good schools" or "teachers" but through Christ we learn. Teachers may teach us, but everything they say must be evaluated through Scripture and consulting the Holy Spirit.
It is foolish to believe someone just because they got an education or a degree from an institution. Some of the wisest people I have ever met never attended any formal training, they had the Holy Spirit. A college or university cannot possibly know more than the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is by faith that we trust the Holy Spirit to train us. If we trust in formal human training then our trust is not in the Holy Spirit, but rather a trust in man.
Psalm 118:8-9 " 8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.…"
There is also pride in those who will not listen to anyone who is not educated or degreed. When we love to elevate self through rubbing elbows with those who are elevated by men, we have pride, that must be expunged before any spiritual growth can occur.
Often many people don't bother praying or trusting Christ because they feel they already have everything they need by the advice of man. They follow human traditions and mandates that God never gave, in order to feel special and superior. Becoming appreciated by man is more important to them than Christ and His truth.
Proverbs 29:25-26 "25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.…"
1 Corinthians 8:1-2 "1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.…"
When we depend on knowledge rather than Christ, it only brings us lower not higher. Some of the least educated people who are on fire for Christ, are that way because they depended on Him instead of status through knowledge.
It is the Holy Spirit that teaches and makes wise!
2 Timothy 3:12-17 " 12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
Notice none of these verses tells us to seek out "good schools" or "teachers" but through Christ we learn. Teachers may teach us, but everything they say must be evaluated through Scripture and consulting the Holy Spirit.
It is foolish to believe someone just because they got an education or a degree from an institution. Some of the wisest people I have ever met never attended any formal training, they had the Holy Spirit. A college or university cannot possibly know more than the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is by faith that we trust the Holy Spirit to train us. If we trust in formal human training then our trust is not in the Holy Spirit, but rather a trust in man.
Psalm 118:8-9 " 8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.…"
There is also pride in those who will not listen to anyone who is not educated or degreed. When we love to elevate self through rubbing elbows with those who are elevated by men, we have pride, that must be expunged before any spiritual growth can occur.
Often many people don't bother praying or trusting Christ because they feel they already have everything they need by the advice of man. They follow human traditions and mandates that God never gave, in order to feel special and superior. Becoming appreciated by man is more important to them than Christ and His truth.
Proverbs 29:25-26 "25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.…"
Friday, March 24, 2017
True Friends Are Priceless
YES, YES!!!! Those who are willing to go through the hard times with us are the ones who will be the greatest joy when there are no hard times.
Relationships are built on every aspect of our lives, not just the fun stuff.
Romans 12:15
"15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."
Sharing everything, the good the bad and the ugly, makes a lasting and deep relationship.
Follow the Link:
Relationships are built on every aspect of our lives, not just the fun stuff.
Romans 12:15
"15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."
Sharing everything, the good the bad and the ugly, makes a lasting and deep relationship.
Follow the Link:
When Children Grow Up
When children are little they only step on your feet as they grow older they step on your heart.
This is why some people look at what is happening in our culture and wish that their children would remain little children.
Pray, Pray, "Pray!!!!
This is why some people look at what is happening in our culture and wish that their children would remain little children.
Pray, Pray, "Pray!!!!
No One is Above Another
When someone desires to be above others, they are playing a role using a false self. No one is above another person, we have all had to come to Christ the same way, that is brokenness over our sinfulness, while seeking for Christ to change us into a new creation.
Once a person realizes how sinful they were before they were born again, they cannot hold an elevated opinion of themselves.
We do have confidence but it is not in us, it is in Christ and the joy we exude does not have to do with how good we feel about ourselves but rather how good is Christ.
The greatest freedom anyone can experience is the freedom to be who we are, admit our failings while trusting Christ for any needed changes.
Those who cannot admit their sinfulness are in bondage to a false self that they are continually having to show to others, the hiding is stressful. Often the stress comes out in attacking others for things that most wouldn't even think were wrong.
When someone has a false self, they must squash anything in others that might expose that false self. Others may be living a life that shines it's light on the false self, then the objective of the narcissist is to find something wrong with their target to darken them so the light is dimmed.
One way to darken one who lives their true self is to provoke them with irrational words or anger, causing them to become irritated or angry. This "weakness" in us as they would see it, is their excuse that we are the problem and they are the victim. The narcissist always focuses on the actions of others, real or imagined, as though they are never the fault, always the victim, even though they provoked the whole mess.
Innocent comments are twisted to seem mean or hateful, this is the way narcissist process information about those they seek to ruin. They often use half truths and out and out lies to justify their own contemptuous behavior.
No one can dim our light if we don't let them. When we are innocent, have not committed any sin, then we don't have to agonize over the misguided reactions of those who choose to view us as evil in their own minds.
All the apostles and Christ Himself were lied against by those who didn't like the message they brought. Narcissists always hate those who shine the light of Christ on their evil spirit.
Often we don't even have to say or do anything, just our lifestyle and our joy is enough to enrage the devil that lives in these people. Even if the devil does not possess them, he deeply twists their thinking to believe what is not true.
Just as he deceived Eve in the garden with sinful thoughts, he does today in the minds of many around us. When we walk with Christ we can see when he is attempting to twist our minds and resist him with Scripture, just as Christ did when He was tempted in the desert.
When we know what is going on, we can detach ourselves from the antics of the narcissist and still love them enough to give them the gospel. If they resist, we do what Christ did and that is to walk away.
The devil has many tactics in his bag of tricks, if we are not awake, know the Bible and walk with Christ, we could be sucked into the nonsense.
Thankfully our solution is really quite simple, know God's Word, ask Him for wisdom and understanding and then do whatever He tell us.
John 14:29-31 "…29 And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me. 31 But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Get up! Let us go on from here.…"
Christ taught us that the devil has no power over us unless we let him, through stubbornness and ignorance.
Once a person realizes how sinful they were before they were born again, they cannot hold an elevated opinion of themselves.
We do have confidence but it is not in us, it is in Christ and the joy we exude does not have to do with how good we feel about ourselves but rather how good is Christ.
The greatest freedom anyone can experience is the freedom to be who we are, admit our failings while trusting Christ for any needed changes.
Those who cannot admit their sinfulness are in bondage to a false self that they are continually having to show to others, the hiding is stressful. Often the stress comes out in attacking others for things that most wouldn't even think were wrong.
When someone has a false self, they must squash anything in others that might expose that false self. Others may be living a life that shines it's light on the false self, then the objective of the narcissist is to find something wrong with their target to darken them so the light is dimmed.
One way to darken one who lives their true self is to provoke them with irrational words or anger, causing them to become irritated or angry. This "weakness" in us as they would see it, is their excuse that we are the problem and they are the victim. The narcissist always focuses on the actions of others, real or imagined, as though they are never the fault, always the victim, even though they provoked the whole mess.
Innocent comments are twisted to seem mean or hateful, this is the way narcissist process information about those they seek to ruin. They often use half truths and out and out lies to justify their own contemptuous behavior.
No one can dim our light if we don't let them. When we are innocent, have not committed any sin, then we don't have to agonize over the misguided reactions of those who choose to view us as evil in their own minds.
All the apostles and Christ Himself were lied against by those who didn't like the message they brought. Narcissists always hate those who shine the light of Christ on their evil spirit.
Often we don't even have to say or do anything, just our lifestyle and our joy is enough to enrage the devil that lives in these people. Even if the devil does not possess them, he deeply twists their thinking to believe what is not true.
Just as he deceived Eve in the garden with sinful thoughts, he does today in the minds of many around us. When we walk with Christ we can see when he is attempting to twist our minds and resist him with Scripture, just as Christ did when He was tempted in the desert.
When we know what is going on, we can detach ourselves from the antics of the narcissist and still love them enough to give them the gospel. If they resist, we do what Christ did and that is to walk away.
The devil has many tactics in his bag of tricks, if we are not awake, know the Bible and walk with Christ, we could be sucked into the nonsense.
Thankfully our solution is really quite simple, know God's Word, ask Him for wisdom and understanding and then do whatever He tell us.
John 14:29-31 "…29 And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me. 31 But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Get up! Let us go on from here.…"
Christ taught us that the devil has no power over us unless we let him, through stubbornness and ignorance.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
What God's Love Looks Like
When there is love in our hearts, we are not afraid to see the fragile side of someone, nor are we afraid for others to see our fragile side.
It is only Christ's love that can produce the kind of love that one person can have for another.
Criticism is not a problem, because when there is love, we know the one who does it is trying to help.
When we can put ourselves in the shoes of others, understanding their pain, loving to be there to help and allowing them to help us, then we have found God's love.
Love is not mechanical out of duty, it is genuinely invested in the welfare of another person. Showing interest in their things, even engaging in it with them at times.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away."
Ephesians 4:2 "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,"
1 Peter 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
1 John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."
The following verses tell us how much God loved us and what that looks like. If only we could be for others as Christ has been for us.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Romans 5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 8:37-39 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
1 John 3:1 "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."
It is only Christ's love that can produce the kind of love that one person can have for another.
Criticism is not a problem, because when there is love, we know the one who does it is trying to help.
When we can put ourselves in the shoes of others, understanding their pain, loving to be there to help and allowing them to help us, then we have found God's love.
Love is not mechanical out of duty, it is genuinely invested in the welfare of another person. Showing interest in their things, even engaging in it with them at times.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away."
Ephesians 4:2 "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,"
1 Peter 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
1 John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."
The following verses tell us how much God loved us and what that looks like. If only we could be for others as Christ has been for us.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Romans 5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 8:37-39 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
1 John 3:1 "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."
Arguing for Sport is Sin
Fighting and arguing for sport is sin!
Those that engage in arguing for sport are nothing more than baiters, attempting to show their prowess by starting an argument, whether they speak truth or not, merely to appear superior to others.
Believers in Jesus Christ discuss matters to discover or share truth, not merely to win anything.
Proverbs 29:9
"9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool,
the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet."
Those that engage in arguing for sport are nothing more than baiters, attempting to show their prowess by starting an argument, whether they speak truth or not, merely to appear superior to others.
Believers in Jesus Christ discuss matters to discover or share truth, not merely to win anything.
Proverbs 29:9
"9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool,
the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet."
Appearances are Nothing!
There is no brokenness over sin when there isn't enough sorry to hate to return what harmed others.
Those who do not confess their sin or admit to feelings are those who never grow in holiness.
Transparency is only possible when there is humility and a disregard for appearances.
When we are sold out to Christ, we can admit everything, pray for cleansing and move forward in growth.
Transparency is the key to spiritual growth and healing.
James 5:15-16 "…15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail."
It is impossible to develop a meaningful and lasting relationship with those who are more concerned about appearing righteous rather than actually being so.
Those who do not confess their sin or admit to feelings are those who never grow in holiness.
Transparency is only possible when there is humility and a disregard for appearances.
When we are sold out to Christ, we can admit everything, pray for cleansing and move forward in growth.
Transparency is the key to spiritual growth and healing.
James 5:15-16 "…15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail."
It is impossible to develop a meaningful and lasting relationship with those who are more concerned about appearing righteous rather than actually being so.
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
They Refuse to Cooperate
Narcissists are "uncooperative", they cannot stand to cooperate with others because that places the power in the hands of the others. Narcissists can't give up their power over people.
They are continually causing drama to be the center of attention and for the purpose of controlling the emotions of others.
In order to be cooperative there must be good communication, narcissists hate communication.
Communication leave us vulnerable to discovering we may need to change something or compromise for the sake of another. Narcissists hate to communicate.
They hate to communicate, cooperate or defer to others, they must always be the one in charge. It is agonizing working with someone like this because they have a tendency to take over a project that was not given to them to do.
Normal people will ask how they can help when requested to engage in a project with others. The narcissist won't ask they will merely begin ordering others even though no one appointed them the "go to person."
We saw all these elements in president Obama and first lady Michelle. Their way of controlling others was to continually mock and demean those who disagreed with them. Rather than elevating their own ideas, of which there were none or few, they would focus on devaluing the ideas of others. When they couldn't devalue the ideas of others they would devalue the person in some superficial and meaningless way.
We see this in family members all the time. Someone was mocked once by a narcissistic family member because of the things that hung on her wall. She liked lots of pictures and other wall hangings that coordinate with her decor. The mocking was because she "had too many", but that didn't make sense because what she had on her walls shouldn't matter to anyone but those who live in her house. Her husband told her many times how much he liked her decorating.
Why did this family member either ignore it to avoid making her feel badly, or compliment her ability to coordinate things well? The reason was that it wasn't really about her wall hangings at all, but about the need of the narcissist to mock and demean in order to elevate self.
It was obvious to this woman that the person who had demeaned her decorating had been primed by other family members who had gossiped about her. The narcissist felt empowered by the other narcissists in the room, realizing he had advocates for his mocking, leading him to feel safe in overt devaluing of the host.
I have witnessed many situations just like this one, no real reason for the mocking, nothing good was accomplished by it, the host didn't change how she decorated and any sense of kindness or love was reduced if present at all. In short, these mentalities destroy any chance of quality relationships, a sense of purposelessness and destruction are present.
Our culture is growing in the meanness of narcissism. As people remain full of themselves, full of arrogance that their way is the only way, we will see the destruction of relationships on every level in every place.
As we observe this devilish phenomena we don't have to be a part of it. We can remove ourselves from those who will not change this behavior and fill our relationship coffers with those who love the Lord, desiring to bless their brothers and sisters in Christ, while witnessing to others by their actions, that they belong to Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 "…10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. 11 Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing."
Building one another in the faith does not have to do with flattery or praise, it has more the connotation of "you can do it", "keep going", while taking the time to help others in their particular ministries through discussion, prayer and Biblical encouragement.
Never, never, never demean or mock someone on completely unimportant matters. Never demean or mock anyone for mistakes, everyone makes them, it doesn't help to beat down someone for a mistake.
Deliberate mean actions and attitudes are another matter. We need to call this out, unless we know we are dealing with a fool who will make more trouble if we confront it. These people will flip the script, blame those who are the victims, absolving themselves of any wrong doing.
Proverbs 29:8-10 "…8 Scorners set a city aflame, But wise men turn away anger. 9 When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest. 10Men of bloodshed hate the blameless, But the upright are concerned for his life.…"
They are continually causing drama to be the center of attention and for the purpose of controlling the emotions of others.
In order to be cooperative there must be good communication, narcissists hate communication.
Communication leave us vulnerable to discovering we may need to change something or compromise for the sake of another. Narcissists hate to communicate.
They hate to communicate, cooperate or defer to others, they must always be the one in charge. It is agonizing working with someone like this because they have a tendency to take over a project that was not given to them to do.
Normal people will ask how they can help when requested to engage in a project with others. The narcissist won't ask they will merely begin ordering others even though no one appointed them the "go to person."
We saw all these elements in president Obama and first lady Michelle. Their way of controlling others was to continually mock and demean those who disagreed with them. Rather than elevating their own ideas, of which there were none or few, they would focus on devaluing the ideas of others. When they couldn't devalue the ideas of others they would devalue the person in some superficial and meaningless way.
We see this in family members all the time. Someone was mocked once by a narcissistic family member because of the things that hung on her wall. She liked lots of pictures and other wall hangings that coordinate with her decor. The mocking was because she "had too many", but that didn't make sense because what she had on her walls shouldn't matter to anyone but those who live in her house. Her husband told her many times how much he liked her decorating.
Why did this family member either ignore it to avoid making her feel badly, or compliment her ability to coordinate things well? The reason was that it wasn't really about her wall hangings at all, but about the need of the narcissist to mock and demean in order to elevate self.
It was obvious to this woman that the person who had demeaned her decorating had been primed by other family members who had gossiped about her. The narcissist felt empowered by the other narcissists in the room, realizing he had advocates for his mocking, leading him to feel safe in overt devaluing of the host.
I have witnessed many situations just like this one, no real reason for the mocking, nothing good was accomplished by it, the host didn't change how she decorated and any sense of kindness or love was reduced if present at all. In short, these mentalities destroy any chance of quality relationships, a sense of purposelessness and destruction are present.
Our culture is growing in the meanness of narcissism. As people remain full of themselves, full of arrogance that their way is the only way, we will see the destruction of relationships on every level in every place.
As we observe this devilish phenomena we don't have to be a part of it. We can remove ourselves from those who will not change this behavior and fill our relationship coffers with those who love the Lord, desiring to bless their brothers and sisters in Christ, while witnessing to others by their actions, that they belong to Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 "…10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. 11 Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing."
Building one another in the faith does not have to do with flattery or praise, it has more the connotation of "you can do it", "keep going", while taking the time to help others in their particular ministries through discussion, prayer and Biblical encouragement.
Never, never, never demean or mock someone on completely unimportant matters. Never demean or mock anyone for mistakes, everyone makes them, it doesn't help to beat down someone for a mistake.
Deliberate mean actions and attitudes are another matter. We need to call this out, unless we know we are dealing with a fool who will make more trouble if we confront it. These people will flip the script, blame those who are the victims, absolving themselves of any wrong doing.
Proverbs 29:8-10 "…8 Scorners set a city aflame, But wise men turn away anger. 9 When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest. 10Men of bloodshed hate the blameless, But the upright are concerned for his life.…"
They Really Don't Know the Day or Hour
Now there is a new date!!! Go figure!
The new date of the tribulation is September 22, OH....no another person said September 23rd. Oops, no I hear a July 2017 out there in cyber space too!!!
Come on folks, God never gave us a day or hour, he only told us we would know the season.
I would like to believe we are leaving in the rapture soon, but I cannot jump on any bandwagon that declares the exact day that it will happen.
Be careful my friends to resist placing your trust in anyone or any system other than Christ. If He wanted us to know the day and the hour He would have told us. He wants us to continue to live by faith right up until He snatches us away.
Matthew 24:36-37 "36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.…"
In the days of Noah, what was it about those days that are similar to now? Two things, "everyone did what was right in their own eyes" and Noah preached for 120 years and "no one would listen to him."
The new date of the tribulation is September 22, OH....no another person said September 23rd. Oops, no I hear a July 2017 out there in cyber space too!!!
Come on folks, God never gave us a day or hour, he only told us we would know the season.
I would like to believe we are leaving in the rapture soon, but I cannot jump on any bandwagon that declares the exact day that it will happen.
Be careful my friends to resist placing your trust in anyone or any system other than Christ. If He wanted us to know the day and the hour He would have told us. He wants us to continue to live by faith right up until He snatches us away.
Matthew 24:36-37 "36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.…"
In the days of Noah, what was it about those days that are similar to now? Two things, "everyone did what was right in their own eyes" and Noah preached for 120 years and "no one would listen to him."
Narcissist Hate Manners
Narcissists are embarrassed with manners. They act as though someone who has manners is weak and worthy of disrespect.
Proverbs 5:11-13 "…11 And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; 12 And you say, "How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! 13 "I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!…"
Proverbs 18:2-3 "Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. Doing wrong leads to disgrace, and scandalous behavior brings contempt."
Proverbs 1:5-7 "Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."
Proverbs 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."
Proverbs 18:13 "Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish."
Proverbs 18:6-7 "Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips."
Proverbs 26:6-7 "Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison! A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg."
Proverbs 10:23-25 "Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible. Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible. When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation."
Proverbs 5:11-13 "…11 And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; 12 And you say, "How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! 13 "I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!…"
Proverbs 18:2-3 "Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. Doing wrong leads to disgrace, and scandalous behavior brings contempt."
Proverbs 1:5-7 "Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."
Proverbs 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."
Proverbs 18:13 "Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish."
Proverbs 18:6-7 "Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips."
Proverbs 26:6-7 "Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison! A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg."
Proverbs 10:23-25 "Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible. Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible. When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation."
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