For those who think that you no longer sin after becoming born again, must take a look at what God says in His Word.
Romans 7:14-25
"14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold [m]into bondage to sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.
17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then the [n]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God [o]in the inner man,
23 but I see a different law in [p]the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner [q]of the law of sin which is in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from [r]the body of this death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."
When we do sin, God loves us so much He disciplines us as a Father would a son.
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?…"
God does not give those who belong to Him a pass if His children sin, they are disciplined, miss rewards and suffer the consequences in this life of disobedience, just as an earthly father would do to bring his children back into obedience. That's just how much He loves us.
God said this to His children whom He will never leave or forsake.
1 John 1 was written to believers who have already been changed into a new creation, those who have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a guarantee of our inheritance.
1 John 1:8-10 "…8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.…"
Ephesians 1:13-14 "…13 And in Him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, having heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. 14 The Spirit is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory. "
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Test All Things!
To reject the Word of God, the Bible, on any level, is to reject Christ. When we have been taught wrong teachings by those who rely on their human desires more than we seek Christ for understanding then we will come up with false renderings, rejected by God even though men like to make them rules over others.
Seek Christ on everything, all the time, ready to reject man's teaching to obey God.
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 "…20Do not treat prophecies with contempt, 21but test all things. Hold fast to what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil.…
Seek Christ on everything, all the time, ready to reject man's teaching to obey God.
Do You Think You Have Not Been Influenced?
As a nation we seem to have been manipulated and intimidated by the news media and the movies that influence our thinking, otherwise they couldn't exist.
Think about it!
Think about it!
God the Father Calls God the Son, "God"
Jesus Christ is referred to by God as "The Word", He is the very essence of His Word as conveyed in the Scriptures. To reject the Words of God is to reject Christ Himself.
John 1:1 "1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:14
"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, …
God the Father calls God the Son, "God."
Hebrews 1:8-13 But to the Son he said, Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: …
John 1:1 "1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:14
"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, …
God the Father calls God the Son, "God."
Hebrews 1:8-13 But to the Son he said, Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: …
Our Father is Pleased with Us!
Do you, as a believer want to have a close walk with Christ Who lives in you?
Here's how to do it, resolve that you want to know His will, when you know His will, obey it!
How do you find His will? Easy, read the Bible, pray to Him for the understanding with the intent on believing Him for purposes of spiritual growth.
It does no good to know what is right only to refuse to live it. God will not answer the insincere prayer of someone who is only mouthing words without any intention of obeying Him.
Romans 1:5 "5 Through Him and on behalf of His name, we received grace and apostleship to call all those among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith."
John 15:14 "14 You are my friends if you do what I command."
Christ can give us the desire to be what we know is right in His eyes. The more we seek Him, the greater our desire for His principles to be demonstrated in our lives.
When we are mature in an area, it will not be something we have to work at, it will be second nature to us the same way breathing and eating is second nature. In fact, the height of maturity is when we don't even have to think what the right things to do might be, it comes naturally without much thought.
If we have to talk ourselves into giving back the extra dollar the clerk accidentally gave us at the store, then God still has work to do in us. It should come so naturally that we automatically bring it to the attention of the clerk without further thought of it throughout the day and without the need to tell someone how good we were in doing the right thing.
Our natural reactions to things will surprise others because the culture as a whole doesn't do what is right.... often, that does not mean that we were special, it only means we were obedient to God. The greatest reward of our obedience ought not to be the praise men may give us, but rather the joy we have that our Father is pleased with us.
Here's how to do it, resolve that you want to know His will, when you know His will, obey it!
How do you find His will? Easy, read the Bible, pray to Him for the understanding with the intent on believing Him for purposes of spiritual growth.
It does no good to know what is right only to refuse to live it. God will not answer the insincere prayer of someone who is only mouthing words without any intention of obeying Him.
Romans 1:5 "5 Through Him and on behalf of His name, we received grace and apostleship to call all those among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith."
John 15:14 "14 You are my friends if you do what I command."
Christ can give us the desire to be what we know is right in His eyes. The more we seek Him, the greater our desire for His principles to be demonstrated in our lives.
When we are mature in an area, it will not be something we have to work at, it will be second nature to us the same way breathing and eating is second nature. In fact, the height of maturity is when we don't even have to think what the right things to do might be, it comes naturally without much thought.
If we have to talk ourselves into giving back the extra dollar the clerk accidentally gave us at the store, then God still has work to do in us. It should come so naturally that we automatically bring it to the attention of the clerk without further thought of it throughout the day and without the need to tell someone how good we were in doing the right thing.
Our natural reactions to things will surprise others because the culture as a whole doesn't do what is right.... often, that does not mean that we were special, it only means we were obedient to God. The greatest reward of our obedience ought not to be the praise men may give us, but rather the joy we have that our Father is pleased with us.
Spiritual and Emotional Abuse
Why do I write so frequently about this?
I write about the matter of spiritual abuse often because we are living in times when most, if not all, true believers are encountering unjust attacks on a regular basis.
Left with the feeling that they must have done something wrong, however, when they have searched their heart to find out what they would have done to offend someone, they cannot figure it out what it could have been. If they ask the offended one, they are met with more antagonism without a clear answer as to the offense. This is becoming more common than most realize.
When we are falsely accused, ready and willing to say we are sorry for whatever it was, there is a part of us that is convinced that we "must" have done something to make someone so hostile and contemptuous toward us.
Our culture of psychology has taught that if someone gets angry, someone must have made them thus, simple because no one gets angry without provocation. According to the Bible an evil mans needs no provocation for their contempt, merely loving Christ is enough to cause rage from those who hate righteousness.
Proverbs 13:5-6 "5 A righteous man hates falsehood, But a wicked man acts disgustingly and shamefully. 6 Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness subverts the sinner."
Psalm 97:10 " 10 Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked."
Amos 5:10
"They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity."
Proverbs 29:10
"Men of bloodshed hate the blameless, But the upright are concerned for his life."
Psalm 34:21
"Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will be condemned."
When we are emotionally secure in Christ, knowing He has our back and that everything we go through has purpose for us and maybe even for the other person, we do not have to come unraveled when others mock and demean us.
Proverbs 14:8-10 "8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools is deceit. 9 Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will. 10 The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.…"
Do you know the real reason we get upset when someone treats us with contempt unjustly? The reason is that a part of us wants that person to like us, we are hurt and angry that someone doesn't think well of us.
Why would we care if an evil person doesn't like us? Because of our own pride and need to be appreciated by man. What does God say about this;
Proverbs 29:25
"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
Hebrews 13:6
"So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”"
God told us to be joyful when we are mistreated:
Luke 6:22-23 " 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For their fathers treated the prophets in the same way.…"
I write about the matter of spiritual abuse often because we are living in times when most, if not all, true believers are encountering unjust attacks on a regular basis.
Left with the feeling that they must have done something wrong, however, when they have searched their heart to find out what they would have done to offend someone, they cannot figure it out what it could have been. If they ask the offended one, they are met with more antagonism without a clear answer as to the offense. This is becoming more common than most realize.
When we are falsely accused, ready and willing to say we are sorry for whatever it was, there is a part of us that is convinced that we "must" have done something to make someone so hostile and contemptuous toward us.
Our culture of psychology has taught that if someone gets angry, someone must have made them thus, simple because no one gets angry without provocation. According to the Bible an evil mans needs no provocation for their contempt, merely loving Christ is enough to cause rage from those who hate righteousness.
Proverbs 13:5-6 "5 A righteous man hates falsehood, But a wicked man acts disgustingly and shamefully. 6 Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness subverts the sinner."
Psalm 97:10 " 10 Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked."
Amos 5:10
"They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity."
Proverbs 29:10
"Men of bloodshed hate the blameless, But the upright are concerned for his life."
Psalm 34:21
"Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will be condemned."
When we are emotionally secure in Christ, knowing He has our back and that everything we go through has purpose for us and maybe even for the other person, we do not have to come unraveled when others mock and demean us.
Proverbs 14:8-10 "8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools is deceit. 9 Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will. 10 The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.…"
Do you know the real reason we get upset when someone treats us with contempt unjustly? The reason is that a part of us wants that person to like us, we are hurt and angry that someone doesn't think well of us.
Why would we care if an evil person doesn't like us? Because of our own pride and need to be appreciated by man. What does God say about this;
Proverbs 29:25
"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
Hebrews 13:6
"So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”"
God told us to be joyful when we are mistreated:
Luke 6:22-23 " 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For their fathers treated the prophets in the same way.…"
Principles for the Godly
God gave us principles to follow when dealing with mean or destructive people.
When we know that a soft answer or no answer at all gives the manipulators no power.
Proverbs 15:1-2 "1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly.…"
Proverbs 18:2
"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."
Proverbs 29:11
"A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back."
Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 18:6
"A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating."
Proverbs 29:9
"If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet."
Proverbs 18:7
"A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul."
Proverbs 10:23
"Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding."
Proverbs 14:7-9
"Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance."
I see more clearly than ever now that when we follow Christ's mandates in dealing with those who want to harm us, we avoid the pitfalls and remain free of a tormented conscience.
God didn't tell us to remain with people who do evil to us or others, but if we have to be around them, we don't have to feed their attempts to cause us to sin. Instead we display kindness, giving and diligence in their presence and pray that God use what they see in us.
Often our good actions convict the foolish man, they work hard to make us do what they know we don't want to do, then they can feel justified in their own sin toward us.
Bottom line: When with a fool whose dedication is to ruin others, remove ourselves if we can, if we cannot then we should obey God not to do anything vengeful or in anger toward the one who wants us to fail in our walk with Christ.
When we know that a soft answer or no answer at all gives the manipulators no power.
Proverbs 15:1-2 "1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly.…"
Proverbs 18:2
"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."
Proverbs 29:11
"A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back."
Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 18:6
"A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating."
Proverbs 29:9
"If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet."
Proverbs 18:7
"A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul."
Proverbs 10:23
"Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding."
Proverbs 14:7-9
"Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance."
I see more clearly than ever now that when we follow Christ's mandates in dealing with those who want to harm us, we avoid the pitfalls and remain free of a tormented conscience.
God didn't tell us to remain with people who do evil to us or others, but if we have to be around them, we don't have to feed their attempts to cause us to sin. Instead we display kindness, giving and diligence in their presence and pray that God use what they see in us.
Often our good actions convict the foolish man, they work hard to make us do what they know we don't want to do, then they can feel justified in their own sin toward us.
Bottom line: When with a fool whose dedication is to ruin others, remove ourselves if we can, if we cannot then we should obey God not to do anything vengeful or in anger toward the one who wants us to fail in our walk with Christ.
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