We are Cleansed When We Confess

We cannot make someone to forgive us, but we can move on in our life with a cleansed conscience. If we cannot move on unless they forgive us, then it is the same as saying we don't believe God:

1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Are we cleansed because someone forgave us? NO, We are cleansed because we confessed our sin and asked forgiveness.

I Have Made My Own Bed

So Glad People Choose Important Things to be Angry About

How many of my facebook friends break the law and don't ever admit it. I am confessing that I ripped the tags off my mattresses when I got a new one, over the years at least three times, been married a long time.

Perhaps this is why I don't have many friends, they see the lawlessness in my eyes, just can't hide my addiction to tearing the tags off of things.

I tear them off of pillows, clothes, shoes, and anything else I can get my hands on, the worst of it is, I am not even sorry I do it.

Should I go to "tag ripping" anonymous for my addiction?

I have even been caught soaking the stickers off newly purchased plastic containers, dishes and other things. You won't find any evidence of stickers on anything in my house. Perhaps this is the reason I am so despised by family and friends.

Yep, these are the things one can lose friends over, such seemingly small things can be seen as rebellion and lawlessness. Perhaps they are not as small as we might think.

Satan is Pure Evil, Christ is Pure Goodness

Why do I think things are becoming irrational, you might ask?

Here are a few things that defy God's Word and even real science:

Transgender people are in the wrong body, Homosexuals are born that way, Flat Earth, Power of the Mind. Loving oneself before we can love others, More than one wife or husband is acceptable, Aliens from outer space, There was no holocaust, There was no moon landing, Animals are people too, It is a sin to eat meat, Christians are terrorists
A one world system is better than capitalism, Christians should say things that entice the non-believers, The gospel is about our life on earth, Spanking is child abuse, Correction is rude, Praying to statues is right, they can do things for us, Power of speaking, just say it and it happens, Speaking to dead people as if they can hear, Everyone, goes to heaven, We have to work our way to heaven doing our part to earn it, Christ didn't die for everyone, The earth is millions of years old
Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, Oil comes from dead plants and animals, You are god- the power is within you.

Many believers will say they don't believe the things listed, but operate as though they do.

There are too many to list them all here, sadly many believers have fallen into these lies for lack of seeking Christ and a desire to fit into the culture.

How can you know if something is a lie against God? Easy, read His Word while asking God to reveal truth.

All the things listed mock and demean God, they are designed by the devil to do this. The devil is about negating everything that God is and does.

Just as people who cannot admit anything good about the one for which they have contempt, the devil cannot admit truth about God, so he lies against God about everything. Declaring the opposite to be true, he entices mankind to believe the lies. In short, the devil is the antithesis of Christ, Christ is pure goodness and truth and the devil is pure evil and lies.

The devil attempts to be seen as goodness and light while declaring God evil. The devil uses the minds of men to lie against God and then carry out his lies through the spreading of them until they become actions against God and against humanity.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 "…13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.…"

Transgender agenda is Everywhere

Notice something about the story "The Shack", the black "woman" who is called "Papa", representing god, sounds transgender. A woman called by a title that would go to a man?

Blasphemy at it's worst!

We Give the Devil Power Over Us

The devil only has power over us if we let him. The world will hate us because they know they do not have power over us. There are many people now who are controlled by the devil, even if they are not possessed, they allow the devil to twist their mind, so that they are no longer engaged with their own thoughts or God's.

This is why I am convinced that it is becoming more difficult to reason with so many. Rational thinking is approaching "rare", in this age of rebellion. I am thankful that Christ in us protects us when we trust Him. He will protect us from falling into error, but also from falling into the traps that people set for us inspired by the devil. Christ keeps our minds clear to be able to discern truth from error.

We develop discernment by knowing the Word of God and seeking understanding through prayer, trusting that the Holy Spirit will show us what we need to know.

1 John 4:3-5 "…3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is already in the world at this time. 4 You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them.…"

1 John 5:18-19 "18 We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him, and the evil one cannot touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.…"

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!”

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.”

Hebrews 5:14 “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

The Shack

If you have gone to see "The Shack", think it was wonderful and recommend it to others to watch then you have a serious spiritual problem. The book and the movie are blasphemous!!!!

Blessed By Trump's Actions

Notice how president Trump welcomed Netanyahu when he and his wife visited the white house recently?

Trump and his wife made sure they were outside waiting for the Netanyahu's when their limo arrived. I was blessed by the hospitality shown to the leader of Israel!!!!

In contrast "O", whose name I can't even say, ushered Prime Minister Netanyahu to the back door in the cloak of night, left him waiting for hours before meeting with him and didn't serve him supper. UNBELIEVABLE!!!! Sadly, far too many people in our country are following the example of this rubish former president.

When I was a child, the entire family would take a nap after dinner on Sunday. First we attended church, then we ate the mid day meal and then we took a nap.

If we were in our stocking feet after our nap and someone dropped in for a visit, we were told to put our shoes on, it was considered rude to greet someone in stocking feet. If a man had a tee shirt on while watching tv, he would run to get his shirt, to not be seen in under garments.

Sometimes I see how far we have come in our lack of hospitality and disregard for the comfort level of others, it leaves me feeling shocked.

Hebrews 13:2
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

1 Peter 4:9
"Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."

Matthew 25:34-46
"Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ..."

Romans 12:13
"Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."

Leviticus 19:34
"You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."

Titus 1:8
"But hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined."

Not only should we be hospitable toward others who come to our home, we should also be good guests when we go to the home of others.

I recall a time when I had prepared a pretty table, with cloth napkins and napkin rings, a lovely table cloth and other decorations only to be met with comments from the guest such as; "we're not fancy people, why did you do this?"

When I have been at someone's house for dinner, their table is set beautifully, I didn't complain about it, I took joy that they did this for us. I complimented and praised the lovely table to be a blessing to the one who did all that work.

Perhaps what we are experiencing is a new generation that hates hospitality, they don't want to have to do anything that requires effort, and, they don't want anyone else to do it either because it convicts them.

I enjoy making a nice table for guests, I will not be intimidated by rude people to change how I operate, LOL, I just won't be serving those people any more.

The marriage supper of the Lamb will be the most formal and wonderful gathering anyone has ever attended....AND....our Lord will be there!!!! There will be no rude people there!!!! Hallelujah!

Pride Prevents Confession of Sin

My husband and I were having a conversation about the rebellious nature of our culture, the fact that most people in our children's generation have little, if any understanding about honor and respect.

Rodger had an experience as a child that he was pleased for me to share with all of you.

After we were married, my husband borrowed a rototiller from my father in law. He was very generous in allowing Rodger to use it, it was helpful in preparing for our garden. Rodger returned the tiller without bothering to clean it, leaving it full of dried mud.

Rodger's mother told him later that his father was angry that Rodger didn't bother to clean it. Rodger's response to this was shame that he had offended his father, the next time he borrowed it he returned it clean and shinny.

My husband's response to the rebuke was to be ashamed, apologize to his mother and never do that again. He recalls that he never went to his father to apologize, rather than facing his father he just changed what he did next time. Regretting that he had not spoken to his father, he later realized he should have spoken to him to show his honor and respect for his father's feelings.

The good news is that my husband felt shame and resolved never to dishonor his father in this way again, disregarding him by not taking care of the things he borrowed, was now unthinable to him.

The incident was a "spirit growing" experience. Had his mother not told him, he would have continued to disrespect his father through unconcern about protecting his possessions, showing ungratefulness and laziness in not caring for what belonged to his father.

The lesson here is simple, when we are challenged that we have disregarded others through lack of concern for them or their things, we are telling them we don't care about them.

Several years ago I felt the need to write three families on separate occasions in the hope that they would stop their disrespectful and rude behavior that I have been experiencing with them for my entire life.

I never confront someone on a one time offense over small matters, they are easily dismissed, knowing that perhaps someone is having a rough day and this is out of the norm for them, there must be something else bothering them.

However, when the offenses toward me have been continual over a period of many years, I feel led to address the problem through a letter to the offenders. The purpose of the letter is to tell them their offense, allowing them an opportunity to appreciate my feelings, while confessing and restoring the relationship. Without confession there can be no reconciliation, the offenses continue and pile up.

My letters were completely ignored by these arrogant family members while the offenses continued unabated. When I saw that there was not going to be any confession and sorrow over offending me, then is when I knew there would be no chance for a relationship.

When someone ignores a letter expressing frustration over an offense, we can know from that encounter that the people who have offended are not sorry, feel no shame and have no plan to stop their rudeness.

Matthew 18:15-16 "15 If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’…"

There are many of you here on facebook whom I believe would feel sad, ashamed and would quickly apologize if someone gave you a description of a particular offense against them. That is the way loving and empathetic people respond when they discover someone was hurt by them.

When there is no shame or sadness for offending and even worse behavior showing a vengeful attitude, then we know that nothing is going to change toward us.

It has been my experience in these sad situations of unrepentence, the offender not only doesn't stop their offenses, they merely become more clever at covert manipulation and intimidation, it's called "plausible deniability." In other words they become more subtle, meaner and more often than they were before, but covert enough that others don't notice, they can deny it and no one can prove it. They are sneakier about their revenge, while denying everything they are doing.

These attitudes are clear indicators that the heart has not grown softer because they have been confronted with the offense, no, instead their heart grows harder.

The more sin is denied, the harder the hearts become.

There are two ways unrepentant arrogant people respond, the first is to ignore our plea and the second is to rage at us for exposing the sin.

A humble, loving and empathetic person is ashamed and deeply sorry they have offended someone, desiring to quickly resolve it, while deciding never to do that same things again. A humble person grows in kindness and love because they have confronted their own sin through the knowledge of it.

Our culture discourages us from confronting those who offend us. We are told often to "just let it go", in doing this the offender becomes worse and the relationship is deeply damaged if not broken altogether.

God wants us to state openly the offenses, repent if needed and forgive those who are sorry, that the relationship would be restored. When offenders are not confronted and dealt with, they grow more mean and overt with their tactics.

We do not make someone rage by confronting their sin, the rage was already there, all we do is expose what is inside by calling them on their behavior.

God wants us to work things out, not to ignore them. Notice when we are in a group and someone is rude, the whole room ignores it, because they know if they call out the rude one, he/she will rage causing a bigger problem, so everyone remains silent.

What if everyone in the room who sees the evil behavior were to confront the offender together, he might consider his actions and perhaps modify them to fit those in the room. He realizes the group is not going to allow rudeness so he stops his behavior. It doesn't necessarily change his heart but there is a greater chance he will reflect on his actions and change.

When a rude person is allowed to be rude, they not only increase their rudeness but also influence others to be the same way. This is why we have an increase in rudeness in our culture today, far too often the crowd remains silent, one person confronts and the others in the room are embarrassed, even getting on the side of the offender, protecting him/her. The culture hates to be called out about their sinfulness, so they are more likely to defend the offender than the victim.

Galatians 5:9-10 "9 A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.…"

If we love someone and wish to remain in a relationship with them, we must stop being cowardly and confront sin. I don't mean that we should march up to them in anger and spew out all kinds of hate.

Confronting someone in love includes asking them what they meant by their actions to understand them better as well as voicing the hurtfulness of their actions or attitudes. It also includes being specific, "here's what happened", "here's what hurt me."

When someone is non-specific in their apology, "will you forgive me for everything", chances are good they are not sorry, they merely want to make things better. When someone knows what they did and is ashamed they will be specific, "I have been disrespectful", "I took your coat without returning it."

The problem with most unresolvable offenses is that offenders do not love those they have harmed. If they did they would want to remove the hurt and cease the offenses.

James 5:16 "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."

Those who will not admit to their sin, remain in it, even if they never do it again, they have a past sin over their head that needs to be confessed. It is my humble opinion that one cannot change until confession occurs.

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.…"

Blaming others for our sin is just another way of denying what we know to be true, that is..... we are the ones who have sinned and need to confess it. Blame shifting is common in our culture, mainly because few people will call others to account, every sin that is allowed to go unexposed, will grow. Not only, as a I stated before, that it grows in the sinner, but the sinner influences the same sin in others as well as an attitude of ignoring other sins.

Galatians 5:9-10 "9 A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.…"