This morning I had a dear lady contact me, she knows who she is, worried about a dream she had.
Here's what I told her! I hope she and others are comforted by these comments, for sure anyone can go and pray about it.
My response: I hope it comforts others:
"It was only a dream it meant nothing. It might have been the devil trying make you insecure, or it could have come from your own doubts or insecurities. Dreams do very weird things. Unless you heard God say; "thus saith the Lord", I would not place any stock in a dream."
"I have had dreams that were so strange they were absolutely ridiculous. They never came to anything, there were not hidden lessons or messages, just weird. I wouldn't worry about it . Don't let that silly dream bother you. By the way, when God speaks He is not cryptic like that, He just comes right out and tells you.,"
I will add to these words just as a reminder, Satan is working overtime these days to cause doubt in the minds of believers. When I was a new believer in my 20's I was tormented from time to time that "I was not good enough."
There were those who believed one can lose their salvation that led me to believe I had to do certain things or I was not saved. Mostly it had to do with human rules not God's principles. These people left fear in my heart that I just didn't measure up.
Because of these fears I went to pray to ask God if I was born again and if I did measure up. Can you guess what His answer was?
God said deeply in my heart, "no you do not measure up, but my salvation is not based on how well you do or how good you look on the outside, its based on my Son Jesus Christ having paid the debt for you." That's what He said to me, then is when I realized that I had a heart to know truth and that Christ saved me with the desire to change me into His likeness. He promised that, He has done that and because of it I have grown ever since.
Philippians 3:12-21
"12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.
18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."
The work in us is all Christ!!! Any effort on our part is fleshly, but when God changes us and grows us, it is all His work. Stop working so hard to be good and pray for Christ to change you His way.
Ephesians 2:9-10 "…9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life."
Got that; HIS WORKMANSHIP
When He is working in us we will hate all sin and love all righteousness.
Friday, May 3, 2019
Nice is not the Goal of a Christian
Jeff we had a good discussion on this matter of "nice" so I took the liberty of placing it here for others to see. I hope this is alright. If not I will understand if you remove it.
Jeff Berean said this: " A BIG problem I've seen is many or maybe most people think "nice" is a highly important character quality, and they think nice is a synonym for kind, but nice won't ruffle feathers, nice won't rebuke, nice won't call a lie a lie......... but kindness always tells the truth, kindness doesn't want anyone to go to Hell, kindness cares about truth and eternal destinations....... kindness has rock solid virtue, niceness is just a veneer."
Gwendolyn Wehage said this: " Jeff, I see no scripture that instructs us to "be nice." I remember an old saying when I was growing up. Everyone thought this saying was Biblical but it was not. This saying created fear in people to withhold correction. The saying was this: "If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all."
Gwendolyn Wehage also said this: "Because the culture became so bent on "nice" so everyone was happy no matter their lifestyle, the whole idea of correction began to be rejected. Correction makes people "feel" bad therefore we should withhold that which would be the most helpful. "
Jeff Berean said this: " A BIG problem I've seen is many or maybe most people think "nice" is a highly important character quality, and they think nice is a synonym for kind, but nice won't ruffle feathers, nice won't rebuke, nice won't call a lie a lie......... but kindness always tells the truth, kindness doesn't want anyone to go to Hell, kindness cares about truth and eternal destinations....... kindness has rock solid virtue, niceness is just a veneer."
Gwendolyn Wehage said this: " Jeff, I see no scripture that instructs us to "be nice." I remember an old saying when I was growing up. Everyone thought this saying was Biblical but it was not. This saying created fear in people to withhold correction. The saying was this: "If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all."
Gwendolyn Wehage also said this: "Because the culture became so bent on "nice" so everyone was happy no matter their lifestyle, the whole idea of correction began to be rejected. Correction makes people "feel" bad therefore we should withhold that which would be the most helpful. "
Where is the Evidence of the Holy Spirit?
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
The qualities we see listed here are not actions but character qualities. When our character possesses these qualities our actions will follow.
When we see people claiming to be Christians but consistently act in unloving, selfish and combative ways, we might want to challenge them that perhaps they are not saved.
Everyone has bad days in which they might not act as they should. The born again believer will hate that they did it and confess it quickly to resolve the relationship damage. However a non-believer has no conscience about it, they do it, they justify their actions and go on to continue down the same road.
God told us that we will know them by their fruit. We will be able to discern the character of a person by their actions, but always their actions will be preceded by the attitudes listed in Galatians 5.
Those who live continually in and out of bad behavior are not controlled by the Holy Spirit. Those who love God hate to be naughty or mean. Those who justify their naughtiness and meanness are of the world.
1 John 4:4-6 "…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. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.…"
Those who claim to be Christian but refuse to listen to good godly Scriptural counsel probably are not born again. The born again believer loves wisdom from the Word, they embrace it, enjoy it and even pass it on to others.
The worldly person who loves this world and is embarrassed at the principles of God will be irritated even angry at the mention of Christ or His Word.
1 John 2:14-16 "14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.…"
Many people will claim to have the fruit of the Spirit who do not. They are satisfied with knowing about it and pretending it is so, when there is no evidence of it in their lives.
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
The qualities we see listed here are not actions but character qualities. When our character possesses these qualities our actions will follow.
When we see people claiming to be Christians but consistently act in unloving, selfish and combative ways, we might want to challenge them that perhaps they are not saved.
Everyone has bad days in which they might not act as they should. The born again believer will hate that they did it and confess it quickly to resolve the relationship damage. However a non-believer has no conscience about it, they do it, they justify their actions and go on to continue down the same road.
God told us that we will know them by their fruit. We will be able to discern the character of a person by their actions, but always their actions will be preceded by the attitudes listed in Galatians 5.
Those who live continually in and out of bad behavior are not controlled by the Holy Spirit. Those who love God hate to be naughty or mean. Those who justify their naughtiness and meanness are of the world.
1 John 4:4-6 "…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. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.…"
Those who claim to be Christian but refuse to listen to good godly Scriptural counsel probably are not born again. The born again believer loves wisdom from the Word, they embrace it, enjoy it and even pass it on to others.
The worldly person who loves this world and is embarrassed at the principles of God will be irritated even angry at the mention of Christ or His Word.
1 John 2:14-16 "14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.…"
Many people will claim to have the fruit of the Spirit who do not. They are satisfied with knowing about it and pretending it is so, when there is no evidence of it in their lives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)