In response to someone who wasn't sure whether or not to continue with family members on facebook I wrote the following:
When family sent me a clear message they didn't want me in their lives I blocked them all from facebook.
These kind of people are looking for things to whine about. If they cannot see you it will frustrate them but it is the best thing for you.
Its a sort of "we want to see what you are doing on facebook so we can complain about you." "They want you to call so they can hang up on you." If you are not available to them so they can show their contempt, it makes them crazy.
Another way of looking at family gatherings is this, "they invite you to the party so you can see them hating and ignoring you."
There is a lot of this going on, they are not content to put us out of their lives they want to make sure we see them hating us. I believe this is why God tells us in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, in verse 5 He tells us to get away from them.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Praise to God He has given us permission to avoid the haters, the manipulators and the mockers.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Prophesy Fulfilled Cannot Be Stopped
A test of spiritual maturity.
Too much focus on worry about whether or not we are maturing is a self focus, however pondering from time to time as we hear from the Holy Spirit will reveal our spiritual health.
We should be evaluating ourselves as questions arise. Especially when someone else corrects us. The Holy Spirit uses other believers to correct and rebuke.
Are you teachable, rebukable or correctable? The answer will be clear as we ponder our responses to a correction.
If you base your reactions on feelings, emotion or the delivery of the one who rebukes, you are spiritually immature.
We ought to be able to accept and pray about a rebuke no matter what the delivery is, if the delivery is the excuse to reject the rebuke then there is spiritual immaturity.
Rebukable people have a humble and wise spirit. They do not focus on the delivery, the feelings or the emotions, rather they focus on whether or not the rebuke is correct.
Since a rebuke cannot be worse by any means than our understanding of the gospel, we see a rebuke as minor to the understanding that we are all pond scum without Christ.
When we know we do not deserve anything, that we are not special or better than others it is easy to receive a rebuke in comparison to how God viewed us before we were born again.
Hebrews 3:12-13 "12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."
What is your response when you are rebuked? Do you rage, do you defend yourself, do you dismiss as though unimportant, or do you pray to understand, do you listen to learn and do you repent if the rebuke is found to be deserved?
One of the signs of a prideful person who is stubborn is their automatic reaction to a rebuke. These people will rage almost immediately, they will punish with silence and non-responsiveness as well as gossip to malign those who rebuked them. Prideful people refuse to listen and they refuse to be honest in their responses. When they are caught in their wrong state they will refuse to answer even simple questions.
A sign of the humble teachable and correctable person is their desire to learn more, to talk things out and to come to an understanding. The humble teachable person will respond with interest desiring to learn more, either to understand or to repent if needed.
We live in a world today that fosters an attitude of pride, loving their self elevated status that looms in their own mind, so much so that they will bludgeon anyone who dares to correct them.
Psalm 104:7
"At Your rebuke they fled, At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away."
Proverbs 6:23
"For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life."
Rebuke and correction should be a way of life for all those who are following Christ. There is much work to be done in all of us, refusing correction merely delays the growing process. Stubborn people often grow into old age as spiritually immature as they were when they were young. It is in acknowledging our flaws that we can change and grow. Those who refuse to admit their own flaws will never grow until they can be honest about themselves.
Proverbs 17:10
'A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding Than a hundred blows into a fool."
Proverbs 19:25
"Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd, But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge."
Proverbs 9:7-8
"He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you."
We live among those who are scoffers, they refuse correction while continually spouting their foolishness as though it were from the Bible.
Do not be afraid to rebuke, if the one receiving the rebuke rages in anger that is our clue to remove ourselves and leave them to God. These are not teachable people, further contact with them will only bring heartache. When we realize we cannot reach someone for the gospel or a believer for correction then our job is finished, time to shake the dust from the feet and move on to others who will listen.
Matthew 10:13-15 "…13 If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town."
Another tactic of stubborn people who do not want to listen is the use of joking to divert attention from the subject at hand. When we meet someone who will not engage rationally and reasonably while remaining on topic we have met someone who avoids any self reflection. These people will either joke or rage, there is no in between. It is impossible to work out a problem with someone like this. God speaks about these people in His Word.
Proverbs 29:8-10 "…8 Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger. 9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution. 10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life.…"
Ever since God began showing me the various nuances of the rebellious heart I have been able to discern quickly the attitude of those who avoid truth. We cannot help someone or work out a difficulty when those involved will not be honest, open, calm and reflective.
Proverbs 26:4
"Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him."
Proverbs 29:8
"Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger."
Titus 1:12 -"14 As one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them harshly, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of men who have rejected the truth.…"
We should be evaluating ourselves as questions arise. Especially when someone else corrects us. The Holy Spirit uses other believers to correct and rebuke.
Are you teachable, rebukable or correctable? The answer will be clear as we ponder our responses to a correction.
If you base your reactions on feelings, emotion or the delivery of the one who rebukes, you are spiritually immature.
We ought to be able to accept and pray about a rebuke no matter what the delivery is, if the delivery is the excuse to reject the rebuke then there is spiritual immaturity.
Rebukable people have a humble and wise spirit. They do not focus on the delivery, the feelings or the emotions, rather they focus on whether or not the rebuke is correct.
Since a rebuke cannot be worse by any means than our understanding of the gospel, we see a rebuke as minor to the understanding that we are all pond scum without Christ.
When we know we do not deserve anything, that we are not special or better than others it is easy to receive a rebuke in comparison to how God viewed us before we were born again.
Hebrews 3:12-13 "12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."
What is your response when you are rebuked? Do you rage, do you defend yourself, do you dismiss as though unimportant, or do you pray to understand, do you listen to learn and do you repent if the rebuke is found to be deserved?
One of the signs of a prideful person who is stubborn is their automatic reaction to a rebuke. These people will rage almost immediately, they will punish with silence and non-responsiveness as well as gossip to malign those who rebuked them. Prideful people refuse to listen and they refuse to be honest in their responses. When they are caught in their wrong state they will refuse to answer even simple questions.
A sign of the humble teachable and correctable person is their desire to learn more, to talk things out and to come to an understanding. The humble teachable person will respond with interest desiring to learn more, either to understand or to repent if needed.
We live in a world today that fosters an attitude of pride, loving their self elevated status that looms in their own mind, so much so that they will bludgeon anyone who dares to correct them.
Psalm 104:7
"At Your rebuke they fled, At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away."
Proverbs 6:23
"For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life."
Rebuke and correction should be a way of life for all those who are following Christ. There is much work to be done in all of us, refusing correction merely delays the growing process. Stubborn people often grow into old age as spiritually immature as they were when they were young. It is in acknowledging our flaws that we can change and grow. Those who refuse to admit their own flaws will never grow until they can be honest about themselves.
Proverbs 17:10
'A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding Than a hundred blows into a fool."
Proverbs 19:25
"Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd, But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge."
Proverbs 9:7-8
"He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you."
We live among those who are scoffers, they refuse correction while continually spouting their foolishness as though it were from the Bible.
Do not be afraid to rebuke, if the one receiving the rebuke rages in anger that is our clue to remove ourselves and leave them to God. These are not teachable people, further contact with them will only bring heartache. When we realize we cannot reach someone for the gospel or a believer for correction then our job is finished, time to shake the dust from the feet and move on to others who will listen.
Matthew 10:13-15 "…13 If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town."
Another tactic of stubborn people who do not want to listen is the use of joking to divert attention from the subject at hand. When we meet someone who will not engage rationally and reasonably while remaining on topic we have met someone who avoids any self reflection. These people will either joke or rage, there is no in between. It is impossible to work out a problem with someone like this. God speaks about these people in His Word.
Proverbs 29:8-10 "…8 Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger. 9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution. 10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life.…"
Ever since God began showing me the various nuances of the rebellious heart I have been able to discern quickly the attitude of those who avoid truth. We cannot help someone or work out a difficulty when those involved will not be honest, open, calm and reflective.
Proverbs 26:4
"Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him."
Proverbs 29:8
"Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger."
Titus 1:12 -"14 As one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them harshly, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of men who have rejected the truth.…"
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