When our decisions impact another human being we do not have a right to do what harms them.
Lincoln Said: "the right to swing my fist ends at the tip of another man's nose."
Sunday, January 19, 2020
When Our Rights End
Lincoln Said: "the right to swing my fist ends at the tip of another man's nose."
Sufferers Have the Greater Faith
Many times those who are suffering the most are those with the greatest faith.
They remain faithful to God through all their suffering. Those who shout "lack of faith" the loudest are those who are not suffering and are so prideful they believe it won't happen to them.
How could they be reading their Bibles and miss the story of Job, a man of God who suffered greatly and never denied God. He didn't even have the support of his wife.
James 1:2-8
"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."
God does not always remove our infirmities, but He does go through them with us. Hallelujah!
They remain faithful to God through all their suffering. Those who shout "lack of faith" the loudest are those who are not suffering and are so prideful they believe it won't happen to them.
How could they be reading their Bibles and miss the story of Job, a man of God who suffered greatly and never denied God. He didn't even have the support of his wife.
James 1:2-8
"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."
God does not always remove our infirmities, but He does go through them with us. Hallelujah!
Consistency is the Clue
Whatever we basically are is how we consistently act.
One cannot act against their nature, they can pretend but eventually will revert to what is most comfortable according to their character.
This has been my observations after many years of being around a narcissistic family structure.
Conversely those who are consistently sweet and kind almost never doing anything unkind and if they do it was without realizing it. Kind people cannot stand the thought of hurting anyone.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails;"
One cannot act against their nature, they can pretend but eventually will revert to what is most comfortable according to their character.
This has been my observations after many years of being around a narcissistic family structure.
Conversely those who are consistently sweet and kind almost never doing anything unkind and if they do it was without realizing it. Kind people cannot stand the thought of hurting anyone.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails;"
Confessing to be Cleansed
Recently many Christians have been accused of "being negative" on facebook. If only these people would realize we love them and want them to be saved or as believers growing in holiness.
We have all had to confess sins to be cleansed, we want the same blessing for everyone else.
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."
There is no better blessing than a clear conscience that comes from confession and cleansing. The devil cannot harm those who keep close accounts with our Lord.
We have all had to confess sins to be cleansed, we want the same blessing for everyone else.
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."
There is no better blessing than a clear conscience that comes from confession and cleansing. The devil cannot harm those who keep close accounts with our Lord.
The Solution to being Deceived
In these last days it is easy to momentarily be deceived, but when we ask God to show us truth He will do it.
There is always a check in our Spirit when we have been deceived that we ignore. When we get that check in the beginning is when we must pray when we get the sense that something is off, then the Holy Spirit in us will show us what is wrong. God never fails to answer when we ask Him.
James 1:5-7 "…5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord."
There is always a check in our Spirit when we have been deceived that we ignore. When we get that check in the beginning is when we must pray when we get the sense that something is off, then the Holy Spirit in us will show us what is wrong. God never fails to answer when we ask Him.
James 1:5-7 "…5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord."
Only Confession of Sin to Christ Cleanses Us
And how big does the sin have to be? I too have asked these questions and never received an answer. It seems to me that God would have told us which sins to avoid if we could lose our salvation. Also, Someone once told me that we don't sin after we are born again we just make mistakes. That seems silly to me, so now instead of calling sin what it is then we are calling it "mistakes", just a change of terminology.
If someone believed they never sinned after being born again then how would they be able to obey 1 John 1:9 given to believers to confess to be cleansed?!!!
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."
Those who believe they never sin would never admit when they have hurt someone. They also would never apologize to make things right in a relationship.
Psalm 32:5
"5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the [a]guilt of my sin. Selah."
King David was referred to by God as "the apple of God's eyes" and yet he had to confess his sin and then God cleansed Him.
Anyone who believes they never sin after salvation must be the hardest person in the world to live with, lacking compassion for those who have fallen and want to be restored. They also grow in arrogance and a judgmental spirit for the pride of self perfection that dwells within them.
When we love the Lord and know what we are without Him we have no room for superiority or self aggrandizement. God gets all the glory for His perfection and we get none.
Proverbs 28:13
"13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."
We grow in holiness in direct proportions to how often we confess sins with the desire to cast off our sinfulness and glorify God.
If someone believed they never sinned after being born again then how would they be able to obey 1 John 1:9 given to believers to confess to be cleansed?!!!
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."
Those who believe they never sin would never admit when they have hurt someone. They also would never apologize to make things right in a relationship.
Psalm 32:5
"5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the [a]guilt of my sin. Selah."
King David was referred to by God as "the apple of God's eyes" and yet he had to confess his sin and then God cleansed Him.
Anyone who believes they never sin after salvation must be the hardest person in the world to live with, lacking compassion for those who have fallen and want to be restored. They also grow in arrogance and a judgmental spirit for the pride of self perfection that dwells within them.
When we love the Lord and know what we are without Him we have no room for superiority or self aggrandizement. God gets all the glory for His perfection and we get none.
Proverbs 28:13
"13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."
We grow in holiness in direct proportions to how often we confess sins with the desire to cast off our sinfulness and glorify God.
There is More to God Than Most Want to Believe
Sobering thoughts from Adrian Rogers might help us realize God does get angry and He is a God of judgement, the side of God most people don't want to think about.
Love Worth Finding with Adrian Rogers:
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments”...
(Daniel 9:4-5)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Daniel’s prayer here is not the prayer that makes God angry. Some people think “If we just pray, God will hear our prayer.” My dear friend, it is not so. Prayers of a wicked people anger God. They make the matter worse. It’s an affront to God.
The Bible says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). “The Lord is far from the wicked: but He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29). Again, God says, “One that turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).
Can you imagine—prayer could actually become an abomination to God. The psalmist said in Psalm 80:4, “…How long will You be angry against the prayer of Your people?”
ACTION POINT:
Have you ever thought that a prayer of yours, rather than enlisting God’s mercy, might stir up God’s anger? Nothing angers God more than for a people stuffed full of sin and self to be imploring God to do something good for them when they stand in need of judgment. Confessed sin will be forgiven, but it must be confessed. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18).
Love Worth Finding with Adrian Rogers:
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments”...
(Daniel 9:4-5)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Daniel’s prayer here is not the prayer that makes God angry. Some people think “If we just pray, God will hear our prayer.” My dear friend, it is not so. Prayers of a wicked people anger God. They make the matter worse. It’s an affront to God.
The Bible says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). “The Lord is far from the wicked: but He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29). Again, God says, “One that turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).
Can you imagine—prayer could actually become an abomination to God. The psalmist said in Psalm 80:4, “…How long will You be angry against the prayer of Your people?”
ACTION POINT:
Have you ever thought that a prayer of yours, rather than enlisting God’s mercy, might stir up God’s anger? Nothing angers God more than for a people stuffed full of sin and self to be imploring God to do something good for them when they stand in need of judgment. Confessed sin will be forgiven, but it must be confessed. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18).
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