Do We Believe God?

To ruminate and agonize over past forgiven sin is the same as not believing God when He said:

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

If there are friends and family who hold past forgiven sin against us even when the sin wasn't against them, we know they enjoy placing guilt, which is a tactic of the devil.

It is wise to remove from our lives all those people who persist in acting superior as though they have never sinned. These are those who do not have the fruit of the Spirit of Christ.

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."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.

5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,

6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Those who lack the fruit and do not possess the qualities of love are not from God and will only complicate our lives with the purpose of undermining our spiritual and emotional growth. They are sent of the devil and must be dismissed and ignored.

1 Corinthians 14:38

"38 But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized."

Another translation says "let the ignorant be ignored."

God told us to surround ourselves with those who love us, who edify us with His Word and who have our best in mind. This best would include coming alongside in hardships, correcting us when we are in error, enjoying our wins and weeping with us in our losses. In other words, they care so deeply for us that they partake in everything about our lives in genuine love without trying, it comes naturally without thinking because their heart is one of God's love and compassion.

John 13:35

"35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

1 John 4:7-8

"Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

1 John 3:14

"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death."

1 John 4:20-21

If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well."