God must judge America even if we were to repent as a nation. We have 55 million babies who have been murdered in their mothers womb, the mothers and the doctors are both cop-able.
When a murderer has been convicted, even if he repents he still must pay the penalty for his sin and will either go to jail for life or pay with his own life through the death penalty.
We have had little justice in our land for 40 years. The penalty for the sin of murder has been ignored, and we have even legalized the act of murder. God will not let us get by with murder without the payment for that sin.
We are under God's judgement!
Psalm 106:32-41
"They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah,
So that it went hard with Moses on their account;
33 Because they were rebellious against His Spirit,
He spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the peoples,
As the Lord commanded them,
35 But they mingled with the nations
And learned their practices,
36 And served their idols,
Which became a snare to them.
37 They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons,
38 And shed innocent blood,
The blood of their sons and their daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with the blood.
39 Thus they became unclean in their practices,
And played the harlot in their deeds.
40 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people
And He abhorred His inheritance.
41 Then He gave them into the hand of the nations,
And those who hated them ruled over them."
Thursday, January 22, 2015
The Holy Spirit Convicts of Sin
When I became born again I did not live for the Lord, I wanted God, but didn't understand what that meant. I wanted His safety and love, but had no understanding of what that looked like.
I didn't read my Bible, because it was not common in our household to open the Bible and there was no prayer except over the meal that was a canned recited one in a hurry to get to the food.
I accepted Christ as my Savior at church camp at 12 years old but didn't live for the Lord until my early twenties. I sinned often out of weakness, rather than turning to Christ for help I turned to other things and people for comfort.
When I became weary of the continual guilt and conviction of the Holy Spirit I fell to my knees confessing my sin, at which time I began pouring over the Bible to learn more about God. I am convinced I was saved, often I questioned my salvation during that time because no matter how much I confessed I felt I was not forgiven. Then I felt guilty for not believing God when He said that He will forgive when we confess.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
2 Corinthians 13:5 "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?"
I know this sense of not being forgiven was ingrained in me in childhood when every slightest infraction was met with extreme harshness, even when there was sorrow over sin, there was the condemnation from those who thought they could never sin. I didn't think anyone could or would forgive the past. This thinking extended to my view of God. There was little love in the house, mostly ridicule and mocking, never encouragement.
Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted."
The day I realized that I was a work in progress, that God loved me in spite of my failings and would extend that love to such a degree as to redirect me when it was needed, then is when my spirit began to blossom, peacefully experiencing His love in spite of what was going on around me.
Hebrews 12:11 "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."
James 1:2-8 "2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
I am a believer in harsh rebukes for those who are rebellious, however I do not believe the Bible teaches to continue to be harsh with someone who has repented. Then is when we weep with our brothers and sisters and rejoice at the growth. When we act as though the sin could never be forgiven and that no one else sins that badly, we are walking in pride, a sin that destroys. Often those who think they are above sin, unnecessarily judge harshly others who have turned from their sin and are forgiven, but the prideful judge remains in theirs.
Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted."
Titus 1:10-16 "10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.
12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith,
14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed."
There is a time of patience we must have with new believers, or those who are sinning from weakness and heartache.
There are no excuses for sin, but there is also no excuse for meanness with a brother or sister desiring to be restored. Pride is the motivating factor in reviling one who is seeking Christ.
1 John 5:4 "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
Mark 11:24 ""Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."
1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:"
We know it is God's will that we be cleansed, so we know if we pray for that He will do it. We can have victory over every struggle.
Let go of self and hang on to Christ! Desire what He desires and He will do it.
I didn't read my Bible, because it was not common in our household to open the Bible and there was no prayer except over the meal that was a canned recited one in a hurry to get to the food.
I accepted Christ as my Savior at church camp at 12 years old but didn't live for the Lord until my early twenties. I sinned often out of weakness, rather than turning to Christ for help I turned to other things and people for comfort.
When I became weary of the continual guilt and conviction of the Holy Spirit I fell to my knees confessing my sin, at which time I began pouring over the Bible to learn more about God. I am convinced I was saved, often I questioned my salvation during that time because no matter how much I confessed I felt I was not forgiven. Then I felt guilty for not believing God when He said that He will forgive when we confess.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
2 Corinthians 13:5 "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?"
I know this sense of not being forgiven was ingrained in me in childhood when every slightest infraction was met with extreme harshness, even when there was sorrow over sin, there was the condemnation from those who thought they could never sin. I didn't think anyone could or would forgive the past. This thinking extended to my view of God. There was little love in the house, mostly ridicule and mocking, never encouragement.
Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted."
The day I realized that I was a work in progress, that God loved me in spite of my failings and would extend that love to such a degree as to redirect me when it was needed, then is when my spirit began to blossom, peacefully experiencing His love in spite of what was going on around me.
Hebrews 12:11 "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."
James 1:2-8 "2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
I am a believer in harsh rebukes for those who are rebellious, however I do not believe the Bible teaches to continue to be harsh with someone who has repented. Then is when we weep with our brothers and sisters and rejoice at the growth. When we act as though the sin could never be forgiven and that no one else sins that badly, we are walking in pride, a sin that destroys. Often those who think they are above sin, unnecessarily judge harshly others who have turned from their sin and are forgiven, but the prideful judge remains in theirs.
Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted."
Titus 1:10-16 "10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.
12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith,
14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed."
There is a time of patience we must have with new believers, or those who are sinning from weakness and heartache.
There are no excuses for sin, but there is also no excuse for meanness with a brother or sister desiring to be restored. Pride is the motivating factor in reviling one who is seeking Christ.
1 John 5:4 "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
Mark 11:24 ""Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."
1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:"
We know it is God's will that we be cleansed, so we know if we pray for that He will do it. We can have victory over every struggle.
Let go of self and hang on to Christ! Desire what He desires and He will do it.
Everyone Needs To Grow In Marrage
Sadly there are those who get married to have someone to serve them. They have little desire to be an asset to their spouse, but merely hope to be elevated in the eyes of the world because of their choice of a spouse. These people love their popular status, loving sacrificially is not in their mind and the needs of their spouse is irrelevant.
Do not get married if you cannot admit sin and seek Christ, you will only bring misery to the relationship and set the marriage up for failure.
I can speak from experience and authority, since I have been married 43 years to the same man, since my teen years.
When we mess up in marriage, bad attitudes, selfishness and other malities in our character, we can swallow our pride, confess them and do better with Christ helping us. Growth will be necessary in every marriage no matter how wonderful you think you are or how wonderful you think your spouse is.
There are many ups and downs, marriage is two very different personalities coming together. Since opposites do attract, we are impressed with someone different from ourselves, because they seem to have what we lack. Even so, those differences will eventually irritate us if we do not see the value in them long term.
Men and women are very different, they process information differently, God made us that way for a reason. When we learn to respect those differences, we can work together to solve the problems of life, they can enhance one another. There is no room for mocking and ridicule over the differences, this only creates hurt feelings while thwarting any resolution of conflict or moving forward in growth.
When we mess up we must admit it openly and resolve to walk anew.
Anyone going into marriage thinking it will be all about "gooy love", are on the wrong foot to start with. Our aim should be to go into marriage to be an asset to the other person rather than counting on what we think we will get out of them.
THE SELFISHNESS, NARCISSISM AND DOWN RIGHT STUBBORNNESS HAS TO GO!!!!
The final and most important aspect of marriage is that of unity. We must foster unity in the relationship, not by our human effort but by knowing the will of God by studying His Word to find His principles for a married couple.
All the principles for a God honoring relationship, the role of the woman and the role of the men are clearly written in the Word. When we seek God and not men for our model for marriage we have a successful marriage.
Please, Please stay away from the oppressive and demeaning teachings of PHARISAICAL. mentalities (marked by hypocritical censorious self-righteousness. Marriam-Webster Dictionary) there are many, adding to Scripture things that God never said that bring hardship into the marriage.
Proverbs 31 is a wonderful source for learning the woman's role in the family.
Ephesians 5 is another source that teaches the love that is between a man and woman based on their particular roles.
Remember that God has given specific roles to men and women that are unique to their gender bents. Each role is important and the instructions for each role were given to that gender. We can appeal to one another when we see error or sin, but forcing, manipulating and demeaning to get our spouse to do what we think they should do, it not acceptable to God.
When someone is not acting as they should in disobedience to God we are to lovingly appeal while praying for them. Often we find out that someone is not nearly as bad as we thought, we just misunderstood their struggle.
The bottom line in this matter of marriage is this: Seek the Lord with all your heart even if your spouse doesn't seem to be doing it. Love Christ with all your heart and treat your spouse as God wants you to and you may see changes needed in yourself first. Often people are reacting to our wrong attitudes, when they see us change, they can more fully see themselves.
Do not get married if you cannot admit sin and seek Christ, you will only bring misery to the relationship and set the marriage up for failure.
I can speak from experience and authority, since I have been married 43 years to the same man, since my teen years.
When we mess up in marriage, bad attitudes, selfishness and other malities in our character, we can swallow our pride, confess them and do better with Christ helping us. Growth will be necessary in every marriage no matter how wonderful you think you are or how wonderful you think your spouse is.
There are many ups and downs, marriage is two very different personalities coming together. Since opposites do attract, we are impressed with someone different from ourselves, because they seem to have what we lack. Even so, those differences will eventually irritate us if we do not see the value in them long term.
Men and women are very different, they process information differently, God made us that way for a reason. When we learn to respect those differences, we can work together to solve the problems of life, they can enhance one another. There is no room for mocking and ridicule over the differences, this only creates hurt feelings while thwarting any resolution of conflict or moving forward in growth.
When we mess up we must admit it openly and resolve to walk anew.
Anyone going into marriage thinking it will be all about "gooy love", are on the wrong foot to start with. Our aim should be to go into marriage to be an asset to the other person rather than counting on what we think we will get out of them.
THE SELFISHNESS, NARCISSISM AND DOWN RIGHT STUBBORNNESS HAS TO GO!!!!
The final and most important aspect of marriage is that of unity. We must foster unity in the relationship, not by our human effort but by knowing the will of God by studying His Word to find His principles for a married couple.
All the principles for a God honoring relationship, the role of the woman and the role of the men are clearly written in the Word. When we seek God and not men for our model for marriage we have a successful marriage.
Please, Please stay away from the oppressive and demeaning teachings of PHARISAICAL. mentalities (marked by hypocritical censorious self-righteousness. Marriam-Webster Dictionary) there are many, adding to Scripture things that God never said that bring hardship into the marriage.
Proverbs 31 is a wonderful source for learning the woman's role in the family.
Ephesians 5 is another source that teaches the love that is between a man and woman based on their particular roles.
Remember that God has given specific roles to men and women that are unique to their gender bents. Each role is important and the instructions for each role were given to that gender. We can appeal to one another when we see error or sin, but forcing, manipulating and demeaning to get our spouse to do what we think they should do, it not acceptable to God.
When someone is not acting as they should in disobedience to God we are to lovingly appeal while praying for them. Often we find out that someone is not nearly as bad as we thought, we just misunderstood their struggle.
The bottom line in this matter of marriage is this: Seek the Lord with all your heart even if your spouse doesn't seem to be doing it. Love Christ with all your heart and treat your spouse as God wants you to and you may see changes needed in yourself first. Often people are reacting to our wrong attitudes, when they see us change, they can more fully see themselves.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
The Blood is on the Land and Judgement Around the Corner
This is unbelievable to me! My husband and I were involved in political causes for 25 years in our younger days. When the Roe v Wade decision came down in '73, I had to ask my husband "what is abortion", when he told me I was aghast. I told him that law would not matter anyway because no woman would kill her own baby.
Here we are 55 MILLION PEOPLE later, dead. I remain astonished. I was so innocent at 19 years old, married with one child, that I never even heard of abortion. Now when you speak to teenagers, they argue that it is a constitutional right to kill their baby. And, some of you think that God is going to ignore the blood on the land of 55 million babies and keep on blessing us? ARE YOU KIDDING!
The blood on the land cries out to God for justice. We are so inoculated to the horrors around us that even the sins that were considered monstrous just 40 years ago, are now the norm, most people are yawning at the mention of them.
We are so distracted with our fun and pleasure, we barely notice the sin that surrounds us.
America is going to be punished even if we repent, God cannot ignore this carnage.
Here we are 55 MILLION PEOPLE later, dead. I remain astonished. I was so innocent at 19 years old, married with one child, that I never even heard of abortion. Now when you speak to teenagers, they argue that it is a constitutional right to kill their baby. And, some of you think that God is going to ignore the blood on the land of 55 million babies and keep on blessing us? ARE YOU KIDDING!
The blood on the land cries out to God for justice. We are so inoculated to the horrors around us that even the sins that were considered monstrous just 40 years ago, are now the norm, most people are yawning at the mention of them.
We are so distracted with our fun and pleasure, we barely notice the sin that surrounds us.
America is going to be punished even if we repent, God cannot ignore this carnage.
Matt Drudge knocks it out of the park with this one! What do you think?
The Holy Spirit is my Seal
Our eternal life begins as soon as we are sealed with the Holy Spirit after believing!
Romans 10:9 "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."
John 15:26 "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"
Our Advocate...Christ, is in heaven pleading on our behalf. He is not saying to the Father....."look how many good works your children are doing, this one gets to keep me and this one does not get to keep me." He is saying "Father, this one belongs to Me, I covered his sins in my blood and He is mine."
John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;"
When we receive the Holy Spirit, He abides with us from that time forward until FOREVER. Our "forever" begins at the moment we have been indwelt and sealed with Him.
Romans 10:9 "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."
John 15:26 "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"
Our Advocate...Christ, is in heaven pleading on our behalf. He is not saying to the Father....."look how many good works your children are doing, this one gets to keep me and this one does not get to keep me." He is saying "Father, this one belongs to Me, I covered his sins in my blood and He is mine."
John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;"
When we receive the Holy Spirit, He abides with us from that time forward until FOREVER. Our "forever" begins at the moment we have been indwelt and sealed with Him.
Christ Did It All For Me
If our salvation depended on anything we do, then Christ's death on the cross would have been ridiculous.
To bleed and die to pay the penalty of death for mankind for our sin, would not be enough for those who believe in works based salvation. They must add their works to earn it and their works to keep it, to what Christ did on the cross.
When we sin, and we know all believers do, that's why Christ's blood had to cover our sinful nature, then I must ask a few questions.
Please use only Scripture to answer the questions, no opinion or the words of famous people.
Christ didn't do enough?
We could not pay the penalty ourselves for our own sin, but we could do things to keep ourselves saved?
If the penalty for sin is death, and the death of a perfect Lamb, then how could we die for our own sin, since we can't because we are not perfect, I have the following questions.
What righteous deeds could we do that would earn us the right to keep our salvation?
How many righteous deeds does it take to earn that salvation we are working so hard to keep?
Which one of the sins we do can lose us our salvation?
How many bad attitudes or sins of omission would cause the Holy Spirit to remove Himself from us?
If I could just know how many sins, how big they had to be and which ones specifically to avoid, then I would know how to keep my own salvation, if in fact I could.
Notice that God never tells us these details, wouldn't it make sense that if we could place our sins on a scale as the Catholics and Muslims believe, hoping the scales will tilt in the right direction, I would be in like flynn.
Only a mean spirited god would tell you to keep your own salvation without telling you how many sins and which ones could lose us our salvation.
I was in a system just as I have described, the Catholic church! One never knew if they measured up, even when they confessed they weren't sure if they had enough good deeds to keep heaven or enough bad deeds to miss the mark.
The Catholics, Mormons, Jw's, Buddists, Hindus, Muslims and even Christian denominations teach that Christ didn't do it all on the cross, they still have to work to keep their own salvation.......with what.....we are sinful in nature, how could we keep ourselves pure, holy and righteous?
The good news is that Christ really did do it on the cross, all of it, and I can count on Him to change me into a new creation, I can count on Him to keep me until He comes for me. He promised, I believe Him!
My works are in His hands, not my own. My salvation is in His hands, not my own. The more I submit to Him the greater my works, the greater my reward. He no longer sees the sinful me, but He sees Christ His Son in me.
To bleed and die to pay the penalty of death for mankind for our sin, would not be enough for those who believe in works based salvation. They must add their works to earn it and their works to keep it, to what Christ did on the cross.
When we sin, and we know all believers do, that's why Christ's blood had to cover our sinful nature, then I must ask a few questions.
Please use only Scripture to answer the questions, no opinion or the words of famous people.
Christ didn't do enough?
We could not pay the penalty ourselves for our own sin, but we could do things to keep ourselves saved?
If the penalty for sin is death, and the death of a perfect Lamb, then how could we die for our own sin, since we can't because we are not perfect, I have the following questions.
What righteous deeds could we do that would earn us the right to keep our salvation?
How many righteous deeds does it take to earn that salvation we are working so hard to keep?
Which one of the sins we do can lose us our salvation?
How many bad attitudes or sins of omission would cause the Holy Spirit to remove Himself from us?
If I could just know how many sins, how big they had to be and which ones specifically to avoid, then I would know how to keep my own salvation, if in fact I could.
Notice that God never tells us these details, wouldn't it make sense that if we could place our sins on a scale as the Catholics and Muslims believe, hoping the scales will tilt in the right direction, I would be in like flynn.
Only a mean spirited god would tell you to keep your own salvation without telling you how many sins and which ones could lose us our salvation.
I was in a system just as I have described, the Catholic church! One never knew if they measured up, even when they confessed they weren't sure if they had enough good deeds to keep heaven or enough bad deeds to miss the mark.
The Catholics, Mormons, Jw's, Buddists, Hindus, Muslims and even Christian denominations teach that Christ didn't do it all on the cross, they still have to work to keep their own salvation.......with what.....we are sinful in nature, how could we keep ourselves pure, holy and righteous?
The good news is that Christ really did do it on the cross, all of it, and I can count on Him to change me into a new creation, I can count on Him to keep me until He comes for me. He promised, I believe Him!
My works are in His hands, not my own. My salvation is in His hands, not my own. The more I submit to Him the greater my works, the greater my reward. He no longer sees the sinful me, but He sees Christ His Son in me.
Mocking, Bullying and Dismissiveness are Destructive
I saw a video a couple of years ago about parents lying to the their children, telling them they ate all their Halloween candy. The children were crying, having tantrums and being disrespectful while the parents stood by laughing.
I know that most people will think this is overkill. But what is behind the mentality that likes to watch a child in distress, crying and feeling frustrated?
How would we as women feel if our husbands and children were laughing at us when we were crying over a matter that we felt deeply about.
Matthew 7:12 ""In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
Let's take a look at what the parent had to do to accomplish their form of entertainment in the case of the Halloween candy.
In the case of the Halloween candy, the parents had to lie to the children, laugh when they erupted in tantrum, even fierce anger and return the candy to them after the tantrum.
These parents taught their children by example that it was alright to lie to someone, upsetting them deliberately for their own entertainment. They taught them to have tantrums by rewarding them with the returned candy after having a tantrum. They set their children up for failure and punishment.
I have seen this down through the years, a father taking away a basket ball from his child just to watch him cry, while mocking the child for crying. These may seem like small matters to many people, but God wants our children to trust us, obey our commands and follow our example. When we act like children ourselves, taunting our children as a bully would do, they will become bitter and angry, even completely rebellious because they cannot respect a parent who deliberately frustrates them.
When we lie to our children, mock them and treat them with contempt, they will learn to do it to others. And they will learn to do it to their parents when they are adults. There is a old saying;; "more is caught than taught." What we do has a greater impact on our children than what we say. A child will watch and imitate what we do while minimizing what we say.
Children also feel a sense of contempt for parents who act like hypocrites.
When children feel angry at the foolishness of their parent, they are not likely to take them seriously in the rearing process.
We do tease our children from time to time, it is not bad to tease but mocking and taunting is another matter entirely. The Halloween video crossed the line from mere innocent teasing to harsh mocking. A child who experiences this feels devalued, defrauded even hated by their parents.
God says;
Ephesians 6:4 "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
Colossians 3:21 "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged."
When we do not treat our children with respect, we discourage them, when there is no good reason to do so. Even dismissing them by ignoring them, can cause these same feelings of sadness in children. Children are not equipped yet to learn how to handle feelings, in most cases they stuff them or let them fly, never feeling a resolution to them.
Setting up a child for failure is the aim of those who mock to feel control over a child. When we mock a child, we are deliberately setting them up for heartache.
There is a time for love in the form of discipline and rebuke, these things are far different from mocking for personal entertainment. They are for the purpose of training in righteousness, that the child become equipped as a future man or woman of the Lord.
Building a child into a man or woman is hard work, lots of encouragement, discipline and instruction, that must build confidence in them, not pride. A child who is neglected or mocked will turn to the world for his validation rather than God. A child who is mocked will become bitter in his soul, turning his back on whatever his parents taught him as a way of escaping the pain he felt through discouragement. Pride will overtake a child as he attempts to quench the horrible rejection he feels when mocked or ridiculed. Pride is the result because it is a coping mechanism.
Believe me, the world will give a sinning child plenty of encouragement and validation, no matter how sinful he is. Do we want to foster anger and bitterness or do we want to foster love and kindness. Children will choose the world over their parents even in good homes, let's not give them an excuse by our actions and attitudes.
Did you realize that ignoring a person is the same as saying "you have no value in my life?" Many parents ignore their children and then get angry when their child has no interest in them or their commands. Dismissiveness can be just as destructive as mocking and ridicule.
Preferring one child over another because of personality traits, is sin. Mocking or ignoring a child is never acceptable.
Time out is the most destructive mechanism used today, banishing a child to his room to punish him only makes him feel devalued, multiplying his anger. It is better to spank him and allow him to continue with the family than to isolate him from the love in the family. Time out is a way of saying "we don't love you anymore, be gone."
God told us to use the rod to show the importance of obedience, He knows better than we do what is needed.
Proverbs 20:30 "The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly."
When we love our children we will spank them when necessary, instruct them constantly, but never devalue them through banishment or mocking.
Do you want your children to follow Christ? If so then you must follow Him, that is the best teacher of all!
I know that most people will think this is overkill. But what is behind the mentality that likes to watch a child in distress, crying and feeling frustrated?
How would we as women feel if our husbands and children were laughing at us when we were crying over a matter that we felt deeply about.
Matthew 7:12 ""In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
Let's take a look at what the parent had to do to accomplish their form of entertainment in the case of the Halloween candy.
In the case of the Halloween candy, the parents had to lie to the children, laugh when they erupted in tantrum, even fierce anger and return the candy to them after the tantrum.
These parents taught their children by example that it was alright to lie to someone, upsetting them deliberately for their own entertainment. They taught them to have tantrums by rewarding them with the returned candy after having a tantrum. They set their children up for failure and punishment.
I have seen this down through the years, a father taking away a basket ball from his child just to watch him cry, while mocking the child for crying. These may seem like small matters to many people, but God wants our children to trust us, obey our commands and follow our example. When we act like children ourselves, taunting our children as a bully would do, they will become bitter and angry, even completely rebellious because they cannot respect a parent who deliberately frustrates them.
When we lie to our children, mock them and treat them with contempt, they will learn to do it to others. And they will learn to do it to their parents when they are adults. There is a old saying;; "more is caught than taught." What we do has a greater impact on our children than what we say. A child will watch and imitate what we do while minimizing what we say.
Children also feel a sense of contempt for parents who act like hypocrites.
When children feel angry at the foolishness of their parent, they are not likely to take them seriously in the rearing process.
We do tease our children from time to time, it is not bad to tease but mocking and taunting is another matter entirely. The Halloween video crossed the line from mere innocent teasing to harsh mocking. A child who experiences this feels devalued, defrauded even hated by their parents.
God says;
Ephesians 6:4 "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
Colossians 3:21 "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged."
When we do not treat our children with respect, we discourage them, when there is no good reason to do so. Even dismissing them by ignoring them, can cause these same feelings of sadness in children. Children are not equipped yet to learn how to handle feelings, in most cases they stuff them or let them fly, never feeling a resolution to them.
Setting up a child for failure is the aim of those who mock to feel control over a child. When we mock a child, we are deliberately setting them up for heartache.
There is a time for love in the form of discipline and rebuke, these things are far different from mocking for personal entertainment. They are for the purpose of training in righteousness, that the child become equipped as a future man or woman of the Lord.
Building a child into a man or woman is hard work, lots of encouragement, discipline and instruction, that must build confidence in them, not pride. A child who is neglected or mocked will turn to the world for his validation rather than God. A child who is mocked will become bitter in his soul, turning his back on whatever his parents taught him as a way of escaping the pain he felt through discouragement. Pride will overtake a child as he attempts to quench the horrible rejection he feels when mocked or ridiculed. Pride is the result because it is a coping mechanism.
Believe me, the world will give a sinning child plenty of encouragement and validation, no matter how sinful he is. Do we want to foster anger and bitterness or do we want to foster love and kindness. Children will choose the world over their parents even in good homes, let's not give them an excuse by our actions and attitudes.
Did you realize that ignoring a person is the same as saying "you have no value in my life?" Many parents ignore their children and then get angry when their child has no interest in them or their commands. Dismissiveness can be just as destructive as mocking and ridicule.
Preferring one child over another because of personality traits, is sin. Mocking or ignoring a child is never acceptable.
Time out is the most destructive mechanism used today, banishing a child to his room to punish him only makes him feel devalued, multiplying his anger. It is better to spank him and allow him to continue with the family than to isolate him from the love in the family. Time out is a way of saying "we don't love you anymore, be gone."
God told us to use the rod to show the importance of obedience, He knows better than we do what is needed.
Proverbs 20:30 "The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly."
When we love our children we will spank them when necessary, instruct them constantly, but never devalue them through banishment or mocking.
Do you want your children to follow Christ? If so then you must follow Him, that is the best teacher of all!
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