The devil is on the prowl, looking to destroy whomever he can through lies, deceptions, turning one another against each other so there are no allies to help us to be stronger.
But never fear, Christ Who lives in us can be all we need.
1 John 4:3-5 "…3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is already in the world at this time. 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.…"
1 Peter 5:7-9 "…7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.…"
1 John 4:217-19 "…17 In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because He first loved us."
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
He Wouldn't Want You To Go Through That?
I am amazed when someone says "God wouldn't want me to go through that." God Who sent His Son to die for the sins of others, not His own, wouldn't want us to go through something difficult? Next time we think we are going through so much that we can't get out of, we need to remember what Christ did for us!!!
I Serve at the Pleasure of My Husband
May I give you some insight into a woman who nags. Not all women are the same, however some women nag from time to time because the men they speak to do not show interest and do not work to submit to their wives to help them. When a man shows interest and is concerned about helping the wife the way she needs help, then there is less of a chance that she will nag.
1 Peter 3:7-8 "7 Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. 8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tender-hearted and humble.…"
Far too many husbands act irritated that their wife expect or desire anything from them. Man and woman were placed together as a couple, not as a master and a slave. Each party should take into account the needs and desires of the other. God says we are to "submit one to another."
Ephesians 5:20-21 "…20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.…"
Yes woman are to submit to their husbands as the leaders. They serve at the pleasure of their husbands, but they do not "take orders" as a master over a slave. A man should respectfully request things he needs from her and he should listen to her needs and respectfully honor them.
God told women to obey their husband, it is her choice, if she loves God then she will see to his needs. If the husband loves his wife he will help his wife to more fully serve God by his own example.
A man who will not obey God cannot expect to influence a wife to obey God, his example is hypocritical.
A woman who will not obey God, cannot expect her husband to operate as he should before God.
Each one must be seeking God, then coming together to obey Him as a team. No one is superior to another, the roles are differing, but the respect and honor is for both and the same.
If a woman is not obeying God, chances are good she has no example of it in her home, the husband is too caught up in his own things without her, that she is left to follow God on her own without companionship in the Lord and without an advocate in her life experiences.
Be careful not to judge another persons marriage when you are not there to see what goes on in the home when no one else is looking. Be careful not to believe one side of the story without hearing the other side. Even then, let God be the judge!
1 Peter 3:7-8 "7 Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. 8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tender-hearted and humble.…"
Far too many husbands act irritated that their wife expect or desire anything from them. Man and woman were placed together as a couple, not as a master and a slave. Each party should take into account the needs and desires of the other. God says we are to "submit one to another."
Ephesians 5:20-21 "…20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.…"
Yes woman are to submit to their husbands as the leaders. They serve at the pleasure of their husbands, but they do not "take orders" as a master over a slave. A man should respectfully request things he needs from her and he should listen to her needs and respectfully honor them.
God told women to obey their husband, it is her choice, if she loves God then she will see to his needs. If the husband loves his wife he will help his wife to more fully serve God by his own example.
A man who will not obey God cannot expect to influence a wife to obey God, his example is hypocritical.
A woman who will not obey God, cannot expect her husband to operate as he should before God.
Each one must be seeking God, then coming together to obey Him as a team. No one is superior to another, the roles are differing, but the respect and honor is for both and the same.
If a woman is not obeying God, chances are good she has no example of it in her home, the husband is too caught up in his own things without her, that she is left to follow God on her own without companionship in the Lord and without an advocate in her life experiences.
Be careful not to judge another persons marriage when you are not there to see what goes on in the home when no one else is looking. Be careful not to believe one side of the story without hearing the other side. Even then, let God be the judge!
Trapped by the Shack
Those who have fallen into the deception of "The Shack", believing it uplifts God, are actually devaluing and mocking Him, through the love of this evil book and movie.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"
Monday, March 6, 2017
We Love Our Husbands but They are not Our gods
I knew a man, who counseled a new believer, a woman that she had to watch hard porn with her husband who was a non-believer because she had to "obey" her husband. I rebuked this man for this, he has treated me with contempt and called me rebellious every since. Our husbands are not our gods, they are our leaders and we are their helpers, no where in the word does it say to honor him above Christ.
Karen Puff Rosenkrantz
"How can I avoid enabling someone else’s sin?"
To “enable” sin is to embolden someone to continue in sin, to empower his ability to sin, or to make it easier for him to sin. In our stand for righteousness, we want to avoid enabling the sins of others. Human relationships can be complex, and there are many situations that can lead to involuntary participation in the sin of another. In a marriage, one spouse can be drawn into sin in an effort to appease the other. Friends and family are the avenues that Satan often uses to entice us to participate in a sin we would otherwise avoid (1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 22:24). However, no one has the power to make another person sin. Sin is a condition of the heart (Matthew 15:18–19). And we are each responsible for the choices we make and the condition of our own hearts (Romans 14:12; Matthew 12:36).
Enabling someone’s sin is the same as indirectly taking part in that sin, and 1 Timothy 5:22 says, “Do not participate in the sins of others.” If the Bible has a command, we have the power to obey it. We often do not realize that we have the right and the responsibility to set personal boundaries that honor God. Learning to set healthy boundaries for ourselves is crucial to living the victorious life Jesus wants for us (John 10:10; Romans 8:37). Boundaries define where our responsibilities start and end. The Bible is a book of boundaries, with consequences for violating them (Genesis 2:16–17; Deuteronomy 28:15; Jeremiah 22:5; 1 Samuel 12:15). When we know the boundaries, we are responsible for enforcing them. For example, if a friend insists that you drive the getaway car in a robbery, you don’t have to decide. The decision was made when you first chose to follow Christ. Jesus says stealing is wrong, so you will not enable theft. Participation in sin is not an option for a Christian (Romans 6:1–2; 1 John 3:9).
Avoiding sin requires that we seek wisdom from God. Fortunately, we have the promise of James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” When we receive God’s wisdom about a situation, our responsibility is to move forward on the basis of that wisdom. One way to gain courage in making right decisions is to ask ourselves what we would do if Jesus were standing right beside us. If we would not move forward with Jesus, then it is not the right decision, regardless of who is urging us to participate.
One way we enable the sin of others is by rescuing them from their rightful consequences. God uses consequences to teach us lessons we would not otherwise learn. When a parent bails a rebellious son out of jail, that parent is enabling the rebellion to continue. When a Christian allows his friends to talk him into going to a place he knows will lead to sinful behavior, he is participating in the sin of others. We give others freedom to make their own choices, but we must also allow them to reap the consequences of those choices (Galatians 6:7). We often enable the sin of others because of a false sense of compassion or because we want to be needed. But in shielding someone from the natural consequences of sin, we rob that person of the wisdom God wanted to impart to him or her. It’s never easy to see a loved one experience difficulty, but sometimes the difficulty is just what God wants to use to teach an important life lesson.
Just as others have freedom to make their own choices, we also have freedom to choose, and we can refuse to participate in the sin of others. Many times we allow ourselves to be pulled into someone else’s sin because we fear losing the relationship. In doing so, we have allowed that person to take the place of God in our hearts. When the desire of someone else supersedes the desire of God, we have slipped into idolatry (Exodus 20:3; 34:14). We can avoid enabling someone else’s sin by making a final decision about who directs our lives. If we have given our lives to Christ, then He is the final authority on any decision (2 Corinthians 10:5; Acts 5:29). If Jesus would not make it easier for a person to sin, then we shouldn’t, either.
~ Shared
Karen Puff Rosenkrantz
"How can I avoid enabling someone else’s sin?"
To “enable” sin is to embolden someone to continue in sin, to empower his ability to sin, or to make it easier for him to sin. In our stand for righteousness, we want to avoid enabling the sins of others. Human relationships can be complex, and there are many situations that can lead to involuntary participation in the sin of another. In a marriage, one spouse can be drawn into sin in an effort to appease the other. Friends and family are the avenues that Satan often uses to entice us to participate in a sin we would otherwise avoid (1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 22:24). However, no one has the power to make another person sin. Sin is a condition of the heart (Matthew 15:18–19). And we are each responsible for the choices we make and the condition of our own hearts (Romans 14:12; Matthew 12:36).
Enabling someone’s sin is the same as indirectly taking part in that sin, and 1 Timothy 5:22 says, “Do not participate in the sins of others.” If the Bible has a command, we have the power to obey it. We often do not realize that we have the right and the responsibility to set personal boundaries that honor God. Learning to set healthy boundaries for ourselves is crucial to living the victorious life Jesus wants for us (John 10:10; Romans 8:37). Boundaries define where our responsibilities start and end. The Bible is a book of boundaries, with consequences for violating them (Genesis 2:16–17; Deuteronomy 28:15; Jeremiah 22:5; 1 Samuel 12:15). When we know the boundaries, we are responsible for enforcing them. For example, if a friend insists that you drive the getaway car in a robbery, you don’t have to decide. The decision was made when you first chose to follow Christ. Jesus says stealing is wrong, so you will not enable theft. Participation in sin is not an option for a Christian (Romans 6:1–2; 1 John 3:9).
Avoiding sin requires that we seek wisdom from God. Fortunately, we have the promise of James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” When we receive God’s wisdom about a situation, our responsibility is to move forward on the basis of that wisdom. One way to gain courage in making right decisions is to ask ourselves what we would do if Jesus were standing right beside us. If we would not move forward with Jesus, then it is not the right decision, regardless of who is urging us to participate.
One way we enable the sin of others is by rescuing them from their rightful consequences. God uses consequences to teach us lessons we would not otherwise learn. When a parent bails a rebellious son out of jail, that parent is enabling the rebellion to continue. When a Christian allows his friends to talk him into going to a place he knows will lead to sinful behavior, he is participating in the sin of others. We give others freedom to make their own choices, but we must also allow them to reap the consequences of those choices (Galatians 6:7). We often enable the sin of others because of a false sense of compassion or because we want to be needed. But in shielding someone from the natural consequences of sin, we rob that person of the wisdom God wanted to impart to him or her. It’s never easy to see a loved one experience difficulty, but sometimes the difficulty is just what God wants to use to teach an important life lesson.
Just as others have freedom to make their own choices, we also have freedom to choose, and we can refuse to participate in the sin of others. Many times we allow ourselves to be pulled into someone else’s sin because we fear losing the relationship. In doing so, we have allowed that person to take the place of God in our hearts. When the desire of someone else supersedes the desire of God, we have slipped into idolatry (Exodus 20:3; 34:14). We can avoid enabling someone else’s sin by making a final decision about who directs our lives. If we have given our lives to Christ, then He is the final authority on any decision (2 Corinthians 10:5; Acts 5:29). If Jesus would not make it easier for a person to sin, then we shouldn’t, either.
~ Shared
Marcus Kaiser Says It Well
From a Facebook Post by Marcus Kaiser
7 mins ·
This is simple, but profound:
"Narcissism is so dangerous becuase, buying your own lie that you are 'superior' to others and that your perceived needs are paramount, it breeds and justifies (rationalizes) CONTEMPT for fellow humans. It is a system for rampant abuse because it refuses to be vulnerable enough to have remorse for damage to others.
In contrast to disconnecting from the hearts around us, Jesus told us to LOVE and SERVE each other in humility - the exact opposite of narcissism. God is love, that could have had disdain for our mess, but in compassion chose to INTIMATLY IDENTIFY with us, even in our suffering - the exact thing the narcissist is unwilling to do. God became incarnate in Christ Jesus and felt our pain to the FULL. Jesus overcame the sin-mess that kept us disconnected from God and from loving each other. He did so through His very lifeblood and pure lavish love that GAVE OF HIMSELF deeply for the sake of restoring our hearts. Love is the whole pint of God's law for it refuses to let its neighbor be harmed." -- Marcus Kaiser (Galatians 5:14, James 2:8, Matthew 22:40, Romans 13:10)
Here We Go Again
When we were young it never occurred to us that things would get like this. When we read the Bible after being saved, we knew how bad it would become, but we thought it would be way in the future.
Genesis 6:5 " 5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Coming round again!!!
Genesis 6:5 " 5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Coming round again!!!
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