Those Who Love Rejoice with Others

Have you ever met someone who was sad all the time? Every little thing irritated them when rational kind people wouldn't think anything about the same kinds of inconveniences or might not even think they were inconveniences?

Narcissists almost never laugh, they smile rarely and seem angry all the time. This is someone who does not have the joy of the Lord. No matter how much they have it does not make them happy as long as someone else has more.

We are watching this mentality grow in our culture. Many people only laugh and smile when they are getting what they want or attention on themselves.

When someone else is happy and feeling blessed the narcissist does not join in the joy of that blessing, in fact, they are jealous and hate that it was not their blessing.

This is the 2 Timothy 3 mentality of total self-absorption. The only way to avoid becoming like this is to seek Christ for spiritual healing from an angry heart. In this sin-ravaged world, the only way to escape the influence of a sad ungrateful mentality is to trust in Christ and ask to be changed into a new creation by Him.

Those who love the Lord enjoy that their friends are blessed, they laugh with them, cry with them when there are trials, and engage as dear friends.

Romans 12:14-16 "14 Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be conceited."

When we have the joy of the Lord we are not in competition with anyone else, nor do we count to see who has more.

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 [a]keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Those who Love want the best for others even more than for themselves.

Keeping Strong

The devil wants believers to carry shame from past forgiven sins as well as present mistakes. He will even try to make us think we are terrible for speaking the truth of God's word through the reactions of people.

Have you ever felt shame when someone reacted in anger at your personal boundaries or for defending the truth of Christ?

The devil is continually using prideful people to shame those who love God and desire to follow Christ.

My advice: Ignore them, feel sorry for them and even pray for them to come to an understanding of the need for their repentance toward God to become born-again.

Do not allow the devil to make you weak because of your "feelings" or "accusations" against you by ungodly people.

Keep looking up, the more we look up the stronger we become and the more useful for His Kingdom.

Psalm 1:1-2 " 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.…"

Media and Political Hype

“It’s easier to fool people than it is to convince them they’ve been fooled.”

Mark Twain

What we are dealing with right now among so many is media that has convinced people on a wide spectrum of lies that no one can prove but they are convinced they have the truth.

Don't think just because you are a conservative all conservative news outlets and videos are telling the truth. Information is so easily manipulated in these apostate days that it is not wise to jump on any bandwagon about anything.

With the onset of the internet, the ability to fool people about nearly everything has exploded in the past few years.

It is best to ignore the media, stop looking for information on things that do not directly impact your lives, and just trust the Holy Spirit for day-to-day actions.

Our attitudes are shaped by the media that lately does nothing but foster anger in those looking at it. I see more sad and angry people now than I have ever seen in my life among believers disturbingly within the walls of church gatherings.

"Christians" are fighting with one another over something that has no impact on their eternity or holy living.

The focus has become almost entirely on a disease or political bent without concern for souls. Physical well-being, personal rights, personal pleasure and happiness override personal relationships and Christ.

If a believer dies from a disease they will go to their eternal home in heaven. If an unsaved person dies of a disease they will go to hell. Shouldn’t our focus be on the salvation message for the unsaved rather than on a disease that might kill them. If they become born-again and die they will go to heaven.

The continual ruminating on media hype has ruined relationships, destroyed church gatherings and deterred many from the gospel.

Mark 16:15-16 “ 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.…”

I just wonder how many people would find their peace and joy returning to them if they were to abstain from the addiction of political and media hype and fill their days with useful productive activities that glorify Christ? Not to mention becoming more beneficial for the Kingdom.

Christ the Only Mediator Between Us and God

1 Timothy 2:5-6

"5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"

Those who say; "I have a word from the Lord for you" are acting as a mediator. There is no need for anyone else to bring you a message from God when you have Christ living in you.

To bring scripture to us to enlighten us on God's principles is different and needed, but claiming to have a specific and special message from God is not acceptable.

If a man must come to us with a dream or vision from God for us then Christ in us is useless. The person claiming to have a word from God is playing God.

John 3:6, " That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is BORN of the Spirit is spirit."

Claiming to have a special word from the Lord for another believer keeps the focus on the person and not Christ. Anyone who does this is self-exalted.

Taking someone to the Word of God to prove the truth for a specific issue is different from claiming to have heard from God apart from the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.…"

WARNING! Pretenders/False Teachers in the Church. Pt.1

Words all by themselves are meaningless if they are not accompanied by consistent actions!

We live in a culture now that thinks as long as they say something it makes that thing equivalent to actions.

James 2:17-19 "…17 So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.…"

The Devil Wars Against the Holy Spirit!

At some point, the devil motivating the unbeliever's mind will have to express itself against the Holy Spirit in us.

I have lost several "Christian" friends over the years because they refused correction by the Scriptures.

Unbelievers do avoid us and the pretenders in churches are unbelievers, they remain angry at us all the time until one day they can no longer hold it in and they will express it.

I no longer feel hurt when the Lord reveals to me someone is a pretender and I must walk away. Usually, they walk away from me, leaving me a sense of relief that the contention is gone.

When we find ourselves having to walk on eggshells because of a rebellious contentious person there is the sense not of loss but of release from the responsibility of friendship with someone who does not love Christ, when they avoid us.

Most often I find myself not having to remove myself, the pretenders usually remove themselves because they find they cannot control or influence me to be like them.

As we walk in the Holy Spirit we become stronger every day, in the sense that we cannot be motivated by intimidation to capitulate to the ways of the ungodly. Losing a friend is far less disturbing than losing our closeness to Christ. In fact there is no comparison at all.

Anyone who does not love our God has no connection to us because they will continually defy the ways of God in an attempt to deter us from our God-ordained mission.

Psalm 1:1-2 "1Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. 2But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.…"

When we walk with Christ we are full of joy, peace, and purpose, unbelievers are intimidated by these qualities and must remove themselves or attempt to make us like them.

Psalm 5:10

"Declare them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own devices. Drive them out for their many transgressions, for they have rebelled against You."

Psalm 1:1-3

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

God's purpose for us is paramount to our lives. It is everything to us and we cannot be deterred from it.

Hallelujah!!!!!