Saturday, May 27, 2017

Forgiveness for Those Who Confess

Forgiveness is only for those who confess and are deeply sorry.

Isaiah 26:10 "10 Though the wicked is shown favor, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD."

1 John 1:9-10 "…8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.…"

Matthew 18:15-18 "15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.
16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
18 Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."

When we prematurely forgive while there is no sorrow over the offense, we only manage to solidify the pride and harden the heart of the one who will not repent.

Accountability is important in the Christian walk;

Galatians 5:9 "9 A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough."

When sin is not dealt with God's way, it grows. Coddling people because we don't like hurt feelings is only managing to cause more sin, less confession and even hardened hearts.

God's way is not easy, it's hard, but it is fruitful if we are willing to take the steps God tells us to take in disciplining a sinning brother or sister.

Our Christian culture misses blessings of restored lives because we have refused to do things God's way in favor of being loved by the masses.

Anyone reading this believe the world is a better place because of all this phony love? Or do you see the world getting worse?


Living What You Say

"More is caught than taught."

Those of you who believe your words are more important than your actions, need to understand that children are more likely to ACT the way you do than to honor your Words.

It's simple, it is best to model a godly life than to merely speak of it.

The Regression is Continuing

We are regressing in many ways. We no longer have total freedom of religion, our freedom of speech is dissolving before our eyes and respect for elders is nearly non-existent.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Toxic People and Their Control

"When a toxic person cannot control you, they will control how others see you."

Romans 8:25-27

"25 But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. 27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.…"


Narcissists Value No One

Narcissists really believe if you don't think like they do or praise them a lot, you have no value. Welcome to the world before the return of Christ.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
“Difficult Times Will Come”
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.


To Much Discussion About Me or You!

Joseph Burgo said:
"What I long for, and find rare, is the kind of conversation where we’re not talking about me or you but about an idea or current event, maybe a good book one of us has read. I enjoy the back-and-forth of discussion, one person adding to or disputing what someone else has just said. I want to feel I’ve learned something, or that in the conversational give-and-take, we’ve both come to a new understanding."

I find facebook a blessing to me, just as Joseph Burgo expresses his desire for conversation to be about concepts and current events, rather than personal accomplishments and adventures.

Our culture is full of bragging in order to elevate oneself. A little discussion on these things is alright, but when this is all we encounter or mostly what we encounter, that's when I exit the scene.

Learning about people, not the things they've done, but their beliefs and ideas about life and God are far more interesting than their accomplishments, although their accomplishments say a little about them, they do not give a picture of what is going on inside of them.

Getting to know a person is far more than knowing the things they do even though those the things they do can be one out of many clues!