Growing in Holiness Through Christ-like Conflict Resolution

We learn the most when we are confronted with our own flaws. Those who focus on their strengths will remain stagnant and even regress.

The strengths do not need work but the flaws do. If we are satisfied with ourselves we will not be inclined to improve and grow emotionally or Spiritually.

I don't know about you but I am not the same person I was when I became born again and I don't want to be the same person when I die that I am right now.

It is a weak person who stagnates to admire themselves in the mirror to message their feelings about themselves. Perhaps they know they have flaws and must continually praise themselves to overpower the sense of conviction that they are not perfect.

A strong person can admit their flaws and carry on to do better. It is a strong person who does not receive flattery but would rather hear a correction from God or a trusted friend than millions of people who flatter them.

Proverbs 29:5

"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet."

Proverbs 26:24-28

"Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin."

A good friend does not come in an angry spirit to beat us down when we have a flaw, rather they come in meekness with a desire to share a helpful and Biblical solution.

It is not hard to see when someone comes to "beat you up" to win over you or when they come because they love us deeply with concern and kindness.

Whatever the case our calm and kind response is on us, their anger is on them. We must respond and not react in emotional outbursts. If we love others we desire to learn what bothers them and we desire to resolve a problem.

Sadly though, in our day people want to vent but they will not discuss, as they withhold information and will not be honest and genuine. It is nearly impossible to discuss someone who stonewalls and refuses to be honest. In a case like this we remove ourselves and pray that God would work in both of us to do the right thing.

Proverbs 28:23

"Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue."

Job 32:21-22

"I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person. For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away."

When the Holy Spirit is working in our hearts our desire is to learn our flaws and pray that He cleanse us of them. There is nothing more wonderful than two believers who are discussing a problem while each loves with the kindness of Christ in the exchange.

Becoming Born Again is a Transformation by the Holy Spirit of our Heart

Perhaps this Year at the Marriage Supper

In another post about the wonderful miracle of the Jews returning to their homeland, I reflected on how much I relate to their feelings about going home finally.

 
Here's what I said;
"Before they had their nation Jews would say; "next year in Jerusalem" as a greeting to one another. Now I say; "next year the rapture perhaps" when we will meet again. I hope it is sooner than that but I understand the hope the Jews had and how amazing it was for them when they finally could go back to their homeland."

I know others who feel as I do, that they are looking for their blessed hope of their heavenly home and the marriage supper of the Lamb where we will all gather to celebrate the greatest wedding feast of all.

 
Hallelujah!!!

The Lie in the Apostate Churches

We do not need buildings to worship in, we have homes and where two or three are gathered Christ is in the midst. Those who are growing in holiness and wisdom are leaving the organized apostate churches.

There is a huge lie being taught in many churches that is attracting false Christians. That lie is that since we are under grace we can sin all we want and still be saved.

In order to believe this lie one has to ignore all of what the Bible teaches.

Romans 6:1-2 "1 What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?…"

1 Corinthians 2:13-15 "…13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment."

Titus 2:11-14

"11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds."

Grace is not given for freedom to sin, it was given to empower us through the Holy Spirit to resist sin. If someone proudly defends their sin they were never born again.

No one who is born-again through the power of the Holy Spirit would ever assert that sin doesn't matter anymore because we are covered in the blood. This is an erroneous teaching by Pentecostal groups who deny much of Scripture to justify their own idea of their form of Christianity not based on God's Word but their own desires.

When we become a new creation by the power of the Holy Spirit we lose our desire to sin, it is detestable to us. Even if we fall in weakness we repent quickly because the weight of the conviction of the Holy Spirit causes confession of that sin to be cleansed of it.

1 John 1:9-10 "9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us."

Psalm 51:2

"Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin."

Proverbs 28:13

"He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy."

God has always hated sin and always will. He will not tolerate it in His children.

Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"

Revelation 3:19

"Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent."

If God didn't care about sin in His children He never would have written the passages that describe His discipline toward those who belong to Him.

Born-again believers are not sinless because they still battle sin in the flesh. However, they reject sin, grow in holiness and would never defend sin. Those who defend sin with anger in their heart are not born-again.

Hebrews 10:22

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

May we never be tolerant of sin in one another, but in a deep love for one another speak the truth out of our love for one another. Coddling one another in sin is not love, it is hate for the one we coddle and love for self more than God.

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Gaslighting is a Sin!

https://youtube.com/shorts/yYDenUBXAZw?si=DdimU2EMJzZaHJIv

Reposted from 3 years ago: The Devil is the Accuser!

Remove yourself from any relationship in which the person holds past forgiven sins against you. Only the devil would do this.

Those who love the Lord also love seeing lives that have been changed by Christ, they never hold past forgiven sins against anyone. In fact born born-again believers rejoice when they see a life changed by Christ.

It is interesting that those who hold forgiven sins against others have never repented over their own sin. Perhaps this is why they need to keep mindful of the past forgiven sins of others to avoid facing their own sins in the present.

 
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Those who are jealous and superior acting love to see others as beneath them. In order to do this, they must concoct flaws in others. The sins the accuser holds over others' heads often were not even against them personally, but they love to think that they are superior by using past forgiven sins against those they wish to dominate.

 
I recall a woman many years ago who told another woman; "Remember how you used to be?", without giving any specific sin she was recounting, she was attempting to diminish her target by pretending that the sins of the past still counted. But worse yet, she was pretending that she never had any sin in her own life that needed confessing. Sadly this woman who was the accuser was a Christian.

 
Those who are authentic believers know what God saved them from and would never hold sins against others who have repented. It is only the devil that does these things, and it is the devil using the mouths of those who want to seem superior.

 
Romans 3:23
"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

When we encounter those who believe they have never sinned, who think they are above others who have sinned, are in a worse place than the repentant sinner. These people often believe that someone who had sinned has no right to correct anyone ever.

 
We are dealing with those who may even read their Bible but do not obey what is in it. The Pharisees were of this sort, SELF-righteous, in their own eyes they were perfect.

 
Philippians 3:13-14
"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Those who love to accuse the brethren are impervious to correction, instruction or truth when it convicts them of their own sin.

 
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."

Satan is the father of lies and the accuser of the brethren. He goes before the Father in heaven to accuse us, but he works on earth in the hearts of evil men to accuse us. What is the purpose, one simple purpose is to discourage and silence us. If they can make us feel false guilt about past forgiven sins they might be able to silence us, or at least in their own minds.

 
When the tool of Satan, that is the accusers comes to act superior or dismissive, we can simply do as Christ did, saying: "Get thee behind me Satan."

 
Luke 11:42-44 "…42 Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the chief seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.”…"

Proverbs 16:18
"Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

Modern Pharisees thunder around the town like pillars of righteousness but God sees them as dead men's bones.

 
You will never see these modern Pharisees admitting their flaws, frailties, or sins, they have a far too high opinion of themselves to do so. When someone is like this they remain spiritual and emotional children until they repent from it. If they would repent from their pride God would do a work in their heart.

 
Those who love the Lord more than they love themselves are likely to confess often, openly admit the needs of their soul and grow in holiness. Let's keep close accounts on our soul to remain close to Christ.

 
James 4:8
"8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

The Marriage Relationship According to God!

When God said the woman's desire will be for her husband but he will rule over her is another misinterpretation. The original language reflects that "a woman's desire will be to rule over her husband but he will rule over her."

 
Because of the fall the marriage union was perverted by sinful hearts but this does not apply to born-again believers. In a godly marriage the woman runs the household as the CEO and the the husband is the spiritual leader and provider.

When two people cooperate with one another within their God-given roles there is harmony. In this relationship there is no disrespect or disregard for one gender over another, each role is valued and supported because the roles come from God.

 
Proverbs 31 clearly describes the value of the woman's role and the description of marriage in 1 Corinthians 11 shows the harmony possible when each gender values the function of the other. There is no superiority demonstrated only variety in roles.

 
When there is arrogant superiority there is demonic influence. The devil always takes out of context the Bible to deceive people with wrong thinking making mute God's real commands.

Mark 7:13 "13 Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”'

The traditions of men have permeated the church to such a degree that many attending these institutions have misunderstood the Word of God and clung to false teachings to feel safe in what they have always been taught.

Mark 7:7-9 "…7 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ 8 You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.” 9 He went on to say, “You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition."

The most difficult thing in the world is to convince people who have been indoctrinated into a particular belief that it was taught in error. They will not believe the new thinking because the old way is so comfortable. They have placed their trust in traditions rather than in Christ, without questioning them they have fallen into a pit without the desire to escape the pit.

 
Those who stay with the traditions of men fear the loss of friendships more than they love God. They know if they ask God for truth and discover what everyone else is thinking has been wrong, they will lose family and friends.
For me, I want truth more than friends and God more than superficial acquaintances. If I have to be alone with God He is everything I need.

Hallelujah!!!!