Jeremiah 30:1-8 God will Fight for Israel

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.
3 For behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they shall take possession of it.’”
4 Now these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:
5 “For this is what the Lord says:
‘I have heard a sound of terror,
Of fear, and there is no peace.
6 Ask now, and see
If a male can give birth.
Why do I see every man
With his hands on his waist, as a woman in childbirth?
And why have all faces turned pale?
7 Woe, for that day is great,
There is none like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s distress,
Yet he will be saved from it.
8 ‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘that I will break his yoke from their necks and will tear to pieces their restraints; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. 

9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them."

People Praying for God to Heal Our Land

Yep, and they are not going to do so. We are living in the last days like those of Noah when no one would listen and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.

 
And, the mentality of this time is as God described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5
They are rude and angry pretending to have religion but denying God.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult Times Will Come
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, 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 people as these."

No Worries Just Trust in Christ Moment by Moment

When I hear believers warning other believers to "be careful" I say; "trust the Holy Spirit, when we do this we need not worry, He tells us what we need when we need it, no need to worry about our response.

Mark 13:11 "And when they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you at that time; for you are not the ones speaking, but it is the Holy Spirit."

We need to diligently know the Word of God. When we know the Word of God and depend on the Holy Spirit we will know false doctrine when it waltzes in front of us.

Philippians 1:9-10

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”

We don't have to figure out what to say or worry about what is truth, Christ in us gives us all the tools to know when we need it.

1 Corinthians 2:14

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

Hebrews 5:14

“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

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 try to figure things out on our own to be prepared we are not trusting the Holy Spirit. The best and only preparation for everything is knowing the Scriptures and seeking Christ.

Proverbs 2:3-5

“Indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.”

Cathedrals - Blood Washed Band

Suppertime - George Younce & EHSS

Real Apologies are Verbal and Reparative

A true apology involves "remorse, responsibility and repair of the relationship" was a good statement I heard on a video today. This is Biblical and should happen whenever there is a problem in a relationship.

One person must be willing to admit they did something offensive or harmful while the other is being patient and kind in resolving it with the offender.

It isn't about beating the offender up as much as possible to get our own way, its about finding solutions to restore something broken.

False apologies do not produce any lasting restoration, they are only delivered as words without substance. Our culture today is based on non-apology apologies. Since many people invest in merely appearing good without being good, they think words alone will mend things.

Those who cannot openly and verbally apologize for offenses are living in the sin of pride.

When non-apology apologies occur enough times we can no longer trust the person delivering them.

May we be those who seek real solutions to problems not merely words to make ourselves feel better but actions that help those who have a grievance.

Sadly one of the things I have noticed with narcissists is that they do not want to even apologize with words they become angry at any challenge they may have been offensive and use mocking and intimidation to control the feelings of the one who dared to speak the truth. The more vulnerable narcissist will play the victim and even cry.

As born-again believers, we want to make sure we are not the problem in a relationship. If someone else has been offensive we want to show graciousness in approaching the one who has offended, not by ignoring it but by speaking words of kindness as we share the nuances of the problem.

If we are the offender then we need to apologize quickly without reservation or sheepishness, but with kindness and boldness.

God's love motivates us to find solutions while communicating openly, and honestly with understanding toward others.

Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

When we have the Holy Spirit we don't have to "work up" kindness, it is what should come naturally to those who love Jesus Christ.

John 13:34-35 " 34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples if you love one another."

Love doesn't care about winning, it only cares about resolving problems.

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

Some People Like to be Offended