Colossians 2:8 – “A See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” NASB
We are in a World at War! Our present world is a world of warfare and sadly many are not even aware of it and do not know where the battlefield is or what the real battle is. Many have misidentified SYMPTOM as being the Battle! The result is Frustration, Disappointment, Despair, Disillusionment, and Defeat! That is tragic and not the purpose or plan of God!
We (The Body of Christ) have Great and Precious Promises That Often Do Not Seem to Be Working or Being Fulfilled in Us.
We (The Body of Christ) have Expended Tremendous Energy, Finances, and Time with Too Little Success.
Too often it seems that the devil’s forces have mocked and ridiculed a Powerless Church. (Perception not reality).
Nationally we have a declared War! There is a War on Poverty, Drugs, Aids, Crime, Terror, etc. War on this and war on that –War! War! War! My question is not where, is the War but where is the Winning? If we are taking God’s Word and wielding it against the Strongholds of Darkness and not seeing those Strongholds crumble – Something is Wrong! Right? We must have missed something somewhere!
Are there problems in the Religious World of Christianity? ABSOLUTELY! There are massive problems and denial will not bring us to victory only further denial and propel us toward defeat. (Not God’s Plan or Purpose). Tragically, most of the things that the nation and church are at war with are symptoms rather than root causes. We will never defeat a problem by battling the symptom. If we are to resolve the problem, we have to address the cause. Our Destiny and Mandate is to bring the Healing of God, not just temporary relief. God has not called us to bring ‘religiousness’ to our communities but LIFE! How do we do that?
An honest student of God’s Word will look at the complex problems of our generation and recognize the biblical signs pointing to the End of the Age! In Matthew 24 we find Jesus’ disciples pondering the circumstances in their world and asking Jesus for ‘signs’ of the ‘end’. He listed: Wars, Famines, Earthquakes, Pestilences, Persecutions, Betrayals, False Doctrine, Lawlessness, and Kingdom against Kingdom Conflicts. While that might fit many ages, few have seen the level of intensity as this age but again Symptoms are not the Real Battlefield or Battle.
Nationally our War on the things we have declared War on has had precious little positive impact most of the time. The same could be said of many efforts of most of the organized churches today. The same could be said for many lives individually and personally. Are we Winning the Battle or just Putting Out little fires here and there?
The symptoms of a deadly disease are apparent in our world and UNTIL we realize this, earn How, and Commit Ourselves to dealing with the root cause(s) we will continue to just put out a few fires here and there with little real impact on our world. The problem is SIN! The problem is Matters of the Heart! The Battleground is Inside the Cup not Outside!
It is time that we turn the focus inwardly and allow the Holy Spirit to place us under the ‘spotlight’ of Heaven and weigh us in the balance and if we are found wanting then allow Him to restore, renew, and revive us!
I have more on this but will pause here and ask that you allow the Holy Spirit to examine your heart and pour the balm of God into your life bringing healing and transformation wherever needed.
Colossians 2:8 – “See that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men and the basic principles of the world rather than Messiah.” TLV
As I was praying, I am convinced I heard the Holy Spirit whisper, “I hate the religiousness of the religious. I do not want you to give or get any more religious fixes.” That was sobering and caused me to ask a lot of questions and begin a diligent search of Scripture regarding this issue.
I have felt, for some time, that we, the church, must make some dramatic, drastic, radical, and revolutionary changes! We have a destiny but are in grave danger of becoming a footnote in church history doing our little religious things on Sundays and Mid-Week. I personally cannot take that any longer! I hope that you have come or will come to the place that you cannot either. It is not what we have been called to.
There are many questions that we should ask ourselves in this present hour. The answers to those questions will shape our Destiny and determine our Purpose.
Why Are You In Your Community?
Who Are You Going To or Trying To Reach?
What Is Your Unique Expression?
What Are The Needs To Be Met That Are Not Being Met At The Present Time Spiritually?
What Kind of Church Are You Supposed To Be?
What Do You Need To Be That Church?
Do you have the resources, leadership, and desire to become what God has called you to be? If the answer is YES! Then you need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to ‘strategize’ and get to it. If the answer is, I Think So. Then you need to evaluate or re-evaluate and come to a concrete conclusion. If the answer is, I’m Not Sure. Then you might do well to just shut down what you are doing find a prayer closet and not come out until you are sure. If the answer is NO! Then shut the doors and move on because you have obviously missed God. I know those are somewhat radical but are they?
I do not believe that God calls any group to be a Cluster of Same-ness. Every part of the Body has a different and unique role and function. Additionally, I believe that whatever God orders He provides for! If He has called you to it He will provide for you to be it.
Before I take this another step tomorrow, I will pause here and ask that you carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully seek the Lord to know your Purpose and evaluate your Commitment to that Purpose.
May God be with you in a mighty way! Blessings as you go through your day!
Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you—a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, overflowing, will be given into your lap. For whatever measure you measure out will be measured back to you.” TLV
As I have been going through the process and difficult journey of adjusting to life after the loss of my wife, I have sensed the Holy Spirit directing my thoughts. Some of the things I have been led to seem a bit unusual and I’m sure some will find them difficult to embrace or digest. If I am hearing God, then it applies to me and everyone else. If I am not, then pray for me that He will open the eyes of my heart to understand and return to the right road of life.
I have found the responses of people to me during this time interesting, encouraging, perplexing, and sometimes difficult to comprehend. I have tried to maintain an attitude of grace to everyone in their responses. Some responses, bits of advice, or words have been incredibly difficult to maintain that attitude. However, the Holy Spirit has enabled me to bite my tongue more than once and simply say, “Thank You!”
I was questioning the LORD about some responses or the lack thereof from people I would have thought would regularly contact me. I have been surprised that some whom I have had little contact with over the past 40 years or more have been among the most persistent in checking on me and reaching out. I have had some, I consider my closest friends who have been virtually absent. I was having difficulty with the absence and as I prayed many videos played out in my mind, heart, and spirit.
As I prayed over the absence of some, I heard in my heart of hearts, Luke 6:38. I stopped my praying and musing and questioned God about that response in my heart. I did not understand, and it seemed completely disconnected. It was repeated over and over for several days. I opened my heart and asked for clarity.
As I mused on the matter I remembered the many times, I had stood at the graveside as a minister and told the crowd to not forget the family in the hours, days, weeks, months, and even years to come. I reminded them that they might not have the right words. They would not have the ability to relieve the pain and lessen the hurt. However their demonstration of love and compassion would be remembered in the years following and would be helpful. It would not necessarily be their words, but the fact they cared enough to take the time to call, come by, or send a card or letter would be invaluable and comforting. They would be the manifestation of God’s love in human flesh to those grieving.
The Holy Spirit reminded me of the times, I had failed to follow my own advice. I had gone on with life unaffected and ,in a measure, forgotten the family. It was then that I understood the whisper of the Holy Spirit – Luke 6:38. I was now reaping what I had sown, in a measure. What I had given or failed to give I was receiving.
In everything in life, the Law of Harvest or the Law of Sowing and Reaping transpires. It happens whether we believe it will or not. It happens whether we are aware of our actions or not. It is a principle of life that is interwoven in every facet of our lives.
Look at the verse briefly and let’s extract a couple of things with the hope they will minister to you and enable you to be more careful about how you minister to or fail to minister to those who have lost a loved one. Hopefully, you will extrapolate this to every facet of life and become a much more careful and aware person in the things you say and do know you are planting the seed that will produce a harvest at some time in your life.
It says Give! That is sowing. In sowing and reaping we reap what we sow, more than we sow, and later than we sow. We are all sowing seeds that will become a harvest and when our harvest comes, rather than question God we need to reflect on what we have done, said, and believed.
Notice It says, “Give and IT will be given to you…” IT! That amazing little two-letter word is the key to the entire principle and truth. The Bible tells us that we reap WHAT we sow not what we would like to reap. We reap MORE than we sow both good and bad. We reap LATER than we sow. In the natural, the farmer does not plant the seed today and reap a harvest tonight or tomorrow. It may be weeks or months before the harvest is ripe. In life, it may be years but have no doubt, God will see to that you have the harvest you have sown for.
I remembered that I had said to people exactly what I’ve been told during this time, “If you need anything just call me.” As I thought about that, I heard in my heart, “Don’t say that anymore.” I waited and heard, “Instead of saying, call me, say, if you don’t mind, I will call or come by and see if there is anything you need. I will be an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, and a prayer partner or one who stands in the gap for you and prays while you weep.”
Rather than putting the burden and shifting my Christian responsibility onto the person in need, I am to take the initiative and reach out to them. Additionally, I heard, “Look for what they need, don’t expect them to ask you for it.” What does that do? It frees the person grieving from any sense of imposition and allows them to grieve knowing that there are those who care enough to be proactive on their behalf.
I have had some occasions to practice this since I heard those words in my spirit and I found it to be therapeutic. No, it did not relieve me of my grief and sorrow, but it allowed me to sense the heart of God and be a demonstration of His love to that hurting family. What I did was a very small thing and the person said, “But I didn’t do anything for you when your wife went home to glory.” I said, “Yes you did. You prayed and reached out to inquire as to her well-being before her departure and afterward to let me know you were standing in prayer for me and my family.” That was huge! In a sense, their sowing into my life was producing a harvest for them.
I am not writing this to get anyone to call me. The words, “Call me if you need to talk,” are, in a measure, selfish. Now, I’m in trouble, but that’s what I sensed in my spirit. Rather than putting the burden on the one hurting and absolving me of any responsibility of being my brother’s keeper or comforting the hurting and needy, I am putting it on them. If they do not call, for whatever reason, we can then pridefully say, “Well, I offered.” NO! If a person is hurting to the point they despair of life, which would be a more biblical approach, forcing them to reach out to you or you being one not in pain seeking to restore them?
I’ve heard, “I don’t know what to do, so I don’t do anything? I don’t know what to say, so nothing seemed better.” Think of a time when you were sad, hurting, sick, or needy and someone unexpectedly reached out to you. What did that do to your spirit? There will come a time in the life of those hurting they will be healed enough to reach out to others in the Body of Christ, but in the hour of their deepest pain, they need us to take the initiative and make ourselves available.
There are some things I cannot do with others because the reminder is too painful. Some take that as a plea to leave me alone. The opposite is the reality for the hurting. Sadly, expectations do not always make it easy for us to be honest with each other. I now have set my heart to tell the person hurting, “If this is a bad time and you’d rather not talk, I’ll call or come by another time.” I ask them if I can pray and assure them that I will not only pray but will stay in contact. I look for what is visible that I can do, even if it is some manual task, providing food, or in one case I knew money was what they needed.
In all areas of life, we are sowing, and we will reap! It is not maybe but a guarantee! If God’s word is true, then WHAT WE GIVE WE WILL GET IN RETURN! Thank you for praying for me and thank you for understanding. I am very uncomfortable writing this but feel that it is needful for all of us to remember that those in the throes of pain are not in a position to do the reaching out, they need to be reached out to…
Revelation 12:11 – “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. NKJV
1 Samuel 17:45-47 – “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.” NKJV
When we reflect on this story our hearts should be reminded of what the Bible informs us in Luke 10:19, that the devil has no power over us and in Colossians 2:15, that Jesus has disarmed the powers of hell. We should remind ourselves that and through Him (Jesus) we are able to take the very weapons of the devil and defeat him with them. The weapon of Fear now causes the Philistines to turn and run. Sadly, too often the church is sitting in the hills cowering in fear over the taunts of the devil or his henchmen. Our minds tell us that God says we do not have to put up with that, but our hearts are just not sure. He looks so Imposing but remember – he is Defeatable, no he is Defeated! It is in the Name of the Lord not in the system of man that victory comes!
Revelation 12:11 should give us incredible confidence and hope. It should also solidify in our hearts and minds that there is Power in our testimony. Remember in the very beginning how God illustrated the Power of the spoken word…. And God said…. In Hebrews 11 we find that by Faith worlds were framed. We are created in the image and likeness of God and we are expected to operate in the same demonstration of faith as our Lord when He walked this earth.
Thus, Mark 11:23-24 is not a fictional possibility but a real promise if we walk in faith. The devil knows there is power in our words directed by the Spirit of God and that is one of the reasons he works so hard to keep us silent. Remember you are the primary audience that listens to what you say. When the devil comes talking about your past you should begin speaking of your future. Don’t wait on him to attack run at him armed with the promises of God and declare them! We are told in Deuteronomy 30:15 that God has set before us life and death and we can choose life. The spies in Numbers 13, offer an illustration of this as ten said, ‘we can’t’ two said, ‘they are just bread for us.’
Our enemy is not flesh and blood, so we need to learn to fight with the weapons of warfare that are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. We have the Name of Jesus, the Blood of Jesus, and the Word of Jesus. MIGHTY WEAPONS! No weapon formed against us shall prosper and every tongue that rises against us in judgment will be condemned.
I encourage you to remember that your testimony is far more powerful than any weapon of the devil and let it ring forth loud and strong!
Revelation 12:11 – “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. NKJV
1 Samuel 17:45-47 – “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.” NKJV
Back to the story of David and Goliath and we find that King Saul heard of the lad’s questions and apparent willingness to fight. David picked up the gauntlet Goliath had thrown down while the trained men of Israel cowered in fear. They were willing to send a boy to do a man’s job. Saul even cautioned David saying, “You are not even a man yet.”Fear had so gripped them that they looked for every reason not to do something rather than Faith to do something. David quickly rehearsed his life before the king regarding the bear and the lion he had killed protecting his flock. Fear, as demonstrated in Saul and Israel, will always let someone else take the risk. Saul finally consented to let David fight the fight and tried to burden David with his method (armor).
Faith does not fight with man-made weapons. David’s trust was not in what man could do but what God could do and had done in his life. Saul [The System] said: “Take our credentials, go to our seminaries, follow our prescribed methods, utilize our programs, and you will succeed.” David [The Spirit] said: “No thanks! I’ll go in the Name of the Lord.” It was not that David totally rejected man’s weapons or devaluing man’s knowledge, but he knew that first and foremost he had to trust God and follow God’s way.
Some have said the five smooth stones represented Goliath and his brothers and others contend it represents the five-fold ministry gifts, offices, and functions. I believe that smooth indicated the rough edges had been polished off by the stream of what God is doing or the flow of the Spirit of God. Those are great and God’s Spirit will polish our lives but David had to have Faith, demonstrate that Faith by walking in Obedience to what his heart directed him.
IMAGINE HOW GOLIATH FELT….
When this shepherd boy, with a slingshot, in his shepherd’s clothing, without armor came out to fight, how did that make Goliath feel? It infuriated and insulted him, and he said so! Israel had so disrespected him they send out a boy to fight a man’s battle. He roared against David with fury. This is the make-or-break point for David. He could turn and run and no one person in either army would have thought much about it. He was a boy and not supposed to be brave. But, because of David’s heart and faith he cannot turn back. There is something inside that propels him forward and it is his unshakable confidence in God.He has the spirit of a warrior!
David proclaimed God’s Promise (v.45) and declared his commitment (v.46). David had learned what Isaiah wrote about in 40:31, He had learned to wait now he can walk and run mounting up with wings like an eagle. David ran toward the Philistine! He didn’t wait for the enemy to come to him he charged ahead in the power and confidence of God. “The battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands…” And the end result was that with Goliath’s own sword David took off his head.
Faith gives Confidence and Obedience brings victory! I will pause there and pick up again tomorrow but as you go through this day go in the Confidence of God’s Promises and diligently Obey the voice of the Spirit of God no matter what you are facing!
Revelation 12:11 – “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. NKJV
1 Samuel 17:45-47 – “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.” NKJV
I have learned through studying the Bible and Life that Words have Power. If the tongue is like the rudder of a ship able to turn it and steer it in a particular direction it would immediately lend itself to the view that words are important in our lives and we should evaluate how we talk. I do not find it surprising that the writer of Proverbs would declare “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (18:21). I believe that this account of David and Goliath demonstrates this truth most powerfully and prolifically.
CONSIDER THE STORY:
On one mountain we have the Philistine Army on the other the Army of Israel. Between the two armies, there is a great valley. Every morning for forty days the Philistine Champion Goliath would come out and taunt Israel saying, “Send out a man so we can fight. If he wins, we will be your servants. If I win you will be our servants.” In [v.11] – we find that when Saul and his soldiers heard those words they trembled in fear. That is not a good place if you are in the Army of Israel.
Fear was on the throne in the Camp of Israel. Faith had been dethroned completely. Their focus had shifted from God’s Promises and Power to the imposing figure taunting them. Gloom filled the air instead of Joy and Hope. The Great Army of Israel believed it was defeated and they were paralyzed. Surrender could not be far away! They were in a mindset of ‘surrender’ even without a fight. Their Faith was now in what they could see in the natural rather than what God promised. That is a place of defeat!
Picture the scene – Some reports place Goliath at 9’ 6”, dressed for battle with an incredibly large brass helmet, coat of arms that weighed as much as 150 pounds, brass leggings, a spear that is estimated as weighing about 20 pounds. Frightening in the natural no doubt! Sadly, that is how the church often views the devil. Sometimes God’s people become the ten spies not the two in the story of Joshua. Their Focus determined their Faith or the absence of it.
Every day the same challenge came and each time Israel cowered more in fear. Then, Jesse’s youngest son, a shepherd not a trained soldier, arrives and hears the taunts. It infuriates him that this man would so blaspheme God and so humiliate Israel. Saul had placed a bounty on Goliath but David’s question infuriates his brothers and others. He was asking, “Why aren’t you guys doing something?” That is not a welcome question from an upstart but David didn’t drop the issue. He said to his brother, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause.” God had stirred a heart and that stirred heart would be a tool in the hands of the Living God!
I will stop there and pick this up tomorrow but know that if God is stirring your heart He will also equip you to achieve that which He desires and it may not be through conventional means.
As you go through your day reflect on what ‘stirs your heart’ and ask what God would have you do! Blessings as you go through your day!
Acts 17:28 – “…in Him we live and move and have our being…” NKJV
When the apostle Paul came to the philosophers in Athens, Greece he challenged their belief in a myriad of gods by proclaiming to them the “Unknown God”, who is the One True God! As he gave his discourse and presented line upon line identifying this “Unknown God” he came to the words I highlighted for a text.
It is in this God that we LIVE! He is Life, for Jesus, Himself declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” He is the source of life, and apart from Him there can be no true life only existence and even that is realized through Him. As the old gospel hymn, “Because He lives, I can live also…” Paul passionately proclaims that LIFE is through the work of this God they identify as the “Unknown God”. Paul identifies this God as being the creator of all things and the sustainer of life.
It is in this God that we MOVE! That is an interesting word to use. It is the Greek [kinoumetha] and Doddridge translates it, “And are moved”. Many Bible scholars believe that it is in the middle voice and the rendering of “and move” is correct. Regardless of which you accept it is clear that it is from this God that we derive our strength and are in a constant state of dependence upon Him. It is from Him that we are able to move forward in life. We can perform no motion physically or spiritually without Him. He is the giver and sustainer of life.
It is in this God we have our BEING! Our continued existence is totally dependent upon Him. Life is a gift from God and as James warned in 4:14, “…For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” There is not being without this God the Greeks identified as the “Unknown God” who to those who believe the “Only True and Living God”.
Sadly, many do not know or recognize this God, the Living God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. In our day of excessive tolerance and acceptance of anything and everything, we miss the imperative the Holy Spirit through Paul issued. Paul addressed the ignorance and even unbelief that created the altar to the Unknown God and said, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a don on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” [Vv.30-31]
The source of life naturally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually is God! Without Him, we could do and would be nothing. Through Him, we are “more than conquerors”. We can do all things through His strength. I pray that each of us realizes more and more each passing moment of our total dependence upon Him.
May God bless you richly as you go through your day!
1 John 2:1-2 – “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” NKJV
I have encountered two troubling trains of thought or mindsets in the modern world and church. I want to walk very carefully here because I do not want to be misunderstood and not to appear self-righteous or judgmental. What I am talking about is S-I-N! That’s right, I said it, SIN, missing the mark or coming short, rebellion against God, and disobedience to the Word of God.
There are those, in the world and church, that seem to think that because God is a God of Love that He cannot allow anyone to spend eternity in Hell as a result of sin or rejection of His grace. That is more than troubling it is an eternal death sentence. There are those who seek to justify their failures morally, spiritually, and ethically by saying “Well I’m only human” or something of that ilk.
Yes, we are human, but when those of the 1st Century Church addressed the subject of spiritual life, they did not automatically allow that man would continue to SIN or fail. They readily acknowledged IF not WHEN we sin or fall short. There is a difference! Please do not understand me to suggest that I think I am perfect that would be so outlandish that immediate dismissal of all I have to say should follow. It is saying that our objective and goal should not be WHEN we fail, but that we should not fail because we have the infilling of God’s Spirit and Love. Because we walk in God’s Love, Spirit, and Grace.
In the Salvation experience, the Bible declares that we are New Creations! Consider 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Also, 1 Peter 2:9-10 – “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
Therefore, IF I have been born-again, washed in the Blood of the Lamb, forgiven of my sin, and a New Creation I am not what I was! I am no longer bound by the clutches of my human nature. I am no longer a slave to my passions, pride, lust, human frailty for I have a direct link to His holiness, His grace, His mercy, His power to not only overcome enemies but myself.
I understand that we do sin, but let’s stop identifying ourselves in such a way as to anticipate failure or to indicate we are living a life of sin. It is one thing to fail and sin but another to practice that as a lifestyle. Let’s begin to identify ourselves as Children of God, Born Again, Transformed, Redeemed, and New Creatures in Christ who have the Living Lord manifesting His life through us.
We need to resist the modern mentality and return to the mindset of the Early Church who saw themselves as the Redeemed of the Lord not the Fallen of the Race. They did not plan for failure they embraced the idea that IF they failed, they could go to their Advocate and find pardon in the time of need. They did not wake up daily expecting to sin and become self-fulfilling prophecies.
You are a New Creation, if you are in Christ Jesus, so allow Him to manifest Himself through you, and IF you fall short run to the Cross for, He will receive you there!
John 15:13 –“A Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” NASB
Jesus went on to say in the next verse “You are My friends…” He laid down His life for us. As John 3:16 informs us, His act was an expression of LOVE both by the Father and the Son so that you and I could have access to the Eternal Presence of God. What love!
To lay down one’s life for another is the highest tribute that could be paid to the individual who has been died for. I know what it is like to have someone step in front of danger to protect you. I have experienced that kind of love and commitment and it forever changed me in ways that I am still discovering.
I have heard family members pray that God would allow them to suffer the disease and death that was coming to their loved ones. Why did they do it? Was it out of some false sense of nobility and self-sacrifice? NO, it was out of LOVE! They loved enough that if it were possible, they would step in and take the death that another was facing. Jesus did that for us. He went to the Cross and paid the penalty for our sin, a penalty that He did not deserve or merit in any way, but He willingly paid our debt out of LOVE!
When I consider what God has done for me, how could I not LOVE HIM? How could I not serve Him? How could I reject Him? When I came to Christ and received Him as my savior I went through a period of days and weeks in which I was the most condemned and miserable person on the planet. I knew I was lost and that is the first step to receiving salvation. You cannot help a man be found that does not know he is lost.
I knew that I was headed for hell and believed the lie that I had done too much to be forgiven. I won’t say as I heard a person testify in church, “Lord, I’ve broken all the commandments.” No, but I had done far more than my youthful years should have produced. I had survived Vietnam, was struggling with who I was, where I fit, and what I was to do in life. I found that nothing satisfied me, for very long not money, not a job, not relationships – NOTHING! I fell under such conviction and my heart so condemned me that I despaired of life itself but can honestly say I did not consider suicide. Now, admittedly, had that state of mind continued for a long time that would be the likely thoughts that would come, but thank God I did not go that long.
Through the encouragement of a person who loved me despite my meanness, I read Proverbs 3:5-6 after midnight on a Saturday night in Palestine, Texas and as I read that passage the light came on and I knew that I could be forgiven. I experienced God’s forgiveness and love and the world lifted off my shoulders and I felt like I could float in the air. That was the most incredible night of my life and I have been thanking God for over fifty years for that love, mercy, forgiveness, grace, and pardon. It was LOVE that lifted me! LOVE spared my life! LOVE rewrote my life! LOVE transformed me from the vile creature that I was to a “born-again” child of the King! I AM SAVED! Hallelujah!
If you are struggling, know that God loves you enough that He was willing to allow His Son to die on the Cross for you. Jesus loves you enough that He was willing to endure the Cross. So, instead of reaching for the bottom lift up your eyes and allow the Holy Spirit to minister the LOVE OF GOD to you right now!
Luke 17:1-4 –“Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” NKJV
The Lord Jesus stated that offenses will come in life. You cannot create a social climate where there are no occasions in which someone is offended. However, the word offend is to cause displeasure, anger, resentment, or wounded feelings. It is possible for someone to be offensive and for we choose not to take offense. It is my conviction and belief that to be offended we have to make a choice to allow what was said or done to so influence us that we harbor resentment and hold an amount of unforgiveness in our hearts as a result.
Although we cannot prevent offenses from coming, we do have a biblical directive on how to handle conflicts and offenses. In the social medium of Facebook, I have had to block a few (very few) people from posting on my page because they became antagonistic and combative descending into personal attacks and using profanity.
Each time I notified them that this could not and would not be tolerated and when those few decided to continue, I took that action. I have been blocked, on three known occasions, by others and only one actually notified me of their action but the other two posted things on their pages quoting what I had said and vilifying me over them without calling my name. One was religious and that person notified me of their action, and it was because they held a different doctrinal point of view than I and the other two were political.
For Christians, there is only one true course to take with regard to offenses and that is found in Matthew 18. It should be the minimum that a believer will follow, and we should never shut someone out due to a perceived or real offense without following the directive of this passage outlined by our Lord. It may be that the individual is unaware of their offense and what they did or said was not premeditated or malicious and something they would gladly rectify if given the chance.
I have been misunderstood and have misunderstood others in my life. Each time I followed, or they have followed Matthew 18 we quickly realized the offense or perceived offense was a misunderstanding and nothing malicious. A friendship was preserved, and needless bitterness was prevented.
Matthew 18:15-20 – “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.
19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” NASB
I always encourage people, if they take exception to anything I say or do, let me know. Allow me to opportunity to explain, hoping to clear the air and dispel any thought of malice on my part. Offenses will come, we cannot prevent them, but we can prevent them from becoming havens of unforgiveness and bitterness.
Roy's Covenant Corner 