Keep the Spirit - from the best gift ever- going to prosper

It has become almost a cliche to say that we must remember the reason for the season. As this world focuses so much on getting, it makes sense that we would say giving is more important, to the point where we ignore calls to remember what God gave to us. They are drowned out.

So, instead I want to encourage people to pray - which makes sense because that is the title of this blog - for true change in our hearts.

After all, simply remembering the reason for the season during the season doesn't help us after the season. Nor does it help us do anything about it. Sure, I can ask people what they're most anxious to give or what they enjoyed giving the most. That helps a little. But, truly acting on the reason for the season means being  Christ-like long after the season.

Treating others with compassion

One big thing Christmas shows us is how to care about others. Whether it is volunteering to help the poor or just putting something in a Salvation Army kettle, if it is visiting an elderly neighbor or just sharing gifts with your family, there are many things we do at Christmas because there is a spirit of giving. However, these are things we should be doing all year round  if there is truly a spirit of giving in us.

As one example, standing against bullying is a sign of Christmas cheer. Putting an end to taunting and calling others names is something we can do to help. It also goes along with New Year's resolutions if one does these things. However, we can resolve to do better at any time. Christmas and New Year's just happen around the first of the year so it is a logical transition in people's minds.

This is what repentance is - turning from our own fleshly ways and turning our hearts to God's way. We as human beings often struggle with our fleshly nature.

Oh, some people are naturally more compassionate. Some people are naturally sweet and considerate and caring toward others, though even that has to be taught to some extent. They find it easy to follow those models of empathy and kindness, though.

Our culture likes to talk about a general spirit of Christmas causing this. However, we don't truly have the spirit of Christmas unless we have the Spirit living in us that we can because of Christmas.

That is because if we try on our own we might succeed sometimes but we will be doing it for ourselves or for others, rather than to honor the God who gave us that gift.

Think about it. It makes sense. Even if you think Christmas should be more about getting those presents, you need to be thankful for the present. Because, a person chose to give it to you out of kindness.

We don't earn presents; they wouldn't be presents if we did. They would be wages. A gift is something you don't learn - it is given out of the kindness of one's heart.

Just like the kindness of God's heart that gave us Christmas.

Receive the Best Gift Ever

The gift that keeps on giving. It can be used over and over. It changes your life for the better.

These and more describe what would be the perfect Christmas gift as a worldly thing, it would be something different for each person.

God provided us with one gift, however, which is even better. It is so special we need to not only receive it but tell everyone about it. Because it can be received any time, not just at Christmas. It matches all of those above sayings and then some, as it is the best gift ever.

We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. But, it was while we were still sinners at odds with God that H e chose to come to this world as a baby. Not as a rich King somewhere, not even as a prince in a palace, but as a humble baby in a lowly stable.

We all hear the stories, we love that part of it. But, do you have head knowledge or heart knowledge of Jesus?

A good question to ask others - and yourself - is this. If you were to stand before God and He were to ask "why should I let you into My perfect Heaven," what would you say?

We can only rely on what Jesus did to get us there. You need to have heart knowledge because head knowledge doesn't help. It is like knowing a chair will hold you and standing next to it, claiming all the time that you can sit in it and it will hold you up but never sitting in it.

That faith is as easy as ABC. Admit you are a sinner, that you aren't perfect so don't deserve to be in God's perfect Heaven. Believe that Jesus died on the cross to take the penalty for your sins and rose from the dead. And, Call on him to save you from your sins.

You can pray a simple prayer like this, or lead someone in it. The words are not what saves, what's saves is when you put your whole faith in Jesus to save you. Talk to God and tell Him something like this.

"Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I can't reach your perfect heaven on my own. But I know you died to take the punishment for my sins. And, you rose from the dead. Lord Jesus, I pray trusting you to forgive me and make me new inside and save me from my sins. Lord Jesus, I trust you with all my heart and call on you to come live in me. In Jesus name, amen."

Once you have made that decision, of course, it is a matter of trusting the Lord to help you daily. He will be a constant guide, comforter, helper, friend, and so much more.

That's because it is a relationship with God that is the real gift of Christmas. He wants to guide and direct you through life.

Overcoming obstacles because Jesus knows all about them

We all face so much stress in our lives. We need God's love to get us through. Thankfully, that special gift of God coming to Earth is the key to that.

Remember, this means that Jesus knew what it was like to have homework, to go through the struggles of growing up, to have all sorts of different situations in His life. No, He didn't have video games or other modern things, but Jesus did have different things that could have distracted Him.

That is the key. He had those things in His life. And yet He never sinned. Jesus never had a sinful action, word, or thought. That is how He could be the substitution for our sin.

That also means that He can be our guide when it comes to life's problems. He is the wisdom that we need and with Him living in us through the Holy Spirit, we have access to that. And, if we do sin because of our fleshly nature, He is always there to forgive us.

I work with some inner-city youth. It is very hard for some of them to understand how He can help. One girl in particular has been bullied and realizes it is a spiritual battle to keep from retaliating, but it is hard for her to recognize God's power in her to rejoice and to let God be the strength she needs to get through things. Please pray for her, that she will learn to pray consistently and that she will start to grow in the Lord. She struggles also with pouting when she doesn't get her way, she is working on that but doesn't realize yet just how much power God can give her to overcome that.

There are also a couple boys who struggle with name calling because they don't realize it hurts her even so they talked about how it hurts. Please pray for them to stop bullying also and to behave better in general because they have many problems that have erupted over the last half year or so for some reason. It may be as simple as a spiritual battle but I don't know. Pray for that whole family, please.

 The whole ministry needs prayer in fact, so please pray as the Lord leads you about whatever situations may erupt.

These are the kind of things we need to talk to God about. When we don't, God knows the needs but we act as if we can handle them ourselves.

"Sure, Jesus could handle them when He was a kid," you might say. "But He is God." And, that's true. But when you know Him, He lives in you and you can turn to him for anything. From the biggest to the smallest.

That is what our country needs. For everyone to turn to God for help, because He is an ever-present help in time of need. That's why it's so important to know Him here, not just to be saved from sin but to be guided through this life filled with people who do not know Him.

Sharing his love so others can know

We share Christ's love so others can know Him and have Him living in them. We do it through our words but also our actions, by helping others and being Godly examples. Then, when people see how different we are they will realize there is something to what we say.

In other words, we aren't just saying it, we believe it and show it by living it.

That is showing the spirit of Christmas all year long. That is what this country needs. It is a relationship. It is not religion because religion is all about me and trying to reach up to God. However, none of those work. God had to reach down to our level and we just have to trust and call on Him.

Be part of the solution by dedicating yourself to the Lord. You can share something like this which can be freely printed out and used to lead others, or this where you can talk to volunteers about growing in your faith. you can get little pieces of paper known as tracks from Child evangelism Fellowship or the American tract Society or like the four spiritual laws to give people and use yourself. Posts in this blog cover numerous subjects such as the end of times and avoiding deception, God's justice being better than man's, overcoming obstacles, ending oppression, having victory over things, and much more.

 So, as one of them says, be the role model that many people need. So many need someone to look up to, and while Jesus is the one they should be, they need someone here on Earth to be that example so they can see how it is time.  you may be the only example of Jesus Christ they have ever seen. Don't shirk that responsibility. Many people need someone just like you. People need you to be christ-like and share the gospel.

Get freedom by turning to God for salvation, strength

I promise not to discuss how much better the world seemed when I was a kid. You've heard - or told - all the stories. (The world changes so fast a grade schooler might tell them to a preschooler. :-)

Rather, I encourage everyone - especially those going to school, who can relieve their stress with God's unconditional love- to be specially bold in the Lord's love, just as I urged youth early in this blog to take back their inner cities, and in this free blogged book to take the lead in families or with friends where there's no spiritual leadership. I've blogged about all the freedom we have in Jesus to help, care for others, be kind without worry, and so on, and how that freedom is so much different than what the world has to offer. You can read these posts at your leisure.

You can claim God's promises and let Him provide you freedom from all of the problems and then declare independence from this world's system of corruption, evil, hatred - Jesus says we are all equal with no distinction between races - and so on. Yes, that system that ignores God is to blame, as several posts here show.

First, claim God's promise of salvation and a relationship with Him

It's hard to find lifelong commitments today. Thankfully, God will give you one. He will give you perfect peace, comfort, strength, and so much more. whenever you turn to Him, because He promises to come live inside you. This relationship will free you. Some call this relationship dangerous, but that's because they don't have your best interests at heart. In fact, only God can have your best interests at heart because He knows all things. Take a baby who wants to put something poisonous in their mouth. Obviously, you say, that child doesn't have their own best interests in mind.

It can be true of adults, too. Just by not following a map, you can end up in a totally different part of the world, or where you don't know the language.

Sin is not following that map God created for our lives - it also offends God, too, of course. Look how lying, for instance, can hurt others, lead to anxiety (what if it's found out?), lead to bigger sins to cover it up, etc.. Sins like racism, cruelty to others, etc. aren't done by everyone the way lying ot selfishness are, but the point is, we've all sinned, we've all acted agaisnt that map God has for us.

There is a penalty of sin, a price Jesus paid when He died on the cross for our sin and rose from the dead. Of course, we have freedom to reject Him, but like with anything else, we must understand the consequences of rejection of His free gift of salvation.

Accepting His free gift of salvation is as easy as ABC. 1. Admit you are a sinner in need of a Saviour, that you can't save yourself becasue your sin separates you from God so you can't get to His perfect heaven on your own; 2. Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins and rose from the dead to take the punishment for your sins; and, Call on Jesus to save you, Choosing to trust Him completely to forgive you and make you new inside, to change your "want to." You can do that right here reading this blog, as can anyone you share this with.

Rejection of God's free gift of salvation means separate from Him forever in a horrible place that He doesn't want to send anyone. It was created for the devil and his fallen angels. In God's great love, He clearly spells out that He doesn't want anyone to go there and how they can avoid going there.

Because God loves us, He wants us as His followers to share that love and salvation with others You can share it like above, use the Gospel here or in a tract on another page on the site, send them to abundantlife.godlife.com, etc.. But, for it to work, remember they must believe you, so don't be a Pharisee.

I'll share some other ways we can have freedom, and joys through it, in the last segment of this post, but read all of it to help you grow in the Lord once you know Him, or just to understand more.

Drawn to God's love to gain freedom

He wants to draw people to that love so they can have freedom.

This is where those who call a relationship with Jesus dangerous are wrong. They do not have your best interests at heart. They have their own. Sometimes, it is for selfish reasons such as wanting to have control of you. Other times, they don't want to have consequences to their actions, even though there will be no matter what they want. Just like that baby who wants to put poison in his or her mouth. It will hurt them even if they don't want it to.

God tells us in His Word - which we know is fully reliable - how much He loves you. He draws you to His love by giving you that comfort, perfect peace, nurturing, understanding, and so on. However, he alsoshows it by letting you know that sin has consequences and how to let Him take those consequences on Himself. It has consequences even  if someone doesn't want or believe in them.

So, there is freedom from the penalty of sin. There is also freedom from the power of sin.

This is a wonderful promise. It means we can withstand all the evil of this world, though only through the power of the Holy Spirit in each believer. Yes, we are flesh, too, so we will still sin, and we must put our full trust in Jesus to be our strength so we don't.  However, the Word of God is a valuable tool in doing this, because it is the major way the Lord speaks to us. The Spirit teaches us how to apply it to our lives. He will show us how to avoid sin.

This avoiding of sin is needed because sin is what enslaves us. Sin can only be escaped through God's mercy, through what Jesus did for us. This is why the Bible says the truth will set you free - Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6.

Indeed, Jesus will one day save is from the very presence of sin. That just shows, though, that all that sin will be somewhere else. A place you want to avoid if you're looking for your own best interest.

It's not just in Heaven we can have that great peace, though.

Life More Abundantly Here, Too

I've posted before about how we can have life more abundantly here on Earth(John 10:10) and indeed that there is a even a verse speaking to those who would love life, 1 Peter 3:10-11.

This can't be done on our own, of course. We can't bring the Kingdom in ourselves, as discussed on shows 115 and 116 here. That's because some aspects are impossible for mankind to create in the Millennium, such as all animals being peaceful or no more war occurring. It's also because in Heaven, nothing will grow old or wear out.

 The way we have life more abundantly here is through the joy the Lord gives each of us when we are clsoe to Him, and the tenderness with which He treats us when we wander , being slow to anger and rich in mercy.

Being strong in the Lord in the Bible is from a Greek verb meaning a continual action from the outside. We need Jesus to work in us to provide that strength, because we can't fight the intense spiritual warfare ourselves.

It may seem rough because this world has so many problems. There is so much injustice. There are so many charities that need support, so many spiritual needs people are trying to fill on a shoestring, especially because inner city ones like this don't get church support.

It's pretty silly to say to imagine something with what I'm doing next: Quoting part of 1 Corinthians 2:9 - "eye has not seen, nor ear heart, nor has entered into the heart of man" the wonders that God has prepared for those who love Him. His mercies are new every morning. He loves to make all things new, and He will create a totally new world one day. Imagine the incredible beauty of colors that are much more dazzling than anything we have ever seen.

 But, we can have joy in other things, too. It's not just in looking forward to what is to come.

Other joys God gives when we receive His freedom

Sharing that message of God's free gift of salvation with othersgives great joy when we know we have a part in God's plan. It's vital to pray first, of course, nd let Him guide us, since as noted He knows what's right in each situation. WHen we mess up, we must admit our wrong right away and confess and forsake it to God, but even that shows growth just like a batter who sees and corrects a flaw in his mechanics so he can improve.

Knowing God will make everything right and end injustice helps so much; our sin nature is such we always make things more of a mess when we try to fix things, as numerous posts here show. We can't hope to re-create the awesomeness which will come.

However, the devil will try to seduce us, which is why I've noted before we also must avoid the great deception which will come on the world. that's SO vital I made this which should be spread everywhere if millions disappear. If you put your trust in God, though, you'll be safe, and just imagine what's in store.

You can have joy in good, wholesome entertainment. You don't have to do evil or mean or raunchy things or even tell such jokes. You're free from having to tear others down; you can work to build them up, as Jesus tells us to do.

 You can enjoy the freedom of knowing whatever life brings - even the frustration and pressure of tests and grades, and all the popularity stuff that is just false pride - it doesn't have to define you.

Instead, you can trust in what God says about you - that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that He is a personal God who desires a relationship where he shares with you His unconditional love, no matter who you are, no matter what happened on some day in school.

You can stay away from those bullying sites, for instance that tear you down, and you can lead others away, too, by helping them realize they are special to God and to you. You can be an encouragement, you can be someone for whom other people matter.

There are so many other joys and promises, but just get alone with God and pray each morning that He will use you to impact lives for His honor and glory, to bring them to salvation. (There are many good tracts you can hand out if you don't feel comfortable talking as well, search for them on the Ineternet or ask your local church - oens with itles like the above "God's Simple Plan of Salvation" which was linked, or "Amazing Love," or "Who Can Enter," ones that minister to others and can be ordered in some cases for free. Just be sure you use the King James version if you can, becasue it's fromt he original Antiochan Greek, as mentioned elsewhere in this blog and here.)

Above all, remember to make much of the Lord Jesus, and He'll make much of you. Becasue, He truly wants you to know Him and to be a great force for change in your world, to reach out to the hurting and share that message of His hope and salvation.

Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves for revival to happen

More is happening with the previous post and other warnings, as one can see with this video by JD Farag.There is great deception coming we must avoid, as noted in the previous post, with much danger from our fallen world that will leave us fooled if we're not careful.  Even such facts as that the God of the Bible is not the same as that of Islam are hidden by our sinful world.

The most important wisdom is that God wants a person relationship with you, something that isn't taught elsewhere. It isn't about what you can do, it's about what God already did for you.

All you need is to:

1. Admit you're a sinner and fall short of the Perfection of God, and while your sin separates you from Heaven God created a way for you to get there;

2. Believe thatJjesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose fromt he dead; and,

3. Call on Him to forgive you and to save you by Calling on Him, repenting of your sin and trusting Him to make you new inside.

Being wise, then, means knowing what is right and wrong. After all, if you are going the wrong way you wont' get where you're going, right? You want something reliable, right? Here is a good site, by the way, on how we can know the Bible is reliable. (Read below, too, for an answer ken Ham says has help many believers with just a simple verse.)

Jesus told his disciples 2,000 years ago to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. This is important to do even today. How do we do that to survive in this confusing world?

Center wisdom on the God of love, comfort, mercy, etc.

Sometimes people don't notice words. Some see "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" and ignore that word, "beginning." (Some also ignore that the word "fear" means a healthy respect, like when you choose not to put your hand into a fire because you will get burned. You're not scared of it.) That's really dangerous because it can make a person sound like a Pharisee if they act like there is nothing more to know. I wrote a lot here on not being a Pharisee. We can open our minds to so much as long as we remember to keep the Lord's wisdom at the start of what we know - that's why it's the beginning of wisdom.

That ties into salvation - you get saved because you have a healthy respect for the fact you're a sinner in need of a Saviour because you can save yourself through good works, since we have all sinned; nobody is perfect. Once you are saved you can easily live by getting other wisdom as long as you keep that salvation and God's Word, the Bible, in general as your foundation.

Here's an example of other wisdom - germ theory. It was laughed at when it was first proposed because it was unlike what people had known before. However, it didn't contradict the Bible. As a matter of fact, Hebrews 11:3 says that things which are seen were "not made of things which do appear." In other words, they are made of things which don't appear to the eye without help. The Bible sometimes talks of the invisible meaning the spiritual realm, which Chuck Missler notes in a number of places is proven to exist by scientists; there may be as many as 10 dimensions or more. (He is in those links and some in a few of the links above.) However, unseen things can just as easily mean things we can't see with our own eyes, as it does in this case meaning atoms and electrons. (This is likely a verse with a double meaning, physical and spiritual.)

So, after a while science established germ theory. it was not part of science "falsely so called" as Paul warns Timothy of; germ theory is proper science. It doesn't conflict with the Bible. On the other hand, there are many things which do, as just a study of Answers in Genesis can show.

It's important to note that you don't have to be a Creationist to be saved from your sin, of course. That will be discussed later when I talk about sharing God's love and salvation with humility and care for others. For now, I'll just link this very good site if you are interested in the discussion and scientific evidence for Creation, and go back to the idea of centering wisdom on God's Word.

Just like the germ theory example, there are other things the Bible is silent on, but that isn't a problem. Even though the Bible is not a science book, it is still true in everything it says about science - indeed, it warns against science falsely so-called(1 Tim. 6:20), that is things that are called science but are not.

It's like a person who has not studied history for a living can still know George Washington was the first president. There are other things one can learn. One must use the Bible as a guide to the truth of such things, though - just like that non-history student needs to look at the list of American presidents to find others and not at the list of British monarchs. :-)

Wisdom means applying knowledge, too. Now, unless you are a time traveler, you don't need to rely on George Washington being the first president for more than a test answer. However, other wisdom can be used.

Like germ theory, things come up that didn't in the old days. Traffic safety rules, for instance, have a basis in Scripture - put others before yourself - even without laws being passed about them. Something like post-traumatic stress disorder, for instance, is not mentioned but we know that we are to be compassionate toward others and tenderhearted, understanding that some need treated differently as we see in Jude 22-23. (I suppose 1 Samuel 30, where David pursues and enemy and lets those who remained behind to take part of the spoil, could be an instance of those with PTSD,  but I think those are simply people who were not physically capable of fighting. However, this is a good example of where Christians can easily agree to disagree.)

The ones in first Samuel and those mentioned in Jude also are good verses to show how we need to be very kind to others, and Jude demonstrates how with some we must share the gospel as Jesus did with the woman caught in adultery, not condemning but simply loving and understanding she needed saved. That will be covered more in the second part of this post on not being a Pharisee, though.

Back to the person with PTSD, we also have to realize that there are ways to help a person recover from it and to deal with what they are going through that are Biblical and some that are not. This, then comma shows that need to have a Biblical foundation, how following the Lord needs to be the beginning of wisdom so that when you go out and find all the other things that are out there, that you have that foundation that can leave you being a Godly person and faithful follower.

Be harmless as doves

One big aspect of wisdom is knowing how to figure things out. This requires using be praying that God gave you. Not everyone has the same brain. Some, like Ravi Zacharias, have incredibly deep minds. But, you don't have to be someone like him to be able to use Godly wisdom. as noted aboveAny believer can determine how to act even in areas where the Bible is somewhat silent, like post-traumatic stress disorder, which was discussed before, or totally as with the aforementioned Germ Theory, becasue of the power of the Holy Spirit in that believer. We can't do it in our own strength, but God can and will strengthen us when we trust Him to.

Being harmless as doves is one command of Jesus that will greatly help as you interact with others - and, since Jesus is God, He will give power to obey that command. (Yes, the context is that He tells His disciples this then, but there is clearly a spiritual aspect where we must do it today, too.)

One important thing to remember is that we should not be Pharisees. I wrote this post looking at some of the major problems with being a Pharisee and why one should not do that. There are others, too, though.

Pharisees, by definition, are not as harmless as doves. Jesus says they of their father the devil, among other things. They do nothing to draw people to Christ.

In today's world, Pharisees keep people from Jesus by not being kind, understanding, and so on. Of course, we must take a stand against sin, but we must also love the sinner, just like Jesus with the woman caught in adultery in John 8.

How do we do this?

Loving Others to Jesus

While we have to take stands against sin, we don't know peoples' hearts, so we can't even presume they are committing specific sins unless we see them doing it. Even then, the simple ABCs above need to be done in such a way that draw people, not repel them. A dove is a symbol of people, and is a very harmless bird - it doesn't go around attacking others like, say, a blue jay.

In other words, admit you're a sinner, too. We all are. We all fall short of God's perfection. So, it doesn't help to just accuse the person of sin -the Holy Spirit does that well enough anyway. (Yes, john John 16:712 it says the Spirit is even there to convict unbelievers.) They need to know that sin is a problem impacting all of us, ut that there is a remedy so that God doesn't have to keep us out of Heaven, and that in fact He desires a person relationship with each of us.

That relationship is the key. A person who is having a discussion about Creation might be convinced that God created the world, but what good does that do if they don't trust Jesus Christ to save them? It is worthless. However, if they trust Jesus Christ to save them, they have a erlationship with God and they can then pray and read the Bible and have the Spirit convict them, or they can just go to Heaven someday and have a very stunned look ont heir face, as if to say, "Wow, I never realized that."

You can even tell them, "One of us will have an amazed look on our faces, and wouldn't you want to be there to see mine if you're right?" It's just like if you are witnessing and you tell someone, "If I'm wrong, I have lost nothing, I have pleased many by being amoral, upright person who loved and helped others. if you are wrong, you have lost your soul, and it won't matter what you havd in this world. Because, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"

In the same way, you can be friendly and engaging with others while keeping the Gospel the main thing. For instance, that person with PTSD may struggle with ordinary life. Even such thigns as getting out of bed can be a struggle for someone suffering from depression. They may have suffered horribly in a war, or maybe just because of issues growing up. Certain thigns you say may have little meaning to you or even be very positive things but may bring very negative reactions to them.

In cases like that, you need to keep an open mind. Don't make it so open your braisn fall out, as the joke goes, but remember to approach the situation from their perspective. If you hd, for instance, been mistreated growing up by people who claimed to be Christians but weren't, how would you be able to be won to Christ? Isn't it by being told calmly and gently that God isn't like the abusive people they knew, but that God is instead a loving God who never acts out of spite, malice, etc.. Just explaining that anyone can claim to be a Christian can help.

No, the Bible doesn't talk about PTSD or some of the worst things people can have done to them or germ theory or other things, but the Bible does have principles that can govern our lives, like being tenderhearte, acting just like Jesus does throughout the Gospels.

His itneraction with the woman at the well in John 4 is a great example of how He interacted with someone He encountered ina  way that drew her into the conversationa nd got her thinking about spiritual things. And, there are ways you can get others thinking, too.

Answers You Can Use for Everyday Encounters

One example I've used here before concerning people who claim to be Christians is the King of Belgium example. If I say I'm the King of Belgium, whatever I do, good or bad, has no bearing on what the real King of Belgium is like. In the same way, people can't define what Christians are based on their own ideas, it has to come fromt he Bible, jsut in the same way the definition of "King of Bekguim" isn't, "anyone who claims to be King of Belgium is automatically King." it is, "The person who was born into the royal family and succeeded to the throne after the previous King's death."

Of course, some might just complain about the hypocrites in general, but with that, you can say something like this: If you are a dog lover, and you want to hang out with other dog lovers, does the fact not everyone love dogs impact your love if them? No, it shouldn't if you really love them. You might hang around people you think are really goofy, in fact - they say "Here is a picture of my dog" and you look and nothing is there, or they pull a leash around with a hamster cage attached and pretend it's really their dog. You would still love your dog the same, though. In fact, these crazy people should inspire you, if you hang around them enough, to say, "Hey, don't just talk about dogs, get one, they're so awesome!"

In fact, that's a part of this I hadn't thought about till just now: The presence of hypocrites should make us want to live for God even more so we can show people just how wonderful it is to truly live for God in our walk and not just in our talk.

People will have questions, of course. For instance, Ken Ham has said that he has found lots of people become believers when he answers a specific question with a specific verse. That quesiton is, "Where did Cain get his wife?" The answer is found in Genesis 5:4, Adam and Even had sons and daughters. (According to a historian, Josephus, an old tradition said Adam had 33 sons and 23 daughters, but this shows it could have been a lot more.

Other people might have questions about all the evil in the world. We have some very good radio shows here about that, among other shows, but a good simple answer is that God doesn't want us to be mindless robots. He would, in fact, have to use cartoon physics to stop our free will. he wants us to choose to love Him because we want to, because of His great care for us - for it was while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.(Rom. 5:8) thankfully, he then rose triumphantly fromt he grave, but He had to humble Himself and come down here to do that. He chose to do it willingly, becuase you and I and every single person was on His mind.

He suffered in all ways like us(Heb. 4:15-16) so we can go to Him with anything. In fact, when I first started reading the Bible I would ask questions about lots of things, and He would always assure me in prayer that He cared for the exceptions, for the handicapped like me, for those who were unique. He loves each and every one of us.

Because of this, He doesn't want us to act like rules are the only things that matter. We need to show grace and mercy. Jesus knows each of our hearts, just like that woman caught in adultery whom He set free because He would soon take the punishment for her sin and for everyone's sin. (Including the guy - the Pharisees were so much into show but they didn't want to take responsibility themselves - the guy committing adultery should have been in the temple condemned with her since they were caught in the act, but he was nowhere to be found.)

Jesus hated that attitude of the Pharisees. They would criticize the fact that He healed on the Sabbath, even though they would stop and do things like pull an animal out of a ditch or something; as Jesus asked them, "is it lawful to do good or evil on the Sabbath?" God was making a point that He didn't want people to be overly burdened, and the Pharisees were taking what God meant for rest and recuperation (the Sabbath) and making it all about themselves and their rules.

Yes, rules are vital to make things run smoothly, like traffic rules or rules in the home. However, we must be careful that rules do not become our gods. God Almighty loves and cherishes everyone, even those who don't follow the normal pattern for things like a two-parent family with the dad being a Godly leader. God accepts and cherishes exceptions - a Godly parent isn't going to mind if you're 5 minutes late because you stopped to rescue a baby from a burning building, after all; they'll be proud of you because you sacrificed yourself for the Lord; nyou've honored your parents by following what God called you to do. I once heard of a 3YO who - during a fight between his parents - was able to recitehome rules like "be nice," "say you're sorry," etc. to help them to settle down and possibly prevent what could have spiraled down to divorce. (Probably not, but the point is that God used that child for His purposes.)

While the Bible's examples aren't quite as drastic, the Bible does show people like David, to continue something like the curfew analogy, who was almost surely expected back right away from taking food to his brothers in the field, and instead he stay around and killed Goliath.(1 Sam.) Gideon tore down the idols his father had put up because they dishonored God and his father was worshiping them instead.(Judges 6) And, we see people such as the Shunemmite woman, who He calls great for leading her household when her husband was unwilling.(2 Kings 4:8 and onward) That's because God loves each of us, and wants to help us grow into people who will be like Him regardless of our circumstances and who will seek to dow aht is right in His sight, not their own.

Be the kind of person who will draw people to the Lord

I wrote an entire blogged book about that Shunemmite woman and how women or even children/teens/youth can be used by God to lead. It can be found here and should be printed out and shared via print or online with everyone.

The key, then, is to be kind, friendly, the kind of person who people will see that love and faith resonating in. That doesn't mean that you have to be perfect. People  should be able to see that you accept you're not perfect but that you know the one who is and that He is guiding and directing your path to help you to become better.

When you show that love, you accept people. It's like a guy in a t-shirt and jeans bringing his family to church - nobody should care what he wears, it's the person on the inside that counts. Now, if his t-shirt is filled with cursing you can politely suggest that he's sending the wrong message, but you don't have to have your "Sunday best" - especially if you don't have such clothes. The idea of wearing a suit and tie is a cultural thing, and another problem that can arise which is like the Pharisees is that people mistake cultural norms for Biblical ones.

When we accept each other as beggars telling other  beggars where to find bread, we will be able to be humble and loving and to the thigns the Bible commands - e4dify (build up and not tear down) one another, exhort (strongly encourage/urge to do good things) one another, love one antoher, pray for one another, consider one another better than ourselves, etc..

Each of us is better than somebody else at something and worse at something. Maybe you're not as outgoing but you can share the gospel in other ways, simply by being therefore someone and maybe not talking as much as just listening. Others, like me, overcome handicaps and other adversities without complaints, sowing a confidence that can only come from God.

The important thing is, remember that others might not be able to verbalize their questions. We do need to use words to share the Gospel, and in fact ask people if they know for sure they're going to Heaven. A really good way to put it is, "If you were to stand before God and He were to say "why should I let you into my perfect Heaven, what would you say?"

Be wise as serpents, so you can keep your main focus, your beliefs, your attitude, your life, centered on the Lord. And, be harmless as doves, so people will want to be in God's perfect Heaven, where there can be no sin, selfishness, etc.,. God will make each of us new on the inside continually as He works in us, and will perfect us when we get to Heaven. But, it makes sense that we follow His perfect plan for our lives so we can have those blessings and rewards for doing so.

Humility, equality, common sense key to stopping violence

A rash of assaults on women and other complaints have dotted the landscape in and out of sports. While the previous post on coming together for racial equality contains keys to solving this problem, as do posts on things like the good thoughts of Philippians 4:8 and other posts in this blog, this is a specific problem which has troubled people since man brought sin into the formerly perfect world,and death by sin, so that death passed unto all men, for that all have sinned.(Rom. 5:12)

That need for humility, of course, is crucial. That post shows how we must never see one race or any group as superior, something discussed more in show 143 here. Here, it means one must not see one gender as worthy of more respect than another. However, it is much more than that.

A desire to be better can be used in a positive way when it leads to hard work, learning new information, strategies, and skills, etc., in order to improve one's lot in life. However, those all deal with raising oneself up in ways that please God, so His perfect plan for your life can be fulfilled, not putting others down. They involve honing God-given things to improve one's abilities to glorify God.

Not only that, but not since Ben Franklin's time has it been possible to know everything there is to know. There will always be someone better than you at something and someone worse than you at something. Hence, there is a need to accept that God has given skills and talents and accept His perfect plan for your life, That perfect plan is fulfilled when you grow in Godliness and develop those rather than letting lust rule and tear others down or wanting what isn't yours.

Yes, I used lust there. Envy, jealousy, and so on could all be placed there. However, what are those but certain kinds - envying someone with better clothes or cars or something is just a lust for those things, for instance. The Bible sums up sin by referring to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.(1 John 2:15) Certainly, we want to live, but we don't want to have such pride in it that we think that we have a better plan than God, because God's perfect ways are much greater than our imperfect ways.

Good Thoughts and Attitudes to Ponderr - Putting Others First

This is why, as in Philippians 4:8 above, we must "flee also youthful lusts"(2 Tim. 2:22); this isn't just about physical affection, it is about fleeing that selfishness that causes a person to lust for power and therefore to mistreat those less powerful than them.

This brings us to equality a little more first, to move forward to common sense by making a few comments about the body from the above links, namely that we all perform different roles in that perfect plan, but they all work together to move the body forward along the right path.

To use a silly example, let us suppose that the eye decided it wanted to do something different than the legs says the person was walking along. So comma the eye starts moving the head a different direction. Then comma di convinces the arms to move one of the legs into that direction. Of course, that is silly, although at first you might have thought of a person distracted by something, turning their head, and walking right into a telephone pole. Indeed, that happens sometimes. The point is that this is causing the body to lose focus. There are, of course, timesthe eye see something and realizes that the legs are moving in the wrong direction. That is where the brain as a central processing unit is so important, such as when you are walking around trying to find something, and suddenly you see it out of the corner of your eye.)

Let's use that analogy with the brain as the central processing unit and explore the area of common sense. However, it will not be common sense as imperfect people see it, but as God created us, because His ways are perfect.

There are many reasons that the Fruit of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) includes things like temprance(self-control), longsuffering(patience), etc.. We need these things to be Godly people; He calls us to be holy not just in our actions in refraining from certain sins but in all manner of conversation, a word which means conduct.

I'd like to take a moment to praise a few boys; these 6-8 year olds are in our church's Wednesday night AWANA program at the same time as a similar-aged girl who has some autism traits. Because of this, she pushes hard at times. She has only done this a couple times, and we as a staff and her parents stay on top of things, but the point is that this girl can't control herself as well as most kids that age.

So, a few times she has pushed these boys playfully, not realizing how hard she is doing it. And, these boys either just stare at her and then walk away or just ask me, "What's her problem." They don't fight back. I have praised them quite a bit for not pushing back, let alone hitting. They know quite well there is no reason to hit this girl. Other workers and I are rightfully proud of their self-control at those times.

All that is to say this. It should be very easy for us to get in our minds an image of a person just walking away from a situation. At their age, of course, it helps to know someone is going to praise them for their self-control, and that praise will sink in and - in the future - help them remember that self-control is a positive thing. Even if a person hasn't had that self-control praised before - or even practiced  it - self-control is still required.

Why? because women are built differently, just like the parts of the body are different. You wouldn't put eye drops in your ear to try to get ear wax out, nor would you put hydrogen peroxide on your skin to make an insect bite stop itching. Things need treated differently depending on where they are - eye drops go int he eye, hydrogen peroxide goes in the ear, etc..

Of course, it's also wrong for women to bully men, but the vast major5ity of this selfishness in hwo they treat others is done by males in a relationship. This is why Jesus kept pushing meekness, another Fruit of the Spirit - thsi is power under control, not overpowering people but tenderly guiding.

Not only that, but men and women are equals, we just have different general attributes, with each individual having their own and needing to be accepted for how God made them.

We have shared that some but as a church generally failed to speak out strongly against abusive behavior, a failure we must repent of, as I've noted before, in praying for revival. Of course, it can also be argued that the Holy Spirit convicts people of the evils of such things, and that people who do them are not going to be in church or will just sit and pretend to be Godly because their hearts aren't right or perhaps they never trusted Jesus Christ to save them in the first place.

Whichever the case is, domestic violence is an evil which must be stopped. The way to do it is by changing our attitude toward others.

Proper Attitudes About Relationships - Eliminating Lust

Before, such as here, the need was discussed to center our focus on others and not ourselves. That is certainly part of it. When we realize other people matter, we will be kinder and more considerate and realize that some people have handicaps, for instance, like I do with several physical and developmental ones. However, it goes beyond just helping a blind person see something that you can see perfectly well.

The important part is to recognize that while we refer to girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses, and children as "ours" in one sense, they really aren't in another sense. Oh, relation ally, there is a logical sense that, yes, you are related to someone in such and such a way - "this is the computer's mouse" means that mouse is used by that computer - but relation does not equal possession. Any mouse could be used as long as it's compatible, to use that example further.

Relationships were created by God before the fall of man - Adam and Eve are married in Genesis 2:24-25, while sin doesn't come into the world till the next chapter. After sinc omes in, there is suddenly disputing and arguing and the chance for all sorts of things. Physical lusts suddenly existed when they didn't before. Instead of automatically being a perfect situation, a relationship takes work on all parts - A healthy relationship requires communication, and that communication is easily broken if we're not careful.

This is where that lust comes in. Even without that problem in language, there is that desire to make a relationship everything we want rather than working together toward a common goal. It's as if the eye and the ear, working together in a body, suddenly decide they want to do different things. Or, worse yet, the left leg and the right leg try to go off in different directions.

Some central processing unit is needed. God provides that processing unit through his Word, the Bible, which tells us to love one another, to edify (build up) one another, to be subject to one another  and to work with one another. The Bible never commands one side to boss the other around and doesn't even allow it, in fact. As that one link said, Eve was created from Adam's side, not his head or foot.

And, parents are to be examples of Godly love, compassion, gentleness, kindness, and so on, teaching their children to be part of that loving unit by co-operating and becoming kind, caring people who will not act selfishly. Just as most if not all of the boys have been taught who were being so kind when that girl was being so pushy.

If one party is not able to be a spiritual leader, that God commands, another shoudl take over and try to work themselves out of a job jsut like a missionary would. This free blog book, based on the Shunemmite woman's story beginning in 2 Kings 4:8, shows how, and should be widely distributed.

We need the courage to stand up for woman and children because they need protection. Yes, at times we must sand up against female abusers, too; we should always look at the facts of a case as well. However, we must be willing to take a stand for the absolute right and wrong that God commands us to have in protecting those who are mistreated, so that they know they can feel safe in coming to us and that we will stand for them and against abusers. Look at it as getting an abuser help if you must, but we as a society should not accept what is really just a form of lust - a lust for power, power that is not our right to have. There is never any reason to hit a woman, and in fact even nonverbal abuse is wrong because we are not meant to force others to do anything in a relationship. We are supposed to lovingly guide. (Yes, even discipline of children, though it may have to be harsh at times, should NEVER be about brutality and power but has to be about showing Godliness by guiding them in a Christlike manner to be examples of Godly character themselves, by showing those fruits of the Spirit so they will want to copy and will know how. You might, as that blog book shows, even be able to be the one a kid copies who isn't your own, becasue we all need role models and some kids need to use other adults as those models of good behavior.)

This iswhy such violence is wrong - communication must be the center of every relationship, and adults are able to verbalize their concerns without such threats against someone who is less able physically. If a person has trouble, they must walk away till they're calm; against part of that meekness Jesus had and that we should have, too.

In fact, I'll go a step further and say that the entire appetite for lusts is way off. There are many better things to do than that, and it should be an honor to be a virgin. Sadly, not everyone will be, but there is no excuse for any man to be taking advantage of someone. If one man wants to do stuff with a woman outside marriage that's one thing, even though it's sin and cheapens it, but life is not a video game and there should be no competition or guys getting together in what was created to be a very special time for one man and oen woman to share! God created that stuff to be done within marriage as a special thing between a husband and wife, in fact! No woman should ever be put in a situation where she feels pressured into doing something she doesn't want to - and no man should, either!

After all, God gives freedom, the freedom that He provided on the cross when He died to take the punishment for our sins and rose from the dead. Each of us is only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life. It's a prayer one can pray right now - just Admit you're a sinner and fall short of God's protection, Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins and rose from the dead, and Call on Him to save you, Choosing to let Him make you new inside and forgive and cleanse you and come live in you.

Once you trust Him to save you, He makes you new inside.He will grow the Fruit of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) in you. You can do it right now where you are. And, go he to e-mail with someone and get gerat encouragement.

Trust the Lord to raise up Godly people, be willing to let Him use you

A good beginning for this post - given its timing - would be what was stated in the post on being a role model. Or, perhaps on teaching others to overcome difficulties or forgiveness - after all, all these things, firmly standing for the right things, and numerous other posts in this blog all relate to Father's Day.

Instead - yes, I know this sounds silly - but, here's a question about dictionaries. If you had a choice between a perfect definition and something people made up, which would you choose?

Hopefully, the perfect one, otherwise you could pick up a pile of mud and leaves and define it as whatever your favorite meal is. Or, you could define a random squirrel as a nation's capital. The first one would taste bad, and the second could lead to jokes concerning nuts that are in bad taste - and are likely pretty old, anyway. The point is that neither definition makes any sense.

We do the same with the word "father" for various reasons when we use only human definitions - false pride, selfishness, and so on. This is why God's definition of a loving, personal man who always gives of himself is vital - after all, God is personal and desires a relationship with us. It is also why the focus here will be how anyone can fill that role, just like Mordecai raising Esther. This doesn't mean the way the world says it - because the world only focuses on the physical - but the tenderhearted, unconditional love God has for us, whereby we call Him "Abba" - that word really means "Daddy," not just "Father." This is a term of great tenderness and trust, the way a small child should see a father.

Of course, as noted before, the devil counterfeits everything God makes. We need to help others overcome and become more resilient, be role models, etc., as the above links said. This post links several former posts ideas together with some other things to help show how we can pray for - and sow seeds of - repentance revival.

Humbling Oneself to Take the Spiritual Lead

God's Word recognizes that. Take 2 Timothy 2:1 or any other verse which speaks of being strong in the Lord, or the call to stand in Ephesians 6:11-13 before the full armor of God is discussed showing us how to fight the battle. The verbs for being strong, standings, etc. imply a continual action from outside. It's a continual action of letting the Lord strengthen us, or help us to stand (through the full armor of God) so we can stand in that evil day and, having done all, to stand.

 As I note in my free blogbook for all, the story of the Shunemmite woman lays the groundwork for how anyone, even a child, can be a spiritual leader when nobody else is willing. It requires that the person be a Godly example as she was and not follow the ways of the world. It's very easy for a person to be drawn away when their minds and hearts are not focused on Jesus.

That's why it's vital that any leader be humble and let God be the one to guide through His Holy Spirit. I'm not going as far as I've heard some preachers go - they say that people were never meant to marry (and thus conceive) apart from being born again believers in Jesus Christ who are led by Him to be Christlike individuals. Books could be filled on debate about what the alternatives would be and how God might or might not use such institutions for His purposes. Not only that, but we are all sinners in need of a Saviouir.  We must rely on Him to have the strength to overcome our weaknesses, and on others to help us to do so, because He uses otehrs to help us.

That is how the devil has counterfeited fatherhood and families in general over the years. There have been ideas such as a refusal to admit one's wrongs and apologize to an insistence on phsyical toughness to many other things that have nothing to do with Godlness as it shows in the Bible.

Indeed, Biblical manhood has nothing to do with toughness - men are called to be tender, affectionate with their words and actions, and so on. Look at how Paul spoke of the way he nursed the Thessalonian church.(1 Thess.2:7-12)

For there to be a Revival in America or anywhere, we need leaders. God's Word clearly says that His people can pray, call on him, turn from their wicked ways, etc.. So, it doesn't take a ruler to do so. A couple of businessmen in 1857 devoted to prayer begin a Revival in New York City. They simply met and prayed at lunch each day, and brought more and more in to join them. These prayer meetings and the subsequent turning away from sin and adopting honest, fair, etc. business practices and honoring God in all they did spread from New York to Chicago and elsewhere.

However, we do need people to step up and lead like these men did. They don't lead because they are rulers, they lead because they are following Godly principles and encourage the people to follow Christ like they do.

This, then, is what we must Honor on Father's Day, not the fact that a person has a title, but the fact that a person leads with Godly character and the unconditional love, compassion, and so on that Christ exemplifies. 

Remember that Jesus Christ is God in flesh.(That is what Sonshi means, not physical relations.) In the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.(John 1:1,14) Jesus Christ is God in flesh, so we must use His example as to how to live our lives. Yes, He took bold stands against sin, but He also loved the sinner.

This is why it is possible to say that anyone can provide that kind of Godly leadership, the kind a father should. Some people will struggle because they lack certain things. Some might not have learned how to provide for others or remain committed to something or show that love, but that is why God provided the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to every believer, so He can teach them. That just means relying on Him to do so.

An example to us

 

A perfect example is my great-grandfather. He spoke in glowing terms about his mother all the time, but never mentioned his father once. My great uncle says that even if you got him to where he would spout off about everything he wouldn't mention anything about his dad. His dad died in an accident, and it was sad for him in his late teens, but his mother died in a much worse accident, a house two years earlier, yet while he never shared about that accident he would about what she was like before then.

The family figures that my great-grandfather's dad was either never there or not very nice. My great-grandpa never learned how to be a loving, caring father who children always talked about how wonderful he was and looked up to him so consistently. And yet, he was that way as a father himself, a wonderful, gentle, loving man who his children, my grandma and her siblings, would often talk about so lovingly.

There are a few other things that point to his having trusted Christ as his Savior during a Billy Sunday Revival in 1912. I won't get into those, but suffice it to say that the man was changed on the inside at some point in his late teens, he learned to do things as he had not learned how to do otherwise because he did not have the example to show him.

Letting God show us how

This example is one of many which could be used to demonstrate the fact that God can and will teach us how to be the loving, caring people we should once we trust Him. The Holy Spirit works in people to change their hearts and help them to be more like Jesus.

This, therefore, means that we must trust him too guide us in the things that we have lacked for so long. Not only for the last 40 years, but the last 400, as I have often said in this blog.

 We must trust the Lord to heal this land by raising up leaders, but they must be the right kind; those who will be kind, loving, caring, etc., but will not wilt in the face of pressure.  person can certainly be emotional (like John Knox, founder of the Presbyterian church, when he punished his children), the key to strength Biblically is going through with it even when it is emotional. Some thigns can be difficult, but that goes back to the fact being strong in the Lord means a continual strengthening from outside.

leaders must be committed to what they do - that's why it's vital that a leader be able to show he or she cares in everything they say and do. It's why leadership is about showing that other people matter, as has been noted numerous times here, such as in this post. It's a joy, not a a burden, to be able to make a difference in the world.

Much of the problem we have in this lack of leadership is that we look at things the wrong way. We always have - we're imperfect people, and as sinners, we all need God's help to guide us in the right direction. Some, like I was, always try to behave well and the main problem is not realizing the problems that thought life can cause; that's what got me saved was realizing that even my thought life caused me to fall short of the glory of God, and I also didn't always do or say what was right. For others, it's a rebellious nature that they must trust the Lord to bring under control.

Whatever the problem is, we know this. We know God is a loving, personal God who gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was God in flesh. He just chose to manifest Himself this way because it was easiest for us to understand, God gave that gave for a reason, Jesus came for a purpose. That purpose was to willingly suffer and die for each of us, taking on the sins of the whole world. Then, He rose from the dead, having triumphed over sin and death. Talk about a great task and greater victory! All one must do to have a personal relationship with Him is call on Him to save them from the punishment for their sins and forgive them and make them new inside. Because, He took the punishment we all deserve for our sins. You can see more abut this, and talk to someone to grow spiritually, here.

I noted before in this post that many people - through the Internet - have a desire to be connected, yet also seems to hide behind computer screens, perhaps because tehre is so much pressure in today's world. A relationship with God can give us the peace we need to make it in this world, so we don't just play video games or get online all the time. Each of us can step out and lead, sharing our faith in Christ and being able to withstand all that comes our way.

We need to be able to admit we make mistakes, but strive not to make them. Be blameless, as one of those verses in 1 Thessalonians says which I mentioned. That doesn't mean sinless, it means not being involved in eveil so if someone accuses you, people will know it's false because you wouldn't do whatever it is. Of course, that also means getting rid of sin in your life, such as addictions. Reformers Unanimous is a great group which offers help in a Christlike way for those; there are chapters in many churches.

It also means taking the lead in prayer, spending time with others, and so on even if you don't feel like it; I loved what one youth group girl said about how she felt really sick just before her group was to lead worship this Sunday. "I feel sick. Let's do this." She was determined not to let something little get in the way of serving the Lord - and, of course, serving others, too, but with the ultimate goal being to glorify God.

That should be our attitude, too;not only for our families, but for anyone who needs that role model, that encoruagement, whatever they need. This world provides lots of discouragement, we need to go out and build others up, not tear them down.

Forgiveness - for selves, others, and country - just a sincere prayer away

 I want to start this by making a distinction brought to mind by a contact's question with Global Media Outreach.

All sin causes us to fall short of God's perfection. It all had to be atoned for, nailed to the cross, for us to receive God's free gift of eternal life. As Ravi Zacharias says, “The four absolutes we all have in our minds: love, justice, evil, and forgiveness." These are absolutes that we try to imagine for ourselves, but God's Word tells us the real definition of each. And, all were present at the cross; God in His absolute love defeated the absolute evil which led people to sin by meting out upon Himself, Jesus Christ, absolute justice for our sin so that He could give us absolute forgiveness.

However, once we confess to God that we're sinners in need of a Saviour, and trust Jesus Christ by calling on Him to forgive and to save us, we don't need to pray Psalm 51 after every little sin. Our prayers for forgiveness can usually be along the lines of a child whose loving father comes into the room and tells the child kindly, "You left the cottage cheese out of the refrigerator." The expected reaction is just a "Sorry, Dad" and then going to put it away (repenting - turning from that sin).If we keep our hearts right, we'll keep those little ones from growing into bigger ones.(Such as how so many sins were committed, leading to that Psalm 51 prayer, because David didn't look away from Bathsheba and control himself.

Forgiveness is there if we just receive it by faith in three types - our own, others', and then as a part of that our country.

For Ourselves

Why repentance? I've mentioned this elsewhere on this blog; this post is a good example. We all have a sin nature. The song The Power of the Cross by Stuart Townend speaks much more powerfully and I encourage you to listen. However, suffice it to say that "every bitter thought, every evil deed" has been placed on our Savior, and He has borne all the wrath, the full weight of the world's sin.

If we're not careful it can become easy to forget that among all those people was each one of us. No, we haven't all committed every type of sin. But, all our bitter, wrathful, uncaring, prideful, and others types of thoughts, along with all the evil acts we commit, were paid for on the cross. Without Jesus Christ taking our place and bearing our sins, the just for the unjust(1 pet.2:24), we could not be forgiven and could not get to God's perfect Heaven, because there can't be any sin there. So, we must trust Jesus to save us and make us new.

This is why I began the way I did. Each of our past, present, and future sin is paid for on the cross. It was all an affront to God and His perfect righteousness, but it has all been paid for. Once you trust Him to save you and forgive you and invite Him to be your Saviour and to make you new inside, you stand forgiven at the cross. We who are forgiven have a relationship with God that wasn't present before we called on Him to save us. If you've never done that, you need to, and your are only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away.

Remember, of course, that while those little sins may not be as big as others, they are still sin  - all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.(Rom.3:23) The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.(Rom.6:23) False pride, being mean, lying, and so on all those bitter, spiteful, vengeful thoughts, pile on top of each other and all add up to the reason Jesus Christ came for you. if you'd been the only person ever in this world He still would have come to die for you and rise from the dead.

You can go here if you'd like to make a profession of faith because you just trusted him as Saviour right now or you would like to know how, or you can ask questions to one of the numerous online volunteers.

For Others

Did you ever notice Jesus never says not to remove a mote from another's eye? He only says to first remove the beam from one's own eye.

The Bible says that with whatever judgment we judge, we'll be judged.

That can be both comforting - we can stand up for the truth - and scary if we aren't living that truth. When we pray, we must have our hearts right with God, as I remarked here. In other words, not entertaining thoughts of evil like revenge, hatred, bitterness, and so on. These are the kinds of things we should get rid of fast by going to someone and discussing the hurt right away, as the Matthew 18 principle shows. "Be ye angry and sin not - let not the sun go down upon your wrath"(Eph.4:26) means it's okay to have righteous anger, but that anger should never be used as an excuse to sin. "let not the sun go down..." means don't let anger fester and become worse and worse, go to the person and get things right before the day ends if possible.

Sometimes, that forgiveness must be extended decades after something happened. Corrie Ten Boom had an experience like this. It was only a couple years later, but her story of seeing a former concentration camp guard who was so clearly a new person is quite amazing. However, either way, we must be willing to put that behind us and not keep punishing that person; even if, as she did, we must ask the Spirit in us to be the one to extend that hand of forgiveness..

Forgiveness isn't the same as forgetting, as she recognized. Traumas come in many forms, and sometimes it is a struggle with PTSD to avoid having a flashback when certain triggers are present or mentioned. The devil makes us recall those traumas. It's not something God wants. He wants us to successfully move onn. In such cases, it's important to trust and pray God will help you avoid such triggers and give you good ideas for how to cope - based on your own individual makeup - which will help you not have them. Remember that flashbacks are the devil's way of trying to make you think you are still in that place; so, for instance, if you were being terribly bullied perhaps you can envision it stopping somehow. You know that it is merely a mechanism to keep you from thinking that the evil is still happening. 2nd Timothy 2 1 says to be strong in the Lord. That is a continual strengthening from the outside, which only God can provide. And, it shows that he understands it is hard for us to deal with some things.

However, you can still forgive and pray that God help the person become more like Christ and to receive Christ as Savior if they haven't. You can still choose not to hold it against that person, though of course there are consequences to sin. Sometimes those mean separation, such as when Paul and Barnabas agreed that the problem between them was not something that allowed them to remain together. This is where if a person is being abused, they have every right to stay away from that abuser.

All that being said, most things brought to mind are not PTSD-related but simply things we must get rid of by forgiving, letting go and letting God handle it rather than continuing to be bitter.

God calls us to forgive just as Christ did. Those extreme examples might even be compared to King David, who when King Saul sought to kill him didn't just stop in his tracks, go up to Saul, and let him kill him. (Although, being God's anointed, I suppose God would have raised him from the dead - which might have given Saul a fatal heart attack on the spot!) However, when David had a chance to harm Saul, he refused to take revenge.(1 Sam. 24)

David's example of sparing Saul's life is the perfect picture of how we should be. David trusted God to handle things, just as are told to in Romans 12:20. Indeed, when we love our enemies it is as if we heap burning coals upon their heads. After all, if someone else will not receive that forgiveness it can constantly haunt them that they didn't when we were so loving. But, we must give them the chance to do so because God can make them new inside so they're not like that.

And, that's the biggest thing. "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."(Eph.4:32) God has forgiven each of us for every sin we have ever committed. I'm sure there are some who have been very mean and cruel, but not every sin they ever committed was against one person the way we have offended God with our sin.

God's Heaven is perfect. There can no sin there. it will be impossible to be sinned against, but it will also be impossible to sin. That's why God must make us new creatures.(2 Cor.5:17). this can only be done by putting your trust in Jesus Christ to save you and calling on Him to forgive you of your sins.  If you have been made new, there should be a desire in your heart to do what's right to glorify Him. We will still sin, but we should do it less and less as we give more and more to Him.

And, as we learn to love others more, we can see great things happen. Our country, as bad a shape as it's in in many areas, still can be forgiven, but we must seek God now.

For Our Country

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then shall I hear from Heaven, and I will answer their their prayers, and I will heal their land." While this verse is meant for Israel, we Gentiles have been grafted in, receiveing the spirit of adoption by God. In addition, Jeremiah 18:5-10 proves this promise is also for Gentile nations.

So, God is willing to forgive us. We see through personally receiving forgiveness and sharing it with others  that God forgives people; He'll forgive our nation, too. But, it's up to us. And, it's a choice we should make for a few good reasons.

First, forgiveness wipes out the sin debt which we have. Our national debt is horrible, but it is really nothing compared to our sin debt. The judgment which would come down upon this country if we didn’t seek god’s face and turn from our wicked ways is huge – remember that absolute justice requires that sins be paid for somehow.

Some might argue that our nation doesn’t deserve forgiveness, but remember, neither do any of us. Jesus didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. That may sound confusing at first because there is none righteous, no not one.(Rom.3:1) however, what He means when he says this is that He isn’t going to grant forgiveness to those who don’t think they need to be forgiven. He won’t force us to trust Him. He lovingly woos us.

In the same way, this nation was self-righteous and didn’t feel it needed forgiven for a long time.People were only Godly when they chose to be - in other words, not against minorities or poor people or whatever other people they didn't like.

Such an evil attitude is why I often emphasize that repentance means turning away from sin.it's agreeing with God that one's sin separates one from a perfect and holy God and letting God take that sin upon Himself.

Therefore, we must - as a nation - seek forgiveness recognizing that this means turning away from our sins and turing to a Biblical way of treating others with love, kindness, compassion, etc. regardless of what they look like or where they are from.

We can't just pick and choose what of God's tenets to follow, but we can simply turn back to God and trust Him to heal this land by trusting Him to reveal to us what our stances need to be on certain things to be right with HIm. This, of course, understanding that it's important to focus on what we stand for, not jsut against.

That verse in 2 Chronicles calls for God's people to do these things, not a leader. He wants moral, Godly leadership, but first we have to want it, too. The way to get it is not by following the establishment - which is man-made and filled with sin - but it is also not with forsaking the establishment with a totally unGodly person, either. (More on that problem later.)

Instead, the solution is for us to call on Jesus in prayer and urge others to as well, turning from our sins and trusting in God to heal our land.

He still can. He takes no pleasure in punishing the wicked.(Ezek.33:11) however, time may be short. We don't know how long we have, but we do know that God's love is waiting for us to call on Him to forgive. And, he will remove our sins as far as the east is fromt he west and restore us. Maybe not to the worldly standard of superpower, but remember, we should build our treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust cannot corrupt and thieves don't break forth and steal. For where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also.(Matt.6:20-21)