The Importance of Forgiveness

Being able to say I'm sorry and actually forgiving those who have wronged us can be quite challenging at times.  If we'd see past the hurt, we'd be more understanding and realize we've all been on the receiving and the giving end of being hurt. Being understanding that we're all human and are all capable of making a mistake, 
being selfish, cruel and inconsiderate will happen.  We have to remember Colossians 3:13 which says, Make allowance for each other’s faults, and quickly forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  

Ephesians 4:30-32, says And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. rid yourself of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Holding onto bitterness for others creates havoc and corruption in our lives. (Hebrews 12:15)  

Unforgiveness breeds bitterness which poisons our heart towards our trespasser and it poisons our heart against God. Unforgiveness is the sin hat destroys relationships. We may hold back from forgiving because of a false sense of being in control and returning the hurt that was done unto us, but in reality we are really only alienating ourselves and blocking ourselves from receiving God's forgiveness, His consoling us and His love.

We need to always remember that life is a process of living, learning, meeting new people, making decisions, making mistakes, being remorseful, growing, asking forgiveness, adjusting our plans and continuing on our journey of life.  What makes this message a bite more difficult is, what if the trespasser doesn't even ask forgiveness. Prepare your heart to forgive anyway.  I've heard many times that forgiveness is for you to release the hurt you're feeling.  So forgiveness is a spiritual cleansing of the offense, like you hitting the reset button for restoration in your relationship with that person or to hit the reset button to walk away and be free of this person, free of animosity and free of ill will, like separating on good terms.

People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. We need to take stock of who are friends are and pray for discernment that this is a Godly friendship, partnership or relationship. Some of the hardships we find ourselves in with others, could be a message from God to detach from this person, because they're bringing such chaos into your life.  A valuable friendship is one where there's an exchange of giving encouragement to do good, correction, spiritual insight and challenging to grow not only in our faith, but to nurture maturity in life in general.

Renewing your Faith

Like with everything in our lives, we can grow weary, tired and feel like our lives have become real humdrum.  That can also happen with our faith and also with our relationship with God. We have to be the Catalyst, the cheerleader and encourage our own selves when sin enters in and causes us to become separated from God. The sin that causes the separation can lead to the feeling of being overwhelmed, feeling of being alone, leave us with unconfessed sins, lead to us being unrepentant, with no desire to draw closer to God and ultimately lead us to letting our zeal for God to die.

Letting the fire, passion and hunger for God die, will lead to the death of our spiritual self and open the door to disappointment, frustration, anger, heartache, more sin, discontentment and strife.  Just like with any relationship you engage in, if you want it to last long and be strong you have to feed it.  If you feed or sow negativity into it, you will receive negative results out of it.

I'm learning more and more everyday, that you truly do reap what you sow.  You get out of life the same effort and energy you're putting into it.   Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 There's a season for everything under the sun. It is God that knows the plans for our lives. His plans are for our welfare, for us not to fall for evil and to give us hope for the future.  Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to protect ourselves from evil is through prayer and studying the word for spiritual nourishment.  We should make a list of what we will pray for daily.  Before we go into our prayer we need to praise and thank God for who He is and for how He has kept us from evil thus far.  Like in the attitude of gratitude message having an attitude of gratitude will keep us from constantly complaining about what's wrong and anticipating evil to befall us. Being thankful and having praise in our hearts, will build up our faith and confidence so we will continually be reminded that God is truly in control.   Being thankful and praising God even in the midst of a struggle sends God a message that we trust and have faith that He is sovereign (head, leader, supreme) in our lives. 

Because living this life is hard and we will face stumbling blocks that threaten to separate us from God, always remember that God is the answer to whatever problem or situation that arises. 

2 Corinthians 4:17-18, says for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs any of our troubles. So we must not fix our eyes on our problems, but on God who is unseen. Since our problems are temporary, better energy is spent sowing into things which are eternal.

Walking in the Newness of Life

Romans 6:4 says,  just like Jesus died, was buried and rose from dead to walk in the glory of the Father, we too must follow Jesus's example, die spiritually, emerge and live a new life.   2 Corinthians 5:17, says Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away. The baptism is symbolic of experiencing the same death, burial and resurrection that Jesus himself endured.  How can one truly and wholeheartedly just turn away from sin and be able to live free from of sinful desires.  It's not like you can just flip a switch and all your sinfully feelings and desires just go away.    

But we do have to fill ourselves with God's word and the things of God.  Luke 12:34, says where you heart is, there is your treasures also.   Psalm 119:11 reminds us to store up the word of God, so we will not sin against Him.  Titus 2:11-12, says we must deny all ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly even in this present age.  We have to live to please God, with all diligence, we must live in faith, exercise moral excellence, walk in the knowledge of Good and evil and above all things we use self-control. With being in self-control comes, perseverance which brings godliness, and godliness brings, brotherly kindness, and brotherly kindness brings, love.  The more we grow in this, the more productive and useful we will be in our knowledge & understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  (2 Peter 1:5-9)

Don't be disheartened, we are human.  So don't stress and fear you'll never be able to get right with God.  Hebrews 4:15-16, says For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet is without sin. Consider it all joy, when you encounter various trials, know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  (James 1:2-3)  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.  If you do find yourself having fallen back into your sinful ways, 1 John 1:9, says If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  

The keys to living righteously is to pray to hear God's voice, let God guide you and treasure His commandments. Pray that you will not fall into temptation."  (Luke 22:40)

(Proverbs 2:1-3)  Seek out & listen to wise counsel and let's surround ourselves with those living to be a Godly example. Proverbs 27:17, says As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.  With living in the knowledge and understanding of the law, God's will and His purpose for us, is how we will grow in Godly insight, nurture our love for Him and be able to resist any temptation that is presented to us.

The Patience of Job

Sadly, I heard a woman once say that "she didn't have the patience of Job", but it was said in a way to laugh off or to excuse her losing her temper because a certain situation wasn't working out the way she wanted.  But it's in our hard times, through our failures that God wants us to draw closer to Him, to exercise control over our emotions, to reach out to Him more. That's really what the prayer, God allow me to decrease in me and to increase in you (John 3:30) means.  We need to be so filled with God that whatever comes against us, has no effect on us because we have the confidence and trust in God that He is with us, He has already work it out for us and it will workout for our benefit in the long run.

What can we learn from Job's story?  What I've learned is that no matter how righteously we live, struggle is God's will.  So when the hard times do come, we need to be prayed up enough to lean on our faith to get us through it.  We see that Job was a wealthy man, so the favor of God was on his life. He had God's hedge of protection around him. In fact the Book of Job says he was blameless and upright, he feared the Lord and shunned evil.  This was a man that when he thought his children sinned, he offered burnt offerings to purify them.  

Then here comes Satan wanting the prove that we're weak and once things start going wrong we will abandon God.  The Book of Job is a great example of how being justified and how remaining steadfast in our love for and faith in God is the right way to be and live. Job, even when he was under attack, not just by Satan but by his neighbors and even his wife, he showed unmovable faith, explainable restraint and resilience in the midst of the storm. For his unwavering faith and trust in God, he was restored and rewarded.  Job's story shows us the benefits of never giving up on ourselves or giving up on God, even when things look bad.

I like God's faith and confidence in offering Job to Satan to be tested.  I even see how, Satan must go to God in order to test us.  This affirms that God is in control regardless of what situation comes our way, or by what way we come under attack. God is the key to truly living a victorious life and we have to condition ourselves, our heart and our mind to patiently seek and wait on Him.  The best way to do that is to remind ourselves of who God is, what He's done for us in the past and what His plan for our life is.

Lukewarm Christian

There are those who are sold out for the Lord all the way.  There are some who waffle between being strong in the Lord and backsliding.  And then there are those who are just lukewarm about their faith.  Being lukewarm means to be a person whose attitude is unenthusiastic.  There is knowledge and a respect of who God is, but no effort is being made to build a stronger relationship with God, nor is there a desire to get right with Him.  

To be lukewarm is to settle on the fact that there is a God.  With a lukewarm attitude your actions show you have no zeal for God or for the things of God. John 2:17, says Zeal for the things of God will consume you." The disciples where remembering when Jesus ran the money changers out of the church. Jesus that day had a passion to make sure what God holds sacred is kept sacred.  As I'm doing my study I actually found where a writer called being lukewarm or halfheartedly seeking God, hypocritical. 

Knowing the word is good for strengthening you as you prepare to journey through this life, but using your judgment in discerning which scripture will give you victory when faced with problems in your walk is how you build on your faith, how you seek out who and what to pray for others who are in need, how you set the example for righteous living and how you build a relationship with God.

God is calling us to be people of action. We need to put our faith to work. Gone are the days of sitting back and just believing in God.  With so much pain, hurt, violence, racism, hardships and corruption in the world, we need to be people who eagerly want to be the light for a dying world who desperately need the living savior. God needs us to get inspired, to get fired up and willing and ready to role up our sleeves to win souls for Christ. 

I got a will to serve the Lord, armed with the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17) and I'm ready to battle.  I'm not waging on against man.  Ephesians 6:12 NIV, says For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  

Mark 4:19, says but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. To battle against the things that hinder us from walking closely with God, 1 John 2:16, says it’s the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world to keeps us from serving God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

Be Calm, Stay Cool, God is Still in Control

The subtitle for today's message is to "Trust God". There's a lot going on and a lot going wrong in the world today, but we need to keep our eyes, minds and hearts stayed on the Lord. If God is our focus our trust, strength and peace in Him will never waiver. If you do find yourself feeling over overwhelmed, emotional or defeated, just take it to God in prayer. It may be easier said then done, just to say to pray your troubles away, but it's important to always remember that God does answer prayers. It's true that God is a right now God, but He can also answer prayers through a gradual process. Then again, God's plan may not be to deliver you from your trouble at all, but to get down into the trouble with you. 

Trusting God after you've prayed for a way out, is to be able to keep living your life without frustration, without worry, without hesitation and trusting that God has already worked it out for your good, even though it doesn't appear that your situation has improved. Trusting God is praying to receive His daily bread. Daily bread is you praying and seeking God, who will provide all your needs for the day. Trusting in God is to boldly live according to His law and being able to stand on the word even when you're being persecuted for your beliefs. Trusting in God is truly having faith in Him. 

Hebrews 11:6, says without faith it is impossible to please God, because those with faith and who earnestly seek Him will be rewarded. Faith is having complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Trusting God is living a life of total surrender. My struggle is being able to surrender to the unknown, fear of what's coming, fear of letting go and not having complete control of my life. Ironically I'm so fearful of not being in control, but the reality is whether I totally surrender to God or not, I will never be truly in total control of my life. Certain truth, we can't control life, it is God who controls life. So my goal is to worship God, pray everyday that He's with me and in my heart.  

I am also praying for guidance & discernment to seek opportunities to serve Him. The answer is if you have a problem with trusting God, keep sowing into building a relationship with Him and sow into Godly living and Godly things. Like Romans 12:1, says present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

Accountability

We are people who it seems it's hard to acknowledge our own faults. If something goes wrong in our lives, we are quick to point the finger at others and never conceive that we may have had a hand in how things turned out, because of bad choices, bad influences and bad relationships. The stark reality is you get out of life what you put into it. Yes, you reap what you sow.  

I recently had to come to terms with my own truth that I'm struggling financially, because of decisions I've made in the past.  The consequences of bad decisions can stay with you for years and years, but I am thankful to God and thankful for God's grace and mercy.  After I've confessed and acknowledged where I went wrong, God is faithful to be everything I need to lead and to walk with me through to restoration and prosperity.

We are accountable by God to know His truth.  God has planned how to live right and be in a right relationship with Him.  We are free to choose whether to live by God's way or not, but we are all accountable to know how the word of God says to live. We can choose to create our plan to live right for God but it's better to work in partnership with God, seeking guidance and direction, so we are victorious when encountering life's stumbling blocks.

In the world today, everyone has an opinion and feel they know how to best live. We have to be people who firstly study the word of God, to ourselves live by the word, to be the Godly example, to create a plan of to who & how to bring the word to the world through ministry and to reprove in loving kindness and with compassion in our hearts.  We have to make sure our goal is not to condemn the sinner, but to shine light on the sin and to encourage to seek a better way which comes through seeking and building a relationship with God. Better yet let our lives be the greatest tool in ministering, living by the word of God allows our life to be the living sacrifice.  Romans 12:1

As a Christian, God is holding us accountable to live as Jesus did when He lived on earth. God wants us to make living on earth, as it is to live in heaven.  1 John 2:6, says for those claiming to be living with God, should be living like Jesus lived.  Matthew 11:29, says "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  John 15:4, says "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain with the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."  Matthew 16:24, says "If anyone wishes to come after Me, must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  The more we seek after God, the more we open our hearts for Him to be in us.

Accept that being a true Christian is leading by example.  Being a Christian example can't be achieved without God, daily prayer, bible study and without practice in walking in the truth of God's word.  Accept that it is being a human to make a mistake, but it is a strong relationship with God that brings love for Him along with a desire to seek His approval that leads us to be remorseful, speak confessions and to have a heart to come to repentance.  If confession and repentance doesn't come easily, don't be dismayed just continue in prayer and continue to study the bible.  We have to accept that sowing into fleshy desires, weakens us in the spirit, weakens our connection with God and hardens our heart to hear from Him.  Knowing when to confess and repent comes naturally, if we accept that we are flawed without God and need Him to be right in His sight.