Fixing People

I feel that the Lord was trying to teach me something this morning so I thought I would share it.  I had an experience the other day that bothered me so I thought I would write a blog about it.  It has to do with the way we minister to people and how we try to fix them and their problems.  I think that we have to be very careful of how we try to fix other people.  If we are not careful, we will hurt the people that we care about and are trying to help more than help them, even if our intentions are good.

Most of the time when people are transparent with us, which is not easy for most people, they are looking for compassion, love, patience and prayers; but many times what we give them is Bible verses about what they should be doing, when we have no idea what they have been doing and we can easily make them feel like they are being condemned instead of being helped.  I realize that it is much easier to tell people what they should be doing instead of asking them what they are doing, but what they need is someone to listen to them.  I have been guilty of this myself so I am not talking down to anyone; I am just trying to relate to people that there are better ways of going about this.

Read what Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” 

I realize that some people are far too sensitive at times, and that’s the way I felt that day, but we need to try to be more understanding because some people have dealt with things for years and we must realize that we are not going to fix them in a few minutes.  That is sort of like someone putting on 300 pounds and trying to lose the weight they have put on.  That person will not lose that weight overnight, it will take some time and a lot of encouragement and sacrifice and a strong commitment on the part of the person that is trying to lose the weight and also those that are trying to encourage them to lose it.  We should encourage transparency in people, but if we make them feel uncomfortable after they have been transparent, they will end up stuffing the things inside that they should be able to bring forth and get help with.  It seems like love is spoken of much easier than it is demonstrated at times and we need to be aware of that fact.

Read what true love is, in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”

Now read verse 13 of that same chapter, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

People will know that we are Christians by our love!!  This is something we all need to think about and demonstrate daily.  I really think the people in my situation really do care about me; but sometimes in our zeal to help, we can make people feel like they are being ganged up on even if our intentions are good, like I said earlier in this Tidbit.  I hope this has been an encouragement and help to all who read it like it has been to me.  People will know that we are Christians by our love!!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you all have a great day!!  PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy!!

The Stones Will Cry Out

There are many today that hardly give Jesus a second thought and there are those that have never bowed their knees to Jesus and then there are those that out and out claim that Jesus wasn’t who He claimed to be.  He may have been a good man and a teacher but that is all they claim that He was.  I can understand why many feel this way because they are blinded to the truth by the evil one, who only comes to steal, kill and destroy, he is a liar and the father of all lies and the truth is not in him.  I know these things because the Word of God speaks about these things. The evil one has deceived so many people into believing a lie and there are many people that don’t know the truth because the evil one has blinded their eyes.

Jesus said this just before He died about the people that lived in the time of His crucifixion, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”  There are many today that think they know the truth but don’t and they don’t worship or praise Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and that is a shame, but if they are still breathing there is still hope.  I know I have said this many times before but I think it is worth repeating, that it is so important to praise the Lord even if it is a sacrifice of praise.  

If you can’t thank and praise the Lord here, why would you want to go to heaven where we will praise the Lord many, many times for all eternity.  I have been going to church, and have been a committed, dedicated believer, pretty close to 36 years now and over that period of time when I have been in a church service where the congregation has had a chance to get up and praise the Lord, telling about something the Lord is doing in their life, only about a handful of people will get up and give a testimony of thanks or praise and there could be a hundred or far more than that in the congregation and I still can’t understand it.  I don’t know if they think they have nothing to praise the Lord for or if they are just bashful and feel intimidated or what the problem is.  It seems to me like most of the people should be on their feet ready to praise the Lord.  

I notice when it is time to get up and sing praise songs in the service, most everyone who can stand, will be on their feet singing praise songs with no problem, but what happens when there are no songs to sing?  What brought me back to this was after praying this morning I looked in the Word of God and I read about Jesus riding into Jerusalem riding on a colt.  Read Luke 19:35-38, “And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”

The Word also speaks of this in Matthew 21:1-11 and John 12:12-19.  This was a time of celebration, a time of worship and praise and it was well deserved because the Messiah was with them; just like when the Lord comes back for His bride, what a day of rejoicing that will be and at that time every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father!!  But there was a problem here with some of the religious people, read verse 39 of the same chapter, “And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.”

Can you imagine that the people who should have been praising were angry telling Jesus to stop them from rejoicing and praising Him?  Now read what Jesus said in verse 40, “And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”

These verses have always blessed me and a few years ago I wrote a song called, “The Stones and The Rocks Will Not Cry Out For Me.”  It seems like I can always find something to thank and praise the Lord for.  I hope this will always be true in my life and everyone else’s life that is born-again.  I guess a good place to start praising the Lord, if you have a struggle with doing it, is by counting your blessings and naming them one by one then you can start thanking and praising the Lord for them.  

If you are really having a problem thanking and praising the Lord because of some struggle or hardship, look online at You Tube for the song by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir called, “I Never Lost My Praise” and let it bless you and encourage you.

Something to think about and have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!  If you have to, give the Lord a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for he is worthy!!              

Unforgiveness

I was reading about this, this morning and the Lord really got my attention and made me think about the implications of this parable; when Jesus told the parable of the unforgiving debtor in Matthew 18:21-35, “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

As I think about this, I think of how easy it is for us to forget about the debt we owed and how much we have been forgiven, if we are a born-again believer.  Most of us are guilty of most every crime in the book, if not literally we have committed some of these things in our minds; like lusting after someone in our mind is the same as committing adultery in the heart.  Many of us have knowingly broken the commandments of God in one form or another.  Think about how many times you have taken God’s name in vain, lied, used foul language, deceived people and been angry and bitter at someone.  How many times have you thought in your mind about taking revenge on someone and then carried it out and hurt someone?  I’d like to say since I have been a believer that I haven’t done any of these things but I would be lying.  And what about you, are you guilty of sin since you became a believer?  I thank God for His mercy, grace and His forgiveness, and for sending His only begotten Son to give His life a ransom for our sins.  

I am also thankful for this promise in 1 John 1:9 which says this, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I know this parable is talking about money, but it is also talking about mercy, grace, compassion and forgiveness on those that have transgressed against us.  Jesus demonstrated all these attributes when He went to the cross willingly and suffered severely and died so that we could be forgiven of our sins; a man who owed no debt but paid the debt we owed.  If God the Father, through Jesus Christ His Son, has forgiven us our debts (sins) how much should we forgive those that sinned against us?  Like Charles Swindoll says, we should have no one on our hit list!!  If the Holy Spirit comes and dwells within a person, that person will have the power to forgive anyone who sins against them.  What I do is this, when I pray I tell the Lord that I choose to forgive the person and I ask Him to help me to love that person.  

I know this is not something that comes naturally, and many people have been hurt terribly, and I am not saying that this is always easy because I know it is not, but with the Holy Spirit’s help it is definitely possible; if it wasn’t God wouldn’t tell us that we have to do it for us to be forgiven.  This should be an eye opener and it is definitely something to think about and to act on, I hope you will.  May God bless you and yours and may you all have a super day!!

More Than A Conqueror

Are you walking in victory today or are you floundering and possibly feeling defeated?  We live in a day when there is so much unrest that we can lose our joy, and instead of feeling like a conqueror, we feel tired and out of touch, so to speak and we can get very, very discouraged.  I want you to know that you are not alone, people have felt that way all down through the ages; take the sons of Korah (Temple assistants) for instance, read what said in Psalms 43:1-5, “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

The theme of this Psalm was hope in a time of discouragement.  The temple was very important to these people, it was a place where the people met God to worship and pray.  When we are discouraged, our only hope is God.  The Psalmist needed God’s truth and light to guide him just like we do.  Sometimes when we get so discouraged because of what we see and hear, we need to get into God’s Word which is the truth and find our encouragement there.

God’s Word says this in John 8:31-32, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

When we are very discouraged, we can walk around like we have veils on our eyes and everything looks dark.  In those times, we need the Lord to shine His light on us, and before us, so that we can see more clearly because everything seems so dark and the enemy seems to be winning; but, just like when Isaiah spoke to the Israelites in the Old Testament because of their sin, that God Himself would provide salvation and deliverance for them and He will do the same for us and deliver us and also forgive us if we repent of our sins and ask Him to.

Read what it says in Isaiah 59:15-21, “Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.”

Always remember, even though it may look like the enemy is winning, he is a defeated foe, I know because I read the end of God’s Book.  So, if you are discouraged today, look up, for our redemption draweth nigh, praise be to God!!  And remember, we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us!!  May God bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!

Examine Me Lord

Think of this; the Lord knows everything about us, He knows when we rise up and also when we lie down.  He even knows our thoughts, all of our secrets and every idle word that we speak.  He even knows what we do behind closed doors.  Did you ever think or wish you were the proverbial fly on the wall in some people’s houses, so to speak?  The fly on the wall sees all and hears all, I am not saying that God is the fly on the wall, no, He created the fly and is far wiser and smarter than any fly or anything else that He created, but He is omnipresent, everywhere at the same time.  This might sound impossible but nothing is impossible with God!!

Have you ever asked the Lord to examine you to see if there is any wicked way in you?  And what about your intent, when you say something, do you keep your word?  It seems in this life we think we have to swear an oath or make a promise when we say things, but Jesus said this in Matthew 5:37, “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”

Are you known as a person that keeps your word or is your word not to be trusted, which is in most cases, just lying?  Telling the truth and keeping your word is very important, it says a lot about your character.  We must remember that God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart.  I am not speaking down to anyone but I am speaking to myself also and when it comes to sin I can’t cut myself any slack either.  There are very few things that I put in my blogs that I have not done or am guilty of now, so don’t think I am pointing fingers because when I am pointing one finger I have one or more fingers pointing back at me.  

What I am trying to say is that we cannot excuse sin in any form.  You may hear sin called mistakes, or you might hear this: come on, it’s not all that bad, God understands, don’t be so hard on yourself, after all God loves us.  Like I have said before, if someone makes you feel good in your sins be careful it is a trap and don’t be caught dead in it.  Anyone can sin and say I couldn’t help it, I made a mistake.  If you do that enough times you will believe it and you may never truly repent.  God is looking for the humble and repentant heart that He will not despise, so humble yourself before the Lord and repent of your sins and seek His forgiveness and he will lift you up in His time.        

                                                                            

Read what David said to the Lord about examining him in Psalms 26:1-3, “Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.”

                                                                                                                             Do you think that David was sinless?  No, there is no one that is sinless, the Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  The thing with David was he kept repenting of sins, calling them what they were, sins, when he committed them.  We need to resist sin but if we fall into sin we need to repent and confess our sin to the Lord and ask Him to forgive us.

Now read Psalms 51:1-13, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.”

When a follower of God hangs onto his or her sins, they will be corrected or chastised because all sin is ultimately rebellion and a sin against God and God is a just God who will not tolerate sin in a person’s life.  You might think a loving and merciful God will allow us to sin without any consequences, but that is not true, He corrects us in love to build our character and to help us to be better sons and daughters, like any loving father or mother should.  David was miserable in his sin and we will be also if we are truly born-again until we repent and ask God to forgive us just like David did in this psalm.

Now read Psalms 51:14-18, “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.”

Enough said on this subject, I have given you something to think about!!  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!  PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord, for He is worthy!!