Saturday, April 6, 2013

The most powerful "F" Word

 
 
Forgiveness is like a
Christmas gift... the most needed and practical gifts are the least exciting to receive. Where an exotic gift with no practical use in life are opened with great ahs and oowhhs. But the practical gifts that make life so much easier and better are received with very little excitement.
 
Forgiveness is both the most basic of subjects and yet most profound.
Basic – in that Forgiveness is the very door by which we come into a relationship with God with continual access to his presence. And Extend to others and from others is how we maintain healthy long-term relationships
 
Forgiveness is Profound – in that no one can fathom the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice to secure our forgiveness or the depth of the fathers love to offer forgiveness Being forgiven by God is a Wonder that is difficult for our human minds to comprehend
 
Forgiveness – could very well be the most important issue facing our culture and families today.

a. both mental and physical illness can both be directly related to the withholding of Forgiveness.  Un-Forgiveness becomes a poison to our system and body… Un-Forgiveness will keep people from receiving their Divine Healing or keep them from ever being healed.

b. Un-Forgiveness locks people in a prison and it is not that they can’t get free but that they choose not to be free, by choosing not to forgive.

c. somehow we think that after being wronged by a perpetrator, we cannot let them get away and “get off” so easily… they must pay for their wrong doing! Oh ya? Does God make you pay for your wrong doing? No way!  Then how can we who have experienced God's unearned Forgiveness not forgive others?

d. Un-Forgiveness never gets even with the one who did you wrong, rather, the reality is that it only deepens the consequences of the wrongful act, and drives the pain down deep in.

e. Un-Forgiveness is death on an installment plan, .. a slow death.. that shows itself in stages beginning with Un-F, bitterness, head aches, panic disorders, envying, strife, division, hatred, slander, roots of bitterness, sickness, disease, physical death, and eternal death (hell).
 
 
 
Matt. 6:12, ... and forgive us our trespasses, as we have forgiven those who have trespass against us.

Mat 6:15 ...But if you do not forgive people their offenses, your Father will not forgive your offenses."
 
Luke 7:47     (ASV) Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
 
Notice that Jesus is teaching that Love and Forgiveness are synonyms.  Love is not a noun but a verb; an action word.  Therefore to love someone is to forgive them... and to forgive someone is to love them.  Isn't that what God has done towards you?
 
 
Don’t Play God…. He is Better at it than you!
 
Anytime we make the choice to withhold Forgiveness or resentment, we begin to encroach on God’s sphere of authority and assume His sovereign position. Un-Forgiveness is a judicial decision that God has not given us authority to decide. When we choose to withhold Forgiveness, we place ourselves in position of playing God… to with hold Forgiveness is to exalt your hurt above the will of God and above the Cross of Christ.
 
 
Gen 50:15-21
 
Un-Forgiveness, can be like a God that controls us.. a demon spirit. If we give it place, it will consume our focus, captivate our passion and redirect our devotion, We become lifeless, bitterness in heart, cynical, judgmental, critical, fault finding, accusatory,
 
“ though Joseph was in slavery, he was never a slave. Though Joseph was in prison he was never a prisoner”
 
Eph 4:27 do not give the devil a foothold in your life… literally: a place, a foothold is a territory, or a piece of ground, a firm position from which he can set up headquarters to infect the rest of your life.
 
 
Rom 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
 
Rom 12:17 Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people.
 
Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as far as it be with you,  be at peace with all men.
 
Rom 12:19 Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, "Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord."
 
Rom 12:20 But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him. For if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile burning coals on his head."
Rom 12:21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
 
 
Jas 2:12 You must make it your habit to speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty.
Jas 2:13 For the one who has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
 
- We often rationalize our desire for vengeance with thinking we are acting in Justice / justly… the problem, is that justice is a two edged sword and it will pierce you too.
 
 
Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
 
Let me give you a few steps you can take to work out a Forgiveness lifestyle.
 
What to do when faced with needing to Forgive but it is hard.
 
1. Release Vengeance… it is Gods, if you release it to God He will deal with it.
  • a. Active Vengeance: in the act of revenge.. going after someone.
  • b. Passive Vengeance: in our attitudes, words, emotions, feelings towards them.
  • Often, we hold on to attitudes, and replay the tape over and over, which further and deeper the poison goes. We separate ourselves from the person, then we withdrawal from them, then we avoid them, soon there is a big breach and a root of bitterness begins to grow
 
2. See the redemptive purpose in the wrongdoing. (Gen 50:20) Joseph “ you intended to do me harm, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
 
3. Forgive the wrong done, wipe it clean, forget about it, brush it off, do not take the offense
 
  • a. it starts as a choice without the emotions & feelings of Forgiveness.
  • b. to Forgive who has wronged you does not mean their offense was not wrong..... Forgiveness is not a verdict / judgment of innocence, it simply is a choice to free ourselves from the torment of holding their sin.
  • c. Until, we release them and forgive them, their offence will be continually before us… when we pray, worship, devotions, relate to others.
  • d. Forgiving those who have wronged us, is a decision to break the imaginary video tapes that continually run in our mind
  • e. F is not an option / suggestion, it is a command.
  • Matt 6:12 , Eph 4:32, Col. 3:13 we are commanded to forgive as Christ did.
 
4. Demonstrate Forgiveness with actions ( gen. 50:21) this is where we mostly stop short of
Rom 12:20 But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him. For if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile burning coals on his head."
Rom 12:21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
 
5. . Forget it!   To be free from the torment and having to constantly work thru forgiveness over and over, … just forget it..
  • a. to forgive and forget is a portrait of true freedom and liberty and love.
  • b. Forget allows you to no longer feel the pain when the memory is comes back
 
Gen 41:51 Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh because, he said, "God has made me forget all of my hard life and my father's house."
 
1Pe 4:8 Above all, continue to love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.
 
These 5 steps are a lifestyle not an event nor a formula.

When we develop a habit and lifestyle of Forgiveness then we will daily demonstrate and act out God's love for all the world to see.  As a result of the world around you seeing God's love thru you then they will believe in God and run to Him.

May His Kingdom Come to Earth thru us!
 
 
 

What is Truth?

Our culture today has forsaken standards of Biblical Truth for Relativism and a feel good mentality.
 
We need to influenc our world by being anchored in Absolute Truth and once again make the Bible be our ultimate standard of how we should live.
 
Jesus said, " the road is wide and easy to get on and many find it, but it only leads to death. However, the road that leads to life is narrow and few find it".
 
By holding to Absolute truth that is established by God, you will live on the narrow path and you will find Life abundantly, both now and for eternity.

Good Friday, 2013

Good Friday today!
 
It can only be good for us because Jesus carried the weight and the pain of our sin upon His shoulders in the form of a cross. Jesus is the great substitution!
 
He who never did any wrong nor did He sin, but He took our place of punishment for sin and gave us his position and standing with God the Father.
 
Today we humbly raise our hands and our hearts to the One who daily washes us clean by His Holy blood and purchased our forgiveness and gave to us Eternal Life that we may experience an abundant life both now and when we leave this Earth. To Jesus be all praise and glory for ever and ever!

Seeing God thru Science and Fatih

The following is a discussion between a professor and a student debating the existance of God.   Here you can learn some very practical points to share with those who are on the search to find God and His existance.
 
My goal is that we all will become more equipped to share our faith with others and that everyday our hearts would burn with passion to see people who are far away from God to be united with Him.
 
Enjoy:
 
Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?

... Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does satan come from ?

Student : From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter. )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

P.S.

I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. And if so, you’ll probably want your friends / colleagues to enjoy the same, won’t you?

Forward this to increase their knowledge … or FAITH.

By the way, that student was EINSTEIN.
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