Live Free For Jesus
WELCOME TO MY BLOG (PREVIOUSLY Called To Be Free) WHICH IS ONE OF A FEW CHRISTIAN BLOGS I RUN. THERE ARE 60+ POSTS HERE. MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN REGULAR READERS (2-3k Views Monthly) AND THE BLOG CAME TO A HALT BECAUSE THE WEBHOSTING COMPANY HAD PLANS TO CHANGE SITE BUILDERS. SO NOW WE ARE BACK ON TRACK WITH LIVE FREE FOR JESUS (PREVIOUSLY Called To Be Free) I have a different website with that name now HERE
INVITE THE LORD TO SPEAK TO YOU AS YOU READ.
Janet's Blog
Janet's Blog
Blog
Where Are the Tares Jesus Spoke of?
| Posted on 5 August, 2017 at 16:57 |
comments (2)
|
Where are the Tares Jesus
spoke of in the kingdom parable? Right in the Church Scene Today! The Lord spoke of Wheat
and Tares, and that both would grow together until the End of the
Age. Then at that time, they
would be separated and the Righteous would Shine like their Father. I want to do that, do you?  I’ve had this concern
for many months now, so I have carried this message in my spirit for about three years before
writing it. There are important things that must be addressed by all of us – like it or
not. Many Christians are desperately hurting because of behavior
patterns of immature Christians AND Tares (people who profess to
be Christians and are not).
They go to Church and do
some things that are accepted to be Christian but some of their
behaviour and lifestyle indicates that they are not True
Christians and even those in the world many times, can recognize
that “they are not good people” – they are not
portraying Jesus to them. I could not keep these
words unpenned any longer after a dear God fearing Buddhist woman spoke to me yesterday and
said she could not believe in Jesus “because she has seen so
many Christians do bad things” and she did not mean the news
program. These were people around her in daily life. Conscious of
these things for some time and especially in recent months, I was
very disturbed after hearing her words. So each one of us should
be – when The Lord hurts, so should we. Bible says that “No-one
who habitually and wilfully sins is born-again” (Original Greek). When reading this post,
please do not confuse immature Christian behavior for Tares. And the last thing I want
you to do is labelling and name calling, however many Christians lack
discernment in this Day and Hour. We are called to be
vigilant.
If you sense, when reading
this, that your walk with The Lord is immature, you are in the best
place (state of awareness) for
the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you into a closer Walk with Him, so
do not confuse yourself with a Tare either. “The Lord searches our
hearts and minds and knows those who are His.” Peace be with You! The work of tribulation in
these stressful times is first and foremost a SEPARATING work. In
these End-Times, there is tribulation just living in this world. It
separates the wheat from the tares; specifically, those who merely
profess Christianity from those who truly believe.
Jesus spoke of Stressful
Times before the Rapture (catching away of the righteous to meet
Jesus in the air). Different to what is commonly taught, the Church
(all professing Christians) will not leave in the Rapture but
genuine living, true worshipping Christians, Jesus described as Wise
Maidens who really love Him and have eyes for Jesus!
They don’t have eyes for
the world and things of the world, they don’t have eyes for a
religion, a movement, pastor or TV Evangelist – they have Eyes for
Jesus Only. This is pure vision that comes from a pure
heart. Jesus’ counsel to us has not changed, more than ever, He
says to us “FOLLOW ME”……..”He/she who hears My Words and
does them Loves Me. He/she is My friend.”
The Lord also counselled
us to “Judge a tree by it’s Fruit”. This may be alarming to
read: Half the Church (Born Again Christians) are not doing that,
they follow a Pastor or Televangelist who does not really bear FRUIT
for Jesus, and often, their works are the opposite: building big or
small kingdoms for themselves. The Lord also said that “His sheep
do not hear the Voice of Strangers”, so what are you doing,
tolerating and listening to them? They will only lead you astray –
your ears cannot hear Jesus clearly
when paying so much attention to them.
I have news for you: many
of these Pastors and Televangelists will be left in the Great
Tribulation – they will not exit this earth in the Rapture,
and possibilities are that neither will you, if you are still
following them. Never mind all the fancy words with quotes of
scripture and talk about submission to oversight. It all seems “right
and holy” I know, but we are called to be Fruit Inspectors. True worshippers in
Scripture like David said things like ”I will follow in the way
with the Blameless” and “He who is blameless
shall minister to me”. It always troubled me, since I was a
Christian 40+ years ago, when I heard so many Christians say “Who
do you belong to, where do you belong?” And these days it’s
“Whose teaching do you follow?” and “I really love my Pastor”
and “No-one preaches/teachers like
________ !”
Really? Well no-one
ever preached and teached like JESUS……..”No-One ever spoke
like This Man!” that’s because He was the Son of Man………God
Incarnate………”the people hung on His Words”. These days, there are so
many Christians who hang on a “ministry’s words”. It’s so
alarming! Is this not against the
apostle Paul's counsel in Scripture “what is this I hear
about, some of you say I follow Paul and others
follow Apollos?” He spoke very strictly about that in no uncertain
terms. Because Paul’s
affections were wholly and solely for Jesus, he spoke against divided
loyalties. He was very much aware
that we can be led astray this way……….following fallible men
and women in the gospel. Did not the Lord Himself say these words to
us, “Love The Lord your God with ALL your heart and ALL your
mind and strength?”
I will ask you this
question: How can you do this when you reserve half your affections
for someone’s “ministry” hey? Come
on now, to whom does your soul belong to, your Savior who died and
rose for you or someone who may or may not wholly follow The Lord
today or tomorrow? That’s risky, Paul perceived. He saw so many
being led astray that way too, into false doctrines.
BEST to “Love The Lord
your God with ALL your heart and ALL your mind and strength!” Truly, some ardently
follow their preacher or teacher, many do this.
You can “love them as
you do yourself” Jesus said, but don’t set your affections
on them. Some of you do! Yes keep
your affections for The Lord. The only affection we have for a Pastor or Teacher is
“brotherly affection” we are all encouraged to have for
each-other – the same love for everyone (one-another) not just
the preacher or teacher. The world does that with their favorite
leaders and teachers. The emphasis has been wrong through the years,
it really has!  The Parable of the
Wheat and the Tares Now let us take a look at
the well-known parable of the wheat and the tares, which Jesus
presented to His disciples. Jesus explains in Matthew 13, starting
from verse 24, that Satan scatters bad seed among the good seed, and
in answer to the question of whether the workers should uproot the
growing tares, Jesus gave the good advice to let them grow together
until the time of harvest. Let both grow together
until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I
will say to the reapers, Gather together first the
tares, and bind them in bundles to
burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matthew 13:30) The disciples did not
understand the Lord’s parable immediately, so Jesus explained it
again: Then Jesus sent the
multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came to
him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
He answered and said to them, He that sows the good seed is the Son
of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the
children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the
wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the
devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the
reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are
gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this
world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they
shall gather out of his kingdom all things that
offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a
furnace of fire: there shall be wailing
and gnashing of teeth. Then shall
the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:36-43)  What do you call it when
two young women lure two really nice Christian men who are all for
Jesus into marriage who have a passion regarding a calling in
God……. the next thing immediately having their first child,
the wives overwork their husbands to extreme for material gain after
gain with worldly possessions and then take off with another man –
in the world? They were found out to not really be Christians at all
and those dear brothers were hurting so much for their children, they
could not fullfil their calling. In fact one of them went back to
drinking to console himself – Jesus had gloriously set him free
from for some years and gradually slid back into the world. What do you call it when a
young ‘Christian’ man gives a Christian girl a ride home, just
after she found The Lord (two days) parks his car on the way to her
house and starts kissing her and enticing her, then supposedly
changes his intentions towards her two weeks later. She decided she
wanted to be loyal to Jesus in her conduct and went on strong for
God. She had disappointments in the world – that was a sure weapon
for disillusion but she kept fellowshipping at that Church faithfully
to his shame. What do you call it when a
Christian woman becomes anxious for marriage and makes an application
on a Christian Dating Website……….a ‘Christian’ man
approaches her to date with her, appears to be just what she is
looking for in a husband – he says that one of his parents
has worked for a Bible printer and Christian bookstore; he shows her
a really nice Christian eBook; says that he wants the same things in
his Christian life as she wants in hers; after several weeks, he
starts courting her and says he can’t stay away from her and wants
her to co-rent a house together (and do the right thing) before
marriage; then after real pressure to rent a nice house she
found irresistible (you would have to know the state of the house she
lived in to understand, no way of getting out of it and guaranteed,
you would not like to live in it) then he starts to watch violent TV
programs, prayer is Not a priority (like he said previously)
he lives like a pig, treating her like a slave and getting audibly
vengeful when she addressed his behavior with him. And there was no
perceivable way out of that financial arrangement?
Interestingly, she too,
has a real heart for Jesus and calling of God in her life. So did the
other sister previously mentioned. And you know something thing? We
all have the most important Calling in our lives – to be like JESUS
and carry out His individual purpose in our lives. Don’t let the
enemy ever cheat you into an “unequal yoke” with someone who
loves Jesus considerably less than you do, through the ploy of
chemistry (be careful who you fall in love with) very hard to get out
of it when you’re married, you have kids etc
This is very common,
believe me – I have come across it through the years! What do you call it when
two ‘Christian’ women go to church and gossip about someone in
that church – nasty malicious things – and take advantage of that
person every opportunity they get – this person is already a Carer
on pension with a lot of responsibility to two family members. They
don’t hesitate to phone her when they have a problem and continue
to talk behind her back? In fact, there are a number of bad gossips
in that place! What do you call it when a
‘Christian’ church going man screams at his wife and kids
often and is caught swearing at her, by a neighbor’s visitor who
felt compelled to rebuke him verbally, saying that if he hears it
again, he will be over the fence in no time, to pay him out!? He is
also attached to the things of this world.
Do you call these people,
and maybe others you have witnessed, Christians? Think again! Jesus said
these people would be among us – The Wheat and Tares would be found
together until the time of Harvest: The End of the Age, when “once
again, there would be a distinction between
the Righteous and the Wicked.” The apostle John said to
Love one-another and by this, we will know we are His children and
assure our hearts. He also said these words, that “no-one who
habitually and wilfully sins is born-again” (the original Greek that
verse was written in). And John also said in John 1 “those who walk
in the Spirit are Mature Sons of God”, so much knowledge accounts
for nothing – even if it’s scriptures – if you can’t practice
living the basics. If this article speaks to you, that’s a good
place to start from! ___________________ What do you call this,
when a leading Bible Teacher says things like “Who is the biggest
failure? God is the biggest failure, yes, He is the biggest failure!”
and shows irritation at a reporter for asking him “how many Jets do
you own?”. Immediately before that, he claimed to ‘be open’ and
immediately after, he says “That! Is None of Your Business!” and
walks quickly away from her. Something about his manner always
disturbed me and I could not put my finger on it because much of his
teaching sounds so godly and his expressions often look fervent for
the things of God, yet other times, he has a wild look of arrogance
in his eyes. Does not make sense does it?
It does when you consider
that JESUS spoke of “Hirelings that care not for His sheep”
AND those who Fleece the Sheep! I think that kind of
professing Christian is the worst kind of Tare because, having lived
and preached for The Lord once, they then start to serve the Enemy of
God against those who are His, when they ERR in their walk with God and serve
their own interests and greed for gain. Performing selfish exploits,
they cause deep confusion in the hearts of many.
What more powerful weapon
for the Enemy to use than someone who once were used of God? Yes
really! Think about it, who do you think would be the most effective?
Someone who does not know Scripture much or someone who knows it
like the back of their hand? Did you know that the best spy a
government can have is someone who proves to be a traitor to the
country they want to spy on? It has proven to be true, time and again
because they play the part so well. So we should be alert and support
God’s Cause for Righteousness like we do when we see a movie with
‘the goodies and the badies’……you know, the movies where
someone in the Palace commits treason to their King and works
secretly as an agent to someone who wants to take over the Palace?
The Enemy is an old-time
Usurper, and has not changed his tricks: he tries to take Jesus
rightful place on the throne of our hearts in some way – on an
individual basis often by luring our affections to the things of the
world often and if that is’nt effective, he tries to get our
attention in the Church Scene because that is not so obvious, it’s
usually more subtle.
“Why how can this
preacher/teacher be of the devil, he/she knows so many good
scriptures?”…………..“they are so good at scripture!” You
better believe it! And the bigger their following, the greater DOMINO
Effect their ‘Ministry’ has. Sorry to have to report these things
to you. Even Paul spoke in letters to Churches in his day of “_______
spying out your Freedom” so they could gain advantage for an
opposing doctrine (the enemy’s work). We have not covered the
prosperity Televangelists who are greedy for money (every dollar they
can get out of you) who can preach all manner of clever ‘sermons’
and place demands on you – even using the holy Feast Days of the
Jews to support their claims, making all manner of promises to you in
the Name of The Lord, they take in vain, to entice you into giving
beyond your means. They often give ‘prophetic’ messages and
statements and Christians often feel compelled to give! They also offer to pray
‘special prayers’ for you if you become their partners, again
using carefully crafted words with an air of ‘genuineness’ to
share your pay packet OR give a one-off payment…… excuse me, I
meant “offering” for their services and “support their
ministry”. If you’ve ever seen them
on Christian Television, they are absolutely without shame in
delivering these appeals to you. The TBN TV Network also have been
found to be corrupt in their motives and spending. As a matter of
fact, I was very tired a few days some years ago__ being caught off
guard, I donated over a thousand dollars collectively in response to
three lots of preaching during a Telethon appeal to raise money “for
the Gospel”. A few days later, I felt led of The Lord to request
for the donations to be reimbursed. The person in charge kept telling
me that “I was convicted by The Lord to do that” and I replied,
“you will be convicted in a minute when I tell you, it was more
like a shopping list they were giving out. Give your Best Offering
and we will twist God’s arm for you.” He promptly replied “we
never do this usually, but we will refund half what you gave because
you gave it in prayer. I then said it was prayer that alerted me to
these schemes, so the full amount is required – it is to be paid
promptly!” and they paid it back in full.
I cannot guarantee they
will do the same for you, so please do be careful with these appeals
from Telethons and “Restoration of Jewish Feast Days” because
their conscience is seared and they are spiritually deaf to The
Lord’s appeal to REPENT. Far be it from them to do a decent day’s
work – as the saying goes, or honest ministry…….. they are more
interested in your pay-pocket and hard earned savings. If you have
not seen this before, do be informed. The Lord knows those who are
His and He does not employ their services “depart from evil and
pursue righteousness, thereby will good come to you” ………….”the
Blessing of The Lord makes rich (in the true sense) and adds no
sorrow.” The prosperity gospel has
got very much out of hand to the point of mass distraction AND has
disillusioned many Christians to the point where they walk no longer
with God due to these damages. Yes, Christians who once walked close
to God – it hurts them deeply, to even think of Him now. These
ministers – we are told about in scripture, for we know them by
this (sour) fruit – are doing nothing short of carrying out one of
the enemy’s End-time agendas to destroy the faith of Christians in
a stressful world before The Lord Comes.
Do you know, it has now
been discovered by new volunteer workers in offices for three of
these ‘powerful ministries’
that they never see or touch our prayer requests they so sincerely
tell you they will pray over……..Who prays for us then? The
volunteer workers are told to do that. I have heard three of them
make these things known to the Body of Christ – they were so
shocked to find out we have been deliberately lied too and they left
out of good conscience. Sorry to tell you. _______________ There is so much idolatry
in the CHURCH that takes place in the hearts of men, women and young
people idolizing their pastor or teacher……’visiting
ministries’…… Televangelists……Youth Leaders and Music Groups
(professional entertainers often). What better advantage for the
devil (deceiver) to have – “the stage is already set, go in and
take em”. Yes, that is his mentality AND his Agenda in our Day and
he works at it full-time.
If you are looking to a
minister or ministries, some form of Christian Music Artist……this
and other things can affect you…..yes you can be easily deceived.
The apostle Paul said to watch for it, that “even the Elect can be
deceived” so no-one is exempt. Do you consider yourself spiritual?
This is good advice – it’s scripture – so STAY CLOSE TO JESUS
and Keep Him enthroned on your heart……this is a sacred place for
Him Alone to Reside if He really IS your KING.
Let no man or woman share
this place but guard it like the Holy of Holies because that
is your Tent of Meeting with The Lord”……not where you
fellowship on the weekend but “our body is the temple of The Lord”
and “our heart is His Candle” ……..fellowship is
corporate worship and do be careful that it is real worship that they
are engaged in (truly centered on Christ – many Christians don’t
know the difference, they are caught up in some sort of ‘feel-good’
entertainment. That is another reason why Jesus said “the Father
seeks those who worship Him in Spirit and in Truth” yes
truly. Before completing this
post, a God-fearing Christian made these comments: 1. “Scripture
says that The Lord is a Jealous God” 2. “If you live for the man
or the ministry, your ability to discern error is muted. But when you
live in your first love for The Lord, your ability to discern truth
and error is more sensitive.” 3. “Our personal relationship with
The Lord is what we need to be cultivating” not 101 things
pastors preach on through the year often, but firstly and foremostly,
the emphasis should be on JESUS. Let this be your guide. When that final day comes
and we stand before Jesus, “He will render to each one of us
what we have done” Pastors and Televangelists included. 4. So
“you will go where your love for things is set – if truly
for Jesus to Heaven, if for the things of the world, an eternity
without Him.” 5. “In scripture, Paul mentioned different
Christians who left him, having loved this world. He speaks of
those who have departed from the Faith” (pure faith). Be
sure this is’nt you or the preachers you listen to.
Getting back to our
personal walk with Jesus, I trust this important address does not
cause you confusion in any way__ if you live close to The Lord ie. In
your first love and your heart is soft and pliable towards Him, you
are not a Tare, even if you have sinned. The important thing is to
live for Him from this day forward, no looking back.
If you have identified
yourself as an immature Christian, what was your conversion like? Did
it require any Repentance (a change of heart) are you washed in the
Saving Blood of Christ (spiritually speaking) that He shed for our
sins and paid for us to be Redeemed. He died and Rose for us to
restore a right standing with God to whoever would call upon Him (in
simple faith) and commit their life to Him. Purpose to make a quiet
time with Him each day, where you prayerfully read
scriptures or a scripture devotional book and listen to worship music
(that which truly glorifies Him) and you will notice a difference in
your heart and life. Best of all, remember that
“The Lord sings over His children everyday!” GOD
BLESS YOU TAGS: Behavior of Some
Christians, What does Scripture have to Say about Them? |
Is this You or Have You been Affected by It?
| Posted on 29 March, 2017 at 0:15 |
comments (1)
|
Ungodly Behavior Among Christians. This post is thought provoking and is written in the
interest of Unity among those who are members of His Body, bringing healing to those who need it
and correction to those who need it. Grace and Peace to all. We are called to be like Jesus, reflecting His Nature with
each other and to those who don’t know Him. We are also meant to “encourage and
strengthen each-other all the more as the Coming of The Lord draws near. Uplift and Edify” 1 Thess 5:11 (JV) Every so often, I am prompted to write articles concerning
Christian's behavior because it is so necessary. Do you know that our manner is
supposed to bring healing to those around us and the fragrance of Christ into
someone's day? (including our fellow Christian) Not the opposite. So like the
servants of God in Scripture, it is on my heart to remind you of these things
once again. I did some research on the Net this time to see how much these
things are being addressed. I think you would be surprised. The following
excerpts from an excellent article ring so true to me, so I have included them
in this address and I wish to say “well done!” Slander and Gossip: Destructive to Friendships in Church
Community, and Grieving to God. This writer wrote “If I had a dollar for every time that
someone said they had a “prayer request” or a “concern” about someone, and then
they proceeded to gossip and slander another fellow Christian, I really do
think I’d be rich beyond belief. It has, quite honestly, occurred around me
my entire life. I don’t believe I’ve ever been a part of a church community
that didn’t have an issue with gossips and slanderers. In my experience, the great majority of “prayer requests”
and “concerns” and everything else that is called ‘exposing sin’ is nothing but
a cover-up for clear and undeniable sin. Which sin? Gossip and slander. That
does not mean that confrontation is unbiblical. We are to guard the
truth (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:14), to contend for apostolic faith (Jude 3), and
to stand firm (Eph. 6:10-20). But Christians are commanded to build
each-other up (1 Cor. 12) and to strive for peace (Heb. 12:14).” I don’t see much of this! “I believe that most slanderers rarely take a look at
their own sin and their own need for grace and mercy and love and compassion.
They tend to ignore their own sin and shortcomings, but they are really good
at pointing out the flaws of others” however, they do this rashly without sensitivity
or perception of those they hurt and defame. _____________________ In Australia, that is called
Deformation of Character and punishable by law, yet there are many Christians
who get away with this in small communities. I have a wonderful friend who is a Carer for a mother with
Schizophrenia and had this condition since my friend was little. She was
brought up mostly by a Christian grandparent. She is a fine caring Christian
woman who has a prayer-life and wisdom that few Christians could match. Her
life has been far from easy and she is faithful to God, conducting herself well
and capably in all her affairs. Her church community has a number of busybodies
who have attempted to impose their standards on her and have made malicious
gossip about her behind her back. What are your thoughts about such people? The writer goes on to say “They tend to ignore facts. Those
who slander others generally work on little to no actual substance. The
stuff that they say isn’t based on facts, but is often based on perceptions. Or
worse, it’s based on their own opinions and actually ignores facts.
For example, someone continues to make false statements about someone’s beliefs
and will not, under any circumstance, adjust those statements when they
are presented with facts.” That is true of some people in my friend’s community – sorry
to say, I cannot call them Christians. Should they not encourage her and stand by her? If they were busy pleasing The Lord, surely they would find less time to meddle in her affairs and maybe each-others:) Have you heard the favorite phrase of some Christians? "The Lord told me to tell you" when they think up a few cookies for you. There's a name for that in our Bible, it's called "taking the name of The Lord in vain." When The Lord truly speaks to us concerning someone, we don't even need to use that phrase, because it will witness in their spirit - He will never direct anyone to say something that clashes with the way He speaks to them - this simply means you are trespassing, so we should maybe watch our step. Not many of us like to say "what can I do to help?" Then we could be sure we are in God's Will, couldn't we? This may sound like an indictment: Someone in my family
fellowships in a Christian cult (there are some major doctrinal errors) but
they are taught to Walk in Love with each-other and be ready for Jesus Coming. My
family member has a serious medical condition for some months now and they
gather around her through the week and weekends, cheering her up, doing things
together and have brought her much comfort when she lost her mum – they helped to
fill in the gap. What's more is, Christians from her fellowship visit
each-other often like the best of friends. They gather together at a friends
house just to read Scriptures and sing together (wholesome scriptures). And
also, they show great respect and interest in the elderly. Isn't that how Evangelical and Charismatic Christians
should be? “We have all the right teaching” don't we? Where is the LOVE
and commitment to one-another? The fellowship I've just mentioned sounds similar to the Early
Church, do they not? To tell you the truth, it has been my observation for 40
years now, that the enemy is willing for us to have the TRUTH without the Love or the LOVE with
Error.......but not TRUTH without Error and LOVE. There are not many
Fellowships (Churches) with Both. I knew someone in a different Christian Cult years ago who
had close fellowship with each-other too. They would phone each-other through the
week, and have Casserole and Buffet nights in different homes – similar to
the Home Church Movement. There is a song that goes “Come on Aussie, come on, come
on” in Australia, and there's a Christian song from the early 70s “They will know we
are Christians by our Love.” There was a really nice Pastor some years ago who had a good
Evangelistic gifting. He had an exceptionally good way of preaching straight
from his heart. Members of his church community destroyed his ministry by
making slanderous accusations behind his back, after he changed the premises
they were in, to reach more people who needed to find Jesus. He commenced a
Natural Health practice some months after disillusion and brought his patients
to The Lord. They're always befriending Christians, even when he was a
Pastor – very open and generous hearted. Wouldn't you say there were no grounds to be discontent with
him and his family? Much less, gossip and slander – behind the poor man's back, mind you?
And it kept getting back to him! Merciless people, wicked! And that's what good living
people in the world think when they see unloving Christians too! Sorry to say, back-biting, envy, gossip, slander and strife
does not only go on in religious main-line churches, it goes on in Pentecostal
and Evangelical churches as well, like the two stories above. “We have to remember that we were created in the image of
God (Gen. 1:26). And those whom Christ has saved, He has saved by His
precious blood. He has saved them because of His great love (John 3:16;
1 John 3:16). Your slander is against someone created in God’s image who Christ
Loves so much that He was willing to die for them and
Save them.” Does your slander appropriately match the feelings and
actions that Jesus has? “NO!” And finally the writer says, “It is Destructive to
Friendships. It’s sad to think that strong friendships have been destroyed
due to gossip and slander. Yet I have witnessed it happen many times. But
Proverbs 16:18 tells us that “a gossip separates the closest friends”
(NET). "If you stop and really consider this, you’ll probably think
of some personal examples. And it’s really sad. It may even hurt a
little bit. People who were once close and in strong relationships are now
bitter rivals and have nothing but bitterness and unforgiveness in their hearts
towards the other.” The very same transgressors described in this post will tell
you that they are Christians, Born Again and Saved by the Blood of Jesus…….He
is Coming again, they are going to be with Him and so forth. But are they? The Apostle Paul would say “I could not address you as
spiritual but as those who are still worldly, behaving like kids” 1 Co 3:1 (JV) The writer mentioned above comes from Theology.Org I’ve been researching a little to see how much these things
are being addressed, because according to Jesus, James and John, it’s serious
business! A member of my family has had an overactive imagination since
she was young, and wrecked a marriage and a family with unhealthy thoughts that
were troubling her, followed by unkind slanderous words. I could not begin to
tell you of all the damage caused by a destructive thought-life and tongue
about a perfectly innocent man who is now with Jesus out of it all. He had the
forgiveness of Jesus under the most extreme circumstances and kept himself busy
living for Jesus and helping others instead of dwelling on offenses. Please guard yourselves against suspicion and letting
upsetting thoughts get the better of you. All that could have been spared this
priceless brother whose physical health could not take anymore pressure, if she
had “nipped things in the bud”. In other words, don’t let disturbing thoughts
get out of hand but ask the Holy Spirit to help you deal with them immediately
before they grow into something beyond your ability to manage and an apology
band-aid can’t fix. I do believe James 3:1-6 is right about “this unruly
member being set on fire by the evil one” (abbreviated) Take care you don’t
spread grief that way. A God-fearing prophetic preacher recently said The Lord
instructed him to tell us that the enemy’s three major weapons against the
Body of Christ are Slander, Gossip and Offenses and that they are the
greatest hindrances to our prayers being answered – believe it or not! “Let those who use the Name of The Lord depart from
iniquity” I am writing this post because enough is enough! I can personally tell you that the enemy's favorite weapons
against my Calling through the years has been unkind words, rash judgements and sharp remarks.
Sometimes he would wait until I was really close to someone and then they would
turn on me, totally unprecedented , when I was off guard. If any of this
describes your experience, I feel for you. And I also want to let you
know that it isn't always the person against you, it's
something else. When a Christian is Walking in Love on a daily basis,
the enemy is much less likely to use them that way. Practice forgiveness dear brother and sister, and you will
be the Winner in God's sight. You do not have to “feel good” about the person who hurt or
offended you but we do need to separate the sin from the Christian when they
behave like sinners, and recognise the evil one without labelling that
Christian. So “how do I forgive them when they behaved so badly or
damaged me?” I asked The Lord once. He said “Consider their misdeeds
no-more and cancel their debts.” It is an Act of Will, that will benefit you instead of
making you ill – emotionally or spiritually. Have you ever noticed that one can feel quite “ill” when
hearing gossip, unkind words or slanderous remarks? That is because our body
has a physical reaction to unhealthy emotions – if they are our own OR someone
else’s. According to a Christian Neuroscientist Dr Caroline Leaf, our
brain is wired for Love – and Joy and Peace. When our thoughts are
in harmony with these Godly traits, our brain resembles a tree with beautifully
formed branches and pretty green foliage….when we give in to ungodly traits of
fear, hate, resentment etc our brain looks the opposite. This would certainly apply to those of us who dish-out or
entertain slander, gossip, unforgiveness etc Unhealthy thoughts, words and
deeds do affect our body and brain so we do not function at our
best. No wonder so many are in need of healing – they are either infected
with these traits or affected by them often (through others) it isn’t always
diet or lifestyle. Let’s fill our thoughts and those of others with Love,
Joy and Peace! Christians should watch their quick tempers too because such
things can be so devastating. I call it ‘hit and run’ when someone
doesn’t stop to apologise or go back to that person like Jesus told us to. That
is not love. You may have said something wrong to someone when stressed and
needing rest whatever – you need to ask that person forgiveness, not only The
Lord. True prayer leads to repentance. Don't ask The Lord for
forgiveness and leave that person hurting or offended – go and do the right
thing! Three Important things Not to do: 1) Partake of The Lord's Supper when you have not made
amends with the person. 2) Forget what you said or did like nothing happened and go
about your daily life. 3) Make yourself unavailable to someone you lost your temper
at – that's cruel! And you can be sure, The Lord will make His Presence
unavailable to you. (the real blessings won't be yours) “WHERE THERE IS
UNITY, THE LORD COMMANDS HIS BLESSING” We all need to practice this! So “LOVE ONE-ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU” (Jesus did none of those ungodly things when He walked with
us, He was Gentle, Peaceful and Loving). LET'S SEEK TO BUILD EACH-OTHER UP! Has this Post Spoken To You? If you have been behaving in ways you shouldn’t, The Lord
sees a repentant heart. Jesus said these words to a woman, and a man in Scripture “GO AND SIN NO-MORE” And if you slip, you need to: Confess your sin to a
Merciful God AND Show Mercy to that person. Be careful to meditate on Scriptures daily Include the ones you need and apply them each day. Meditate on them and ask the Holy Spirit to soften your heart and strengthen your spirit. No-one can live this way without His Help and it is a walk of commitment. Some Christians make the mistake of having a “holy time” with The Lord and not practicing this between times – they still say things that offend. You need to get yourself a good Devotional and read it daily. Prayer-read the Scriptures and seek The Lord’s Presence often. A change will come, if you desire to love your brothers and sisters. To those who consider themselves spiritual and do not make amends if they offend I say “who are you kidding?" THE LORD IS NEAR! Did this post help you? Let me know. |