Colossians 3:12-17
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.NASB95

I read this and I see Humility … actually I see lots of things for me.  As I reflect on everything that the Lord has put out this week on unforgiveness, bitterness walking in offense.  I find the biggest thing I struggle with is taking on an offense for someone who has been hurt by someone else.  One of my friends had something happen at her job last week.  I am thinking,  how dare he treat her that way?  I find myself right now,   when I hear his name I get angry because of what he did to my friend.  I saw a comment on my wife's face book by this person last night and found myself having utter disdain for him.  I find myself not ever giving to his ministry again!  

Really?????? 

Do you ever have one of the moments where you just sit there and know that the Lord has just got your attention.  I hear "You have been writting all week and it took until this morning for you to hear me?"   Right now it just hit me and I am broken because of my judgment and anger towards this man.  A man who has absolute ministered to me over the years.  Yep a man who is flawed just like me.  Who died and made me JUDGE?

Okay I just got my cage rattle this morning….. diidn’t see that one coming.  I have to say that sometimes I feel the Lord is sneaky, but it is always good.

Lord I repent for the anger, bitterness, unforgivneness and for being the judge. Please forgive me.

I pray favor over M… for his ministry and for his family in Jesus name

PS My friends wife is still in a coma please pray for her

I was reading through some old blogs that I wrote a few years back.  It seems this week is about unforgiveness, bitterness and being offended and today is about old wounds.  I am having to ask myself is there someone I am needing to forgive or that I have picked up an offense somewhere?  At this moment I am hearing nothing, but that can all change at the drop of a hat.

Old wounds

I have been signing my emails lately with the phrase “there is no future in the past” Little did I know that would be more for me than I realize.  I always hate when something gets brought up and you realize that even though you forgave that person, the wound is still there.  I thought I dealt with it … as a mater a fact I did and I got peace as well at the time.   It has come back.  I got a word from the Lord Friday night as I was driving down to Fredericksburg.  A friend of mine is always sending scripture.  I don’t mean just one scripture but 10 to 20.  Sometimes a whole chapter.  Anyway what he sent me Friday night was this. 

8     He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;

he who cherishes understanding prospers.

9     A false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who pours out lies will perish.

10   It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury—

how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

11   A man’s wisdom gives him patience;

it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

Verse 11 is what just hammered me.    I just looked at it and said “Lord, are you freaking kidding me?”

I have to tell you part of me on the inside said,  do you remember what he did to me and how he talked to me and how he made me feel like a freaking idiot … dumb ass  or whatever.  Then I have to remember what my book the Bait of Satan says.  (Too much to write)   Anyway my wife says,   have you forgiven him and while I was answering I hear Holy Spirit say NO!   So I said No I guess not,    dammit!  So this is a good thing but I don’t like it.  The fact that I have to forgive this person over again is very irritating.  Nevertheless it has to be done.  Here is where the rub is I am supposed to love him, but I don’t want to.  I know this man is very wounded and has been for a long time.  I feel I have forgiven this person …..AGAIN!!!  I had to forgive my x wife over and over as well as her husband for the first couple of years after the divorce for stealing her from me.  So I know I can do this …. It will just be a process.  

Present day:  Here is what I know, I believe in my heart that I have truly forgiven this person because I can't remember for the life of me who it was I am talking about in the above discussion.  That is  not to say that something might come up and remind me later of who this is and the enemy may tell me that "see you have not forgiven this person"  Then I take that thought captive to the obedience of Christ and know that I have forgiven that person.  I would say this,   if you say "I think I have forgiven this person,"  then I would say that you have not.  You know in heart if you have forgiven him.  You hear this saying in church all of the time.  The wound is healed but there is a scar and the scar still hearts if you rub it.  I think that is crap!  You are either healed or not!  the blood of Jesus is not selective it covers everything!  I say that if the scar still hurts then YOU keep picking at it.  In other words you have a victim mentality.

Peter asked Jesus,  " 21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 

22Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.  In an 18 hour day that you are awake that is forgiving someone every 14.03 minutes.  I heard someone say once.  I dont pray for an hour everyday but I don't let an hour go by without praying.  something to think about.

Be Blessed today

Kevin

 

The Trap,

Ever been trapping?  Anyone who has ever been trapping knows that it takes one of two things to be successful. It must be hidden in the hopes that the animal will stumble upon it, and it must be baited to lure the animal into the traps deadly jaws.  This is what satan does and he is more deceptive and cunning than any human on this earth.  It is his job to trap you that is his only focus in my opinion.

Offense is one of the most insidious, nastiest, most deceptive kinds of bait there is and we have all encountered it at one time or another in our lives.  Offended people choose to live this way and they produce much fruit.  It is just not the edible kind.  Many signs of being offended are, hurt, anger, jealousy resentment, strife, bitterness, hatred (which is murder) and envy.  I would say if you have any of these symptoms then most likely you are walking in offense.  Most people who are offended do not even realize they are trapped.  They are so focused on the wrong that was done to them.  They are in denial.  The most effective way for the enemy to blind us is to cause us to focus on our selves.  What do we called it when we focus on ourselves?  Would that be PRIDE?  Holy Spirit says in James 3.16 for where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

Jesus said in Luke 17.1 it is impossible that no offenses shall come, but woe to him through who they do come.

Psalm 55:12 If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. 13 But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.    It is those who you care about that hurt you the most.

2 Timothy 2: 24 And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. 

I have questions …. How does your fruit taste?  If I went to your spouse and asked if you are hurt and offended or walking in unforgiveness, what would they say?

Are you living with a victim mentality?  Do you defend your position on the matter?

Are you prideful?  Pride will keep you from admitting your true condition.  Out of the mouth the heart speaks.

Parts of what I wrote today came out of chpt one of the Bait of Satan.  Choose to be free today!

You hurt?

2 Timothy 2:23 again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. This is what I read yesterday and I thought about it all day and when I woke up this morning I was still there. I had to read it again. What I kept hearing was “unforgiveness” I thought …… Who? It is not who but how. How do you be kind to someone who has hurt you or your family, how do you teach? How to you be patient? How do you gently instruct someone who has hurt you? Someone who has deeply wounded you? I don’t believe you can do any of that when you are walking in unforgiveness. People that hurt us are usually more wounded than we are. Hurt people hurt people that is a fact. Forgiving someone is a very powerful thing. Forgiving someone does not mean that what they did was okay. It means that you have stopped giving them the power over you. It means “Lord when (name) stands before you on judgment day, please forgive them for what they did to me or my family and Lord I pray blessings over them in Jesus name.

When we walk in unforgiveness we are holding a judgment over them. WE WANT JUSTICE! The Lord said revenge is mine says the Lord. You realize that when you hold that judgment against that person you will never be free. There is only one judge and you are not it. There is always going to be pain in your life, but you choose to suffer, IT IS YOUR CHOICE!

Only God has the right to judge. He alone knows why people do what they do. We do not know, nor is our place to judge why. In many cases, people do not even know why they do what they do, Jeremiah 17.9 The heart is deceitful above all thing and is desperately sick; who can know it? When people assume to know why, then their reactions are based on judgment, and not reality. That judgment causes confusion, pain and suffering (quote for How to stop the pain)

Three questions

Are you judging the people that hurt you?

Are you walking in unforgiveness?

How is that working for you?  How is that noose around your neck?  You are the only one that is tightening it!

Remember if nothing changes then nothing changes

Be Blessed today

Kevin

Surrender 2 Corinthians 1.9

2 Corinthians 1 9…………………………we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. ¹¹ And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.

I am reading this morning in 2 Corinthians….. I must have read over this three times and I just kept coming back to this passage.  I realized I am just running on my own juice.  I try to turn everything over … at least I think I do, it is wearing me out.  My wife asked me yesterday “how do we get more balance in our lives? You work all the time; I work all the time..  What do we do?”  I had no answers.  It made me sad on the inside.    I went to church yesterday.  The message did nothing for me.  In fact I did not even want to be there.  I could not shut my mind down and I hate that.  That is how it is all of the time right now.  I cannot shut my mind down long enough to hear God.  I did hear Him yesterday though.  I heard him through Marcus Brecheen.  Marcus said   “I surrender the things that I should be responsible  for and take responsibility for the things I should surrender.” 

That line right there really resonated in my spirit

From a previous post:       Jeremiah 38:17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you surely surrender  to the king of Babylon’s princes, (or whatever is going on in your life right now)then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.   Here is what I know for me.  My life is so much calmer when I surrender.

Surrender is always a tough one for me, what is the worst thing that could happen if you surrender? Here is what François Fenelon the Archbishop of Cambria said in the 17th century.  He was the spiritual advisor to Louie the 14th.  He said this in a letter to the King about surrender.  There is more in the letter but this is the main point.  Let me tell you what real surrender is.  It is simply resting in the love of the Lord, as a little baby rests in his mother arms.  A perfect surrender must even be willing to quit surrendering, if that is what the Lord wants.  We renounce ourselves, and yet, God never lets us know when it is complete.  If we knew, it would no longer BE complete, for there is nothing that bolsters the ego quiet so much as knowing that it is fully surrendered.  Surrender consist, not in doing great, heroic deeds about which self can brag, but simply in accepting whatever God sends, and not seeking to change it.  Surrender is the source of true peace.                                                                                                                   I have noticed for myself that when I have completely surrendered.  (At least when I think I have)  I feel at peace.  When I think I have surrendered something but I am restless about it and I don’t have peace,   then I am still holding on to it.  I don’t like that. 

The more you look at what you are not; the less you become who you are!

So here is my question or questions for you.  Ask Holy Spirit right now.  Stop what you are doing and get quiet.  Lord, please show me what I am trying to control or change instead of surrendering and giving it to you.  Lord what am I trying to change in their life that is not my job to change?

Be blessed today.