Closing the Door on God’s Forgiveness
December 5, 2014
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Closing the Door on God’s Forgiveness
One of our most blessed benefits in knowing Christ is our ability to call upon the blood of Jesus to forgive us of our sins when so often we stumble and fail. 1 John 1:8-9 teaches us, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” With that promise of forgiveness in 1 John also comes the condition that Jesus gives us in Matthew 6:15. God requires that we give forgiveness to receive forgiveness. We can no doubt all think of times when others may have done things to us that are, in our minds and hearts, unforgivable. God would ask us a question. What if He considered the things we have done in our lives unforgivable? None of us can attest to deserving or earning God’s forgiveness. We have all come, or at least should have come to the realization that we have fallen short of the glory of God. We are all sinners standing condemned under the law of God, estranged from God except for the grace of the blood of our Lord Jesus that has atoned for us. For all of those who have acted in faith in asking Christ into their hearts to be the Lord of their lives he has washed our sins away, casting them as far as the east is from the west.
What if God continued to hold a grudge, an offense or unforgiveness in His heart towards us? How would that affect our relationship with Him? It would obviously bring a separation and estrangement again from His fellowship and love. That is exactly what we do when we hold on to an offense, resentment and unforgiveness for others. Our offense toward others becomes God’s offense toward us. Some of us would say, ‘but that isn’t fair, you don’t know what that person has done to me or to someone I love’. Is there anything that God has refused to forgive you for?
Yes, there are some horrible, detestable and seemingly unforgivable acts that one person can perpetrate upon another. They are not right and they will be judged, but we are not the lawgiver and judge. That is God’s department. We can’t control the behavior of others, but we are responsible for our own. We can’t always control how we feel, but we don’t have to choose to live and act according to our feelings. It is Christ that now sits upon the throne of our hearts. He is to be the ruler over our mind, will and emotions. We have been called to walk after the Spirit and not after the soul. Often that is a very hard position to align ourselves with when we are carrying deep seated emotions of anger, hate, resentment and unforgiveness. It is not a switch that we can just turn off and on, but it is something that the Lord can help us to come to terms with if we will allow Him too by opening our hearts and being honest about where we are at.
We must understand the principle that resentment, resistance and retaliation, repels love.
What is God’s nature? Love. When we hold these things in our hearts we are switching off His love, which is the light to bring us to healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. We may never be reconciled where we have the same relationship with a person that we once had, but the important thing is that we have reconciled the offense caused by someone else’s behavior or bad decisions with the love of Christ that abides in us. This often stands contrary to how the world acts and behaves, but we are not of this world, we are a kingdom people with the kingdom of God residing within our spirits and lives. That means we live and operate our lives out of the context of kingdom principles.
At some point and often at many points in our lives we struggle with these issues. What we must realize and remember is that resentments and unforgiveness will always do more to hurt us than the people that we are offended with. It is not our love, but the love of Christ in us that is the ointment and balm of our healing. It is His love in us that is that power to release the unconditional love and forgiveness that He has released toward us. If this is an area in your life that you are struggling with then, for your sake, open that door of forgiveness that God’s love and forgiveness might flow back into your life. He wants to set you free. How else can we give forth the love of God if it has never been tested in our lives?
Blessings,
#kent
Hypocrisy
April 16, 2014
Hypocrisy
James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
The definition of a hypocrite is, one who answers, an interpreter, an actor, stage player, pretender, one who is feigned, disguised or is insincere. It is one who wears a mask or false identity. It is a fact of human nature that what you see is not always what you get. From the time we are children we grow up learning to play the game of human interaction. We learn to put forward what others or society expects of us which often is not who we really are. We want to be people pleasers and accepted of others. Sometimes we have so many identities we don’t even know who we are.
Then, when we become Christians we are introduced to the religious system and we learn how to wear that mask. We learn the right phrases, how to act and put forward what is “acceptable Christian behavior.” Never mind the arguing, fighting and ugliness we showed toward our spouse and children as we were getting ready for church and on the way. As we step out of the car and walk into the church suddenly this transformation takes place. Suddenly we put on this godly smile and countenance and to those we encounter all is right with the world. If we are honest all of us have experienced this kind of behavior in our lives and probably still do. There is this duality in our lives that keeps us from being who we really are for fear that that is unacceptable. Many of us spend our lives living a lie and fashion ourselves around the dictates of others. We are so afraid of being seen in the nakedness of who we really are. It is true that many of us have some pretty hideous deformities and abnormalities in our lives, but are they ever dealt with and healed by masking them over. Our lives become one big game of pretending to be something or someone we really aren’t. What is worse, we then judge others out of our pretentious hypocrisy, because they don’t live up to the standard. The truth is they just don’t play the game as good as we do.
Is this what God wants us to be? If ever Jesus railed on anyone, it wasn’t the outright sinner it was the hypocrite. The one who liked to condemn and point the finger when inside he was no different than the ones he condemned. ” For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in thine own eye Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye (Matthew 7:2-5).”
We have been talking a lot about light and darkness. It is time we all come out into the light and be real with who we are. The truth is that most all of our lives are a mess in one area or another. We know that God sees us for who we really are. We know that it is only His power and grace that can transform us. How can this take place if we can’t even face up to who and what we are? It starts with us being honest with ourselves and with God. His love and mercy has already been extended to us in that, “while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” He loves us no matter how ugly the sin our lives has been, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. His desire is bring us out of darkness into the light so that there it is exposed and we can repent, receive forgiveness through the blood of Christ and begin a path in the opposite direction of our sin, dependent upon the Lord to help us walk that way. We are all in this walk together and we are going from glory to glory, but we are at different stages in our maturity and walk with God. Our purpose as a body is to help each other along the way. We have to deal with these sin issues with honesty if we are going to be set free of them. If we want to continue to hold on to them then the dealings must become more severe, because these are stumbling blocks and hindrances to who we really are in Christ and what He has called us to be. Romans 12:9 says, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” It is time that we quit playing games with God and with others and be real. Let’s deal with who we really are, because only then can we come into what God wants us to be. It is time we stop living the lie of hypocrisy and become the forgiven vessels of His mercy and grace no matter how humble that may be. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently: (1 Peter 1:22).”
blessings,
#kent
His Wisdoms
March 28, 2014
His Wisdoms
Job 26:14
Lo, these [are] parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
Never stop being passionate about who you are.
You were created for a distinct reason and purpose
And your purpose can only be fully revealed by the One who made you.
Your gifts and the talents He gave you can be used in many ways,
But they are best used and humanity best served by using them His way.
He has created you unique, special and one of a kind.
There will never be another you and that is why you are highly collectable.
God sees you as His treasure and desires to purify you into your most refined state.
How often do we insult our Maker by despising and disliking what He has made?
If you have weaknesses they can be a blessing,
They keep you constantly dependent and reliant on the One who is your strength.
Not even the best of us are complete in ourselves.
If we become an island, then we become disconnected and disjointed.
We fail to give out and take in the breath of other human lives.
Just like breathing our lives are a series of interactions of giving out and taking in;
It is the breath of life, blessings and struggles of other human beings.
As we breathe God in through our spirit we exhale Him out through our souls.
His people feeding and breathing in His life are the breath of life to the world they touch and live in.
Hope is based not on what we see, but on what we believe.
Faith is the wings that allows hope to fly into our reality.
Love binds the universe.
While hate destroys and tears asunder,
Love is the creative force that brings light out of darkness;
That overcomes and triumphs over all that is evil.
Love is the blood flow of God’s heart and it courses throughout His creation,
The Cross is the doorway through which the blood of Jesus, His Love flows.
God’s heart has been broken by our sin, but His blood poured out to cover them.
Because we are washed in the blood we are the instruments of His love.
He is our destiny.
His life is our reality.
His love is incomprehensible.
Blessings,
#kent
A Word from the Lord
January 9, 2014
A Word from the Lord
Romans 13:12
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Leave this day the things of the earthly realm behind you. Look into the dawn of the New Day for from the East arises your salvation and from the West the sun is setting on the former things and the things of this time and place. Open your heart to me and I will fill it. Open your mouth to me and I will fill it. Open your hands to me and I will fill them. I will be your supply and your provision. All of your need is met in me. Lean not upon the arm of the flesh to feed and provide in your day of want. I am your Provider and the supplier of every need. Lean not upon your own understanding, but lean on the council of My Word, for it is the light unto your path and a lamp unto your feet. Take care that you walk in the light of the council of my Word. It is a sword to prove you, to divide and separate soul and spirit. Far too long my people have been a mixture and double-minded in their ways. Let your eye be single and your heart true to the calling that I have given you to walk in My ways and obey My commands, if you do this, then do you love Me. Far too long my people offer up the oblations of praise and worship, but their hearts are far from me. Outwardly they do their homage, but within their heart and their thoughts they entertain wickedness and impurity. I do not judge the outward man, but the inward man, the man of the heart. What value does a beautiful cup or vessel have if it is full of abominations and wickedness?
The fire is sent to purify that which I have sanctified. It will burn with unquenchable thirst until there is no more left to feed its desire. Mercy and grace will wet and temper the steel of godliness in my people, lest they be consumed in judgement. My people shall turn to me from the least to the greatest and those that are mine shall gather beneath My wing. There I will shelter them from the storm. It is a time of pruning and separation so that those who would bear fruit may do so more abundantly and those that are dead upon the vine may be cut off and cast into the fire.
What a man has sown and what he is now sowing will bear its fruit and he shall eat the fruit thereof either to life or to death. Take care how you plant into your life and into the lives of others.
Clay pots hold divine life. Only as they are emptied are they perpetually filled. Stop holding the life till it becomes stagnant and putrefied. Pour out that which I place within each one of you. It is only in giving that you truly receive. Release the life. You are not vessels for storage, you are vessels of daily use to wash the feet of common people and make their way clean and sure. Some of you say, what do I have to give? Give your life, your service, and My love that abides within you. With Me there is never a lack of supply or increase. You are shallow, because your deeds are shallow. Become the vessel that is tipped over and poured out. If you sow sparingly you will reap sparingly.
Revelation is coming, but it comes with a price. It must be received with humility and obedience. The revelation of the Most High is revealed in what you live and not in what you know. The revelation of Jesus Christ in you is revealed through a crucified life, laid upon the altar of obedience and service.
Today is the day to seek Me and lay all else aside. I am your refuge, your hiding place, your mighty fortress, but you must truly know me to be hid in me. It is no longer about outward actions of religion and godliness, it is a day to know intimately my heart and come into the inner sanctuary of relationship and abiding that is only found in intimacy and relationship. Come quickly, for the days are getting short and times and seasons are at hand. Rouse you up out of your sleep and slumber and come away with me. I speak these things to you, because I love you. Let him who has an ear hear what the Spirit is speaking to the Church. It is the day for the Bride to prepare herself and make ready for her Groom. Take heed and act quickly.
No Regrets
October 4, 2013
2 Corinthians 7:10
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
No Regrets
“The last thing a person wants to leave this earth with is “regret”. Live a life of no regrets.”
How do I live a life of no regrets? We all make our mistakes in life and there are no doubt things that we have done in our lives that we already have regret for, so how do I live a life of no regret?
It is through our repentance. If we have real regret for that which we have done then conscience or the Holy Spirit is bringing a conviction upon our heart for those things. The Lord does not convict your heart to condemn you, ridicule and shame you, but He brings a godly sorrow upon us to bring us to repentance. Repentance is simply a change of mind, attitude and direction of thinking and being. The wonderful thing about godly repentance is that it can set us free from the worldly sorrow that brings death. What some of us don’t discern is difference between conviction and condemnation. God convicts and chastens us to bring us to repentance. True repentance brings with it true forgiveness from God through the blood of Jesus. If we are truly forgiven then we are set free from that sin and regret. It doesn’t mean we won’t have some regret for what the consequences of our sin has brought forth, both in our lives and in the lives of others, but it does mean that we can have a peace. It doesn’t mean that “the accuser” won’t be there to continue to try and put condemnation and guilt upon you if you will receive it. Often the most difficult person we have to forgive is ourselves. God wants us to do unto ourselves, as He would have us to do unto others. He wants us to forgive ourselves, just as He would have us forgive others of their sins and trespasses. Often we can grieve the heart of God, because long after He has forgiven us, we keep begging Him to forgive us. It is not because He hasn’t forgiven us, but because we haven’t received and appropriated His forgiveness to forgive ourselves.
I remember a woman telling me that she had an abortion many years ago. She had carried such condemnation and guilt with her for so long. She had repented and asked God’s forgiveness, but she found herself still begging God continually for that forgiveness as she sought to draw near to Him. She said that one day the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart and said, “Why do you grieve Me by continuing to ask for forgiveness when I forgave you the first time you asked? It is you that has not forgiven.” You see the enemy leads us into sin and temptation, then, when we fall, he will use our failure to condemn us. If he can keep us in condemnation then we can’t live in victory and joy. The Father sent us Jesus Christ to restore us to fellowship with Him. We all are deserving of hell, condemnation and judgement, but the Lord’s judgement was to provide forgiveness from our regrets.
Perhaps you are carrying around regrets today that you have never gotten free from. The Lord wants you to know that your true repentance has brought His forgiveness already. For you to continue to bring it up and continue to ask forgiveness is to remind Him of what He says He has already forgotten. Psalms 103:8-14 tells us, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Most of us are familiar with 1 John 1:8-9, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
The Father has provided a way of restoration and forgiveness so that we need no longer to live with our regrets. Now He encourages us to live unto Him a life that gives no place to regret. 1 John 2:1-2 goes on to tell us, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” Let us come to the place of true godly sorrow and repentance knowing that we have the forgiveness for which we ask. Let us also forgive others and ourselves as God has forgiven us. Let us live a life of no regrets that we may know the peace, joy and assurance of our salvation.
“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” Isaiah 65:17-19
Blessings,
kent
Sanctifying our Household
June 14, 2013
Genesis 35:2
Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that [were] with him, Put away the strange gods that [are] among you, and be clean, and change your garments.
Sanctifying our Household
Just as we have a responsibility to sanctify our own hearts and consecrate ourselves to God, we have a responsibility to and for our household as well. We are not only trying to keep our heart and our steps in the ways of righteousness, but we have accountability as the priest over our household to guide and lead our family in godly ways.
There are so many influences working on our children and families, it’s almost scary. Now, not only television is influencing them, but video games, music, internet, text messaging, as well as all of the traditional things we grew up with, such as peer pressure and social influences. It is so easy to lose our kids today and not even know what hit us. We can’t take for granted that because we think we are okay, that they are. Many times they feed us the responses that they think we want to hear, while they have another whole secret life going on.
Jacob had to take the time to address his household before He met with God. Do we need to get our household in order? What idols and strange gods lurk and hide within our home and the hearts of our family. Help your children and your entire household to be aware of the idols and help them to sanctify and present themselves before the Lord a clean vessel. Take the time to really observe your household and ask God to show you areas that are displeasing and unclean before Him. Sanctify your household.
Blessings,
kent
The Yearning of our Spirit
February 22, 2013
The Yearning of our Spirit
James 4:5
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
James, in Chapter 4, is addressing the carnality, self-indulgences and pleasure seeking in the lives of believers. His words are strong as He tells us that wars and fightings among us come from our lust and desire to have our own way. The reason God isn’t hearing us and answering our prayers is because we are not operating out of the spirit, but out of the flesh. Then, in the midst of this he drops this scripture of James 4:5 that I believe the Spirit has lead me to this morning. While I may have read over it many times I never really thought about it or understood it. Another way of saying it is “does the Spirit who took up its abode in our spirit long enviously?” Is our spirit ever grieved because we follow our flesh and not our spirit? I recall times in my life when I was giving in to temptation and sin and could hear my spirit speaking within me, pleading the case of righteousness, asking me why are you doing this? The spirit within me was envying and coveting my allegiance, submission and obedience to the things of the Spirit and not the ways of the flesh. James says we are adulteresses, unfaithful to our Lord when we take up our friendship and fellowship with the world and its pleasures. We in effect set ourselves as enemies with God, because the world loves not God. Are we in a place in our lives, in our actions, in our circumstances where we are laying down our will with its selfishness and perverse ways? James 4:6-10 says, ” But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” If your spirit is crying out and envying that place of your will that has been yielding to the flesh, then come and do what James says. Humble yourselves and submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, cleanse your hands, your works and purify your minds so that you possess a single mind, no longer divided between flesh and spirit. The Spirit of God is yearning for all of your heart. There we find the peace and rest instead of wars and fightings. In that place of dwelling in God’s Spirit, instead of lust, killing and coveting, He gives us the desire for Him, love and contentment. “Draw nigh to God today and He will draw nigh to you.” His Spirit within you covets and desires all of you.
Blessings,
kent
tricklesoftruth 