We live in a highly interactive world. Everyone has a platform, especially through social media, to express themselves. We interact with one another in our families. On your jobs. In our schools. As the bible says, “as we go out and as we come in”, we are almost always interacting with someone.

Whoever is reading this is interacting with me right now. What I’m writing right now may be foolishness to you. You may consider it stupid. You may consider it offensive. If so, after reading you have a choice. Do I respond? Or, do I just move on? And, thus to the crux of my short message here…

When you hear something. When you read something. When someone comes ‘head on’ to you with something that you consider FOOLISHNESS…what do you do?

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SOME FOOLISHNESS DOES NOT DESERVE A RESPONSE, WHILE OTHER FOOLISHNESS DEMANDS ONE.

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Some foolishness would die if we would just allow it. While other foolishness is like a spark ready to spread like wildfire.

How do you know?

Well, you have to pray for discernment. Discernment is an aspect of wisdom, and God will grant it in abundance if you ask Him.

James 1:5  (NKJV)

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Notice how sometimes Jesus responded to those who opposed Him, and sometimes He was rather assertive.

Matthew 15:1-12  (NKJV)

15 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ² “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

³ He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; ^[a] and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’^[b] 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— ⁶ then he need not honor his father or mother.’^[c] Thus you have made the commandment^[d] of God of no effect by your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

⁸ ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And^[e] honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
⁹ And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”^[f]

¹⁰ When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: ¹¹ Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

¹² Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

While other times, He didn’t say a word…

Matthew 27:12-14 (NKJV)

¹² And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.

¹³ Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” ¹⁴ But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

 1 Peter 2:23  (NKJV)

²³ who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;

 But, when you DO respond, remember this…

Respond in wisdom.

Respond with reason.

And, please don’t respond in your raw emotions.

We must realize when we are planting a seed of righteousness, and a seed of foolishness.

Proverbs 29:11  (NKJV)

¹¹ A fool vents all his feelings,^[a]
But a wise man holds them back.

 BE BLESSTIFIED!

It happens to all of us. A situation arises where we feel we deserve an apology…but don’t get it.

Think for a moment about Jesus on the cross. As He was being brutalized and mocked, He still had enough love to say, forgive them…
 Luke 23:34 (NKJV)

³⁴ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”^[a]

And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Think about the fact that Jesus offered this forgiveness and love, without an apology. It’s one thing that the Romans crucified Him, but His own people…those closest to Him consented to and called for His death.

One of the most difficult things to do is move forward with people that we feel owe us an apology…especially if they’re someone close to us.

Yes we still have to work with and relate to people who aren’t close to you, but how do you avoid the lack of apology turning into resentment and becoming a wall in your close relationships.

You may find yourself thinking…

“How can they be so content acting like nothing happened…acting as if they didn’t hurt me?

You may have said to yourself…

“If they loved me, they would apologize.”

Yes, it’s not easy, but here are 9 tips to help you move forward in your relationships without an apology…

1. BE READY TO FORGIVE IF AND WHEN THEY APOLOGIZE. Sometimes if we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t want an apology…because it takes away our excuse to be angry. If they apologize and you don’t accept it, the burden has shifted from God to you.
2. DON’T JUDGE THEIR APOLOGY IF AND WHEN THEY GIVE IT. When they come to you and apologize, don’t judge their apology by saying that they didn’t mean it or it wasn’t sincere. Especially if you didn’t like the tone. Don’t find yourself saying their apology wasn’t good enough. Even if they weren’t sincere…many times when we do what God has told us to do, we ‘don’t feel like it’, but God still honors our faith, effort and obedience. Sometimes when we apologize, we don’t feel like it, but in our heart we want to do what’s right.
3. DON’T LET THE ENEMY ‘FLIP-THE-SCRIPT’. Realize that when you remain upset because you haven’t gotten an apology, the enemy has tricked you into not forgiving  them for not apologizing to you.
4. REALIZE THAT THEY MAY NOT BE AS SPIRITUALLY MATURE AS YOU. Apologizing isn’t easy. It takes spiritual maturity to do so. If you feel they ought to be strong enough to apologize, realize that they might not be as spiritually as you. In fact, the bible tells us the strong must bear the failings of the weak (Romans 15:1 NIV).
5. REALIZE WHEN YOU ‘VE GOTTEN SOMETHING BETTER THAN AN APOLOGY. Even if they haven’t apologized, if they have stopped the behavior that hurt you…if they aren’t doing the same thing anymore…if they have clearly moved on as if nothing happened…if they’ve completely turned around, but not apologized, you’ve gotten something better than an apology – you’ve gotten REPENTANCE. Think of all the people who actually apologize to God, but don’t really change.
6. FIND A ‘REPLACEMENT THOUGHT’ WHEN YOU THINK OF HOW THEY HURT YOU. Of course you’re going to think of what they did sometimes, which can make you angry all over again, So, when you think of what they did…When they don’t seem to appreciate your kindness…find a replacement thought. Think of the good times…the best times… Think of the sacrifices they’ve made for you…Think of kindness they’ve shown you in the past…Think of the times they made you smile…or, Think of how you’ve hurt someone and regret it. 
7. REALIZE THAT YOU HAVEN’T APOLOGIZED FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU’VE DONE TO HURT OTHERS. Have you apologized for everything that you’ve done to hurt others? No! Because there are some people you offended and didn’t know you offended them. You can’t apologize for what you don’t know. Sometimes our words hurt, and we didn’t even know it…Sometimes our tone was not taken as we intended…Sometimes we did something hurtful and we didn’t even realize it. Those people are going on without an apology from you.
8. PRAY ABOUT IT! Ask the Lord to give you the desire and strength to ‘love through’ the lack of an apology. Ask God to give you a heart that doesn’t NEED an apology to move on. This is another situation where Philippians 4:13 is most powerful…”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Moving on without an apology isn’t easy, but it is possible. This is another situation where Philippians 4:13 is most powerful…

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

• 

Life can take people down many roads. As those roads are travelled sometimes people can find themselves in sinful or unhealthy relationships. It could be a spouse in an adulterous or a sinfully emotionally connected relationship. It could be a ‘boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. It could be a relationship with the ‘wrong crowd’ or with a person on your job. The bible tells us how we are to choose our relationships…

2 Corinthians 6:14  (NKJV)

¹⁴ Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what ^[a]fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what ^[b]communion has light with darkness?

Now, that doesn’t mean we don’t interact with people who aren’t believers, but it does means we need to be very careful who we are in close relationship with. When two oxen are ‘yoked’ they are connected and one can’t move forward or turn without the other.

So many times people have tried to end an unholy relationship with a conversation, an explanation, a meeting, an encounter one last communication or connection for ‘closure’. But, what that actually does is draws them back in and keeps them connected.

Trying to end a wrong relationship or even help someone else when you aren’t strong enough can make you stumble…

Galatians 6:1 (NKJV)

6 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

Sinful relationships do not need closure. They ALWAYS need an abrupt end, no communication, no explanation…just STOP, immediately.

WARNING! DON’T ASK GOD TO MAKE YOU STOP_________

BE BLESSTIFIED!

God intends for marriage to be a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, no matter how much our modern society makes and accepts excuses to ‘get out of it’. Especially what we call ‘irreconcilable differences’ or ‘we’re just growing apart’.

Malachi 2:16  (NKJV)

¹⁶ “For the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”

 Matthew 19:4-8  (NKJV)

⁴ And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who ^[a]made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.”⁷ They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” ⁸ He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

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God knows that no matter how much you love one another, that no two people will be the same after 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 plus years of marriage. It’s impossible. Yes, you will grow apart in some areas of your lives. But, that doesn’t have to come between you.

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Think about this. If God expected the arranged marriages to last in the bible days, He expects us to stay with the spouse that we choose.

How can we be ministers of reconciliation for God’s Kingdom if we can’t even reconcile the differences in our homes?

2 Corinthians 5:18-19  (NKJV)

¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not ^[a]imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

In the words of Al Green, “Let’s stay together”

Here are a few more of my articles on Godly Marriage:

THE REAL, BOTTOM-LINE REASON MARRIAGES FAIL…

MARRIAGE: 3 WAYS TO TELL YOU WERE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER…

WHEN GOD EXPECTS US TO FORGIVE ADULTERY (CHEATING ON GOD)…

IS GOD IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU?

MARRIAGE ADVICE: IT’S YOUR DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE YOU A PERFECT FIT…

Godly Marriage: THE BLESSING IN WHEN YOU’RE NOT ‘IN THE MOOD’ AT THE SAME TIME…

THE HOLINESS OF WELL-TIMED ROMANCE IN MARRIAGE…

Godly Marriage: THE BLESSING IN WHEN YOU’RE NOT ‘IN THE MOOD’ AT THE SAME TIME…

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THINGS YOU HATE ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE…

GODLY MARRIAGE: HOW SEX IS SUBMISSION AND HONOR PERFECTED (Graphic but Holy)…

ONLY ‘GODLY SEX’ IS GOOD SEX…

PROOF THAT GOD DOESN’T FORBID ‘RACE MIXING’, BUT DOES FORBID FAITH MIXING (in case you missed it)…

GODLY MARRIAGE: YOU CAN’T GET ROMANTIC WITH A HYMNAL…

(1) ONE AMAZING, POWERFUL, SIMPLE TIP TO REJUVENATE YOUR MARRIAGE…#30yearsstrong

IF THE ‘BIG O’ WAS TOO BIG (GOD’S WISDOM)…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Pilate, Caeser and Hitler all had one very important thing in common. They were not able to do anything by themselves. Their powerful influence began with words. Whether people were forced to do what they wanted or willingly complied, no leader was able to accomplish anything on their own. They had to work through those who followed them.

That’s why we must be very careful of our attitude towards those who lead us. Whether it be governmental, spiritual, career, social or family.

Be very careful that you don’t agree with EVERYTHING a leader says or does. Be very careful that you aren’t excusing or justifying when they are clearly or even vaguely wrong, especially in regard to the word of God.

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Any person who agrees with EVERYTHING that any leader says or does, is more dangerous than that leader.

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Most of the time…leaders don’t pull triggers, they don’t actually arrest, they don’t actually execute, imprison or persecute. They do it through their followers. Notice how quickly people turn on family and friends to support their ‘leader’. Notice how people insult or even hurt others to support their leaders statements and agenda. Notice the heated, insult filled discussions on social media because people are supporting their chosen leader.

I think the two of the most powerful forces in this world are INFLUENCE and AGREEMENT.

People follow the one who influences them the most, whether it be God or the enemy. And, agreement/unity/oneness is so powerful, that it’s the last thing that Jesus prayed about before He was betrayed… THE POWER OF UNITY WORKS FOR BOTH GOOD AND EVIL…

John 17:20-23 (NKJV)

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will^[a] believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Remember, you are not obligated to agree with, condone or excuse everything that a leader whom you support says or does. They are human, just like you and will make mistakes.

Remember also that when you support a leaders’ wrong, God will hold you accountable along with that leader.

1 Kings 14:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin.”

Agreeing with anyone 100% of the time is too close to worship for me. There only One who we should reserve that place for…God.

So, watch out for people who support or defend a leader no matter what he or she does, especially if it is a controversial leader. Be careful of what their passion will allow them to do. Many times, the followers are more dangerous than the leader.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

They didn’t see things your way?

How many times have you had an argument with _______________, and it was not resolved?

You still don’t agree?

They are still very much angry at you?

You still feel they are wrong?

Or, You may know that YOU are wrong?

Now is the time that you may want to buckle down in your anger. It is the foundation to a grudge and a wall in this ONE area of your relationship with _________________.

You may decide you aren’t going to speak to them. You may decide you aren’t going to listen to them. You may decide you are going to ignore them when they speak to you. You may decide to have a negative attitude towards them or be mean to them. You may decide to withhold affection and kindness from them….

There is a reason that God tells us…

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV)

²⁶ “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil.

Proverbs 29:11  (NKJV)

¹¹ A fool vents all his feelings,^[a]
But a wise man holds them back.

James 1:20  (NKJV)

²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

SO, BEFORE YOU BUCKLE DOWN IN YOUR ANGER, PLEASE STOP AND THINK ABOUT THIS…

Have you done something to make God angry?

Have you neglected doing something that God wants you to do?

Do you want God to buckle down in His anger towards you?

Do you want God to stop speaking to you? Do you want God to stop listening to you? Do you want God to start ignoring you? Do you want God to have a negative attitude towards you or be mean to you…

DO YOU WANT GOD TO WITHHOLD AFFECTION AND KINDNESS FROM YOU…FOR EVEN A BRIEF MOMENT?

NO! OF COURSE NOT!

So, the next time your anger burns hotter, cool it off with an act of kindness and love, especially if you don’t feel like it. That’s what makes it kindness and love!

Give them a hug. Do something small but kind for them, even if they don’t want you to. Let them have the last word.

Remember, giving someone the last word isn’t loosing an argument, it’s ending the argument.

Make it clear to them that you aren’t going to let your anger rule the situation. Make it clear to the devil that he cannot get a foothold through the situation.

Remember how long God remains angry at us…

Psalm 30:5  (NKJV)

⁵ For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But ^[a]joy comes in the morning.

To sum it up, make sure you have a forgiving heart quickly and let it go.

Ephesians 4:32  (NKJV)

³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Luke 11:4  (NLT)

⁴ and forgive us our sins,
    as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.”

Remember, you never really hold a grudge, the grudge always holds you.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

https://videopress.com/v/0Nnij4pF?resizeToParent=true&preloadContent=metadata

Pure love is supposed to be unconditional and priceless.

It is.

The problem is that none of us have achieved pure love. We haven’t perfected our ability to love.

Too many times we’re putting conditions and ‘price tags’ on the love we have for those who are closest to us. We all do it sometimes. Why? Because none of us have perfected love.

When we judge and measure by things that HAVE A PRICE we’re diminishing love. Never base your love on:

How much $ they spend on you.

Base love on…

How much FORGIVENE$$ they ‘spend’ on you.

How much KINDNE$$ they ‘spend’ on you.

How much GOODNE$$ they ‘spend’ on you.

How much FAITHFULNE$$ they ‘spend’ on you.

How much GENTLENE$$ they ‘spend’ on you.

How much $ELF-CONTROL they ‘spend’ on you.

Base it on how much JOY they give you for just being in your life, even if you have NOTHING.

And remember, when we fall short, it’s not because LOVE isn’t there, it just means our love isn’t perfect.

Only God’s is.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV)

⁸ And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

Let’s pray that God helps us to love one another like He loves us, through peace.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Let me say first that I’m not excusing adultery, fornication or any other sexual sin. These sins also result from an innate, natural desire that we don’t ask for, and people make a choice to commit these sins based on that desire.

However, there are many people who are now trying to defend homosexuality by saying that Jesus never addressed it, or forbade it. They say only the Apostle Paul addressed it, and some even try to contend that he wasn’t really talking about homosexuality.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet.

We all know there are several sins that Jesus never directly addressed…

Rape…

Incest…

Domestic Abuse…

Bestiality…

Gossip…

Jealousy…

To name a few.

Jesus didn’t even say directly that getting drunk is a sin. It was indirect.

He did address marriage, fornication adultery and divorce.
And, no one disputes that the LORD only permits sex within marriage.
In Matthew Chapter 19, Jesus repeated what He Himself said as The Living Word in Genesis 5:2 , yes He was there in the beginning (Elohim, the name for God in Genesis is a plural noun)…
Matthew 19:4-5(NKJV)

4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made[a] them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’[b]5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?[c]

The context of the conversation here is marriage and divorce. Jesus specifically calls out MALE and FEMALE in the context of marriage. This is not a cherry picked scripture.  It is Jesus in perfect harmony with what God established in the beginning. 

Jesus clearly says let HIM (male) be joined to his WIFE (female), because some try to contend, ‘who says that a wife has to be a woman’.

This undeniably defines marriage as between a man and woman.

These verses (Genesis and Matthew) define marriage as between a man and woman. And, since God only permits sex within marriage, sex with any partner, heterosexual or homosexual is sin.

So yes, without saying the word ‘homosexuality’, Yeshua, Christ Jesus addressed it. Any other conclusion is conjecture…reaching…trying to fit a square peg into a triangular slot.

For those who say that it’s okay because some people are born that way, click this…JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE’S ‘BORN THAT WAY’ DOESN’T MAKE IT OKAY…

For those who want to bring up slavery in the bible to justify their argument to defend homosexuality, click this…LET’S TALK ABOUT SLAVERY IN THE BIBLE…

And remember, no matter what sin someone is struggling with, God expects us to love everyone without excusing or condoning the sin.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Having you ever noticed a child throwing a temper tantrum when he or she doesn’t get something that they want? This is a natural reaction that must be overcome as the child matures. The reaction is natural…innate…the child was born with it.

As you know, the debate continues as to whether people are born gay, or is it a choice. The purpose of this article isn’t to debate that question, but to address this fact…

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The truth is that we are all born with innate desires, feelings and proclivities that we did not ask for.

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Many Christians reason to excuse some behaviors by saying, “I or they was or were born this way”.

This doesn’t mean that God made a mistake because the scripture clearly reminds us that we were all born in sin…

Psalm 51:5 (NKJV)

 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

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We were all born with desires we didn’t ask for…that doesn’t make them ALL okay. Just because it comes naturally doesn’t make right. Some natural desires we must resist with the help of the Holy Spirit…

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Fornication…

Adultery…

Homosexuality…

Gluttony…

Greed…

Jealousy…

Envy…

Wrath …

…ALL come from natural desires and they are ALL EQUALLY wrong.

Even David, a man after God’s own heart was born with an insatiable desire for women…but that did not make it right or acceptable to God. Those who read the bible know what that led to.

Some people are naturally more greedy, more lustful, more promiscuous, more selfish, more aggressive, more violent that others…does that make it okay? For those who wish to argue these are learned behaviors, some people have these behaviors modeled and ‘learn’ them, while others witnessed these behaviors and didn’t succumb to them.

Pedophiles don’t feel they ‘choose’ to be attracted to children…does that make it okay? No!

The desires of our flesh war against our spirit…and these vary from person to person.

Galatians 5:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

It is only by walking in the Fruit of the Spirit can we overcome our fleshly desires that displease God.

Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)

 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 

 Galatians 5:22,23

 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

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By the way, calling out something as sin is NOT judging. And, it’s not saying it’s any more wrong than another sin!

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That’s why fasting is so powerful. It is a tool we can use to bring our flesh into subjection, overcome our weaknesses and prove to ourselves that our desires won’t rule us. It’s our tool to move those mountains in our lives.

Matthew 17: 20-21

 ²⁰ So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ²¹ However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting

Use this as post ammunition when someone presents to you the argument, “I was born this way, so it can’t be wrong”.

Just because it’s natural, doesn’t mean it’s okay.

BE BLESSTIFIED.

i

It’s unfortunate that many who claim to be disciples in Christ are so easily impressed by so-called strong words, insults, profanity, threats, retaliation, aggression…what the world calls strength.

In today’s society people consider humility, meekness, and restraint are weakness, while they see arrogance and pride as strength. MEEKNESS ISN’T WEAKNESS…

Think about it. Even some women when asserting themselves claim they have ‘balls’. God never told us to have balls, but rather a tender heart.

The bible clearly, and explicitly lets us know the character He demands of those who claim to be His. He clearly gives us the true evidence, or “Fruit” that we possess His Spirit, character and attributes…

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

Matthew 5:5 (NKJV)

⁵ Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the ^[a]earth.

Matthew 5:39 (NKJV)

³⁹ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

Think about how many Christians are perfectly comfortable saying, “Hell yeah!” or “Hell no!” when Yeshua clearly said that ANYTHING above “YES” “NO” is from the devil and evil…

Matthew 5:37 (NKJV)

³⁷ But let ^[a]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Almost 100 percent of the time, when I present the argument for quiet, Godly strength, the response is always the same...

“What about when Jesus was turning over the money changers in the temple or when He was rebuking the scribes and pharisees?”

Jesus was being no MORE strong when He got angry in the temple than when He was allowing them to insult Him…

Jesus was being no LESS strong when He allowed them to spit on Him, beat Him and insult Him than when He sharply rebuked His antagonists…

Jesus was being HIS STRONGEST when He endured the pain and shame of the cross.

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)

² looking unto Jesus, the ^[a]author and ^[b]finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Don’t let the devil pervert your idea of strength when God clearly told us how He expects us to behave. FOR THE TIMES YOU FEEL YOU JUST CAN’T HELP YOURSELF (RESTRAINT)…

BE BLESSTIFIED

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This is not scientific or philosophical, but it is God breathed. And, there is some degree of randomness as it is for the most part stream of consciousness…

More and more people are falling into modern, popular culture pantheism. They are replacing God with ‘The Universe’.

“The universe will bring it to you.”

“The universe is on your side.”

“The universe will judge you.”

“The universe has heard you”

“The universe sees you”.

This doctrine is straight from the devil (who loves the fact that many don’t believe he exists).

In short, rather than acknowledging the one true, living and sovereign God, these people say everything is determined by the natural laws and natural order establishes and ‘maintained’ by ‘the universe’.

And, there are some who try to actually give the universe ‘consciousness’. However, they don’t even imply that God is the universe, but that the universe is God.

GOD IS NOT THE UNIVERSE, NOR VICE VERSA.

God created the universe..

Hebrews 11:3  (NKJV)

³ By faith we understand that the ^[a]worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Even Hebrews Chapter 3 says, “the worlds were framed”.

God is an eternal, invisible Spirit. Quite frankly, He is not an ‘old, bearded, grey-headed white dude’.

Colossians 1:15  (NKJV)

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

John 4:24  (NKJV)

²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Romans 1:20  (NKJV)

²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and ^[a]Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Science contends that the universe had a beginning. God had no beginning. Yes the bible says, “In the beginning” for our benefit to reference when God began His relationship with our perception of reality and man, but an eternal God needed no beginning. It that was so, what happened before the beginning.

If the universe had to have a ‘beginning’, by what or whom did it begin?

The universe is not alive.

The universe doesn’t have a will.

Here’s the problem, science and our ability to learn and draw conclusions from what we learn is only as good as our ability to understand.

Even the brightest human minds are incapable of understanding the infinite deep knowledge of God, or even the universe.

In fact, I define science as our attempt to give a physical explanation to the spiritual.

Think about this, God is has not beginning and has no end. He cannot be created or destroyed. Sounds a lot like the Law of Thermodynamics…

This law states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed,

but can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. sounds a lot like God doesn’t it?

Science looks for planets similar to earth that can sustain life, but God can create and sustain life that can live in -200 degrees below zero and breath methane gas if He so desired.

Science, philosophy and all this world’s knowledge will never be able to understand the mysteries of the universe, and definitely will never understand the wisdom of God…

Isaiah 55:8-9  (NKJV)

⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts

People think there is no God because they feel earth is too small relative to the entire universe. But, if God chose to have life on a million planets, that would still be small relative to the entire universe. The fact is that ten million light years away, God is still God.

And, just as you can’t see the internet, but can be ‘on’ the internet in your Tennessee, while millions of others are on the internet all around the world, while someone else is on the internet in space, God can be everywhere at the same time.

I’m saying all that to say this. God is alive and He is bigger than the universe. It takes just as much faith to believe in ‘the universe’ as it does to believe in God.

Just open your heart and believe.

1 Corinthians 1:25-31 (NKJV)

²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ²⁶ For ^[a]you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many ^[b]noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the ^[c]base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— ³¹ that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Gifts are given for many reasons…

For love…

Out of guilt…

To show off…

And, unfortunately some people judge the love of people in their lives based on the material things they give and the amount of money spent on those gifts.

But, the interesting thing about true forgiveness is that it can ONLY be given out of love.

The greatest gift ever given to us, Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was given as a perpetual willingness of God to forgive us.

True love isn’t only proven by what you’re willing to give, but what you’re willing to forgive.

Colossians 3:13 (NKJV)

¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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God is a forgiving God and He is willing to forgive us of all our sins as long as we truly repent and have a forgiving heart towards others.

But, sometimes we can wonder if we will ever recover from the consequences of our bad decisions.

Let me give you a quick reminder that God loves us and He is bigger than or bad decisions.

Any parent who has punished or disciplined their child will look on them in pity and remove the punishment or give them relief from the consequences if It’s in their power to do so.

God does the same thing…

Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)

⁵ For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But ^[a]joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 103:9-11 (NKJV)

⁹ He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

So if you’re living out the consequences or results of a bad decision and you have truly repented, pray that God deliver you from the consequences.

Pray that God gives you relief and peace. But, make sure you pray that He does so to his glory and for His names sake…

Psalm 25:10-11 (NKJV)

¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
¹¹ For Your name’s sake, O Lord,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

Psalm 143:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake!
For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

Isaiah 48:8-10 (NKJV)

⁸ Surely you did not hear,
Surely you did not know;
Surely from long ago your ear was not opened.
For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,
And were called a transgressor from the womb.

⁹ “For My name’s sake I will ^[a]defer My anger,
And for My praise I will restrain it from you,
So that I do not cut you off.
¹⁰ Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

Once I was driving at night and didn’t see a small ditch. I drove right into it! I had to drive IN the ditch for a while until I could find a place to drive OUY of it. Sometimes you have to remain in a ditch until you can find a place to be pulled out our pull yourself out.

Even though you may remain in a ‘ditch’ because of you’re a bad decision, God can pull you out.

BE BLESSTIFIED!