There are negative stereotypes of every race, gender, geographic region, culture, nationality, religion etc.

This is one article that needs no evidence or examples because as you read it those negative stereotypes of which you are aware easily come to mind.

I don’t know what’s worse, negative stereotypes or those people who seem to do their best to support those stereotypes with their thinking, attitudes and behavior.

Even in the bible, the apostle Paul mentions a stereotype that was supported by the behavior of SOME of the people of a certain group, that projected to all of them…

Titus 1:10-13 (NKJV)

¹⁰ For there are many insubordinate, both idle ^(A)talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, ¹¹ whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, ^(B)for the sake of dishonest gain. ^{12 (C)}One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” ¹³ This testimony is true. ^(D)Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,

Notice that Paul said, “THIS TESTIMONY IS TRUE”. That’s because that…

No matter hard some people work to remove negative stereotypes of their particular ‘group’, there are others who seem to be committed to helping those stereotypes to live on.

Unfortunately, some stereotypes are like rumors… most (but not all) rumors are wrapped around a kernel of truth.

Think about the many groups of which you are a part, and the negative stereotypes of those groups…

Which of those stereotypes does your thinking, attitudes and behavior help those stereotypes live on?

Be careful, sometimes our stereotyping someone fits a stereotype within itself.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

You’ve stopped.

You don’t do it anymore.

You even asked God to forgive you.

But, when you think about it, the memory still makes you smile.

If you don’t really regret it.

If you had to do it all over…you would do it again.

If you aren’t truly sorry that it happened, then it’s a good chance that God hasn’t forgiven you.

Why?

Because you haven’t truly repented in your heart.

True repentance comes from godly sorrow…

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ For ^(A)godly sorrow produces repentance leadingto salvation, not to be regretted; ^(B)but the sorrow of the world produces death.

If you aren’t sorry, have you truly repented?

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

Our challenge is to love the sinner without condoning or justifying the sinful lifestyle…while we struggle with our own.

Our challenge is to call out sin and warn of it’s consequences in spite of our own imperfections, faults, failures and weaknesses.

We must remember that calling out sin, warning about it’s consequences and holding one another accountable is not judging…it’s our responsibility.

Condemnation and stating what we believe is in someone’s heart is judging.

None of us are perfect. Far from it. But, God still expects us to warn about the consequences of sin.

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The truth is that none of us are never at any moment, ‘sinless’. Does that make us all hypocrites?

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Nope. God justifies us and ‘views us as righteous’ only through faith our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:23  (NKJV)

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:1 (NKJV)

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have^[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

The key is to never be content or satisfied with our own sins. To constantly allow His Holy Spirit to convict us of our own wrong, working diligently to ‘lay them aside’…

It’s your attitude about your sin that prevents you from being a hypocrite.

Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Pray for God to give you wisdom, knowledge, understanding, discernment and revelation for how to be His image, His voice, His representative in this generation. And, leave behind a heritage of good fruit for the generations to come.

Colossians 1:27-28  (NKJV)

²⁷ To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which^[a] is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

 Psalm 71:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ Now also when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.

 BE BLESSTIFIED!