In simple terms, a Malik is a tribal leader. Maliks represent tradition of the Assyrians of the north. Maliks were tribal elders who were respected by the peoples of their respective tribes. They were considered intelligent, although illiterate, the Malik would act as mediator between his people and local Governments and officials. Maliks were appointed by the Assyrian Patriarch.
According to Assyrian legend, a man from the family of Nebuchadnezzar, his name Mandu, went out from the city of Assyria. It is not clear from which city. He travels accompanied with four brothers, Barut, Yosip, Bakus and Essi. Mandu has promised that he would settle in a place where they could feed him head and shanks of a sheep. After a long trip Mandu and his brothers arrived at a place named Pachu. (This was the birthplace of ‘Paa – Cha’, an Assyrian dish using tripe or the linings of a sheep’s stomach) A poor man fed them head and shanks of a sheep. Mandu saw that he had reached his destination and decided to stay there and become the head of the town. He chose a good place opposite to the town which now is known as Zara’ish. He built a house for himself here.
One day as Mandu was walking in the forest, he saw four birds. He also saw a black stone and nearby a Church whose door was closed. In his dream on that very same night, he saw the key to the door of the Church and a chandelier buried under the black stone. Next morning he went and picked up the key from under the black stone. He opened the Church and entered into it and prayed. From that day that Church has been a place for worship for all the residents of the town.
One day as Mandu was walking according to his habit, he saw a large cave filled with bones of men. He inquired and was told that men had escaped from Persians and had hid themselves in this cave. The Persians found the cave and lit a fire before the entry into the cave and the men in it were killed. Around the town used to live some pagans who Mandu converted to Christianity. He killed those who refused to accept Christianity. Mandu did not kill known families and ordered them to go and live in a nearby town. They went as ordered. Their descendants still remain but have not increased.
Descendants of Malik Mandu became Maliks who also took the name of Mandu.
During the time of one of the Maliks, Mar Shimon (this was the name of every Assyrian Patriarch) fled from Assyria. The Persians came and captured the entire region. They took Mar Shimon to Persia and permitted him to live in the town of Shinu. When Mar Shimon settled there, he built a large Church. After a long period of time, Malik Mandu rescued Mar Shimon from Persians and took him to the town of Zarnish. From that time for 60 years, the Patriarchs lived in the town of Zarnish. The grave of one of the Patriarchs is in the town’s cemetery.
It is not clear why Mar Shimon left Zarnish and settled in Tirgonia. He later moved to Qochanish which was given to him as a gift by Malik Mandu. Mar Shimon did not stay long in Qochanis because the town was near Gulamarj and was under the rule of a Kurdish Mira. Therefore he was obliged to move to Dizen. Malik Mandu was not pleased that Mar Shimon had left Qochanis. He conferred with the Kurdish Miras of Gulamarj on how he could return Mar Shimon to Qochanis. He went to Dizen and burned Mar Shimon’s house. Later, they collected money and built a house for him and invited him to Qochanis It was in this way Mar Shimon was made to accept the invitation to go and settle in Qochanis.
The chair of Malik Mandu was inherited by Malik Aron. He attacked the Kurdish Khirwat castle, took it and destroyed it. It was a big victory. Malik Aron was followed by another who took the name Mandu. He, also like former Maliks, was a man of war. When there was a friction, Malik Khubyar of the tribe of Baz, attacked the town and killed its inhabitants.
Malik Mandu was followed by Malik Suleiman and during his time the Ottoman Government thought it was necessary to place Government officials in these regions. The Government appointed local Rayis (Chiefs) in each of Gulamarj, Gawar and Shamdinin (Shamsdin). These Rayis were trying in every way to prevent fighting between the Assyrian tribes. Therefore Malik Suleiman and Malik Shlimon who followed him, both had kept peace among the tribes. Malik Shlimon was followed by Malik Warda. They say that he was bribed by Urmar, Chief of a Kurdish tribe, not to help the Assyrian tribes when Kurdish tribes attacked them. The Kurds attacked, plundered and killed and stole cattle. Malik Warda did not interfere to defend the Assyrian tribes that were attacked by Kurds.
Malik Eshu, who followed Malik Warda, attacked Assyrian tribes of Tkhumi and took away 2000 heads of sheep. At this time the tribes of Diz attacked Tkhumi, occupied the lands of Kirsu and put cattle in their planted fields. Malik Eshu attacked the tribes of Diznayi, and took their cattle. He controlled their fields and collected their farming produce for himself.
Malik Eshu was followed by Malik Mirza. Nothing is known about this Malik. During the time of Malik Khalil, who followed Malik Mirza, Kurdish tribes attacked Jilu tribes and took 2000 heads of sheep.Malik Khalil complained to the Turkish government. Later, he took 400 strong men from his tribe and 40 Turkish soldiers and attacked the Kurdish Urmar and forced him to pay Malik Khalil 400 Liras, 682 sheep, 7 mules, 4 cows, some carpet/rugs and other items.
In 1909, Malik Khalil traveled to Europe to collect money. He was dressed in his native clothes and was introduced in the presence of the Pope. He explained to the Pope that he was Malik of Jilu and added that there was no education in his country and requested the Pope’s permission to collect money to open schools. The Pope gave his permission and in a short time he collected 18,000 Manati and returned home where he began to build a school. He again went back to Europe to collect money. It appeared that he was impersonating a Catholic monk in his travels in Austria. As was learned later from the Austrian Consul, the Austrian Government had arrested Malik Khalil as they suspected that he was collecting money in the name of the Church, but keeping it for himself and had requested the Consul to introduce him personally to Austrian Government.
Upper Tyareh Maliks
The first Malik of Upper Tyareh is known as Malik Hormis. During his time, the Khan of Gulamarj, Karem Khan, became chief of the Sodan - Baba. Karem Khan attacked the Assyrians of Upper Tyareh. Malik Hormis and his men fled from the enemy. He found a safe place atop a mountain. They defended themselves for 20 days fighting ceaselessly against the attacking Kurds. After Karem Khan destroyed the villages of Upper Tyareh, he returned to his village. Malik Hormis came down and gathered all the Assyrian men who had escaped from the Kurds and settled in the village of Chamba where Malik Hormis took care of the village until his death. Every year following his death, they worshipped him and on Christmas day all the men and women of Upper Tyareh would assemble at his grave which to them is a Holy place. Here, they would conduct a funeral service. Near his grave, other Maliks that followed him and died are buried.
Little is known about the three Maliks that followed Malik Hormis, Maliks Kanawa, Benyamin and Yona. The most known Malik in this period was Ismail.
All Assyrian villages were again attacked by Kurds this time under the leadership of the Kurdish chief Badr Khan. After a three day battle, Malik Ismail was wounded. He fled to a high mountain and thought that the Kurds could not harm him. Malik Ismail later came down from the mountain near a spring and began talking with Badr Khan. By the end of their talk Badr Khan requested that Malik Ismail accept Islam and if he did he would give him anything he wanted. Malik Ismail angrily answered that he would give him anything he wanted if Badr Khan accepted Christianity. When Badr Khan heard this, he signalled his men to kill him. Malik Ismail was thus killed.
Following Malik Ismail were Maliks Benyamin, Pittu, Gindu and Yaku. There is scarce information surrounding these Maliks. The last Malik was Ismail. He was well educated and could read and write.
Lower Tyareh
The first Malik of Lower Tyareh is considered to have been Odishu, who together with Patriarch Mar Awrahim Khan, had raided the Iranian border plundering and destroying. After one of his victories Mar Awrahim Khan went to Constantinople and received from the Turkish Sultan permission to mint money on the condition that he would build roads in Gulamarj district. Mar Awrahim Khan carried out this condition, partially. The grave of Malik Odishu is in Salabagh. Every year on the second day of Christmas, religious services are held by the family of the Malik and by other families in the village. They come to his grave bringing various kinds of food and place them on Malik Odishu’s grave. The priests would first pray and after the prayers they would sit around the grave and partake of the food. Up to the present day the tribe of Upper Tyareh swears by the grave of Malik Odishu.
Malik Barkhu followed Malik Odishu. During his time the Kurds of Jezira Botan attacked Gulamarj and occupied it. Malik Barkhu joined with the leader of the Kurdish tribe of Artush, in the district of Betleshabab, Shakir, who helped the commander of Gulamarj. They attacked the Kurds of Jezira Botan and expelled them from the borders of Gulamarj.
Malik Barkhu was followed by Malik Odishu II who administered his lands peacefully. Even today his tribe point out to his grave in Salabagh. Malik Odishu II was followed by Malik Daniel. He attacked the leader of Barwar, destroyed the Qumri castle and returned with much treasure. Pleased with the bounty from Barwar, the villagers lived well and in peace for some time. Malik Daniel then proceeded to build some roads which were used for trade.
Malik Daniel was followed by Malik Barkhu. During his time the Kurds of Chal raided his villages and looted Assyrian sheep. Malik Barkhu chased them and recovered the sheep. As he was under the influence of Catholic missionaries, Malik Barkhu became Catholic. For this reason Mar Shimon removed him from the chair of Malik and replaced him with Malik Kashun. Malik Kashun up to 1909, ruled Lower Tyareh tribes.
Maliks Of Tkhumi
The Chief of the Tkhumi tribe was known as Malik Shirinshah, who had come from Nineveh to Tkhumi together with other Assyrians. He saw a Church in a forest and decided to settle near it. When he was settled, he began to fight against the Yezidis who were in that area.
After Shirinshah, came Malik Manu. During the time of Malik Manu, Kurds of Artush attacked the village of Khan and the Yezidis who lived there and killed many of them. The Yezidis were expelled and their lands were confiscated. Later the Artush Kurds began to kill Assyrians who had recently arrived and settled there. Malik Manu fought against them and protected his people. Malik Manu was followed by Malik Oraham who joined with the leader of Gulamarj, Mir Matan, and attacked the Kurds of Badin near Mosul, crushing and dispersing them. Later, the leader of Gulamarj attacked the Kurds of Bardasori of Iran, crushed and looted them.
Malik Oraham was followed by Malik Lachin, who attacked the Kurds of Chalm and Mirza Agha and beat them on the Zab River. He was followed by Malik Dinkha, who organized a force of three thousand men and attacked the Kurds of Artush, crushed them and took rich bounty.
Malik Dinkha was followed by Malik Gewargis, who followed the example of Malik Dinkha and attacked the tribes of Artush. Malik Gewargis was still alive in 1909 when missionaries visited the land. He attacked the tribes of Artush several times and captured a large number of cattle. As he became emboldened by his victories against the Artush tribes, he attacked the head of Urmar, Satu Agha who had stolen two thousand sheep from Assyrians and recovered them all.
The clans of Maliks in the north are divided into five families which consist of about seventy clans. It was therefore decided that the chair of Malik should be inherited, but every three years, the Malik must be elected from one of the families most qualified to be Malik.
Maliks of Baz
It is said that the tribe of Baznayeh had fled from the Assyrian cities and settled in Shiwala, a town in the Artush district. They lived there a number of centuries and were constantly attacked by Kurds who wanted to settle in the district of Baz, named after the name of the Assyrian tribe.
The earliest Malik of Baznayeh whose memory is mentioned, was Malik Yonan who repulsed the attacks by the leader of the Pizan Kurds, Mustafa Beg. Following Yonan, came Malik Daryawush who was nicknamed, Darwish. He fought against the Kurds near the city of Mosul and had tried to attack and capture the Baz district. After repulsing the Kurds, Malik Daryawush ruled freely over Baz district.
Malik Daryawush was followed by Malik Ayub who built the Churches of Baz. After Malik Ayub came Malik Kanoon. He attacked the leader of Gulamarj, Rashid Pasha and was killed in the battle field. Later, the new leader of Gulamarj, Abdullah Beg, agreed with Malik Solomon, and together attacked the Kurdish tribes of Jezira Botan and inflicted on heavy destruction on them, but Malik Solomon was killed in battle.
Malik Solomon was followed by Malik Shakha. Although he was from the family of Malik Yonan, he was from the Sha’ota village.
Following Malik Shakha was Malik Yonan II. It should be remembered that Assyrian Maliks, as Turkish subjects, used to pay a sum of money as tax to the leader of Gulamarj. Malik Yonan had however, not paid taxes for eight years and freely ruled his tribe. After meeting the leader of Gulamarj, Nuri Beg, in the Khoi village, Yonan agreed to pay taxes to avoid bloodshed.
Malik Yonan was followed by Khoshaba who was Malik for nine years and was toppled by the leader of Gulamarj for not paying taxes and was fined nine mules.
Malik Khoshaba was followed by Malik Shakha II. During winter, as it was a custom, men of the tribe were away from Baz, working near Mosul. At this time, Kurdish tribes of Pinyanis, Urmar and others raided Baz and looted its villages. In April, when men returned home, Malik Shakha gathered a strong army and attacked the Kurds killing 80 Kurds, looted them and returned home.
Malik Shakha II was followed by Odisho. Malik Odisho’s efforts must be mentioned. He applied to the Turkish Government and reduced the taxes from 60 Liras to 30. This was a significant achievement because it meant that trading in the Assyrian region was could now flourish and grow.
After Malik Odisho, other Maliks followed one after the other; Maliks Zatu, Shimon, Yaku, Yonan III and Eshai. During 1909, Malik Hormis, who several times repulsed raids by Kurds of Urmar, when necessary, could raise 900 volunteer fighters.
Maliks played a significant role in the mountainous regions where the Assyrians resided. As they were surrounded by armies of Turks and Kurds, who were pressing the Assyrians into Islamic conversion, it was the Maliks under the guidance of the Assyrian Patriarch, who negotiated battles and transactions between the so called enemies. Maliks are yet another forgotten and unknown part of Assyrian history.
Written and compiled by John Isaac 1995
Original text in Syriac / Aramaic translated, 1997 by John Isaac, Rui Tsiaris and Ninos Melki
Published, 1995, Monash University – Akkadian / Aramaic / Hebrew studies journal
Published, 1997, United Press of Victoria – The Ancient Near East
References
Jennings, (1932) Nineveh and her Children
Wallace / WCM (1876) Missions to the Ancient Near East – Rescue of the Assyrian
Gosse (1852) Assyria, her manners, customs, arts and arms
M.Y.A Lilian, (1914) Assyrians of the Van District – During the rule of the Ottoman Turks
Syriac scripts courtesy of Monash University and Oxford University (Faculty of Oriental Studies)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Dealing with guilt
What do you experience when you feel guilt?
Sometimes you feel that something bad is going to happen, or you feel unworthy, dirty, like a failure, thereare lots of feelings when people experience guilt.
There are 3 types of guilt we deal with in life and we need to realise they are different and need to be dealt with differently.
def. Guilt is a sense of wrong doing and emotional conflict that arises when you have 2nd thoughts on something that we have done. we think about somethingthat has happened in the past and we think we have done something wrong. you keep bringing up something old and trashy which God has forgiven you for.you need to let it go.
Read 1 John 1:5 - (walking in light) This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all
Read Eph 1:7 - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
Why do we feel guilt?
- Sometimes it is because we are taught wrongly, we are taught to have a sense of wrong guilt. if we are brought up thinkingeverything is wrong then i will grow up having a sense of guilt. whether we are taught within the church or within our family. maybe when we were youngerwe were told we were always wrong, we were no good and unworthy.
- We also may have childhood memories which effect us now. someone when we were young something bad happened and you were blamed for it for no reason, someonethrew blame on you and told you it was your fault. you grew up with that guilt without knowing what you had done wrong. God would never tell you thatyou were wrong or that you are bad.
- Low self esteem. feel like you didnt get the breaks in life, not up to your expectations. you feel inadequate and no matter what you do you never feelthat you have done it correctly.
Any guilty feeling which does not have a biblical origin, is wrong and false guilt. God doesnt lay guilt on his chidren. satan uses false guilt to harrassGods children.
There is biblical guilt though. this stems from an act of sin you have committed with the knowledge you have done something against God, the Holy Spirit convicts you and tells you you shouldnt have done that. He will NEVER tell you that you are bad or unworthy.
So what is the result/consequences of these guilty feelings? (false guilt leaves the same effect on us as true guilt)
- Doubt. one of the first things that happens is doubt. whether God loves us or not, doubt His presence, His promises and provisions. You doubt His answering your prayers.
- Fear. Fear of the judgement of God, or of Gods rejection. fear of loss of health, financial security etc-desire of punishment. you get used to the punishment like when you were a child. you felt better after you were spanked as a child cos you knewy ou deserved it.
- Insecurities. not enough money, friends, approval etc. you may end up with no friends, limited money, afraid of getting sick etc. you are clouded
- Compulsive behaviour. you get busy and stay busy. you are trying to pay God back. you dont realise that you dont need divine approval, you just needto realise that Christ is your saviour and you dont need to bring upon emotional pain upon yourself. there are many women in the ministry because theirpast has brought them to church. you dont need to pay God back, you cant. how can you repay Him for you sin? do not get into ministry trying to pay God backHe already loves you!- inability to experience the goodness/pleasures of life. you push everything good away cos you believe nothing good exists anymore. you dont realise God places good things in your life whether its experiences or people, you believe no one is worhty enough cos YOU are not worthy enough.
- Physically. you end up with illnesses, depression, mental instability.
Now you can go to the doctor and get prescribed pills and medicine etc. but it takes more than that. You need to realise what you have done or not done in your life. You need to deal with it once and for all, You need to confront those people who have taught you you are wrong and unworthy whether its friends or family. You need to deal with it and accept Gods love for you and that you were created as a special unique person in His image. you need to affirm that He looks upon you and loves you, He forgives you even when you have done something wrong BUT you need to understand He forgives those who have done wrong against you also. That is the key, if you have been blamed by your family for things of the past, remember God forgives them and that satan has used them to get to you and to break you, but you are greater than that! You are worth more than that! Understand what God thinks of you. He wants you to fill your life with happiness and people who make you happy and can provide for you so that you may all grow in Him and know Him intimately.
There is no reason to feel guilty IF you understand why certain things happened in your life. Do not blame other people! do not blame yourself! Don't waste time being bitter and angry and upset, focus on WHY things happened and work it out, deal with it and get on with life. for if you dont, you will miss out on good experiences in life which God is giving you which can lift you and take your life to levels you had never believed in before.
Truth is the only thing that liberates us from satanic harrassment. Find the truth within your dark experiences and take it on board and apply it to your life. God doesn't place Godly people in your life to hurt you, He places them in your life to show you what He can do for you and how you can live a Godly happy life with people, that is what He intends for your life. dont reject it! do not go against God.
As we mentioned before, there are 3 types of guilt we deal with in life and we need to realise they are different and need to be dealt with differently.
- Civil guilt. we have violated a civil law eg. speeding.
- Biblical guilt. violating Gods law, divine law. eg. stealing, killing
- False guilt. psychological guilt. based on something which happened in the past or something we feel about ourselves but has no biblical grounds/basis.
If you keep bringing up old trash, feeling guilty over something God has already forgiven you for, it is false guilt. also if you cannot name a single thingas to why you feel guilty, it is false. it is not from God and does not fit who we are as children of God.
How to deal with bibical guilt?
Identify the type of guilt you are experiencing. If its something you have not dealt with, you need to acknowledge it and accept it and believe God will forgive you of that sin if you confess and repent. He is faithful and just and will cleanse us of all unrighteousness and wrong doing.
God will not make you pay for something that His son has already paid for!
How to deal with false guilt?
Whats the source of this guilt? It is most likely something I am not responsible for. However, there IS a source. Ask God and you will be able to trace back to dark times in your life and you will see the truth and be able to accept it no matter if other people cannot accept it.
You affirm these 3 things once you have identified the false guilt from your past:
- I am special. God sent His son for you. God has predestined that He will conform you to the likeness of His son.how much more special can you be?
- I am loved. i am loved by God first of all, you are forgiven by Him AND He has placed people in your life which will love you. do not reject both.
- I am forgiven. if we are faithful and we confess to Him and repent, we are forgiven
But first you need to identify the source of this false guilt. what happens when you identify and realise these 3 things?
You maybe someone who has guilt hovering over them for years, day in day out but when you realise these things, you will reject it. You will reject the satanic harrassment which has clouded your personality and your being for all these years and that cloud will disappear. The blood of Jesus Christ is continuingly cleansing you and making you pure in the eyes of God. You are forgiven for your wrongs BUT you must forgive those who have blamed you for those dark experiences in life, no matter when it was or what happened. You are not responsible for their bitterness or anger or hurt. It is their fault they are angry and bitter towards you cos THEY haven't dealt with those issues. THEY need to realise that God forgives and cleanses people. THEY need to accept Christ and begin living a Godly life and let go of all those unGodly things in their life, THEY need to reject satan and his ways which turns them against you and other people.
All your bad experiences in life stem from one initial bad experience which you haven't dealt with. Look back and see when things went wrong, Have they got better? I will bet my life that your answer is no. You know why? Cos you didn't initially deal with that sin/experience at that very moment! Maybe you didn't have any support or love from friends or family, maybe you were not able to communicate with friends or family and let things out. But with God, it's never too late, look back at that initial experience or issue and deal with it now, today, let someone help you deal with it, do it together and let it go once and for all and allow God's love to rain down on you. do not carry this false guilt with you in life, for if you haven't got anywhere in life till now, you never will until you deal with those unresolved issues in your life, if you dont, they will continue effecting every relationship and decision you make in life.
Does God want this for you? I don't think so. Is this why He created you? I don't think so.
Resolve those issues and start living a life He wants you to live!
Sometimes you feel that something bad is going to happen, or you feel unworthy, dirty, like a failure, thereare lots of feelings when people experience guilt.
There are 3 types of guilt we deal with in life and we need to realise they are different and need to be dealt with differently.
def. Guilt is a sense of wrong doing and emotional conflict that arises when you have 2nd thoughts on something that we have done. we think about somethingthat has happened in the past and we think we have done something wrong. you keep bringing up something old and trashy which God has forgiven you for.you need to let it go.
Read 1 John 1:5 - (walking in light) This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all
Read Eph 1:7 - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
Why do we feel guilt?
- Sometimes it is because we are taught wrongly, we are taught to have a sense of wrong guilt. if we are brought up thinkingeverything is wrong then i will grow up having a sense of guilt. whether we are taught within the church or within our family. maybe when we were youngerwe were told we were always wrong, we were no good and unworthy.
- We also may have childhood memories which effect us now. someone when we were young something bad happened and you were blamed for it for no reason, someonethrew blame on you and told you it was your fault. you grew up with that guilt without knowing what you had done wrong. God would never tell you thatyou were wrong or that you are bad.
- Low self esteem. feel like you didnt get the breaks in life, not up to your expectations. you feel inadequate and no matter what you do you never feelthat you have done it correctly.
Any guilty feeling which does not have a biblical origin, is wrong and false guilt. God doesnt lay guilt on his chidren. satan uses false guilt to harrassGods children.
There is biblical guilt though. this stems from an act of sin you have committed with the knowledge you have done something against God, the Holy Spirit convicts you and tells you you shouldnt have done that. He will NEVER tell you that you are bad or unworthy.
So what is the result/consequences of these guilty feelings? (false guilt leaves the same effect on us as true guilt)
- Doubt. one of the first things that happens is doubt. whether God loves us or not, doubt His presence, His promises and provisions. You doubt His answering your prayers.
- Fear. Fear of the judgement of God, or of Gods rejection. fear of loss of health, financial security etc-desire of punishment. you get used to the punishment like when you were a child. you felt better after you were spanked as a child cos you knewy ou deserved it.
- Insecurities. not enough money, friends, approval etc. you may end up with no friends, limited money, afraid of getting sick etc. you are clouded
- Compulsive behaviour. you get busy and stay busy. you are trying to pay God back. you dont realise that you dont need divine approval, you just needto realise that Christ is your saviour and you dont need to bring upon emotional pain upon yourself. there are many women in the ministry because theirpast has brought them to church. you dont need to pay God back, you cant. how can you repay Him for you sin? do not get into ministry trying to pay God backHe already loves you!- inability to experience the goodness/pleasures of life. you push everything good away cos you believe nothing good exists anymore. you dont realise God places good things in your life whether its experiences or people, you believe no one is worhty enough cos YOU are not worthy enough.
- Physically. you end up with illnesses, depression, mental instability.
Now you can go to the doctor and get prescribed pills and medicine etc. but it takes more than that. You need to realise what you have done or not done in your life. You need to deal with it once and for all, You need to confront those people who have taught you you are wrong and unworthy whether its friends or family. You need to deal with it and accept Gods love for you and that you were created as a special unique person in His image. you need to affirm that He looks upon you and loves you, He forgives you even when you have done something wrong BUT you need to understand He forgives those who have done wrong against you also. That is the key, if you have been blamed by your family for things of the past, remember God forgives them and that satan has used them to get to you and to break you, but you are greater than that! You are worth more than that! Understand what God thinks of you. He wants you to fill your life with happiness and people who make you happy and can provide for you so that you may all grow in Him and know Him intimately.
There is no reason to feel guilty IF you understand why certain things happened in your life. Do not blame other people! do not blame yourself! Don't waste time being bitter and angry and upset, focus on WHY things happened and work it out, deal with it and get on with life. for if you dont, you will miss out on good experiences in life which God is giving you which can lift you and take your life to levels you had never believed in before.
Truth is the only thing that liberates us from satanic harrassment. Find the truth within your dark experiences and take it on board and apply it to your life. God doesn't place Godly people in your life to hurt you, He places them in your life to show you what He can do for you and how you can live a Godly happy life with people, that is what He intends for your life. dont reject it! do not go against God.
As we mentioned before, there are 3 types of guilt we deal with in life and we need to realise they are different and need to be dealt with differently.
- Civil guilt. we have violated a civil law eg. speeding.
- Biblical guilt. violating Gods law, divine law. eg. stealing, killing
- False guilt. psychological guilt. based on something which happened in the past or something we feel about ourselves but has no biblical grounds/basis.
If you keep bringing up old trash, feeling guilty over something God has already forgiven you for, it is false guilt. also if you cannot name a single thingas to why you feel guilty, it is false. it is not from God and does not fit who we are as children of God.
How to deal with bibical guilt?
Identify the type of guilt you are experiencing. If its something you have not dealt with, you need to acknowledge it and accept it and believe God will forgive you of that sin if you confess and repent. He is faithful and just and will cleanse us of all unrighteousness and wrong doing.
God will not make you pay for something that His son has already paid for!
How to deal with false guilt?
Whats the source of this guilt? It is most likely something I am not responsible for. However, there IS a source. Ask God and you will be able to trace back to dark times in your life and you will see the truth and be able to accept it no matter if other people cannot accept it.
You affirm these 3 things once you have identified the false guilt from your past:
- I am special. God sent His son for you. God has predestined that He will conform you to the likeness of His son.how much more special can you be?
- I am loved. i am loved by God first of all, you are forgiven by Him AND He has placed people in your life which will love you. do not reject both.
- I am forgiven. if we are faithful and we confess to Him and repent, we are forgiven
But first you need to identify the source of this false guilt. what happens when you identify and realise these 3 things?
You maybe someone who has guilt hovering over them for years, day in day out but when you realise these things, you will reject it. You will reject the satanic harrassment which has clouded your personality and your being for all these years and that cloud will disappear. The blood of Jesus Christ is continuingly cleansing you and making you pure in the eyes of God. You are forgiven for your wrongs BUT you must forgive those who have blamed you for those dark experiences in life, no matter when it was or what happened. You are not responsible for their bitterness or anger or hurt. It is their fault they are angry and bitter towards you cos THEY haven't dealt with those issues. THEY need to realise that God forgives and cleanses people. THEY need to accept Christ and begin living a Godly life and let go of all those unGodly things in their life, THEY need to reject satan and his ways which turns them against you and other people.
All your bad experiences in life stem from one initial bad experience which you haven't dealt with. Look back and see when things went wrong, Have they got better? I will bet my life that your answer is no. You know why? Cos you didn't initially deal with that sin/experience at that very moment! Maybe you didn't have any support or love from friends or family, maybe you were not able to communicate with friends or family and let things out. But with God, it's never too late, look back at that initial experience or issue and deal with it now, today, let someone help you deal with it, do it together and let it go once and for all and allow God's love to rain down on you. do not carry this false guilt with you in life, for if you haven't got anywhere in life till now, you never will until you deal with those unresolved issues in your life, if you dont, they will continue effecting every relationship and decision you make in life.
Does God want this for you? I don't think so. Is this why He created you? I don't think so.
Resolve those issues and start living a life He wants you to live!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Sayings / Proverbs
Please visit this section regularly as I will be updating it whenever my mind is triggered by an interesting thought:
Sun 13th April: 'God closed my eyes, now I can see'
Wed 16th April: ' If there is a fool born every minute, I'm the man of the hour'
Sun 13th April: 'God closed my eyes, now I can see'
Wed 16th April: ' If there is a fool born every minute, I'm the man of the hour'
Monday, April 14, 2008
Love - 1 Corinthians 13
Perhaps one of the most well known verses in the Bible. Following on frrm Ch.12 where Paul talks about 'Spiritual Gifts', he teaches the people of Corinth that there is one gift which is greater than all. He also talks about 'One body, many parts' where he tells us that we all need each other so as to function as one body. He concludes Ch.12 with: 'But eagerly desire the greater gifts.'
(Ch.13)
Love
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Before verse 1, there is a small introduction Paul makes: 'Now I will show you the most excellent way.'
Let's break it down.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing
Quite simply, if I possess great knowledge and I attend Church and I know the Biblical teachings and I have great faith, but I cannot function in life, or talk to people, or show love or be able to share it with others or even understand what love is, then what is the point? If God is love and I don't have it or understand it.......well then......?
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Again, fairly straight forward. Love has no boundaries, with love comes patience and understanding. If we possess love, then we are not envious or jealous of other people, rather we are happy for them and appreciative of what they have. Love means we are patient and kind to others no matter how frustrating a situation or experience may be.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. If we have love, then we are able to communicate in a peaceful, respectful and understanding manner. We are not on the lookout for ourselves in a selfish way and we will have the patience so as not to easily get irritated and upset at others. We also possess forgiveness and compassion as Christ did, for if someone wrongs against us we will not set it in stone in our hearts and never let go of it.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love brings forth honesty and trust which gives birth to truth and justice. Even during a negative experience or trying time, when the truth is revealed, no matter how distressing or difficult it may be, we accept it with love, for we understand what someone else is going through and we are able to show compassion towards them. Also, when the truth is brought to the surface, we rejoice because we have achieved something great in a pure, mature and christian manner.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love is of great ambition and desire. With love, we dream of great things sometimes bordering on fantasy. But true love protects its owners and trusts in others. True love holds onto the hope that one day everything will be fine. True love never gives up, for if this love is a Spiritual gift from God, how can we give up on it? Shouldn't we strive to reach love given to us by God? Shouldn't we perservere and struggle to find this great love which God has blessed us with? For once we have it, we will never let go no matter what the circumstance.
8 Love never fails. Well what can you say to this? When you have experienced true love, it will never fail you or leave you. You will place it in your heart for eternity because you know it is from God.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. This verse outlines the importance of love. Love is above everything else in this world.
Remember, you may be in a difficult situation in your life. You can leave that situation, but you cannot leave the love of your life.
(Ch.13)
Love
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Before verse 1, there is a small introduction Paul makes: 'Now I will show you the most excellent way.'
Let's break it down.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing
Quite simply, if I possess great knowledge and I attend Church and I know the Biblical teachings and I have great faith, but I cannot function in life, or talk to people, or show love or be able to share it with others or even understand what love is, then what is the point? If God is love and I don't have it or understand it.......well then......?
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Again, fairly straight forward. Love has no boundaries, with love comes patience and understanding. If we possess love, then we are not envious or jealous of other people, rather we are happy for them and appreciative of what they have. Love means we are patient and kind to others no matter how frustrating a situation or experience may be.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. If we have love, then we are able to communicate in a peaceful, respectful and understanding manner. We are not on the lookout for ourselves in a selfish way and we will have the patience so as not to easily get irritated and upset at others. We also possess forgiveness and compassion as Christ did, for if someone wrongs against us we will not set it in stone in our hearts and never let go of it.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love brings forth honesty and trust which gives birth to truth and justice. Even during a negative experience or trying time, when the truth is revealed, no matter how distressing or difficult it may be, we accept it with love, for we understand what someone else is going through and we are able to show compassion towards them. Also, when the truth is brought to the surface, we rejoice because we have achieved something great in a pure, mature and christian manner.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love is of great ambition and desire. With love, we dream of great things sometimes bordering on fantasy. But true love protects its owners and trusts in others. True love holds onto the hope that one day everything will be fine. True love never gives up, for if this love is a Spiritual gift from God, how can we give up on it? Shouldn't we strive to reach love given to us by God? Shouldn't we perservere and struggle to find this great love which God has blessed us with? For once we have it, we will never let go no matter what the circumstance.
8 Love never fails. Well what can you say to this? When you have experienced true love, it will never fail you or leave you. You will place it in your heart for eternity because you know it is from God.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. This verse outlines the importance of love. Love is above everything else in this world.
Remember, you may be in a difficult situation in your life. You can leave that situation, but you cannot leave the love of your life.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
When your fire goes out
Read 2 Timothy 1 for your reference. (Paul writes from a Roman dungeon to encourage Timothy.)
Are you as fired up for God as you used to be? Has something happened? Jesus and the Holy Spirit haven't changed.
So why should that burning flame inside of you die out? God intends for that flame to burn brightly everyday until the final day.
We should possess greater faith and greater devotion to Christ because we have watched God work and built up years of faith. To cool off with the Gospel or God or Christ, you cannot do it. Somethings happened when that happens, something is going on when you cool off.
Sometimes it begins with a tragedy in someones' life and they are overwhelmed by it and they cease to pray and read the Bible instead of throwing it all on God. Many things can happen to get their attention instead of driving them to God
If satan can get you to think about something else other than God, tells you there is something new over here and something new over there and God isn't involved in those things, it is only a deception by satan.
Your flames gone out, there are ashes, doesn't mean you're gone though.
How do you detect this in your life? How would you know this is happening in your life? If you can't say you are full of joy and you are excited by Christ and his role in your life, if you can't say it to yourself, ask yourself why not. Christ doesn't change.
What are the evidences that you have changed or cooled off?
1. They begin to neglect the word of God. what wood is to a fireplace, the word of God is to your Christian life.
2. You still pray but you notice this difference, they are the same words, but now instead of feeling that God is listening, you feel that your words are going out there but they are not going anywhere
3. Your church attendance may be irregular
When you begin to cool off you begin to compromise, its natural. You compromise your basic belief system but the truth is you are slipping away. Your flame is flickering. you used to pray for people, your priest and those around you. When you begin to drift from your relationship with the Lord, your don't have the joy and its replaced by that worry, doubt and fear, that's how you begin to act towards other people. You worry, doubt and fear. You doubt that God can hear, heal, listen, answer prayers and love. When you begin to believe God isn't listening and nothing is going right and you have no encouragement, you begin to not listen to others and believe they are never right and that no one can encourage you or help you.
DONT LET THIS HAPPEN!
That sense of confidence and assurance isn't there anymore, it is replaced by worry, doubt and fear.
God hasn't given you the spirit of fear. when someone starts feeling like this, they cease to pay attention to the continuous promptings of the Holy Spirit. Every believer has within them the person of the Holy Spirit and it is the Spirits' responsibility to prompt us in our decisions and to guide us and to encrouage us. It is His business to know where we are spiritually.
When you have friends come over and its cold outside and you have a nice glowing burning fireplace, they walk straight to the fire. Why? There is something about fire that attracts people, 'isn't this fantastic? isn't this warm?' They don't want to step away from that fire because of its' warmth. When you leave that fire with only ashes and no flame, no body goes to that fire, no one is drawn to it.
Do you wonder why people aren't drawn to you? Do you wonder why people don't ask you to pray for them? Do you wonder why people don't confide in you? Maybe it's because they don't see anything, or feel anything, warm, righteous or Godly in you. Your fire has gone out, disaster.
You need steps. How do you get anywhere in your christian life? With steps, you have to take steps. God wants all of us to glow in our life and He wants to be in us.
HOW CAN YOU FIX IT?
These are the steps.
1. Know where you are now
2. Recall where you were. when you loved His word and the Gospel hymns. what was it like then?
3. Repent. (see 3.1)
4. Re-focus your attention. you are where you are now because you originally focussed on yourself instead of others and God
5. Get into the word of God. (see 5.1)
3.1 Repent even if you don't know exactly what it is, "God something has happened in my life". Repent for not spending the time with God, priorities aren't right, love has grown cold. There has to be repentance. Repent just the things that aren't what they ought to be. Only YOU know what you used to feel when you truly loved and were focussed on God. If I have neglected my family and my church and my God, have I given in to sin?
5.1 Find a short book in the Bible, begin to read so that you can say you have accomplished it BUT read it like this: ask the Lord to speak to your heart, make yourself open to what He wants to tell you. It might be a conviction, but remember He is after righteousness, so that you can find peace in your life. It is an act of grace, mercy and kindness from God. He is paying attention to you and raises a thought or a passage from a page and sends it to your heart. It is God loving you!
You have the time!
Ask God to speak to your heart. Thats how you should pray, you don't have to ask for a 'thing' just ask for a relationship with Him. You want to hear Him.
Very important: you need to also be involved in someones' life, give yourself to somebody, so that you may pour your life into someone else because up until now you have only been thinking and focussing on yourself. This is why you have ended up like this to begin with. How I feel, how I'm hurt, what I want, my goals etc selfishness isn't from God, the more we think of ourself and not others we become introverted and the world has all sorts of things and entertainment which makes us focus away from God and thats why His word is important.
Perserverance. What are you absorbed in today? What has really grabbed your attention?
Rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you. You need to add fuel to your fire! Fuel the flame of your devotion to God.
When you look at the fire within your own life, has it dwindled down to cold ashes or is it burning brightly?
God wants to make you a light so that you can shine for Him in this life.
Remember, we often light one flame using another flame. You can re-ignite your own flame using someone elses', but you need to be open to that and trust God.
Are you as fired up for God as you used to be? Has something happened? Jesus and the Holy Spirit haven't changed.
So why should that burning flame inside of you die out? God intends for that flame to burn brightly everyday until the final day.
We should possess greater faith and greater devotion to Christ because we have watched God work and built up years of faith. To cool off with the Gospel or God or Christ, you cannot do it. Somethings happened when that happens, something is going on when you cool off.
Sometimes it begins with a tragedy in someones' life and they are overwhelmed by it and they cease to pray and read the Bible instead of throwing it all on God. Many things can happen to get their attention instead of driving them to God
If satan can get you to think about something else other than God, tells you there is something new over here and something new over there and God isn't involved in those things, it is only a deception by satan.
Your flames gone out, there are ashes, doesn't mean you're gone though.
How do you detect this in your life? How would you know this is happening in your life? If you can't say you are full of joy and you are excited by Christ and his role in your life, if you can't say it to yourself, ask yourself why not. Christ doesn't change.
What are the evidences that you have changed or cooled off?
1. They begin to neglect the word of God. what wood is to a fireplace, the word of God is to your Christian life.
2. You still pray but you notice this difference, they are the same words, but now instead of feeling that God is listening, you feel that your words are going out there but they are not going anywhere
3. Your church attendance may be irregular
When you begin to cool off you begin to compromise, its natural. You compromise your basic belief system but the truth is you are slipping away. Your flame is flickering. you used to pray for people, your priest and those around you. When you begin to drift from your relationship with the Lord, your don't have the joy and its replaced by that worry, doubt and fear, that's how you begin to act towards other people. You worry, doubt and fear. You doubt that God can hear, heal, listen, answer prayers and love. When you begin to believe God isn't listening and nothing is going right and you have no encouragement, you begin to not listen to others and believe they are never right and that no one can encourage you or help you.
DONT LET THIS HAPPEN!
That sense of confidence and assurance isn't there anymore, it is replaced by worry, doubt and fear.
God hasn't given you the spirit of fear. when someone starts feeling like this, they cease to pay attention to the continuous promptings of the Holy Spirit. Every believer has within them the person of the Holy Spirit and it is the Spirits' responsibility to prompt us in our decisions and to guide us and to encrouage us. It is His business to know where we are spiritually.
When you have friends come over and its cold outside and you have a nice glowing burning fireplace, they walk straight to the fire. Why? There is something about fire that attracts people, 'isn't this fantastic? isn't this warm?' They don't want to step away from that fire because of its' warmth. When you leave that fire with only ashes and no flame, no body goes to that fire, no one is drawn to it.
Do you wonder why people aren't drawn to you? Do you wonder why people don't ask you to pray for them? Do you wonder why people don't confide in you? Maybe it's because they don't see anything, or feel anything, warm, righteous or Godly in you. Your fire has gone out, disaster.
You need steps. How do you get anywhere in your christian life? With steps, you have to take steps. God wants all of us to glow in our life and He wants to be in us.
HOW CAN YOU FIX IT?
These are the steps.
1. Know where you are now
2. Recall where you were. when you loved His word and the Gospel hymns. what was it like then?
3. Repent. (see 3.1)
4. Re-focus your attention. you are where you are now because you originally focussed on yourself instead of others and God
5. Get into the word of God. (see 5.1)
3.1 Repent even if you don't know exactly what it is, "God something has happened in my life". Repent for not spending the time with God, priorities aren't right, love has grown cold. There has to be repentance. Repent just the things that aren't what they ought to be. Only YOU know what you used to feel when you truly loved and were focussed on God. If I have neglected my family and my church and my God, have I given in to sin?
5.1 Find a short book in the Bible, begin to read so that you can say you have accomplished it BUT read it like this: ask the Lord to speak to your heart, make yourself open to what He wants to tell you. It might be a conviction, but remember He is after righteousness, so that you can find peace in your life. It is an act of grace, mercy and kindness from God. He is paying attention to you and raises a thought or a passage from a page and sends it to your heart. It is God loving you!
You have the time!
Ask God to speak to your heart. Thats how you should pray, you don't have to ask for a 'thing' just ask for a relationship with Him. You want to hear Him.
Very important: you need to also be involved in someones' life, give yourself to somebody, so that you may pour your life into someone else because up until now you have only been thinking and focussing on yourself. This is why you have ended up like this to begin with. How I feel, how I'm hurt, what I want, my goals etc selfishness isn't from God, the more we think of ourself and not others we become introverted and the world has all sorts of things and entertainment which makes us focus away from God and thats why His word is important.
Perserverance. What are you absorbed in today? What has really grabbed your attention?
Rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you. You need to add fuel to your fire! Fuel the flame of your devotion to God.
When you look at the fire within your own life, has it dwindled down to cold ashes or is it burning brightly?
God wants to make you a light so that you can shine for Him in this life.
Remember, we often light one flame using another flame. You can re-ignite your own flame using someone elses', but you need to be open to that and trust God.
Feeling condemned
Imagine something. You have just sinned against God and you are standing in His presence and He is looking at you. What kind of facial expression do you think He would have when you both know that you have committed that sin?
Your answer will reveal something about you.
We feel condemned when we sin or doing something wrong.
Briefly: John 8:1 - Jesus is at the mount of olives praying to God. He came down and the pharissess brought to Him a woman who was accused of adultery. They were testing Him. Christ wrote with His finger in the dirt and replied "He who is without sin let him throw the first stone" Jesus asked her where everyone went and He told her to go her way and sin no more. He did not question the fact that she had been caught in adultery, He did not bring it up at all. Does it mean He condones this behaviour? Of course not. He probably condemned her behaviour, but He didn't condemn her.
Why do we feel condemned?
1. First of all because of sin. our concience hits us and convicts us
2. Accusation of others. people who see you committ a sin or who know something about your life, quick to accuse you or judge you whether the accusation is true or not
3. When a person sins against God, knowing they sinned in His presence and that He knows, naturally we would feel bad
Are these feelings legitimate? Yes
What is it that condemns us? our concience?
Lets limit this only to believers who are still being condemned for sin they committed 20 yrs ago, 10yrs ago or 1 week ago.
John 16:7 (before Christ is crucified). He is talking about the receipt of the Holy Spirit, the Counsellor. 'the work of the Holy Spirit is to condemn' the work of the Spirit is to enlighten our minds and hearts so we can see our disobedience and feel convicted and make us aware and bring us to accountability so that we can repent, confess and learn from our failures. Not to condemn us!
Christ didn't condemn the woman, he may have condemned her behaviour but not her. What did He do? He died for that woman! At Calvary, He took all of our judgements and accusations and sins so that every single believer could stand in the presence of God and know that we have been redeemed and are not being condemned.
If your heart is right, you won't go out and sin against God's love, grace, mercy, compassion etc. you will not live in guilt, worry, depression, failure etc You will apply His teachings to your life. You will use your failures and accusations to benefit your life knowing the Spirit is in you and God is by your side. But human nature says 'you are guilty before God' but God said that the whole world lies guilty before me hence the arrival of His one and only Son. He suffered for us, so why do we let others make us suffer with their accusations of our sin or of something we may have done against them a long time ago?
You feel guilty because of your past. When you sin against the Lord God, you repent and confess, make restitution if possible, look for the lesson in your failure but DON'T go out and try to do to do it on your own or to pay God back, He only wants you to walk obediently for His sake so that others may see Him in your life. Lay down the issues and deep wounds you have in your life, lay them down to Him. Do not hold onto those scars from your past because if you do they will stop you from knowing others and others knowing you BUT more importantly it will stop you from knowing God intimately.
If your past has haunted you for years and years, you can lay it down rght now by faith if you simply believe not your feelings, but the testimony of God, He tells you you have been washed and cleansed, He doesnt condemn you but wants you to walk upright.
But remember one thing, do not deny people the chance to know you, for that person may be placed in your life by God for a reason, God uses us in His own glorious way and if we deny those people, we are in turn denying God.
Your answer will reveal something about you.
We feel condemned when we sin or doing something wrong.
Briefly: John 8:1 - Jesus is at the mount of olives praying to God. He came down and the pharissess brought to Him a woman who was accused of adultery. They were testing Him. Christ wrote with His finger in the dirt and replied "He who is without sin let him throw the first stone" Jesus asked her where everyone went and He told her to go her way and sin no more. He did not question the fact that she had been caught in adultery, He did not bring it up at all. Does it mean He condones this behaviour? Of course not. He probably condemned her behaviour, but He didn't condemn her.
Why do we feel condemned?
1. First of all because of sin. our concience hits us and convicts us
2. Accusation of others. people who see you committ a sin or who know something about your life, quick to accuse you or judge you whether the accusation is true or not
3. When a person sins against God, knowing they sinned in His presence and that He knows, naturally we would feel bad
Are these feelings legitimate? Yes
What is it that condemns us? our concience?
Lets limit this only to believers who are still being condemned for sin they committed 20 yrs ago, 10yrs ago or 1 week ago.
John 16:7 (before Christ is crucified). He is talking about the receipt of the Holy Spirit, the Counsellor. 'the work of the Holy Spirit is to condemn' the work of the Spirit is to enlighten our minds and hearts so we can see our disobedience and feel convicted and make us aware and bring us to accountability so that we can repent, confess and learn from our failures. Not to condemn us!
Christ didn't condemn the woman, he may have condemned her behaviour but not her. What did He do? He died for that woman! At Calvary, He took all of our judgements and accusations and sins so that every single believer could stand in the presence of God and know that we have been redeemed and are not being condemned.
If your heart is right, you won't go out and sin against God's love, grace, mercy, compassion etc. you will not live in guilt, worry, depression, failure etc You will apply His teachings to your life. You will use your failures and accusations to benefit your life knowing the Spirit is in you and God is by your side. But human nature says 'you are guilty before God' but God said that the whole world lies guilty before me hence the arrival of His one and only Son. He suffered for us, so why do we let others make us suffer with their accusations of our sin or of something we may have done against them a long time ago?
You feel guilty because of your past. When you sin against the Lord God, you repent and confess, make restitution if possible, look for the lesson in your failure but DON'T go out and try to do to do it on your own or to pay God back, He only wants you to walk obediently for His sake so that others may see Him in your life. Lay down the issues and deep wounds you have in your life, lay them down to Him. Do not hold onto those scars from your past because if you do they will stop you from knowing others and others knowing you BUT more importantly it will stop you from knowing God intimately.
If your past has haunted you for years and years, you can lay it down rght now by faith if you simply believe not your feelings, but the testimony of God, He tells you you have been washed and cleansed, He doesnt condemn you but wants you to walk upright.
But remember one thing, do not deny people the chance to know you, for that person may be placed in your life by God for a reason, God uses us in His own glorious way and if we deny those people, we are in turn denying God.
Worry
What do you worry most about in life?
- your health?
- your marriage?
- your children?
- your finances?
- what other ppl think of you?
Truth is, we all worry about something, some more than others and we all deal with worry in our own way. However....
....worry is not the will of God, it is not His plan regardless of your circumstances. Psalms tells us 'do not fret'
You let worry overtake you and you became angry and irritable and concerned about the future. You limit prayer and out of your worry, you think God won't hear you and answer you.
Worry means 'to be drawn apart'
Worry is a faith failure. If you don't like the sound of that, how about worry is a sign of weak faith? Maybe you are in a time where you feel weak, it's only natural to start worrying.
What causes you to worry?
Possibly one of the following or lots of reasons:
1. Facing a circumstance where they do not know the outcome
2. We are not in control of the circumstance, so you imagine what could possibly happen, then satan causes you to doubt
3. We don't know the word of God, we don't understand and we don't know Him, we become in conflict with God and His will and timing
4. "I've been through this before and I'm worried it will happen again"
There are many reasons.
So how do we overcome worry? Start by reading Matthew 6:25 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?'
Also, if the Bible tells us 'thou shalt not steal' and you agree with that, why wouldn't you agree with the Bible when it tells us in Matthew to not worry?
Some people constantly live in negativity and worry, they wake up in worry and spend the whole day doing it. They also worry about what they will do when they stop worrying.
There are lots of things that happen to us, most begin with us worrying about something, the consequences of something. Our faith isn't strong enough to understand that God will provide for us in that time. His love will protect us to get us through that particular moment.
Consequences of worry
1. Divides your mind and gets you thinking on other things
2. Emotions become fragmented, you feel confident this moment and the next moment you feel fear. You're all over the place
3. Drains your energy. Emotionally you have no energy left and it effects you physically, therefore you can't do your best when this happens
4. Become irritable and angry. You start questioning God and doubt His love
5. Your prayer life goes down because you don't see a point to it.
NOTE!!! The mistake is this. Do NOT do this - don't go to the doctor and tell him you feel down and depressed and you need help because most of them will write you a prescription and that doesn't settle the issue. You will rely on the doctor and medicine. This is not the solution. The consequence is what happens to your physical body.
Get up and get on your knees! Pray to God.
If you don't, you will get headaches and can't sleep, high blood pressure, hair loss etc. you will go grey in no time. This leads to death, if not physically, emotionally.
You can't worry and have peace at the same time, they don't go hand in hand. Before you know it your centre of attention becomes 'things' you want things to make you feel better and worthy to fill a void in your life. This wont last, deep down you lose your smile and energy and Christians can see through that.
If you are a child of God, He told us to not worry, it doesn't fit who we are. He is our Father and has committed Himself to love and care for us and He will worry for us on our behalf, He will deal with it, all WE have to do is to allow Him.
WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED BY WORRY
1. Remember your Father knows exactly what your needs are and He sees it and is with you in that need
2. View the circumstance, the problem, heartache, in the context of your faith, in your understanding of who God is. When you see things from His perspective, your faith kicks in!
3. Seek God first, make Him the priority so that you can grow in Christ likeness
First though, before anything, you must confess the sin in your life and accept the truth for yourself.
- your health?
- your marriage?
- your children?
- your finances?
- what other ppl think of you?
Truth is, we all worry about something, some more than others and we all deal with worry in our own way. However....
....worry is not the will of God, it is not His plan regardless of your circumstances. Psalms tells us 'do not fret'
You let worry overtake you and you became angry and irritable and concerned about the future. You limit prayer and out of your worry, you think God won't hear you and answer you.
Worry means 'to be drawn apart'
Worry is a faith failure. If you don't like the sound of that, how about worry is a sign of weak faith? Maybe you are in a time where you feel weak, it's only natural to start worrying.
What causes you to worry?
Possibly one of the following or lots of reasons:
1. Facing a circumstance where they do not know the outcome
2. We are not in control of the circumstance, so you imagine what could possibly happen, then satan causes you to doubt
3. We don't know the word of God, we don't understand and we don't know Him, we become in conflict with God and His will and timing
4. "I've been through this before and I'm worried it will happen again"
There are many reasons.
So how do we overcome worry? Start by reading Matthew 6:25 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?'
Also, if the Bible tells us 'thou shalt not steal' and you agree with that, why wouldn't you agree with the Bible when it tells us in Matthew to not worry?
Some people constantly live in negativity and worry, they wake up in worry and spend the whole day doing it. They also worry about what they will do when they stop worrying.
There are lots of things that happen to us, most begin with us worrying about something, the consequences of something. Our faith isn't strong enough to understand that God will provide for us in that time. His love will protect us to get us through that particular moment.
Consequences of worry
1. Divides your mind and gets you thinking on other things
2. Emotions become fragmented, you feel confident this moment and the next moment you feel fear. You're all over the place
3. Drains your energy. Emotionally you have no energy left and it effects you physically, therefore you can't do your best when this happens
4. Become irritable and angry. You start questioning God and doubt His love
5. Your prayer life goes down because you don't see a point to it.
NOTE!!! The mistake is this. Do NOT do this - don't go to the doctor and tell him you feel down and depressed and you need help because most of them will write you a prescription and that doesn't settle the issue. You will rely on the doctor and medicine. This is not the solution. The consequence is what happens to your physical body.
Get up and get on your knees! Pray to God.
If you don't, you will get headaches and can't sleep, high blood pressure, hair loss etc. you will go grey in no time. This leads to death, if not physically, emotionally.
You can't worry and have peace at the same time, they don't go hand in hand. Before you know it your centre of attention becomes 'things' you want things to make you feel better and worthy to fill a void in your life. This wont last, deep down you lose your smile and energy and Christians can see through that.
If you are a child of God, He told us to not worry, it doesn't fit who we are. He is our Father and has committed Himself to love and care for us and He will worry for us on our behalf, He will deal with it, all WE have to do is to allow Him.
WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED BY WORRY
1. Remember your Father knows exactly what your needs are and He sees it and is with you in that need
2. View the circumstance, the problem, heartache, in the context of your faith, in your understanding of who God is. When you see things from His perspective, your faith kicks in!
3. Seek God first, make Him the priority so that you can grow in Christ likeness
First though, before anything, you must confess the sin in your life and accept the truth for yourself.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Taking responsibility
Read Luke 12:48
Responsibility is a two-sided coin. On one side is responsibility, on the other side is reward. Too many of us are focused on one side of the coin only - reward.
Taking responsibility means three things:
1, Acknowledging what you are responsible for
2. Acknowledging who you are responsible to
3. Acting responsibly at all times
All the excuses you give yourself, and others, won't let you off the hook. Jesus said, 'Much is required from those to whom much is given.'
At their annual conference, the manager of a dog food company asked his sales team how they liked the company's new advertising programme. 'Great!' they replied, 'the best in the business.' 'What do you think of the product?' he asked. 'Fantastic,' they replied. 'How about the sales force?' he asked. They were the sales force, so of course they responded positively saying they were the best. 'Okay then,' the manager said, 'so if we have the best brand, the best packaging, the best advertising programme and the best sales force, why are we in seventeenth place in our industry?' After an awkward silence, one of the salesmen shouted, 'It's those dogs - they just won't eat the stuff!' Guess what? Your problem is not the dogs, or your job, or your spouse, or society at large, or whatever.
Be honest, your biggest challenge in life is you. If your life's not going the way you want it to, you are responsible for changing it. And God will help you if you turn to Him. But you must want to change, decide to change, and work each day towards that end.
Soulfood Bible Readings Lev 18-20, Mk 5:1-10, Ps 25:8-15, Pr 10:2
Responsibility is a two-sided coin. On one side is responsibility, on the other side is reward. Too many of us are focused on one side of the coin only - reward.
Taking responsibility means three things:
1, Acknowledging what you are responsible for
2. Acknowledging who you are responsible to
3. Acting responsibly at all times
All the excuses you give yourself, and others, won't let you off the hook. Jesus said, 'Much is required from those to whom much is given.'
At their annual conference, the manager of a dog food company asked his sales team how they liked the company's new advertising programme. 'Great!' they replied, 'the best in the business.' 'What do you think of the product?' he asked. 'Fantastic,' they replied. 'How about the sales force?' he asked. They were the sales force, so of course they responded positively saying they were the best. 'Okay then,' the manager said, 'so if we have the best brand, the best packaging, the best advertising programme and the best sales force, why are we in seventeenth place in our industry?' After an awkward silence, one of the salesmen shouted, 'It's those dogs - they just won't eat the stuff!' Guess what? Your problem is not the dogs, or your job, or your spouse, or society at large, or whatever.
Be honest, your biggest challenge in life is you. If your life's not going the way you want it to, you are responsible for changing it. And God will help you if you turn to Him. But you must want to change, decide to change, and work each day towards that end.
Soulfood Bible Readings Lev 18-20, Mk 5:1-10, Ps 25:8-15, Pr 10:2
Inner Peace - The Peace of Christ
The purpose of this essay is to discover the Peace of Christ and to:
1. Know what it is
2. Know its' origin
3. Know what it does
First, we will look at a few verses. There are many which touch on Christs' peace, but we will focus on the following.
Colossians 3:15-17 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."
Job 22:21 "Submit to God and be at peace"
Philippians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"
Jesus says in John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust in me" and in V.14:12 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
In the above verse, Jesus is not talking about the world's peace, but the inner peace. Jesus' peace is different from the world's peace. The world can give you temporary peace, but inner peace can only come from God. We will never experience outer peace until we have inner peace. True peace starts on the inside. It is so personal that it gives rise to the greatest confidence that God is always in control and that He is always working out all things for our good.
Peace is born out of reconciliation. Paul wrote in Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God." We have peace because Christ’s sacrifice for sin fully satisfies the justice of God; the wrath of God is detoured away from the believer by the Cross of God’s Son, and we stand before God in Jesus fully pardoned and fully acquitted of any and all wrong doing. It is as if we had never sinned; the rebellion of Adam has been reversed; we are no longer banished from the Tree of Life, and the original relationship of perfection, peace and fellowship has been restored according to and through the righteousness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To justify means to declare those who are guilty of sin to be not guilty. That declaration of not guilty became a reality thanks to Jesus. Jesus became sin for us – allowing God the Father to dump our sins on Him, in other words blame Him and hold Him responsible for our sins. As a result Jesus was forced to, but so very willing to suffer the curse of God’s anger for our sins, to use His blood drawn from His veins by fist, nail, whip, thorns and spear, to wash us perfectly and permanently clean of every sin. Now God pronounces us spiritually healthy, sin-free, not guilty of any crimes against the Ten Commandments. That loving act on the part of our God changes our whole relationship with God. We’re not afraid of God, we love God. We don’t hide from God, we come to God. We have peace with God thanks to Jesus Christ. We have peace in our lives, thanks to Jesus Christ. You remember this passage don’t you, “If God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also along with Him, graciously give us all things.” In the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, to eliminate our sins, God has proven how much He loves us. We see how committed God is to us. And you know what we realize – God will spare nothing when it comes to us, His children. We know that He will meet all our needs. We know that He will send His angels to guard us in all our ways. We’re confident that He will fight for us. We trust that God will make good on His promise to work everything out for our good.
1. Know what it is
2. Know its' origin
3. Know what it does
First, we will look at a few verses. There are many which touch on Christs' peace, but we will focus on the following.
Colossians 3:15-17 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."
Job 22:21 "Submit to God and be at peace"
Philippians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"
Jesus says in John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust in me" and in V.14:12 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
In the above verse, Jesus is not talking about the world's peace, but the inner peace. Jesus' peace is different from the world's peace. The world can give you temporary peace, but inner peace can only come from God. We will never experience outer peace until we have inner peace. True peace starts on the inside. It is so personal that it gives rise to the greatest confidence that God is always in control and that He is always working out all things for our good.
Peace is born out of reconciliation. Paul wrote in Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God." We have peace because Christ’s sacrifice for sin fully satisfies the justice of God; the wrath of God is detoured away from the believer by the Cross of God’s Son, and we stand before God in Jesus fully pardoned and fully acquitted of any and all wrong doing. It is as if we had never sinned; the rebellion of Adam has been reversed; we are no longer banished from the Tree of Life, and the original relationship of perfection, peace and fellowship has been restored according to and through the righteousness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Few of us ever want to give the impression that anything’s wrong. The standard greeting today is “How are you?” We respond by saying “Good” even though we might be miserable. It’s like we’re programmed to say everything’s fine. That’s why if we asked how many of you live in peace, no doubt we’d all say – I do. But the truth – few people enjoy peace. Adam and Eve did for a time. But peace was shattered after they sinned. They hid from God. Adam blamed Eve. One of their sons due to hatred and jealousy killed his brother. Peace is something we crave, but few people enjoy. But it can be enjoyed. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit.
Today we learn three truths about peace:
1. what it is
2. where it comes from
3. to what it leads
Paul’s prayer for God’s people is that we would all enjoy peace, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Wouldn’t it be great if we could all live in and with peace? You understand what peace is right? In general it’s the feeling that all is well and will be well. It’s being content. Specifically, peace is enjoying unimpaired relationships. We get along with everyone. Peace is being fulfilled in what you do. At the end of the day we leave our job knowing we did our best, we go home and forget about it.
In the 80’s there was that catchy tune that became rather obnoxious – Don’t worry, be happy. The meaning of that song – relax, everything is going to be fine. Who could forget the Lion King – akunamatata. What did that word mean – no worries. The basic meaning in all those songs was the same – peace. We sing about peace. We crave peace. But few enjoy peace.
You know why? Because people don’t know what the source of peace is. Songwriters write about peace. But songwriters never tell us how we can have peace. This world has their ideas as to how to ultimately attain peace. Think happy thoughts. Peter Pan was told to find his happy place. Meditate. Medicate. Drugs. Booze. Avoid negative people. But you know what? You can’t stay in your happy place forever. You can’t think happy thoughts all the time. Drugs, legal and illegal, and booze wear off and you’re back to reality. If we’re going to avoid negative people we have to avoid ourselves at times. We need to realize a very humbling truth: we can’t achieve peace on our own. The Lord tells us, “There is no peace says my God for the wicked.” Because of sin we just can’t have perfect and lasting peace. Sin ruins our relationship with God. Our guilt leads us to do what Adam and Eve did – run and hide, avoid God. Guilt leads us to be afraid of God’s just anger and the ultimate punishment we deserve – death and hell. Because of our sins we have absolutely no assurance or confidence that God will take care of us.
Our earthly relationships don’t fare any better due to sin. We say something really dumb that offends someone and then we can’t face them. Someone says something that hurts us and we hold a grudge. We don’t get along with someone because we’re jealous of their talents or get fed up with their overblown ego. Sin makes it impossible for us to live in perfect, lasting peace with other people. And our peace is shattered due to imperfections in what we do – a double bogey, a botched recital, an error, a fumble, a tumble down the slope, mistakes at work. Sin shatters our chance at peace. So how can we enjoy peace? Only if we know the ultimate source of peace. Paul is reminding us that peace comes from Jesus. He made a similar statement at the beginning of almost all his letters. He began many of his epistles this way, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father.” Peace, true and lasting, comes from God. It begins with the greatest peace. Paul wrote to the Romans, “Since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God.”To justify means to declare those who are guilty of sin to be not guilty. That declaration of not guilty became a reality thanks to Jesus. Jesus became sin for us – allowing God the Father to dump our sins on Him, in other words blame Him and hold Him responsible for our sins. As a result Jesus was forced to, but so very willing to suffer the curse of God’s anger for our sins, to use His blood drawn from His veins by fist, nail, whip, thorns and spear, to wash us perfectly and permanently clean of every sin. Now God pronounces us spiritually healthy, sin-free, not guilty of any crimes against the Ten Commandments. That loving act on the part of our God changes our whole relationship with God. We’re not afraid of God, we love God. We don’t hide from God, we come to God. We have peace with God thanks to Jesus Christ. We have peace in our lives, thanks to Jesus Christ. You remember this passage don’t you, “If God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also along with Him, graciously give us all things.” In the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, to eliminate our sins, God has proven how much He loves us. We see how committed God is to us. And you know what we realize – God will spare nothing when it comes to us, His children. We know that He will meet all our needs. We know that He will send His angels to guard us in all our ways. We’re confident that He will fight for us. We trust that God will make good on His promise to work everything out for our good.
And then we breathe a sigh of relief. We know all will be well. We’re content. We’re happy. We’re worry free. We live in peace. You know the saying: no Jesus – no peace. Know Jesus – Know peace. But how do we come to know Jesus? Jesus, speaking about the Bible said, “These are the Scriptures that testify about me.” The Bible tells us about Jesus. The Holy Spirit working through the Bible reveals Jesus to us. The more we’re in the Word, the more the Spirit shows us what Jesus has done for us and all that He’s promised us. And then the sweetest peace of all enters our heart, the peace of Jesus. Peace is a gift of the Spirit that’s given to those who know Jesus and trust in Jesus as their Savior. The peace of Jesus has a huge impact on our life. Paul wrote, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” God wants us to live in peace with everyone, but especially fellow believers. Jesus’ peace in our hearts makes it happen. Paul said "let Jesus’ peace rule." The word rule means to function like a referee. A referee calls fouls. But the referee calls fouls after they happen. The peace of Jesus calls out foul to us before it happens to prevent it from happening.
So many times peace is shattered by the hurtful, unkind words that we say. The peace of Christ calls foul before those peace shattering words are said. It helps us phrase questions we ask and different opinions we have in ways that aren’t destructive, but constructive. It reminds us to speak the truth, not in bitter anger, but in brotherly love. It will direct our conversation so that we don’t tear people down but speak kindly of them. The peace of Christ ruling in our heart preserves the peace that is to dominate our life. The peace of Christ does the same with our actions – calls foul before we do that which causes a rift. It helps us to realize that in order to maintain peace in our family we want to follow through on the commitment we made to our spouse, obey our parents, strive to stop the habit we’ve developed that bugs the rest of our family. The peace of Christ rules our heart so that we live in a way that maintains peace in our family. The peace of Christ ruling in our hearts cries foul before we complain about how unfairly or unkindly God is treating us. Whether we have little or lots, whether we live in good health or with tremendous hurt, whether our life is tranquil or filled with tension, we live in peace. The peace o Christ living in our hearts says don’t worry. It reminds us that God will take care of us. God will protect us. God will fulfill His promise and work everything out for our good. The peace of Christ fills us with peace in life.
And should that peace ever be smashed to smitherings or on the verge of shattering and the guilt wells up because we aren’t living in peace, then turn to God’s Word. There you will be reminded of the greatest peace we have – Jesus died on the Cross. Your sin has been eliminated permanently. That means guilt is gone; God’s anger is gone; the threat of hell is gone. That means you’re God’s child. Your ultimate home will be with Jesus in heaven forever.
Run, to God’s Word. There you’ll be reminded of the greatest peace of all, peace that will ultimately guide your life and give you true and lasting peace throughout your life.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Right Relationships
(taken from http://www.intouch.org/site/c.dhKHIXPKIuE/b.2406769/apps/s/content.asp?ct=3400479 )
READ Acts 2:42-47
Have you ever met someone who claimed to be a Christian but refused to engage with other believers as part of a church body? Such people will often say, “My spiritual life is between me and God. It doesn’t involve anyone else.” What a tragic, misguided view!
The Lord created each of us for relationship, both with Him and with other believers. We cannot be the complete men and women God wants us to be unless we are actively connected to others. That’s what the church is, a place of commonality wherein a collection of individuals forms one body. The benefits of these relationships are staggering. They . . .
1. Build confidence in God and in ourselves.
2. Encourage us when we are down.
3. Motivate us to greatness.
4. Stimulate our creativity.
5. Energize us when we are weary.
6. Comfort us when we are hurting.
7. Defend us when we are attacked.
8. Forgive us when we make mistakes.
9. Love us when we seem unlovable.
10. Accept us just as we are, unconditionally.
Such relationships characterized the early church—there was no concept of faith in isolation. Acts 2:44 is an amazing statement: “All those who had believed were together and had all things in common.” It is doubtful that many modern churches could make this claim.
READ Acts 2:42-47
Have you ever met someone who claimed to be a Christian but refused to engage with other believers as part of a church body? Such people will often say, “My spiritual life is between me and God. It doesn’t involve anyone else.” What a tragic, misguided view!
The Lord created each of us for relationship, both with Him and with other believers. We cannot be the complete men and women God wants us to be unless we are actively connected to others. That’s what the church is, a place of commonality wherein a collection of individuals forms one body. The benefits of these relationships are staggering. They . . .
1. Build confidence in God and in ourselves.
2. Encourage us when we are down.
3. Motivate us to greatness.
4. Stimulate our creativity.
5. Energize us when we are weary.
6. Comfort us when we are hurting.
7. Defend us when we are attacked.
8. Forgive us when we make mistakes.
9. Love us when we seem unlovable.
10. Accept us just as we are, unconditionally.
Such relationships characterized the early church—there was no concept of faith in isolation. Acts 2:44 is an amazing statement: “All those who had believed were together and had all things in common.” It is doubtful that many modern churches could make this claim.
Trust and Marriage
The primary complaint in most relationships is that a lack of communication is the basis of discord and misunderstanding. Though this is a problem, to be sure, it is the result of the problem, not the root cause. In order to construct a foundation for relationship, based on God given principles, one must first look at the basic problem.
The key causes to relationship breakdowns are:
1. Selfishness - Since selfishness began with Adam and Eve, and is passed along to all mankind, this problem constantly intrudes into marriage, which leads to division not union. The ego centeredness in all of us overwhelms, and this brings problems in every aspect of life.
2. Committment - Fairly self explanatory this one. One party has fears of committment or realises they or the other person won't be able to fullfil their vows and promises to each other.
3. Priorities - Again, fairly straight forward. We tend to place work, family, friends etc before our partner and more importantly before God.
4. Trust - Trust is the foundation and jewel of marriage (Proverbs 31:11). Trust is built through the WILL of Agape love (I Corinthians 13). This type of love is not of the emotional variety, but of a willingness to project one's self to their partner unselfishly, through honesty, truthfulness, integrity, understanding, openness, encouragement, etc. The combination of the willingness on the part of each to the other, produces a trust that nurtures emotional love and fulfillment that is so satisfying.
BECOMING TRUSTWORTHY WITH YOURSELF
How often do you promise yourself you are going to do something and then don’t do it? I'm talking about even those little things such as losing weight, going to the gym, get more sleep or catch up with friends. Well when you don't carry these actions out, you are not being trustworthy with yourself.
This would be like promising a child something and then not doing it. Eventually the child would learn not to trust you. The same applies with your Child within. If you promise yourself – your Inner Child – that you will take care of yourself in some way and then you don’t do it, the Inner Child learns that there is no inner adult to trust. Since many of us project onto others our own inner issues, it is likely that if you are not trustworthy with yourself, you will project untrustworthiness onto others. You will continue to distrust others as long as you are not behaving in a trustworthy way with yourself and with others.
TRUSTING YOURSELF
Many of us grew up with parents who did not trust our feelings and perceptions. We might have been told that what we felt and what we experienced was wrong.
Mother: Put on a sweater. It’s cold outside.
Child: I’m not cold.
Mother: You’re just a child. What do you know? Put on a sweater.
I'm sure we can relate to something like that. After a while, we learn to discount and mistrust our feelings and perceptions. We learn to give our authority away to our parents and other adults, deciding that others must know more about what we feel, want and perceive than we do. We abandon our inner knowing and stop trusting ourselves.
Trust in yourself and then you can trust in others.
The key causes to relationship breakdowns are:
1. Selfishness - Since selfishness began with Adam and Eve, and is passed along to all mankind, this problem constantly intrudes into marriage, which leads to division not union. The ego centeredness in all of us overwhelms, and this brings problems in every aspect of life.
2. Committment - Fairly self explanatory this one. One party has fears of committment or realises they or the other person won't be able to fullfil their vows and promises to each other.
3. Priorities - Again, fairly straight forward. We tend to place work, family, friends etc before our partner and more importantly before God.
4. Trust - Trust is the foundation and jewel of marriage (Proverbs 31:11). Trust is built through the WILL of Agape love (I Corinthians 13). This type of love is not of the emotional variety, but of a willingness to project one's self to their partner unselfishly, through honesty, truthfulness, integrity, understanding, openness, encouragement, etc. The combination of the willingness on the part of each to the other, produces a trust that nurtures emotional love and fulfillment that is so satisfying.
BECOMING TRUSTWORTHY WITH YOURSELF
How often do you promise yourself you are going to do something and then don’t do it? I'm talking about even those little things such as losing weight, going to the gym, get more sleep or catch up with friends. Well when you don't carry these actions out, you are not being trustworthy with yourself.
This would be like promising a child something and then not doing it. Eventually the child would learn not to trust you. The same applies with your Child within. If you promise yourself – your Inner Child – that you will take care of yourself in some way and then you don’t do it, the Inner Child learns that there is no inner adult to trust. Since many of us project onto others our own inner issues, it is likely that if you are not trustworthy with yourself, you will project untrustworthiness onto others. You will continue to distrust others as long as you are not behaving in a trustworthy way with yourself and with others.
TRUSTING YOURSELF
Many of us grew up with parents who did not trust our feelings and perceptions. We might have been told that what we felt and what we experienced was wrong.
Mother: Put on a sweater. It’s cold outside.
Child: I’m not cold.
Mother: You’re just a child. What do you know? Put on a sweater.
I'm sure we can relate to something like that. After a while, we learn to discount and mistrust our feelings and perceptions. We learn to give our authority away to our parents and other adults, deciding that others must know more about what we feel, want and perceive than we do. We abandon our inner knowing and stop trusting ourselves.
Trust in yourself and then you can trust in others.
Desires of our heart
Do you want God to give you the desires of your heart? TRUST Him, trust Him when He says "don't go that way, theres a better way." Trust Him.
You say: "I dont want to trust Him cos I don't like the path", God says: "You want the desires of your heart? then this is the path for you."
God wants you to follow the desires of your heart, as long as they are consistent with His will. Your desires impact every part of your life, relationships, health, how you spend your time and your relationship with God.
What is the #1 desire of your heart? above everything else?
We need desires in order to accomplish things in life, to reach our goals. Even God has desires. He wants us to come to the truth and be saved.
God will give us the desires of our heart. Psalm 37:1-8 Do not fret because of evil doers
trust in the Lord and do good....delight urself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of ur heart.
3 times it tells us 'do no fret', meaning don't be annoyed or anxious.
Your desires reveal the way you think, your motivations, intentions. they tell alot more about us than we realise. Alot of people don't have concrete desires or they change them very often. These people never get anywhere in life. In order to get somewhere in life you need to sacrifice for those desires and work hard for them. When you make effort and sacrifice for the wrong desires, once you get them you will realise they are empty and won't bring you happiness.
Read 1 Tim 6:9 - But those who want to get rich.....desire riches end up in temptation. This is the bad desire, it is dangerous. Most people want to be rich to have this and that, material things. The issue isn't wanting to be rich, the issue is where it fits in with your life and how it will be used. It is the wrong approach to a desire which could be good.
Read 1 Tim 2:11 - The grace of God......instructing us to deny unGodliness and worldly desires. As we know the world operates in greed and lust etc
Read 2 peter 2:9 - Then the Lord knows how to rescue.......
When we surrender ourselves to wrong desires, we have already set up ourselves for emptiness.
Read Psalm 37:1-8: This is taken out of context by alot of people.
The reason why most people never get anywhere or never get what they're looking for is because they think God is this awesome heavenly father with a big reservoir of good things and all you have to do is ask Him. Thats not who He is. His not interested in me having things. His interested in me loving Him, in my devotion to Him and to walk His will. His living his life in us through the Holy Spirit. The more we look like Him, not physically, the more we act like Him, the more people see Him within us, it says alot about our relationship with Him and He is willing to pour out His blessing because if we delight ourselves in Him......he will give us the desires of our heart.
You need to commit your desires to God, trust in Him with your desires. Give it to the Lord so He can bless it according to His will. Give your desire to the Lord and tell Him you trust Him with it. We can't make it prosper on our own. You know what? its always better when He does it on his schedule. Not only commit it to Him, but Trust in Him.
You won't commit yourself to anyone who you don't trust. Anyone is foolish to marry someone they don't trust. Thats marital suicide. You don't trust them , you're not going to commit to them. You can marry them but you won't commit yourself to them. That's an unfair and unjust poor marriage, empty, dissapointed, ruined and destroyed.
If I don't trust the Lord then I wont obey Him would I?
The more intensly I want something, the more I desire it, the more chance there is that I will become impatient and fret! That's just how it is. But if you 'rest in the Lord' then you depend on Him, you can rest and not fret.
'Wait patiently for Him' - how hard is this??? The stronger you want something, the quicker you want it to happen, yesterday not tomorrow.
Patience is one of the most basic principles of God. It means that you trust in His wisdom, knowledge, love for you and Him wanting the best for you. Thats why when you get a young lady 32 or 35 years old unmarried, she shows up trembling all over "I'm afraid I'm gonna miss it" Well you think God doesn't know where this guy is? He knows exactly where he is. Do you want your choice or God's? God will put him in your heart and you wont be able to deny it. But you need to accept it as a gift from God, do not doubt it. People at the age of 23 and 24 don't know a thing about marriage, you can be a christian and not know much about marriage. You just have to learn to wait.
Wait patiently. That means without murmurring, without complaints, without talking to God in anger etc
You just sit back and trust in Him and watch Him work.
Read 1 Tim 2 - God desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
God isn't satisfied with us just being saved, when God desires that you and I come to the knowledge of the truth, that if my relationship with Him is right then im going to do what is neccessary to come to the knowledge of the truth. I'm going to listen to the word of God, I'm going to seek the Lord, I'm going to pray and talk to Him cos that's his desire for me. If that's His desire for me, then I know it's right. It must be very good for me.
He's placed desires in our lives because He wants us to achieve and be the person He wants us to be and to turn into the person He created us to be. He desires the best for us, He desires good health and strength and that we prosper. He also desires that when we go through pains and issues that we don't complain, moan and groan. He allows these things so that we can grow up, so that we can trust Him, that we will rely on Him so that we can learn something that will make us more like Him.
So they are all good desires from God. The issue is if mankind is willing to accept God's desires for us and make them consistent with ours. Most people however, manipulate circumstances to get what they want based on their timing and that messes up their lives.
The key is to ask God for your desires and once He gives those desires to you, place them in your heart where you have always wanted them to be and don't let them go, for if it is from God, it will last for all eternity.
You say: "I dont want to trust Him cos I don't like the path", God says: "You want the desires of your heart? then this is the path for you."
God wants you to follow the desires of your heart, as long as they are consistent with His will. Your desires impact every part of your life, relationships, health, how you spend your time and your relationship with God.
What is the #1 desire of your heart? above everything else?
We need desires in order to accomplish things in life, to reach our goals. Even God has desires. He wants us to come to the truth and be saved.
God will give us the desires of our heart. Psalm 37:1-8 Do not fret because of evil doers
trust in the Lord and do good....delight urself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of ur heart.
3 times it tells us 'do no fret', meaning don't be annoyed or anxious.
Your desires reveal the way you think, your motivations, intentions. they tell alot more about us than we realise. Alot of people don't have concrete desires or they change them very often. These people never get anywhere in life. In order to get somewhere in life you need to sacrifice for those desires and work hard for them. When you make effort and sacrifice for the wrong desires, once you get them you will realise they are empty and won't bring you happiness.
Read 1 Tim 6:9 - But those who want to get rich.....desire riches end up in temptation. This is the bad desire, it is dangerous. Most people want to be rich to have this and that, material things. The issue isn't wanting to be rich, the issue is where it fits in with your life and how it will be used. It is the wrong approach to a desire which could be good.
Read 1 Tim 2:11 - The grace of God......instructing us to deny unGodliness and worldly desires. As we know the world operates in greed and lust etc
Read 2 peter 2:9 - Then the Lord knows how to rescue.......
When we surrender ourselves to wrong desires, we have already set up ourselves for emptiness.
Read Psalm 37:1-8: This is taken out of context by alot of people.
The reason why most people never get anywhere or never get what they're looking for is because they think God is this awesome heavenly father with a big reservoir of good things and all you have to do is ask Him. Thats not who He is. His not interested in me having things. His interested in me loving Him, in my devotion to Him and to walk His will. His living his life in us through the Holy Spirit. The more we look like Him, not physically, the more we act like Him, the more people see Him within us, it says alot about our relationship with Him and He is willing to pour out His blessing because if we delight ourselves in Him......he will give us the desires of our heart.
You need to commit your desires to God, trust in Him with your desires. Give it to the Lord so He can bless it according to His will. Give your desire to the Lord and tell Him you trust Him with it. We can't make it prosper on our own. You know what? its always better when He does it on his schedule. Not only commit it to Him, but Trust in Him.
You won't commit yourself to anyone who you don't trust. Anyone is foolish to marry someone they don't trust. Thats marital suicide. You don't trust them , you're not going to commit to them. You can marry them but you won't commit yourself to them. That's an unfair and unjust poor marriage, empty, dissapointed, ruined and destroyed.
If I don't trust the Lord then I wont obey Him would I?
The more intensly I want something, the more I desire it, the more chance there is that I will become impatient and fret! That's just how it is. But if you 'rest in the Lord' then you depend on Him, you can rest and not fret.
'Wait patiently for Him' - how hard is this??? The stronger you want something, the quicker you want it to happen, yesterday not tomorrow.
Patience is one of the most basic principles of God. It means that you trust in His wisdom, knowledge, love for you and Him wanting the best for you. Thats why when you get a young lady 32 or 35 years old unmarried, she shows up trembling all over "I'm afraid I'm gonna miss it" Well you think God doesn't know where this guy is? He knows exactly where he is. Do you want your choice or God's? God will put him in your heart and you wont be able to deny it. But you need to accept it as a gift from God, do not doubt it. People at the age of 23 and 24 don't know a thing about marriage, you can be a christian and not know much about marriage. You just have to learn to wait.
Wait patiently. That means without murmurring, without complaints, without talking to God in anger etc
You just sit back and trust in Him and watch Him work.
Read 1 Tim 2 - God desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
God isn't satisfied with us just being saved, when God desires that you and I come to the knowledge of the truth, that if my relationship with Him is right then im going to do what is neccessary to come to the knowledge of the truth. I'm going to listen to the word of God, I'm going to seek the Lord, I'm going to pray and talk to Him cos that's his desire for me. If that's His desire for me, then I know it's right. It must be very good for me.
He's placed desires in our lives because He wants us to achieve and be the person He wants us to be and to turn into the person He created us to be. He desires the best for us, He desires good health and strength and that we prosper. He also desires that when we go through pains and issues that we don't complain, moan and groan. He allows these things so that we can grow up, so that we can trust Him, that we will rely on Him so that we can learn something that will make us more like Him.
So they are all good desires from God. The issue is if mankind is willing to accept God's desires for us and make them consistent with ours. Most people however, manipulate circumstances to get what they want based on their timing and that messes up their lives.
The key is to ask God for your desires and once He gives those desires to you, place them in your heart where you have always wanted them to be and don't let them go, for if it is from God, it will last for all eternity.
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