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A Lesson On Forgiveness

Garnett — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:27:43 +0000

A Lesson On Forgiveness
By Donna Wasson

Every single human being you know throughout your lifetime will, at one time or another, let you down, betray, abuse, neglect and/or abandon you. It doesn’t matter if the person is a spouse, child, family member or friend, you will be hurt at least once by everyone. It’s simply the way it is because we are sinful, selfish humans living on a broken, decaying world. In these last days when evil is increasing exponentially, this will prove to be true more than ever!

Now, I don’t mean for this to be a downer for anyone. It’s a warning to Christians that the ONLY person who will never let you down is Jesus Christ. He is the only one you can really count on; the only one who truly knows you intimately. He is the only person you are really safe with. You’ll save yourself a whole lot of pain if you’ll remember this fact!

When we are hurt by someone, we are to forgive, “even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” But what, exactly does this mean? I stumbled on a fantastic website that taught me the true meaning of forgiveness and why it is OK to sometimes withhold it. Oh, I can hear the screams of protest and see the hackles of some of you rising from here. ‘Heresy, heresy! She’s a witch, burn her!’ Put down the pitchforks and torches people, and let’s take a good look at this.

I highly encourage anyone who is having difficulty forgiving someone to visit this wonderful site for a good, Biblical grasp of this because it has historically been a very difficult and misunderstood subject. http://www.luke173ministries.org/ I will be borrowing liberally from the information on this webpage and will use quotation marks when I am quoting them.

Luke 17:3 says, “Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.” That is the most concise recipe for forgiveness ever given. When we need God to forgive us, we are to go to Him, confess our sin, ask for forgiveness (apologize) and repent (turn from our sinful ways.)

When someone offers us a sincere apology, they shouldn’t try to avoid mentioning the offense; “I’m sorry for anything I might have done.” Instead, they need to be specific in describing what they did wrong. They should acknowledge that we have every right to be upset and validate our feelings by assuring us we didn’t deserve to be treated hurtfully and then promise it won’t happen again. This kind of apology is healing.

Confess, apologize, and repent. You’d think it was the easiest thing in the world, wouldn’t you? I think we Christians confuse and complicate these simple steps. Butwhat if the person that hurt you won’t admit they were wrong? God Himself does not forgive the ‘stiff-necked’ who refuse to repent and who continue in their evil ways! Surprised? Find one instance in the Bible where He does. If God does not forgive the unrepentant, we are not expected to extend that grace to them either.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we realize the one who hurt us will never admit wrongdoing, so in order to free ourselves to carry on and live a fulfilled, happy life we need to choose to forgive them, knowing there is a wonderful promise attached. To forgive someone is to cease holding them accountable for their trespass against you.

We cannot confuse forgiveness with emotion. We were victimized and have every reason to be angry and offended. However, when we choose not to entertain thoughts of the trespass and give it to God, He will step in and heal our heart and damaged emotions. We may still hurt for a while but it will fade with time. What makes this possible? The promise in Romans 12:19, “For it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” His validation and perfect justice will be more than enough to satisfy the injury you suffered!

Let it go. Lay it down, sit back and trust your heavenly Daddy to take care of business for you. It may take some time, but justice WILL be done!

Then there are people who are a cut above your basic jerk and are, quite frankly, abusers. “Abuse is a pattern of ongoing, continuous, unrelenting evil. It will not stop until we leave for our own survival. We finally come to realize the situation is hopeless; changing these ingrained characteristics is impossible.” It is very unlikely God will change your abuser because your abuser likes hurting you and others! They don’t want to change.

But what if your abuser claims to be a Christian??

This kind of abuser is the worst and can cause enormous damage! “Some are influenced by the Spirit of False Religion or a Jezebel Spirit; some were ‘born again’ many years ago but have not matured in their walk with God.” Hebrews 10:26-31 talks about the doom of those who choose to continue sinning willfully after having received the knowledge of the truth; that there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God!

“Besides trying to use scripture to justify their wickedness, some who call themselves a ‘Christian’ will engage in other pseudo-religious behaviors. They might attend church on a regular basis, tithe every week, speak in tongues, be ‘slain in the spirit’, raise their hands to God, tell people to pray for them, shout ‘Hallelujah,” and use all the right words and phrases. How could anyone possibly believe that such a person is really malicious, and that this is all a façade?”

“What this person fails to realize is that someone with discernment can see these things and will know them by their fruit, or lack thereof. Using their ‘Christianity’ as a cover up for their sinful nature may not work all of the time or with every person, but it does work enough times and with enough people that it is worth it for them to continue doing. And so, whenever they are rebuked or challenged, trotting out their ‘Christianity’ is their automatic response.”

Abusers will rarely progress through the proper steps to gain forgiveness. However, the reasons and excuses they spew do NOT fly with God! The Bible states in Romans 2:5-6 (NIV) “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. God will give to each person according to what he has done.” THAT is sobering

So what are some common ways these so-called ‘Christians’ act when their victim confronts and rebukes them for their behavior and the hurt they caused? Hmmm, how much time do we have? Some excuses are quite clever whereas others are just plain funny! Quite possibly the most outrageous and one of my all time favorites, is selective amnesia.

“Selective amnesia is the abuser’s phony defense of very conveniently forgetting anything that does not support their case. They pretend they have no idea of what you’re talking about when you rebuke them for their behavior. In order to avoid accountability whenever you confront them about their actions, the abuser will deflect the conversation and attention away from what THEY did, and focus it on you.”

“Remind them of anything they’ve done wrong, and they will suddenly develop brain damage. A look of bewilderment and hurt will cross their face as they tearfully deny what you’re saying. You may be momentarily confused, thinking maybe they really don’t remember. That is because a normal person’s natural tendency is to give others the benefit of the doubt and not assume malice.”

“If for some reason, they do begin to remember, a lot will get lost in the translation. They aren’t going to remember things the way you doit will get twisted, denied and added to until it sounds like either you’re completely delusional, or you are the one who wronged them! If that tactic fails and you persist in holding them accountable, their last ditch strategy will be to tell you that it was ‘in the past’ and YOU are wrong for not ‘getting over it!’”

I can personally testify these things are true! Been there, heard that. “When the abusive ‘Christian’ in your life claims to have no idea what they did wrong, they are LYING! They know perfectly well what they did. They will try this ploy even after you’ve told them point blank exactly what they did wrong, furnished loads of examples, argued with them and protested their years of maltreatment.” But you’ll only get proclamations of amnesia.

“They have seen your distress every time they hurt you and that is, indeed their reward for doing so.” They love knowing they had that kind of power over you! “You probably complained, rebuked, confronted, cried and fought them and tried in vain to set limits for years. And nothing worked, leaving you no choice but to end the relationship for your own survival. There is NO way they don’t know what they did.” Hey, I got the T-shirt on this trip too!

“It’s a losing battle to ever try to have a nice, reasonable discussion with an abuser. You’re deluding yourself if you think you can make them ever understand, admit anything or be accountable in any way.” You will never gain satisfaction from this person! Give them over to a Holy God to deal with. Believe me, He will not forget. Then allow your heavenly Father to heal you.

Here are some other examples of the tactics abusers try when confronted with their sin against you. These are great! They will: ‘not remember’, accuse YOU of trying to start a fight, show juvenile displays of anger (mimicking, screaming, name calling, breaking property, making fun of you..), accuse you of taking their actions ‘the wrong way’, refuse to take responsibility, blame you, use sarcasm, tell you, “I said I was sorry!”, tell you God forgives them so they don’t have to explain or relive the past, and get angry with you for confronting them, blah, blah, blah.

Let me pause here and delve a little further into a very powerful ploy that some ‘Christian’ abusers use to excuse themselves and plant guilt into the one they hurt. The ‘ol, “God forgives me and He’s the only one I will face so my conscience is clear whether you forgive me or not, so you can’t judge me,” routine. Oh puke! This is a “Christian who is simply too prideful to face their victim, apologize sincerely for being abusive and hurtful, admit they were wrong, and change their ways.”

“They think they can put it all behind them and hold their head high without ever doing the right thing by their victim. Any humility this person had shown in the past was false humility, calculated again to make them seem more righteous than they are.”

In the Bible, when you damage someone, you are expected to make restitution to that person. “Repenting to God” doesn’t get you off the hook! You are supposed to face the person you hurt and make it right by making them whole. Nowhere in the Word does it say that repenting to God is sufficient, or that it absolves us from any obligation to repent directly to the person we injured.

I could go on and on with this but there is one last, particularly insidious disguise the ‘Christian’ abuser can wear, and it’s pretty powerful unless you stop and examine what scripture has to say about it. I have seen this tactic in play, even during my childhood, while being brought up in an Assembly of God church. They hide behind the “I’ve received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in tongues, therefore I am a righteous and Godly person,” mask.

I will not discuss my personal beliefs about this gift of the Spirit, so don’t bother bringing the subject up. It is not for me to judge whether a person does or does not have this gift or if they have deluded themselves into thinking they do when they are actually manifesting something counterfeit.

BUTwhen a habitually abusive ‘Christian’ pulls this rabbit out of their hat, don’t be intimidated. It’s the perfect cover for their mistreatment of others by implying that because they are ‘holy’ enough to exercise this gift, they can’t possibly be abusive. Remember what your Mama always told you? “Actions speak louder than words.” Thank you Jesus, that’s one little nugget of wisdom we can count on!

What are the fruits of the Spirit that God cultivates in His children? They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control. Do you suppose you will find these fruits consistently hanging off of a ‘Christian’ abuser? I think not! And how do we know if a person actually belongs to and is walking with God? By their fruits. NOT by what they tell us!

Another test lies in 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (NKJV)

Go ahead, hot shot, speak in tongues till the cows come home! You are an unrepentant abuser and have not love. Now, you make sure to be in church every Sunday and make sure someone there knows you’ve been faithful to tithe. Oh yeah, volunteer to chaperone the youth group on their camping trip and pass out bulletins at the front door. Your service and big bad ‘spiritual gift’ means NOTHING to God! They are an abomination before Him because God looks at the heart and knows exactly what you are.

“There is a clear difference between the fruits of a true Christian who lives by the Spirit as opposed to the behaviors of one who might claim to be a Christian, but who really lives by their flesh and by their sinful nature.”

In closing, let’s review. The next time you offend or hurt someone, even unintentionally, you need to seek forgiveness and restoration. You go to them, confess what you did, acknowledge they have every right to be hurt, apologize and ask for forgiveness, and repent and promise them you will never to that to them again. THEN you go to God.

When someone hurts or offends you and they don’t seem to be making a move to make things right, you go to them, rebuke them and IF they repent, you forgive them. Every single time. If this recipe is not followed according to Biblical mandates, or if they refuse to admit their offense, you are not obligated to extend forgiveness to them.

Of course, you have no right to declare war and treat them badly either! Simply choose not to hold their offense against them and turn them over to your advocate, the source of perfect justice and go on your way without them in your life. Have nothing more to do with them. God will heal your heart and emotions if you are faithful to conduct yourself in this manner. He will recompense the pain you’ve suffered and justice WILL be served! Thank you Lord, and let me hear a hearty “AMEN!”

Donna Wasson is all of the following: Married. Mom. RN. Avid reader. Animal lover. CSI fanatic. Needing to spread the Gospel while there is still time.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITER-MAKE A WEBSITE

How addiction is like a Ferris wheel ride

Garnett — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:18:46 +0000

The cycle of addiction can be compared to riding on a Ferris
wheel, minus the fun part.

When you get on the Ferris wheel at the fair, you get into a
seat and the wheel begins slowly turning backward. It stops intermittently so other seats can be
filled. Eventually, speed increases,
moving in the backward motion toward the top.
Your palms sweat. Your heart
races. Your knees are weak. Suddenly, you
reach the top. As you look all
around at the lights and people below, you feel on top of the world. All your senses are alert and you feel so
alive. But, this is only momentary,
because the forward descent has already begun.
As the wheel turns quickly forward, your stomach drops, and you see the
ground coming toward you. Down, down you
go until the wheel stops and you can get off.
Now you must decide whether to ride again or move on to something else.

With drug addiction the scenario is much the same as what is
described above. As soon as you take the drug for the first time, you begin
going backward in life. The euphoric
effects of the drug take you to a high place where everything is enhanced or surreal
and you’d like to stay up there forever.
You feel alert, alive and on top of the world, but the high has already
begun to wear off and you start going down, down, back to reality. Now you must decide whether you want to take
the drug again or decline and move on with your life.

How can you get off the ride?

Before you began using drugs, you stood in life with your
feet firmly on the ground with a sense of purpose and hope for a wonderful
future. Somewhere along the way, though,
something happened that made you think that taking drugs would add more
excitement or take you away from your problems. As addiction takes its hold on
you, the thrill you crave is replaced by despair. You want to get off the ride, but no matter
how hard you try, you can’t get off of it on your own, Unless someone intervenes and stops the
momentum, you continue going up and down, trapped in the cycle.

The only effective way to end the cycle of addiction is to
enter a professional inpatient rehabilitation facility. In this setting, you are protected from outside
influences while addiction specialists provide the education, skills training,
support and counseling you will need for making better choices in the future in
order to avoid relapse. The counselors
are well-trained in addressing the ups and downs you experience during recovery
and they know how to apply the right amount of guidance at the right time to
help you get on a steady path.

Breaking the cycle of addiction will not be easy. You must have a strong desire to become
drug-free and remain in the program for as long as necessary to ensure your
complete recovery.

Remember the sense of adventure you felt when looking up at
the Ferris wheel and imagining the thrill of the ride? Drugs robbed you of the ability to feel those
simple pleasures. Let today be the day
you decide to reclaim your natural sense of wonder about life. Seek addiction treatment today.

Author Bio:

Myra Lemmons is a freelance writer who is currently creating
content for holistic addiction treatment websites.
She strives to educate readers about the dangers of drugs and alcohol,
and hopes to encourage addicts to seek help from professional help.

What Will Teens Think Of Next To Get High?

Garnett — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:48:09 +0000

Would you think of using hand sanitizer for anything other than cleaning your hands when soap and water were not available? Your answer is probably “no.” Just in case you haven’t already heard, drinking hand sanitizer is a dangerous new trend with teens today. This is becoming a national problem. Hand sanitizer is 62 percent ethyl alcohol which can be as high as 120 proof alcohol. Whiskey or vodka is normally 80 proof. Many times teens are taken to the hospital with alcohol poisoning from drinking hand sanitizer. They will not have alcohol on their breath, but their blood alcohol count will be elevated. Just a couple of squirts of hand sanitizer could equal a couple of shots of hard liquor. The teens have even found a way to distill the hand sanitizer into a liquid form to drink. If they don’t distill it, they just squirt it out of the bottle and take it. Any parent needs to keep track of how much hand sanitizer is used in the home. Buy the foam version rather than the gel type. They can still get high from the foam version, but not as easily as the gel type. Teens also use mouthwash, cough syrup, or vanilla extract to get high from the alcohol content in these items.

Do You Know What Huffing Is?
Inhaling volatile substances to reach intoxication effects is called “huffing.” This is also a trend with teens today. It is easy for them to get high from this because the substances used to huff are usually household cleaners or substances found readily around the home such as gasoline or kerosene. The teen inhales gases using plastic bags held over the mouth or by breathing solvent soaked rags, or sometimes they just breathe the fumes in from the open container of solvent. The effects of inhalants range from intoxication such as you would get from alcohol to euphoria and vivid hallucinations.
Many experience headaches, nausea, vomiting, slurred speech and wheezing. They also may have a rash around the nose and mouth. Brain damage is seen in long-term huffers. There have been cases where teens have died from a lack of oxygen, pneumonia, cardiac arrest, or aspiration of vomit. Any parent should speak to their children and teens about the dangers of huffing.

Have You Ever Heard of Whip-pits?
You may have heard about Demi Moore, a celebrity figure, having a problem with complications from using whip-pits. This brought her drug abuse to light and she entered rehab at that time to seek help for her problem. Whip-pits are another big trend for teens these days. A whip-pit is a small canister of nitrous oxide gas used in making whipped cream in recipes. Now the whip-pits are being used in a recreational manner by, most often, teens for its dissociative effects. Individuals many times develop strong psychological dependencies to the whip-pits. Many users are injured by the release of the super cold gas from the charger. This is capable of burning the user’s face, nose, lips, tongue, and throat.
Users inhale the nitrous oxide out of a bag, balloon, or some other container. When used as an inhalant whip-pits cause temporary euphoria, dizziness, and mild hallucinations. Nitrous oxide is also known as “laughing gas.” Getting too much of this substance can cause you to have seizures and unconsciousness.

Don’t Forget About Prescription Drug Medication And The Liquor Cabinet.
Of course, these are not new ideas for teens, but still can be a problem for parents. Teens often times think stealing a few beers from the refrigerator or a bottle of liquor is nothing of any harm. Many adult alcoholics started drinking by doing this very same thing. Of course, today prescription drug medication is more available than ever before. Check and make sure that your prescriptions are in a safe place. Count your pills and make sure each one is accounted for.
Teens are under so much peer pressure today, and some try so hard to fit in with the crowd that you don’t know what they may do just to get approval from certain so-called friends. Talk to your teens frequently about the dangers of all of these substances and how they can ruin or even end their lives.

About the Author
Marilyn Kegley works with several Christian drug treatment centers to educate individuals about the dangers of substance abuse. After watching numerous loved ones struggle with addiction, her goal is to help as many people as possible get effective and successful rehabilitation treatment.

What the Church Family Teaches Us About Our Own Family

Garnett — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:30:52 +0000

The Church is not the only institution in our lives. As Christians, we are subject to the Church’s authority, but also to the authority of our schools, our employers, the government, and even our own families. These are all good institutions in their own right, and they are all ordained by God to serve different purposes.

And yet there is something unique about the Church itself. This is the body of like-minded believers that God has called together to use as his instrument. God has a plan for all of us, and a purpose for all of these institutions, but the Church is special. Simply put, there is nowhere else in the world where we see the transcendent values of God manifest so brilliantly—not in school, not at the movies, and not in sports.

In fact, it’s fair to say that the Church is, in many ways, a model for the other important relationships we have in our lives. It even shows parents and kids how to interact together. By learning how God runs his own house, you ultimately discover his desire for how you can run your house.

There are a few important lessons we can learn from the Church in this way. One important thing to highlight is what the Church teaches us about the concept of authority. As Christians, we often say that God is a friend to sinners, and that’s very much the case! However, God is not someone we know simply as a buddy or a pal; we know him as king, ruler, and sovereign. He is an authority over us.

What that means is that we, as believers, know we ought to do as he commanded us—which means going to his house and paying him the homage that is his due. But there’s a funny thing that happens here. When our kids see us submit to God’s authority, they begin to understand what it means to submit to the authorities in their lives—including us, their parents!

That’s ultimately why going to church can have such a tremendous impact on our families. It reminds parents of the importance of submitting to authority, and in turn, it allows us to set a good, godly model for our kids. That’s why it’s imperative that we take our kids to church—whether they want to or not, and whether they feel like it or not!

And by the way: That’s another lesson learned from regular attendance in God’s house. The truth of the matter is that we all have days where we may not feel like going to worship; that’s true for parents and kids alike. But submitting to authority and fulfilling the role we’ve been given are not really matters of how we “feel.” They are just things we ought to do.

The bottom line is that going to church is an affirmation and an encouragement to us, whether we feel like it is at the time or not. What’s more, it’s a great time to realign ourselves toward what it means to have the right understanding of authority. That’s something that ultimately helps us keep our own house in order.
“This post was contributed by Pastor Ed Young. †For more information, visit his blog at edyoungblog.com or refer to the Dallas Pastor’s Wikipedia Page.”

Encouraging Bible Verses

Garnett — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:26:04 +0000

Encouraging Bible Verses

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Comfort And Encouragement Bible Verses

Deuteronomy 31:8 It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Psalm 9:9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Matthew 11:28-29 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Romans 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Encouragement Through God’s Promises

John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

All Scripture Is Inspired From God- The Bible Is The True Word Of God

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

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Garnett — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:38:20 +0000

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