I learned a long time ago that I cant love every person I come across the way I want to or should. It used to bother me.. Even when I felt mistreated, because then I would cling to bitterness in loves place when I knew I should still love a person, and all that ever did was make me feel crappy. Ive also learned that bitterness is a result of pride. It gives me a reason to point fingers, even when most would say Im in the right to do so, further giving me an excuse to spew poisonous hatred to and about people around me that I should be caring for. I used to say, yes, I love them, but it was a lie. And I didnt have to fight to hide the lie, simply by adding the word but right after the Yes, I love them part. That one little conjunction then would open doors to the negative things I observed, and suddenly my bitter unloving views would flow out like liquid poison from my mouth! Why is it so important for me to note that? Because words are powerful! If you love a person, you dont go around talking about the way they hurt you five months ago, that shows a fruit of offense! Offense is not love! Love is God! God has nothing to do with offense! Offense is from the devil! Some people are more sensitive. I understand that, but the more sensitive we are with our feelings, the more we should be putting them in check. We do that by comparing it with the Word. What does the word say I should be doing even though that person hurt me three years ago? It says to LOVE THEM ANYWAY! So how do can I love a person who has wronged me? The answer definitely is not by blabbing to any ear thatll listen of all the wrong things a person has done to me behind their backs, or even, (This is gonna be tough to swallow,) voicing my opinion about them because of their actions against me. And stop believing the lie that if its not to their face it wont hurt them! Whats powerful about words is that they affect the spiritual world before the physical. Believe it or not, you are still speaking against them in a way that can cause harm when its not to their face. When someone says, See I told you so, or I saw that coming, about someone else, guess what? Most likely they said it a long time before it manifested physically! Even if its not to a persons face, or it never gets back to them ever, when I say something negative about them, I am causing warfare to break out against that person spirtually, which eventually effects them to some degree physically! Now Im still learning this myself, every day- the art if taming my tongue. The bible says its the smallest but hardest muscle in the body to tame. Theres a reason it says that. What Im getting to is this, yeah we all slip up, but we need to consciously be in a place where we are learning to turn away from the sins of offense, poisonous speaking, and ultimately, pride that is within us, but not meant to be part of us. My heart cant be both full of love and full of offense! They dont go together, and they arent fighting for a place in my heart, either. I allow one or the other to inhabit my heart at any given time. I am the one who chooses to speak out in anger or stay silent in love. The only way we can position ourselves in such a way that we can forgive fully is by having our eyes on the One who took that offense on the cross 2,000 years ago and made it to be killed and buried with the cross itself! For me, the easiest thing to do is to ask Him how it is He sees the other person or people in the situation. I myself am only on the tip of the iceberg here, but I am learning that when I ask Him to give me His sight, my offense melts away. It is so much easier to then give the situation that hurt me over to Him when I look at that person the way He does, because Im no longer bitter, and therefore not holding onto pride. His yolk is light. There is more to this. He doesnt say to love them anyway for you to be walked on, I dont believe that for a second. However, when I do hand the situation over to Him, He deals with their heart and healing begins to take place in my heart. The more I hold on to a person or situation, the more pain it causes to them, me, and ultimately, God. He said to give it to Him and let Him take care of it so I can be set free! If I hold onto offense while knowing Ive been told to let it go, I am sinning against the person who caused the offense, and now I am also sinning against God! Ultimately, all the words I speak against them and the feelings of hurt I am holding against them is just as bad as their original offense against me! God knows what itll take for me to be set free,because when I hold on to a hurtful situation, I myself am held captive by it- and its my own choice! How silly of me, right? The power of life and death are in the tongue, (Prov. 28:21) we have the ability to chose to speak life or death. God wants us to speak life, because in the beginning, when He spoke, it created life! Thats His character. He is the life giver, and He wants us to be more like Him! In Eph 4:29 Paul says to not let anything unwholesome proceed from our mouths, but instead say things that will edify, (encourage, feed,) one another. I am not responsible for someone elses sin against me! I am not here to tear people down, but to build them up- EVERY Christian is told to do this! Jesus himself spoke on this- But I say to you, Do not resist the evil man [who injures you]; but if anyone strikes you on the right jaw or cheek, turn to him the other one too. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your undershirt (tunic), let him have your coat also. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two [miles]. Give to him who keeps on begging from you, and do not turn away from him who would borrow [at interest] from you. [Deut. 15:8; Prov. 24:29.] You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy; [Lev. 19:18; Ps. 139:21, 22.] But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [Prov. 25:21, 22.] To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike]. For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that? You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect. [Lev. 19:2, 18.] (Matthew 5:39-48 AMP) John said this- We love Him, because He first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother [in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen. And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother [believer] also. (1 John 4:19-21 AMP) I am in no way saying that what is said here is easy to follow- but I promise you? The sooner you start giving offense to God, the easier to do it becomes. Get a head start- let Him have have your pain so you can start living, feeling free! Love you guys so much!
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 10:07:51 +0000
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