Here is a questions someone asked me on Twitter. It’s time to wrestle with our understanding of God once more. Are you ready to let your brain hurt? I’d appreciate your comments.

Question:

What are your thoughts on Psalm 5:5? Just got into a heated debate about it. Have any resources?

Answer:

Psalm 5:5 says:

Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
      for you hate all who do evil.

First off we need to take every verse in context. The context is what’s in the rest of the chapter, book, testament and Bible.

It fits with the passion of the chapter it’s in. The book of psalms has words for every emotion of the human condition and shows us a great deal of God’s in words we can understand. It’s also in line with the old covenant.

Under the old covenant we have many references to God hating people as well as their actions. Here are many of them. There may be more.

• “You are not a god who delights in evil; no wicked person finds refuge with you; the arrogant cannot stand before you. You hate all who do evil;” Psalm 5:4-5
• “The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence His soul hates.” Psalm 11:5
• Do not live according to the customs of the people I am driving out before you. It is because they do these shameful things that I detest them. Leviticus 20:23
• “Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, LORD, faithful God. You hate those who serve worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD.” Psalm 31:5-6
• “Your throne, O God, stands forever; your royal scepter is a scepter for justice. You love justice and hate wrongdoing; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellow kings. Psalm 45:6-7
• There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. Proverbs 6:16-19
• The Lord says, “All their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their evil actions. I will love them no more because all their leaders are rebels. Hosea 9:15
• As it is written: Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated. Romans 9:13 (Quoting Malachi 1:3 where God is talking about Esau’s descendants to make a point about God loving someone, namely us Gentiles.)
• “For I hate divorce, says the LORD, the God of Israel, And covering one’s garment with injustice, says the LORD of hosts; You must then safeguard life that is your own, and not break faith.” Malachi 2:16

Under the New Covenant

Under the New Covenant we see God hating behaviour.

• “Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You loved justice and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions”; Hebrews 1:8-9
• “But you have this in your favor: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ” ‘ “Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor I will give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden of God.” ‘ Rev. 2:6-7

I can’t find any other reference after the cross to God hating. If I’m wrong, someone please mention it in the comments.

This is significant. We fail to remember that everything changed at the cross. Because of the cross…

1. Guilt was removed (Justification).

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:23-24 (New Living Translation)

2. The price of sin was paid (Redemption).

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. Romans 3:25 (New Living Translation)

3. Our sins were washed (Propitiation).

Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11 (New Living Translation)

4. We were made friends again with God (Reconciliation).

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19 (New Living Translation)

5. We are no longer fallen (Identification).

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-6 (New Living Translation)

6. Satan’s Rule Was Ended (Reclamation).

In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:15 (New Living Translation)

7. The curse of the law was canceled (Expiation).

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Galatians 3:13 (New Living Translation)?

The problem I see in many Christian’s attitude is that they  take verses from the old, inferior covenant that are there to show us glimpses of divine and use them to justify their condemnation of others and say, “If God hates the evil doer, I’m loving God by hating him too.” Paul thought he was doing God a favor persecuting people too…before  he came out from under the law.

We can never forget God says in Ezekiel 18:23:

“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.

And so many of us in the church would rather just sit back and condemn them to the judgement of an angry God. It grieves me because I know it grieves God. He’s not willing that any should perish and his Bride is debating if we have to bother with those he “obviously hates”.

Three Things to Consider

1. If we don’t love others we can’t love God.

If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:2

2. The more God forgives, the more people love Him.

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”  Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Luke 7:40-43

3. God loves sinners because He first loved you.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

We don’t serve an angry God. The cross and Christ’s sacrifice took care of that. I wish we all would stop living under the law and I admit, I have a ways to go. At times I look forward to the coming judgement as much as anyone wronged in this life.

Add to this discussion. Tell me how wrong I am or let me know how you see the Bible. Since we have a God who changes not, how can I say everything changed at the cross?

~Trevor

Resources

• Your Judgment of Others Limits Your Destiny
• Why Shouldn’t We Pick On People When They’re Wrong?
• What the Bible Say About Judging
• What Does Living Under the Law Look Like?
• 7 Things That Changed at the Cross
• How to Judge and Not Be A Jerk

Here’s a question I got from someone on Twitter. I thought it needed more than a tweet to respond to. Here are some verses that keep me encouraged.

Question:

@revtrev I’m a student..do you know any bible verses to keep me encouraged through tough grades? Some of your tweets have kept me going
via @jesusislord9678

Answer:

Robby,

Thanks for letting me know some of my tweets have encouraged you. I’ve been thinking of changing what I tweet and your question has me thinking. Here’s a few of the verses that keep me encouraged.

I encourage you to read the Bible until you come to something that speaks to you and then camp out there for a while. When you need encouragement the Psalms are a great place to start. God’s given us every range of emotions in the psalms. I know God speaks through even single verses so here are some I can recommend.

31 verses that keep me encouraged.

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
2. Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
3. Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
4. John 14:27 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.
5. John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
6. Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,  though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. “Selah”
7. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
8. Psalm 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9. Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
10. 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
11. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
12. Psalm 118:14-16 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!  The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!”
13. Psalm 119:114-115 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.  Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!
14. Psalm 119:25 I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.
15. Psalm 119:50 My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
16. Psalm 119:71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
17. Psalm 120:1 I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me.
18. Jeremiah 29:11 ?”For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
19. Psalm 27:4? One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
20. Psalm 34:8 ?Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
21. Proverbs 17:17 ?A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
22. Isaiah 40:31 ?But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
23. John 15:13 ?Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
24. Romans 8:28 ?And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
25. Romans 8:31 ?If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
26. Romans 8:38-39 ?And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
27. 1 Corinthians 13:12 ?Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
28. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ?Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
29. Philippians 3:7-9? But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith …
30. Ephesians 3:17-19 ?Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
31. Ephesians 3:20-21? Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

What are some verses that encourage you? Leave them in the comments. Thank you. And why don’t you follow @jesusislord9678 and give him some encouragement.

Here’s another question from one of my readers. I’m always humbled by the trust people have in me.

Question:

How Do You Find Your Soulmate?

Answer:

Pat,

First off I’m not a relationship expert, as my wife of 16 years will likely attest. Still I want to share with you some of what I’ve learned in the area.

My wife’s grandma told her to write down all the things she wanted in a future spouse and put them in her Bible to remember to pray over. When we finally met and got engaged she showed me the list and I was surprised at how I fit the qualities she was looking for.

Here’s some questions to get you started. Think about the qualities of the person who you want to meet.

“How does he make me feel special?”
“What does she do when I’m sick in bed?”
“How does he show affection?”
“How does he treat me in company when we go out?”
“How does she make me laugh?”
“Her most important quality is …”
“The best thing about him is …”

Next write down examples of how they will express those qualities and what actions and behavior will demonstrate those qualities.

Here’s a complete example:

Question: “How does he treat me in company when we go out?”
Qualities: He is respectful, attentive and kind.
Behavior: He is attentive and considerate to me, and kind to the waitress.”

Take the list to God and trust him for the answer. Now you know what to look for in the behavior of the person you’d like to be with.

Now, I need to talk about a few other thoughts I had over your question.

My mom is recently remarried. She’s a widow. She became friends and married a widower. A friend of mine asked me about the wedding and then asked me “Are they happy?” My response surprised both of us I think. “What does “happy” have to with it?  They are committed to each other and love God.”

I have an issue with the 17th century notion of romantic love. When I did pre-martial counseling I’d give the couples homework to read and respond to an article called “What if God Made Marriage to Make Us Holy, Not Happy?” It’s more about deciding you’re committed to the person than it is about romantic love. Because I guarantee any notion that “this person is my soulmate” can fade as fast as trouble comes in.

I had an older couple come to the church once because they wanted to get married. They didn’t attend our church so I asked them, “Why do you want to get married in a church?”

“We want God’s blessing on our union.” It was a good answer so I asked them to tell me their story.

She was in a loveless marriage, lonely and alone a she remembered this boy from school and wondered what he was doing. She managed to track him down and his marriage wasn’t much better than hers so they left their marriages of 36 and 38 years and moved in together. Now they were thinking they should “make it right.”

My “always sensitive” response was to blurt out “You want God to bless the breakup of  your covenants?”  I turned to the guy, “Have you asked her if there is any more old flames you should be worried about?” Let’s just say there weren’t comfortable with my insistence on pre-martial counseling after that.

Now I know that’s not the pastoral thing to do. I refused to marry more people than I ever performed a wedding ceremony for.

Is there only one “soulmate” for each of us? It’s not a Biblical principle. It’s from Greek Platonic philosophy:

Aristophanes presented a story about soulmates in The Symposium by Plato. It states that humans originally consisted of four arms, four legs, and a single head made of two faces, but Zeus feared their power and split them all in half, condemning them to spend their lives searching for the other half to complete them.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soulmate

The Biblical principle is covenant. The two become one. What God has brought together, let no man tear apart.

Now granted it could be that I strongly believe this because I have a daughter and am really warming up to the idea of arranged marriages. But I’m also on a personal mission to root out Greek and foreign philosophy from the knowledge of the Word.

Thanks for asking about how to find your soulmate.

- Trevor

The children of Israel entering the promised land in Numbers 13 – 14 were worried about what was ahead of them. They feared the giants in the land. They didn’t know how they were going to obey and so they chose to complain.

Now don’t be so self-righteous. You and I do the same thing. Well, maybe you don’t. It could be I’m the only person in the world who can, at times, completely understand the children of Israel wondering the desert.

I found an interesting fact in the life and ministry of Jesus:

The most common command from Jesus comes from the whole “fear not” genre. There are 125 imperatives Jesus gave his disciples. Of these, 21 urge us to “not be afraid” or “not fear” or “have courage” or “take heart” or “be of good cheer.” The second most common command, to love God and neighbor, appears on only eight occasions.

It would seem Christ was more concerned about His followers fearing and worrying than He was with them having love.

Why is that?  Lance Wallanau gives his reason for it:

“You’ll always put more energy into avoiding the thing you fear than pursing the vision you’ve got.”

Now I don’t think it’s a matter of God wanting us to love less so we worry less. I know when I worry less I can love more and worry seems to come even more naturally to us than love does. That’s why I see Christ telling us more than twice as often to “not fear” than He tells us to love…even though love is who He is.

What do you think? Is it easier to love when you worry less? Share your comments.
photo credit: andrewrennie

I love answering questions people ask me on this blog or on Twitter. I’m not saying I have the full or complete answer ever, but I do know I have more questions than most people have time to think about.

A few days ago, someone asked me this on Twitter. I’ve just been able to put together an answer now. Here’s the question she subsequently emailed me:

How come we all became sinners after the fall? No choice in the matter.
But to have eternal life we HAVE to make a choice. It just doesn’t seem very fair.(not that God is always fair) Would love an answer.

The first thing I want to affirm is that when creation was completed with us God said it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Every other day ended with “it was good.” When we were created it was “very good.” We need to remember:

• God made us very good.
• He takes His delight in us (Psalm 149:4).
• He made us for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11).
• He doesn’t delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11).
• He delights in showing unfailing love (Micah 7:8).

All of this is amazing when we consider what we know of the holiness of God. God is so good and so holy and so loving that He allows Himself to be described as:

God IS good.
God IS holy.
God IS love.

These aren’t just descriptions but are attributes of Him.

Now the question seems to focus on the academic and we all can be offended when our logic is questioned. So I am asking you to read on knowing I’m trying hard not to give you pat answers, and that I’ve needed to extend this into another post because there is so much to cover.

One common derivative of this question is:

How can a good, holy and loving God, let people go to hell?

It’s a question that misses the revelation of His goodness, the experience of His holiness, and the tangibleness of His love.

God has done everything to bring us into right relationship with Him and satisfy the penalty for sin. We don’t have to work out our justification (removing the guilt), or redemption (paying the price of sin), or propitiation (washing the sin away), or reconciliation (make friends again with God) or even, expiation (satisfying the demands of God) because of what Christ did. We are holy, because He is Holy.

God cares more about grace than He does about fairness.

Don’t allow an offense against your logic to keep you from experiencing and knowing the delight the Father has for you. He will reveal it to you in ways you’ll grasp but never fully understand.

I’ll answer the question more in the next post. Love to hear your comments on how it’s going so far.

This is just too cool. It’s a visualization of world religious history. Can’t wait to see more people come into a personal relationship with our loving God.

I had someone call me today to ask my help publishing a “spiritual book”, when I asked what it was about I was told, “it’s religion without God.”

I didn’t mean to laugh, but I couldn’t help it.

Who would really want anything to do with religion… especially if it’s without God? I mean seriously, God’s the best part of Christianity. Without Him… it just ain’t worth it.

Anyway…Yes, I’ve promised to write an update, but since Kaz and I are getting ready to fly to Phoenix for our 15th anniversary, and there’s a lot of things to get ready for it.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and anniversary wishes. I really appreciate it.

Here’s the map in motion…

Truth:

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion–how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 1 John 3:16-23 (New Living Translation)

Thought:

It’s really difficult to say more about love than John does in his first letter. The man was passionate about love. I’m convinced it was because the church in Ephesus that he was an elder of was told by God to return to their first love or else they would cease to exist.

I’m sure I wrote more about that somewhere and I’m sure it’s really good stuff, but I can’t find it in all this information that’s been produced over these 40 days. In some ways, it has been a long journey so it’s good to reflect on the final day and say with Qoheleth:

That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God
and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 (New Living Translation)

What is God’s command? – To love God and love others. Love is the fulfillment of the law. Love is the antidote to negativity.

We could have called this “40 Days of Love” but I’m glad I didn’t since Saddleback came up with its own campaign for that.

“Love God, love others” sounds so simple, and it is.  But if it were easy to love, why wouldn’t more people do it?

The answer to that question is also simple. It means death to ourselves when we put other people’s interests ahead of our own.  It means death to ourselves when we change our negative thinking patterns. It means death to ourselves when we speak words of life and stop speaking words of death. It means death to ourselves when we reflect the goodness of God to the side of the world that’s away from the Son.

And that’s the kind of sacrifice Jesus is looking for. He said in Luke 14:26-27:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Christ is worthy of a greater love than the earliest love, a greater love than the dearest love, and a greater love than the nearest love.

Will you give it to Him today and always?

Will you show your love for Him by the way you love others?

You’ve been doing it for 40 days. When you’ve messed up, you’ve confessed and God’s forgiven you.  You know how to do it and you know it can be done. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.

This is not the end of the journey. Stay on the path we’ve joined for this short time. If you need this encouragement for another 40 days, maybe daily emails will help. Go to LifeAbovetheNegativity.com anytime and sign up anytime to have these emails delivered to you daily.

So before we end this journey, I want to pray for you. I know I’ve prayed it over you often in my times with God. It’s Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians:

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious
Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that
you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the
saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:17-19 (New International Version)

You are loved by God, so love loving others… He does.

Prayer:

Lord, I thank You for all You taught me and have shown me on this 40-day journey. Specifically I want to thank You for (Fill in the Blank). You are good and You are great. I thank You. I thank You for Your love. I thank You for Your mercy. I thank You for Your grace. I thank You that You empower me to love others in Your name.

Challenge:

Celebrate God today. Take some time to go over Isaiah 58 and reflect on the fast you’ve just completed. Focus on the promises in that text. Know that great things are in store. Remember the things He’s spoken to you or provided for you or shown you these past 40 days. Talk about them to others. Rejoice a great deal today.

Declaration:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

Truth:

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels–a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. John 12:24-25 (New Living Translation)

Thought:

The seed needs to die before it has any potential. Many times when we stand before God with a broken dream, unfulfilled vision or loss of a promise it feels just like the plant we tended so carefully has just gone dry and withered.

It has.

But don’t let the seed go to waste.

If you bury it and water it you’ll get fruit. If you sit with it and stare at it and complain about it, you’ll never get the divine justice that’s due because of that loss. Divine justice repays a loss seven times (Genesis 4:15). That’s what you’re entitled to as a child of the king.

It doesn’t do any good to hold a seed in your hand. Plant it, water it and look for divine justice.

What if I don’t care about divine justice? What if I just hurt and don’t want to choose to live un-offended at God? Does it really matter?

Look at what happened to Jesus at Nazareth in Mark 6:2-5

The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”  And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

Offense at God brings unbelief.

You may go through a season of pain, but don’t let that season define your life. Don’t let it rob you of your future. Plant the seed, turn the pain over to God, and trust Him to do what’s right.

Water the seed – remind yourself of the truth of God’s word. Insist on divine justice to repay you seven times for your loss. Know who you are in Christ and live out of the love God has for you.

Prayer:

Lord, release divine justice for every area the enemy has stolen, killed and destroyed. I put my trust in You to repay and to avenge. Lord, I want this seed to spring up and produce a harvest. I want victory in the areas I’ve seen defeat. I want You to be recognized as true to Your word. I know that is what You are. I know You give good gifts to Your children. I rest in Your peace knowing You’ll make all things right.

Challenge:

Have you given way to unbelief in your life by choosing to take offense at God? Ask God to reveal any area where you have and agree with Him that what He reveals is sin. Ask for forgiveness and know you have been forgiven. Press in for divine retribution to be fully repaid.

Declaration:

I choose to live un-offended at God. I agree with the Bible that God is Good and God is Great. Even though I don’t understand my circumstance, I give up my right to understand so that I can have the peace that passes understanding.

I’m Trevor Lund, a Christian Writer Christian Speaker and Lead Dreamer for Expectancy Ministries. My passion is imparting hope and empowering destiny in others. Get resources for fasting for negativity from www.LifeAbovetheNegativity.com
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Truth:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (New International Version)

Thought:

Love is the antidote to negativity. How can you act in love and speak:

Careless words Matthew 12:35-37, (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
“Loose” words Proverbs 10:19, (New International Version)
Angry words James 1:19, (New Living Translation)
Cutting words Proverbs 12:18, (New Living Translation)
Discouraging words Numbers 32:7, (New International Version)
Untruthful words Ephesians 4:25, (New International Version)
Complaining words Philippians 2:14-16, (New Living Translation
Slanderous words Ephesians 4:31, (New International Version)
Obscene words Ephesians 5:4, (New International Version)
Abusive words Ephesians 4:29, (New Living Translation)
Dissenting words Proverbs 16:28, (New International Version)
Or Gossip Proverbs 20:19? (New Living Translation)

You can’t.

Love fulfills the law (Romans 13:10). It is the revealed nature of God  (1 John 4:16). It is how we are to treat one another (John 13:34-35). It’s how we are to behave towards everyone (Luke 10:27).  Yet the word “love” is trite. It’s not specific enough. We love our spouse. We love our dog. We love jalapeños in sandwiches. How can we know what love is?

We need to understand love the way God wants us to understand it. We can only define our love by how God loved us:

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10 (New International Version)

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church–a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor–since they’re already “one” in marriage. Ephesians 5:25-28 (The Message)

And we can only measure our love, by the way God measures it:

This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:2-4 (New International Version)

So “love” means obedience to God. Love means self-sacrifice. Love means you show it before the other one deserves it.

Have you shown that love to someone today?

Prayer:

Lord, I thank You that Your commands are not burdensome and I thank You You’ve given the Holy Spirit to help me in my weakness. I want to reflect Your goodness to people not directly in Your light.  Help me show love even before I feel like it, so the love I show can be sincere. Thank You that since this prayer is according to Your will, I know I have what I ask of You.

Challenge:

Every time you speak careless, “loose,” angry, cutting, discouraging, untruthful, complaining, slanderous, obscene, abusive or dissenting words and gossip, confess it to God and ask the forgiveness of the one you spoke them to. Have grace for others who speak them to you.

Declaration:
I choose to reflect the light of the Son to the side of the world that’s away from the Son. I choose to put on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.