Blessing Boundaries can be for a season. It was that way for Paul.

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.  For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. Acts 18:9-11

A blessing boundary season does not apply to a blessing boundary for a Biblical command.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Matthew 24:35 (New International Version, ©2010)

Personally I’ve found God’s call on my life to be irrevocable. My first and main call is to be a pastor. For a season, that was the way I received my living. I tried not being a “pastor”, but I couldn’t stop thinking like one. It made me a lousy sales person because I could not allow people to foolishly spend their money on my services. So, I decided I would be a ‘pastor’ online. On twitter and through this blog I minster as a pastor. I have more people coming to my site every day than I regularly spoke to every week when I was paid to be a pastor.

How has knowing God’s blessings for obeying prophetic commands blessings can be for a season impacted your decisions about life?

Will it start to know? Let’s get a discussion going in the comments.

Posts in this series:

An Introduction to Blessing Boundaries
Blessing Boundaries Can Be for a Biblical Command
Blessing Boundaries Are On The Good God Has For Us
The Key For Getting the Good God Has For us
Blessing Boundaries Can Be for a Prophetic Command
Blessing Boundaries Can Be for a Geographical Location
Blessing Boundaries Can Be for a Vocation
Blessing Boundaries Can Be for a Season
Blessing Boundaries Cannot Be Imposed
Blessing Boundaries Can Increase

The most obvious example of blessing boundaries being for a geographical location we can find in Scripture is the promised land. God promised Abraham that the land he walked upon would be for his descendants.

We also see when the children of Israel were in Egypt the area of Goshen where they lived was kept from the plagues that came against the Egyptians.

We also see it in the New Testament.

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.  When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.  So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.  During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:6-10 (New International Version, ©2010)

Not all boundaries are geographically based. But when God gives you a prophetic word for a place, you’re not going to have that same authority or blessing in another place. For example Paul told the church in Corinth that his apostolic authority may not with everyone, but it was with them:

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?  Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 9:1-2 (New International Version, ©2010)

He was an apostle to Corinth because he started the work there. The church was the result of his work. He didn’t write with the same authority when he wrote to the church in Rome. He had the theological authority because he was an apostle. But he didn’t have the personal authority or influence.

Has God told you where He will bless you? Has he put a location on your heart? Is it where you can be part of ministry or start a business or go to work?

You need to know what God is saying to you. You need to know how to hear His voice. You’re His sheep, you know His voice.

Too often we allow fear to keep us from obeying.  Sometimes it’s just such a crazy thought it’s easy for us to come up with excuses why we can’t obey. Abraham’s father left Ur to go to Canaan, but he settled in Haran and never made it there (Genesis 11:31).

I don’t want us to assume that just because we haven’t had a dream in the night with someone calling us to come to a region that God doesn’t have a geographical location for us for us to be blessed in. We do.

We should know we’re called to the church we’re in.

Have you asked Him? When He tells you it’s “right where you are”, then you have the sticktoitiveness to stay on in the hard times and not grow weary in your doing good.

Other posts in this series…

An Introduction to Blessing Boundaries
Blessing Boundaries Can Be for a Biblical Command
Blessing Boundaries Are On The Good God Has For Us
The Key For Getting the Good God Has For us
Blessing Boundaries Can Be for a Prophetic Command
Blessing Boundaries Can Be for a Vocation
Blessing Boundaries Can Be for a Season
Blessing Boundaries Cannot Be Imposed
Blessing Boundaries Can Increase

This is another question from a reader. I’ve put my thoughts together for her. You can share yours in the comments below. You may have other thoughts I haven’t come up with.

Question:

Pastor, I have a question. Before I got saved I had a big ego thank God that is gone  now that I am saved.  

My sister-in-law used to envy me and compete with me on looks.  Then I got saved and a new person came out. I witness to her but no good outcome.  I no longer hang out with her and her husband when they party but I stayed friendly enough for family functions.

Three years ago I had my son and this year was a tough one for me.  I was always thin. my whole life. This year in a short period of time I started eating out of God’s will and gained weight.

Well the question is: I decided to take my son to a water park pretty far from my home. The day before I went this sister in law called me and when we hung up I prayed for her salvation. The next day I said, “gee this sister in law wouldn’t bring her daughter to this park being so far from home.  I do not want to run into her being in a bathing suit she would gossip about how big I got.”  

I then had really nice thoughts about her and that was it.  Well an hour into the park lo and behold she was with her kid…and this place is far for her to travel.  And the worst?  

She looked me up and down and laughed!  ugh.  So later on I said “Lord are you breaking me down?”  

Did God do this to me to use shame to get me to change my eating or did the devil?  Or did I manifest it by fearing her being in there?  

Any advice?

Answer:

OK. So I did the research and can’t find anywhere in Scripture that tells us we should conform to the patterns of the world. In fact Paul told the church in Rome:

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (New Living Translation)

I know people quote 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 to say we need to take care of our body:

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (New Living Translation)

But when we look at it in context, it has nothing to do with exercise and what we eat. It has everything to do with avoiding sexual sin:

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (New Living Translation)

God wants us to be healthy. In fact I believe we can have divine health – and we have a part to play in it. But let’s get on with your questions:

Did God use shame to get you to change your eating habits?

I think you’d be making a mistake to think that what the church does is what God does. Shame never produces life. It never can change the root problem. At best it alters what other people see in us. Shame is never from God. In Christ there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). God’s not shaming you. He’s not ashamed of you.

Did the devil use the laughter?

I see a lot of insecurities in your question. These come from what you’ve learned and experienced in your past. You may have heard people you trust try to shame someone else or more likely you’ve been teased and shamed by others.

So in that way the enemy was doing a number on you by pushing those buttons he’s been working on for some time.

These aren’t God’s thoughts for you. He’s out to heal your insecurities by showing you in Christ you are eternally secure.

A tool that helps me is available at http://lifeabovethenegativity.com/resources/ it’s a personalized Identity in Christ. It helps me to think God’s thoughts above the negative thoughts that so easily interrupt me as well.

This is really the main issue in your question: Where are you getting your identity from? It can’t be in other’s opinion of you. God’s entrusted you much greater gifts than your appearance.

Did you bring it about by trying to avoid it?

You may have an example here of what Job experienced:

What I always feared has happened to me.
What I dreaded has come true. Job 3:25 (New Living Translation)

Fear is faith in the lies of the enemy. You went out of your way to not be shamed in front of someone. Everything not done in faith is sin (Romans 14:28). Do you see why what we fear comes true?
Ask for forgiveness and don’t be afraid you won’t get it, because you will.

I’m interested to know “Where do you go from here?”

Why don’t you use this to improve your relationship with her? Whether you recognize it or not, you are her mentor. Tell her how you feel. Share your struggle. Tell her she’s begun a new life and needs to grow up in it.

Forgive her and don’t let her laughter lead you into condemning thoughts. God’s not condemning you so agree with His thoughts for you.

I’m praying you’ll know God’s pleasure in you. He’s not disillusioned with you as He had no illusions of you in the first place. He looks on your heart, not your outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7).  Don’t forget:

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. ?Proverbs 31:30 (New International Version 1984)

I sense that you are a women to be praised…for fearing the Lord.

~Trevor

Do we let fear or faith guide our decisions?

Download audio file (BlessingBoundaries3.mp3)

Download the Entire Message at Expectancy Press

Is Bi-Vocational Ministry God’s Best Plan?

Are we selling ourselves short when we insist pastors take another job? Is that foolishness to ask that question? Let’s examine Paul as a tent-maker before we write it off as a pie-in-the-sky dream.

This is a message “The Key of Blessing Boundaries” by Trevor Lund of revtrev.com

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By Rodney W. Francis (Founder/Director: “The Gospel Faith Messenger” Ministry,” Paraparaumu, New Zealand)

We’re continuing this guest post from Rodney Francis on Paul’s Macedonian call and what it means for us to fulfil a vision that’s from God. Be sure to check out his site. He’s doing amazing work all around the world.

All around us there are people who are hurting. There are people who are defeated. There are people who are discouraged, sad, lonely and/or depressed. There are people who are “living a lie”; and they will continue to live like that until we demonstrate to them a better way. That takes vision! When others come into your presence they should feel your love, acceptance, strength and security. If they are lost in sin they should feel that, somehow, you have got the answer to their problem ~ all because of the vision of JESUS that burns within your spirit.

Here’s how you can fulfil your vision from God.

6.    THEY CONTINUED TO PRAY

Sixthly, as they were fulfilling the vision, they continued to pray. It was not a time to give up and say, “What’s the use? God doesn’t seem to answer any more.

* Keep praying!
* Keep believing!

It is as we are moving in God, as we are going forward, endeavouring to fulfil the vision, that we find God answers prayer. God will release what we need to fulfil the vision, because, remember, the vision is His more than it is yours or mine. God will stand behind His Word and work to back it up! Don’t lose sight of the need to pray.

7.    THEY CONTINUED TO WITNESS

Seventhly, they continued to witness. They continued to share their testimony. They continued to share Jesus with other people. That’s the life of a Christian, to be able to open your mouth and to witness to others of that which Jesus has done for you. This is very important. We see in verse 13: “And as we sat down and spake to the women who resorted there,”  the result was a baptismal service.

* They witnessed effectively.
* They witnessed with purpose.
* They witnessed with results.

God wants us to be people like that, where our vision produces results.

8.    GOD TOUCHES HEARTS

The eighth point was that as they went forward to fulfil the vision, God touched hearts. God touches hearts today. Whatever we need to fulfil the vision, God can touch hearts to help us do it. God will supply the needs and, because God touches hearts, we can be assured that souls will be saved and baptized. Even in jail they continued to fulfil the vision! They continued to see souls saved and baptized. Nothing stands in the way when we obey God!

9.    OPPOSITION TO THE VISION

Ninthly, with any vision there will be opposition. We need to be aware of this. There will always be opposition to the fulfilling of the vision of God. It will come from people who are not saved, and it will come from people who are saved. It will come from those who are jealous, and it will come from those who do not understand. It will come; that is why we need to know the vision is born of God. Human nature is such that we tend to “persecute the living saints, and glorify the dead ones!” Pursue the vision with a straight course, otherwise you will find that opposition and persecution will discourage you ~ and if you get discouraged the vision will die. That must not be allowed to happen. We must get beyond the stage where we are easily offended and put-off because of what other people say when we know that we are fulfilling the vision of God. God will test us as we seek to fulfil His vision, make no mistake about that. But I tell you ~ God gets the glory out of the end result. Hallelujah!

10.    CHURCHES ARE ESTABLISHED

The tenth thing that happened with Paul fulfilling the vision was that new churches were established. There is a great need for churches to be established in God, so that people can see and sense and feel the security of a church that is established, rooted and grounded in the faith of Jesus Christ. A strong church will weather the storms; a strong church will protect the weak; it will shelter those that are failing, and it will strengthen them and minister life to them. A strong church will build the people up. This is the purpose of the vision: to establish people in God (Romans 1:11).

Rodney Francis is the Founder and Director of “The Gospel Faith Messenger” Ministry” For Bible Studies, books, manuals, tapes, videos and information, contact http://www.gospel.org.nz

By Rodney W. Francis (Founder/Director: “The Gospel Faith Messenger” Ministry,” Paraparaumu, New Zealand)

Rodney is a great friend and encourager for me. I was so blessed when he agreed to do a couple of guest posts on my blog. I use his advice for defining a vision and know you’ll enjoy it as well. Check out http://www.gospel.org.nz for more of his resources.

I would like to share with you ten different things the Apostle Paul did in order to fulfil the vision God had given unto him. “Where there is no vision (“the ability to perceive future developments”), the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). The literal Hebrew translation is, “Without a prophetic vision, the people perish.”  People are perishing because, in many respects, they have never seen the impact of our vision. And if we don’t have a vision, then we will eventually perish also. We must have a vision because a vision is life giving; especially a vision that is “born of God” in our heart.

Paul had a vision ~ what we know as “the Macedonian call.” Where was Paul when the vision came? Well, he was in quite a nice little place called Troas, right by the seaside, maybe a little holiday resort. But Paul was also looking to God: “Where do You want me to go from here?” And the vision came ~ “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Macedonia wasn’t down the next street. It wasn’t even just outside of the city. It was right across the seas in another land altogether.

God gave to Paul a large vision!

* What do you do when you get a vision?

* Do you run around being a visionary?

* Do you jump on a boat, or an aeroplane, and become a missionary?

God wants us to be able to fulfil the vision! And you can’t fulfil a vision if you haven’t got one! Let God give you a vision. (I have a vision). The same principles that applied to Paul fulfilling his vision apply to every one of us with the vision we have from God. What are those ten principles?

1.    IMMEDIATE RESPONSE

First of all it will mean change. To fulfil a vision you cannot sit where you are, doing the things you have been doing up until now. What was the first thing Paul did when he got the vision? “Immediately,” verse 10 tells us, “he endeavoured to fulfil it.”  Immediately! What does that mean? It means that immediately he set about with cutting his links and his responsibilities with the place he was already at. To fulfil it he was going to have to loose himself from all the responsibilities that he had in Troas. And immediately he set about this because now in his heart he had a call and a vision that the next place was to be Macedonia.

2.    KNOW THE VISION IS OF GOD

Secondly, he was assured that the vision and the call was of God. This is important.
* How do you know your vision is of God? You can know. God can speak through His Word. God can answer your prayers.  The

Holy Spirit can speak to your heart and cause you to know and to understand that which has come into your life is not born of the flesh, nor of self-ego, but of the Spirit of God. The Bible says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). God can confirm it.

Another area of confirmation should involve your leadership ~ your spiritual oversight. This is one of the responsibilities of leadership ~ that leadership should be able to be approached by the people, who can submit their proposals, their vision for their future, their family, their everything (Hebrews 13:7, 17, 20-25). The relationships should be such that they know something of God’s purpose for your life.

In Acts 16:10, Paul, after he had seen the vision, immediately endeavoured to go to Macedonia, “assuredly gathering.” Now those two words are quite important. It is the only place in the New Testament where they are used with this specific meaning. It means this: “to cause to put together, to examine closely, to conclude from laying circumstances together.” So, not only do we hear the vision from God, and can check out the spiritual avenues of confirmation that are available to us, but we also have an added advantage of being able to lay down together all the circumstances that are happening around us. In the light of the previous we can act accordingly, to bring about a positive fulfilment of the vision. If we do nothing about it, the vision will eventually die.

With a vision, we need to be able to look at the circumstances that God is bringing about in our lives, and say, “Yes, God is in that. God caused that to happen.” Begin to lay the circumstances out that are happening in your life. Let us never forget that God is much bigger than our circumstances; He can dissolve, remove or work with or around them in order for us to do His will! He wants to be GOD in us as we fulfil His vision in and for our lives! He does not work in a “hit and miss” way! Paul was assured that the vision was of God. That gives you confidence to do something about it.

3.    A VISION FOR THE FURTHERANCE OF THE GOSPEL

Thirdly, Paul believed the call, the vision, was for the furtherance of the Gospel.
Verse 10: “Assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the Gospel unto them.” The Christian vision must always involve the ongoing preaching of the Gospel. We must always put the preaching of the Gospel in the forefront of our spiritual vision, because without the preaching of the Gospel the people will perish. God wants us to always have a great emphasis on the preaching of the Word of God ~ and the quickening voice of the Holy Spirit. It is Good News!

4.    CUT OFF THE HINDRANCES

Fourthly, what did he do? He then cut off “his ties” with the present place he was at. How many times do we hear people say they have had the call of God and then allow circumstances, homes and family, jobs, personal interests . . . so many things to get in the way? The vision is hindered ~ and the vision dies. Christian, in these days we have to hold on to this world’s goods lightly, to hold on to the possessions of this life with an “open hand,” so that if God wants them, He gets them. So many people miss God because they cannot “cut the ties” with the things that hold us back from moving on in God and fulfilling our vision.

5.    A STRAIGHT COURSE

Fifthly, we read in verse 11: “We came with a straight course.” Is that the kind of life we live? We have a vision, our eyes are upon it and nothing is going to “side-track” us ~ nothing to going to cause us to waiver? We have a vision in our life that is born of God and, with a “straight course” we are pursuing it? That’s the type of life-style we need to have ~ running a straight course! God wants us to have the excitement of a vision being lived out and fulfilled within each of our lives.

* To know we are going somewhere in God!
* To know that God will not leave us, nor forsake us, nor let us down in the pursuing of our vision. He has set a straight course for us in order that we may fulfil it.

Rodney Francis is the Founder and Director of “The Gospel Faith Messenger” Ministry” For Bible Studies, books, manuals, tapes, videos and information, contact http://www.gospel.org.nz

Continue Reading this Post Here…

We need Truth. All of us can get focused on the lies we tell ourselves and the lies of the one who seeks to kill, steal and destroy. I’ve found the only solution for it is to allow the Father to regularly search our thoughts and show us any wicked way we’re walking in.

When we can hear the Father’s voice chains fall off of our souls; wounds still festering are healed. Knowing He’s there in the dark places of our souls and that He desires to see us free – after all it is what Jesus did while He was in the world, and He only did what He saw the Father do – so we know He wants to speak truth into our places of pain.

It begins by internalizing that we are new creations in Christ – old things have passed away, behold all things have become new:

Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified Bible)

The good news is you’re not messed up. Too many people think that we “do the things we don’t want to do” because we are. Don’t take that condemnation. It’s not from the Father.

When Paul told the Romans that this is what he did (Romans 7), he was illustrating the problem with the law. He was showing that the law was good, in that it shows us what is wrong, but once we know what is wrong; we still can’t do the good. This was his lament. However, IN CHRIST we can do all things.

We’re not “messed up” but we are wounded. And the Father seeks to heal those wounds. Here’s how you can allow Him to:

1. In your quiet time with the Father, set special time aside. Ask the Father to sanctify it so you can hear Him clearly.

2. Ask the Father to take you to a wounded part of your soul. It could be fear, anger, discouragement, etc.

3. Ask the Father to show you where this wound came into your life. What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? What is happening?

4. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the Father in that circumstance. Do you see him? What is He doing?

5. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the lie you’ve chosen to believe because of this situation. Listen to what He says.

6. Ask the Father to tell you the truth of how He sees the situation? What does He say? What does He do? Know that he’s speaking. This is going to be good.

7. Confess the lie you’ve been believing as sin, ask the Father to forgive you. Pronounce the truth He’s just revealed as the truth you now believe. Declare to satan you’ll no longer live out of the lies he once had you believe.

Understand a few things in this process. First, God is good and He wants you to be healed. Two, satan is a liar, you don’t need to agree with him. Three, the thoughts that pop into your head – as long as they agree with the will of the Father expressed in Scripture, and in His revealed character in this age of grace – are the thoughts the Father has for you. They are good. You can trust them.

If you need someone to walk with you through this, find someone trained in theophostics or Sozo. Art Mathias of Wellspring Ministries has a lot of success in this.

Have you found release with a similar technique to this? I’d love to hear your stories. If you minister to people in a similar way, leave a link to your site in the comments.

Truth:

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. Philippians 1:28 (New Living Translation)

Thought:

When God places us as His salt and light in an environment that is extremely negative, our peace can change the weather around us.

Peace isn’t being self-assured; it’s being assured that God is good.

Francis Frangipane wrote in an email concerning spiritual warfare:

We will never know Christ’s victory in its fullness until we stop reacting humanly to our circumstances. When you truly have authority over something, you can look at that thing without worry, fear or intimidation. Your peace is the proof of your victory.

The disciples were scared at the storm on the lake, while Jesus slept in peace (Matthew 8:23-27). When they woke Him up He didn’t fight against the storm or fear it. He used His authority in perfect peace.

When did Jesus ever argue with demons? Even satan was simply answered with truth.

Jesus was so calm as He stood before Pilate that in a matter of moments, it was no longer Jesus who was on trial, but satan, Pilate and the religious establishment in Israel.

Francis Frangipane continued:

Satan’s arsenal consists of such things as fear, worry, doubt and self-pity. Every one of these weapons robs us of peace and leaves us troubled inside. Do you want to discern where the enemy is coming against you? In the network of your relationships, wherever you do not have peace–you have war. Conversely, wherever you have peace–you have victory. When satan hurls his darts against you, the more peace you have during adversity, the more truly you are walking in Christ’s victory.

Paul told the Philippians:

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. Philippians 1:28 (New Living Translation)

He’s saying that our peace is a sign to others that God is in control and we’re on the winning side. You’ll remember a couple of days ago I confessed I need to be careful how I react to actions, attitudes and spirits that set themselves up against the knowledge of Christ. I tend to get aggressive and confrontational. At least I did, until God decided to teach me more about peace. He’s doing it by showing me Jesus.

Jesus was never in a hurry. He ignored ignorant arguments. He took time for people. He took time to laugh. Even the darkest moments He spent in prayer. He was overwhelmed with grief, but never crushed. He never used His circumstance as an excuse to step out of the will of God. It’s tough to understand His peace.

That’s the kind of peace I’m after and it’s the kind of peace I get when I live out Philippians 4:4-8.

We’ll conclude with Francis Frangipane’s conclusion:

Rest precedes rule. Peace precedes power. Do not seek to rule over the devil until you are submitting to God’s rule over you. The focal point of all victory comes from seeking God until you find Him, and having found Him, allowing His presence to fill your spirit with His peace. From full assurance at His right hand, as you rest in His victory, so will you rule in the midst of your enemies.

So seek peace and pursue it.

Prayer:

Lord, I know You are the God of peace and have peace that passes understanding available to me as I rejoice, am gentle, am thankful and take everything to You in prayer. Spirit, help me to always fix my thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely and admirable. Help me to think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise so that Christ’s authority in me can be seen.

Challenge:

Seek peace by seeking God. Allow His presence to fill you with His peace. Don’t be intimated by people and circumstance. Spend time with God to be reminded He is good and He is great.

Declaration:

I choose to change my negative environment by seeking God and pursuing His peace.

Truth:

…leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Matthew 5:24 (New Living Translation)

Thought:

We are fallen people living in a fallen world. That’s not an excuse. We need to become more and more and more like Jesus. But there may be times when we have sinned against someone else and we need to make it right.

The rabbis taught that the sin against someone else was heavier than the sin against God, because God would always forgive, but someone else may not.

They didn’t have the book of Romans, so Rabbi Paul had a different point of view we follow, but more about that in a bit.  Jesus gave us a pattern to follow in Matthew 5:23-26:

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny. (New Living Translation)

There are a couple of things I’ll point out right away. It’s the one bringing the sacrifice that remembers someone has something against him or her. It’s the Holy Spirit that brings it to their mind. It’s the Spirit’s job to convict sin, not any of ours. Jesus Christ didn’t come into the world to condemn it, so how can we condemn a fellow believer (or the world for that matter)?

Neil T. Anderson gives the following advice in “Steps to Freedom in Christ“:

Only the actions, which have hurt another person, need to be confessed to them. If you have had jealous, lustful or angry thoughts toward another, and they don’t know about it, these are to be confessed to God alone. An exception to this principle occurs when restitution needs to be made. If you stole or broke something, damaged someone’s reputation, and so on, you need to go to that person and make it right, even if he or she is unaware of what you did.

The Process of Seeking Forgiveness

1. Write out what you did wrong and why you did it.

2. Make sure you have already forgiven the person for whatever he or she may have done to you.

3. Think through exactly how you will ask him or her to forgive you. Be sure to
a.  Label your action as wrong.
b.  Be specific and admit what you did.
c.  Make no defenses or excuses.
d.  Do not blame the other person, and do not expect or demand that he or she ask for your forgiveness.
e.  Your confession should lead to the direct question: “Will you forgive me?”

4. Seek the right place and the right time to approach the offended person.

5. Ask for forgiveness in person from anyone with whom you can talk face-to-face with the following exception: Do not go alone when your safety might be in danger.

6. Except where no other means of communication is possible, do not write a letter because a letter can be very easily misread or misunderstood; a letter can be read by the wrong people (those having nothing to do with the offense or the confession); a letter can be kept when it should have been destroyed.

Now remember what I said about Rabbi Paul? Here’s where his teaching comes in. Once you sincerely seek forgiveness, you are free-whether the other person forgives you or not.  Paul wrote in Romans 12:18:

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.(New Living Translation)

So once you’ve sincerely sought forgiveness, you are free. So be sure to do what Jesus said in Matthew 5:24:

…leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. (New Living Translation)

Asking forgiveness from someone we’ve wronged can be a very difficult thing to do. But now that you know the truth, remember the whole truth – God has not only told you to do it, He’ll empower you to do it. It may be good to discuss these thoughts with your pastor if you need some support in doing what the Bible instructs you.

We’re praying for you.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You once again for forgiving me of all my sins. Thank You for cleansing me and making me a minister of reconciliation. If I have sinned against someone I need to ask forgiveness from, bring him or her to my memory and make it possible for me to seek reconciliation. Holy Spirit, help me do what pleases the Father.

Challenge:

Is there someone you need to ask forgiveness from? Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of anyone you may not be in right relationship with. Wait in His presence and expect Him to speak. When images or thoughts go through your mind, confess them to God if you need to, and seek the forgiveness of others if you must.

Declaration:

I choose to forgive everyone who has wronged me. I choose to seek the forgiveness of those I have wronged. I choose to accept I have been forgiven of my confessed sin. I choose to walk in the freedom forgiveness brings.

I don’t believe in Atheists.

I know my sarcasm doesn’t come across well in print – I could tell you horror stories of emails taken literally. I also learned my sarcasm doesn’t really translate well in some speaking situations in New Zealand.

It could be that the same holds true in Canada, but Canadians have learned to chuckle nervously when they get the timing, but not the joke. I may not have grasped the intricacies of New Zealand timing.

‘I don’t believe in Atheists’ is funny to me because Atheists don’t believe in God, and when I say I don’t believe in them the juxtaposition is humorous. (But when you need to explain sarcasm it tends to really loose something.) I don’t believe in Atheists because of what Paul wrote to the Romans:

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (1:20)

No one can get a worldview without God by looking at nature. Studying a cell, or theorizing space time, or watching a sunset, or looking at the waves is not how people choose to call themselves Atheists. It’s not nature they look at, but evil.

Theodicy - the question of evil – is a legitimate question followers of Christ need to wrestle with because those not yet in the faith – when they take the time to genuinely question -will almost naturally gravitate towards it. And evil is real so everyone must reconcile it to how they understand the world.

If God is Good and God is Great, why do bad things happen? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do bad things happen to me? Why do bad things happen to those I love?

We wrestled with these questions while we were in New Zealand, and while we can quote the academic answers, we still wrestle. Faith is not “I understand” but rather “I choose to trust.” But you can’t trust what you don’t know.

So if you’re an unthinking Agnostic claiming to be an Atheist, or perhaps a clichéd Agnostic unwilling to question, just know – if God isn’t Good and if God isn’t Great, then being a follower of him is the most futile thing you can do with your life. But how can you know if you don’t question and seek the answers?

And one last thought to my atheist friends – you may not believe in God, but He believes in you!

-Trevor Lund

Judging is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the Bible. It’s confusing.

Jesus tells us not to judge.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
Matthew 7:1-2 (New Living Translation)

Paul says we’ll judge the angels, so judge between yourself.

Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? 1 Corinthians 6:2-4 (New Living Translation)

Jesus says He’ll return to judge the world

But all who reject my message and me will be judged on the Day of Judgment by the truth I have spoken.
John 12:48 (New Living Translation)

But He also says He didn’t come to judge the world, and that He won’t judge those who hear Him but don’t obey Him.

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:17 (New Living Translation)

I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. ?John 12:47 (New Living Translation)

We’re told to test everything and hold to the good.

Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (NIV)

By the same person who after talking about the retrobateness of culture in Romans 1, followed it up with this in Romans 2 -

You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
Romans 2:1-4 (New Living Translation)

So with all of this confusion, I find most of us have the same idea about judging -

“You don’t judge me, and I’ll judge you when you deserve it.”

We need a better understanding of judging. We’ll get to that in the next post.

This is a question often used to to justify not asking for forgiveness from someone we’ve offended.

It’s never easy to swallow our pride, humble ourselves, admit we were wrong and ask for forgiveness. But what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:23-26 was that we need to leave our sacrifice at the altar and go and seek forgiveness when we’ve offended someone. This is why we celebrate the Lord’s supper regularly and why I’m a fan of celebrating communion every time we gather as the Body of Christ. It allows us the opportunity, and reminds us to judge the body rightly. We allow the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts in regards to our relationships and we make sure we remain in right relationship with the Son by ensuring we’re in right relationship with members of His bride.

But what happens when we try to make amends and the one we’ve offended doesn’t choose to forgive us?

Remember what I said about Rabbi Paul? Here’s where his teaching comes in. Once you sincerely seek forgiveness, you are free-whether the other person forgives you or not.  Paul wrote in Romans 12:18:

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. ?(NLT)

So once you’ve sincerely sought forgiveness, you are free. So be sure to do what Jesus said in Matthew 5:24:

…leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. (NLT)

Asking forgiveness from someone we’ve wronged can be a very difficult thing to do. But now that you know the truth, remember the whole truth – God has not only told you to do it, He’ll empower you to do it. It may be good to discuss these thoughts with your pastor if you need some support in doing what the Bible instructs  you.

We’re praying for you.

We are fallen people living in a fallen world. That’s not an excuse. We need to become more and more and more like Jesus. But there may be times when we have sinned against someone else and we need to make it right.

The rabbis taught that the sin against someone else was heavier than the sin against God, because God would always forgive, but someone else may not.

They didn’t have the book of Romans, so Rabbi Paul had a different point of view we follow, but more about that in a couple days.  Jesus gave us a pattern to follow in Matthew 5:23-26

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny. (NLT)

There are a couple of things I’ll point out right away. It’s the one bringing the sacrifice that remembers someone has something against him or her. It’s the Holy Spirit that brings it to their mind. It’s the Spirit’s job to convict sin, not any of ours. Jesus Christ didn’t come into the world to condemn it, so how can we condemn a fellow believer (or the world for that matter)?

Secondly, when the Spirit brings revelation that someone has something against you, you go to them. Don’t wait for them to come to you. in the next post I’ll outline how you should approach them. Today I’ll pray the Spirit empowers you to obey the Father’s will for you.