I Am Safe

Psalm 4:8New Living Translation (NLT)

8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Is your life filled with pressure, pain and stress?  In spite of the circumstances you may find yourself in, find comfort in the safety of the Lord.  Nothing can ever destroy the relationship that you enjoy with God.  Your eternal safe keeping is completely from God.

Those who have trusted Jesus as their savior can be assured that no matter what transpires in your life you are safe in Him.

I am safe because Jesus Christ has saved me.  I am save because the Holy Spirit has sealed me.  I am safe because the Father shelters me.

Truly today I am eternally safe.

Forgiveness VS Trust

Forgiveness VS Trust

Forgiveness and trust are often confused.  The two are related, but they are not identical, and serious confusions creep into situations when they are thought of as being roughly the same thing.  This confusion prevents people from forgiving and moving on.

What is Forgiveness?

Forgiveness is an essential part of Christian life.  We forgive because God commands it and because He has forgiven us.

"...and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us." (Matthew 6:12 NLT)

Forgiveness is letting go of anger, bitterness, and the desire for revenge.  It is honestly wishing God's blessings upon those who have wronged you.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,  “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”[a] says the Lord.  20 Instead, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them.  If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”[b]  (Romans 12:19-20 NLT)

Forgiveness is trusting in the sovereignty of God - believing that His purpose will be fulfilled in your life, regardless of what others have done to you.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.  (Genesis 50:20 NLT)

Forgiveness, however, is not the same thing as trust.

Jesus commands us to forgive everyone, but he didn't command us to trust everyone.  In fact, Jesus himself didn't trust everyone.

23 Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. 24 But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. 25 No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.  (John 2:23-25 NLT)

Jesus was the most forgiving, loving man who ever lived.  But he knew he could not trust all people - he understood human nature.

Forgiveness should be freely extended to all, but your trust must be earned.

Do you see the difference?

In other words, God commands me to forgive those who have harmed me.  I must not seek revenge - I must let go of hurt and anger.  But God does not command me to immediately trust those who have harmed me.

This is where many people get confused.  They believe in order to forgive, they must completely trust the one who sinned against them (as if nothing happened).  This is simply not true.

Forgiveness is instant. Trust must be built over time.  Forgiveness is based on grace.  Trust is built on works.  You earn trust.  You don't earn forgiveness.

Forgiveness and restoration are two different things.  Forgiveness is only on your part, whether they respond or not, whether they ask for it or not, whether they even recognize it or not.  You forgive for your sake.  Restoration of a relationship takes far more than forgiveness.  It takes repentance.  It takes restitution and a rebuilding of trust.  And it often takes a much longer time.

Trust is a Fragile Thing.  Once it has been broken, it must be restored.  Hopefully this can happen after we forgiven. Unfortunately, there are times when trust is broken beyond repair.  In these cases, we should forgive and move on.  There is no contradiction here - we can wish blessings on someone from a distance, without putting ourselves in harm's way.

An example:

A young woman has an abusive boyfriend.  She should forgive the abuse.  However, she should also end the relationship and avoid the abuser.  Continuing the relationship (and the abuse) would not glorify God.

Another example:

I wouldn't want a pedophile working around my house with my children nearby.  No matter how radically saved he is, he would have to earn that trust.

Yet another example:

A mechanic friend gets angry with me and intentionally slashes the break lines on my car.  The next day, when driving with my children, I have the scare of a lifetime.  Luckily not one is injured and no harm is done.  The mechanic finds out and is sorry for his actions  He offers a heartfelt, genuine apology.  Jesus requires that I forgive him, even if he repeatedly does things to my car, and his conscience was repeatedly smote, and he returned again and again, confessing his sin, I would be required to forgive him.  Every.  Single.  Time.

But, at some point, one of the most loving, one of the most gracious things to do would be to get him away from my car.  Apparently him and my car have this thing going where he can't help but sin when he gets within 10 feet of it.  So, being the loving person that I ought to be, I don't ask him to work on my car anymore.  In fact, I may never ask him to repair anything of mine again.  I don't trust him.  And it doesn't seem to be good for his soul.

I may not recommend him when asked about local mechanics.  I may not thing that being an auto mechanic is the best vocation for him, but I have forgiven him, and my understanding of his situation is not bitterness or resentment for what he did to me.  I have released that debt.  He is forgiven.  

It is the most unloving thing in the world to act like there is nothing to watch our for.  Forgiveness is the first necessary step in rebuilding trust, but a flagrant disregard for the physical or spiritual safety of people under your care is a good reason to have that trust revoked.  

It is not unloving to hold your toddler's hand while walking down a busy street.  It is not unloving to not trust his ability to judge where it is safe to run.  It is in fact the most loving thing not to trust him.

And when a grown up shows a significant lack of judgement or competence, it is not unloving to insist on guard rails, accountability, and serious hand holding.  And true repentance must see and feel that sense of irresponsibility deeply. There's nothing so disenchanting as the one at fault feeling hurt when people aren't ready to trust them yet.  You can't shoot out all the windows in your home and then wonder why everybody is a little jump when you walk in two weeks later.

Don't confuse forgiveness and trust.

Confusing forgiveness and trust means that forgiveness doesn't actually have any teeth; it's grace without power.  But the whole point of forgiveness is to help a sinner change.  Forgiveness certainly restores fellowship, but love cares about proclivities, weakness, and wants to see real healing happen.  

Trust is a privilege, not a right.
Learn to forgive first, learn to seek peace, but wisdom isn't blind and remember:  trust is a privilege not a right.

Defeat Evil With Good

Romans 12:21New Living Translation (NLT)

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Christian love can never reciprocate by responding to sin with sin.  Christian love can never practice what is evil in order to pay back someone for the evil they have done to us.  This isn't speaking about justice, but about revenge.  Revenge is returning evil for evil.  Revenge is but the perpetuation of sin.  It is not overcoming sin, but being overcome by it.

The Christian has been saved not to continue in sin but to demonstrate the righteousness of God in his daily life.  We are to live by God's standards and not those of men.  God's standards are perfect and higher than those of men. Revenge violates the standards of God, and violates the standards of society as well.  Revenge takes the law into its own hands.  This view is dangerous and unbiblical.

Let us be conformed to His thoughts.  Let us obey Him by loving our enemies and seeking their benefit and ultimately seeking their salvation.

Guard Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23New Living Translation (NLT)

23 Guard your heart above all else,
    for it determines the course of your life.

What does it mean to "guard your heart"?

When Solomon refers to guarding the heart, he means the inner core of a person - our thoughts, our feelings, our desires, our will, and our choices that make us who we are.  The Bible often tells us that our thoughts often dictate who we become.  The mind of a man reflects who he really is, not simply his actions or words.  That is why God examines the heart of a man, not simply his outward appearance or what he appears to be.

Just as there are numerous disorders and diseases that can affect our physical heart, there are many ailments of the spiritual heart that can impair growth as a believer.  Hardening of our hearts occur when we are presented with God's truth, and we refuse to accept or acknowledge it.

James 1:14-16 tells us, "Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.  Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters."

Sin ALWAYS begins in the mind.  A sinner must first conceive and dwell on the sinful action before he actually carries it out.  The first line of defense, therefore, just be to refuse to even contemplate a wrongful action.  2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tell us to take every thought captive, so that it conforms to the will of God.

Avoiding anger, pride and temptation are also critical elements of guarding the heart.  "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things" (Philippians 4:8).  Dwelling on these things will help us build a guard fence around our hearts.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day and the many blessings you have bestowed upon us.  Please forgive me of my sins.  Thank you for your mercy, love, grace, and forgiveness.  Thank you for my salvation.  I pray that you help me to guard my heart from my sinful nature.  In Jesus precious name I pray, Amen.

Nailed to the Cross

Colossians 2:13-15New Living Translation (NLT)

13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed[a] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

Jesus performed three redemptive acts for us on the Cross that we might be free to experience the abundant life He alone gives.

1. Jesus enacted forgiveness
2. Jesus cancelled our indebtedness
3. Jesus disarmed our eternal enemies

When Christ died for us, we died with Him.  When Christ rose, we rose with Him.  We who were dead in trespasses and sin are now spiritually alive, in Christ.

Dear Heavenly Father, give us courage to confess and see ourselves as we truly are.  Forgive us of our sins.  Thank you that our slate is clean and we are completely exonerated.  Allow the full impact of that to pervade and penetrate our mind, heart and soul.  Thank you that you not only forgive, but you forget.  You have no memory of sin that has been put under the blood of Jesus.  For you have nailed it to the Cross and Jesus paid it in full and removed it.  Thank you for the many blessings you have given us.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

7 Day Verse Challenge

Hello all!  Wow...has it really been that long since I have posted to my blog?!  I apologize to any of my readers for my absence.  I will try to get better about this.

So, I was given the 7 day verse challenge on Facebook.  Here were the verses I posted.

Challenge day 1: "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Cor. 5:17 NLT)

Challenge Day 2: "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. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14 NLT)

Challenge Day 3: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT)

Challenge Day 4: “Never stop praying.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT)

Challenge Day 5: “4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 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!) 6 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 NLT)

Challenge Day 6: “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” (John 15:12 NLT)

Challenge Day 7: Luke 24
24 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them,[a] came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly[b] perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”

"I Am Yours"

No words...what an amazing voice God has given this child.  I need this today.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=739538652753385