How to make better decisions when there are gray areas.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

There are the gray areas in life when we are uncertain what God would require of us. How should we handle them. How can we be guided through them. The scriptures may not be clear on how we can handle it but the bible does give us guidance on how we can make better decisions. When we experience gray areas that make decision making more difficult there are things we can do that can make it easier for us and help us to make a decision that would please God. I have broken this down in sections with new paragraphs below the scriptures.

The bible tells us everything we do must be based on faith in God. The bible tells us without faith it is impossible to please God, the bible tells us if the things we do are not based on faith it is a sin. This helps us to understand the gray areas when we are uncertain what God would expect us to do. We should put it in prayer to him. Think about what our actions are telling God and others.

Children are humble and usually willful to listen when corrected. They are innocent to sin. Children are usually eager to learn. They usually do not lie. This is why sometimes the things they say are so truthful and observant that it can surprise you. Children usually do not envy others and experience joy when they see others are happy. Backbiting means you say unkind things about someone when they are not present. Children usually do not gossip and criticize others. We all fall short of God and should not be focusing more attention on what we feel others are doing wrong. This can cause us to become prideful and be overconfident in our own spiritual wellness. This is why the bible says there is pride before a fall. By avoiding such behavior and being child like to sin it will protect our hearts and minds and help us make better decisions. If we become overconfident we may start viewing ourselves as superior to others and lose the child like thinking.

The bible tells us let each one examine their own actions , we are not to compare ourselves to others. The whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. If we start comparing ourselves to others it could actually starting giving us a sense of pride because we would see our actions may not be as bad as others are. In doing so we may lose site of what is important, and that is looking into the mirror of God’s word and using it as a gauge as to our standing with God. The bible says we could become a forgetful hearer if we do not peer into the word of God’s laws. The bible tells us if we become doers of the work we will be happy. Remaining in union with Christ means we try our best to imitate his faith and love for God and this can also help us to navigate the gray areas in life. If we think what would Christ do or what would Christ want me to do?

(Romans 14:21-23) . . .. ²² The faith that you have, keep it to yourself before God. Happy is the man who does not judge himself by what he approves. ²³ But if he has doubts, he is already condemned if he eats, because he does not eat based on faith. Indeed, everything that is not based on faith is sin.

(Hebrews 11:5-7) . . .. ⁶ Moreover, without faith it is impossible to please God well, for whoever approaches God must believe that he is and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him. ⁷ By faith Noah, after receiving divine warning of things not yet seen, showed godly fear and constructed an ark for the saving of his household; and through this faith he condemned the world, and he became an heir of the righteousness that results from faith.

(1 Corinthians 10:23, 24) ²³ All things are lawful, but not all things are advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. ²⁴ Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person.

(Matthew 18:1-4) 18 In that hour the disciples came near to Jesus and said: “Who really is greatest in the Kingdom of the heavens?” ² So calling a young child to him, he stood him in their midst ³ and said: “Truly I say to you, unless you turn around and become as young children, you will by no means enter into the Kingdom of the heavens. ⁴ Therefore, whoever will humble himself like this young child is the one who is the greatest in the Kingdom of the heavens;

(1 Peter 2:1, 2) 2 So rid yourselves of all badness and deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all backbiting. ² As newborn infants, form a longing for the unadulterated milk of the word, so that by means of it you may grow to salvation,

(Proverbs 18:12) ¹² Before a crash a man’s heart is lofty, And before glory there is humility.

(Galatians 6:2-5) . . .. ³ For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he is deceiving himself. ⁴ But let each one examine his own actions, and then he will have cause for rejoicing in regard to himself alone, and not in comparison with the other person. ⁵ For each one will carry his own load.

(James 1:22-25) . . .. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself, and he goes away and immediately forgets what sort of person he is. ²⁵ But the one who peers into the perfect law that belongs to freedom and continues in it has become, not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work; and he will be happy in what he does.

(1 John 3:4-8) ⁴ Everyone who practices sin is also practicing lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know, too, that he was made manifest to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. ⁶ Everyone remaining in union with him does not practice sin; no one who practices sin has either seen him or come to know him. ⁷ Little children, let no one mislead you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as that one is righteous. ⁸ The one who practices sin originates with the Devil, because the Devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was made manifest, to break up the works of the Devil.

We can also ask God for the wisdom to deal with the gray areas in life. When we ask we need to ask in faith. As mentioned earlier all we do should be with faith in God. So when we ask we should have no doubt that God will grant us what we ask of him when it is his will we are seeking. We know Satan is walking about like a roaring lion. He knows the bible because when he was trying to temp Jesus he was quoting God’s word. If we do not rely on God in those gray areas Satan could use it to his advantage.

(James 1:5-8) ⁵ So if any one of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep asking God, for he gives generously to all and without reproaching, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him keep asking in faith, not doubting at all, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about. ⁷ In fact, that man should not expect to receive anything from Jehovah; ⁸ he is an indecisive man, unsteady in all his ways.

(Romans 8:13-16) . . .. ¹⁴ For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons. ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: “Abba, Father!” ¹⁶ The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.

(1 Peter 5:6-9) ⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time, ⁷ while you throw all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. ⁸ Keep your senses, be watchful! Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone. ⁹ But take your stand against him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by the entire association of your brothers in the world.

We also have a helper the holy spirit. How can we acquire the holy spirit? There are some requirements to receive the holy spirit. First we must ask for it. We cannot live according to the flesh but we will keep our eyes focus on the things above and not the world or fleshly matters. Our actions need to show we have repented from our former way of life. We also must show our faith through our actions and thinking. The bible tells us we receive the spirit through our faith. We can lose the holy spirit once we receive it if we rebel against God so it is very important to work towards our prayers if we ask for holy spirit and do our best to be Christ like.

(Luke 11:12, 13) . . .? ¹³ Therefore, if you, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those asking him!”

(Galatians 3:13, 14) . . .” ¹⁴ This was so that the blessing of Abraham would come to the nations by means of Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promised spirit through our faith.

(Romans 8:4-8) . . .. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, on the things of the spirit. ⁶ For setting the mind on the flesh means death, but setting the mind on the spirit means life and peace; ⁷ because setting the mind on the flesh means enmity with God, for it is not in subjection to the law of God, nor, in fact, can it be. ⁸ So those who are in harmony with the flesh cannot please God.

In the gray areas decision making can be difficult. There are things we can use that can help us to make better decisions especially when the decisions involve working with others. For example do they show the works of the flesh or do they show the fruits of the spirit? If the person has outburst of anger, are envious, get drunk, do they commit immoral acts of sex, are they frequently not open to agreement which causes dissention, do they have an unrestrained sense of shame or rude and overconfidence which means they are brazen. If the person or people we are dealing with are showing these qualities then they are showing the works of the flesh and we need to be cautious of the decisions we make concerning them. They will be deceptive, try to lure us in to making promises that will be difficult to keep. They try to gain our trust to try and take advantage of our kindness and good qualities. They may even try to be extremely kind to us to lure us into a relationship with them. When we deal with ones who display the works of the flesh we have to be very cautious with the decisions we make. Often times ones like this try to get us to make decision without giving us time to think about them. If we are put in this situation we need to weigh what would be best for our relationship with God and not try to please people but to please God first. Those who produce the works of the flesh often times will have hidden motives in in the things they do, so we have to be very careful when dealing with them.

How can we tell if a person or ourselves are producing the fruits of the spirit? Those blessed by the fruits of the spirit will have self control. We all are born sinful but those who are blessed by the spirit will not act on their sinful nature and will do their best not to put themselves in a position to act on their sinful nature. Though things my be approved to do , they may not be right for us if it may cause us to act on our sin. For example if we are prone to having immoral sexual relations we should do our best to avoid situations that could cause us to act on them. By doing this we are showing we have been blessed by the holy spirit because we are demonstrating our self control.

Those who have been blessed by the spirit will have an inner peace in their hearts that protect their hearts and their minds. We will experience anxiety in life but the inner peace can protect us through those times and we will make better decisions in such times. If a person shows they make good decisions even in times of trials or tribulation it is a sign they have been blessed with the holy spirit.

Joy is also a sign a person has been blessed with the holy spirit. Satan and his people will attack those who are following Christ. When a person is being accused by Satan or going through hard times do they usually remain joyful or does their joy quickly return? We may lose our joy for a short period of time but if we have been blessed by the spirit then our joy will return quickly.

Faith is another gift of the spirit, having complete faith in God and living our lives in a way that demonstrates our faith by sharing his word and teaching others to put their faith in God and not letting the anxieties of life crowd God’s word out of our hearts we demonstrate our faith. When being tried, or we have to make a difficult decision we will not panic and make hasty decisions but we will have faith God will guide us and be patient.

If a person is kind in the way Jesus was kind then they are showing they have been blessed by the spirit. Jesus was kind to all people, even the pharisees who opposed him. He was not selective who he was kind to but he was kind to all people. Jesus was willing to serve others and did not look down on anyone. If we have the same attitude towards others by being kind to all then we have been blessed by the holy spirit.

Mildness is another fruit of the spirit. This means a person will be mild in how they act towards others and how they live their lives. They will not react in extreme ways or over react to things. They will not do things excessively but show moderation in the things they do.

Love is also a fruit of the spirit. We can best learn love by looking at the scriptures and taking note if we show love in all we do. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, ⁵ does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. ⁶ It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

If a person is patient and does not look out for their own interest first and does not show the works of the flesh then they have been blessed by the holy spirit. We must be patient when making decisions. In the gray areas we need to do our best to please God and not man. If someone tries to get us to make a hasty decision and we are pleasing people we could make very bad decisions that can effect the rest of our lives or someone else life. So by knowing how to deal with the gray areas it will protect and helps us make it through these uncertain times.

(1 John 2:15-17) ¹⁵ Do not love either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; ¹⁶ because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. ¹⁷ Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

(Acts 2:38) ³⁸ Peter said to them: “Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the free gift of the holy spirit.

(Acts 26:19, 20) ¹⁹ “Therefore, King A·gripʹpa, I did not become disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but to those in Damascus first and then to those in Jerusalem, and over all the country of Ju·deʹa, and also to the nations, I was bringing the message that they should repent and turn to God by doing works that befit repentance.

(Isaiah 63:10) ¹⁰ But they rebelled and grieved his holy spirit. He then turned into their enemy, And he fought against them.

(Galatians 5:19-21) ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are plainly seen, and they are sexual immorality, uncleanness, brazen conduct, ²⁰ idolatry, spiritism, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, dissensions, divisions, sects, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and things like these. I am forewarning you about these things, the same way I already warned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom

(Galatians 5:22-24) ²² On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed to the stake the flesh together with its passions and desires.

(Romans 8:5-9) ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, on the things of the spirit. ⁶ For setting the mind on the flesh means death, but setting the mind on the spirit means life and peace; ⁷ because setting the mind on the flesh means enmity with God, for it is not in subjection to the law of God, nor, in fact, can it be. ⁸ So those who are in harmony with the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ However, you are in harmony, not with the flesh, but with the spirit, if God’s spirit truly dwells in you. But if anyone does not have Christ’s spirit, this person does not belong to him.

(1 Peter 2:21-23) ²¹ In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely. ²² He committed no sin, nor was deception found in his mouth. ²³ When he was being insulted, he did not insult in return. When he was suffering, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the One who judges righteously. . .

Finding true security in such trying times.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

We are living in times where things seem uncertain , our live can rapidly change, man has become so corrupt it is difficult to know what is right and what is wrong. The lines between what is right and what is wrong have become so skewed that most do not know what the right thing to do is. I am going to discuss how we can be more sure of things and know what God would require of us. In doing so this will give us a security and peace that many do not know. They live in constant anxiety and confusion because of the things that are happening in the world now. I will also discuss how this will protect our mental abilities.

Being insecure means we lack trust in something or someone. We are living in the final moments of this system. We were warned how false religion would corrupt man. This is going to cause sin to be rampant and the results of those sins many will be harmed emotionally, physically and may even struggle to survive. This can lead to many insecurities. We can avoid being insecure if we put our trust in God instead of ourselves, man or the world. The bible warned us the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. We know this is true because when Satan tried to temp Jesus he offered him all the kingdoms of the earth. Jesus did not contest that those kingdoms where in the power of Satan. Jesus himself called Satan the ruler of this world. So if we put our trust in the world we are putting our trust in the wicked one. Satan is the inventor of the lie so putting our trust in the world would be putting our trust in a lie since the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. It is very difficult to know what to expect when putting trust in a lie, this can cause many insecurities.

God does not change, cannot lie and all the promises he has made he fulfilled so we can be certain of the things he promises us. Not only that if we write his word on our hearts it protects our minds because we get the security and confidence that comes with being certain of the decisions we make when we know what God’s will is and do his will instead of that of our will , or the will of the world or man. We are all imperfect humans, God is perfect so if we rely on his word to guide us instead of ourselves or others then we can be certain we are making the correct decisions. In doing so it gives us a certain confidence. God is merciful and forgiving. Man tends to show very little mercy and tends to hold error against us even if we have repented. They will constantly throw your error in you face and remind you of your error. Something we are told not to do. There is a security that comes with knowing we have such a loving and forgiving God.

How can we find security in our worship of God with false teaching prophesied to be rampant and religion being corrupted? How do we know whether we are worshiping in truth? True worship will bring security because we will be certain of our decisions because we will know what God’s will is and know what he would want us to do. If we look at our fruits and the fruits of those we worship with or associate with , we will know whether we ourselves and others are worshiping in truth. The bible tells us by looking at person’s fruits those worshiping in truth would be recognized. So if we know what fruits we and others produce we can identify true worship and whether we are worshiping in truth.

What are these fruits? One such fruit would be the fruit of the lips. Those who worship in truth would have such a deep love and faith in God that they would be driven to teach others about God and Jesus. Sacrifice of the lips which means telling others about God , Jesus and the heavenly kingdom so they can have hope, as things become more confusing and gloomy. Those who do not worship in truth are insecure and full of anxieties and fears. The mess man has made only God can fix. By putting their hope in God and and trusting Jesus who God has sat on the throne, to set matters straight we will produce good fruits because by sharing God’s word with others we can offer them hope and show them how to enter the narrow gate which means we imitate Jesus in every way. So if ourselves or another person gets others to put their trust and faith in God instead of man or the world they are producing the fruits of the lips. Not only that but those who produce the fruit of the lips do so with a thankful heart even when suffering trials or tribulation because they have confidence that God will fulfill the promises he made of bringing death to nothing and of restoring the earth to the paradise it was meant to be. Their actions and words even when being tried show because they are thankful for the hope God has given them and the security that comes with it. Many take things for granted, never thinking about the fact the bible warns this system and the things in it will be done away with soon including world governments. Those who may have a form of Godly devotion but put more trust in the world, themselves or God will not be thankful for the future hope God has given us and will betray one another even now as things get more distressing they are starting to betray each other. By knowing whether we are worshiping in truth and those we worship or associate with are worshiping in truth we can be more sure that we will not be betrayed by those we associate with. So if we, or those we associate with are are leading others to put their faith and trust in God and they are thankful and praise God even when being tried then good fruits are being produced. If we do not tell others about God how could they learn to trust him and what hope would they have with all the things that are happening in the world? Someone had to teach us would it not be the right thing, for us to also produce fruit by giving others hope in such dire times?

Another fruit that would be produced is peace. We are told in the bible the result of true righteousness would be peace. But how can this be so if the bible tells us the world will hate and persecute those who follow Jesus and worship in truth? When persecuted, or as we see the morals of the world and the ruining of the earth occur we get an inner peace knowing we produced fruits of the lips and those doing the things they are doing had a chance to draw closer to God and Jesus. We get an inner peace that comes from trusting God and Jesus because we know things will be better when God fulfills the future promises. Many fear death but by putting our trust in God we have the inner peace knowing even death does not have a hold on us because there will be a resurrection when the final enemy death has been destroyed. With all the indecisiveness in the world many do not know what is right and what is wrong. Trained mental experts often times have opinions that differ from the bibles. If we put our trust in God instead of man we get an inner peace knowing we are doing what is right. So the peaceful conditions we sow God’s word in will be an inner peace which is developed by producing the fruits of the lips. When we are hated or persecuted for our faith, and our trust in God we get an inner peace knowing the persecution, and trials are a sign we are no part of the world and God is with us. Jesus said the student is no better then the teacher, if the world hated him it will hate you. When persecuted or suffering trials and tribulation because of our obedience to God , we get an inner peace knowing we are entering through the narrow gate which means we are doing our best to imitate Jesus and we are entering the narrow gate and not taking the road to destruction. When Jesus said he gives us peace but not in the way the world gives it what did he mean. Reading the text in Philippians can help us better understand the peace Jesus was referring to. (Philippians 4:4-7 ⁴ Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I will say, Rejoice! ⁵ Let your reasonableness become known to all men. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.) As you can see the peace is an inner peace that protects our hearts and minds and prevents us from experiencing the anxieties that others will experience who chose not to draw closer to God and Jesus. So those who are producing fruit will have an inner peace and will not get overly anxious. We will become anxious at times but eventually the inner peace takes over from our faith and it will protect our hearts and our minds. So those producing fruit of peace will make better decisions because their hearts and minds will be protected.

Those producing fruit in righteousness will be blessed with the holy spirit and produce fruits of the spirit and not fruit of the flesh. (Galatians 5:19-24) ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are plainly seen, and they are sexual immorality, uncleanness, brazen conduct, ²⁰ idolatry, spiritism, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, dissensions, divisions, sects, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and things like these. I am forewarning you about these things, the same way I already warned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom. ²² On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed to the stake the flesh together with its passions and desires.) If someone is producing fruit of the flesh they will have fits of anger, they will show hostility, jealousy, the will be attached to the physical things of the world which is a form of idolatry. The bible warns those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom. If we or those we worship with are producing fruits of the flesh we should do our best to overcome them and to show those we associate with they are not doing what God would require. If they do not respond in a positive way then we know they are part of the world. If they respond by correcting their error then we can be sure they are doing their best to do God’s will. Strife mentioned in the bible refers to bitter conflict or violent dissension. So those reaping fruit of the flesh would be unreasonable, not agreeable to anything, they would often times be combative and have violent outburst. If we see ourselves or others producing such fruit then it indicates we need to focus more on the things unseen because we are to worship in spirit because God is a spirit person. If we are producing the fruit of the spirit it will give us security knowing we have been blessed by God and he is with us no matter what we have to endure. When we are blessed by the holy spirit we become more patient with others which prevents us from wanting to have conflicts and impose our will on them. We learn to love like Jesus and God loved which means we learn to forgive even our enemies. Those producing fruits of the spirit will have self-control, meaning they will not give in to their short comings. Knowing we and those we associate with have mastered self control and will not draw us into sin or put us in a bad situation because of sin or bad decisions gives us a security because we know what to expect from them and know they will have no hidden motives for the things they do. This is why it is very important to make sure we and those we associate with are producing the fruits of the spirit. We can get a certain security because it will make it clear who we can trust and who we cannot when we pay attention to their fruits. This also gives us security that we most likely would not be betrayed by those we choose to be close to. Next I will discuss love because it is a fruit of the spirit.

Lets take a look at what the bible tells us love is. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, ⁵ does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. ⁶ It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.) . God is love and Jesus perfectly reflected God’s image. Jesus knew God was going to hand him the heavenly kingdom over to him and he still did not view himself as superior to others and did not get prideful about the position he was going to be given. Jesus remained humble and continued to serve others. He set an example for us by washing the disciples feet which was something a servant would do. So to know love we need to get rid of any false pride we may have and be humble as Jesus was. If someone is prideful then we should see it is a sign they may not know love. The bible says if we love we do not behave indecently. This means we dress appropriately, we act appropriately, we do our best not to offend others, though that is a little difficult now days with few truly knowing what God requires they become easily offended. We do not gossip or say things we should not say. We should not flirt excessively especially if we are married. We should not use vulgar language. If someone shows such behavior then they do not know love because Jesus never acted indecently. If someone we associate with displays such behavior we should be cautious they are a bad association. Love bares all things which means it is patient. We all are imperfect, we should not be unreasonable with our expectations of others. Keep in mind people have to deal with our short comings also, so should we not do the same for them as they grow and draw closer to God? The bible tells us love does not hold account of injury. Jesus did not hold grudges, not even against his enemies. He told us we must forgive those who trespass against us. Imagine if someone wronged us and some day God touched their heart and was calling them to him. If we reacted in a way God would not want us to react we could hinder them drawing closer to God. This is why Jesus told us to forgive our enemies. By showing mercy and being forgiving we are setting an example for others and may possibly through our behavior get them to draw closer to God and Jesus. Holding onto anger and feeling resentment can negatively impact our hearts, our minds and our health. By learning to forgive and show mercy even to our enemies we protect our minds, our hearts and our health. By forgiving others we have the security knowing we have done our best and have conquered the evil with the good. If a person chooses to remain our enemy even when we are kind to them and have forgiven them we can be secure knowing God will judge them and they have piled fiery coals on their own heads. They will have to face judgment from God. The bible tells us we will be judged as we judge others. The bible warns do not judge or we will be judged as we judge others. If we freely forgive then God freely forgives us to the degree we are willing to forgive others. This can give us a security knowing by us showing mercy by being forgiving God will show us mercy and forgive us for our errors. If a person holds onto grudges and does not forgive but reminds people of their errors then we know they do not know love and we should be cautious. This is what causes many conflicts now days people do not forgive others and constantly hold peoples errors against them even if they have repented. By freely forgiving others we prevent the conflict that is so prevalent in others now days. The bible tells us love is the perfect bond of unity so by knowing fully what love is and knowing how to identify it in others we learn to trust them and even ourselves which gives a unity and oneness of mind lacking in the world today. By knowing love we will not become overconfident and view ourselves as being superior to others. It will help us remain united in oneness of mind and thought. (Philippians 2:1-4) 2 If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any spiritual fellowship, if any tender affection and compassion, ² make my joy full by being of the same mind and having the same love, being completely united, having the one thought in mind. ³ Do nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with humility consider others superior to you, ⁴ as you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.) There is such an emptiness in the way the world views love now days. We can gain a certain security when we learn to identify love in the biblical sense and know those we associate with are showing love. The oneness of mind and heart gives us security from knowing we can trust and rely on the ones we associate with when they have proven they know love.

The bible tells us love covers a multitude of sins. This is because when we learn love we do our best to imitate Jesus and the love he showed which drives us to overcome our short comings and repent and draw closer to God. In doing so we have his protection. The bible tells us no weapon forged against us would succeed when we put our trust and faith in God. Death is often times used as a weapon to cause fear and get people to disobey God. Even that weapon will not succeed because the bible tells us even death cannot separate us from the love of God and the love of Jesus. If we are faithful and loyal even if we face death then we can be sure God will remember the things we have done in serving him and will remember us in the day of resurrection. Which means even death will not succeed at deterring us from putting our faith and trust in God and Jesus. We can gain a security knowing no matter what happens to us or whatever man does to us God can undo and desires to bless us.

Those who make it through the great tribulation will live on the new earth. In that system the bible tells us even, before they call out God will answer and before they are done praying he will hear. We can gain security in knowing the new earth will be here soon and there will be no more suffering, no more violence, pain , sickness , death, and corruption. Things happening in the world can be overwhelming and can take the security from us. If we focus on the spiritual things and trust God and Jesus it protects us from being overwhelmed and consumed by all the bad happening. . All these things will be gone soon. What security is there in knowing all governments, wealth, many of the people and organizations people put their trust in will be gone soon. The heavenly kingdom will rule over the earth and will not end. So many are living in fear and full of anxiety because of the uncertain times we are living in. If we put our trust in God and Jesus and keep our eyes focus on the things unseen then we gain a security knowing there is a better future for us and others, that is very very near. Many live in fear of losing their material possessions or their wealth. Many live in fear of death or fear of losing loved ones in death. Those who know God and have faith in him know that God will greatly reward them for their love , loyalty and faith in him in the new system and they will see their loved ones during the resurrection. They experience a security that brings an inner peace that most in the world do not know.

1 John 5:18We know that everyone who has been born from God does not practice sin, but the one born from God watches him, and the wicked one cannot take hold of him. ¹⁹ We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one. ²⁰ But we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us insight so that we may gain the knowledge of the one who is true. And we are in union with the one who is true, by means of his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and life everlasting. ²¹ Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

(2 Timothy 3:1-7) 3 But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, ³ having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, ⁴ betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away. ⁶ From among these arise men who slyly work their way into households and captivate weak women loaded down with sins, led by various desires, ⁷ always learning and yet never able to come to an accurate knowledge of truth.

(Jude 17-23) ¹⁷ As for you, beloved ones, call to mind the sayings that have been previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸ how they used to say to you: “In the last time there will be ridiculers, following their own desires for ungodly things.” ¹⁹ These are the ones who cause divisions, animalistic men, not having spirituality. ²⁰ But you, beloved ones, build yourselves up on your most holy faith, and pray with holy spirit, ²¹ in order to keep yourselves in God’s love, while you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ with everlasting life in view. ²² Also, continue showing mercy to some who have doubts; ²³ save them by snatching them out of the fire. But continue showing mercy to others, doing so with fear, while you hate even the garment that has been stained by the flesh.

(Luke 4:6) Then the Devil said to him: “I will give you all this authority and their glory, because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

(John 12:31) Now there is a judging of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

(James 1:5-8) ⁵ So if any one of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep asking God, for he gives generously to all and without reproaching, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him keep asking in faith, not doubting at all, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about. ⁷ In fact, that man should not expect to receive anything from Jehovah; ⁸ he is an indecisive man, unsteady in all his ways.

(James 4:7, 8) ⁷ Therefore, subject yourselves to God; but oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you. . . .

(Hebrews 6:17, 18) ¹⁷ In this same way, when God decided to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ in order that through two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to the refuge may have strong encouragement to take firm hold of the hope set before us.

(Isaiah 55:10, 11) For just as the rain and the snow pour down from heaven And do not return there until they saturate the earth, making it produce and sprout, Giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, ¹¹ So my word that goes out of my mouth will be. It will not return to me without results, But it will certainly accomplish whatever is my delight, And it will have sure success in what I send it to do.

(Habakkuk 1:11, 12) . . .Because they credit their power to their god.” ¹² Are you not from everlasting, O Jehovah? O my God, my Holy One, you do not die. O Jehovah, you appointed them to execute judgment; My Rock, you established them for punishment.

(Matthew 7:18-20) ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree not producing fine fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men.

(Hebrews 13:14-16) . . .. ¹⁵ Through him let us always offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that make public declaration to his name. ¹⁶ Moreover, do not forget to do good and to share what you have with others, for God is well-pleased with such sacrifices.

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) ¹⁶ Always be rejoicing. ¹⁷ Pray constantly. ¹⁸ Give thanks for everything. This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

(James 3:17, 18) ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, not hypocritical. ¹⁸ Moreover, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peaceful conditions for those who are making peace.

(Isaiah 32:16, 17) . . .And righteousness will dwell in the orchard. ¹⁷ The result of true righteousness will be peace, And the fruitage of true righteousness will be lasting tranquility and security.

(John 15:17-20) ¹⁷ “These things I command you, that you love one another. ¹⁸ If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. ²⁰ Keep in mind the word I said to you: A slave is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have observed my word, they will also observe yours.

(Matthew 7:13, 14) ¹³ “Go in through the narrow gate, because broad is the gate and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are going in through it; ¹⁴ whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it.

(John 14:27) ²⁷ I leave you peace; I give you my peace. I do not give it to you the way that the world gives it. Do not let your hearts be troubled nor let them shrink out of fear. . .

(John 4:23, 24) ²³ Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for indeed, the Father is looking for ones like these to worship him. ²⁴ God is a Spirit, and those worshipping him must worship with spirit and truth.”

(Galatians 5:19-24) ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are plainly seen, and they are sexual immorality, uncleanness, brazen conduct, ²⁰ idolatry, spiritism, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, dissensions, divisions, sects, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and things like these. I am forewarning you about these things, the same way I already warned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom. ²² On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed to the stake the flesh together with its passions and desires.

(John 13:3-11) ³ So Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he came from God and was going to God, ⁴ got up from the evening meal and laid aside his outer garments. And taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. ⁵ After that he put water into a basin and started to wash the feet of the disciples and to dry them off with the towel that was wrapped around him. ⁶ Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him: “Lord, are you washing my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered him: “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand after these things.” ⁸ Peter said to him: “You will certainly never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him: “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” ⁹ Simon Peter said to him: “Lord, wash not only my feet but also my hands and my head.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him: “Whoever has bathed does not need to have more than his feet washed, but is completely clean. And you men are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ For he knew the man who was betraying him. This is why he said: “Not all of you are clean.”

(Proverbs 25:21, 22) ²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; If he is thirsty, give him water to drink, ²² For you will be heaping burning coals on his head, And Jehovah will reward you.

(Romans 12:18-21) . . .. ¹⁹ Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: “‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ says Jehovah.” ²⁰ But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap fiery coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.

(Matthew 7:1-5) 7 “Stop judging that you may not be judged; ² for with the judgment you are judging, you will be judged, and with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you. ³ Why, then, do you look at the straw in your brother’s eye but do not notice the rafter in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Allow me to remove the straw from your eye,’ when look! a rafter is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the rafter from your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to remove the straw from your brother’s eye.

(1 Peter 4:7, 8) . . .. ⁸ Above all things, have intense love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

(Proverbs 10:12) Hatred is what stirs up contentions, But love covers over all transgressions.

(Proverbs 17:9) Whoever forgives a transgression seeks love, But the one who keeps harping on a matter separates close friends.

(Isaiah 54:17) ¹⁷ No weapon formed against you will have any success, And you will condemn any tongue that rises up against you in the judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, And their righteousness is from me,” declares Jehovah.

(Isaiah 41:10-12) ¹⁰ Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.’ ¹¹ Look! All those getting enraged against you will be put to shame and humiliated. Those who fight with you will be brought to nothing and perish. ¹² You will search for men who struggle with you, but you will not find them; The men at war with you will become as something nonexistent, as nothing at all.

(Hebrews 6:9-12) ⁹ But in your case, beloved ones, we are convinced of better things, things related to salvation, even though we are speaking in this way. ¹⁰ For God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name by ministering and continuing to minister to the holy ones. ¹¹ But we desire each one of you to show the same industriousness so as to have the full assurance of the hope down to the end, ¹² so that you may not become sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

(Romans 8:35-39) ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of the Christ? Will tribulation or distress or persecution or hunger or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written: “For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we have been accounted as sheep for slaughtering.” ³⁷ On the contrary, in all these things we are coming off completely victorious through the one who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers ³⁹ nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(1 Corinthians 15:24-28) ²⁴ Next, the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has brought to nothing all government and all authority and power. ²⁵ For he must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet. ²⁶ And the last enemy, death, is to be brought to nothing. ²⁷ For God “subjected all things under his feet.” But when he says that ‘all things have been subjected,’ it is evident that this does not include the One who subjected all things to him. ²⁸ But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone.

(Acts 24:15) ¹⁵ And I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.

(Isaiah 65:17-25) ¹⁷ For look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be called to mind, Nor will they come up into the heart. ¹⁸ So exult and be joyful forever in what I am creating. For look! I am creating Jerusalem a cause for joy And her people a cause for exultation. ¹⁹ And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people; No more will there be heard in her the sound of weeping or a cry of distress.” ²⁰ “No more will there be an infant from that place who lives but a few days, Nor an old man who fails to live out his days. For anyone who dies at a hundred will be considered a mere boy, And the sinner will be cursed, even though he is a hundred years of age. ²¹ They will build houses and live in them, And they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. ²² They will not build for someone else to inhabit, Nor will they plant for others to eat. For the days of my people will be like the days of a tree, And the work of their hands my chosen ones will enjoy to the full. ²³ They will not toil for nothing, Nor will they bear children for distress, Because they are the offspring made up of those blessed by Jehovah, And their descendants with them. ²⁴ Even before they call out, I will answer; While they are yet speaking, I will hear. ²⁵ The wolf and the lamb will feed together, The lion will eat straw just like the bull, And the serpent’s food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” says Jehovah.

Learning to overcome indecisiveness.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

Being indecisive could cost us our lives and even result in our destruction. I am going to discuss the causes of indecisiveness and how to overcome them. I am also going to discus how this will protect and guide us.

Being double minded means we are indecisive. This occurs when we are still holding onto sin, holding on to the world, putting our trust in man or ourselves. The book of James says such a person is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about. Waves go in the direction that the wind is blowing. Those who do not fully trust God’s word and let it guide them are indecisive. The bible tells the ones who are indecisive to purify their heart. So if we are hanging onto sin it can make us like a wave on the sea. As we take in God’s word and apply it and make the changes needed we become more decisive.

If there is a friend who is indecisive we need to be cautious it means they still have some spiritual growth do do. When they may be struggling with a decision we could show them God’s word. How they react and the fruits they produce shows if they truly love God. If they do not apply God’s word and let it guide all they do then we should be cautious when we associate with them. Associating with a double minded person can bring a lot of problems on ourselves, hurt , frustration and maybe even anger when they make bad decisions. It is very difficult but if they refuse to change the bible tells us we are to hand them over to Satan so they may be taught by discipline not to blaspheme. When we sin there are consequences. Our quality of friends becomes worse and worse because we are not trust worthy. Our morals will decline more and more because once you cross one line it becomes easier to cross others. This results in bringing a lot of sadness, pain, and many other things on ourselves and others. Some learn from the hardships they experience from their sins and repent and turn back to God. We are to welcome them back when they have truly repented. Keep in mind they may be feeling a lot of guilt and feel unworthy of God so we need to be compassionate with them. In Luke chapter 15 Jesus gave the illustration of a son who squandered all he had on sinful things. His suffering made him realize his error and he repented. His father was happy to welcome him back.

The bible tells us to keep our eyes on the things unseen and not the things seen. The bible warns the one sowing with a view to the flesh will reap corruption. If we put our trust in ourselves, in man , or put our happiness in the world, we are sowing with a view to the flesh. If we keep our hope and eyes on the things unseen such as God’s amazing qualities, his future promises, have faith in God and trusting jesus as our king that God seated on the heavenly throne and the amazing and wonderful things the heavenly kingdom will bring about very soon, it protects us and helps us keep our eyes on the things unseen instead of the things seen. If we try and do both then we are double minded and indecisive. This only adds stress to our lives. Stress cannot be avoided but by knowing what God would want us to do will dramatically reduce the stress and make things go much more smoothly even if we error God’s word guides us and tells us what we need to do to draw closer to him.

There is a certain security that comes from letting God’s word guide us, there is no one wiser or more powerful. Thousands of years of mans knowledge does not add up to an iota of the knowledge God has. No matter how much schooling a person has on the human mind, human behavior or even things involving problem solving , God’s word should be taken over the advice of any human. He created us so no one knows us better then he does.

Very soon some things will occur and if we do not know what God would want us to do and we are indecisive it could cost us our lives and could even result in our destruction. By writing God’s word on our hearts and fearing God over man we know when to make our yes mean yes and our no mean no. Even if doing what God would want us to do could cost our life we were bound to die anyways and by being obedient we have the hope in the resurrection. What hope do those who put their trust in the world and fleshly things have. These things will all be gone soon. Since their identities and foundation of their hope was with things of the world and not with God they will be destroyed so will have no hope in the resurrection of the righteous. The bible tells us they receive their reward now. The bible tells us even death cannot separate us from God and Jesus love.

There are many who put on a show like they have faith. They do it to promote themselves and to gain a reputation. We are told to not make a show of our worship and to not make a show by praying in public. We are to pray in private. If we follow such ones we could fall into the same trap. We are to view others as being superior to ourselves. If we are putting on a show, we are trying to show we are spiritually superior, so we are working for mans glory not God’s. We are to imitate Jesus humility. Putting on a show of our worship is serving man not God. We are told in the things we do we should work at it whole-souled for Jehovah God and not for man. We are told to do all things for God’s glory so all our actions should bring glory to God’s name. By doing all things for God’s glory it prevents us from stumbling others. By not imitating those who give man glory, and by giving God glory we are showing God we are being not part of the world and this can prevent us from stumbling others. Also if someone is indecisive by setting the example and remaining faithful and loyal to God we set an example and can help them learn to trust God and overcome their indecisiveness.

Man has had thousands of years to rule ourselves. Things are only getting worse. We have tried every from of Government, made many scientific advances, created weapons that could destroy the whole earth, fought many wars and nothing man has done has brought the peace security, nothing man has done has gotten rid of illness, death, suffering and poverty. We are going to suffer in this system no matter what. Why add to our suffering by being indecisive? By knowing what God would require we do not have the stress that comes with being indecisive and the stress that comes from making wrong decisions. Not only that but if we are indecisive our quality of friends will become poorer and poorer. Very soon who our friends are can determine whether we make it through the great tribulation or whether we die during the great tribulation. If we or our friends are indecisive it could cost not only our lives but others their lives. Those who are indecisive or make decisions based on the worlds wisdom will not fair well when this system collapses. The bible tells us many will make it through the great tribulation. Surely we would want to write God’s word on our hearts so we are not indecisive and possibly be among those who make it through the great tribulation.

Fear of man can make us indecisive whether the fear is from peer pressure which can draw us into traps or whether it is fear of man it can make us indecisive. The bible tells us no weapon formed against those who obey God will succeed. But wait didn’t I say some would die? Yes but if they die being loyal and faithful they have won and God will remember them during the resurrection and they will never taste death again. Many live in fear that the world will be destroyed by man or by a meteor or some other catastrophe. The bible assures us the earth will endure forever and the righteous will dwell forever upon it. The bible also assures us God will bring to ruin those ruining the earth. So we have no need to fear anything man will do to the earth or to us. There is nothing man can do that God cannot undo. There is no weapon they can forge against us that can succeed because nothing is as powerful as God not even a nuclear weapon. He has sent his angels to protect people in the past, the bible tells us legions of angels are at Jesus command. So those he protects will not suffer harm. By not being afraid and fearing God more then man or the world it helps protect us from being indecisive.

Very soon they will try to require us to bow to the beast which is the United Nations and it’s allies. If we are indecisive we can be easily tricked into submitting to the will of the beast instead of doing God’s will. Those who bow to the beast will be destroyed. By having complete faith in God and Jesus it can protect us and not let us be tricked into bowing down to the beast and being destroyed along with those who have bowed to the best. Those who submit to the beast instead of God will not have their name written in the book of life meaning they will be destroyed there will be no resurrection for them. So it is very important we overcome any fears we have so we are not indecisive and it result in our death and possible destruction.

The bible tells us to make our yes mean yes and our no mean no, especially if it concerns making promises to God. We are living in the last days, things can occur that may make it so we cannot fulfill the promises we have made. This would ruin our reputation and peoples trust in us. Does this mean we should not take an oath? Under certain circumstance for example when in a court we may have to take an oath indicating we intend to tell the truth. Jesus was put under oath when being tried. There are those who make many promises to put on an appearance of being kind, these ones go out of their way to make promises. Sometimes it is to lure someone in to trusting them. That is why we need to be cautious of those who make many promises. The bible says let our yes mean yes and our no mean no, anything beyond these are from the wicked one. So by being aware of those making many promises and by not being overly eager to make promises it can prevent excess stress and our leaving others down. This helps protect us from being indecisive. It is very easy to get spread thin now days with the way things are going in the world now days the added stress of making promises can put an excess burden on our thinking abilities and cause us to be indecisive. If we make promises we cannot keep then we have not fulfilled our oath, the bible tells us if you give your word you keep it. So by not making promises we do not risk disobeying God if we cannot keep our promise. Sometimes a person may not be the person they appear they will make promises so they can get you to feel indebted to them and hopes they can take advantage of you in some way. This is why we should be cautious of those who are eager to make many promises because the bible warned things like that are from the wicked one. By knowing when we should and should not make a promise or when we should or should not accept a promise will protect us in many ways.

By being indecisive we show we are still in a sinful state and we show we still lack faith. In areas we find ourselves to be indecisive we need to study God’s word to determine what he would want us to do. We should build our faith in areas we are weak and if we find a short coming has been exposed causing our indecisiveness we need to do our best to study God’s word on how to overcome it and apply it and let it guide us. Once we have had a short coming exposed we should remain aware of it so we can avoid situations that could draw it out and cause us to fall short. This could cause us to become indecisive and lead down a path of more sin caused by the indecisiveness of the first sin. The bible tells us God’s word is a light for my path. We are living in dark times. Leaving God’s word be the light for our path’s can help guide us through the mess man has made. Many will walk through the great tribulation and never taste death. Jesus said he is the light of the world. (John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will by no means walk in darkness, but will possess the light of life.”) If we do our best to imitate Jesus then then the light of life will shine for us protecting us from this wicked system of things. We may suffer but we have the hope in the future promises and God’s word to help guide us through our trials and tribulation. This is why the bible tells us it is better to suffer as a righteous person rather then and unrighteous person. If we suffer because of our faith and loyalty to God , we need to remember Jesus suffered also. God rewarded him by seating him on the throne in the heavenly kingdom. We can be certain if we suffer as righteous then we will be rewarded by God. This also protects us from the world because we know the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. Suffering as unrighteous not only can result in our destruction but it can also bring more suffering and confusion on ourselves. Satan has heavily influenced the world and we need God’s word to light the path for us so we can navigate through this wicked system and receive the prize. The wicked system will be gone soon and things will be much much better because the wicked system and many of the things in it will be gone and all the suffering that comes with it will be gone. We just need to hang on a little longer. We need to do our best to overcome areas where we may be indecisive. This will protect our thinking abilities and also give us a confidence others do not have because of their indecisiveness.

Many feel empty in life. They will do many worldly things pursuing happiness but it always ends up being a short term form of happiness. God created a thirst in us , Jesus provide the water of life by telling us how to fulfill that thirst. If we put trust in our happiness in ourselves, in the world or people then we will always fill empty and the thirst will never be filled. This can effect many areas of our life because if we do not fully trust God and fully listen to Jesus and try to imitate him then we can never fill that thirst and it also prevents us from being able to love others the way Jesus and God loves. Our love cannot be complete and neither can our happiness if the main source of our happiness is in the world. This is why many are so indecisive now days. They are jumping from one thing to another trying to fill this the thirst that can only be filled by drawing closer to God and doing our best to imitate Jesus. The bible tells us to let love guide all we do. The bible also tells us God is love. So if we do not love God first then we can never fully experience love. This is why there is so much violence, lack of loyalty and lack of trust now days. People are turning to the world , other people and things of the world as their source of happiness and they wonder why something always feels like it is missing. What is missing is they are not putting God first in their lives so their love is not complete and their thirst is not quenched so any happiness they get from the world will not last. Knowing God’s love and imitating it can teach us how to fully love and help to get rid of the empty feeling many have and they cannot fill. The bible tells us there is no fear in love because love has cast fear out.

The bible tells us Jesus perfectly reflected God’s qualities. Jesus was very humble and did not treat others as if they were inferior to him, Jesus was not easily provoked so he did not have outburst of anger except when it was for a righteous reason. Jesus was always patient and kind even to his enemies. Jesus did not brag about himself or others, he only bragged about God. Jesus was not prideful but was humble and did many acts of humility towards others and was always willing to serve others and did not look down on them. Jesus never behaved indecently towards others or tried to humiliate them. Jesus did not look out for his own interest but put the interest of others before his own. In relationships whether it is family, friends, or a spouse we need to bare all things being patient with each other realizing we all fall short. We should not have unreal expectation of each other. Jesus did not make excessive demands of others. Jesus was merciful and forgiving. If we do not learn to imitate Jesus and follow his commands then we can never fully be happy because our thirst will not be quenched and we can never completely love others. God is love, Jesus showed us the love of God. So by imitating him we can learn to fully love others and will not feel the emptiness many feel when they try and pursue love as the world thinks love should be. This can protect our minds and our hearts and prevent the indecisiveness that comes from trying to pursue love and happiness only to eventually be disappointed because of not knowing how to fill the thirst or how to fully love. By filling the thirst that only drawing closer to God and Jesus can fill we prevent the indecisiveness that comes from trying to pursue happiness in the world only to be let down. By knowing how to love fully by imitating Jesus love we can prevent the indecisiveness that many have concerning love because we will know what love is and not be confused about it like most in the world are . We cannot draw closer to others and love others fully if we do not put God and Jesus first in our lives and our love for them over all others. Once we love them more then the things in the world , or more then we love ourselves we cannot fully know love and not matter how many relationships we are in we will always have a somewhat empty feeling like something is missing.

(James 1:5-8) 5 So if any one of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep asking God, for he gives generously to all and without reproaching, and it will be given him. 6 But let him keep asking in faith, not doubting at all, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about. 7 In fact, that man should not expect to receive anything from Jehovah; 8 he is an indecisive man, unsteady in all his ways.

(James 4:7-9) 7 Therefore, subject yourselves to God; but oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you indecisive ones. 9 . . .

(1 Timothy 1:18-20) 18 This instruction I entrust to you, my child Timothy, in harmony with the prophecies that were made about you, that by these you may go on waging the fine warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience, which some have thrust aside, resulting in the shipwreck of their faith. 20 Hy·me·naeʹus and Alexander are among these, and I have handed them over to Satan so that they may be taught by discipline not to blaspheme.

(Luke 15:11-24) 11 Then he said: “A man had two sons. 12 And the younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that should come to me.’ So he divided his belongings between them. 13 A few days later, the younger son gathered all his things together and traveled to a distant country and there squandered his property by living a debauched life. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred throughout that country, and he fell into need. 15 He even went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to herd swine. 16 And he longed to be filled with the carob pods that the swine were eating, but no one would give him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, while I am dying here from hunger! 18 I will get up and travel to my father and say to him: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Make me as one of your hired men.”’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was moved with pity, and he ran and embraced him and tenderly kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quick! bring out a robe, the best one, and clothe him with it, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 Also bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let us eat and celebrate, 24 for this son of mine was dead but has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they started to enjoy themselves.

(Galatians 6:7-11) 7 Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a person is sowing, this he will also reap; 8 because the one sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh, but the one sowing with a view to the spirit will reap everlasting life from the spirit. 9 So let us not give up in doing what is fine, for in due time we will reap if we do not tire out. 10 So, then, as long as we have the opportunity, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith. 11 See with what large letters I have written you with my own hand.

(2 Corinthians 4:16-18) 16 Therefore, we do not give up, but even if the man we are outside is wasting away, certainly the man we are inside is being renewed from day to day. 17 For though the tribulation is momentary and light, it works out for us a glory that is of more and more surpassing greatness and is everlasting; 18 while we keep our eyes, not on the things seen, but on the things unseen. For the things seen are temporary, but the things unseen are everlasting.

(Romans 8:37-39) . . .. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers 39 nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Matthew 6:1-8) 6 “Take care not to practice your righteousness in front of men to be noticed by them; otherwise you will have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens. 2 So when you make gifts of mercy, do not blow a trumpet ahead of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But you, when making gifts of mercy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gifts of mercy may be in secret. Then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you. 5 “Also, when you pray, do not act like the hypocrites, for they like to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the main streets to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your private room and, after shutting your door, pray to your Father who is in secret. Then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you. 7 When praying, do not say the same things over and over again as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words. 8 So do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need even before you ask him.

(Colossians 3:22-25) . . .. 23 Whatever you are doing, work at it whole-souled as for Jehovah, and not for men, 24 for you know that it is from Jehovah you will receive the inheritance as a reward. Slave for the Master, Christ. 25 Certainly the one who does wrong will be repaid for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

(1 Corinthians 10:31-33) 31 Therefore, whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory. 32 Keep from becoming causes for stumbling to Jews as well as Greeks and to the congregation of God, 33 just as I am trying to please all people in all things, not seeking my own advantage, but that of the many, so that they may be saved.

(Revelation 7:13-17) 13 In response one of the elders said to me: “These who are dressed in the white robes, who are they and where did they come from?” 14 So right away I said to him: “My lord, you are the one who knows.” And he said to me: “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 That is why they are before the throne of God, and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16 They will hunger no more nor thirst anymore, neither will the sun beat down on them nor any scorching heat, 17 because the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them and will guide them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe out every tear from their eyes.”

(Psalm 78:69) He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens, Like the earth that he has established forever.
(Psalm 104:5) He has established the earth on its foundations; It will not be moved from its place forever and ever.

(Psalm 37:9-11)  9 For evil men will be done away with, But those hoping in Jehovah will possess the earth. ו [Waw] 10 Just a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more; You will look at where they were, And they will not be there. 11 But the meek will possess the earth, And they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.

(2 Peter 2:9) 9 So, then, Jehovah knows how to rescue people of godly devotion out of trial, but to reserve unrighteous people to be destroyed on the day of judgment,

(Revelation 11:17, 18) . . .. 18 But the nations became wrathful, and your own wrath came, and the appointed time came for the dead to be judged and to reward your slaves the prophets and the holy ones and those fearing your name, the small and the great, and to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”
(Revelation 21:1-4) 21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

(Matthew 26:52, 53) 52 Then Jesus said to him: “Return your sword to its place, for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father to supply me at this moment more than 12 legions of angels?

(Revelation 13:14-18) 14 It misleads those who dwell on the earth, because of the signs that it was permitted to perform in the sight of the wild beast, while it tells those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the wild beast that had the sword-stroke and yet revived. 15 And it was permitted to give breath to the image of the wild beast, so that the image of the wild beast should both speak and cause to be killed all those who refuse to worship the image of the wild beast. 16 It puts under compulsion all people—the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free and the slaves—that these should be marked on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and that nobody can buy or sell except a person having the mark, the name of the wild beast or the number of its name. 18 This is where it calls for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the wild beast, for it is a man’s number, and its number is 666.

(Matthew 5:33-37) 33 “Again you heard that it was said to those of ancient times: ‘You must not swear without performing, but you must pay your vows to Jehovah.’ 34 However, I say to you: Do not swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not swear by your head, since you cannot turn one hair white or black. 37 Just let your word ‘Yes’ mean yes, your ‘No,’ no, for what goes beyond these is from the wicked one.

(Matthew 26:62-64) . . .” 63 But Jesus kept silent. So the high priest said to him: “I put you under oath by the living God to tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God!” 64 Jesus said to him: “You yourself said it. But I say to you: From now on you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

(Proverbs 20:25) 25 It is a snare for a man to cry out rashly, “Holy!” And only later to give consideration to what he vowed.

(James 5:12) 12 Above all, my brothers, stop swearing, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” mean yes and your “No,” no, so that you do not become liable to judgment.

(Psalm 119:105) 105 Your word is a lamp to my foot, And a light for my path.

(Proverbs 6:23) For the commandment is a lamp, And the law is a light, And the reproofs of discipline are the way to life.

(John 8:12) Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will by no means walk in darkness, but will possess the light of life.”

(1 Peter 4:12-14) 12 Beloved ones, do not be surprised about the fiery trials that you are experiencing, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 On the contrary, go on rejoicing over the extent to which you are sharers in the sufferings of the Christ, so that you may rejoice and be overjoyed also during the revelation of his glory. 14 If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy, because the spirit of glory, yes, the spirit of God, is resting upon you.

(1 Peter 4:1-6) 4 Since Christ suffered in the flesh, you too arm yourselves with the same mental disposition; because the person who has suffered in the flesh has desisted from sins, 2 so that he may live the remainder of his time in the flesh, no more for the desires of men, but for God’s will. 3 For the time that has passed by is sufficient for you to have done the will of the nations when you carried on in acts of brazen conduct, unbridled passions, overdrinking, wild parties, drinking bouts, and lawless idolatries. 4 They are puzzled that you do not continue running with them in the same decadent course of debauchery, so they speak abusively of you. 5 But these people will render an account to the one who is ready to judge those living and those dead. 6 In fact, this is why the good news was declared also to the dead, so that although they are judged in the flesh from the standpoint of men, they might live in harmony with the spirit from God’s standpoint.

(1 Corinthians 6:9-11) 9 Or do you not know that unrighteous people will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Do not be misled. Those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who submit to homosexual acts, men who practice homosexuality, 10 thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners will not inherit God’s Kingdom. 11 And yet that is what some of you were. But you have been washed clean; you have been sanctified; you have been declared righteous in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and with the spirit of our God.

(Matthew 5:6) 6 “Happy are those hungering and thirsting for righteousness, since they will be filled.

(John 4:13, 14) . . .. 14 Whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty at all, but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water bubbling up to impart everlasting life.. . .

(1 John 4:16-19) 16 And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in union with God and God remains in union with him. 17 In this way love has been made perfect in us, so that we may have freeness of speech in the day of judgment, because just as that one is, so are we ourselves in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts fear out, because fear restrains us. Indeed, the one who is fearful has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love, because he first loved us.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7) 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love is God’s law not a command.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

Love is the law. It is not a command but a law. Commands in the bible were to be obeyed, but the laws had a higher meaning because not only were they to be obeyed but they were revealing a quality about God that we should try to imitate. Laws are commands but also carry a quality of God with them meaning if we want to imitate God then we need to make that a quality we have.

Things we must do to fulfill the law of love. The bible tells us that out of faith , love and hope love is the greatest of them. One of the fruits of the spirit is Love so being able to love is a gift from God. The bible tells us to love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins.

The bible tells us love does not look for it’s own interest, and does no wrong to anyone. The bible tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are to love our enemies. Anyone can love those who love them. But we need to imitate God’s example. He loved man so much he gave his only begotten son as a ransom for man. This provided a way for our sins to be forgiven and those who died could be resurrected. Would we have enough love that we would give our life for another as Jesus did? God did not force Jesus to give his life for us he did it willfully.

Love hates what is bad but we do not hate the person. So if someone wrongs us we can hate what they do but we are not to hate them. Jesus instructed us to forgive our enemies and pray for them. If they are hungry or thirsty to provide for them.

In 1 Corinthians the bible gives a perfect description of love. (1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.) When someone wrongs us, we should not get provoked easily. God was very very patient with Israel and they wronged him many times. He gave them time to correct their error before he punished them for not repenting. Love endures all things I have found is very true. I have learned to love everyone even my enemies and with all the corruption and bad going on whenever someone wrongs me, it still hurts, it is frustrating and may make us angry but by forgiving them we are showing our love and it prevents us holding onto those negative emotions which can drag us down. Love does not look out for it’s own interest. Again anything we do for others cannot top what God and Jesus have done for man. So we should do our best to look out for the interest of others. Studies have shown people who are selfish and only look out for themselves and their own interest have high rates of mental illness , especially depression.

The bible says God is love and Jesus stated he only did what he saw his father do. So he perfectly reflected God’s image. So if we do our best to imitate Jesus then we will know what love is. There were times love had to take corrective actions. God disciplined those he loves. Just as children are disciplined so they will not ruin their own lives or harm themselves God disciplines those he loves. So when someone is doing something that we care about that would displease God wouldn’t it be the loving thing to do if we let them know what God would want them to do and take appropriate action based on their response and how God would want us to react? If they repent we are to forgive them. If they continue in their sin then the bible tells us to hand them over to Satan. In other words we should not associate with them and we should be careful in our dealings with them. Our love for God and Jesus must come first.

My favorite part about love is not even death can separate us from the love of Jesus and the love of God.

Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to anyone. That’s why it fully satisfies all of God’s requirements. It is the only law you need.

Galations 5:14For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Peter 4:8 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Galations 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Romans 18:8 Pay all your debts except the debt of love for others—never finish paying that! For if you love them, you will be obeying all of God’s laws, fulfilling all his requirements. 9 If you love your neighbor as much as you love yourself you will not want to harm or cheat him, or kill him or steal from him. And you won’t sin with his wife or want what is his, or do anything else the Ten Commandments say is wrong. All ten are wrapped up in this one, to love your neighbor as you love yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to anyone. That’s why it fully satisfies all of God’s requirements. It is the only law you need.

Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Matthew 5:43 “There is a saying, ‘Love your friends and hate your enemies.’ 44 But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust too. 46 If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much. 47 If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even the heathen do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Proverbs 17: 17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

(Hebrews 12:4-6) 4 In your struggle against that sin, you have never yet resisted to the point of having your blood shed. 5 And you have entirely forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not belittle the discipline from Jehovah, nor give up when you are corrected by him; 6 for those whom Jehovah loves he disciplines, in fact, he scourges everyone whom he receives as a son.”

(Proverbs 3:11, 12) 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of Jehovah, And do not loathe his reproof, 12 For those whom Jehovah loves he reproves, Just as a father does a son in whom he delights.

(Romans 8:36-39) . . .” 37 On the contrary, in all these things we are coming off completely victorious through the one who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers 39 nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Bad associations, how they can harm you.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

We are warned about bad associations. I am going to try and clarify what bad associations are , sometimes the line can be narrow and it is that narrow line that has drawn many away from God.

We are warned not to mislead ourselves when it comes to bad associations. One example we are given is Cain and Able. Cain seemed to be worshiping God the same as Able. Cain and Able made offerings to God. Why did God not look on favor with Cains offering? He could read what was in Cains heart he knew Cain was jealous of Able. He knew Cain had been having thoughts he should not have. Instead of accepting the correction from God Cain chose his own way and killed Able. Often times bad associations are not obvious and those are the most dangerous ones spiritually because they can slowly erode away at our faith they can also cause us to fall short and lose our relationship with God. We will need God now more then ever since things are rapidly winding down.

What if someone may not believe in God or may not take an interest in God but seems to be very kind, and loving and trust worthy. The answer to that is to share God’s word with them. See how they react. God’s word is sharper then any two edged sword able to discern the deeper things of the heart. More subtle things can draw people away like maybe the person makes fun of a certain type or group of people. Or maybe they talk about things others people do like gossip. I am not talking about news events, but more speaking of people in a way to either make themselves look better or dwelling on others flaws. Also pay attention to how they treat those who treat them bad or hate them. Anyone can treat those who love them well but if they return the hate or mean behavior then they are not imitating Christ and it could develop that attitude in us. Does the things a person say build someone up or does it cause division and strife? Does this person tend to be very secretive and only tell you certain things? Often times deceptive people will try to avoid talking about themselves or their day. Does the person hold onto anger and tend to not forgive others. The bible warns this can leave an opportunity for the devil. If a person does do things they should not do how do they respond to correction. If they accept the correction and work to improving themselves daily and work to draw closer to God then we should consider that. Keep in mind we are all imperfect, we should not overlook each others short comings and being aware of a friend’s short comings as they work on them and they being aware of yours can work as a protection when both people have a deep love and faith in God. But many of the world no matter how nice they may seem will usually try to capitalize on those short comings. If we fall into the trap of judging others the bible warns we will be judged likewise. This is a subtle trap to fall into , even gossip can lead to us ruining someones reputation. For example I was stating something good about someone a skill they had. I told someone I thought was a friend how I was impressed by that skill. They started gossiping stating the person was spending all their time with the skill they had and not applying themselves spritually. When the sister was confronted she told the person I stated that which I did not. She twisted what I had stated. So even those who are spiritually related we have to be cautious of if they are a gossiper because that brother stopped talking to me. We should not judge the person if we have confronted them or they have been corrected by the elders for their behavior and still have not adjusted their behavior it may be wise to avoid them when possilbe.

Many can be blinded by the beauty of a woman or man. We must be careful that does not happen. Get to know someone very well and we should do our best not to let their looks fool us into being blind to things the person may do that could cause us to fall short of God. Often times they may seem very nice but we should take note, do they put God first in their life? Does the person put more confidence and faith in the world. We are told putting faith in things of the flesh is in conflict with God. It is not wrong to own worldly possessions or to have wealth but if we put those before God it will draw us away and so can someone who puts wealth and things of the world first. Those who put their confidence in the world even if they are a spiritual relative can cause us more then spiritual harm because they may appear to have faith in God but usually eventually fall away and in doing so hurt many people. Often times whole families suffer from the effects of them putting their faith in the world. The bible tells us the parents are to give the children their spiritual food by sharing the scriptures with them. This takes a lot of work and both parents should be involved because the parents set the example for the children. If one of the parents does not apply themselves and are putting more faith in the world it can eventually effect the whole family. Even worse because a person does not have the reverential fear of God they should , they may betray friends or family. Does this mean we should go through life not trusting anyone? Not at all it just means we need to be careful and watch for patterns. We all fall short at one time or another, it is when the before reoccurs we need to be cautious.

I mentioned earlier about those who do not study the bible or who do not have faith. These ones are usually scoffers. We are even warned to be cautious of scoffers. It could get us to pay no note of the times we are in. It is clear we are in the final minutes of this system but it said many would take no note until destruction was suddenly upon them. We know Jesus said the things that would occur would happen on a grand scale like they have never occurred before. We are now seeing that occur and much more rapidly as this system nears it’s end. We are told it will be just as it was in Noah’s day. Noah prepared for the destruction the flood would cause by building the ark. Only seven people survived the flood. We are told to prepare by entering the narrow gate, the bible said few would enter the narrow gate. Jesus told us to constantly stay awake. We were also told we should imitate Jesus the best we can to enter the narrow gate. Many will want to enter but it will be too late because they did not stay awake and he will say get away from me workers of unrighteousness I do not know you. Those who do not believe in God do not believe in the destruction that is coming. They could distract us enough that by the time we realize what time frame we are in it could be too late. We are told not to become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. Solomon took wives who believed in other gods and they eventually drew him away from true worship. Israel started associating with those in Moab. They have very similar practices as Israel so this caused Israel to be led into Baal worship. There is only one true God and this made him angry. This resulted in 24,000 people dying. If we want God’s protection through these last days we need to make sure of the little things. It was the little things that Satan used to trick people because he knows we are always on the guard for the obvious temptations and things that may draw us away. There are many who will make excuses for not applying themselves more spiritually. Those who are spiritually lazy will always see a lion in the road but those who truly love God and want to draw closer will find a way around the lion. Because this is the last days we are going to suffer no matter what. It would be better to suffer with God on your side rather then against you. I can say God has pulled me through many things that I have watched others die from so I have not doubt what staying close to God can do to protect a person.

I have to interact a lot on social media because I am teaching people things about certain types of illness that I experienced and how I healed from them. I only interact with many of them when I have to because I do not know them well enough to know whether they are a bad association or not. I am very careful who I give my phone number to and my email address. The bible warns to be cautious as a serpent but kind as a dove. For the most part I limit how much I interact with people on social media sites. I have found if you interact too much you can get caught up in news events and other things that can consume large amounts of time and even emotional resources. If I feel this happening I start limiting my time on social media. I post scriptures and share bible truths but I am very cautious when I interact with those on social media. Social media makes information available that you just cannot find anywhere else. The search engines heavily censor preventive health information and information on naturally healing . Things God told us to use to heal often times they will censor even on social media. I and many others were very very ill and if it was not for social media we would could not have learned to heal. We could get a sense of obligation to others on social media for the help we were given. We are to help others when they are in need but we need to be cautious how we go about it. We have to remember Satan and his messengers can appear as angels of light. The bible even warned those who are effected by the operations of Satan could perform great signs and works that could deceive someone. This is where looking at a persons fruits and how many they produce and as they grow spiritually do they produce more fruit. These people can appear to be humble and kind but if you look at the fruits they produced like do they have trust worthy friends, do they have a stable family, do they put spiritual things first in their life so they can draw close and stay close to Jehovah. Is the person we are choosing to associate with prideful, do they show envy, is the person patient when you are working on an imperfection, or does the person get easily provoked? We are told love does not do those things. If they do those things it indicates they do not know know God or they need spiritual guidance if they will accept it. God is love and we are to do our best to imitate him.

Where it gets more difficult is when family is bad associations because we have certain obligations. We just have to be careful how we interact with them and experience has taught me when to interact with them. For example I stopped attending certain family events because this is when it seems their bad qualities would really show. When possible I would not leave family do without. In fact we aren’t even supposed to leave our enemies do without out so how much more would we be expected to take care of family? We have to remember the children in our family follow the examples they see. Would we want the children in our family imitating those we associate with? What children learn from their parents could save their lives as things rapidly wind down. Honoring our fathers and mothers comes with a promise of living longer so it is very important we honor our parents.

We cannot take ourselves entirely out of the world. We have to work, and interact in a variety of ways for daily life. We also were given the work of making disciples of others and of declaring the good news of the kingdom in all the earth which is one of the final prophesies. Our work is almost done and better times are very very near. We need to sure ourselves up spiritually now more then ever just as God had Israel do in the past just before they received the fulfillment of promises God had made. This protects us so Satan and his people cannot blind us to the path we need to take as happened to many who did not listen and were deceived and did not get to see the promised land. We will be wronged many times by the world. We should never retaliate or seek revenge. Some day one of those people could accept the truth and be a spiritual relative. If we responded negatively towards them we could slow them learning the truth and if they do not take an interest in the truth then the judgment will be on them and not ourselves. This is why the bible says conquer the evil with the good. When someone wrongs us even if it is family and they do not repent or make recompense then we need to pray for them, forgive them and be more cautious around them but we should not judge them or seek revenge. We can not read peoples hearts God can. We can not judge righteously because we are imperfect. God is perfect so his judgment is righteous and perfect. We will suffer no matter what , if we want to make it through it or be remembered by God during the resurrection we have to do our best to please him and let him guide us. Many will realize too late and will not have God’s word written on their heart by practicing what they have learned. We are told God will call these things to our minds during the great tribulation to help us through it. We are told those who endure to the end will be the ones who will be saved and these ones will get to enjoy eternal life with no more sadness , pain or death. Often times bad associations can lead us down dangerous paths or even life changing events that can take a very long time to recover from if we survive. Now more then ever we need to avoid that because we are already living in dangerous times and it would not be wise to add to the dangers spiritually and physically that we are already enduring.

(1 Corinthians 15:33, 34) ³³ Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits. ³⁴ Come to your senses in a righteous way and do not practice sin, for some have no knowledge of God. I am speaking to move you to shame.

(1 John 3:9-12) ⁹ Everyone who has been born from God does not practice sin, for His seed remains in such one, and he cannot practice sin, for he has been born from God. ¹⁰ The children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: Whoever does not practice righteousness does not originate with God, nor does the one who does not love his brother. ¹¹ For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; ¹² not like Cain, who originated with the wicked one and slaughtered his brother. And for what reason did he slaughter him? Because his own works were wicked, but those of his brother were righteous.

(Genesis 4:2-7) . . .Abel became a shepherd of the flock, but Cain became a cultivator of the ground. ³ After some time, Cain brought some fruits of the land as an offering to Jehovah. ⁴ But Abel brought some firstlings of his flock, including their fat. While Jehovah looked with favor on Abel and on his offering, ⁵ he did not look with any favor on Cain and on his offering. So Cain grew hot with anger and was dejected. ⁶ Then Jehovah said to Cain: “Why are you so angry and dejected? ⁷ If you turn to doing good, will you not be restored to favor? But if you do not turn to doing good, sin is crouching at the door, and its craving is to dominate you; but will you get the mastery over it?”

(Ephesians 4:31-5:2) ³¹ Put away from yourselves every kind of malicious bitterness, anger, wrath, screaming, and abusive speech, as well as everything injurious. ³² But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you. 5 Therefore, become imitators of God, as beloved children, ² and go on walking in love, just as the Christ also loved us and gave himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice, a sweet fragrance to God.

(Luke 6:31-36) ³¹ “Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them. ³² “If you love those loving you, of what credit is it to you? For even the sinners love those loving them. ³³ And if you do good to those doing good to you, of what credit is it to you? Even the sinners do the same. ³⁴ Also, if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, of what credit is it to you? Even sinners lend to sinners so that they may get back as much. ³⁵ On the contrary, continue to love your enemies and to do good and to lend without hoping for anything back; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind toward the unthankful and wicked. ³⁶ Continue being merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

(Proverbs 7:20-27) ²⁰ He took a bag of money with him, And he will not return until the day of the full moon.” ²¹ She misleads him with great persuasiveness. She seduces him with smooth speech. ²² Suddenly he goes after her, like a bull to the slaughter, Like a fool to be punished in the stocks, ²³ Until an arrow pierces his liver; Like a bird rushing into a trap, he does not know that it will cost him his life. ²⁴ And now, my sons, listen to me; Pay attention to the words I speak. ²⁵ Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not stray onto her paths, ²⁶ For she has caused many to fall down slain, And those she has killed are numerous. ²⁷ Her house leads to the Grave; It goes down to the inner chambers of death.

(Ephesians 4:25-30) ²⁵ Therefore, now that you have put away deceit, each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, because we are members belonging to one another. ²⁶ Be wrathful, but do not sin; do not let the sun set while you are still angry; ²⁷ do not give the Devil an opportunity. ²⁸ Let the one who steals steal no more; rather, let him do hard work, doing good work with his hands, so that he may have something to share with someone in need. ²⁹ Let a rotten word not come out of your mouth, but only what is good for building up as the need may be, to impart what is beneficial to the hearers. ³⁰ Also, do not be grieving God’s holy spirit, with which you have been sealed for a day of releasing by ransom.

(Galatians 6:7-10) ⁷ Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a person is sowing, this he will also reap; ⁸ because the one sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh, but the one sowing with a view to the spirit will reap everlasting life from the spirit. ⁹ So let us not give up in doing what is fine, for in due time we will reap if we do not tire out. ¹⁰ So, then, as long as we have the opportunity, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith.

(Proverbs 21:2, 3)  ² All of a man’s ways seem right to him, But Jehovah examines the hearts.  ³ To do what is right and just Is more pleasing to Jehovah than a sacrifice.

(1 John 2:15-17) ¹⁵ Do not love either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; ¹⁶ because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. ¹⁷ Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

(John 6:39, 40) . . .. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who recognizes the Son and exercises faith in him should have everlasting life, and I will resurrect him on the last day.”

(2 Corinthians 5:17-19) ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; look! new things have come into existence. ¹⁸ But all things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of the reconciliation, ¹⁹ namely, that God was by means of Christ reconciling a world to himself, not counting their offenses against them, and he entrusted to us the message of the reconciliation.

(James 4:11, 12) ¹¹ Stop speaking against one another, brothers. Whoever speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against law and judges law. Now if you judge law, you are not a doer of law but a judge. ¹² There is only one who is Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and to destroy. But you, who are you to be judging your neighbor?

(2 Peter 3:2-7) . . .. ³ First of all know this, that in the last days ridiculers will come with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires ⁴ and saying: “Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as they were from creation’s beginning.” ⁵ For they deliberately ignore this fact, that long ago there were heavens and an earth standing firmly out of water and in the midst of water by the word of God; ⁶ and that by those means the world of that time suffered destruction when it was flooded with water. ⁷ But by the same word the heavens and the earth that now exist are reserved for fire and are being kept until the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly people.

(Luke 13:23-30) . . .: ²⁴ “Exert yourselves vigorously to get in through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will seek to get in but will not be able. ²⁵ When the householder gets up and locks the door, you will stand outside knocking at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ But in answer he will say to you: ‘I do not know where you are from.’ ²⁶ Then you will start saying, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our main streets.’ ²⁷ But he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Get away from me, all you workers of unrighteousness!’ ²⁸ There is where your weeping and the gnashing of your teeth will be, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown outside. ²⁹ Furthermore, people will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the Kingdom of God. ³⁰ And look! there are those last who will be first, and there are those first who will be last.”

(Psalm 10:2-6)  ² The wicked one arrogantly pursues the helpless one, But he will be caught in the schemes he devises.  ³ For the wicked one boasts about his selfish desires And blesses the greedy one; נ [Nun] He disrespects Jehovah.  ⁴ In his haughtiness, the wicked man makes no investigation; All his thoughts are: “There is no God.”  ⁵ His ways keep prospering, But your judgments are beyond his understanding; He scoffs at all his adversaries.  ⁶ He says in his heart: “I will never be shaken; For generation after generation I will never see calamity.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:1-5) 5 Now as for the times and the seasons, brothers, you need nothing to be written to you. ² For you yourselves know very well that Jehovah’s day is coming exactly as a thief in the night. ³ Whenever it is that they are saying, “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly on them, just like birth pains on a pregnant woman, and they will by no means escape. ⁴ But you, brothers, you are not in darkness, so that the day should overtake you as it would thieves, ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We belong neither to night nor to darkness.

(2 Corinthians 6:14-18) ¹⁴ Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? ¹⁵ Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Beʹli·al? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? For we are a temple of a living God; just as God said: “I will reside among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” ¹⁷ “‘Therefore, get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah, ‘and quit touching the unclean thing’”; “‘and I will take you in.’” ¹⁸ “‘And I will become a father to you, and you will become sons and daughters to me,’ says Jehovah, the Almighty.”

(Numbers 25:1-3) 25 When Israel was dwelling in Shitʹtim, the people started to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moʹab. ² The women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people began to eat and to bow down to their gods. ³ So Israel joined in worship of the Baʹal of Peʹor, and Jehovah became enraged with Israel.

(Proverbs 26:13) ¹³ The lazy one says: “There is a young lion in the road, A lion in the public square!”

(2 Corinthians 11:12-15) ¹² But what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to eliminate the pretext of those who are wanting a basis for being found equal to us in the things about which they boast. ¹³ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps disguising himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness. But their end will be according to their works.

(2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) ⁹ But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders ¹⁰ and every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved. ¹¹ That is why God lets a deceptive influence mislead them so that they may come to believe the lie, ¹² in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness.

(Galatians 5:22-24) ²² On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed to the stake the flesh together with its passions and desires.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7) ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, ⁵ does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. ⁶ It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

(Ephesians 6:1-4) . . .. ² “Honor your father and your mother” is the first command with a promise: ³ “That it may go well with you and you may remain a long time on the earth.” ⁴ And fathers, do not be irritating your children, but go on bringing them up in the discipline and admonition of Jehovah.

(Acts 18:7, 8) . . .. ⁸ But Crisʹpus, the presiding officer of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, along with all his household. .

(1 Timothy 3:1-7) 3 This statement is trustworthy: If a man is reaching out to be an overseer, he is desirous of a fine work. ² The overseer should therefore be irreprehensible, a husband of one wife, moderate in habits, sound in mind, orderly, hospitable, qualified to teach, ³ not a drunkard, not violent, but reasonable, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, ⁴ a man presiding over his own household in a fine manner, having his children in subjection with all seriousness ⁵ (for if any man does not know how to preside over his own household, how will he care for the congregation of God?), ⁶ not a newly converted man, for fear that he might get puffed up with pride and fall into the judgment passed on the Devil. ⁷ Moreover, he should also have a fine testimony from outsiders so that he does not fall into reproach and a snare of the Devil.

(Romans 12:20, 21) ²⁰ But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap fiery coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.

(John 14:26-29) . . .. ²⁷ I leave you peace; I give you my peace. I do not give it to you the way that the world gives it. Do not let your hearts be troubled nor let them shrink out of fear. ²⁸ You heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I am. ²⁹ So now I have told you before it occurs, so that you may believe when it does occur. . .

(Matthew 10:16-22) ¹⁶ “Look! I am sending you out as sheep among wolves; so prove yourselves cautious as serpents and yet innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Be on your guard against men, for they will hand you over to local courts and they will scourge you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ And you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations. ¹⁹ However, when they hand you over, do not become anxious about how or what you are to speak, for what you are to speak will be given you in that hour; ²⁰ for the ones speaking are not just you, but it is the spirit of your Father that speaks by you. ²¹ Further, brother will hand brother over to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and will have them put to death. ²² And you will be hated by all people on account of my name, but the one who has endured to the end will be saved.

(John 14:25, 26) ²⁵ “I have spoken these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, that one will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you.

Pursuing Peace.

Jesus left love guide all he did, he was the perfect reflection of our heavenly father because he imitated what he saw his father do. We are told in the bible we are to imitate Jesus and how he walked. Jesus pursued peace.

(1 Timothy 1:5) Really the objective of this mandate is love out of a clean heart and out of a good conscience and out of faith without hypocrisy.

(James 3:17) But the wisdom from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, not making partial distinctions, not hypocritical

(John 5:19) ¹⁹ Therefore, in answer, Jesus went on to say to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, The Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, but only what he beholds the Father doing. For whatever things that One does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

(John 5:30) I cannot do a single thing of my own initiative; just as I hear, I judge; and the judgment that I render is righteous, because I seek, not my own will, but the will of him that sent me.

Even though Jesus knew he would be king in heaven he did not become high minded. He taught the apostles to be the same way. He is the great teacher and we are to imitate him.

(Romans 12:3-16) ³ For through the undeserved kindness given to me I tell everyone there among YOU not to think more of himself than it is necessary to think; but to think so as to have a sound mind, each one as God has distributed to him a measure of faith. ⁴ For just as we have in one body many members, but the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, although many, are one body in union with Christ, but members belonging individually to one another. ⁶ Since, then, we have gifts differing according to the undeserved kindness given to us, whether prophecy, [let us prophesy] according to the faith proportioned [to us]; ⁷ or a ministry, [let us be] at this ministry; or he that teaches, [let him be] at his teaching; ⁸ or he that exhorts, [let him be] at his exhortation; he that distributes, [let him do it] with liberality; he that presides, [let him do it] in real earnest; he that shows mercy, [let him do it] with cheerfulness. ⁹ Let [YOUR] love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is wicked, cling to what is good. ¹⁰ In brotherly love have tender affection for one another. In showing honor to one another take the lead. ¹¹ Do not loiter at YOUR business. Be aglow with the spirit. Slave for Jehovah. ¹² Rejoice in the hope. Endure under tribulation. Persevere in prayer. ¹³ Share with the holy ones according to their needs. Follow the course of hospitality. ¹⁴ Keep on blessing those who persecute; be blessing and do not be cursing. ¹⁵ Rejoice with people who rejoice; weep with people who weep. ¹⁶ Be minded the same way toward others as to yourselves; do not be minding lofty things, but be led along with the lowly things. Do not become discreet in YOUR own eyes.

If we become over confident it can cause us to fall short. We have many examples of those in the bible who thought to much of themselves and would either try and put themselves in a position they were not ready for and Jehovah had not assigned them this caused them to stumble and often times they caused others to fall short. Ko’rah was an example we were given of the bible of what can happen if we become over confident and let arrogance creep in. It didn’t only cost him his life but it cost the lives of many others.

(Proverbs 16:18) Pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.

(Numbers 16:1-3) 16 And Ko′rah the son of Iz′har, the son of Ko′hath, the son of Le′vi, proceeded to get up, together with Da′than and A·bi′ram the sons of E·li′ab, and On the son of Pe′leth, the sons of Reu′ben. ² And they proceeded to rise up before Moses, they and two hundred and fifty men of the sons of Israel, chieftains of the assembly, summoned ones of the meeting, men of fame. ³ So they congregated themselves against Moses and Aaron and said to them: “That is enough of YOU, because the whole assembly are all of them holy and Jehovah is in their midst. Why, then, should YOU lift yourselves up above the congregation of Jehovah?”

(Numbers 16:31-35) ³¹ And it came about that as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them began to be split apart. ³² And the earth proceeded to open its mouth and to swallow up them and their households and all humankind that belonged to Ko′rah and all the goods. ³³ So down they went, and all who belonged to them, alive into She′ol, and the earth went covering them over, so that they perished from the midst of the congregation. ³⁴ And all the Israelites who were round about them fled at the screaming of them, for they began to say: “We are afraid that the earth may swallow us up!” ³⁵ And a fire came out from Jehovah and proceeded to consume the two hundred and fifty men offering the incense. . .

Jesus set the perfect example. Though he was to be our king in heaven he still remained humble towards others and set the example of how we should be. We should not view ourselves as more then someone else or as superior. Servants wash the feet of others and were viewed as being less then others. This did not stop Jesus from washing the feet of the apostles. Jesus was well aware of each of the apostles short comings, this did not prevent him from being humble towards them and treating them with respect. He could have easily tore them apart by looking at their short comings and constantly pointing them out. He did not he would give them parables or remind them of God’s word. He did not constantly attack and accuse them. He saw what they were becoming not what they are. He knew the things they would eventually do because he could read their hearts. We cannot read peoples hearts so we should not be judging them and trying to find their sins but we should be encouraging them and using God’s word to guide them and build them up spiritually. We should also set the example for others showing them the way by imitating Jesus humility.

(John 13:1-17) 13 Now, because he knew before the festival of the passover that his hour had come for him to move out of this world to the Father, Jesus, having loved his own that were in the world, loved them to the end. ² So, while the evening meal was going on, the Devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Is·car′i·ot, the son of Simon, to betray him, ³ he, knowing that the Father had given all things into [his] hands and that he came forth from God and was going to God, ⁴ got up from the evening meal and laid aside his outer garments. And, taking a towel, he girded himself. ⁵ After that he put water into a basin and started to wash the feet of the disciples and to dry them off with the towel with which he was girded. ⁶ And so he came to Simon Peter. He said to him: “Lord, are you washing my feet?” ⁷ In answer Jesus said to him: “What I am doing you do not understand at present, but you will understand after these things.” ⁸ Peter said to him: “You will certainly never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” ⁹ Simon Peter said to him: “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him: “He that has bathed does not need to have more than his feet washed, but is wholly clean. And YOU men are clean, but not all.” ¹¹ He knew, indeed, the man betraying him. This is why he said: “Not all of YOU are clean.” ¹² When, now, he had washed their feet and had put his outer garments on and laid himself down at the table again, he said to them: “Do YOU know what I have done to YOU? ¹³ YOU address me, ‘Teacher,’ and, ‘Lord,’ and YOU speak rightly, for I am such. ¹⁴ Therefore, if I, although Lord and Teacher, washed YOUR feet, YOU also ought to wash the feet of one another. ¹⁵ For I set the pattern for YOU, that, just as I did to YOU, YOU should do also. ¹⁶ Most truly I say to YOU, A slave is not greater than his master, nor is one that is sent forth greater than the one that sent him. ¹⁷ If YOU know these things, happy YOU are if YOU do them. . .

So to avoid thinking more of ourselves then we should we need to view others as superior and not focus constantly on our own interest but to take interest in others and on how we could help them. Egotism is when we have an undue sense of self importance. Many in the bible when they became rulers fell short because they left the authority go to their heads and started thinking more of themselves then they should have. Some even took it to the point they wanted people to worship them.

(Philippians 2:1-4) 2 If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any sharing of spirit, if any tender affections and compassions, ² make my joy full in that YOU are of the same mind and have the same love, being joined together in soul, holding the one thought in mind, ³ doing nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with lowliness of mind considering that the others are superior to YOU, ⁴ keeping an eye, not in personal interest upon just YOUR own matters, but also in personal interest upon those of the others. . .

(Galatians 5:26-6:1) ²⁶ Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another. 6 Brothers, even though a man takes some false step before he is aware of it, YOU who have spiritual qualifications try to readjust such a man in a spirit of mildness, as you each keep an eye on yourself.

We all fall short and have imperfections we have to work on. If we start viewing ourselves as being more righteous we could become blind to our own imperfections and believe we cannot fall. We have the example of Peter when he became over confident in his spirituality. We know Peter ovecame this because he went on to make many disciples.

(James 3:2-4) ² For we all stumble many times. If anyone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man, able to bridle also [his] whole body. ³ If we put bridles in the mouths of horses for them to obey us, we manage also their whole body. ⁴ Look! Even boats, although they are so big and are driven by hard winds, are steered by a very small rudder to where the inclination of the man at the helm wishes.

(Luke 22:33, 34) ³³ Then he said to him: “Lord, I am ready to go with you both into prison and into death.” ³⁴ But he said: “I tell you, Peter, A cock will not crow today until you have three times denied knowing me.”

(Luke 22:55-60) . . .When they lit a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter was sitting in among them. ⁵⁶ But a certain servant girl saw him sitting by the bright fire and looked him over and said: “This man also was with him.” ⁵⁷ But he denied it, saying: “I do not know him, woman.” ⁵⁸ And after a short time another person seeing him said: “You also are one of them.” But Peter said: “Man, I am not.” ⁵⁹ And after about an hour intervened a certain other [man] began insisting strongly: “For a certainty this [man] also was with him; for, in fact, he is a Gal·i·le′an!” ⁶⁰ But Peter said: “Man, I do not know what you are saying.” And instantly, while he was yet speaking, a cock crowed. . .

If we are constantly looking for what is wrong in others we start judging them. How we judge is how we will be judged so if we nit pick at people we are viewing ourselves as being better then them and we are judging them.

(Matthew 7:1-3) 7 “Stop judging that YOU may not be judged; ² for with what judgment YOU are judging, YOU will be judged; and with the measure that YOU are measuring out, they will measure out to YOU. ³ Why, then, do you look at the straw in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the rafter in your own eye?

We know we will be under constant attack. We know if we are truly following Jesus footsteps we will be treated as he was. We must imitate him and not attack others and bring ourselves to their levels but set the example by remaining humble. By maintaining our integrity and humility we prove who we are to God and we give God glory.

(Matthew 5:11-16) ¹¹ “Happy are YOU when people reproach YOU and persecute YOU and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against YOU for my sake. ¹² Rejoice and leap for joy, since YOUR reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to YOU. ¹³ “YOU are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its strength, how will its saltness be restored? It is no longer usable for anything but to be thrown outside to be trampled on by men. ¹⁴ “YOU are the light of the world. A city cannot be hid when situated upon a mountain. ¹⁵ People light a lamp and set it, not under the measuring basket, but upon the lampstand, and it shines upon all those in the house. ¹⁶ Likewise let YOUR light shine before men, that they may see YOUR fine works and give glory to YOUR Father who is in the heavens.

(1 Peter 2:11, 12) . . .. ¹² Maintain YOUR conduct fine among the nations, that, in the thing in which they are speaking against YOU as evildoers, they may as a result of YOUR fine works of which they are eyewitnesses glorify God in the day for [his] inspection. . .

We want to practice what we teach so we do not smear God’s good name. If we teach others about God yet we are unreasonable and contentious what kind of message are we really sending?

(Romans 2:17-24) ¹⁷ If, now, you are a Jew in name and are resting upon law and taking pride in God, ¹⁸ and you know his will and approve of things that are excellent because you are orally instructed out of the Law; ¹⁹ and you are persuaded that you are a guide of the blind, a light for those in darkness, ²⁰ a corrector of the unreasonable ones, a teacher of babes, and having the framework of the knowledge and of the truth in the Law— ²¹ do you, however, the one teaching someone else, not teach yourself? You, the one preaching “Do not steal,” do you steal? ²² You, the one saying “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You, the one expressing abhorrence of the idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You, who take pride in law, do you by your transgressing of the Law dishonor God? ²⁴ For “the name of God is being blasphemed on account of YOU people among the nations”; just as it is written.

We are to be reasonable and peaceable with all and we are to speak injuriously of no one.

(Titus 3:2) to speak injuriously of no one, not to be belligerent, to be reasonable, exhibiting all mildness toward all men.

(James 3:17) But the wisdom from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, not making partial distinctions, not hypocritical.

We are to seek and pursue peace. So all we do we should do in a way to promote peace. We are not only required to purse peace we are to make peace.

(James 3:17, 18) . . .. ¹⁸ Moreover, the fruit of righteousness has its seed sown under peaceful conditions for those who are making peace. . .

(Matthew 5:9) “Happy are the peaceable, since they will be called ‘sons of God.’

(1 Peter 3:11) but let him turn away from what is bad and do what is good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

Even if someone is not yet in the truth, our example may some day draw them to the truth. If it does not we have shown God how much we value peace and we have proven ourselves to God. We have to keep in mind we are all imperfect and others also have to deal with our imperfections just as much as we do theirs.

(Ephesians 4:1-6) 4 I, therefore, the prisoner in [the] Lord, entreat YOU to walk worthily of the calling with which YOU were called, ² with complete lowliness of mind and mildness, with long-suffering, putting up with one another in love, ³ earnestly endeavoring to observe the oneness of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace. ⁴ One body there is, and one spirit, even as YOU were called in the one hope to which YOU were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all [persons], who is over all and through all and in all.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7) ⁴ Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, ⁵ does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. ⁶ It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

If we are struggling with this we need to ask God to send the spirit to help us.

(Luke 11:9-13) . . .. ¹⁰ For everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking it will be opened. ¹¹ Indeed, which father is there among YOU who, if his son asks for a fish, will perhaps hand him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he also asks for an egg, will hand him a scorpion? ¹³ Therefore, if YOU, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to YOUR children, how much more so will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those asking him!”

(Galatians 5:22-24) ²² On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus impaled the flesh together with its passions and desires. . .

As mentioned earlier by imitating Christ it give us peace of mind. We do not become overwhelmed with things and do not put ourselves on Christ thrown which we are not qualified to do. He rightfully earned the thrown and there is not better king. By judging other we are putting ourselves in a position we do not rightfully have. Just as people spoke abusively of Christ we also must follow his example and patiently endure it.

(Matthew 27:38-44) . . .. ³⁹ So the passersby began speaking abusively of him, wagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying: “O you would-be thrower-down of the temple and builder of it in three days, save yourself! If you are a son of God, come down off the torture stake!” ⁴¹ In like manner also the chief priests with the scribes and older men began making fun of him and saying: ⁴² “Others he saved; himself he cannot save! He is King of Israel; let him now come down off the torture stake and we will believe on him. ⁴³ He has put his trust in God; let Him now rescue him if He wants him, for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way even the robbers that were impaled together with him began reproaching him. . .

(Hebrews 12:1-3) 12 So, then, because we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also put off every weight and the sin that easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² as we look intently at the Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus. For the joy that was set before him he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Indeed, consider closely the one who has endured such contrary talk by sinners against their own interests, that YOU may not get tired and give out in YOUR souls. . .

We need to follow Jesus example and pray for them.

(Luke 23:33, 34) . . .And when they got to the place called Skull, there they impaled him and the evildoers, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴ [[But Jesus was saying: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”]]. . .

Stephen followed Jesus example. This resulted in Paul who did some awful things towards the disciples of Christ to eventually become a leader as a teacher of the truth.

(Acts 7:58-60) ⁵⁸ And after throwing him outside the city, they began casting stones at him. And the witnesses laid down their outer garments at the feet of a young man called Saul. ⁵⁹ And they went on casting stones at Stephen as he made appeal and said: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then, bending his knees, he cried out with a strong voice: “Jehovah, do not charge this sin against them.” And after saying this he fell asleep [in death].

In doing so we give no one a valid reason to speak abusively or ill of us.

(1 Timothy 4:12) ¹² Let no man ever look down on your youth. On the contrary, become an example to the faithful ones in speaking, in conduct, in love, in faith, in chasteness. . .

(Titus 2:15) Keep on speaking these things and exhorting and reproving with full authority to command. Let no man ever despise you.

We know judgment is very near, when it starts we will no longer be able to teach. We need to seize the opportunity while we can.

(2 Timothy 4:1-3) 4 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is destined to judge the living and the dead, and by his manifestation and his kingdom, ² preach the word, be at it urgently in favorable season, in troublesome season, reprove, reprimand, exhort, with all long-suffering and [art of] teaching. ³ For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching. . .

Though we are to be peaceable with all we are still to be cautious who we associate with.

(2 John 8-11) ⁸ Look out for yourselves, that YOU do not lose the things we have worked to produce, but that YOU may obtain a full reward. ⁹ Everyone that pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God. He that does remain in this teaching is the one that has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to YOU and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into YOUR homes or say a greeting to him. ¹¹ For he that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works. . .

We need to practice these things and build our faith keeping in mind what is about to occurs is a sign this system has ended and the new is near. It may be a fearful time but our God will be there for us. We have to keep in mind it is not us they are attacking when we are doing God’s will but it is against God that they fight.

(Matthew 10:16-23) ¹⁶ “Look! I am sending YOU forth as sheep amidst wolves; therefore prove yourselves cautious as serpents and yet innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Be on YOUR guard against men; for they will deliver YOU up to local courts, and they will scourge YOU in their synagogues. ¹⁸ Why, YOU will be haled before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations. ¹⁹ However, when they deliver YOU up, do not become anxious about how or what YOU are to speak; for what YOU are to speak will be given YOU in that hour; ²⁰ for the ones speaking are not just YOU, but it is the spirit of YOUR Father that speaks by YOU. ²¹ Further, brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and will have them put to death. ²² And YOU will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my name; but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved. ²³ When they persecute YOU in one city, flee to another; for truly I say to YOU, YOU will by no means complete the circuit of the cities of Israel until the Son of man arrives. . .

The news of the heavenly kingdom has been preached throughout the earth so we know the end is near.

(Matthew 24:14) ¹⁴ And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come. . .

Those who endure to the end will see the new system and it will be will worth it because it will be a kingdom that will not be done away with.

(Revelation 21:1-4) 21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. ² I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. ⁴ And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away. . .

We need to be patient more now then ever before and do our best to remain blameless.

(James 5:8) . . .YOU too exercise patience; make YOUR hearts firm, because the presence of the Lord has drawn close. . .

(1 Thessalonians 3:11-13) ¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way prosperously to YOU. ¹² Moreover, may the Lord cause YOU to increase, yes, make YOU abound, in love to one another and to all, even as we also do to YOU; ¹³ to the end that he may make YOUR hearts firm, unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the presence of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. . .

We know salvation is near and our king will be given the command very soon. While we wait the bible tells us let our reasonableness be known to all.

(Philippians 4:4, 5) ⁴ Always rejoice in [the] Lord. Once more I will say, Rejoice! ⁵ Let YOUR reasonableness become known to all men. The Lord is near. . .

We have to keep in mind Jesus did not always answer when questioned. He knew who was behind the questions and what the motives were for the questions and that no matter how he answered they would lie and use his words against him. So if we are in a similar situations it may be better not to give an answer.

(Matthew 27:11-14) ¹¹ Jesus now stood before the governor; and the governor put the question to him: “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied: “You yourself say [it].” ¹² But, while he was being accused by the chief priests and older men, he made no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him: “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” ¹⁴ Yet he did not answer him, no, not a word, so that the governor wondered very much. . .

Jesus was righteous and did not sin but suffered as a sinner for our sins. This should make us appreciate the ransom sacrifice even more and drive us that much more to imitate him. In doing so he provided the only ransom that could be accepted by God. Sin came into the world through one man perfect man so it had to be removed by a perfect man.

(Isaiah 53:5-9) . . .But he was being pierced for our transgression; he was being crushed for our errors. The chastisement meant for our peace was upon him, and because of his wounds there has been a healing for us. ⁶ Like sheep we have all of us wandered about; it was each one to his own way that we have turned; and Jehovah himself has caused the error of us all to meet up with that one. ⁷ He was hard pressed, and he was letting himself be afflicted; yet he would not open his mouth. He was being brought just like a sheep to the slaughtering; and like a ewe that before her shearers has become mute, he also would not open his mouth. ⁸ Because of restraint and of judgment he was taken away; and who will concern himself even with [the details of] his generation? For he was severed from the land of the living ones. Because of the transgression of my people he had the stroke. ⁹ And he will make his burial place even with the wicked ones, and with the rich class in his death, despite the fact that he had done no violence and there was no deception in his mouth. . .

(1 Peter 2:21-25) ²¹ In fact, to this [course] YOU were called, because even Christ suffered for YOU, leaving YOU a model for YOU to follow his steps closely. ²² He committed no sin, nor was deception found in his mouth. ²³ When he was being reviled, he did not go reviling in return. When he was suffering, he did not go threatening, but kept on committing himself to the one who judges righteously. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his own body upon the stake, in order that we might be done with sins and live to righteousness. And “by his stripes YOU were healed.” ²⁵ For YOU were like sheep, going astray; but now YOU have returned to the shepherd and overseer of YOUR souls. . .

Being able to identify when others show the fruits of the spirit will make it harder for those appearing as angels of light to deceive us.

Fruits of the spirit. No matter how spiritual someone may seem if they are not showing fruits of the spirit then be cautious. If we are not or those we associate with are not showing the fruits of the spirit then it shows we or they need to write God’s word on our hearts and let it guide us. We must remember Satan will put wolves among us and they will be hard to identify but they will not show the fruits as those who are applying God’s word and writing it in our hearts.

Galations 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Of all the fruits love is the most important one.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Joy comes from remaining faithful no matter what we endure. Joy because we know we have salvation. We have faith that our king will save us. So if the person is a complainer or cannot see the good but only the bad be cautious. Also try and help them to learn to put faith in the promises of the future in store for those who remain faithful.

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. We build the joy by sharing God,s word and doing his will.

Knowing God’s word and being able to give an answer for our hope gives us happiness.

Proverbs 15:23 A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!

Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the torture steak, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. How to have complete joy.

We need to keep in mind this is all temporary and things will get better much better.

John 16:22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

God wrote his word because he knew what we would endure and he knew we would need guidance to get through it and assurance of the future.

Psalm 119:111 Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.

Peace our future hangs on pursuing it. If we see acts of violance and see people planning to do harm and we do not report it then we are not persuing peace. We are avoiding the possible persecution that may come from it. Pursuing peace means we do not return the acts of violance.

Psalm 37:37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. Being peaceable helps keep us from stumbling. We must completely trust Jehovah. This gives us an inner peace no matter what we endure.

Psalm 119:165 Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Peace from God protects our minds.

Philipians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. God’s people would be peace makers. So they would not incite, condone in or tolerate acts that would promote violence.

We need to pay attention does the person strive for peace or do the stir up contentions?

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Anyone can love those who love them but ot takes a true person of God to love those who do not love them.

Do they let love guide all they do?

Matthew 5:43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbori and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Forbearance the quality of someone who is patient and able to deal with a difficult person or situation without becoming angry.

James 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Because we are in the last days we may as well be patient and suffer as righteous and not unrighteous so we will have a future hope. So a lack of patience is not a good quality and is not a fruit of the spirit. Patience and endurance is are fruits of the spirit.

1 Peter 2:19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. If we are nut patient it shows we are not humble. Ecclesiastes 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. We have to keep in mind Jehovah is patient and has given us an oppurtunity to repent, other have the same oppurtunity.

We need to be patient with those who do not yet know the truth they may be a spiritual brother or sister some day.

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Those who refuse that oppurtunity will reap their reward. Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Being kind can be difficult in these times but stop and think if we are kind to those who are not which one will God judge? If both people are cruel who will be judged?

Proverbs 11:17 A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.

Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

We are to be kind to everyone.

Galations 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

If we are not kind we could be cut of from the future promises.

Romans 11:Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

I have found this to be true no matter how down and out I am when I do acts of kindness it picks me up.

Acts 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

We should keep in mind in mind that God performed the ultimate act of kindness so we should do our best to imitate his kindness.

Romans 5:But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

When someone is burdened down we are to bear some of that burden when possible. Even if all we have to give them is an ear to listen. Having someone to talk to in times of trouble means more then most realize. So when someone is going through tough times do we show the fruits of the spirit and pick them up or do we avoid them and look down on them? Avoiding someone who is in need is not a fruit of the spirit.

Galations 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

1 Timothy 6:18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, If someone needs help and we do nothing it is a sin to not offer our kindness.

James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Romans 15:1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

In the bible where goodness was referred to it meant deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good. So it pretty much means blameless. One of the things we must do is not complain or argue.

Philipians 2:14Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

Guarding our tongues is very important but it says we must speak the truth in our hearts, so we should never justify things with false reasoning in our hearts. If we give an oath or promise we are to stick to it no matter how difficult. If we do those things the bible says we will not be shaken.  Do we or someone we associate with guard their tongue?

Psalm 15:1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? 2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; 3 whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; 4 who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; 5 who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken. The tent of Jehovah is a prize worth working for.

Revelation 7:15 15 That is why they are before the throne of God, and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them.

Revelation 21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

Faithfulness, the apostle Paul defined faith. Do we or others we are concerned about put faith in God’s word or do they seek answers from man.

Hebrews 11:1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. We are to believe in our hearts. If we let our jearts be filled with things like gear anger resentment or any other negative things how could we have room for faith, then how could we have the courage to share that faith?

Romans 10:10 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. We aquire faith by learning and hearing Gods word and listen to the teachings of Christ.

Do we or those we are associating with seek more wisdom in God’s word or do they rely on their own understanding? Putting faith in oneself or man is not a fruit of the spirit. When criticized or persecuted for their faith do they remain strong or shrink back. Those who have the fruits of the spirit will have strong faith.

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. We should not put our faith in man many times mans solutions are short lived orvplagued with problems. Only God has the power and wisdom to give real answers and solutions.

1Corinthians 2:5 That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. If we do not have faith we will not be accepted by God. Which stands to reason. It is no different then saying we do not believe him. Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Hebrews 10:38-39 But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. If we have real faith we will work towards that faith.

Do you are others you associate with have works that show they have faith? If they do not share the truth or shrink back when challenged on their faith it is showing a lack of the fruits.

James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

If we do not share our faith continue to build on it by studying and hearing God’s word our faith will die. We must also apply that faith by always doing Jehovah’s will and not succumbing to doubts or fears. If a person has doubts or fear it is not a fruit of the spirit.

James 2:17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Thessalonians 1:2-3 “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Gentleness means we won’t even speak of bad things let alone

do them. Gentleness means we don’t force things on others but we will give them gentle answers. If someone likes to argue or debate that is not a fruit of the spirit.

Titus 3:2 To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Galations 5:23 Gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. If we are gentle we are precious to God.

We are to figuratively wear gentleness. So a fruit of the spirit is being gentle and kind. Not firm and harsh.

1 Peter 3:4 But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. We are to be gentle with everyone.

1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

Self-control involve overcoming our human imperfections like anger, selfishness, greed, the list goes on. Our temper.

Proverbs 11:A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.

Do they put physical things over spiritual. Putting physical things first is not a fruit of the spirit.

1 Thessalonions 4:3-7 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God

1 Corinthians 7:9 But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Watching what we say. A tongue that stirs up contention, or does not offer comfort is not a fruit of the spirit. Also one who holds a grudge is not showing the fruits of the spirit.

Proverbs 21:23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles Proverbs 18:7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul. Not getting violent.

Matthew 5:39-40 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

Controlling hatred not even letting it into our hearts. Hating others or looking down on them is not a fruit of the spirit.

Luke 6:27-29 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

Fear is not a fruit of the spirit.

Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

Do they have inner peace when under tribulation or persecution? Inner peace is a fruit of the spirit.

John 14:27 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.

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Fear of death is not a fruit of the spirit. It involves faith in the future promises.

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in the firey pit.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

To live again we must live by spirit. Do we or those we associate with live by spirit letting God’s word guide them?

Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Materialism is not a fruit of the spirit.

Fear of losing what we have. 1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

John 5:28 28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.

Do we or those we associate with have complete faith or do we have doubts. Doubt is not a fruit of the spirit.Controlling doubt If we let Jehovah’s word guide us and do his will we have no reason to have doubts. If we have doubts we will tend to lean on our own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5-8 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. If we have doubts it will it will cloud our thinking, it could hinder us from making the right decisions. We will be easily swayed like wave on the ocean when blown by the wind.

James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Matthew 21:21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I could go on and on but if you are blessed with the spirit we are to produce fruits from the spirit. That means we will do what we can to obey Jehovah’s laws and teach others also. Our fruits will speak for us. We are commanded to bear fruits.

Matthew 3:8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.

You will know a true person of God by their fruits. What is it like around them? Do they try to work toward peace and live peacefully with others? Do they strive to teach others God’s word and help build their faith are do they only worry about themselves?

Matthew 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Gentleness.

James 3:13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.

Helping others

Titus 3:18 Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.

James 2:14-26 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

Do they show they are letting the wisdom from above guide them? When the seed does not grow and produce fruit it is not showing the fruits.

James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

Draw other to the truth.

Matthew 13:23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” Spiritual things and Gods will will come first.

Romans 8:13-14 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Galations 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Over coming our errs. Looking at our reflection in the mirror of God’s word and seeing our error and working to overcome them is a fruit. If someone is avoiding overcoming their error they are not showing the fruit.

Romans 6:11-14 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Increase in knowledge and applying it is a fruit.

Collossians 10: so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Their actions will demonstrate their love.  Do their actions and deeds show they know love and are truthful.

1John 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

Characteristics of those producing the fruits.

James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Do they try and draw others to God’s word so they can know him and have faith? Do they acknowledge God’s name and declare it?

Hebrews 13:15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Love would guide all they do.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Joy and peace no matter what their circumstances.

Romans 15:13 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

They will have endurance and patience.

Collossians 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,

Bragging, harshness, those are not fruit of the spirit. We should be humble and gentle.

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Does the person persevere under trials and tribulations or do they complain and struggle to hold their faith? They would be able to persevere.

2Peter 1:5-7 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

Their trust in God will be clear they will not turn to man or immoral things or the world but to Jehovah and let his word guide them and will do his will not their own. In doing so they will know what to do and will not be easily moved from doing Gods will.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,whose confidence is in him.They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

They will have no doubt about God’s and Jesus love.

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We do not want to be one of those not producing the fruits. Matthew 7:19 Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.