How to protect our minds.

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

Protecting our minds is important now more then ever. There are many toxins, medical practices that can damage our minds. Our food is heavily contaminated with toxins which can damage our brains, by being aware of that we can help to protect our minds. But we also need to focus spiritually so we can protect our minds. The bible teaches us how to make better decisions. Knowing what God would want us to do will protect our minds. I am going to discuss how our minds can be effected and how we can protect it from , things that could make us fall short of God. Since these are the last days protecting our minds can be much more difficult but the bible gives guidance on how we can protect our minds.

When it comes to how we live our life there is a saying “actions speak louder then words”. There are many scriptures to back the fact that is true. It is not what we say, or what we believe about our actions and whether they are ok it is what Gop things that is important. . Many things God would not approve of are accepted as being normal and ok by society so we cannot gauge whether our actions are good or not by society. This is why the bible tells us “it does not belong to man to direct our steps”. We are imperfect, easily corrupted and deceived. The bible even warns not to follow our hearts because it is deceptive and desperate. Meaning we can deceive ourselves and convince ourselves our actions are ok. We need to think about what our actions are telling God. We are supposed to imitate Jesus. So we need to ask ourselves would Jesus do this? If not then we should not do it.

I knew someone who could lie so well they fooled a lie detector test twice. I even seen them lie about doing something when the person they were lying to seen them do it. They were so convincing they convinced the person they imagined they seen them do it. When I ask them how they can lies so well they said easy, if I tell enough people the lie I start believing it. A hint to the fact someone like this is lying is they will either evade certain questions or answer vaguely , or they will remember things in extreme details such as exact times and dates. People rarely remember the times and dates of when things happened. The bible tells us to let no deception be found in us. If we start deceiving others it can easily lead to our deceiving ourselves. This could lead to our sinning and not being aware of it. This is why we should let God’s word guide what we do and say. We should ask what are my actions showing me about myself? This is why the bible says we should be doers of God’s word and not just hearers. By letting his word guide us and by telling others about his word we protect our hearts and it could prevent us from being destroyed in God’s great day of judgment. If we can easily tell a lie to others then we can easily deceive ourselves. Another thing that protects us is doing all the things we do whole-souled for Jehovah and not for men. If we become a people pleaser it could draw us away from God. We need to keep in mind what would God want me to do. The bible tells us to let our light shine before men. This means we need to be careful of the things we do and say. The bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So if the things we say are not honoring God or showing our trust and love for him then we should , work on improving our faith by telling others about God’s word and letting it guide all we do. In doing so we will bring glory to God and prevent us from deceiving ourselves. We need to imitate Jesus. He gave people hope by teaching them about God. The bible tells us, no deception was found in him.

These are very confusing times. Many toxin in the environment can effect the hormone and neurotransmitters in our brains. If we know what God would want us to do in times that our brain chemistry may be off, knowing God’s word and letting it guide all we do will become a habit so even if we have altered brain chemistry that could cause us to fall short of God , because speaking of his word and letting it guide all we do has become a habit it would prevent us from sinning against God and others. Not only that but it also protects our thinking, because we are living in the last days. It can be more and more difficult to tell what is right and what is wrong in God’s eyes. Not only that but the stress we are experiencing can effect our brain chemistry. By putting our trust in God instead of the world or ourselves it protects us. By knowing what God would want us to do it will protect us in such times preventing us from sinning. Look at and watch people you know who lie a lot. They cannot think clearly, they get easily confused, they get angry if you refute an untruth they are telling themselves or others. These are works of the flesh and they can cause us to lose our thinking abilities.

The bible tells us that taking in the wisdom of God makes the inexperienced one wiser. The bible tells us to keep seeking the wisdom of God’s word as if it was silver or hidden treasure and it will give us wisdom and discernment . When we have better discernment it protects us from making errors that could effect our lives or others negatively and most of all it protects our relationship with God. By having better discernment it can also prevent us from bringing shame on ourselves. When we do things that we should not do and it brings shame on ourselves it can also cause others to distance themselves from you , so that they are not being a part of the shame. So by knowing what God would want us to do we would avoid destroying relationships that are important to us.

As the anxiety of this system climbs from the increased corruption and evil it can effects a person’s thinking if they fear the world and things happening in it or they fear man more then God. By having a reverential fear of God we have faith in the future promises and the hope he has given. This protects our thinking because our identity is not with the world and things that will be gone soon, but it is with God who does not die and does not change so we know the future hope he has given will be fulfilled. By keeping our minds on spiritual things and not fleshly things it prevents us from taking a path that could lead to our death, or even our destruction on God’s great day. The bible tells us to stay on the watch, because we do not know when the end of this system will occur. We do know it will happen in a time people least expect. There will be many naysayers who know what God’s word said but because it did not guide all they did they would not believe we are in the last days and the destruction would be suddenly upon them because they did not prepare their hearts and minds so they could be aware of the time frame we are in and prepare for it.

As this system winds down and the corruption and evil get worse we need to pay even more attention to the time frame we are in. This protects our relationship with God, it protects us morally and even physically. It only takes a split second to make a bad decision that could effect the lives of ourselves or ones we care about in a negative way. These effects could last our life time and the life time of those we care about. By letting God guide all we do and say and not trusting in our own understanding or putting our trust in the world or man it can protect our thinking which will prevent us making serious mistakes. This can also help guide us through times when we are persecuted or attacked by people and Satan. Most of us will experience calamity. By putting our faith and trust in God and realizing the bible warns we will be betrayed and people will sin against us. We learn to forgive them and move on. Even if they do not repent , we have forgiven them so we do not hold on to the negative emotions that come from being betrayed or sinned against. When this happens often times it dramatically changes our lives. The bible warns these things will occur. By recognizing that and realizing we will have things occur that can dramatically change our lives we can move on much more easily. Though the hurt may remain for a while it does not overwhelm us as it does those who have no faith in God. Their hope and trust are in things that are passing away. When they lose them it destroys them as a person. Those who store up their treasures in heaven by focusing more on spiritual things then things of the world can not be shaken as easily and when they are they recover much more quickly.

So by our actions we say more then about what we believe. Even if we have deceived ourselves our actions state what our true intentions are. So we need to be aware if our actions and the things we say and do glorify God or are they pleasing ourselves? Do the things we say and do honor God and show we are putting our trust in Jesus and trying our best to imitate him. By being aware of our own short comings and taking steps to protect ourselves and avoiding situations that may cause us to fall short it protects us. Not only that but deceptive people will be very kind and helpful when they are trying to deceive someone. By being aware of their fruits it can make us aware of who they truly are as an individual and prevent them from luring us into a trap or into sinning against God. If we are like the world it makes us more vulnerable and less aware when they are setting a spiritual or any other trap for us. So by letting God’s word guide all we do it works to protect us in many ways. We need to pay attention to our actions and what they are telling us about ourselves. We can be more aware of whether we are doing what God requires by peering deeply into his word and trusting it to guide us and not getting over confident in our spiritual growth and relationship with God and be aware of our short comings and work towards overcoming them so the world and Satan cannot use them against us. The bible warns pride comes before a fall. If we do fall we need to learn from it and study the bible how to avoid such a thing in the future and take steps to protect ourselves from making errors in the future. Very soon it can be a matter of life or death. We only have a little longer and things will be much much better and all the things that cause suffering and sadness will be done away with.

The bible says many will go through the great tribulation. So many will not die and live to see the better times that are coming. In order to do so we need to put on the complete suit of armor of God. In Ephesians 5 it tells us to put on the belt of truth. This means we take in bible truths and apply them in our lives and tell others about them. It tells us to have our feet shod in declaring the good news. By telling others about bible truths it builds our faith and helps to set in our mind and hearts God’s word which protects us. We are also told to put on the shield of faith. This means we believe God’s word, we put our trust and faith in God and Jesus and not the world or ourselves. We have faith in the things above which we cannot see. It tells us to put on the helmet of salvation. We do this by believing that Jesus was a ransom sacrifice for our sins and that provided a way for man to be forgiven. We put on the helmet of salvation by repenting from sin and trying our best to imitate Jesus. In doing so we are showing our obedience and trust in God and Jesus. By repenting we are accepting that God is merciful and will forgive us when we repent. In doing so we put on the helmet of salvation. We are to persist in prayer and pray in spirit. This means we believe God answers prayers and that he has the power to fulfill the things we ask for if they are in agreement with his will.

By our actions we show God what is really in our hearts. This also tells ourselves what is in our hearts. So even if we deceive ourselves, if we do as God would require it will help us to correct our paths and keep our paths straight so we do not get led astray or deceived. We also need to remain humble. If we find we get in many arguments the bible warns presumptuousness is the cause of that. Presumptuousness is a result of pride. If we find we get in frequent arguments then we should ask ourselves what is this telling us about ourselves? This is why the bible tells us God will put an end to the pride of the presumptuous. If we are prideful we will be easily offended if someone points out an error we are making and may not make the adjustments needed to draw closer to God. If we are prideful we will not ask those we have wronged for forgiveness. Remember confessing to the person is a part of repenting. If we have too much pride then we cannot fully repent. Pride could also prevent us from even acknowledging we have sinned. This would prevent us from confessing our sin to God. If we continue in a state of sin God will not listen to our prayers. As this system is winding down we need God more now then ever before. We need to do our best to draw as close to God and Jesus as we can and hopefully we will go through the great tribulation and live to see the world restored to the paradise it was meant to be and live to see loved ones we have lost in death resurrected. We must do all we can to protect our minds as this system winds down.

(Jeremiah 10:23) 23 I well know, O Jehovah, that man’s way does not belong to him. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.

(Jeremiah 17:9)  9 The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?

(Proverbs 28:26) Whoever trusts in his own heart is stupid, But the one who walks in wisdom will escape.

(James 1:22-25) 22 However, become doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves with false reasoning. 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.

(Colossians 3:23-25) 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.

(Matthew 5:16) 16 Likewise, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens.

(Matthew 12:35-37) 35 The good man out of his good treasure sends out good things, whereas the wicked man out of his wicked treasure sends out wicked things. 36 I tell you that men will render an account on Judgment Day for every unprofitable saying that they speak; 37 for by your words you will be declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned.”

(1 Peter 2:21-23) . . .. 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.

(Zechariah 8:16) 16 “‘These are the things you should do: Speak the truth with one another, and the judgments in your gates must promote truth and peace.

(Colossians 3:9-11) 9 Do not lie to one another. Strip off the old personality with its practices, 10 and clothe yourselves with the new personality, which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, foreigner, Scythʹi·an, slave, or freeman; but Christ is all things and in all.

(Proverbs 3:21-23) 21 My son, do not lose sight of them. Safeguard practical wisdom and thinking ability; 22 They will give you life And be an adornment for your neck; 23 Then you will walk on your way in safety, And your foot will never stumble.

(Matthew 15:17-20) . . .? 18 However, whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and those things defile a man. 19 For example, out of the heart come wicked reasonings: murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. 20 These are the things that defile a man; but to take a meal with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

(Romans 8:5-8) . . .. 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.

(Proverbs 2:10, 11) 10 When wisdom enters your heart And knowledge becomes pleasant to your soul, 11 Thinking ability will keep watch over you, And discernment will safeguard you,

(Psalm 19:7)  7 The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring strength. The reminder of Jehovah is trustworthy, making the inexperienced one wise.

(2 Timothy 3:16, 17) 16 All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.

(Proverbs 2:1-6) 2 My son, if you accept my sayings And treasure up my commandments,  2 By making your ear attentive to wisdom And inclining your heart to discernment;  3 Moreover, if you call out for understanding And raise your voice for discernment;  4 If you keep seeking for it as for silver, And you keep searching for it as for hidden treasures;  5 Then you will understand the fear of Jehovah, And you will find the knowledge of God.  6 For Jehovah himself gives wisdom; From his mouth come knowledge and discernment.

(Psalm 119:1-6) 119 Happy are those who are blameless in their way, Who walk in the law of Jehovah.  2 Happy are those who observe his reminders, Who search for him with all their heart.  3 They practice no unrighteousness; They walk in his ways.  4 You have commanded That your orders be carefully kept.  5 If only I could remain steadfast So as to observe your regulations!  6 Then I would not be put to shame. . .

(James 1:24, 25) . . .. 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 Peter 1:13-16) 13 So brace up your minds for activity; keep your senses completely; set your hope on the undeserved kindness that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, stop being molded by the desires you formerly had in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all your conduct, 16 for it is written: “You must be holy, because I am holy.”

(Luke 12:35-40) 35 “Be dressed and ready and have your lamps burning, 36 and you should be like men waiting for their master to return from the marriage, so when he comes and knocks, they may at once open to him. 37 Happy are those slaves whom the master on coming finds watching! Truly I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at the table and will come alongside and minister to them. 38 And if he comes in the second watch, even if in the third, and finds them ready, happy are they! 39 But know this, if the householder had known at what hour the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also, keep ready, because at an hour that you do not think likely, the Son of man is coming.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:1-3) 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.

(2 Peter 3:9, 10) . . .. 10 But Jehovah’s day will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, but the elements being intensely hot will be dissolved, and earth and the works in it will be exposed.

(Zephaniah 1:18) 18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them in the day of Jehovah’s fury; For by the fire of his zeal the whole earth will be consumed, Because he will make an extermination, indeed a terrible one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.”

(Philippians 4:8) 8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well-spoken-of, whatever things are virtuous, and whatever things are praiseworthy, continue considering these things.

(Matthew 24:37-42) 37 For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 38 For as they were in those days before the Flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 and they took no note until the Flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken along and the other abandoned. 41 Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken along and the other abandoned. 42 Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

(Titus 1:15, 16) . . .. 16 They publicly declare that they know God, but they disown him by their works, because they are detestable and disobedient and not approved for good work of any sort.

(Matthew 7:15-18) . . .. 16 By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? 17 Likewise, every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce fine fruit.

(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.

(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.”

(Ephesians 6:11-18) 11 Put on the complete suit of armor from God so that you may be able to stand firm against the crafty acts of the Devil; 12 because we have a struggle, not against blood and flesh, but against the governments, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places. 13 For this reason take up the complete suit of armor from God, so that you may be able to resist in the wicked day and, after you have accomplished everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm, therefore, with the belt of truth fastened around your waist, wearing the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having your feet shod in readiness to declare the good news of peace. 16 Besides all of this, take up the large shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the wicked one’s burning arrows. 17 Also, accept the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, that is, God’s word, 18 while with every form of prayer and supplication you carry on prayer on every occasion in spirit. And to that end stay awake, constantly making supplication in behalf of all the holy ones.

(Luke 19:7-10) . . .” 8 But Zac·chaeʹus stood up and said to the Lord: “Look! The half of my belongings, Lord, I am giving to the poor, and whatever I extorted from anyone, I am restoring four times over.” 9 At this Jesus said to him: “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

(Romans 12:1-3) 12 Therefore, I appeal to you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. 2 And stop being molded by this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, so that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 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 given to him a measure of faith.

(Proverbs 8:13) 13 The fear of Jehovah means the hating of bad. I hate self-exaltation and pride and the evil way and perverse speech.

(Proverbs 4:24) 24 Put crooked speech away from you, And keep devious talk far away from you.

(Proverbs 16:18, 19) 18 Pride is before a crash, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. 19 Better to be humble among the meek Than to share the spoil of the haughty.

(Proverbs 13:10) 10 Presumptuousness leads only to strife, But wisdom belongs to those who seek advice.

(1 Corinthians 4:6, 7) 6 Now, brothers, these things I have applied to myself and A·polʹlos for your good, that through us you may learn the rule: “Do not go beyond the things that are written,” so that you may not be puffed up with pride, favoring one against the other. 7 For who makes you different from another? Indeed, what do you have that you did not receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it?

(Isaiah 13:11) 11 I will call the inhabited earth to account for its badness, And the wicked for their error. I will put an end to the pride of the presumptuous, And I will humble the haughtiness of tyrants.

(James 5:16) 16 Therefore, openly confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. A righteous man’s supplication has a powerful effect.

(1 John 1:8-10) 8 If we make the statement, “We have no sin,” we are misleading ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we make the statement, “We have not sinned,” we are making him a liar, and his word is not in us.

(Proverbs 28:13, 14) 13 The one covering over his transgressions will not succeed, But whoever confesses and abandons them will be shown mercy. 14 Happy is the man who is always on guard, But whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

(Matthew 13:1-9) 13 On that day Jesus left the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 And such large crowds gathered to him that he went aboard a boat and sat down, and all the crowd was standing on the beach. 3 Then he told them many things by illustrations, saying: “Look! A sower went out to sow. 4 As he was sowing, some seeds fell alongside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Others fell on rocky ground where there was not much soil, and they immediately sprang up because the soil was not deep. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them. 8 Still others fell on the fine soil, and they began to yield fruit, this one 100 times more, that one 60, the other 30. 9 Let the one who has ears listen.”

How can we be Christ like?

Written by Lee Stevenson. Sorry I am a lousy editor. I have broken this down in sections with the following sections proceeding the scriptures.

We are told we are to be Christ like. Jesus perfectly reflected God’s image so by being Christ like can draw closer to God.

The bible tells us we become a new creation if we are in union with Christ. We are told to put on the new personality. We are told to be made new by our dominant mental attitude. This means we would do all we can to be like Christ and to walk as he walked. So how can we be like Christ? We do so by imitating Jesus and obeying his commands. The bible tells us Jesus is the narrow gate and in order to enter we must enter through him. It is God who calls those he chooses to Jesus but we have to enter through Jesus. This means we acknowledge the work he did. We acknowledge he was the ransom sacrifice that freed us from sin and gives us hope. We have to acknowledge that God has sat Jesus down at his right hand on the heavenly throne. The bible tells God draws those who listened to him and has learned that will be called to Jesus. So it is clear we much read God’s word and apply it in our lives in order to enter the narrow gate. We must also do our best to be like Christ once we have been drawn to Jesus by Jehovah God.

(2 Corinthians 5:17, 18) 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,

(Ephesians 4:20-24) ²⁰ But you did not learn the Christ to be like this, ²¹ if, indeed, you heard him and were taught by means of him, just as truth is in Jesus. ²² You were taught to put away the old personality that conforms to your former course of conduct and that is being corrupted according to its deceptive desires. ²³ And you should continue to be made new in your dominant mental attitude, ²⁴ and should put on the new personality that was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty.

(1 John 2:1-6) 2 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. ² And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s. ³ And by this we realize that we have come to know him, namely, if we continue observing his commandments. ⁴ The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet does not observe his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. ⁵ But whoever does observe his word, in this person the love of God has truly been made perfect. By this we know that we are in union with him. ⁶ The one who says he remains in union with him is himself under obligation to go on walking just as that one walked.

(John 6:43-47) . . .. ⁴⁴ No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him, and I will resurrect him on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by Jehovah.’ Everyone who has listened to the Father and has learned comes to me. ⁴⁶ Not that any man has seen the Father, except the one who is from God; this one has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Most truly I say to you, whoever believes has everlasting life.

(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.

We need to discuss the qualities of Christ so we can fully understand what it means to be Christ like. Jesus walked with love. He left it guide all he did. The only jealousy he had was a righteous jealousy when there was wrong doing occurring in God’s temple. Jesus knew he would be handed the throne in the heavenly kingdom but did not let them cause him to get puffed up with pride. Many are aware of Jesus demonstrating the humility we should have by washing the disciples feet which is something a servant would do. Jesus always put the interest of others before his own. There was times he was tired and hungry but seen the need others had so would put their needs before his own. Jesus viewed the people with pity because he knew they were sheep without a Shepard. False teachings were rampant and people were not being treated very kindly by the pharisees. Many had lost their trust in God and did not know where to turn. How sad that is for them to not have any hope. So Jesus told them about God and what he required, he taught them about repentance , and taught them about the mercy of God. He taught them about the power and glory of God. So if we are to be Christ like we need to try and find the other sheep who have no hope and share the truths of God’s word with them , in the way that Jesus taught them. We are in the last days and we were warned false teaching would be rampant and would cause many to have a form of Godly devotion but prove false to it’s power. We have been taught there would even be teachings of demons. Because of this, many would would become disheartened and be sheep without a shepherd. We need to share Gods word with them and make disciples of them just as Jesus had done. If someone had not shared God’s word with us and shared the hope it gives us we would still be sheep without a shepherd.

(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.

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

(Mark 6:34) ³⁴ Well, on getting out, he saw a large crowd, and he was moved with pity for them, because they were as sheep without a shepherd. And he started to teach them many things.

Jesus always put God’s will first and not his own will. In order to learn what God’s will is we need to read his word and meditate on it daily and apply it in our lives and let it guide all we do. Jesus could perfectly imitate God because he told us he did what he had seen the father do when he was in heaven alongside God. Since Jesus was the very first creation of God he would have the most knowledge of God because he had been by God’s side longer then any other creation. He was along side God during the creation of the earth. This is why the bible states in Genesis “let us make man in our image”. So by learning about Jesus and doing our best to imitate him we can better understand what the will of God is. In proverbs 8:30 it refers to Jesus as God’s master worker. So no one would know God’s will better then Jesus.

(John 6:37-40) ³⁷ All those whom the Father gives me will come to me, and I will never drive away the one who comes to me; ³⁸ for I have come down from heaven to do, not my own will, but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose none out of all those whom he has given me, but that I should resurrect them on the last day. 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.”

(Colossians 1:13-18) ¹³ He rescued us from the authority of the darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ by means of whom we have our release by ransom, the forgiveness of our sins. ¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; ¹⁶ because by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and on the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All other things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ Also, he is before all other things, and by means of him all other things were made to exist, ¹⁸ and he is the head of the body, the congregation. . . .

(John 12:47-50) . . .. ⁴⁸ Whoever disregards me and does not receive my sayings has one to judge him. The word that I have spoken is what will judge him on the last day. ⁴⁹ For I have not spoken of my own initiative, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that his commandment means everlasting life. So whatever I speak, I speak just as the Father has told me.”

(John 17:3-5) ³ This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. ⁴ I have glorified you on the earth, having finished the work you have given me to do. ⁵ So now, Father, glorify me at your side with the glory that I had alongside you before the world was.

(Genesis 1:26) ²⁶ Then God said: “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and the domestic animals and all the earth and every creeping animal that is moving on the earth.”

Those desiring to live in union with Christ will be persecuted. We have to keep in mind the persecution is not always obvious. Satan often times persecuted people by taking things away from them , even their health. Jesus did not attack people back or get angry when persecuted. When people lied about him he did not strike back at them. When he was suffering he did not threaten them. He entrusted himself to God. The bible says the student is no better then the teacher so what they did to him they will also do to his students. Anyone can love those who love them but Jesus even loved those who chose to be his enemies and he prayed for them.

(John 15:20) 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.

(1 Peter 2:22, 23) 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.

(Matthew 5:10) ¹⁰ “Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, since the Kingdom of the heavens belongs to them.

(Matthew 5:43-46) ⁴³ “You heard that it was said: ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ However, I say to you: Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may prove yourselves sons of your Father who is in the heavens, since he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good and makes it rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those loving you, what reward do you have? Are not also the tax collectors doing the same thing?

Jesus was merciful and forgiving. He knew he would be seated on the throne and be given the work of Judging the world. But he also knew it was not yet time for that judging to occur so he did not judge others when he was on earth. We are told in the bible do not judge or we will be judged likewise. We are to forgive others in order to be forgiven. Jesus stated we are to forgive our enemies and continue to be kind to them. By imitating Jesus we could draw some who where our enemies to God by the example of kindness, humility and forgiveness we set.

(Luke 6:37) ³⁷ “Moreover, stop judging, and you will by no means be judged; and stop condemning, and you will by no means be condemned. Keep on forgiving, and you will be forgiven.

(John 8:14-16) . . .. ¹⁵ You judge according to the flesh; I do not judge any man at all. ¹⁶ And yet even if I do judge, my judgment is truthful, because I am not alone, but the Father who sent me is with me.

(2 Corinthians 5:9, 10) ⁹ So whether at home with him or absent from him, we make it our aim to be acceptable to him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of the Christ, so that each one may be repaid according to the things he has practiced while in the body, whether good or bad.

(Luke 6:27-31) ²⁷ “But I say to you who are listening: Continue to love your enemies, to do good to those hating you, ²⁸ to bless those cursing you, to pray for those who are insulting you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your outer garment, do not withhold the inner garment either. ³⁰ Give to everyone asking you, and from the one taking your things away, do not ask them back. ³¹ “Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them.

Jesus would make people aware of their error so they would know they were sinning and repent. Sin is rampant now, as stated earlier there are many false teachings. If we do not try to make others aware of their sin then God could hold it against us. There is joy in heaven when a sinner repents. If we can get someone to repent isn’t it a good feeling knowing we made God happy? The bible also tells us if we get a sinner to turn back from their error it covers a multitude of sins. God actually requires us to warn others when they are sinning and holds us accountable if we do not. I know it is very difficult to warn others and make them aware of their sin but it would be sadder to see their sin cost them their lives.

(Matthew 18:15-17) ¹⁵ “Moreover, if your brother commits a sin, go and reveal his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two more, so that on the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. ¹⁷ If he does not listen to them, speak to the congregation. If he does not listen even to the congregation, let him be to you just as a man of the nations and as a tax collector.

(Luke 15:7) ⁷ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous ones who have no need of repentance.

(James 5:19, 20) My brothers, if anyone among you is led astray from the truth and another turns him back, ²⁰ know that whoever turns a sinner back from the error of his way will save him from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

(Ezekiel 3:17-21) . . .. ¹⁸ When I say to someone wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him, and you fail to speak in order to warn the wicked one to turn from his wicked course so that he may stay alive, he will die for his error because he is wicked, but I will ask his blood back from you. ¹⁹ But if you warn someone wicked and he does not turn back from his wickedness and from his wicked course, he will die for his error, but you will certainly save your own life. ²⁰ But when someone righteous abandons his righteousness and does what is wrong, I will put a stumbling block before him and he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die for his sin and his righteous acts will not be remembered, but I will ask his blood back from you. ²¹ But if you have warned the righteous one not to sin, and he does not sin, he will surely keep alive because he was warned, and you will have saved your own life.”

Jesus did not put on a showy display as others did. He told us to practice our righteousness in private. When Jesus prayed he did not put on a show or use many words. He prayed in private and his prayer came from the heart. Often times people have prayers they memorize. This is not how we are supposed to pray. Our prayers are to be personal and from the heart. Jesus did not use many words but he told us to persist in prayer. In doing so we show God how much we desire what we are asking for especially if we are trying to overcome a short coming. We must work towards our prayers by doing so we demonstrate our faith and demonstrate our sincerity.

(Matthew 6:1-4) 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.

(Luke 11:8-13) . . .. ⁹ So I say to you, keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking, it will be opened. ¹¹ Indeed, which father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will 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!”

(Matthew 6:5-8) 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.

Jesus did not add extra burdens to people as the pharisees did. The pharisee had traditions that added more work to those who worshiped God. They were commands of men not commands of God. They had traditional celebrations that added more burdens. Often times these extra burdens the pharisees added to people they were not willing to do themselves. Jesus spoke to many about God’s word and he clarified many things in the bible but he was very selective about who he chose to keep close to him. They had their short comings and he had to correct them, but they accepted his correction and continued to grow spiritually. He once had to harshly correct Peter by stating “get behind me Satan”, We know Peter adjusted his behavior because he was eventually given the keys to the kingdom. With those keys Peter opened the way for the people of the nations to become part of the Spiritual nation of Israel. The key is the key of knowledge.

(Luke 11:45, 46) ⁴⁵ In reply one of those versed in the Law said to him: “Teacher, in saying these things, you insult us also.” ⁴⁶ Then he said: “Woe also to you who are versed in the Law, because you load men down with loads hard to carry, but you yourselves do not touch the loads with one of your fingers!

(Matthew 11:28-30) . . .. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart, and you will find refreshment for yourselves. ³⁰ For my yoke is kindly, and my load is light.”

(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.”

(Matthew 16:21-23) . . .. ²² At this Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying: “Be kind to yourself, Lord; you will not have this happen to you at all.” ²³ But turning his back, he said to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you think, not God’s thoughts, but those of men.”

(Matthew 16:19) ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you may bind on earth will already be bound in the heavens, and whatever you may loosen on earth will already be loosened in the heavens.”

(Acts 10:44-48) ⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking about these matters, the holy spirit came upon all those hearing the word. ⁴⁵ And the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the free gift of the holy spirit was being poured out also on people of the nations. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in foreign languages and magnifying God. Then Peter responded: ⁴⁷ “Can anyone deny water to prevent these from being baptized who have received the holy spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸ With that he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they requested him to stay for some days.

(Luke 11:52) ⁵² “Woe to you who are versed in the Law, because you took away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not go in, and you hinder those going in!”

Jesus did not focus on the things on earth or fleshly things. As a matter of fact the only clothes he had were the clothes on his back and he had no home to go to. This is why Jesus told us to store up treasure in heaven. All the things in they system will be gone soon but the heavenly kingdom will be forever. By keeping our eyes on the things unseen we stay focused on spiritual matters and do not get overtaken by fleshly things of the world that will be gone soon. Jesus is now seated on the throne waiting for God to give him the command to set matters straight. Jesus was not anxious over what he would eat or drink. He had faith God would provide for him. Many people who do not focus on the things above and focus on the things of the world have been overwhelmed by anxiety and fear. By focusing on the things above it keeps it fresh in our minds that the heavenly kingdom will put and end to all the suffering and violence. This protects our minds and our hearts and we do not get consumed by fear and anxiety.

(Matthew 6:19-22) ¹⁹ “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² “The lamp of the body is the eye. If, then, your eye is focused, your whole body will be bright.

(Matthew 8:20) ²⁰ But Jesus said to him: “Foxes have dens and birds of heaven have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay down his head.”

(Matthew 6:25-32) ²⁵ “On this account I say to you: Stop being anxious about your lives as to what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your bodies as to what you will wear. Does not life mean more than food and the body than clothing? ²⁶ Observe intently the birds of heaven; they do not sow seed or reap or gather into storehouses, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are? ²⁷ Who of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span? ²⁸ Also, why are you anxious about clothing? Take a lesson from the lilies of the field, how they grow; they do not toil, nor do they spin; ²⁹ but I tell you that not even Solʹo·mon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. ³⁰ Now if this is how God clothes the vegetation of the field that is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much rather clothe you, you with little faith? ³¹ So never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to wear?’ ³² For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

(Matthew 6:33, 34) ³³ “Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you. ³⁴ So never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles.

Jesus did not offer the bible truths to those who where not deserving this is the scoffers. Who refuse to believe God’s word. The bible warns those who try to correct a ridicular will be dishonored and will get hurt.

(Matthew 7:6) ⁶ “Do not give what is holy to dogs nor throw your pearls before swine, so that they may never trample them under their feet and turn around and rip you open.

(Proverbs 15:12) ¹² The scoffer does not love the one correcting him. He will not consult the wise.

(Proverbs 9:7) The one who corrects a ridiculer invites dishonor, And whoever reproves someone wicked will get hurt.

(John 3:20) For whoever practices vile things hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his works may not be reproved.

Jesus observed and applied all God’s word in his life and instructed others to.

(John 14:23, 24) ²³ In answer Jesus said to him: “If anyone loves me, he will observe my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not observe my words. The word that you are hearing is not mine, but belongs to the Father who sent me.

(John 7:28) ²⁸ Then as he was teaching in the temple, Jesus called out: “You know me and you know where I am from. And I have not come of my own initiative, but the One who sent me is real, and you do not know him.

(John 8:53-58) . . .” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered: “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, the one who you say is your God. ⁵⁵ Yet you have not known him, but I know him. And if I said I do not know him, I would be like you, a liar. But I do know him and am observing his word. ⁵⁶ Abraham your father rejoiced greatly at the prospect of seeing my day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” ⁵⁷ Then the Jews said to him: “You are not yet 50 years old, and still you have seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.”

Jesus taught people about the good news of the heavenly kingdom which offered them hope. Jesus also sent the disciples out to teach the good news of the kingdom of God. The preaching of the good news of the kingdom being preached in all the earth is one of the final prophecies. This shows the importance of us learning what the good news of the kingdom is and teaching others about it. The kingdom will bring many wonderful things about that will give hope to many. By learning about the kingdom we can learn to keep our eyes on the things above like Jesus did.

(Matthew 4:23) Then he went throughout the whole of Galʹi·lee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the Kingdom and curing every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity among the people.

(Luke 8:1) 8 Shortly afterward he traveled from city to city and from village to village, preaching and declaring the good news of the Kingdom of God. And the Twelve were with him,

(Luke 9:2) ² And he sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal. . .

(Daniel 2:44) ⁴⁴ “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it alone will stand forever,

(Matthew 24:10-14) . . .. ¹¹ Many false prophets will arise and mislead many; ¹² and because of the increasing of lawlessness, the love of the greater number will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who has endured to the end will be saved. 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.

How can we heal emotional scars?

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

The bible tells us we must love God with our whole heart, our whole soul and whole mind. In doing so it will protect our hearts and our minds. I am going to discus how to deal with the emotional hurt we experience and how to overcome it and even avoid it. The first thing I will discuss is how to avoid it because if we do not avoid it we are asking to have a lot of emotional scars on our hearts which is a heavy burden to carry. Then I will discuss how we can heal those scars. We need to keep in mind we are imperfect also and others also will be hurt by us. We need to expect to be hurt because all fall short of God. We need to learn to deal with it in a way God would approve. We also need to learn how to avoid being hurt, how to avoid hurting others and how to overcome being hurt. Our refuge should be in God. We need to keep in mind we are temporary residents in this system and this system belongs to those who choose Satan’s side in matters by disobeying God and putting their trust in man, themselves, and the world. This is going to cause us many problems. God should be our refuge not the world. If we turn to the world to heal our hearts and minds we will usually end up with more emotional scars and pain. God cares for us and he does not like when we suffer.

(Mark 12:28-30) ²⁸ One of the scribes who had come up and heard them disputing, knowing that he had answered them in a fine way, asked him: “Which commandment is first of all?” ²⁹ Jesus answered: “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, ³⁰ and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.’

(Psalm 46:1-3) 46 God is our refuge and strength, A help that is readily found in times of distress.  ² That is why we will not fear, though the earth undergoes change, Though the mountains topple into the depths of the sea,  ³ Though its waters roar and foam over, Though the mountains rock on account of its turbulence. (Selah)

(Psalm 34:18, 19) ¹⁸ Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted; He saves those who are crushed in spirit. ר [Resh] ¹⁹ Many are the hardships of the righteous one, But Jehovah rescues him from them all.

God did not tell us we would not suffer. He told us he would give us thoughts of peace. It also told us he would give us a future which gives us hope. That hope can help protect our minds and hearts.

(Jeremiah 29:11, 12) ¹¹ “‘For I well know the thoughts that I am thinking toward you,’ declares Jehovah, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of calamity, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² And you will call me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.’

This system is rapidly winding down. The bible warned the gate is narrow and few would enter. So many would put their trust and faith in the world, man and themselves. Because of this their minds are corrupted. This means we will be dealing with a lot of emotional pain from the many things that come from mans rebellion against God and them putting their will over God’s. We will experience betrayal from lack of loyalty, we will be deceived which causes a lot of hurt and makes it difficult to trust others. If we hold on to the pain it can make us feel empty and disconnected from others. It can also effect us spiritually by crowding out our desire to draw closer to God. It is very important to do our best to avoid the negative effects of being hurt can have on us. We may even bring emotional pain on ourselves if we do not know what God requires and leave his word guide us.

We can limit how much we get hurt by putting God first in our lives and by associating with those who also put God first. We should let God guide all we do and those we associate with should also let God guide all we do. If we associate with those who do not put God first and show the fruits of the spirit or know love we are asking to be hurt. If someone puts money, power, material possessions, popularity, or many other things before God then we can surely expect to be hurt by them. They are not going to do what pleases God first but they will please themselves first. God would never want us to hurt others emotionally or physically. By knowing his will and what he requires we can avoid being hurt as much and avoid hurting others. The bible tells us to store up treasures in heaven. It warns where our our treasure is that is where our hearts will be. If we or those we associate with are not putting God first then we are bound to be let down and disappointed. By putting our trust and hope and happiness in God no one can take those away because we are storing up treasures in heaven. This trains our eye and heart to identify those who may cause us emotional pain or even spiritual harm. This can limit the pain we experience. If we dwell on the past then how can our eye and our heart stay focused on storing up treasures in heaven?

We will suffer because we are all imperfect and fall short of God. When we have been wronged or hurt we need to learn to forgive the person so we do not hold on to the anger, resentment and many other negative emotions that come from it. If they repent and do things to set their error straight we are to accept them back. If they refuse to repent, apologize and try to make things right then it would be foolish to continue to have them as a part of our lives because then we are asking to be hurt. When we have been hurt we should search God’s word on how to deal with it and how to avoid being hurt in such a way in the future. If we desire God to forgive us we must forgive others. If a person is truly repentant they will admit their error to you and God and will pray about it and we also are to pray for them. If they do not admit their error even if they are being nice it shows they have not repented and will most likely commit the same error in the future. If we continue to associate with them and have them as a part of our lives then we will only invite more hurt on ourselves. By forgiving others we are storing up treasures in heaven. Some sins are so severe that they leave scars that effect us the rest of our lives. In such instances it may be best to limit our contact with the person so we can move on but we still need to completely forgive them.

(Matthew 18:15-17) ¹⁵ “Moreover, if your brother commits a sin, go and reveal his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two more, so that on the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. ¹⁷ If he does not listen to them, speak to the congregation. If he does not listen even to the congregation, let him be to you just as a man of the nations and as a tax collector.

(Matthew 6:19-23) ¹⁹ “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² “The lamp of the body is the eye. If, then, your eye is focused, your whole body will be bright. ²³ But if your eye is envious, your whole body will be dark. If the light that is in you is really darkness, how great that darkness is!

(James 5:16) ¹⁶ Therefore, openly confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. A righteous man’s supplication has a powerful effect.

We should never retaliate when we have been wronged. Jesus tells us if someone strikes us offer them the other cheek. He does not mean this literally but he is saying we will be struck emotionally and struck in others ways so we should expect it , especially if the person does not put God first. We need to forgive them from the heart the bible tells us. So we do not only need to forgive them mentally but we need to leave go of the hurt that was caused by their error even if they have not repented. We have to remember we are all accountable to God and even if it seems the person who wronged us escaped untouched they will have to face God on his great day of judgment and will be held accountable and have to pay for the things they have done. It is God who will give vengeance, we are imperfect humans so do not have a right to judge others. God is perfect so his justice is perfect. By forgiving them from the heart we let go of any desires to seek vengeance, and the anger or resentment that may come from being wronged. by putting God first we do not have excess expectations of others especially if they are not putting God first in their lives. By being aware of this fact we can expect to be hurt and can better deal with it in a way God would approve of. If we obsess on others errors and how they wronged us it could even blind us to our own errors and we could get caught up in a cycle of looking at the bad in others and not reflecting in the mirror of God’s word so we can work on perfecting our worship. It will also prevent us from being able to fully love because if our hearts are full of hurt, anger or resentment it does not leave room for love.

(James 1:22-25) ²² However, become doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves with false reasoning. 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.

(Luke 6:27-30) ²⁷ “But I say to you who are listening: Continue to love your enemies, to do good to those hating you, ²⁸ to bless those cursing you, to pray for those who are insulting you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your outer garment, do not withhold the inner garment either. ³⁰ Give to everyone asking you, and from the one taking your things away, do not ask them back.

(Mark 11:24, 25) . . .. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in the heavens may also forgive you your trespasses. . .

(Matthew 18:32-35) . . .. ³³ Should you not also have shown mercy to your fellow slave as I showed mercy to you?’ ³⁴ With that his master, provoked to wrath, handed him over to the jailers until he repaid all that he owed. ³⁵ My heavenly Father will also deal with you in the same way if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart.”

By putting our trust in God and Jesus and realizing we are all imperfect we learn to expect to be hurt sometimes and to let it go because we have the confidence that God and Jesus would never let us down , betray or hurt us. When we have been hurt by someone we care about we are to make them aware of their error. If they repent and apologize then we should forgive them they have proven they are a true friend. If they get angry then they have shown they do not have a desire to repent and will only hurt you more. If the person is a spiritual relative then we should talk to the elders and take at least two witnesses with us. If the person does not repent after we have taken the actions the bible tells us to then we are to view them as a worldly person. They have shown their true heart condition. I know it is hard to leave people go but it is for our own protection , such ones will only hurt you more and cause you more problems. By reflecting in the mirror of God’s word and doing the work God has given us to do the bible says we will be happy in the things we do. So by taking in God’s word and sharing it with others it will bring us happiness. Keep in mind our actions and others actions, if their actions show whether they know love or not. By knowing what God would require concerning love we need to learn what God’s view of love is and make sure those we associate with have a complete understanding of love.

There is a saying “actions speak louder then words” . If we only listen to a person’s words but do not pay attention to such things as do they put God’s first, do they know how to love the way God tells us to love? If we do not make certain of those things we are asking to be hurt because God gives us his word to guide and protect us. If we have been hurt because we did not make certain of these things we should take actions to make sure we know God’s word well enough to protect us from making such errors in the future. We need to hold ourselves accountable also and learn not to be blinded to such things in the future. Many will make excuses for someone when they continually error instead of speaking to them about their error. The bible tells us we are to speak to them about their error. If we do not then we can expect them to continue committing those errors. If they continue to follow the same course of conduct then they are of the world and we are to treat them likewise. We are to be no part of the world which means we should limit our association with them when possible.

(1 John 3:17, 18) . . .? ¹⁸ Little children, we should love, not in word or with the tongue, but in deed and truth.

The earth is rapidly changing , things are going to become much worse. It will be more and more difficult to find family , friends and associations we can trust. By using God’s word to guide us it can help us to deal with the negative emotions that we will experience from the world. By putting God’s word in our hearts it will heal our hearts and our minds. We will endure trying times. The bible tells us in doing so we learn to find comfort in God and we do not seek comfort in ourselves. When we learn to seek comfort in God , we then can teach others how to seek comfort from God. If we turn to our own reasoning or the world for answers to our pain then we could be drawn into sin and suffer as a sinner. If we do that what hope would we have?

(2 Corinthians 1:3-7) ³ Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our trials so that we may be able to comfort others in any sort of trial with the comfort that we receive from God. ⁵ For just as the sufferings for the Christ abound in us, so the comfort we receive through the Christ also abounds. ⁶ Now if we face trials, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are being comforted, it is for your comfort, which acts to help you to endure the same sufferings that we also suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is unwavering, knowing as we do that just as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.

(1 Peter 4:15-17) ¹⁵ However, let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or a wrongdoer or a busybody in other people’s matters. ¹⁶ But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but let him keep on glorifying God while bearing this name. ¹⁷ For it is the appointed time for the judgment to start with the house of God. Now if it starts first with us, what will the outcome be for those who are not obedient to the good news of God?

Some of our pain may be from sin we have committed. As discussed earlier we should confess our sin . Study God’s word to help us overcome it and do our best to set matters straight. Sometimes our sin can cause changes that will permanently alter our life and the lives of others making it impossible to try and correct the problems our sin has caused. If this occurs we need to repent, pray to God that those we have effected will heal and pray for God to help us overcome our sinful nature. Many struggle to get the life back they formerly had when they have sinned. This will not occur. We need to accept our life has changed. If it was someone else sin that has changed our lives , we must except that things have changed for us. By putting our trust and hope in God it will make it easier to deal with the changes and the emotional pain. If it was our error that caused the pain we should not continue in sin we should do our best to correct the actions that brought about the self inflicted pain. If we continue in sin when we know it is wrong the bible tells us there is no forgiveness. The things in this system are temporary. Why would we put our trust in things that will end soon when we have the hope God has given us in the future promises? How empty someone must feel if they have forfeited their future hope just to indulge in sin? The bible says those who are sinful in the least are sinful in the most. This is because one little sin can open the door for many more. The bible tells us those who continue to practice sin are of the Devil. Surely we would not want to choose his side in this spiritual battle, he and those who sided with him will be destroyed. What hope do such ones have? If we are sinning we should confess our sin and repent so we can be shown mercy. We are going to suffer no matter what, because we are in the last days. Why forfeit our hope in the promises God has given us?

(Hebrews 10:26-29) ²⁶ For if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, ²⁷ but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a burning indignation that is going to consume those in opposition. ²⁸ Anyone who has disregarded the Law of Moses dies without compassion on the testimony of two or three. ²⁹ How much greater punishment do you think a person will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God and who has regarded as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness with contempt?

(1 John 3:6-8) . . .. 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.

(Proverbs 28:13) ¹³ The one covering over his transgressions will not succeed, But whoever confesses and abandons them will be shown mercy.

(Luke 16:9-13) . . .. ¹⁰ The person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and the person unrighteous in what is least is unrighteous also in much. ¹¹ Therefore, if you have not proved yourselves faithful in connection with the unrighteous riches, who will entrust you with what is true? ¹² And if you have not proved yourselves faithful in connection with what belongs to another, who will give you something for yourselves? ¹³ No servant can be a slave to two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves to God and to Riches.”

Whether it was our sin or someone else that caused us pain we need to learn to look forward and not look back. If we continue to look back we cannot move forward spiritually or in life. We have to accept our life has changed and dwell on what God would want us to do. By looking forward it will keep fresh in our minds that we are in a spiritual race and Satan and the world is trying to overtake us so we will not receive the prize. By moving forward we can keep focused on the race and the prize that will be received by those who win the race. In order to win the race we need to read God’s word and meditate on it daily. In doing so we have the hope in the salvation God has promised. If we suffered hurt from someone else sin we should not look back at what we may have lost or how we have been hurt. This will prevent us from moving forward. When driving a car if we only looked in the rear view mirror we would surely crash because we cannot see the road ahead of us. Likewise if we continue looking to the past then we cannot see the spiritual road and life ahead of us. People of the world easily tire out when they suffer but those who put their trust and faith in God are renewed daily.

Sometimes if our lives have changed enough it may be necessary to move. When our lives have already been dramatically changed it may be difficult to imagine starting a new life. Often times it is difficult for others to forgive us even if we have repented and it is difficult to prove to them you have repented , which means it would be difficult to regain their trust. If we were sinned against and the person is unrepentant and we are living close to them then we would have the constant reminder of the past and how your life has been changed meaning we could not focus on moving forward. If it was a spouse who sinned against us and the sin was serious enough to result in divorce and we are living in the same house. It could be a constant reminder of how your life has changed and could keep us from moving forward. If we are unable to move maybe we could make some changes in our lives by finding new friends who would build us up spiritually and not draw our short comings out. If we cannot move we could make changes to the house so it will be different helping to reduce the constant reminders of how life used to be. We must do our best to put God first, and to stay focused on the future hope God has given us. If we do not put God first in our lives we cannot heal from the pain we experience in life. Healing from emotional pain means we need to focus on healing spiritually. Without putting God first we will not fully heal from the pain and we risk experiencing more emotional pain and scars. By putting God first and putting our trust and hope in him it helps us to continue to look forward and to leave go of the pain of the past. We have the hope in the future promise and a security in knowing things will be much much better very soon. We need to forgive as God forgives us in order to move on and heal from any emotional scars we have experienced. If it was our own sin that caused the pain and we have repented then we need to forgive ourselves.

(1 Corinthians 9:24-27) ²⁴ Do you not know that the runners in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. ²⁵ Now everyone competing in a contest exercises self-control in all things. Of course, they do it to receive a crown that can perish, but we, one that does not perish. ²⁶ Therefore, the way I am running is not aimlessly; the way I am aiming my blows is so as not to be striking the air; ²⁷ but I pummel my body and lead it as a slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself should not become disapproved somehow.

(Joshua 1:7-9) ⁷ “Only be courageous and very strong, and observe carefully the entire Law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not deviate from it either to the right or to the left, so that you may act wisely wherever you go. ⁸ This book of the Law should not depart from your mouth, and you must read it in an undertone day and night, in order to observe carefully all that is written in it; for then your way will be successful and then you will act wisely. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and strong. Do not be struck with terror or fear, for Jehovah your God is with you wherever you go.”

(Hebrews 2:1-3) 2 That is why it is necessary for us to pay more than the usual attention to the things we have heard, so that we never drift away. ² For if the word spoken through angels proved to be sure, and every transgression and disobedient act received a punishment in harmony with justice, ³ how will we escape if we have neglected so great a salvation? For it began to be spoken through our Lord and was verified for us by those who heard him,

(Isaiah 43:18, 19) ¹⁸ “Do not remember the former things, And do not dwell on the past. ¹⁹ Look! I am doing something new; Even now it is springing up. Do you not recognize it? I will make a way through the wilderness And rivers through the desert.

(Mark 10:28-31) . . .” ²⁹ Jesus said: “Truly I say to you, no one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news ³⁰ who will not get 100 times more now in this period of time—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the coming system of things, everlasting life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

(Isaiah 40:29-31) ²⁹ He gives power to the tired one And full might to those lacking strength. ³⁰ Boys will tire out and grow weary, And young men will stumble and fall, ³¹ But those hoping in Jehovah will regain power. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; They will walk and not tire out.”

(Romans 15:13) ¹³ May the God who gives hope fill you with all joy and peace by your trusting in him, so that you may abound in hope with power of holy spirit.

How to keep our eyes on the prize.

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

The bible tells us to be without blemish and free from accusation. How can we accomplish this? In keeping ourselves without blemish it will help us keep our eye on the prize.

(1 Corinthians 9:24-27) ²⁴ Do you not know that the runners in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. ²⁵ Now everyone competing in a contest exercises self-control in all things. Of course, they do it to receive a crown that can perish, but we, one that does not perish. ²⁶ Therefore, the way I am running is not aimlessly; the way I am aiming my blows is so as not to be striking the air; ²⁷ but I pummel my body and lead it as a slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself should not become disapproved somehow.

To be free from accusation we must continue in our faith which means we must continue to leave God’s world guide all we do. In order to continue to be cleansed by the blood of Christ we have to continue to grow spiritually and take in God’s word. We have to do all we can to make sure we have a clean conscience. The bible tells us to keep ourselves chaste. Chaste means undefiled or untouched. If we are accused and we are blameless our works will show our fruits and show the truth of matters. So if we remain blameless we will not end up suffering the results of our works. By remaining blameless we maintain the future hope in the promise of the gift of living forever. All the things in this system will be gone soon . Our lives in this system are very fleeting compared to what it will be like if we have hope in the future promises. The bible warns there is no forgiveness for those who willfully sin once they are aware of their sinful nature. We cannot expect to change over night it sometimes takes time to change but it is our willingness to work towards correcting our sinful nature once we have become aware of it that God takes note of. If we believe we do not sin the bible warns we are only deceiving ourselves. So growing spiritually means we continue to take in God’s word and to grow and overcome our sins as the mirror of God’s word makes us aware of our short comings.

The bible warns that things that are lawful are not always beneficial, this would include God’s laws. We are to remain blameless and free from accusations. If we are married and we constantly hang with members of the opposite sex and do things with them. It may be biblical lawful but it puts us in a position to commit an act of adultery. It can smear our reputation which would make our spouse seem foolish. Also how would the spouse feel if you would rather spend your time with someone else instead of them? We are told bad associations spoil useful habits. It may seem harmless but those who lack faith or do things they should not do can get us to start false reasoning and justify what they do and then we ourselves may get drawn in and fall short of God and start false reasoning.

If we realize we are sinning we need to confess our sins and do our best to set matters straight. Because if we do not then we are unrepentant and there is no forgiveness for our sins. You must confess the error to those harmed by it and to God. You should do your best to take corrective actions. Sometimes when the damage is too severe when we have fallen short it will take time for people to see if you are truly repentant and can be trusted. Some error we commit against others can leave scars emotionally that do not fully heal. Things would never be the same. If this occurs it is a consequence of our sinful nature and we must do our best to deal with it in a way that would please God so we do not forfeit the prize. Often times we do not realize we have sinned against someone until we have reflected in God’s word and it has opened our eyes to a short coming. If this occurs we cannot go back and ask forgiveness from every person we sinned against we should ask God to forgive us and do our best to overcome the short coming.

Even though something is permissible if it starts to control and overtake our life then it becomes a sin. The bible considers this a form of idolatry. Whether it is a person, object, money or even power if we start letting the desire for them overtake us then we are committing idolatry. Not only that but we start coveting things and the bible warns coveting is a sin.

The bible warns friendship with the world makes us an enemy of God. If we put more trust in ourselves and mans word then we do God’s then we are rebelling just as Adam and Eve did and we are making ourselves friends with the world. The bible warns bad associations spoil useful habits. They may seem very kind and may seem trust worthy but if they are deliberately sinning against God and have no desire to learn his word then it tells us something about them. They put their trust in man and themselves and associating with them can get us to use their reasoning instead of leaving God’s word guide us. It can draw us away and by the time we realize it often times the damage is done and it can dramatically change our lives. For example I know a man who went 20 years without drinkingl, he had been an alcoholic. He started associating with ones who drank alcohol. It drew him back into drinking. He got intoxicated and wrecked and his son was in the vehicle with him and had gotten killed in the accident.

Overconfidence in our spirituality can cause us to fall short. If we are aware of short comings we may have. We need to make sure we do not put ourselves in a situation to sin. I have seen many people drawn away from God and their lives were changed negatively forever because they got over confident and lost the awareness of their sinful nature. I watched them try to pursue happiness but never seen them succeed because they did not repent and try to set matters straight so they continued to decline and become even more sinful which destroyed their lives even more. Their quality of friends declined because as they became less trustworthy they lost the friends who would have truly stood by their side. Surely we would not want this to happen.

Jesus sermon on the mount tells us how to be happy I can say I have experienced many trials and they knock me down for a while but I get back up and continue forward spiritually and it has become very difficult to completely take happiness from me. I remain happy because I have the hope in the future promises and I know the things in this system are temporary and all suffering and sadness will be gone soon. Would it be worth giving up an eternity of happiness for what appears to be a source of happiness be seeking our happiness in the world? Jesus warned once we have repented if we turn back to our sinful nature not only will the demon that left come back but they will bring many more with them. Meaning our sinful nature will become very bad. Though sin may seem as if it would get rid of our loneliness or be exciting, would it be worth destroying our lives and others in such a way? If we have children do we want them to follow the example we have set? The bible warns of the consequences of stumbling even one child. Children learn by the examples we set. Our faith and obedience to God sets the example for them. If we fall short children will take note and most likely accept it as behavior that is ok to do. If we have bad associations we are telling children it is ok to have bad associations. What are we telling God , the bible clearly warns we should not have bad associations. This can lead the children to become corrupted, God would hold that against us. Would we want children to learn to forfeit the hope in the future promises and to lack faith? By having bad associations we are showing God we approve of such behavior, this includes associating with those who scoff at the bible.

We are to remain without blemish from the world we do this by being no part of the world. We cannot take ourselves entirely out of the world because we are to teach others about God’s word. Also we have obligations that cause us to be dependent on the world for certain things but we should not befriend those of the world they will draw us away from God and can cause us to full short then we would not remain unblemished or without spot from the world.

If we become a part of the world then we will start being molded by the world. The whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. Is this who we would want shaping our thoughts. If we have children would we want Satan and those who chose his side as Adam and Eve did and put their faith in man or ourselves? The bible warns if we love the world or the things in the world then the love of the father is not in us. If we do not know Godly love then we will never know what real love is , to be able to give it. In return we will not know when we have been truly loved so will end up in emotionally empty relationships. We cannot experienced the oneness of mind that Jesus and God experience if we love the world more then we love God. Since God is love then we could never truly know love we would only know love as the world does. They lack devotion, commitment, loyalty, humility, and often times they only look out for their own self interest. This is why many marriages end in divorce now days.

The bible teaches us to view others as being superior to ourselves. Not only that but the bible tells us not to look out for our own self interest. Jesus set the perfect example of humility and willingness to serve others when he washed the disciples feet. He knew he had already earned the right to sit on the heavenly thrown and would be seated by God on the throne with full authority over everything but God himself and he still washed the disciples feet something that servants would have done. One of the ways of the world is to yell and scream at others and say hurtful things. They will attack them and pick them apart. This is not an act of humility and it shows they view themselves as being superior to the person they are attacking. They feel no remorse when this occurs. The bible warns not to even associate with such ones. It makes sense because they are showing their lack of humility. I often times wonder if they would talk like that to Jesus. The bible tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak. Rage and anger does not work God’s will towards others. There is righteous anger but it should be dealt with appropriately not with anger, back biting and personal attacks on someone. The bible warns those full of strife , God has handed them over to a disapproved state. Surely we would not want to be in a state of disapproval in God’s eyes? Being no part of the world means we do things as God and Jesus would want us to do and not as man would do. Just because things are lawful to do does not mean they are approved by God to do.

To remain no part of the world we need to be aware of our short coming and not put ourselves in a position to fall short. For example if we have a tendency to hang with bad associations we should work on correcting that behavior, if we have a tendency to drink excess alcohol we should avoid situations that can make us fall short. It may offend some people but we have to make sacrifices if we want to place first God rather then men. Man cannot give us hope in the future promises. None of God’s past promises have gone unfulfilled they all were fulfilled so we can be certain the future promises will be kept by God. We are going to suffer no matter what as we deal with imperfect humans , and our own imperfections. Why add more suffering to that by falling short of God? As this system winds down the friends we choose can determine if we survive or not. Now more then ever it is very important to choose our friends wisely and to walk with the wise. That means walking with the spiritually wise who have shown they produce fruits of the spirit and fruits of the lips. Though we are no longer required to provide animal sacrifices because Jesus ransom sacrifice has done away with that we are still required to make sacrifices of praise by letting people know about God’s love, mercy, kindness and many other amazing qualities he has. If we do not see others producing fruit we may want to be careful they may be lacking in faith. If they are newly learning then we need to be patient with them they may make many errors as they learn and apply God’s word.

So we need to do our best to remain without blemish from the world which will help us keep our eye on the prize and help us find true happiness no matter what we endure. So many say they feel empty. If they would learn to fully trust God and Put his will instead of their own or mans first they could feel the completeness that one who has complete faith in God has. Some appear to have faith in God but have not completely gave themselves over to listening to his word and guiding all they do so their thirst is never quenched. This results in them being unhappy, and depressed. They also are like a wave on the ocean. Whichever way the wind blows the wave goes. Those who have not fully trusted to leave God’s word guide them will be indecisive and often times confused about what they should do in life. Those who fully leave God’s word God them have a certain confidence because they know when to let their yes mean yes and no mean know. Mans ideas and beliefs are always changing but God’s word does not change and God does not change so we know what we ought to do and have no doubts about what is right or wrong. Putting our trust in the wisdom of man such as certain professionals over God’s word will lead us to make bad decisions and be indecisive. By letting God’s word guide all we do it makes our paths straight. The bible tells us to make our yes mean yes and our no mean no. Anything else is from the wicked one. So if we are indecisive it may indicate we need to study and apply God’s word more in our lives. (Matthew 5:36, 37) . . .. ³⁷ Just let your word ‘Yes’ mean yes, your ‘No,’ no, for what goes beyond these is from the wicked one.)

(Colossians 1:21-23) ²¹ Indeed, you who were once alienated and enemies because your minds were on the works that were wicked, ²² he has now reconciled by means of that one’s fleshly body through his death, in order to present you holy and unblemished and open to no accusation before him— ²³ provided, of course, that you continue in the faith, established on the foundation and steadfast, not being shifted away from the hope of that good news that you heard and that was preached in all creation under heaven. Of this good news I, Paul, became a minister.

(Hebrews 9:14) how much more will the blood of the Christ, who through an everlasting spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we may render sacred service to the living God?

(Hebrews 10:22) let us approach with sincere hearts and complete faith, having had our hearts sprinkled clean from a wicked conscience and our bodies bathed with clean water.

(1 Timothy 5:22) ²² Never lay your hands hastily on any man; neither become a sharer in the sins of others; keep yourself chaste.

(1 Peter 2:12) ¹² Maintain your conduct fine among the nations, so that when they accuse you of being wrongdoers, they may be eyewitnesses of your fine works and, as a result, glorify God in the day of his inspection.

(2 Peter 3:11-13) ¹¹ Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, consider what sort of people you ought to be in holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion, ¹² as you await and keep close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah, through which the heavens will be destroyed in flames and the elements will melt in the intense heat! ¹³ But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.

(1 John 1:8-10) ⁸ If we make the statement, “We have no sin,” we are misleading ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we make the statement, “We have not sinned,” we are making him a liar, and his word is not in us.

(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.

(Hebrews 10:26-31) ²⁶ For if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, ²⁷ but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a burning indignation that is going to consume those in opposition. ²⁸ Anyone who has disregarded the Law of Moses dies without compassion on the testimony of two or three. ²⁹ How much greater punishment do you think a person will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God and who has regarded as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness with contempt? ³⁰ For we know the One who said: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again: “Jehovah will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

(1 Corinthians 6:12) ¹² All things are lawful for me, but not all things are advantageous. All things are lawful for me, but I will not let myself be controlled by anything.

(Romans 7:7) ⁷ What, then, are we to say? Is the Law sin? Certainly not! Really, I would not have come to know sin had it not been for the Law. For example, I would not have known covetousness if the Law had not said: “You must not covet.

(Colossians 3:5) ⁵ Deaden, therefore, your body members that are on the earth as respects sexual immorality, uncleanness, uncontrolled sexual passion, hurtful desire, and greediness, which is idolatry.

(James 4:2-5) ² You desire, and yet you do not have. You go on murdering and coveting, and yet you are not able to obtain. You go on fighting and waging war. You do not have because of your not asking. ³ When you do ask, you do not receive because you are asking for a wrong purpose, so that you may spend it on your fleshly desires. ⁴ Adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is making himself an enemy of God. ⁵ . . .

(James 4:2-5) ² You desire, and yet you do not have. You go on murdering and coveting, and yet you are not able to obtain. You go on fighting and waging war. You do not have because of your not asking. ³ When you do ask, you do not receive because you are asking for a wrong purpose, so that you may spend it on your fleshly desires. ⁴ Adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is making himself an enemy of God. ⁵ . . .

(Romans 13:8-10) . . .. ⁹ For the law code, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder, you must not steal, you must not covet,” and whatever other commandment there is, is summed up in this saying: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does not work evil to one’s neighbor; therefore, love is the law’s fulfillment.

(James 1:14, 15) ¹⁴ But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death.

(Matthew 12:43-45) ⁴³ “When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through waterless places in search of a resting-place and finds none. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will go back to my house from which I moved,’ and on arriving, it finds the house unoccupied but swept clean and adorned. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and takes along with it seven different spirits more wicked than itself, and after getting inside, they dwell there; and the final circumstances of that man become worse than the first. That is how it will be also with this wicked generation.”

(Matthew 18:5, 6) . . .. ⁶ But whoever stumbles one of these little ones who have faith in me, it would be better for him to have hung around his neck a millstone that is turned by a donkey and to be sunk in the open sea.

(Romans 12:1, 2) . . .. ² And stop being molded by this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, so that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

(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 17:20-23) ²⁰ “I make request, not concerning these only, but also concerning those putting faith in me through their word, ²¹ so that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in union with me and I am in union with you, that they also may be in union with us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you have given me, in order that they may be one just as we are one. ²³ I in union with them and you in union with me, in order that they may be perfected into one, so that the world may know that you sent me and that you loved them just as you loved me.

(Philippians 2:3, 4) 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.

(John 13:2-11) . . .. 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.”

(1 Corinthians 15:26-28) 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.

(Proverbs 16:32) ³² The one slow to anger is better than a mighty man, And the one controlling his temper than one conquering a city.

(Proverbs 22:24, 25) ²⁴ Do not keep company with a hot-tempered man Or get involved with one disposed to rage, ²⁵ So that you never learn his ways And ensnare yourself.

(Proverbs 14:17) ¹⁷ The one who is quick to anger acts foolishly, But the man who thinks things out is hated.

(Romans 1:28-30) ²⁸ Just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a disapproved mental state, to do the things not fitting. ²⁹ And they were filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and badness, being full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice, being whisperers, ³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, schemers of what is harmful, disobedient to parents,

(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.

(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.

(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.

(John 4:13-15) . . .. 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.” ¹⁵ The woman said to him: “Sir, give me this water, so that I may neither thirst nor keep coming over to this place to draw water.”

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.

Recognizing denial.

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

Denial can cause hatred, anger, resentment and other negative emotions that will prevent us from being able to love others, God and Jesus in the way the bible would require us to. If we feel those emotions to someone and we are not asking why and addressing it then it can cause us to be stuck in a sickle of negative thinking towards others. The denial occurs when we do not want to accept the facts, information or things occurring for what they are. Or we have our own perception of what will make us happy. Where the narcissism comes in is when we ignore things, or do things to try to shape reality to what we perceive it to be instead of accepting it for what it is. We may even try to change other peoples reality to suit our needs. So denial could occur for selfish reasons also. The bible tells us we are to serve others and to view others as superior to ourselves. If we do these negative things then we will only be going through the motion in obeying the scriptures , while we are in denial our minds will be in conflict with our hearts. This causes us to have a variety of negative emotions including depression. If we experience denial and we do not address it this is when it reaches the point of narcissism and we will start to try to control people emotions for gratification and for approval, we will start to try to manipulate things to make reality suit our needs. The bible teaches us the reality of things and who to accept them , and to accept changes which may not be pleasing at first. A person in denial will go out of their way to prove they are correct and others are wrong. They will justify in their minds their actions. If we find ourselves doing this then we may want to things about why we are having such a strong reaction. When a person is telling the truth or correct they will tell the person the truth and if they do not accept it then they have the peace of knowing they told them the truth and the rest is up to them. We should not assume they are doing these things intentionally it is a protective mechanism they are trying to protect how they perceive reality or they do not want to change the perception of themselves. It takes self reflection and time for a person to realize they have certain short comings they need to work on.

(Acts 20:35) 35 I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way, you must assist those who are weak and must keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, when he himself said: ‘There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.’”

(Philippians 2:3, 4) 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.

(John 13:1-11) 13 Now because he knew before the festival of the Passover that his hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father, Jesus, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was going on, and the Devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Is·carʹi·ot, the son of Simon, to betray him. 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 . . .

Denial is dangerous because it is a form of self deception. Denial is one of the major causes of narcissistic behavior which we all are guilty of at one time or another. So we do not want to be in a constant state of denial. When in denial we will push away certain facts as unimportant, we will try to justify things, even dismiss things entirely, we may even convince our selves that the negativity of the of matters is not as severe as they are, in other words we will thing the opposite of what is actually true. When in denial about something we become open to manipulation because when in denial we tend to not see the whole picture and those who see this know it is a vulnerability and will try to take advantage of it by doing or being what they realize you would want them to be. Those who are in denial try to reconstruct reality to what they believe it should be. This is why it is very important to let the bible guide us. It prevents us from being vulnerable and even harming ourselves or others. Denial also prevents us from growing as a person. Often times we may be in denial concerning someone we care about. We may see a short coming but are afraid to confront them about it. A true friend would not want to see someone go down this road. If they are a friends they will listen. If they do not then it may indicate they do not want to change and we should be cautious associating with them. Denial requires someone to falsely reason with themselves. If someone points out an error we have made whether correct or not we should let love guide how we respond. (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.) . Before responding to something that may make us feel anger, frustration, confusion, or other negative emotions we should look into God’s word. It can helps us discern our thoughts or the thoughts of others and help guide us. (Hebrews 4:11-13 ¹² For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints from the marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And there is not a creation that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we must give an account.) , (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 ¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.)

Denial can eventually lead to narcissistic behavior if we do not deal with it. A person who is in denial will try to shame or guilt the person who has caused them to face their denial, they will even provoke someone and point out another person’s short comings to try and divert attention so they do not have to face their denial, they will misinterpret events or even deny they happened. If they cannot get results then they will try to get you to question your sanity. Those in denial will play like you have victimized them. These are not the types of behavior God would want us to participate in. If we find ourselves showing symptoms of denial we should take time to think about it and ask ourselves why we are reacting in such a way. Whether right or wrong we should not be quick to take offense at something. If we do we may say or do things we should not do. (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.) , (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.) , (James 1:19-21 ¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: Everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, ²⁰ for man’s anger does not bring about God’s righteousness. ²¹ Therefore, put away all filthiness and every trace of badness, and accept with mildness the implanting of the word that is able to save you.)

Symptoms of denial, a person will become very defensive and even attack the person causing the mental anxiety, fear , or other negative emotion. When in denial you will avoid talking about something, you may justify your actions or thoughts by using other peoples behavior as evidence it is not you who have the problem, if it is a short coming you have or a bad habit you may make excuses to justify the things you do, you may become defensive and even deny a problem exist. If you do not want to accept what the reality is you may try to shame or guilt the person who caused you to go into a state of denial and even attack their short comings. Often times people in denial will blame others for their problems. When in denial you will ignore any advice or counsel from others. If a person does not want to overcome the short coming they will do little things to make it appear they are trying to overcome their denial , it is a form of deception of oneself or others. If a person does not want to overcome the denial they will develop the attitude it is my life or it is none of your business. From a biblical stand point denial is dangerous and can harm ourselves and others. Being in a state of denial about something prevents us from moving forward with our lives, prevents us from developing as a person and prevents us from learning from mistakes. After I discuss denial the symptoms and effects on our lives and others lives I will discuss how the bible would advise to overcome denial. Psychologist claim that people who do these things cannot change. This is not true there are many examples in the bible of people who have changed their life dramatically. If a friend studies their bible and you see them applying it in their lives then they can change. If we have this problem then we can seek God’s word and apply it in our lives and it can help us change. It is difficult to face our short comings or error. It requires some major changes. If a friend is facing short comings or errors we need to be patient with them being mindful if they are making spiritual progress concerning the matter. The bible tells us we need the humility to admit we are imperfect in order to overcome our errors and short comings.

(1 John 1:8-2:3 ⁸ If we make the statement, “We have no sin,” we are misleading ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we make the statement, “We have not sinned,” we are making him a liar, and his word is not in us. 2 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. ² And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s. ³ And by this we realize that we have come to know him, namely, if we continue observing his commandments. ) ,

(Galatians 5:22-26 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. ²⁵ If we are living by spirit, let us also go on walking orderly by spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.)

Denial is something we are all guilty of at one time or another. Whether it is denying we are wrong, denying someone is not what we thought, denying things are worse then they are, many of us “sugar coat things” . Our minds were not built to handle the things we are having to deal with including our own imperfections. The many things we are dealing with now days since we are in the final minutes of this system can be overwhelming. Denial can hurt ourselves or others, especially when we are in denial about our own short comings. So how can we recognize when we are in denial? What can we do about it? Denial is a way of coping with emotional conflict, painful thoughts, information that may change our perception of reality, things that may change our perception of ourselves, if too many bad things happen we can go into denial of how bad a situation really is in an attempt to prevent anxiety. Some believe short term denial is healthy. Denial only delays the inevitable and can harm ourselves or others because if we base decisions on what we believe while in denial we can make decisions that negatively effect ourselves or others. Sometimes pride can cause us to be in denial. Satan has ruined many lives by using a person pride and getting them to trust themselves and not look at the reality of things.

(Proverbs 22:3 ³ The shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself, But the inexperienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences.) ,

(Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 ¹⁶ Do not be overly righteous, nor show yourself excessively wise. Why should you bring ruin to yourself? ¹⁷ Do not be excessively wicked, nor be foolish. Why should you die before your time? ¹⁸ It is best to grasp one warning without letting go of the other; for the one who fears God will heed them both.) ,

(Proverbs 16:18, 19 ¹⁸ Pride is before a crash, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. ¹⁹ Better to be humble among the meek Than to share the spoil of the haughty.)

An example of where denial harmed myself is when I first started showing symptoms of Lyme. I would have sudden episodes of weakness and confusion. Often times I would experience symptoms that seemed like food poisoning. I would go to the doctors and they would tell me nothing was wrong and try to give me psych medications. I would not take them but they had me doubting my sanity. About 15 years went by. The whole time I believed the medical professionals had my best interest at heart and would not lie to me or deceive me. Then they gave me the Dtap vaccine. The vaccine and Lyme pushed my body to it’s limits, it resulted in me being bedridden for two years. Many of us are raised to believe things that are not true and we are even taught anyone who does not believe them are trouble makers or crazy. So we may experience denial often when things challenge our perception of reality. My denial almost cost me my life more then once. Denial can also be used when we have made a mistake and do not want to admit our error or if we have sinned. We may tend to downplay the events and even false reason with ourselves to justify our actions. Whether it be denial in secular life or denial in spiritual matters it can leave a foot hold for Satan. If we are dealing with someone who is in denial and refuses to confront it we may want to be cautious they may have a hardened heart. If we are showing symptoms of denial and we are not trying to correct it then it could bring a lot of misery and hurt on ourselves or others. When Jesus warned Peter that he was not ready for the things he said he was, Peter did not believe him. Jesus said Peter would deny knowing him. Peter did not believe Jesus and as a result he did not prepare. This resulted in Peter denying Jesus. Denial can effect our faith in God and mislead us. By admitting we have a short coming or weakness we can confront it and overcome it. We know Peter eventually overcome his short comings because he went on to do many acts of faith and to serve God with his whole heart and whole soul .

(Luke 22:32-34 . . .” ³³ Then he said to him: “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” ³⁴ But he said: “I tell you, Peter, a rooster will not crow today until you have denied knowing me three times.”) ,

(1 Peter 3:16-18 ¹⁶ Maintain a good conscience, so that in whatever way you are spoken against, those who speak against you may be put to shame because of your good conduct as followers of Christ. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer because you are doing good, if it is God’s will to allow it, than because you are doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ died once for all time for sins, a righteous person for unrighteous ones, in order to lead you to God. . . .

When in denial often times you may get confused or angry. You may even attack the person who has caused you to become overwhelmed or confused. It is best if you do not react immediately but to take the time to analyze things and think about what has occurred. Sometimes you will need to talk about the events that caused your denial with someone else, also seeking the help of the bible will help prevent us turning to a state of denial because God’s word helps to protect our minds. We are all imperfect, if we were not God would not of had to write his word in order to guide and teach us how to avoid errors and how to deal with them once we commit them. If you feel stuck in thought often times this can indicate denial or cognitive dissonance. This is where often times the bible can help clear things up. Another symptom of denial is a person will become very defensive and even attack the person causing the mental anxiety, fear , or other negative emotion. God’s word can help to protect our minds and hearts and prevent us from being in denial and prevent us from being harmed by someone else who may be in denial. What man thinks is right and what man things is wrong is far from what God thinks. Many behaviors excepted now days the bible warns we should not do. By letting God’s word guide us we could prevent being deceived into false reasoning with ourselves. In doing so it protects our powers of reasoning.

(Philippians 4:4-8 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. ⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well-spoken-of, whatever things are virtuous, and whatever things are praiseworthy, continue considering these things.) ,

(Romans 12:1Therefore, I appeal to you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. ² And stop being molded by this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, so that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.)

As I mentioned earlier there are many things that can cause us to be in denial, something being revealed that could change our perception of ourselves or the reality of things, something we have been taught that is not true which could change how we perceive our past, we could be in denial because we realize the things we need to do may be life changing and are not ready for the changes. We could be in denial because often times people do not want to recognize they have short comings or have made a mistake. Some are in denial because they do not want to think about the reality of things. When in denial it prevents us from moving forward and from learning. It can also cause us to be angry , disgusted or even hate the thing or person who has caused the denial. So denial is a very potent weapons Satan could use against us to keep us from moving forward and keep us from learning. No matter what the cause we need to learn to accept change and mentally and spiritually prepare for it. When accepting change and adjusting to it we should not lean on our own understanding. If disciplined by an elder, a friend or even God if we accept the discipline and work to correct things it can helps us to draw closer to God. Denial will cause the heart to be somewhat hardened and we will have a difficult time drawing close to anyone let alone God. Denial can even have a negative impact on our health because by not facing our denial it causes a lot of negative emotions, and can cause us to be in stressful situations because we will not be aware of the impact of our actions on ourselves or others.

(Jeremiah 18:11, 12 ¹¹ “Now say, please, to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, ‘This is what Jehovah says: “Here I am preparing a calamity and devising a scheme against you. Turn back, please, from your bad ways, and reform your ways and your practices.”’” ¹² But they said: “It is hopeless! For we will walk after our own thoughts, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his wicked heart.” ) ,

(Proverbs 3:5-8 ⁵ Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, And do not rely on your own understanding.  ⁶ In all your ways take notice of him, And he will make your paths straight.  ⁷ Do not become wise in your own eyes. Fear Jehovah and turn away from bad.  ⁸ It will be a healing to your body And refreshment for your bones. ),

(Hebrews 12:7-11 ⁷ You need to endure as part of your discipline. God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸ But if you have not all shared in receiving this discipline, you are really illegitimate children, and not sons. ⁹ Furthermore, our human fathers used to discipline us, and we gave them respect. Should we not more readily submit ourselves to the Father of our spiritual life and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time according to what seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit so that we may partake of his holiness. ¹¹ True, no discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but it is painful; yet afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.)

So when we are in denial we need to think about it before we respond. Ask ourselves why we are not being receptive to the reality of things. Often times it helps to express your fears and emotions with someone. Try to identify irrational feelings or beliefs about things. Often times finding support groups if it is severe enough or the counsel of someone spiritually qualified can help. Most of all we need to ask God for help. Sometimes it may be difficult to ask for help from others. If this is the cause we need to ask ourselves why, sometimes our pride can get in the way.

(Matthew 7:7-11 ⁷ “Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you; ⁸ for everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking, it will be opened. ⁹ Indeed, which one of you, if his son asks for bread, will hand him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, he will not hand him a serpent, will he? ¹¹ Therefore, if you, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those asking him! ),

(Proverbs 1:5-7  ⁵ A wise person listens and takes in more instruction; A man of understanding acquires skillful direction  ⁶ To understand a proverb and a puzzling saying, The words of the wise and their riddles.  ⁷ The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline. ) ,

(James 5:13-15 ¹³ Is there anyone suffering hardship among you? Let him carry on prayer. Is there anyone in good spirits? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is there anyone sick among you? Let him call the elders of the congregation to him, and let them pray over him, applying oil to him in the name of Jehovah. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will make the sick one well, and Jehovah will raise him up. Also, if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.)

If we are friends with someone who is in denial about something we need to step back. Give them time to think things over. If you try to force them to face the facts it will only confuse, frustrate or anger them more. Let the person know you are open to talking about it when they are ready. If they talk about it do not offer advice unless they ask and it should be biblical based keeping in mind the bible was written to guide us and comfort us, it was not written to use as a weapon to frighten people. The only time the bible would frighten someone is if they do not want to change. If someone made an and are trying to overcome it then they are out of denial and should not have scriptures thrown at them that would cause them to mourn or be even more sad. One of the biggest obstacles to getting out of denial is admitting we have a problem. This takes us accepting we are not perfect or have a short coming. This can be very difficult, but if we do not correct them it can start effecting our relationship with others and God. When someone is willing to admit their error or admit they are in denial we should not throw it in their face but help them to overcome it and to be a friend they can lean on and talk about it with. If we realize we have a short coming we need to talk about it and to be aware of it and do our best to not let it overtake us or put us in a position to fall short of God. When someone is overcoming a short coming we need to be patient it sometimes takes time. If we are trying to overcome a short coming we may fall at times but those who truly love God get back up and work harder to not have a fall the next time. We will experience hardship from our short comings and others. By overcoming them it can reduce the hardships impact on our lives. If a person continues in these types of behavior even after you may point it out to them and gets angry or attacks you then they do not want to change be careful associating with them.

(James 5:16) ¹⁶ Therefore, openly confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. A righteous man’s supplication has a powerful effect.

(1 John 1:8-10) ⁸ If we make the statement, “We have no sin,” we are misleading ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we make the statement, “We have not sinned,” we are making him a liar, and his word is not in us.

(Proverbs 24:16) ¹⁶ For the righteous one may fall seven times, and he will get up again, But the wicked will be made to stumble by calamity.

As discussed earlier there are many things that can cause denial, someone pointing out a flaw we may have which changes our perception of ourselves, life changing events such as a death or betrayal by a friend, anxiety or fear can cause denial, new information to conflict with deeply ingrained beliefs or perception of things, we may deny certain feelings to preserve our self esteem or self image, we may be in denial about past trauma and try to down play it. The most important thing about denial is recognizing you are in denial and work towards overcoming it no matter what the cause. Pride, over confidence in ourselves, not letting God guide us, and many other things can prevent us from realizing we are in denial. So we need to try our best to be humble, open minded and not easily offended , we cannot grow as a person or spiritually if we do not face the obstacles before us. Most of all seek the help of God when we are dealing with things that may be hard to accept. Most of all by overcoming obstacles it prevents our hearts from becoming hardened and we can enjoy better relationships with others including God and Jesus. By overcoming obstacles it can perfect our love and the bible tells us love covers a multitude of sins.

(1 Corinthians 10:12, 13) ¹² So let the one who thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall. ¹³ No temptation has come upon you except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

(James 3:13-4:4) ¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him by his fine conduct demonstrate works performed with a mildness that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in your hearts, do not be bragging and lying against the truth. ¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above; it is earthly, animalistic, demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever there are jealousy and contentiousness, there will also be disorder and every vile thing. 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.

(1 Peter 4:7-9) ⁷ But the end of all things has drawn close. Therefore, be sound in mind, and be vigilant with a view to prayers. ⁸ Above all things, have intense love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

(Colossians 3:12-14) ¹² Accordingly, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with the tender affections of compassion, kindness, humility, mildness, and patience. ¹³ Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely even if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. Just as Jehovah freely forgave you, you must also do the same. ¹⁴ But besides all these things, clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union.

What Is Sin And Some Steps To Repenting.

Sin What Is It?

  Sin means to fall short or miss the mark. Sin is so prevalent now days that a lot of people don’t even realize that they are missing the mark. So people have become so out of touch with God’s laws that they believe they don’t sin. The bible warns us about developing an attitude like that. ( Proverbs 16:18 ) ( Luke 18:9-14 ) Satan influences so many aspects of peoples lives that people aren’t even aware of when they are sinning. The bible tells us that ignorance of God’s laws is no longer accepted. ( Acts 17:30 )Jesus came and he clarified things. God always sends messengers to teach what his will is. ( Revelation 12:11 )We may feel that small sins don’t matter but the bible tells us that they do, knowing this should motivate us to work harder at pleasing our heavenly father.( James 2:10)I did this study years ago and I keep adding to it. I am not posting this to make anyone feel like there is no hope for them because they sin, I am writing this to help them realize that they can over come it. When I first started studying the scriptures I became aware that I was sinning way more then I realized. I started making a list of things I had to watch for so I could work on doing better. Once in a while I would review the list to help keep me from back sliding. I hope this will help others.

The world is a mess because people will not listen to God. He is trying to tell us what it takes to be happy but we just aren’t learning that we can’t guide ourselves we need him to guide us. He did not give us his laws to hinder us or to control us like puppets, that is what Satan would do. He gives us his laws to teach us how to be happy and to draw us closer to him.( 2 Timothy 3:16 )

This will not be a comprehensive list. As I see short comings I will have to work on I add to it. Some I don’t have to work on but I keep them on the list so Satan can’t lure me into doing them. To be forgiven for a sin we have to repent so I am going to cover some the steps involved with repenting.

Steps To Repenting.

1. First we must take in an accurate knowledge of our heavenly father and his laws.( Psalm 38:18 )

2. As you take in knowledge you will become aware of sin.( Ezekiel 18:21-23 )

   When you study and learn what God requires of us our conscience will start to heal. We may start to feel guilt that is good it means you are drawing closer to God and you want to please him. If you don’t feel guilt right away that is okay remember some things have been deeply entrenched and will take a will. We have to let God continue to guide us.

3. As we become aware of our sins we need to talk to God about them. Please don’t give up that is what Satan would want. He wants nothing more then to take others into destruction with him.( Revelation 20:10-14 )

4. We must try our best not to commit the sin again. Keep in mind that Jehovah God provided a ransom for repentant sinners. ( Acts 10:43 )

   If you do slip up don’t give up just dust yourself off and keep trying.( Proverbs 26:17 )

5. We must continue to take in knowledge to give us the strength and wisdom to over come our short comings.( Philippians 4:9 )

6. We must forgive ourselves, we are a new person when we have repented.( 2Corinthians 5:17 )

   God doesn’t even remember our sins if we truly repent.( Micah 7:18-19 )

7. Use Gods personal name Jehovah.(Psalm 83:18 )

   The bible tells us there is only one true God. ( John 17:3 )

   We must approach him through his son Jesus Christ.( John 14:6 )

  This is the link to the list of sin.  https://iamajuicer.wordpress.com/2014/11/02/what-is-sin-this-is-the-continuation-of-a-previous-study/

If you want to learn more about repenting go to http://www.jw.org . They will have information that is very will written and easy to understand. Always check the scriptures that have been quoted never take someone’s word on what the bible says.