How We Avoid Hate!

To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Proverbs 16:1,2

When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them. Better a little with righteousness than much with injustice.  7,8

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. The wise are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. 18-21

A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. A violent person entices their neighbor and leads them down a path that is not good. 28, 29

Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. 32

One of the most significant ways we can avoid situations that lead to hate is to understand how hate manifests itself. Hate doesn’t just show up out of the blue–it is planted, fertilized and nurtured to fruition by those who are insecure, fearful, and resentful (and incapable of rational thought).

People who have severe doubts about their own ability to accomplish things resent those who are confident and their lives demonstrate their confidence. Generally speaking, they will fertilize their insecurities by blaming others for what they have not achieved, and the more they blame others, the more they nurture their hatred. They teach their children to hate others because of fear–not knowledge–and those fears for the most part are baseless because insecure people–don’t venture far from their base of comfort. In other words, they have not lived a full life–one in which they ventured far from home and experienced life outside their parameters of their comfort zone.

The same people are incapable of understanding that we can be passionate in our disagreement with others, but we don’t have to allow the disagreement to lead to hate. We must understand that it is our right to disagree, but we can disagree, agreeably which won’t lead to wars or rumors of wars or bullying rhetoric. Hate spreads when people who are incapable of rational thought never realize that they are not always right and that others don’t have to agree with them. They have yet to understand what “individuality” means.

If God had wanted clones–He could have created them. We would all look alike, think alike and never have any need to use our brains or vocal cords.

What we must do to avoid the proliferation of hatred, bigotry, and senseless fear is to realize we all have something to contribute to society in productive, constructive ways and none should be ignored or disregarded simply because of race, ethnicity, religion, gender or any other factor. We must realize that God created one race of people–the human race with one blood surging through all–it’s red–no matter the color of skin is.

With insecurities–comes the tendency to think a person or a group of people is superior to another. In order to perpetuate the lies–they create all sorts of false data, write books with suspicious documentation to prove they are superior to others. We see this in the beliefs of all the “white nationalists” or other hate groups who actually believe they are superior to every other group of people. They do not know or understand that the cradle of civilization began on the continent of Africa and that skin tones changed as man migrated to cooler climates. Education would be extremely beneficial to debunk all these myths, but for those who hate–irrationally–they tend to think that having an education is synonymous with being elitist. Therefore, they revel in their ignorance and nurture their hate.

There’s an adage that says, “ignorance is bliss” and we can see that being true for those who choose to blame others for their shortcomings and positions in life. They’re happy with their ignorance and would rather hate than learn to live peaceably in society.

We know that when we disagree (especially in households), we should never allow the sun to go down and we’re still angry. Be passionate in disagreement, but ready to concede the possibility of being wrong and be willing to do the research to make a verifiable point and not just rely upon “an opinion” with no legs.

We can avoid planting the seeds of hatred and bigotry by recognizing that we are part of a greater world and we don’t have a right to expect others to live  by what we think or believe. We can educate ourselves (with all of the accessible technology) and not hold others accountable for what we don’t accomplish. We can learn to love–unconditionally–just as God loves us and with that love–there’s no room for hate. We can stop fertilizing and nurturing hatred by accepting responsibility for what we do and say or for what we don’t do. We are responsible for everything we say–good or bad–and everything we do–good or bad and we cannot blame others for our actions or inactions.

When we learn to critically analyze why we think what we think, believe what we believe, or do what we do–we’ll discover there is more to life and living than what we think we know.

 

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Did Republicans Read This?

“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it. “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent. “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.Exodus 23:1-9 NIV

Considering the fact–stated previously in another blog post–everyone in this country–except the natives and the imported slaves–is an immigrant (or descendants of immigrants), why on earth do we feel we have the right to totally disregard others?

Forget about the “legal” immigrant--when the colonists first came to this country, the natives didn’t give them legal status–they took over the land and proclaimed it their own--even naming it and trying to turn the natives into them. And they’re still doing it!

But this is the group--the Republicans–who claim to be Christians (actually pseudo-christians with no relationship with God) who apparently either didn’t read what God said or didn’t understand it.

• They spread false reports about Hillary (yes, I know she “lost” the election but let’s analyze why).
• They blatantly lied about aspects of Hillary’s tenure in the State Department by telling half truths (which are whole lies) and taking things out of context.
• They accused her of being responsible for the loss of life in Benghazi when she had no control over the situation after people had been warned to get out.
• They almost cost other people their lives with the spread of the ill-advised lie promoted by Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones about Pizzagate when a man rushed into a pizzeria with an assault weapon on a mission to save kids that were never there.
• They accused Hillary of murdering babies at nine months when any fool should know–at nine months–a baby is delivered.
• They spread the lie that God chose tRump to be president when God never voted and never told anyone to promote this lie.
• They have lied about the existence of relationships with Russia and all is coming to light.
• 45 has lied about so much that I can’t even keep it all straight any more–part of the plan in gas-lighting people–but I do know every time he opens his mouth, he lies.
• 45 is devastating the national debt with his “budget proposal” because he doesn’t have a clue; yet he’s costing tax payers millions a day with secret service protection in New York, and all his weekend excursions to escape responsibility.
• Why go to Mar-a-lago? He can arrange to talk to Russia without government monitoring. WE’RE NOT STUPID!
• All of their “alternative facts” are believable by people without a functioning brain–the rest of us know better.

So, just looking at all the stupid that is unfolding every day, I cannot say that I believe any of the Republicans read the Bible, have a relationship with God, and they are certainly not Christians–not by a biblical standard.

This is why it is incumbent upon every American with a functional brain to actively resist the tyranny in the White House. This is not about being a Democrat or a Republican–it is about saving America from the throes of those who would attempt to change our democratic process into a dictatorship! Bannon, Miller, and all those with connections to the Russians and praise Putin–are responsible and most of the filth has already spread into every government agency and no one wants to take responsibility for it. CLEAN-UP ON AISLE 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NEEDED.

If we sit or stand silently by and allow this to continue–we are all at fault and God will hold each and every person accountable who did not stand for truth, and equitable justice, or defense of the poor and the needy. That’s the biblical standard we must live by–not a political party’s biases.

On The Journey–Heth!

You are my portion, O LORD;
I have said that I would keep Your words.

I entreated Your favor with my whole heart;
Be merciful to me according to Your word.

I entreated Your favor with my whole heart;
Be merciful to me according to Your word.

I made haste, and did not delay
To keep Your commandments.

The cords of the wicked have bound me,
But I have not forgotten Your law.

At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.

I am a companion of all who fear You,
And of those who keep Your precepts.

The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy;
Teach me Your statutes.

The eighth letter and eighth stanza–the writer’s testimony continues as he stands before God giving an account of himself.

A vow is a promise to do something and though many make them, few keep them. If a person cannot count on us to keep our word, what good is our word? Have we made a promise to God to keep His Word (obey it) and then fallen short? When we fall short, do we recognize it and repent, openly acknowledging to Him that we are still in need of Him to guide us?

Have we sought the Lord with our whole hearts–seeking Him daily for wisdom and direction in understanding how He wants us to live? And if we haven’t, are we still expecting Him to merciful unto us while we do what we want to do?

When did we last consider our ways–truthfully look at how we conduct ourselves as Believers? Are we a true representative of who God has called us to be? If not, when are we going to make a change–towards all He desires us to do? If we’re not willing to change–according to His purposes–why do we still expect Him to act on our behalf?

How many of us can honestly say, we will quickly obey all God gives us to do? Though I hear Him when He speaks directly to me or through others, I am still sometimes a little slow to respond. Not because I don’t know it is Him who is speaking, but I hesitate when I don’t fully understand what the end result will be. Here’s something to think about–we don’t have to know the end, if we trust Him for the results He wants. Selah!

Many of us have allowed ourselves to be bound, tied up with those who don’t even know God and they certainly don’t serve Him. We have to make sure that we don’t allow ourselves to be drawn into the circle of the wicked by determining to find and stay in companionship with those who serve The Lord as He desires, not as they desire.

That doesn’t mean that we should not continue to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but we should certainly not be found in continued fellowship with those who live in opposition to God’s Word. In other words, our confidantes should be Godly and not the ungodly.

Consider this–there are many who serve The Lord with gladness and understand His mercy and grace continually shower us as we continue our journey in life–let’s find them and fellowship with them, share our hopes and dreams, be encouraged by one another and continue upon the path that God has established for us.

I am grateful for all those who blog their faith, their hopes, their concerns and trust in Jesus. I am continually encouraged by those who support and correct me when I am tempted to cave in to the stress that attempts to weigh me down. I thank God for all who read my blog as well as those who write for me to read. Though we trust Him, we are yet human with the frailties of being such and having someone else to encourage us to continue the mission is a blessing.

A Stronghold in Times of Trouble!

“The Lord reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.” (Psalm 9:7-10 NIV).

If the Lord reigns–not just in the atmosphere–but in our hearts, the world will know peace. Where there is no peace, we do not acknowledge who He is and do not allow Him to govern our lives. If He is not governing our lives–we fall prey to the influence of the enemy and allow his influence to reign in our lives.

But we don’t have to. The Word tells us to “give no place for the devil” and we should heed the Word. But what does that mean?

It means that when we know certain situations or people can open the door for the devil to step in–we should avoid them. Now, there The Word tells us there is no temptation that can confront us that He has not made a way of escape. The escape route that many ignore–is the wisdom to avoid the situation in the first place. If we do not place ourselves or allow others to put us in a position where we can be tempted, we effectively keep the devil’s influence out of our lives.

But when we don’t–heed wise instruction and warnings–the devil’s influence does not creep in–it walks into a situation because we have opened the door. When the devil does what the devil does–influencing others to do what is wrong–who is the guilty party? Is it the one who succumbed to the influence or the one who created the situation by opening the door?

People who have overcome addictions of all types, have nothing to prove to others and especially those who are trying to influence their judgment and behavior. It is not all right for anyone who suffers from addiction to put themselves in harm’s way, nor should they put themselves into a position to be influenced by others to do so. When we do things that we know are contrary to Holy Spirit’s influence, we cannot say, “this is just a test.” No, that is just foolishness.

We would not put a known thief in a room full of valuables and leave them alone, expecting them not to take anything. That’s not faith, it’s foolishness. The same is true of anything we value–respect, integrity, honor–all should be more valuable than things, and yet we risk allowing the enemy to influence what we do, when we think we know more than God.

The Bible tells us that no one should say when they are tempted, they are tempted by God, but understand we are tempted by our own lusts. We are tempted because of pride and egos and when we allow pride and ego to get in the way of wisdom and making wise decisions, we have no one to blame, but ourselves.

And when temptation wins–the least we can do is to acknowledge how wrong we were in allowing the situation to exist in the first place and not blame others. This is not to say we should condone wrong, but we must accept responsibility for any wrong that occurs and set things right.

Human beings are not God and cannot know everything, but when we allow Holy Spirit to lead us in all things, we limit the opportunities for the devil’s influence to operate and manage to maintain peace in our lives. The Lord is a stronghold in times of trouble and when we see trouble coming–we must cry out a warning and seek the refuge of God. If we don’t heed the warnings–the stain of guilt is on us–and we need to get right with God while we have the opportunity to do so.

No Holy Spirit guidance–no peace in homes or lives or nations. With Him–as our counselor and comforter–allowing Him to speak into our lives–we have peace with all we meet.

Why Jesus said, “These Words You Hear Are Not My Own.”

“Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These Words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” (John 14:23,24 NIV)

During a discussion in which Jesus was talking to His disciples (those who followed Him), He promised them the Holy Spirit, who would come to be with them, speaking to their hearts, reminding them of all they had been taught, after He returned to heaven. This is what He said to them that led to Him reminding them, He had not said a word that had not been given to Him by His Father and that He did not speak of His own accord.

John 14: 15-21

v. 15 If you love me, keep my commands.

v. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you be with you forever.

v. 17 The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

v. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

v. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

v.20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

v.21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

v. 22. Then Judas (not Judas iscariot) said,”But Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world.”

For them who have an ear to hear and eyes to see, let them listen, and read with understanding.

Those who walked with Jesus were getting a lesson from Him–a lesson that should have answered all their questions about His authority. Basically, He let them know that He had not said anything that His Father had not given Him to say. Of course, the Father He referenced was God Himself. He was making it clear to them–those who followed His teachings then and those who follow them, now–that He and the Father were One and whatever the Father said, He said.

He made it clear to them that if they claimed to love God or Him, they would obey what they were told. If they didn’t obey, they proved they did not love Him or the Father. They are One in purpose and intent for the benefit of mankind.

For those who think–especially those whose mantra is–“Jesus just said ‘love,’ think again. With love, comes responsibility and accountability on any level. The responsibility and accountability for those who say they love Jesus, but will not obey, are also saying, they hate God. This is the attitude of the world–the unbelievers–who ignore God’s Word and say wrong is right and right is wrong. They do not know God and they certainly don’t understand they could not love Jesus, who was God in the flesh.

When parents love their children–that love is demonstrated with the responsibility they have for the care and upbringing of their children. They are held accountable by our society to do the right thing. Now, if we hold mere human parents responsible for their children, why would we ignore God’s responsibility to His children. If we belong to Him, we are His children. I would encourage all to seek God’s wisdom, and re-read all of John and I Corinthians 13 to understand God’s definition of love–what it does.

Love–that four letter word that the enemy has perverted with “lust” means more than just a carnal attraction to another person; it comes with responsibility and our accountability–beginning with loving God and being accountable to Him. If we don’t love Him–who is Love–how can we possibly say, we love anyone else? “If we love Him, we’ll keep His commandments–to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love one another as we love ourselves.” If we love God, we won’t sin against Him (first five commandments as given to Moses), and if we love one another, we won’t commit acts of sin that negatively impact each other (the last five commandments).

God loved us enough to die for us (John 3:16) and so the least we can do–for those who say, they know Him, is to live for Him, a daily demonstration of who He is in living right before Him and others.

For those who don’t know God or refuse to believe Him and obey; judgment has already been established and the lake of fire–awaits.

More on what Jesus said and why, next time.

Facing Reality!

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

Sometimes, we miss the simple truth of this verse of scripture. Parents must train children to deal with the realities of life and not just allow them to think they will have everything they want; unless, of course, the parents have absolutely everything they want and obtained it through legal and moral means.

This a good article and unfortunately, not the first time it has been brought to the forefront. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/Mickey-goodman/are-we-raising-a-generati_b_1249706.html If parents are not allowing their children to take responsibility for their actions, when will they learn–When they are sitting behind bars serving time or lying in a morgue? Hard work, integrity, and having morals have never harmed anyone. Allowing children to think that these attributes are not important, has harmed many.

The bottom line for me is very simple. Parents have to learn to parent before they can raise responsible children. Giving a child everything they want (not need) is not good parenting. If they “earn” rewards, give it to them. If they don’t, don’t give in to their demands. Who is a child anyway that they can “demand” anything? Are they paying for the roof over their heads and all the bills that sustain them? Who gave birth to whom? I have never understood parents who allow children to “run their houses” and then cower in fear of them.

Some may think that I’m a horrible parent when I  say that no child lives in my house who cannot abide by my rules (I have put children out of my house). I make the rules, not them. If they can’t handle it, they must leave and some have left. Children don’t learn by osmosis; they must be taught–everything. They must be taught about personal hygiene, organizational skills, the importance of good grades, respect for others and their property, self-respect (and so much more) and knowing how to think–about the consequences for the actions–the good and the bad.

Many parents cannot teach their children to think because they never learned to think first before doing anything. When I look at a number of teenage mothers, inevitably we discover their mother was also a teenage mother and so was the great-grandmother. One would think (at least, I would think) that someone would have figured out that being a teenage mother, with no education or job skills, would discourage others from following in their footsteps; that would make sense to me. Encouraging stupidity has never made sense to me and it is stupid to keep having children when you know you cannot take care of them, but keep expecting a state welfare system to do it for you.

The pattern I see–people dropped the ball in training the children in what they should do to become productive, respectable citizens. If they were not trained, they nothing to hold onto when they become older.

Please stop and think before it’s too late–train the children in behaviors that are responsible, legal and moral and pray their training sustains them throughout life.