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Monday, October 8, 2007
On Guard
Nehemiah 8:10 Then
he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send
portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto
our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
(KJV)
A good healthy
spiritual diet is what will keep one strong in the Lord and the power of
His might; allowing in anything contrary to sound doctrine is like food
poisoning. One of the definitions of sorry refers to anger, and being
consumed with anger can easily lead one astray and steal the joy from the
heart.
James 1:19-20
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to
speak, slow to wrath: (20) For the wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God. (KJV)
Will you react in
the flesh, or respond in the spirit?
Proverbs 18:13 He
that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto
him. (KJV)
Ready, shoot, aim,
oops, that will leave a mark. Ever spend time watching children? If they
get angry, they lash out, if they have something to say, they just speak
it. Those that mature in the Lord will take the time to hear the whole
matter, to listen to Father’s response, not blame others. Oh but he made me
mad, or that makes me angry. The Lord said you are made in His image and
likeness, a new creation, old things passed away. Is it so much that
someone else made you mad, or was it more your choice to allow that into
your temple, and let anger and frustration of your own life drown out the
voice of God?
Hebrews 12:15
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of
bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; (KJV)
Bitterness is like
a poison, doesn’t take much, but if allowed into our spirit can consume a
person, by which many have allowed themselves to be defiled. Sometimes we
don’t like what we see in others, because it reflects things we know in our
own walk that need to be dealt with. Ever see a warning label on a product? Lately I have noticed things being
recalled because they are a health hazard. If it is hazard that can lead to
death, like a poison, it is marked with the skull and cross bone label.
Understanding the fact that wrath and anger are a big Yuk as well, will
keep the channel of communication alive and well within us also. I have
seen people on the news who call themselves Christians, who go out and
protest against issues, pointing the finger at people with threats of hell
and destruction to those that sin. It is true that there will definitely be
consequences for these actions, but protesting in anger and threats, is not
the love of God that will win people over, especially when the Lord Himself
said that he that is without sin could be the one to cast the first stone.
Sufficient to say by the way, that not a stone was thrown after that
statement.
Mark 11:25-26 And
when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your
Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. (26) But if
ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your
trespasses. (KJV)
Have you ever made
a mistake, knowing you blew it, and asked the Lord for His forgiveness?
Even to the point of Lord please, I won’t let that happen again. Are you as
willing to forgive others as you would want to be forgiven?
Matthew 18:21-22
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin
against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? (22) Jesus saith unto him,
I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
(KJV)
If you multiply 7x70, you end up with 490. Does that
mean that after 490 times you don’t have to forgive anymore? Or rather
might it be an illustration? Even after we have forgiven someone, or have
been forgiven ourselves, how many times does the enemy come back and try to
remind us again of the trespass, and try and re-grow a root of bitterness
that was pulled up and thrown away? So stay on Guard, be alert, watch and
pray always and don’t let these things enter in again and choke the life
out of the new creation working in you.
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