Loving One Another

Scripture Text:  I John 3:11-23

For me, this particular passage in scripture to me places much emphasis on the importance of the brethren loving one another than anywhere I have read in scripture. The enemy is waging war against the body of Christ and he knows that if he turns brother against brother and sister against sister, there will be chaos in the church and the lives of many believers will be in jeopardy of hell fire due to hatred and bitterness. In verse 12, it mentioned briefly the story we all know, Cain and Abel, how Cain hated his own blood brother so much because he saw how favored he was and as a result of envy, he killed his brother. It is not until we pick up a gun or knife to kill another, before we call it murder, our thoughts and words alone can kill our sister or brother in our hearts. 1 John 3: 15 "Anyone who hates another brother or sister[c] is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them."

Beloved, as we approach the end of the year 2016, let us strive to love one another, forgive those who have hurt you in anyway, do not give the enemy an entry way into your heart through bitterness, unforgiveness and hatred. Show compassion at all times, learn to do good to all men regardless of what they think or feel about you. Let your action reflect genuine love for others, both believers and the unbelievers. Of course, showing compassion should not be only during the holiday season  because unbelievers also do good during this time of the year, and so what should set us apart from the rest of the world should be a lifestyle of giving and showing compassion throughout the year. In season and out of season, our lives must reflect that of a true believer, one who follows the Lord God Almighty, who is also the God of Love. Remember this day, how Christ Jesus gave up his life for us. This is the epitome of pure unconditional love for His children.

Beloved, if you are in the position to show love to a sister through giving of your time, resources etc, please do so with all your heart and you will see how you will get God's full attention when you do so. See 1 John 3:17-18

May the New Year bring you and your household much joy, laughter and peace in Christ's name.

Happy New Year beloved

SHALOM.

Forgiving Others

New Living Translation version (NLT) used for Bible Verses

By Kemi Olubiyi

Have you ever been hurt by a spouse, friend, colleague, family member etc ? If so, you are not alone. I believe most of us, believers and non-believers alike, can honestly say we have been victims of hurt, betrayal and also have been the wrong-doers too.  Regardless of what the situation may have been that created the pain, God wants us to forgive so that we will also be forgiven our sins.  Luke 6:37.

Forgiving others can be quite difficult to do because it goes against our sinful human nature, and the Lord knows this. However, because we are God's children and ambassadors of Jesus Christ on earth, we are to lead by example; and so He has provided directions in His word on how to forgive as well as why it is important to do so.

Below are 12 scripture verses I have put together to help you break the stronghold of unforgiveness over your life, opening your eyes to the truth and reasons why you should not harbor bitterness, in your hearts.

1).  Mark 11:24-25  - " I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. ²⁵ But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too"

The Lord is telling us to forgive others so that our sins will be forgiven and our prayers will not be hindered as a result of bearing a grudge.  (see vs 24).

2).  Colossians 3:13 -" Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others."

Let us be conscious of the fact that no one is perfect, we all have fallen short of His glory, thereby struggling with weaknesses every day.  The tendency to hurt one another whether intentionally or not, is great and so therefore, we must forgive others because God forgave us first.  It is not an option.


3). Matthew 6:12-15 -  "And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
¹³ And don’t let us yield to temptation,but rescue us from the evil one.¹⁴ “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."

We can forgive others because forgiveness is a decision, it is an act of obedience unto God.   The Lord has also assured us that when we forgive others, our heavenly Father will also forgive us; but if we refuse to do so, our sins will not be forgiven and that will surely affect our relationship with Him.

4).  Matthew 18:21-22 - "Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” ²² “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!<sup>"

We should be ready to forgive others over and over again i.e continuously no matter the offense committed against us.</sup>

5)  Luke 6: 37 -  “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.

Forgive others and you will be forgiven.  We have been commanded to do so.

6). Ephesians 4:32- " Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

God has forgiven us first through the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross and so therefore we have to forgive others as well.

7). 1 John 1:9 - " But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."

When we confess our sins to God, He has assured us that He will not only forgive us our sins, but will also cleanse us from not some but all wickedness. It is like starting afresh on a clean slate with God.

8). Matthew 5: 23-24 -  “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, ²⁴ leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation is so important to God that He is saying that before He can receive any kind of gift or offering from us, we need to make sure we make amends with anyone whom we have offended or vice versa and then with a clean heart, we can offer our gifts unto Him. Ofcourse, in some cases, we may not even know someone may be bearing a grudge against us, it is for us to now examine ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit through prayer  to reveal if there is anyone we may have offended, and then go make peace with the person..


9).  Isaiah 43:25  - “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.

God chooses not to remember our sins. He has made the decision not to bring them up again even though He does not forget as it confirms in the latter part of the verse " and will never think of them again."  Why? Because of the blood of the Lamb that was shed to redeem us from our sins and His love which covers a multitude of sins.

10). Acts 7: 59-60 - " As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

Regardless of the gravity of the offense committed against us, we must forgive those who hurt or harm us.  It is for the Lord to judge their actions. Stephen in this verses, displayed God's love even at the point of death by petitioning Him to forgive the sins of His persecutors and oppressors.  Whether God does or not, Stephen has obeyed the Lord's commandment to love and pray for our enemies.  "But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Matthew 5:44.

11). Luke 23:33-34-  ^"When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”  

 Like Stephen, but in a greater capacity, even at the point of death, our Lord Jesus Christ petitioned God for mercy for those who had tortured Him to death.  This just showed how much God loved us that He gave His only begotten son to die for our sins. Without even waiting for repentance, Jesus beseeched His Father to forgive His persecutors.

12).  Romans 12:17-20-  "¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. ²⁰ Instead “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”

God is telling us to never retaliate against our offenders but instead, we should report the matter to Him and allow the Lord to handle it in His own way. Our God will always fight for us.
All we are required to do is obey His words i.e not harboring bitterness, grudge, malice against the individual.  He commands us to love our enemies and repay evil with good  for in doing that, we will cause them to feel shame for their actions which may eventually bring remorse, leading them to seek forgiveness. It is the Lord' plan that we try to live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18


Why should we forgive?

1.  We should forgive for Christ's sake:-   When we became born again, we became a new creation, a new person.  We are reconciled back to God through Jesus Christ.  II Corinthians 5:17-18

2. We should forgive for the sake of others :-  God proved His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.  He forgave and loved us first not because we repented or deserved it.   Sometimes God allows others to hurt or persecute us in order to create an opportunity to display His immeasurable grace in that situation.  The offender may actually refuse to repent  or apologize for his or her actions but it is then that the power of forgiveness through the Holy Spirit  becomes a reality in our lives, given us the ability to forgive that person and reconcile him or her back to God. So sometimes we may be used as a vessel in God's hands for the sake of  bringing restoration to a person's  life.

3). We should forgive for our own sakes :-  Forgiveness brings about liberty (freedom), which enables us to enjoy the peace of God. It liberates us from the stronghold of unforgiveness which is a sin. Romans 6:16.  Our prayers and blessings are not hindered because we have chosen to live a life of obedience Psalm 66:18.  Unforgiveness, just like any other sin is disobedience and can cause us to be separated from God forever if we refuse to repent, thereby missing heaven because He cannot behold iniquity(sin, evil). Habakkuk 1:13,  therefore beloved, we need to forgive and let go of the hurt and bitterness because being separated from God is not worth it at all.


 In conclusion, I just want to state that no matter who have caused you pain, heartache, sadness etc, be it your spouse, loved one, boss, colleague, pastor or the sister in the church etc, You must forgive because God has commanded us to do so over and over again in His word.  It will definitely be difficult to do, but with God all things by His Spirit is possible as long as you surrender all to Him.  It is a decision that you have to make whether you feel like it or not and it will be beneficial to your life as you have seen in His word and as it has been stated in the previous paragraph.

Sisters, Let His word encourage you and begin to heal your wounded heart today.  do not delay your blessings any longer. God wants you to live a victorious life and the only way to do that is to be totally obedient to His word and He will surely bless you richly.

Shalom.

Where the Wrath and Love of God Meet

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26, English Standard Version (ESV)

By Dr. Charles Stanley

In our culture, sin is no longer considered an issue.  Although some people might admit to making mistakes or being wrong, few will actually say, "I have sinned." The Lord, however, takes sin very seriously.  Until we learn to see transgression as He does, we will never understand what happened at Christ's crucifixion.

 The cross was God's perfect answer to a terrible dilemma.  Because the Lord is holy and just, He hates sin and must respond to it with punishment and wrath.  Yet He also loves sinners and wants to be reconciled with them.  The cross of Christ was the place where God's wrath and love collided. 
  The only way to rescue fallen mankind from eternal punishment was to devise a plan whereby the Lord could forgive sins without compromising His holiness.  There was no way to overlook transgressions; His wrath had to be poured out- either on us or a substitute. But there was only one possible substitute: the perfect Son of God.

  So Jesus came to earth as a man and suffered the Lord's wrath for us as He hung on the cross.  Sin was punished, divine justice was satisfied, and now God could forgive mankind without compromising His character.  His wrath was poured out on His Son so that His love and forgiveness could be lavished upon us.

Because of human limitations, we'll never grasp all that happened while Jesus hung on the cross.  We can begin to comprehend only the physical suffering He endured, but in the spiritual realm, Christ bore so much more - the  very wrath of God.  This costly redemption plan proves God's great love.

Overcoming the pain of Adultery

Scripture Text:  Proverbs 6:23-33
 by  Kemi O.

It is very depressing and sad when you look around our world today and see so many marriages in turmoil. The most shocking of it all is that, it is very rampant today in the body of Christ i.e the church.

After reading books, watching the news, listening to loved ones and counseling a few, I have come to the conclusion that one of the greatest marriage destroyers of all time is " Adultery". It is not only a sin against God but it is a sin that causes so much emotional pain to the other parties involved (spouse and children).

If you look at the statistics today on the divorce rate, you will see that over 50% of the marriages that end up in divorce is as a result of infidelity/adultery.

By the way, what do we mean by Adultery? Adultery by the dictionary definition is extra marital sex that willfully and maliciously interferes with marital relations. Some people confuse adultery with fornication because they are both transgressions before God. The difference between fornication and adultery is that fornication is the act of having pre-marital sex with another unmarried person so it usually pertains to someone who is single, however adultery pertains to sexual intercourse with someone other than your spouse.

The sin of Adultery is a disastrous reality that has existed and afflicted mankind since the beginning of time. For believers, one of the most well known accounts of adultery recorded in scripture is revealed in the story of King David and his affair with Bathsheba. 2 Sam 11:2-27. Although King David actively pursued Bathsheba, the strange woman in his home, some respected and annointed men of God like King David have fallen victim to the beauty and flattery tongue of the strange woman Prov 6:24-25. And as a result, the annointing of God in their lives was destroyed and sometimes their homes, and in such cases it will take the divine intervention of the Holy Spirit to restore them. There was an incident in the church I was attending a few years ago where a man of God whom I so much respected had been having affairs with the women in the church. He was quite a handsome preacher and 90% of his congregation were women but I just saw the annointing of God on his life and how the Lord was using him mightily. It never occurred to me that such a thing would happen to him and as a result of his succumbing to the flesh, his ministry suffered a terrible blow, marriages were destroyed, for a couple of women he was sleeping with also happen to be married. It was a very unfortunate incident and so brethren, this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed in the church today. We are an adulterous generation.

When adultery taints the purity of the marriage covenant, the road to reconciliation is usually quite difficult especially for the spouse who has been betrayed.

Sadly to say, many christians have skipped the reconciliation process because they find it difficult to forgive their cheating spouses. Decisions of separation and divorce is therefore made in haste out of pain and anger. Can you really blame them? However, we should ask ourselves will this be God’s will for me if I do this? Many have used the famous words of Jesus Christ in Matt 19:9 to justify their decision for divorce but if everyone who has been through the pain of adultery decide to obtain a divorce, how many marriages will truly remain standing? There has to be room for forgiveness. the same scriptures tells us to forgive those who have trespassed against us and also that God hates putting away i.e divorce Mal 2:16. As painful as the betrayal is, an effort at saving the marriage should be made especially a christian union that has been ordained and blessed with children. God’s thoughts towards us are good and not of evil to give us an expected end ( future). Divorce was never in God’s plan for man and therefore it is evil, it is the work and plan of the enemy to destroy marriages especially christian marriages. His only job is to kill, to steal and to destroy, John 10:10.

It pleases the Lord to see the Man and the Woman reconcile because it also causes them to be reconciled back to God as a family. He assures us that he will be with us always even in times of trouble.

Having said all this, we know that rebuilding a relationship is definitely not an easy task for it will take both time and effort on both sides to make it happen. Above all, it will take the grace of God to bring harmony back into the home again.

The first step to rebuilding the marriage is for the adulterer to be willing to repent. he/she must genuinely confess their sins and repent.

The betrayed spouse(victim) must be willing to forgive in order for the healing process to begin.

Couple should seek biblical counseling immediately for it helps both parties to understand why it happened and how to avoid it from happening again.

In addition to counseling, the couple should spend time in prayer seeking God’s face and asking for his grace and power to get them through the tough times.

- The adulterous spouse should be accountable to someone in order for that trust to be rebuilt. Mostly likely he needs to be accountable to his spouse, pastor or counselor.

Based on my own experience of a failed relationship, I would also say that in addition to seeking counseling, talking to a close friend or loved one also helps the healing process.