With It, We Survive And Conquer, And God Is Glorified

                                       When The Door Slams

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.                                                                                       (Galatians 6:7-10 NIV).  

            Maybe we have come to expect too much too soon in our lives. We microwave our meals, speed-dial our cellphones, download and upload all our devices on the internet. Fast and faster, still not enough. We have become accustomed to instantaneous results. But instant breakfast is one thing; I don't believe we can expect instant gratification and instant fulfillment in our lives. In spite of what they show you on television, there is no quick fix between info commercial breaks. You must have patience and engage in persistent action toward making your dream become a reality. 

            When they don't see instant results, many people become discouraged with their dreams and goals. They become impatient. And I believe many of them walk away from their dreams just as they are about to break through and flourish. You must have patience. Your time is going to come if you work diligently and faithfully. It don't matter if no one else recognizes that. It matters only that you see it and have the patience to wait for it. 

            Without it, we stumble and fall. And God is grieved. Because life is a task, we need strength to face it, not speed to run from it. When the foundation shakes, when Christian leaders and friends--even the religious leaders--are immoral and falling into apostasy, when the bottom drops out and brutal blows attempt to pound us into the corner of doubt and unbelief, we need what perseverance offers: willingness to accept whatever comes, strength to face it head on, determination to stand firm, and insight to see the Lord's hand in it all.

            Think about this: I can't imagine a better picture of the race of life. Winning is not simply a matter of coming in first; it depends as much on finishing the run with the light inside us still burning bright. That light is a gentle and quiet spirit, full of peace and hope, which stays alive even when darkness closes in all about us.

            Affirmation: You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, "In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay." And, "But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back." But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. (Hebrews 10:36-38 NIV)   

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness  

       

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How Often Do We Trade In A Good Relationship For Something Worthless

                                                 When The Door Slams

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.                                                                                                         (Proverbs 15:1-3 NLT)

            Relationships are not strengthen through negotiation. If anything, they are weaken. In negotiation each side gives as little as necessary,  trying to get as much as possible...then waits for the next round in hope of getting more and giving less than the time before. Recovering what was traded earlier is the strategy.

            Negotiation generates competition, not cooperation. It cause to endure, rather than producing an alliance. In negotiation, to lead from strength is fundamental. Vulnerability is to be avoided at all cost. To be vulnerable is bad business. But good relationships comes through love and forgiveness. Somebody has to be vulnerable, to lead from weakness, to give in, to lose. Which is repulsive to human ego. 

            Good relationships are not based on 51/50 principle. Someone has to be willing to go all the way, all the time. What is of greater value than secure relationships! How often do we trade in a good relationship for something worthless? 

            Think about this: Love and forgiveness are costly, but they are the price of good relationships: between husbands and wives, parents and children, blacks and whites, neighbors, friends, government and immigration. Which is why it is so easy to talk peace...and so costly to have it. Peace talkers are a dime a dozen. Peacemakers are rare and priceless. 

            The LORD Jesus. He never negotiated. He loved. He gave and gave, all the way to the cross. Relationship begins when somebody leads from weakness! "Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

            Intercession: And this his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.          (John 3:23 NLT)

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.   

                                                            Never Rest Ministries            

          

If You Put Your Trust In Fools, There Is A price To Pay

                                       When The Door Slams

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. There is more hope for fools than for peoples who think they are wise.      (Proverbs 26:11-12 NLT)

            We almost invariably repeat the patterns of the past; our old problems revisit us again and again. It is easy to slip back into familiar sinful patterns; that is why we need to be diligent to preserve our spiritual gains. In 2 Peter 2:22 They prove the truth of this proverb: "A dog returns to its vomit." And another says, "A washed pig returns to the mud.   

            The fool says in his heart, There is no God (14:1; 53:1). The apostle Paul argued in Romans 1:21-22 that there is no excuse for such rejection: "Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became useless in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools."

            Think about this: Do you joke about things you don't understand and think it's funny? "Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man with understanding. "The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the fleeting pleasures of this world. Is it more important to you to express your opinion than to listen? "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his own opinion. If these describe you, you might want to consider the danger of your foolishness as described in Proverbs. Dogs lapping up their own puke is funny to a fool, but when humans do it, no one is laughing. 

            If you put your trust in a fool, there's a price to pay: "Whoever sends a message by the hands of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence"(26:6). And if you confront a fool, you could wind up in a world of hurt: "A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both" (27:3). Solomon offered a similar saying: If a wase man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet" (29:9). Whether it's a foolish employee, a wild neighbor, or an outlandish buddy, a fool leaves a fire of pain in their path. 

            Sometimes you find fools in bars, sometimes in churches. The crowns of Israel were not immune to foolishness fatal attraction. Foolishness cost Saul his kingdom when he disobeyed God's commands (1 Samuel 13:13). Amnon's foolishness robbed him of sexual self-control, leading him to rape his half sister (2 Samuel 13:14). 

            Matthew 5:22 do not warn us against using the word fool. Rather, warns us against weaponizing words to demean or destroy others. There are times when it is kind to inform fools of their folly. Without a righteous warning, many won't recognize the monster they keep poking. We want to avoid foolishness at all costs. How? Start by recognizing the weight of influence in your life must be from people of faith. If your family member or co-workers are followers of Jesus Christ, you can afford more friends who are Christians. You may need to do a serious audit of how much time you spend with people inside and outside the faith so that the weight of influence is tilted toward the Holy Spirit.  

            Affirmation: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12). This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 5-7 NLT).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                            Never Rest Ministries

                       

                

             

The Dark Triad Personalities Are Extreme Evil

                                      When The Door Slams

The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.            (Proverbs 4:18-19 NLT)

            We seem to have a fascination with evil. We are curious to what set evil people off and perhaps wonder how much darkness is in us. Psychologists have identified three personalities they call "the Dart Triad": Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Narcissism combines flamboyant and a need for admiration with the lack of empathy. Machiavellianism involves a mastery of manipulation, exploitation, and deceit. Psychopathy is marked by impulsivity, selfishness, callousness, and a lack of remorse. 

            The Dark Triad are capable of extreme cruelty. We see in historical figures like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong. Not only in dictators. But also in public figures such as government, politicians and religious leaders have been identified as exhibiting the behaviors of the Dark Triad. The book of Proverbs simply calls these behaviors "wicked."                

            Think about this: While fools stumble blindly, the wicked calculate their steps. That is the difference, and it is not inconsequential. Fools and the wicked share some of the same behaviors, but the wicked are far more nefarious. Not only are they more cunning and prepared, but their personality traits also enable them to rise to positions of power. 

            "The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice" (Proverbs 17:23). This frustrated Solomon as he grew older. He grieve over the success of the wicked: "In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing" (Ecclesiastes 7:15). "Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?" We all  have felt the sting. 

            Yet the Scriptures promise that the righteous will be rewarded and the wicked punished: "The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short" (Proverbs 10:27). This promise is repeated throughout the Old Testament (Psalms 37:13; 92:7; Proverbs 24:19-20; Isaiah 57:20-21). What should we do with our frustration over this seemingly unfulfilled promise?

            Petition: Don't do as the wicked do, and don't follow the path of evildoers. Don't even think about it; don't go that way. Turn and keep moving. For evil people can't sleep until they've done their deed for the day. They can't rest until they've caused someone to stumble. They eat the food of wickedness and drink the wine of violence! (Proverbs 4:14-17).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                 Never Rest Ministries

                

                      

Stop Depending On Inadequate Human Resources

                                        When The Door Slams

Happy is the one who cares for the poor; The LORD will save him in a day of adversity. The LORD will keep him and preserve him; he will be blessed in the land. You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies.                                                                                                                                                                                      (Psalm 41:1-2 HCSB)

            Recognition and acknowledgment of our helplessness is also the quickest way to that right attitude which God recognizes as essential to prayer. It deals a mortal blow to the most serious sin of all--man's independence that ignores God. 

            Another reason is that we cannot learn firsthand about God--what He is like, His love for us as individuals, and His real power--so long as we are relying on ourselves and other people. Fellowship with the Lord Jesus is the true purpose of life and the only foundation for eternity. It is real, the daily fellowship He offers us. 

            So if your every human plan and calculation has miscarried, if, one by one, in your human understanding which props up, self-delusion and wishful thinking have been knocked out, and the doors slams in your face over the years, think about this: God is trying to get a message through to you, and the message is: "Stop depending on inadequate human resources. The Lord God said let Me handle the matter."

            "The polite part of speaking with God is to be still long enough to listen." If our hearts are listening as we pray, we will from time to time, hear "Why are you praying? Do something!" And we will know what it is that we must do. A wrong to put right, repent of a sin to confess, a letter to write, a friend to visit or a family member to call.

            Think about this: Here are three suggestion for presenting to the LORD Jesus the Prayer of Helplessness and Repentance. First, be honest with God. Tell Him that you are aware of the fact that in His eyes you are helpless... Second, take your heart's desire to the Jesus. You have accepted your helplessness. Now with all of your strength, will and belief that God can do through you what you cannot... Third, watch now for opening doors.

            Renewal: But what does it say? "The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.                  (Romans 10:8-10 NKJV)   

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                                              

                                    Never Rest Ministries

The Spirit Of the Lord Gave You The power To Choose

                                        When The Door Slams

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; to what is good. be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal. But keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality (Romans 12:9-13 NIV).

            From: My Lord God...My pride in you knew no bounds. You were my ultimate creation, my greatest miracle. A complete living being....Thus we come to the fourth law of success and happiness for I gave you one more power, a power so great that not even angels possess it. I gave you...the power to choose. Use wisely, your power of choice.

            Choose to love...rather than hate. Choose to laugh...rather than cry. Choose to create...rather than destroy. Choose to persevere...rather than quit. Choose to praise...rather than gossip. Choose to heal...rather than wound. Choose to give...rather than steal. Choose to act...rather than procrastinate. Choose to grow...rather than rot. Choose to pray...rather than curse. Choose to live...rather than die. You are more than a human being. You are capable of great wonders. Your potential is unlimited. Never demean yourself again! Never settle for the crumbs of life! Never hide your God-giving talents, from this day on.

            Think about this: The Spirit cannot guide us...as long as we insist on finding our own way. It is as if we, fumbling along in the dark, we are offered a powerful lantern to light our path, but refuse it, preferring to stumble along striking one flickering match after another. Instead,...we need to ask the Spirit to lead us; and then by an act of will place our life and future in the hands of the Lord God and then trust the Spirit of the Lord God instructions.

            When we are seeking to control everything ourselves by the same kind of door-crashing practiced by politicians and religious leaders those who know nothing of God's leading, can have no place in the Spirit-led life. Such manipulation merely interfere with the Spirit's work on our behalf. 

            One of the best passages dealing with the concept, however, is found in the New Testament. In Ephesians 5:3-18, the apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesian believers to live moral lives. He made it clear to them that they were neither to participate in evil nor to speak of it. On the contrary, he commanded them to expose immoral deeds of evil persons.

            He followed this exhortation with a discussion on wise living: "So be very careful how you live. Do not live as those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have to do good, because these are evil times. So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do." 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.        

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The Darkness Of Your Soul Hide In Plain Slight (The Name is Deception)

                                                 When The Door Slams

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NKJV)

            But you, O Lord, who abides forever--you are not angry with us in our fumbling blindness. You are so merciful to us. It was pleasing to you to reshape the deformity that was causing my blindness. It was the darkness of my soul hiding in plain slight, his name is deception and his game is to deceive.

            Now I see that I was searching for the answer outwardly--trying to reason with my mind the best way to escape deception--with the freeing knowledge I sought could come only by your Spirit as it brings inner light. As long as I kept struggling in this way, I was unable to return to the place where my soul might receive fullness, well-being, rest and joy.   

            All of the "roaring and groaning" of my spiritual desire to overcome this evil in my heart. You kept stirring me with the sense that I was missing some secret goodness that is Your Spirit. You kept me in a state of restlessness. Finally, I saw, inwardly, the truth about the origin of evil. The darkness of my soul that hide in plain sight.

            I saw how superior I felt, in my striving for spiritual well-being and sufficiency--but in all this striving I was still totally inferior to The Holy Spirit. I had been so blind to what I was doing, because deception is like a spiritual wound to the face, swelling shut the inner eyes of understanding. And through this swollenness of deception, I was deceive and separated from You. But the Lord Jesus healing hand applied to my eyes a stinging ointment that cause my pride and self-sufficiency to subside. What was this stinging ointment? 

            Think about this: I was given a true understanding and repent for my sinful condition. And at the same time that I was observe myself in this way, I looked upon my Lord and His mercy for me...From that day to this, I have kept that wholesome sorrow for my sins--sorrow that cause me to run to my Lord Jesus for the healing of my soul, and not away from Him in my deception, deceiving myself thinking that I can somehow prove my worthiness. For I see now that deception, pride and self-sufficiency before You--is the source of evil in me. So I come to the Lord daily--weak, hungry and in need of the Holy Spirit flowing through me--that my troubled and darkened soul may gain Your light and strength.  

            Affirmation: Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, because they rebelled against God's commands and despised the plan of the Most High. So he subjected to better labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. (Psalm 107:10-12 NIV)

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.   

                                                           Never Rest Ministries