Showing Forgiveness Means Tenderhearted

                                                     When The Door Slams

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.                                                                                                    Ephesians 4:31,32. 

        The book of Ephesians describes the behavior that ought to characterize Christians as they relate to one another. Our actions ought to be filled with kindness. Kindness is love expressed in practical ways; it is putting the needs of others before our own. It is done on purpose, in ways to meet other people's needs.

        Being tenderhearted means that we are sensitive to the feelings of others. When a fellow Christian experiences sorrow, we grieve also (1 Cor. 12:26). When another believer is joyful, we, too, rejoice. Being tenderhearted means showing compassion toward those around us.

        We show forgiveness because we, too, fall short of God's ideal. knowing that God has graciously saved us from destruction, which motivates us to forgive others when they offend us. It is not easy to forgive when betrayed by someone you love. Often we are less patience with our fellow Christian than we are with nonbelievers. We expect more obedient of Christians, and when they fail us we feel betrayed. When this happens, we need to look closely at the cross and remember the forgiveness we received there. We must set aside the self-centered attitude that leads to impatience and criticism of others.

        Think about this: How long will injustice flourish? God's answer is direct: not long. Scripture reveals a serious promise: "He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world" (Acts 17:31).    "Judgment Day" is an unpopular term. We frown upon judgment, but we value justice, yet the second is impossible without the first. One can't have justice without judgment. For that reason "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in his or her body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthian 5:10). From His throne Jesus will forever balance the scales of fairness.

        Jesus did not say that the world will know Him by our miracles, by our grand testimonies, or by our vast Bible knowledge. The world will know Him by the love that Christians show to one another (John 13:35). Are you constantly in conflict with others. Ask God to give you kindness, a tender heart, and a forgiving spirit. As you allow the Holy Spirit to build these qualities into you, your life will be a blessing to others around you.   

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

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There are Levels Of Intimacy With God.

                                                     When The Door Slams

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.                                                                                                                                                                          Psalm 24: 3-5  

        God has rigid requirements for those who want to enjoy intimate fellowship with Him. There is no easy access to God for those with unclean hands or an impure heart. It is an insult to holy God to assume that we can indulge in our sin and blatantly disobey His Word, then shameless enter the Holy of Holies. 

        In Old Testament times, one's hands represented one's activities. Clean hands symbolized pure activities. Priests washed their hands before serving in the temple to symbolize that only those who were cleansed could worship holy God.

        There are levels of intimacy with God. The moment you become a Christian you begin a relationship with the Lord. However, if you persist in your sin, sin will separate you from God and keep you from enjoying close fellowship with Him. If you follow only God's basic commandments but resist every time God gives you specific, personal directions, you will never fully experience the depths of God's Person. If, however, you are like the psalmist and understand the holiness of God, you will adjust your life to His standards and respond to His prompting so that you may have deeper fellowship with Him.

        Think about this:  There are levels of intimacy with God. The closer you get to holy God, the more obvious even your smallest sin become. The more you know of God's character, the more you will realize the need to wash you hands and purify your heart before you can get close to Him. Are you willing for almighty God to make you absolutely pure before Him so that you can enjoy the maximum possible relationship with my Lord and Savor Jesus Christ thru the power of the Holy Spirit.        

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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Peace With God Is Always Essential

                                                     When The Door Slams

For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.                                            Galatians 1:10

        At times you will have to make a choice between pleasing God and pleasing those around you, for God's ways are not man's ways (Isa. 55:8-9). As important as it is to strive for good relations with others, it is even more important to maintain a steadfast and obedient relationship with Christ. Disobeying God to keep peace with other people is never wise. Peace with God is always essential.

        Jesus warned that obeying Him might cause division in your relationships (Matt. 10:35-36). If Paul's primary goal had been to please others, he never would have become an apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul went completely against the wishes of his colleagues in order to obey Christ. At times, obedience to God sets family members at odds with each other (Matt. 10:35-36). 

    When you follow Jesus's lordship, your family may misunderstand, or even oppose you, yet your obedience to God reflects your identity as His child. Jesus said that those who obey His will are His brothers and sisters (Luke 8:21). God does not intend to divide the home, but He places obedience before domestic peace.

        Think about this: It is important to get alone in quietness with God so that you understand what pleases Him. The world's thinking will mislead you more easily when you are not clear about what God desires. It broke Peter's heart to know that the opinion of a servant girl had mattered more to him than the approval of his Lord! If the desire to appease others tempts you to compromise what you know God wants you to do, learn from Peter's mistake. Determine that you will please your Lord regardless of the opinions of others.  

Ask the 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 Absence Of Spiritual Power

                                                      When The Door Slams

Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the Lord had left him.                                                                                                         Judges 16:20

        One of the signs of a heart that has shifted from God is the absence of spiritual power. If you are like Samson, you will not be immediately aware that God's power has left you. Only after he tried to defeat his enemies did Samson recognize that something was wrong. He went against the Philistines as before, expecting their swift beat-down. But this time the Philistines easily prevailed over him.

        Think about this: If you allow sin to creep into your life and take a foothold, if you refuse to obey your Lord God, if you do not reconcile with those who have hurt you, your spiritual energy is absent. You may assume everything is going good, but when you pray, answers do not come as they once did. You once had a positive effect on those around you, but now your influence is insignificant or even harmful. Your life once brought reconciliation, but now you experience problems in your relationships. Those around you have relied upon your strength are discovering that you are not as helpful to them as you once were. Your lack of spiritual power is not crying out for attention; but you are seeing deceptive changes in your spirit and in your relationship with God.

        How can you stop this spiritual decline? You must regularly repent of any sin. You must invite God to search your life to see if there are attitudes, relationships, or demonic activities that need to be removed. You must fervently obey God's will, not your will. If you walk with God in this manner, you will grow in spiritual strength and be used mightily by our Lord and Savor Jesus Christ.

Ask the 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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God Got You

                                                     When The Door Slams   

"Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you, and not one word of them has failed.  I am going to die.                                                                                                  Joshua 23:14

        Near the end of his life, Joshua took time with the Israelites to review all that God had done for them since they first began following Him. God had given them an impossible assignment: to conquer a foreign and hostile land with fortified cities and armies more powerful than their own. 

        The Israelites were to go forward with nothing more than God's promise that He would go with them and take care of them. Now Joshua looked back over their experience and reminded the Israelites that God had kept every promise, God got you. They had experienced numerous victories and had enjoyed God's provision for every need, God got you.

        Think about this: Sometimes hindsight gives us a clear picture of how faithful God has been. We are tempted during a crisis to wonder if God will be faithful to His promises. We focus on our problems, and our trust in God begins to waver. Twenty-four years after God promised Abraham and Sarah a son, they were still waiting on God to fulfill His promise. But in the twenty-fifth year, Abraham and Sarah could look back and see that God had been faithful, God got you. 

        As David was fleeing for his life, he may have been uncertain how God would keep His promise to make him a king. But at the end of his long and prosperous reign, David review how God kept every promise, God got you.

        We, too, can rely on God's faithfulness. Are you in a crisis? Hold on to the promises of your Lord! He will not forget you. He will not forget His promises to you. As I look back over my Christian life and recount the many ways in which God has been faithful to His Word. God got me. 

Ask the 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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We Choose Our Own Direction

                                                When The Door Slams

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.                                 James 4:8

        There may be times when God seems far away. You may feel as if your prayers go unheard. James said there is a simple reason for this and a solution. If you are far from God, it is because your sin has separated you from Him.

        God is unchanging. His character stays absolutely holy. His faithfulness remans constant; it is we who change. We allow sin into our lives. We choose our own direction. We spend less and less time with Jesus in Bible study and prayer. Than one day we realize that we have gradually grown distant from God. The solution, according to James, is straightforward. We are to draw near to God. As we realize our need to be close to the Father and we begin to return to Him, God meets us even as the father hurried to greet his prodigal son (Luke 15:20). 

    Think about this: Drawing near to God requires you to take two actions. First, you must cleanse your hands (Isa. 1:15). You must cleanse your way of living. If you have been actively engaged in sin, you must renounce it. If you have done anything to offend or hurt someone, you must make it right. 

        Second, you are to purify your heart (Ps. 51:10). You must make certain your attitudes, thoughts, and motives are right in God's eyes and are in agreement with God's Word. Jesus warned that you cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). It is impossible to love anything else as much as you love God and still please Him. If God seems distant, do what is necessary to cleanse your hands, purify your heart, and draw near to Him.

Ask the 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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Alternative Truth Is A Demonic Deception

                                                        When The Door Slams

Therefore, putting away lying, each one speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. "Be angry, and do not sin" do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. (Eph. 4:25-27). Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (Eph. 5:6-8).   

        Because you are a Christian, your life ought to be fill with truth. When you were born again, God put the Spirit of truth in you (John 16:13). The Spirit's role is to guide you into all truth. The Spirit wants to fill your mind with whatever is true (Phil. 4:8). If you allow the Spirit to fill you with God's truth, you will be truthful in your actions and in your relationships. According to Jesus, this means that your yes will always mean yes, and your no will always mean no (Matt. 5:33-37).

        This world considers truth optional. Deception fill every corner of society because the prince of this world is the author and father of lies (John 8:44). From his first contact with people, Satan has been lying to them and persuading them to live in alternative true rather than God's truth.

        Think about this: The world will tempt you to compromise the truth. You may be fooled into thinking that you can accomplish greater good by withholding God's truth. That is a demonic deception. You cannot use deception to see the kingdom of God! God refuses to use sinful means to accomplish His holy purposes. You may be tempted to live a lie by projecting a false image of yourself. Jesus condemned this as hypocrisy (Luke 12:56). When you lie, you deceive yourself in your tempt to conceal the truth. When you repent and confess God's truth will you be forgiven and set free (James 5:16). 

        What you say reflects what is in your heart (Matt. 12:34). If your heart is filled with deception, your mouth will speak falsehood. Ask God to fill you with His, Holy Spirit truth so that you find lies and deceptions, in any form, you hated it, you can't stand it, just so wrong and a deep hurt.                                           

Ask the 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