Or
~ The "Grace" We Never Consider ~
The LORD our GOD tailor-makes each circumstance in our individual lives.
DO we believe that?
We credit The LORD with bringing good things to us. Do we thank HIM+ when hard, frightful, and grievous things to be borne come our way too?
Many... yes, even most... of those grievous and injurious things come about due to our own head-strongness and our own fault:
- for ignoring HIS+ Word,
- for running after the world,
- for indulging ourselves with foods that are not good for the human body
- for indulging ourselves with "good" distractions of this life which actually work a distance between us and GOD,
- for ignoring His+ Truth in all areas,
- for not listening to His+ still, small voice.
We ignore the checks in our spirit that HE+ sends telling us to quit eating ( etc.), or not go out to the store, or quiet down with HIM+ ... instead of filling our hours with endless "good" activities.
We refuse to deal with our pouting spirit, our self-pity, our tiny secret grudges... and they eventually show up in our words and attitudes.
Of course, we may not PLAN to talk in a derogatory way about him/her... but it pops out of us unexpectedly when someone gives us the least amount of sympathy, or shows us any concern.
Thus, we end up in a mess of our own making.
Some of these circumstances can be altered; some cannot and are irrevocably in place for as long as we live on planet earth.
But, do we realize that these "circumstances" are permitted to occur ... for weal or for woe ... SO THAT The LORD can bring our attention to the areas in which we ourselves are weak ?.
If we wallow in self-pity and smart at being rejected, The LORD ... in HIS+ Divine GRACE... allows that to happen to us to show us our weakness in HIM+.
HE+ uses this to show us WHERE we are weak and vulnerable to the enemy.
HE+ wants to show us WHERE to focus "our work" in the inner man, to become strong in CHRIST.
It is not pleasant.
HE+ uses this to show us WHERE we are weak and vulnerable to the enemy.
HE+ wants to show us WHERE to focus "our work" in the inner man, to become strong in CHRIST.
It is not pleasant.
THAT is GRACE
that we receive from HIM+
which we never consider as "grace"
... because we do not like it.
HE+ allows these messes to occur in our lives UNTIL... when ?
- UNTIL we learn to respond in a CHRIST-like manner to that particular besetting circumstance. Loving. Kind. Gentle. Teachable, teachable, teachable.
- UNTIL we learn to respond to the Adamic nature in us ( that nature which should have died out in the waters of Holy Baptism ) by refusing to wallow in the "old man's" way of responding.
- UNTIL we learn to fight against our OWN NATURE instead of somebody else's behavior and nature.
- UNTIL we learn to face the family spirits that have controlled each of our family lines for years and RENOUNCE THEM SOUNDLY, saying,
"NO, you wicked spirit, I do NOT belong to you; I belong to CHRIST JESUS. I will NOT listen to your lies any longer. I am free to be controlled by the Spirit of CHRIST JESUS and NOT by you . "
These irritating, vexing, grievous, un-ending trials of rejection, hatefulness, and even sickness are allowed to beset us UNTIL we learn to overcome them.
By faith?
Yes, but not the "rev-yourself-up-to-believe-it" type of faith.
.
Rather...
Rather...
.
the faith that comes from STANDING against our own ways, our own paths of thinking, our own paths of self-indulgence, our "pet" comforts... and fighting the GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH in the Spirit against our own, old Adamic nature.
Not one of us
should be the target
of the spirits of rejection.
Yes, we may
indeed be rejected,
but it should not affect our inner man.
It should NOT change
our Christ-like manner
or affect our thinking...
about ourselves or others.
We MUST fight the GOOD FIGHT of FAITH and stand on HIS+ Truth: HE+ loves each one of us dearly.
HE+ will fight the enemy for us ... and has already done so... and WON !
HE+ will fight the enemy for us ... and has already done so... and WON !
We only need to stand in this Truth:
"nothing shall by any means hurt us."
That TRUTH will set us free.
Free to be CHRIST-like.
Hear the Words of JESUS our LORD:
All authority is given unto ME+
in Heaven and on earth.
in Heaven and on earth.
Behold, I+ give unto you
authority to tread
authority to tread
on serpents
(opheOn = sharp-eyed ones, not snakes, the reptiles)
(opheOn = sharp-eyed ones, not snakes, the reptiles)
and scorpions
and over ALL the power
of the enemy,
and NOTHING shall by any means hurt you.
~
LORD, I believe; Help THOU+ mine unbelief.
~
JESUS said: Woman, thou are loosed
from thine infirmity.
~
Rise up and walk !
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