Category Archives: Forgiveness

Christian Living, Forgiveness, Repentance, Salvation

I’m Happy!

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It is Friday morning as I begin to write for our Monday time together. I’ve been in my office (if you don’t know it’s a multi purpose room across the hall from where we sleep. A really easy commute to work :) Know what I mean? Anyway I’ve been here) since 9:25 this morning. Not that all that matters.

So in my on-line Bible study homework, Leah has us studying holiness. She asked that we identify people and/or things that cause us to not practice holiness. Like it or not, the answer is ME. No aggravating soul or malfunctioning piece of equipment can cause me to sin UNLESS I choose  to. I don’t like that much, but facts are facts.

And before coming to the office this morning, DADDY GOD and I were conversing about things and I came to this conclusion: Acting in ungodly ways may be a bit more easy to do than we have previously imagined. Let me explain myself.

We think of ungodly acts as immoral, cruel sins that other folks do. And without a doubt that is true. And before I go on, let me say I am not here to put a guilt trip on anyone — not even my beloved! Without reservation I tell you I am convinced that guilt comes from the devil (Conviction comes from ABBA and there’s a HUGE difference) and any time we, anyone, attempts to use ‘guilt’ to coerce/manipulate man, woman, or child into making changes (even good ones)  or behaving the way we want them to we are using a tool from Satan’s tool box — and we need to put it away and not use it again! ABBA has much better tools for us to use!!

 But back to ungodly being more than we may have until now allowed ourselves to believe it is. Try this on for size.

ANYTHING we do that God would NOT do is ungodly.

Do you really think JESUS left His socks on the floor in the den for His mother to pick up and put in the laundry room? Do you really think when He was finished with the screwdriver, He just laid in down and walked off and left it there for Joseph to put away?  Neither do I! And when we do such things — you got it! That’s ungodly.

I’m just saying. . .  . 

1 Peter 1: (New King James Version)15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

1 John 1: (New King James Version)8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In these last some odd days or weeks I have become much more aware of the depraved state of the heart of man, particularly my own. It may be surprising to some, I am not depressed about it. Rather, I am rejoicing that I see it!  You see we sin a whole lot more than we think we do. We are much more undone than we think we are. So why am I rejoicing at this? Because more and more I KNOW Romans 8:1 is true. Romans 8: (New King James Version)1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

So when I see and admit the depravity of my own flesh I rejoice all the more that I am forgiven and my precious sweet JESUS is taking great interest in me to crucify my flesh so He can live through me. And to the degree that I allow Him to do so, is the degree that I rejoice the more and more.

I know this makes no sense to the natural mind, but you know what –I don’t care! Because it makes perfect, holy, godly sense to the mind of CHRIST within me. And I’m happy! Actually I’m Asher!!

Thank You. Thank You, ABBA, for making me asher!! And when this post reaches the eyes of our IDOKs I pray they will get asher too! I love You, ABBA, in JESUS Name, I love You. You know our hearts and our prayers for all our PRAYING FOR THESE and our IDOK Troops and this great Nation in need of repentance. Amen and amen.    

Until then  + + +
Kathie

Forgiveness, Repentance

Got Milk?

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May I just throw some notes on this page for your Monday review?

Doing my workbook assignment has given me a chance to visit several books of Holy Writ today and I’ve had a really good time!

One such reading was at Joshua 7: 1-26 and I made some notes and highlighted a couple verses as follows (more or less):

v. 9 “ For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name?” (NASB)

Joshua was praying here after a serious military defeat and, I think, Joshua got a little emotional and had some temporary memory loss.  :)  I think he was afraid (but then who wouldn’t be) and forgot Who he was talking to. So I’m sitting here safely in my chair, how many millenniums later, talk about arm-chair quarterbacking! –  and thinking had he remembered God’s promise to Abraham he would have prayed differently. He might have said to himself as he prepared to pray, ‘okay, we will not be completely destroyed, the Messiah has been promised to us. But something is definitely big time wrong here, we need to do something, but what?’

But, honesty and integrity demand that I ask myself, would I, do I, when I am deep in the ‘trenches’ of fear, defeat, failure, disappointment, loss, lack, etc., etc. remember the promises YAHWEH has made to me?  How about you?

And I could end right here and it would be a word for all of us to remember. Remember and do better. And I want that for us. To learn to do better. And we will.

But then you would wonder why the title is ‘Got Milk?’.

You see this military defeat was brought about because there was sin in the camp.

The LORD responded to Joshua’s prayer, in part, this way:

13.   . . . you cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.” (NASB)

Would you like to know what I get from this for us today? Good. Remember that commercial, ‘Got milk?’ Yes? Well, . . .

Got practicing, hidden sin in your heart (life)?

Then you can expect defeat.

We cannot expect the lavish favor of God upon our lives when we are harboring sin of any kind within our hearts or our practice.  Neither can we expect to meet additional temptation without defeat if we are practicing hidden sin.
Our only hope is to R E P E N T.
And then we will be strengthened and blessed.

1 John 1: (New International Version, ©2010)9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Now THAT is good news! GREAT news!  Big sins, little sins (in our estimation), ALL sins — when we repent (that is finally agree with Him that it is sin and be willing to turn from it), HE will forgive and cleanse! And we get to start over again!

Got Milk? Deal with it before it sours and makes a really stinky mess!

I am grateful, ABBA, that You are LORD over all things; all that concerns us as well as those things that we are not even privy to, to concern us. I commend now our Readers to You for blessings. Thank You for this lesson. I pray You will use it to bless and minister in JESUS’ name. I bring as well our IDOK Troops, and every concern of every Reader now and for as long as Readers come to these pages, asking that You tend us as You will to honor JESUS and conform us to His Image. Amen and amen.

For those of you who read from your email inboxes and have not visited THE WHITE STONE online for a while, let me invite you to visit again.  I hope you will find some fun things and encouraging ones as well.

Until Tuesday!

Kathie

Scripture passages above were obtained from Biblegateway.com

Forgiveness

Horizontal Let Go

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IDOK Devotion for Friday, November 19, 2010

Today I heard Chris Shook say:

” A Loving relationship is as much about what you let go of as much as what you hold on to.”

How would that revolutionize our relationships with spouses, children, family, friends?

Letting go of our ‘right to hold it against them’ does not let them off the hook . . . it lets US off the hook!

Forgiveness.  One of the greatest gifts ever given to mankind. The only one that tops it is LOVE.  And yet these gifts come wrapped together, for only love enables one to forgive. And forgiveness enables us to love.

So what do you need to let go of so a loving relationship can continue? And will you do it?

Philippians 3: (New American Standard Bible) 13Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Obedience to these verses matures us as Christians  and yet as we embrace them for JESUS sake, to know Him and become more like Him, we will find ourselves letting go horizontally, giving way for other relationships to keep on going and going.

Sweet Blessings Be upon each of you this weekend!

Praying for These

Holy hugs, kt