fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383 
|
Post by fearnot on Mar 4, 2021 11:31:08 GMT -5
I am so glad you included that about taking our thoughts captive!!!
I know, one of the things,
I always thought would be the worst
( well except eternal suffering in Hell)
would to be tortured.
And although, it could very well be,
extreme pain,etc......
what always amazed me, is reading about some of the martyrs....
being tortured in horrible ways....
and yet, for example,
( I do not remember which martyr it was)
actually rebuked the torturer...
because the martyr said,
that by stopping, the torturer, had interrupted the angels ministering to him.
So it is kind of like, we can't have dying grace,
until
we are actually dying.....
so what is the point of fearing either of those?
And yet, we sometimes do...
but then,
taking our thoughts captive
( and replacing with God's thoughts)
is the cure.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
|
Post by fearnot on Mar 4, 2021 11:35:47 GMT -5
My words are in this color
the Bible scriptures are in this color
So when fear comes knocking at the Christians door,
here is something to remember:
6 So he said to me,
“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
‘Not by might
nor by power,
but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
Zechariah 4:6
We are often prone to think,
we do not have enough power or might....
and we are right!
What ever we do in the material
or especially, in the spiritual world,
We only have lasting effect,
if done by God spirit.
Even someone as bold as the apostle Paul,
was told by Jesus
that is was God whose grace, and power was
what was needed.
9 But he said to me,
“My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
That way, the glory goes to God,
and not us sinners.
Even the fear of death,
Jesus died to free us from the fear of death:
14 Since the children have flesh and blood,
he too shared in their humanity
so that by his death
he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—
that is, the devil—
15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Hebrews 2:14,15
God can do more than we can even imagine
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power
that is at work within us,
Ephesians 3:20
I for one am looking forward to the day,
when 'fear' no longer exists at all.
We know one way to hasten that,
is to take our thoughts captive.
Another way is:
18 There is no fear in love.
But perfect love drives out fear,
because fear has to do with punishment.
The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18
I think an imperfect love, is a very self-centered 'love'.
A love that has fear of harm coming to the man or woman...
that might make a husband hesitate to save a wife, from a burning car,
or fight a dog that is mauling their child.
But most parents and husbands, wives, mothers, etc.
loose all fear...
when their loved ones are in harm's way.
Fear is completely banished, as they do fearless feats,
to protect or save their loved ones.
Love wins!
As Jesus said:
4 “I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid
of those who kill the body
and after that can do no more.
Luke 12:4
and here is another verse about fear:
15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves,
so that you live in fear again;
rather,
the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.”
Romans 8:15
Done for Today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 5, 2021 9:20:47 GMT -5
I am so glad you included that about taking our thoughts captive!!!
I know, one of the things,
I always thought would be the worst
( well except eternal suffering in Hell)
would to be tortured.
And although, it could very well be,
extreme pain,etc......
what always amazed me, is reading about some of the martyrs....
being tortured in horrible ways....
and yet, for example,
( I do not remember which martyr it was)
actually rebuked the torturer...
because the martyr said,
that by stopping, the torturer, had interrupted the angels ministering to him.
So it is kind of like, we can't have dying grace,
until
we are actually dying.....
so what is the point of fearing either of those?
And yet, we sometimes do...
but then,
taking our thoughts captive
( and replacing with God's thoughts)
is the cure. Exactly! For some reason, most people, (including me for a long time) seem to skip right over that last word in the sentence that says God gives us self discipline. I think we ignore it because it's not something we really want, or rather or sin natures don't want it. But God gives it to us so we can obey Him. God is just so amazing!
My words are in this color
the Bible scriptures are in this color
So when fear comes knocking at the Christians door,
here is something to remember:
6 So he said to me,
“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
‘Not by might
nor by power,
but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
Zechariah 4:6
We are often prone to think,
we do not have enough power or might....
and we are right!
What ever we do in the material
or especially, in the spiritual world,
We only have lasting effect,
if done by God spirit.
Even someone as bold as the apostle Paul,
was told by Jesus
that is was God whose grace, and power was
what was needed.
9 But he said to me,
“My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
That way, the glory goes to God,
and not us sinners.
Even the fear of death,
Jesus died to free us from the fear of death:
14 Since the children have flesh and blood,
he too shared in their humanity
so that by his death
he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—
that is, the devil—
15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Hebrews 2:14,15
God can do more than we can even imagine
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power
that is at work within us,
Ephesians 3:20
I for one am looking forward to the day,
when 'fear' no longer exists at all.
We know one way to hasten that,
is to take our thoughts captive.
Another way is:
18 There is no fear in love.
But perfect love drives out fear,
because fear has to do with punishment.
The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18
I think an imperfect love, is a very self-centered 'love'.
A love that has fear of harm coming to the man or woman...
that might make a husband hesitate to save a wife, from a burning car,
or fight a dog that is mauling their child.
But most parents and husbands, wives, mothers, etc.
loose all fear...
when their loved ones are in harm's way.
Fear is completely banished, as they do fearless feats,
to protect or save their loved ones.
Love wins!
As Jesus said:
4 “I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid
of those who kill the body
and after that can do no more.
Luke 12:4
and here is another verse about fear:
15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves,
so that you live in fear again;
rather,
the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.”
Romans 8:15
Done for Today
 Well said!!! You've done a great job on this subject! |
|
fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
|
Post by fearnot on Mar 5, 2021 11:06:25 GMT -5
Thank you Cindy!
As you already know,
fear has always been one of my 'issues'...
thus I choose the user name 'fearnot'.
And God does address it a lot in His Word, the Bible. :)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
|
Post by fearnot on Mar 5, 2021 11:21:36 GMT -5
My words are in this color
the Bible scriptures are in this color
I think that from time to time,
even a saved believer,
who is wanting to draw nearer to God.....
will be besieged with bouts of doubts,
every now and again.....
thus, 'they will, for a moment,
fear' punishment from God.
Oddly enough,
the unsaved don't suffer that fear...
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Romans 3:18
Perhaps, the unsaved,
because of ignorance,
are not truly realizing,
the eternal danger they are heading towards.
8 But the cowardly,
the unbelieving,
the vile,
the murderers,
the sexually immoral,
those who practice magic arts,
the idolaters and all liars—
they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death.”
Revelation 21:8
In their case, a healthy does of fear, would be prudent!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
The unsaved, is without 'fear' because,
they have bought the lie,
there is no God,
so they are not expecting,
any punishment for their sins.
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
Psalm 10:4
The believer need not have fear of punishment tho,
Because Jesus paid the full price for our sins:
23 For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
and:
17 This is how love is made complete among us
so that we will have confidence
on the day of judgment:
In this world we are like Jesus.
1 John 4:17
In a sense, the unsaved, are enslaved
to fear.
They build their lives,
around everything, and anything,
that they believe,
might,
protect them from having to be afraid...
Those with enough money go to these lengths and more:
guarded homes,
acquiring tons of money, in bank accounts all over the world,
body guards,
specialized cooks,
exercise coaches,
in home doctors,
etc etc etc.
Yet, even the poorest, unsaved person,
will do whatever they can,
within their means....
to be 'safe' from fear.
However, in trying to avoid
being in fear.....
fear is calling all the shots!
But for the believer,
this is our absolute truth and Biblical motto, to live by is:
4 You, dear children,
are from God
and have overcome them,
because the one who is in you
is greater than
the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4
The Christian can dump fear,
because, he or she,
is loved by God.
I am reminded of the song often sung in Sunday school
( at least, it was, in the past)
Jesus loves me,
this I know,
for the Bible tells me so!
27 No, the Father himself loves you
because you have loved me
and have believed that I came from God.
John 16:27
And this verse
9 Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Also this one:
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Done for Today
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|
fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
|
Post by fearnot on Mar 6, 2021 11:24:29 GMT -5
My words are in this color
Bible scripture is in this color.
I've looked a little at how to drive out fear,
this verse is one of the biggest helps, in this matter:
18 There is no fear in love.
But perfect love drives out fear,
because fear has to do with punishment.
The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18
And added to that:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
Romans 8:1
If God does not condemn us,
because of what Jesus has paid for us,
( Jesus died on the Cross to pay for all our sins)
We have no reason to fear.....
because,our eternal destiny, is set,
in love and peace.
John said what he wrote was to:
4 We write this to make our joy complete.
1 John 1:4
And most assuredly,
by our knowing
that we will be
( and are now in this life),
eternally, loved....
is in fact, joy complete!
There cannot be any fear,
in that knowledge.
What do humans want more than anything?
Even in fear, we cry out to be loved.
And to be divinely loved,
banishes all fear.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another,
for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God
and knows God.
1 John 4:7
Yet, someone may say:
I agree, to be secure in God's love,
is the greatest of all joy....
BUT....
There are other things
( tho ultimately, lesser)
things to fear,
in this life, like:
'Mankind'
which can be the cruelest of all.
And what does God say about this fear?
Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
Proverbs 29:25
The 'safe' in that verse, is 'eternally' safe
It does not mean,
a human will never, hurt us,
torture us,
or kill us,
in this life.
God even speaks to this threat:
28 Do not be afraid
of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul.
Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
And God says this:
I, even I, am he who comforts you.
Who are you
that you fear mere mortals,
human beings who are but grass,
Isaiah 51:12
But, Some might be apt to say
( like me)...
But, but, but
'they'
can kill you!
And what does God say to that?
He says, yes, it is true,
'they', can kill you!
But.....
4 “I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
and after that can do no more.
Luke 12:4
Once you have died,
You are forever with Jesus,
Your life in eternity with Him,
will be filled forever,
with love,
joy,
peace,
endless beauty,
endless creativity,
wonders we cannot even imagine
etc., etc., etc.
This verse is true in this life,
but even infinitely more in the next:
20 Now to him who is able
to do immeasurably more
than all we ask
or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us,
Ephesians 3:20
Done for Today
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|
fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
|
Post by fearnot on Mar 7, 2021 11:10:40 GMT -5
My words will be in this color
and Bible scripture in this color
To be clear, there is 'fear' that is a sin,
because one is not trusting in God....
And another type of 'fear' that is,
missing,
in the unsaved,
a fear, the unsaved 'ought' to have......
a 'fear' of God,
because they do not acknowledge God.
I wonder if any unsaved person ever wondered at
Our Lord, Jesus, odd comment,
when He physically died?
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said,
“It is finished.”
With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30
Jesus said "IT" is 'finished',
not....
I am 'finished'
So what was completed?
For one thing, it was a love,
that only God could perform.
He paid the price, for our having to spend eternity in Hell,
for our sins.
I imagine, the cancel culture of today,
desperately wants to cancel sin,
in hopes of eliminating 'fear':
32 Although they know God’s righteous decree
that those who do such things deserve death,
they not only continue to do these very things
but also approve of those who practice them.
Romans 1:32
And should someone happen to read this and think,
it only refers to a bunch of sexual sins
( which are in fact, included)
The list of sins, is way more extensive!
For example:
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God,
so God gave them over to a depraved mind,
so that they do what ought not to be done.
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness,
evil,
greed
and depravity.
They are full of envy,
murder,
strife,
deceit
and
malice.
They are gossips,
30 slanderers,
God-haters,
insolent,
arrogant
and boastful;
they invent ways of doing evil;
they disobey their parents;
31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
Romans 1:28-31
It is a false 'love' to wink at sin,
In fact, that is not love at all.
God does not do so,
and He loves us beyond what we can ever imagine!
It is foolish to not be in fear, of God.
If we 'choose' to love our sin....
instead of the God that loves us.
we are lacking, an eternal, and essential 'fear'.
God poured out His love, for us....
Jesus did that,
when He died on the cross,
He poured out His blood,
because, He so loved us.
God continues to pour out His love for us:
5 And hope does not put us to shame,
because God’s love
has been poured out
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,
who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5
You might think, the unsaved,
would say to the Christian:
"Oh I pity you!
Because you believe in sin, errors, wrong doing, evil, etc. etc.
You are missing out in wallowing with us,
in the mud, manure, dung" etc.
However, that is not what they say, do, or think.
Instead they 'hate' the Christian,
and their list of
condemnations against us,
is very very long!
Today is Sunday, so I need to get ready for church.
Done for today
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|
Post by Cindy on Mar 8, 2021 11:56:12 GMT -5
Thank you Cindy!
As you already know,
fear has always been one of my 'issues'...
thus I choose the user name 'fearnot'.
And God does address it a lot in His Word, the Bible. :)
My words are in this color
the Bible scriptures are in this color
I think that from time to time,
even a saved believer,
who is wanting to draw nearer to God.....
will be besieged with bouts of doubts,
every now and again.....
thus, 'they will, for a moment,
fear' punishment from God.
Oddly enough,
the unsaved don't suffer that fear...
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Romans 3:18
Perhaps, the unsaved,
because of ignorance,
are not truly realizing,
the eternal danger they are heading towards.
8 But the cowardly,
the unbelieving,
the vile,
the murderers,
the sexually immoral,
those who practice magic arts,
the idolaters and all liars—
they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death.”
Revelation 21:8
In their case, a healthy does of fear, would be prudent!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
The unsaved, is without 'fear' because,
they have bought the lie,
there is no God,
so they are not expecting,
any punishment for their sins.
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
Psalm 10:4
The believer need not have fear of punishment tho,
Because Jesus paid the full price for our sins:
23 For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
and:
17 This is how love is made complete among us
so that we will have confidence
on the day of judgment:
In this world we are like Jesus.
1 John 4:17
In a sense, the unsaved, are enslaved
to fear.
They build their lives,
around everything, and anything,
that they believe,
might,
protect them from having to be afraid...
Those with enough money go to these lengths and more:
guarded homes,
acquiring tons of money, in bank accounts all over the world,
body guards,
specialized cooks,
exercise coaches,
in home doctors,
etc etc etc.
Yet, even the poorest, unsaved person,
will do whatever they can,
within their means....
to be 'safe' from fear.
However, in trying to avoid
being in fear.....
fear is calling all the shots!
But for the believer,
this is our absolute truth and Biblical motto, to live by is:
4 You, dear children,
are from God
and have overcome them,
because the one who is in you
is greater than
the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4
The Christian can dump fear,
because, he or she,
is loved by God.
I am reminded of the song often sung in Sunday school
( at least, it was, in the past)
Jesus loves me,
this I know,
for the Bible tells me so!
27 No, the Father himself loves you
because you have loved me
and have believed that I came from God.
John 16:27
And this verse
9 Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Also this one:
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Done for Today
My words are in this color
Bible scripture is in this color.
I've looked a little at how to drive out fear,
this verse is one of the biggest helps, in this matter:
18 There is no fear in love.
But perfect love drives out fear,
because fear has to do with punishment.
The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18
And added to that:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
Romans 8:1
If God does not condemn us,
because of what Jesus has paid for us,
( Jesus died on the Cross to pay for all our sins)
We have no reason to fear.....
because,our eternal destiny, is set,
in love and peace.
John said what he wrote was to:
4 We write this to make our joy complete.
1 John 1:4
And most assuredly,
by our knowing
that we will be
( and are now in this life),
eternally, loved....
is in fact, joy complete!
There cannot be any fear,
in that knowledge.
What do humans want more than anything?
Even in fear, we cry out to be loved.
And to be divinely loved,
banishes all fear.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another,
for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God
and knows God.
1 John 4:7
Yet, someone may say:
I agree, to be secure in God's love,
is the greatest of all joy....
BUT....
There are other things
( tho ultimately, lesser)
things to fear,
in this life, like:
'Mankind'
which can be the cruelest of all.
And what does God say about this fear?
Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
Proverbs 29:25
The 'safe' in that verse, is 'eternally' safe
It does not mean,
a human will never, hurt us,
torture us,
or kill us,
in this life.
God even speaks to this threat:
28 Do not be afraid
of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul.
Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
And God says this:
I, even I, am he who comforts you.
Who are you
that you fear mere mortals,
human beings who are but grass,
Isaiah 51:12
But, Some might be apt to say
( like me)...
But, but, but
'they'
can kill you!
And what does God say to that?
He says, yes, it is true,
'they', can kill you!
But.....
4 “I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
and after that can do no more.
Luke 12:4
Once you have died,
You are forever with Jesus,
Your life in eternity with Him,
will be filled forever,
with love,
joy,
peace,
endless beauty,
endless creativity,
wonders we cannot even imagine
etc., etc., etc.
This verse is true in this life,
but even infinitely more in the next:
20 Now to him who is able
to do immeasurably more
than all we ask
or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us,
Ephesians 3:20
Done for Today
My words will be in this color
and Bible scripture in this color
To be clear, there is 'fear' that is a sin,
because one is not trusting in God....
And another type of 'fear' that is,
missing,
in the unsaved,
a fear, the unsaved 'ought' to have......
a 'fear' of God,
because they do not acknowledge God.
I wonder if any unsaved person ever wondered at
Our Lord, Jesus, odd comment,
when He physically died?
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said,
“It is finished.”
With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30
Jesus said "IT" is 'finished',
not....
I am 'finished'
So what was completed?
For one thing, it was a love,
that only God could perform.
He paid the price, for our having to spend eternity in Hell,
for our sins.
I imagine, the cancel culture of today,
desperately wants to cancel sin,
in hopes of eliminating 'fear':
32 Although they know God’s righteous decree
that those who do such things deserve death,
they not only continue to do these very things
but also approve of those who practice them.
Romans 1:32
And should someone happen to read this and think,
it only refers to a bunch of sexual sins
( which are in fact, included)
The list of sins, is way more extensive!
For example:
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God,
so God gave them over to a depraved mind,
so that they do what ought not to be done.
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness,
evil,
greed
and depravity.
They are full of envy,
murder,
strife,
deceit
and
malice.
They are gossips,
30 slanderers,
God-haters,
insolent,
arrogant
and boastful;
they invent ways of doing evil;
they disobey their parents;
31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
Romans 1:28-31
It is a false 'love' to wink at sin,
In fact, that is not love at all.
God does not do so,
and He loves us beyond what we can ever imagine!
It is foolish to not be in fear, of God.
If we 'choose' to love our sin....
instead of the God that loves us.
we are lacking, an eternal, and essential 'fear'.
God poured out His love, for us....
Jesus did that,
when He died on the cross,
He poured out His blood,
because, He so loved us.
God continues to pour out His love for us:
5 And hope does not put us to shame,
because God’s love
has been poured out
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,
who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5
You might think, the unsaved,
would say to the Christian:
"Oh I pity you!
Because you believe in sin, errors, wrong doing, evil, etc. etc.
You are missing out in wallowing with us,
in the mud, manure, dung" etc.
However, that is not what they say, do, or think.
Instead they 'hate' the Christian,
and their list of
condemnations against us,
is very very long!
Today is Sunday, so I need to get ready for church.
Done for today
|
|
fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
|
Post by fearnot on Mar 8, 2021 12:11:15 GMT -5
My words are in this color
Biblical scriptures is in this color
Fear, can be, I think,
the 2nd strongest 'motivator'.
It can be exploited and used,
by the unscrupulous unsaved,
to enslave people.
So many things to fear....
The Bible is clear,
we do have lots of things, we fear:
I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4
Looking at our world today,
just look at what the fear of dying
of covid,
has done,
world wide!
Another fear, that is greatly plaguing the world,
is saying
or thinking,
the wrong thing......
and thus being,
'canceled',
by the cancel culture!!
7 Much dreaming
and many words are meaningless.
Therefore fear God.
Ecclesiastes 5:7
Then, there is the fear that:
The world's environment is dying,
and thus we must cherish,
yea,
we must 'worship' :
the environment,
'mother earth'
Gaia,
the 'creation':
25 because they exchanged the truth about God
for a lie
and worshiped
and served
the creature
rather than the Creator,
who is blessed forever! Amen.
Romans 1:25
There are just so many many fears.
that the deceitful, unethical, power hungry...
can use to coerce, shackle, subjugate,
and use, to take away people's freedom,
and exploit them.
Even worse, is that fear,
that will eventually,
turn many people,
who then, out of fear,
do terrifying things,
in order
to avoid...
'temporary' suffering.
They do not do this
because of fear:
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
Proverbs 3:27
Some unsaved people,
exchange a small amount of time,
here on earth,
and perhaps
avoid most suffering,
but they also lose....
eternal mercy.
And strangely, fear
has some bed scary fellows, and compatriots
( or fear may give birth to them)
like:
hatred,
bitterness,
doubt
etc.
So what then is THE number one 'motivator',
if fear, is the number two motivator?
It is real true
love.
Instead of fearing those people, who wish to keep us in fear,
we remember this verse:
9 Only do not rebel against the Lord.
And do not fear the people of the land,
for they are bread for us.
Their protection is removed from them,
and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”
Numbers 14:9
We have to remember the heart of God,
towards His children.
Can we be in pain, suffer, die etc.
Yes, but that is not a reason to fear.
We are able to say this,
to the cancel culture:
8 He who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.
Who is my adversary?
Let him come near to me.
9 Behold, the Lord God helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment;
the moth will eat them up.
Isaiah 50:8,9
God does not change His mind about those that are His,
and that, is one of the best ways to alleviate all sorts of fears:
17 So when God desired to show more convincingly
to the heirs of the promise
the unchangeable character of his purpose,
he guaranteed it with an oath,
Hebrews 6:17
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 9, 2021 10:45:27 GMT -5
My words are in this color
Biblical scriptures is in this color
Fear, can be, I think,
the 2nd strongest 'motivator'.
It can be exploited and used,
by the unscrupulous unsaved,
to enslave people.
So many things to fear....
The Bible is clear,
we do have lots of things, we fear:
I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4
Looking at our world today,
just look at what the fear of dying
of covid,
has done,
world wide!
Another fear, that is greatly plaguing the world,
is saying
or thinking,
the wrong thing......
and thus being,
'canceled',
by the cancel culture!!
7 Much dreaming
and many words are meaningless.
Therefore fear God.
Ecclesiastes 5:7
Then, there is the fear that:
The world's environment is dying,
and thus we must cherish,
yea,
we must 'worship' :
the environment,
'mother earth'
Gaia,
the 'creation':
25 because they exchanged the truth about God
for a lie
and worshiped
and served
the creature
rather than the Creator,
who is blessed forever! Amen.
Romans 1:25
There are just so many many fears.
that the deceitful, unethical, power hungry...
can use to coerce, shackle, subjugate,
and use, to take away people's freedom,
and exploit them.
Even worse, is that fear,
that will eventually,
turn many people,
who then, out of fear,
do terrifying things,
in order
to avoid...
'temporary' suffering.
They do not do this
because of fear:
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
Proverbs 3:27
Some unsaved people,
exchange a small amount of time,
here on earth,
and perhaps
avoid most suffering,
but they also lose....
eternal mercy.
And strangely, fear
has some bed scary fellows, and compatriots
( or fear may give birth to them)
like:
hatred,
bitterness,
doubt
etc.
So what then is THE number one 'motivator',
if fear, is the number two motivator?
It is real true
love.
Instead of fearing those people, who wish to keep us in fear,
we remember this verse:
9 Only do not rebel against the Lord.
And do not fear the people of the land,
for they are bread for us.
Their protection is removed from them,
and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”
Numbers 14:9
We have to remember the heart of God,
towards His children.
Can we be in pain, suffer, die etc.
Yes, but that is not a reason to fear.
We are able to say this,
to the cancel culture:
8 He who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.
Who is my adversary?
Let him come near to me.
9 Behold, the Lord God helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment;
the moth will eat them up.
Isaiah 50:8,9
God does not change His mind about those that are His,
and that, is one of the best ways to alleviate all sorts of fears:
17 So when God desired to show more convincingly
to the heirs of the promise
the unchangeable character of his purpose,
he guaranteed it with an oath,
Hebrews 6:17
Done for today
 Well said! I love the scriptures you choose to show what you're saying is true!
I wrote something yesterday that is about fear too, although I hadn't really thought of it that way at first. But it's about the fear many parents have when their child or grandchild is going through a crisis, such as thinking they're homosexual or transgender, or any other types of family crisis that can cause a parent to worry that their child will block them out of their life if they don't give in to what they want. I've watched so many families go through this type of thing and most of them tend to give in to that fear. I've listened to the mother cry saying, "I don't want to lose my son". But what she isn't realizing is that her choice isn't about losing her son, it's about telling the truth so she can gain her son for eternity. But when asked to choose between possibly winning her son to be with her for eternity against the mere possibility that he may shut her out of his life now if she didn't give in to him, she gave in. My heart broke for both of them. What she didn't realize was that she had nothing to fear. Let first show why these parents shouldn't trust themselves. Most of these are pretty self explanatory: “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.” (Proverbs 28:26) Not only is it foolish to trust yourself and your ideas, it's worse:
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” (Proverbs 29:25) Trusting yourself and your ideas will wind up being a snare to trap you in!
““The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) Instead we need to trust the Lord and obey His Word; or as the old hymn said, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." We especially need to trust the Lord and His Word because we can't trust our own feelings and thoughts as they are corrupted (Titus 1:15). “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) God answers that question saying only He can know what's in our hearts. The Lord encourages us to trust in Him: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.” (Proverbs 3:5–7) So if you choose to fear God and trust Him with the situation, then what will He do? How can you know what kind of advice the Lord would give you in His Word? “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17). So obviously the Lord isn't interested in hurting your loved one or "making them pay" for their sin, or something like that. Nor does He want to do that to you! After all: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
But the Lord also warns us about not being obedient, and He told the people this even before they were saved, as He wanted them to know what their salvation would cost them: ““If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 14:26–30) Jesus obviously didn't mean we should literally hate our parents, children, or spouse. After all, He tells us over and over to love everyone. What He is saying is that we must love Him much more then we love our own close earthly family members. If we do love Him most of all, then we won't be tempted to just "keep the peace" and "not rock the boat." Instead, we will obey God's Word and lovingly tell the person the truth. We need to realize that loving our children and other loved ones doesn't mean that we give them whatever they want. That's the opposite of love, for many things could harm them. If they want to play with fire when they're 2 years old, we certainly aren't going to let them! Then why would we let them do other dangerous things when they're older? God gives us the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, and we should always use that to double check our actions and words toward others. Another way we can get a very good picture of what real love looks like is bey checking out all the "one another's" in the New Testament. For those tell us how we're to treat each other and that's always with love! Here's an example of one of them: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:10)
While I've seen many families broken up and badly hurt because their parents feared and because of their fear, they gave in to their child (or whichever family member was in crisis) I have known of a few where the parents were obedient and those families came out the other side of the crisis with a stronger faith and a fantastic testimony. It didn't happen overnight though. In one case it took almost a year. In another that I'm aware of it took a bunch of years, close to 10 if I recall correctly.
I hope I explained this ok....I feel like there's more to be said. But maybe you can add more too it Barbara... |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 9, 2021 12:13:48 GMT -5
Excellent points Cindy!
I will add to it, but only get a start today, a I am sick with a cold....the first this year.
I didn't sleep much last night so..... sniff sniff :(
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
|
Post by fearnot on Mar 9, 2021 12:34:11 GMT -5
My words will be in this color
and Bible scriptures in this color.
Talk about a topic,
that can be super intimidating,
able to cause knees to shake in fear,
A 'hot potato',
emotionally heated,
terrifying,
aggressive,
etc. etc.
It would be the gay rights,
transgender,
LBGTQ movement
etc.!
It is soooooo much easier to cave in,
and/or
be quite, don't address this at all!
and do not be:
a 'truth' teller...
out of fear of
at the very least
being severely rebuked!
And there is so much
confusion,
and
propaganda,
and
brainwashing, etc.
Even Christians
( especially, very liberal Christians)
are confused, afraid, and very very apt to cave in,
to the social justice warriors.
I think for believers,
we have to decide:
is the Bible
inerrant, without error,
the ONLY Divine authority,?
I believe it is:
16 All
Scripture
is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:16
That verse does NOT say,
'most' scripture
or
'some' scripture
it says ALL.
and
17 Sanctify them in the truth;
your word is truth.
John 17:17
God's Word, the Bible,
is also eternal
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8
And this also:
35 Heaven and earth
will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.
Matthew 24:35
Additionally,
God's Word, the Bible:
it guides us,
and commands us
as to how we are to live.
It is God's heart, protecting us.
Do we believe that?
4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4
At first glance,
the unsaved position,
concerning the gay agenda:
seems reasonable,
logical,
loving,
and 'compassionate'!
A basic premise, they put forth,
is:
If it's 'LOVE"
what does it matter
who you 'LOVE'?
There is a lot to unpack
concerning,
regarding that human thinking.
20 To the law and to the testimony!
If they do not speak according to this word,
it is because there is no light in them.
Isaiah 8:20
How can this verse in Isaiah be true?
After all,
IF it is 'LOVE'.....
And that,
is another part of this
confusing subject:
What is 'LOVE'?
The unsaved, have a strange
and construed definition
of what love is.
They are also totally unaware
of what Satan has to do with this.
They miss God purpose
in love, marriage, home, sex, family etc.
Here is one of God's first word
on this subject:
24 Therefore
a man
shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24
Done for Today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 10, 2021 10:28:51 GMT -5
Excellent points Cindy!
I will add to it, but only get a start today, a I am sick with a cold....the first this year.
I didn't sleep much last night so..... sniff sniff :(
My words will be in this color
and Bible scriptures in this color.
Talk about a topic,
that can be super intimidating,
able to cause knees to shake in fear,
A 'hot potato',
emotionally heated,
terrifying,
aggressive,
etc. etc.
It would be the gay rights,
transgender,
LBGTQ movement
etc.!
It is soooooo much easier to cave in,
and/or
be quite, don't address this at all!
and do not be:
a 'truth' teller...
out of fear of
at the very least
being severely rebuked!
And there is so much
confusion,
and
propaganda,
and
brainwashing, etc.
Even Christians
( especially, very liberal Christians)
are confused, afraid, and very very apt to cave in,
to the social justice warriors.
I think for believers,
we have to decide:
is the Bible
inerrant, without error,
the ONLY Divine authority,?
I believe it is:
16 All
Scripture
is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:16
That verse does NOT say,
'most' scripture
or
'some' scripture
it says ALL.
and
17 Sanctify them in the truth;
your word is truth.
John 17:17
God's Word, the Bible,
is also eternal
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8
And this also:
35 Heaven and earth
will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.
Matthew 24:35
Additionally,
God's Word, the Bible:
it guides us,
and commands us
as to how we are to live.
It is God's heart, protecting us.
Do we believe that?
4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4
At first glance,
the unsaved position,
concerning the gay agenda:
seems reasonable,
logical,
loving,
and 'compassionate'!
A basic premise, they put forth,
is:
If it's 'LOVE"
what does it matter
who you 'LOVE'?
There is a lot to unpack
concerning,
regarding that human thinking.
20 To the law and to the testimony!
If they do not speak according to this word,
it is because there is no light in them.
Isaiah 8:20
How can this verse in Isaiah be true?
After all,
IF it is 'LOVE'.....
And that,
is another part of this
confusing subject:
What is 'LOVE'?
The unsaved, have a strange
and construed definition
of what love is.
They are also totally unaware
of what Satan has to do with this.
They miss God purpose
in love, marriage, home, sex, family etc.
Here is one of God's first word
on this subject:
24 Therefore
a man
shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24
Done for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
|
Post by fearnot on Mar 10, 2021 11:45:59 GMT -5
Awww You are so encouraging Cindy....Thank you.
I did get some sleep last night.
I am 'better',
as to the cold,
but still a little weak, sleepy and slow...
OH!
Wait!
That is me 'normally" LOL
Okay, so I am just a bit more of those.
But not as much as yesterday.
Hardly anymore sneezing, and runny nose...so that is good.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
|
Post by fearnot on Mar 10, 2021 12:11:55 GMT -5
My words are in this color
Bible scriptures are in this color today.
There are 2 options, when a person is trying to decide,
what is a sin,
or
what is not, a sin.
A person can look to what God says,
or
to what mankind says,
and humans define as what is a sin, or not a sin.
If we go with what humans think,
we need to know,
the standards, and qualifications of 'sin',
will always be changing,
and there will never be a consensus.
This will be the rule:
8 “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today,
everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes,
Deuteronomy 12:8
Instead of jumping right into gay rights, transgender etc. sins,
I thought I would first, look at:
'living together',
but not 'married'.
The general idea,
of secular and unbeliever's thoughts is:
There are so many,
reasonable and logical,
'advantages', that would come from
a trial living together,
before marriage.
A few of the basic ideas are:
two people can see
if they can really get along,
before, becoming entrapped
legally, financially, and to some extent emotionally.
However, right off the bat,
we find loop holes,
backdoor escapes,
etc.
because of lack of true full total commitment and true love....
It is not given to their experimental partner,
and certainly, not to God:
61 And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God,
to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”
1 Kings 8:61
The very fact, people are doing a 'trial',
a testing out of this arrangement,
by it's very nature,
is not a full commitment.....
because, the basic idea is:
if it does not work,
it will be an 'easy' split!
However, that is usually foolish to think
it will be 'easy'!
All the more foolish, when children are involved....
their hearts almost certainly will be broken.
What can anyone do about the broken hearts,
if they don't have God to help?
( besides not ever 'living together in the first place )
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalms 34:18
The only other option is to
'hardened your heart':
Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,
but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.
Proverbs 28:14
And that reminds me of:
dating, going steady etc.
I now see that as practicing,
divorce....
when you no longer met my needs,
I will find someone who will!
It really depends, if a Christian ought to talk about
any 'specific' sin,
based on if:
the person is a believer,
or not, a believer.
A sinner, is only doing what sinners do,
and so they need the gospel first.
But even a believer, can become irate
if they have become stubborn and hard- hearted
about their sin ( for a time).
18 They are darkened
in their understanding
and separated from the life of God
because of the ignorance that is in them
due to the hardening of their hearts.
Ephesians 4:18
In all sexual sins,
the idea is not for the believer
to bring damnation on the sinners.
Or let pride make us stumble.
As the old saying goes:
"There but for the grace of God,
go I"
or as the Bible says:
12 So, if you think you are standing firm,
be careful that you don’t fall!
1 Corinthians 10:12
Nevertheless, sin is still sin,
and has to be dealt with.
6 Brothers and sisters,
if someone is caught in a sin,
you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.
But watch yourselves,
or you also may be tempted.
Galatians 6:1
I think, that verse, and the next two verses,
I will post,
can often be used as
excuses
to avoid ever having to deal with sin, in a brother or sister,
One would need a whole different post,
on this misused and misunderstood verse
( but it sure works forgetting out of dealing with sin):
7 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
Matthew 7:1
And then there is this verse:
where we can say:
Phew! I am exempt!
After all,
I would be a hypocrite,
if I were to say anything!:
5 You hypocrite,
first take the log out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Matthew 7:5
Because of fear ...
of being 'hated'....
many people
( I am guilty for sure)
'camp',
on the first half of that verse.
I don't want to be a hypocrite,
and I haven't gotten the whole log out of my eye
sooooooo
I can sit on my hands,
and muzzle my mouth,
and just be 'loving'
Nevertheless, that verse, does go on to say:
'THEN'...
Then.......
you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
The implication, is, I think,
you do have to address the 'speck'
( if it is another Christian brother).
This is not to say,
that first you need to pray,
look for the right timing etc.
Plus, I don't see a problem,
with admitting,
we may have
fallen into
and
struggled with,
( or still struggle, from time to time)
with whatever sin ( lust, 'gay' attraction, porn, etc. etc.)
Out of love we speak to these sexual sins,
because there are always consequences:
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked,
for whatever one sows,
that will he also reap.
Galatians 6:7
We speak out of love because:
Be it a 'speck'
or a log,
in one's eye.....
it is going to cause a lot of pain!
Done for Today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 11, 2021 8:46:43 GMT -5
Awww You are so encouraging Cindy....Thank you.
I did get some sleep last night.
I am 'better',
as to the cold,
but still a little weak, sleepy and slow...
OH!
Wait!
That is me 'normally" LOL
Okay, so I am just a bit more of those.
But not as much as yesterday.
Hardly anymore sneezing, and runny nose...so that is good.
 I'm glad you're feeling some better hon!
My words are in this color
Bible scriptures are in this color today.
There are 2 options, when a person is trying to decide,
what is a sin,
or
what is not, a sin.
A person can look to what God says,
or
to what mankind says,
and humans define as what is a sin, or not a sin.
If we go with what humans think,
we need to know,
the standards, and qualifications of 'sin',
will always be changing,
and there will never be a consensus.
This will be the rule:
8 “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today,
everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes,
Deuteronomy 12:8
Instead of jumping right into gay rights, transgender etc. sins,
I thought I would first, look at:
'living together',
but not 'married'.
The general idea,
of secular and unbeliever's thoughts is:
There are so many,
reasonable and logical,
'advantages', that would come from
a trial living together,
before marriage.
A few of the basic ideas are:
two people can see
if they can really get along,
before, becoming entrapped
legally, financially, and to some extent emotionally.
However, right off the bat,
we find loop holes,
backdoor escapes,
etc.
because of lack of true full total commitment and true love....
It is not given to their experimental partner,
and certainly, not to God:
61 And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God,
to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”
1 Kings 8:61
The very fact, people are doing a 'trial',
a testing out of this arrangement,
by it's very nature,
is not a full commitment.....
because, the basic idea is:
if it does not work,
it will be an 'easy' split!
However, that is usually foolish to think
it will be 'easy'!
All the more foolish, when children are involved....
their hearts almost certainly will be broken.
What can anyone do about the broken hearts,
if they don't have God to help?
( besides not ever 'living together in the first place )
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalms 34:18
The only other option is to
'hardened your heart':
Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,
but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.
Proverbs 28:14
And that reminds me of:
dating, going steady etc.
I now see that as practicing,
divorce....
when you no longer met my needs,
I will find someone who will!
It really depends, if a Christian ought to talk about
any 'specific' sin,
based on if:
the person is a believer,
or not, a believer.
A sinner, is only doing what sinners do,
and so they need the gospel first.
But even a believer, can become irate
if they have become stubborn and hard- hearted
about their sin ( for a time).
18 They are darkened
in their understanding
and separated from the life of God
because of the ignorance that is in them
due to the hardening of their hearts.
Ephesians 4:18
In all sexual sins,
the idea is not for the believer
to bring damnation on the sinners.
Or let pride make us stumble.
As the old saying goes:
"There but for the grace of God,
go I"
or as the Bible says:
12 So, if you think you are standing firm,
be careful that you don’t fall!
1 Corinthians 10:12
Nevertheless, sin is still sin,
and has to be dealt with.
6 Brothers and sisters,
if someone is caught in a sin,
you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.
But watch yourselves,
or you also may be tempted.
Galatians 6:1
I think, that verse, and the next two verses,
I will post,
can often be used as
excuses
to avoid ever having to deal with sin, in a brother or sister,
One would need a whole different post,
on this misused and misunderstood verse
( but it sure works forgetting out of dealing with sin):
7 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
Matthew 7:1
And then there is this verse:
where we can say:
Phew! I am exempt!
After all,
I would be a hypocrite,
if I were to say anything!:
5 You hypocrite,
first take the log out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Matthew 7:5
Because of fear ...
of being 'hated'....
many people
( I am guilty for sure)
'camp',
on the first half of that verse.
I don't want to be a hypocrite,
and I haven't gotten the whole log out of my eye
sooooooo
I can sit on my hands,
and muzzle my mouth,
and just be 'loving'
Nevertheless, that verse, does go on to say:
'THEN'...
Then.......
you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
The implication, is, I think,
you do have to address the 'speck'
( if it is another Christian brother).
This is not to say,
that first you need to pray,
look for the right timing etc.
Plus, I don't see a problem,
with admitting,
we may have
fallen into
and
struggled with,
( or still struggle, from time to time)
with whatever sin ( lust, 'gay' attraction, porn, etc. etc.)
Out of love we speak to these sexual sins,
because there are always consequences:
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked,
for whatever one sows,
that will he also reap.
Galatians 6:7
We speak out of love because:
Be it a 'speck'
or a log,
in one's eye.....
it is going to cause a lot of pain!
Done for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 11, 2021 12:01:54 GMT -5
Ah once again, I was not clear enough.
I was trying to say, that we can misuse that verse, and tell ourselves, we never have to talk with a brother or sister in Christ about their sin, because, we still have a bit of the 'log' still in our eye.
It's an excuse....was what I was trying to say.
An excuse, because, of fear, the friend might get mad at us.....
so as long as there is a tiny bit of sin in us, we can excuse ourselves, and never have to get into that uncomfortable and even scary situation.
I did not 'mean' to say, it was what Jesus actually meant.
That is why I wrote:
I think, that verse, and the next two verses,
I will post,
can often be used as
'excuses'
to avoid ever having to deal with sin, in a brother or sister,
And I see there was also a 'typo' I did not catch:
What is posted is:
One would need a whole different post,
on this misused and misunderstood verse
( but it sure works 'forgetting' out of dealing with sin):
'
That was Not suppose to say............ 'forgetting'
but rather....
'for getting'....... us out of dealing with sin.
In other words, sometimes Christians use that verse, as an EXCUSE....
and/or
they misinterpret it,
so that they,
in fact, convince themselves, that they
never have to deal with sins of others.....
Telling themselves:
I need to mind my own sins
I still have a log in my eye
I have to get rid of all sin
BEFORE
I can ever talk to another soul about their sin.....
I was trying to say,
that is a convenient excuse.
But that verse says :
not that God, didn't want us to talk to others...
about sin
but he didn't want us to talk
in a 'holier than thou' manner.....
knowing we too, have struggled with sin.
It might be, the fact,
we had a log in our eye,
compared to their speck
that we can have even more compassion on their struggle,
but also,
we may be more aware of the pain
To self, to others and to God
the sin will cause.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 11, 2021 12:17:52 GMT -5
My Words will be in this color
and Biblical scriptures in this color.
Looking a little about the idea
of thinking one is 'gay'.
Secular unbelievers, cannot grasp what God says in His Word.
But even some believer's,
have become confused,
by the relentless culture of today.
So first lets look at what God says in the Bible:
"24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother
and hold fast to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24
This is God's marriage model.
It does not say, a man shall leave his parents,
and hold fast to another man,
nor does it say,
a woman shall leave her parents
and hold fast to another woman.
But what is the purpose?
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them.
And God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth
and subdue it,
and have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the heavens
and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
Genesis 1:27,28
So the only recognized sexual behavior by God
is one man and one woman,
in a marriage relationship.
The exclusions include:
adultery
fornication
rape
polygamy
incest
prostitution
sex with children (pedophilia)
and.....
all manner of 'gay', transgender relationships
etc.
4 Marriage should be honored by all,
and the marriage bed kept pure,
for God will judge the adulterer
and all the sexually immoral.
Hebrews 13:4
I think, Satan, has always had a big part,
in encouraging, every sexual behavior,
that is NOT approved of by God.
First of all the devil hates humans:
8 Be alert and of sober mind.
Your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
another verse:
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
Revelation 12:10
along with:
Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”
Revelation 12:12
So with rage and hatred towards humanity
what does Satan, the devil do?
One thing, is to 'blind' the unsaved, rebels:
4 The god of this age
has blinded the minds of unbelievers,
so that they cannot see
the light of the gospel
that displays the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God.
2 Corinthians 4:4
I believe Satan encourages people
to rebel
( not that they need much encouragement).
But so many people think the are:
unique
superior
special
exceptional
extraordinary
phenomenal
rare
different
etc.
by being a 'rebel'
The truth is they are deceived:
3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way,
for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs
and the man of lawlessness is revealed,
the man doomed to destruction.
2 Thessalonians 2:3
Most have no real idea what the Bible says,
but the are convinced,
it is some
dusty old book
filled with:
DO NOT's.
It is all about keeping people from enjoying life,
having fun,
loving whomever they please
etc etc etc etc etc etc
and the list of negatives is almost endless!
Therefore, the unsaved
do this:
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
Satan scores the absolute highest possible score,
in lies and deceptions!
And because he hates human so much,
he literally does not care how much,
pain, suffering, and death can be attributed
to any influence on his part.
So to cause pain to those alive,
delights Satan,
and...
to keep there from being
more
humans,
is also a goal of his....
Through abortion
and
the gay life style
( and also by suggesting these two things,
are what 'must be done'
to save the planet)
The devil is being wildly successful!
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 12, 2021 11:18:32 GMT -5
Ah once again, I was not clear enough.
I was trying to say, that we can misuse that verse, and tell ourselves, we never have to talk with a brother or sister in Christ about their sin, because, we still have a bit of the 'log' still in our eye.
It's an excuse....was what I was trying to say.
An excuse, because, of fear, the friend might get mad at us.....
so as long as there is a tiny bit of sin in us, we can excuse ourselves, and never have to get into that uncomfortable and even scary situation.
I did not 'mean' to say, it was what Jesus actually meant.
That is why I wrote:
I think, that verse, and the next two verses,
I will post,
can often be used as
'excuses'
to avoid ever having to deal with sin, in a brother or sister,
And I see there was also a 'typo' I did not catch:
What is posted is:
One would need a whole different post,
on this misused and misunderstood verse
( but it sure works 'forgetting' out of dealing with sin):
'
That was Not suppose to say............ 'forgetting'
but rather....
'for getting'....... us out of dealing with sin.
In other words, sometimes Christians use that verse, as an EXCUSE....
and/or
they misinterpret it,
so that they,
in fact, convince themselves, that they
never have to deal with sins of others.....
Telling themselves:
I need to mind my own sins
I still have a log in my eye
I have to get rid of all sin
BEFORE
I can ever talk to another soul about their sin.....
I was trying to say,
that is a convenient excuse.
But that verse says :
not that God, didn't want us to talk to others...
about sin
but he didn't want us to talk
in a 'holier than thou' manner.....
knowing we too, have struggled with sin.
It might be, the fact,
we had a log in our eye,
compared to their speck
that we can have even more compassion on their struggle,
but also,
we may be more aware of the pain
To self, to others and to God
the sin will cause.
My Words will be in this color
and Biblical scriptures in this color.
Looking a little about the idea
of thinking one is 'gay'.
Secular unbelievers, cannot grasp what God says in His Word.
But even some believer's,
have become confused,
by the relentless culture of today.
So first lets look at what God says in the Bible:
"24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother
and hold fast to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24
This is God's marriage model.
It does not say, a man shall leave his parents,
and hold fast to another man,
nor does it say,
a woman shall leave her parents
and hold fast to another woman.
But what is the purpose?
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them.
And God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth
and subdue it,
and have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the heavens
and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
Genesis 1:27,28
So the only recognized sexual behavior by God
is one man and one woman,
in a marriage relationship.
The exclusions include:
adultery
fornication
rape
polygamy
incest
prostitution
sex with children (pedophilia)
and.....
all manner of 'gay', transgender relationships
etc.
4 Marriage should be honored by all,
and the marriage bed kept pure,
for God will judge the adulterer
and all the sexually immoral.
Hebrews 13:4
I think, Satan, has always had a big part,
in encouraging, every sexual behavior,
that is NOT approved of by God.
First of all the devil hates humans:
8 Be alert and of sober mind.
Your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
another verse:
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
Revelation 12:10
along with:
Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”
Revelation 12:12
So with rage and hatred towards humanity
what does Satan, the devil do?
One thing, is to 'blind' the unsaved, rebels:
4 The god of this age
has blinded the minds of unbelievers,
so that they cannot see
the light of the gospel
that displays the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God.
2 Corinthians 4:4
I believe Satan encourages people
to rebel
( not that they need much encouragement).
But so many people think the are:
unique
superior
special
exceptional
extraordinary
phenomenal
rare
different
etc.
by being a 'rebel'
The truth is they are deceived:
3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way,
for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs
and the man of lawlessness is revealed,
the man doomed to destruction.
2 Thessalonians 2:3
Most have no real idea what the Bible says,
but the are convinced,
it is some
dusty old book
filled with:
DO NOT's.
It is all about keeping people from enjoying life,
having fun,
loving whomever they please
etc etc etc etc etc etc
and the list of negatives is almost endless!
Therefore, the unsaved
do this:
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
Satan scores the absolute highest possible score,
in lies and deceptions!
And because he hates human so much,
he literally does not care how much,
pain, suffering, and death can be attributed
to any influence on his part.
So to cause pain to those alive,
delights Satan,
and...
to keep there from being
more
humans,
is also a goal of his....
Through abortion
and
the gay life style
( and also by suggesting these two things,
are what 'must be done'
to save the planet)
The devil is being wildly successful!
Done for today
So while everything you've said about fear is quite true, as far as I can recall, you've never actually answered the main question of why is being fearful the first sin listed in the ones that will send people to the lake of fire? (the original question said "hell" but should have said "the lake of fire") Then once you explained that, you were to show how that could be explained to a unbeliever who had no real knowledge of God or His Word. If you did answer that question then please forgive me as I just can't remember seeing it. But then my memory hasn't been at it's best lately either...
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 12, 2021 12:12:19 GMT -5
Yup you are right :0
I 'think' I may have answered it somewhere....
but, maybe I should just move on, irregradless
So, I think I will just start a new thread today:
the Millennial kingdom,
(which could also include heaven after death
and after eternity starts
and the difference, etc.)
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Post by Cindy on Mar 13, 2021 10:34:11 GMT -5
Yup you are right :0
I 'think' I may have answered it somewhere....
but, maybe I should just move on, irregradless
So, I think I will just start a new thread today:
the Millennial kingdom,
(which could also include heaven after death
and after eternity starts
and the difference, etc.) |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 13, 2021 10:54:50 GMT -5
I was thinking you thought this thread was too long, and it was time to move on.
Plus, I thought, I had mostly addressed the questions, somewhere ( maybe not exactly straight forward tho),
but yup....
Today, i will try to be more concise and succinct, in answering this question.
I think at first, I didn't want to make it a short paragraph answer, and move on.
But then, I got off on 'some' LOL tangents....
and it grew, a smidgen beyond a 'paragraph'!
Maybe.....I can answer in one post today? hummmm
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 13, 2021 12:28:58 GMT -5
My words will be in this color
and Biblical Scriptures in this color
Back to the beginning, of the topic,
which was as proposed by you :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You ( Cindy) pointed this verse,
a few questions also.
Quote Cindy:
But the fearful,
and unbelieving,
and the abominable,
and murderers,
and whoremongers,
and sorcerers,
and idolaters,
and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone:
which is the second death. Rev. 21:8 (KJV).
It is significant that the first group named among those who go to hell is “the fearful” (Rev. 21:8),
the people who knew the truth but were afraid to take their stand.
The word in the original languages means timid, fearful, cowardly, afraid.
Why is being afraid the first sin listed
as the kind of sins that will be seen in the people who are sent to hell?
How would you explain this to someone
who doesn't know or understand the Bible - someone who is unsaved?
Quoted: Cindy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think, fear is listed first,
because it is a
lack of Faith in God
and
in His Word.
If we doubt His word
we are calling God a liar,
and that is shown by 'fear'.
Jesus said this
which combined fear and lack of faith
40 He said to his disciples,
“Why are you so afraid?
Do you still have no faith?”
Mark 4:40
Fear and cowardliness go together.
The fearful don't go to Heaven,
because of fear,
and because of what fear leads to:
Some of the 'fears' are:
othe cost of following Jesus,
fear of persecution,
fear of loss of power, money, friends, etc.
And so the unsaved either don't become Christians
or they go to church,
but leave,
because it isn't 'safe',
and they are fearful.
31 To the Jews who had believed him,
Jesus said,
“If you hold to my teaching,
you are really my disciples.
John 8:31
The 'holding to'..... Jesus teachings
means, staying the course,
not leaving out of fear
etc.
Jesus also said this next verse below,
and I believe that,
part of 'counting the cost',
is having such a great trust in Him,
that when scary things happen.....
you trust, Jesus will never leave you,
and it will work out ultimately for your good.
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money
and be content with what you have,
because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5
And this verse
27 And whoever does not carry their cross
and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower.
Won’t you first sit down
and estimate the cost
to see if you have enough money to complete it?
Luke 14:27-28
Don't run away in fear, when the going gets tough,
because, you will be actually running into the lake of fire.
Because if you refuse to carry your cross,
you are not a disciple of Jesus,
and only those who belong to Him,
go to heaven,
those who do not,
go to the lake of fire.
Fear is not trusting God's word that:
28 And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
'ALL' things,
includes,
things that are scary.
I think the first 3 character traits,
listed in Revelation 21:8
all hang together:
fearful,
and unbelieving,
and the abominable
A fearful person,
is not believing God
and that is an abomination.
And abomination,
easily leads to
evil desires, which takes the place
of God.
Then evil desires and thoughts,
( you are either influenced by God's thoughts,
in His Word, the Bible which is alive....
or your own sinful thoughts,
the world
and the devil and his demons).
can lead to:
murderers,
and whoremongers,
and sorcerers,
and idolaters,
and all liars.
An unsaved person might object,
Claiming:
I never murdered anyone
nor have I had wanton sex
or worshiped an idol
and I don't lie.
What is your definition of these sins?
God says in His Word, the Bible:
15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer,
and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
1 John 3:15
So God says, if you 'hate' someone,
that is the equivalent of murder.
What about
fornication,
adultery,
'free love',
whoremongers,
visiting a prostitute etc.?
Do you say:
No, I have never done any of those
But once again, what does God say?
28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:28
I believe that includes woman looking lustfully also.
In addition, I think it includes looking at:
porn,
magazines like 'Playboy',
sexy movies etc.
whatever can cause a person to 'lust'.
All manner of witchcraft, sorcery, magic etc.
is very popular today.
It's in movies, books, music videos etc.
While not everybody worships an 'idol' made of stone or wood today
( like Buddha, totem poles, Asherah poles and the like,
They now 'worship' human 'idols,
be they
musicians
movie stars
you tube influencers
gamers
Millions upon millions worship
other people..... as 'idols'.
They go to their idols:
concerts,
and call out their names over and over
memorize every word of their songs ( which are often vile),
and cry
and/or faint
if they actually get close to them,
etc etc etc.
The unsaved do this in place of worshiping the true God!
Also people worship many other things,
power,
money,
beauty,
etc.
Oh and people worship the environment
Save the planet
Save 'mother Earth'
Save Gaia
is the rallying cry:
25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie,
and worshiped and served created things
rather than the Creator—
who is forever praised.
Amen.
Romans 1:25
Those who would claim they never lied?
Have they 'never' told a tiny little 'white' lie,
so as,
not to hurt someone feelings?
Lies don't actually come in 'colors',
and what you may 'think',
is saving someone 'pain',
may in fact have the exact opposite effect.
Nevertheless, there are other things,
one can do or say, besides speaking a lie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am not sure if this is what you were referring to?
So you may not reply until Monday
If you reply tomorrow,
I will continue, if this is not complete
or
if this was not quite the answer
you meant?
But if you do not reply early tomorrow
( I will post early because of church)
Then, tomorrow,
I will go back to the millennium thread,
and wait and see what you say on Monday.
Done for Today.
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Post by Cindy on Mar 15, 2021 9:32:43 GMT -5
That's fine. I'm glad you finished this one rather then just leaving it hanging. I would like to add something to this too. First the verse we're mainly talking about is translated differently in various Bible versions. Let me share the two ways it's translated: The early KJV's, Darby translate it this way: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Rev 21:8) The NKJV and all other versions translate it this way: But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Rev 21:8) Notice the first part of the verse that I've underlined in each version. So why the difference? Why do some use cowardly and others use fearful? In the original language, the word used means "timid, fearful cowardly, afraid." So you can see that either word is correct. To know for sure we need to look at context so let's see what was said before that: “He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21:6–7) We know from other scriptures that the person who overcomes is the one who has Jesus as their Savior and wants to please Him and therefore is generally obedient to Him. What is our job description when we're saved? To bring glory to God by telling others about Jesus, and to cooperate with God in our own sanctification (becoming holy by confessing our sins and applying His Word to our life so that we slowly become more and more like Jesus.) Knowing that makes what some commentaries say concerning this verse, make a lot of sense. They suggest that the reason the cowardly (or fearful) and liars spoken of in that same verse, one at the beginning and the other at the end is because the first are afraid to accept Christ and bear the ridicule of the world. The second are those who have denied their sin and need of Christ as Savior. The other characteristics in that verse are then further showing the character of these people.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 15, 2021 10:58:39 GMT -5
Thank you for the added information.
I didn't really mean to leave it hanging,
but
I misunderstood what you meant,
when you wrote:
"You know, this one has gone on so long,
that I'd forgotten what it was supposed to be about."
I thought you were 'hinting' it was time to move on....
But I guess, that is not really what you were saying? :(
Sorry!!!
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Post by Cindy on Mar 16, 2021 6:14:56 GMT -5
no problem!
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Exactly! For some reason, most people, (including me for a long time) seem to skip right over that last word in the sentence that says God gives us self discipline. I think we ignore it because it's not something we really want, or rather or sin natures don't want it. But God gives it to us so we can obey Him. God is just so amazing!
I'm glad you're feeling some better hon!
!!
