71. Overcoming Rejection. Isaiah 43:4

Jesus experienced rejection. (John 1:11) ‘He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.’ But He didn’t sit around licking His wounds, No! He moved on to where people gladly did receive Him. And He told His Disciples, (Matthew 10:14) ‘Whoever will not receive you, nor hear your words, When you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.” Repeated rejection, tends to validate the fear of our inadequacy. This is particularly so when it comes to those people whose opinions we have learned to value. But the irony of operating out of the fear of rejection is that it ultimately results in the very rejection you were trying to avoid. When people realise you hold yourself in low regard, they deal with you accordingly. You see! You teach people to value you by the way you value yourself. If you never express a preference, a boundary, or any other limitation on how others interact with you, they will assume you have no preferences, boundaries limitations etc and they will behave towards you in that manner. Notice that even though Jesus was rejected, He never responded in a way that encouraged continued rejection. He didn’t stay where He wasn’t tolerated, He went to where He was celebrated. In other words, He went to where people recognised Him and where He was received along with His person, His purpose and His Power. Jesus had God’s full acceptance, therefore, He didn’t fear man’s rejection. And you too have God’s acceptance He says in (Isaiah 43;4) “You are precious and honoured in MY sight… and I love YOU.” The first step to overcoming rejection is to keep God’s opinion of you firmly in your mind at all time In order to overcome fear of rejection you must also firmly believe that God designed you wonderfully. Physically, intellectually and temperamentally – and gave you an assignment which no one else can fulfil. Putting yourself down may seem humble, but it’s actually a form of pride because it’s causing you to reject god’s plan and design for your life. So begin to emphatically declare with the Psalmist; “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous – How well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was being woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Everyday of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, Oh God (Psalm 139:14-17) Wherever did you get the idea that you were “less than”? Whether it started with critical parents, condemning clergy, unwise teachers, cruel classmates or a verbally abusive spouse, remember the Bible says in (John 8:44) that Satan is the father of lies He used someone to lie to you about your worth and potential. Repeat this three times it was a lie, it was a lie, it was a lie. Decide to reject that lie right now and also reject rejection. Now make a list of every God-given gift, asset, advantages or other benefits you possess which is or could be a blessing to others. Don’t use worldly systems when compiling your list. Focus on character issues such as integrity, loyalty, generosity, wisdom patience and discernment, Think of ways you can use each one of these features to Glorify God and be a blessing to others. The mistakes you have made in the past, may have been big ones, bad ones and often repeated ones, but they haven’t changed God’s mind about you. (Jeremiah 31:3-4) puts it this way ‘I have drawn you and you… will be rebuilt.’ Yes God will correct you when you need it, but His correction is not rejection, - it’s proof of His love for you. The book of Hebrews tells us “The Lord disciplines the one He loves” God’s purpose in discipline is to develop us to our highest potential. So don’t let anyone put you down. Be your authentic self when you’re with others. Focus on what you have to give, rather that how others perceive you. Don’t put on airs, brag or name-drop in an effort to level the playing field. You are already equal – even if you don’t have a similar education, experience, financial status, social standing or background. Since when did such things make anybody inherently superior to another – especially in the eyes of our Heavenly Father? If your goal in life is to please everyone and have them speak well of you, your self-worth will always be at their mercy. In (Proverbs 31:18) Solomon describes the qualities of a virtuous woman, here is one of them; ‘She perceives that her merchandise is good’ This woman wasn’t prideful, she was just confident in who God had made her to be and the assignment He had given her to fulfil, her confidence came from within. Solomon ends the chapter with these words ‘Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise. Sometimes you may have to confront behaviour that is affecting you negatively. Jesus said in (Luke 17;3) ‘If your brother sins against you rebuke him,’ Now, that doesn’t give you the right to vent your anger or behave like the proverbial “Bull in a china shop. ” Because Jesus also said in the very next verse ‘And if he sins against you seven times in a day and returns seven times asking your forgiveness you shall forgive him’ And here’s another thought; respect the other persons decision not to pursue a relationship with you. They may not belong in your life, and you may not belong in theirs. Think about the last time you went shopping. Did you purchase every single item you examined? Of course not. Did you reject them because they were inferior. Surely not. You simply decided they were not for you. Of course, if you experience a pattern of rejection and you are baffled about the reason, you may want to consider finding out why. In Proverbs (27:6) we read ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful’ Some times it’s wise to ask -- ‘I’d like to get some feedback from you for my personal development. My objective here is not to resume our relationship. I would just like to ask what it was that made you decide to terminate it. I’d really appreciate an honest feedback.’ Be sure to project an upbeat attitude, not a negative one. Listen objectively, don’t be defensive. Gather the information. And be willing to change if there is merit in what they say.. thank you for reading “Overcoming Rejection” Often people don’t understand why, or even admit they feel rejected. But understanding the status we have with our Creator is often the first step in our own revaluation of ourselves. Remember, God has made us first of all for Himself. And we are held in the palm of His hand. So any problems, talk to Him about it first God Bless us all Phaline.

70 FORGIVE AND MOVE ON. Philippians 5:15.

The greater the offence, the harder it is to forgive - But you must. Because whatever you refuse to forgive and let go of, you carry with you. And it will be like an albatross around your neck. Has someone abused you, cheated on you, lied about you, dismissed you, or mistreated you in some other way? Have you failed yourself? Have you asked yourself ‘How can I get past my past mistakes? And become successful again’ Whatever your particular hurt, the solution isn’t either feeding it or denying it. You have to forgive and let it go, or you will continue to hurt yourself with it. Someone once said ‘Choosing not to forgive somebody is like eating poison and expecting the other person to die’ !! In order to move forward, you have to ‘let go’ and be at peace with the past. Paul could have easily allowed the memory of the Christians he put to death (before meeting Christ) to destroy him and rob him of his destiny. But he refused to do that. Instead he wrote: in (Philippians 3;13-14) ‘Dear brothers (and sisters) I am still not all that I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing; forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to Heaven; because of what Christ Jesus did for us.’ And in another Scripture: (Mark 11:25) Jesus Himself speaking ‘If you hold anything against anyone, forgive them so that your Father in Heaven will forgive you your sins.’ This is not optional, in fact it is conditional. If we want to have our sins forgiven that is the condition. If we wont forgive, God wont forgive us, and if we do God will forgive us. This is a God-made Spiritual law and it’s not negotiable so think seriously about it. Your soul could be at stake. In (Luke 9:62) We read, ‘No one who looks back is fit for service’ In the light of this Scripture we need to be wise. Here are four thoughts we need to take on board. :-- 1. Focus on the road ahead.:- By looking in the rear-view mirror instead of the road ahead of you, you could miss the next turn and end up in a ditch, or worse, in an accident. Focus on the fact that you survived, and hopefully you have learned from your experience; God kept you around for a reason; find it and pour yourself into it. 2. Stop looking for easy answers :-- Visit any Bookshop and you will find shelves lined with books with titles promising ‘Ten easy steps to financial achievement, Five trouble-free keys to success, or twelve simple strategies for health, wealth and fulfilment in life. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Life is hard, and deep inside we all know those simplistic approaches don’t work. But, note this, the fact that your life is difficult doesn’t mean you are on the wrong path. As the old country preacher said “If you don’t come face to face with the devil sometimes, you must be going in the same direction as he is.” Think about it!! 3. Stay on your path:-- Not everybody will go with you, some of your closest friends are people who will never change, and they don’t like those who do. Your decision to change doesn’t mean they will change too. Nevertheless, you must be committed to growing, expanding your knowledge and experience and moving on to the next level in life. 4. Believe in yourself:-- God believes in you. So when someone tells you that you will never amount to anything, Just smile and say this short prayer, “Lord you know my potential and with your help I will make it” God alone knows your potential and if your willing to trust Him and work hard, He will help you to fulfil it. In the final analysis, success is an argument your enemies and critics can’t refute. Thank you for reading my thoughts on this difficult subject. It will not always be easy to do, BUT, when and if you achieve the art of forgiveness, it will be one of your greatest assets in this life, and a tremendous assurance of your eternal happiness, because Jesus said “If we forgive others God will forgive us” We cannot enter Heaven with a backpack full of unforgiven sins . So forgive!!!. God bless us all. Phaline.

69. Loving Difficult people. 1. Thessalonians 5:15.

Jesus referred to The Holy Spirit as ‘The Helper’ And as you and I submit to Him, He will help us to handle the difficult people in our lives the right way. Paul writes, in Ephesians 4:30.’Do not grieve The Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption’ Don’t offend, inhibit or block The Holy Spirit from working in your life. You might say, ‘How would I do that?’ Paul answers, in the very next verse ‘Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.’ That’s a list of some pretty nasty stuff, and Paul’s point is this: either you allow your responses to be ruled by that nasty list, or to be ruled by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The choice is yours. In Ephesians 4:26-27 The scripture says “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold’. When we retaliate in anger, we give the devil a foothold in our lives- a beach-head from which he can attack us in other areas. When that happens, we are not only dealing with the hurt caused by the difficult person in our life, we are also dealing with the added hurt that comes from giving the devil a foothold. So what should we do? Going on in Ephesians 4:32 we read ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you’. God is saying here, remember the love, patience and grace God has shown to you and extend it to others. That’s a strategy that sometimes is a bit difficult, but one that can never fail.! God has designed us in such a way that in times of intense difficulty, we have a built-in moment in which we can turn to Him for help. The primary place in your brain that processes strong negative emotions, such as rage and fear, is called the “amygdala” and when it’s removed from certain animals, they become incapable of expressing rage and fear. Normally when in-put enters your brain, it goes to the “cortex” for processing, however, in about five per cent of cases,when something extremely emotional happens, it goes to your amygdala and the thinking part of your brain gets short circuited. But in between your brain’s intake and your body’s response time, there is what researchers call the life-giving quarter second. And in that quarter second although it doesn’t sound very long - is hope, in Ephesians (4:26-27) Paul writes “In your anger do not sin.. and do not give the Devil a foothold’ That quarter second is the time The Holy Spirit can take control, that’s when you can give control to the Holy Spirit, or you can give in to sin. That one quarter second in your mind can be an opportunity to say ‘Holy Spirit I’ve 1 got this impulse right now, should I act on it? It’s amazing how the desire to hurt someone you love can be so strong and then, lead to such pain when you indulge in it.! But here’s a bit of good news, when you muck-up and blow-it, and you will!!, God will give you another quarter second, watch out for it, it comes right behind the first one. When you realise what you have said or done apologise immediately to God and to the person you’ve hurt, (the longer you leave it, the harder it is to do). A point to Remember is... God is committed to you and will keep working with you until you get it right. No one mastered the art of dealing with difficult people better than Jesus did. The Romans wanted to silence Him, Herod wanted to kill Him, Pilate washed his hands of Him, religious leaders envied Him, His family thought He had lost His mind, the people in His home-town wanted to stone Him, Thomas doubted Him, Peter denied Him, Judas betrayed Him, soldiers beat Him the crowds shouted for His crucifixion and His followers and best friends ran out on Him. Yet, Jesus never prayed for God to remove the difficult people from His life. If He had, there would have been nobody left . Sometimes, even prayer can be misused as a way of avoidance. Sometimes we can even ask God to remove a difficult person from our lives because we are not willing to confront that person honestly. And if God answered that prayer the way we wanted, we’d lose the opportunity for growth which is one of His great desire for us. Jesus’ teachings about dealing with difficult people flowed out of wisdom and deep, intimate, painful experiences with people. And they have influenced world leaders and movements like no other words that have ever been spoken – from Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa, to Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and several others. In (1 Peter2:20-23) We read “ If you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering just as Christ suffered for you. He is our example, and we are called to follow in His footsteps. He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.’ and He is our example. Jesus Himself said in (Matthew 5:38-39) ‘You have heard that it was said ‘eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth’ But I tell you...if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn them the other also’. Though the ‘eye for an eye’ statement sounds harsh to us, it was actually an enormous step forward in the ancient legal world, where powerful people could kill you for just a slight injury. This law prevented rebellion by teaching proportional justice. But it still leaves us with a problem. Instinct says ‘If someone hurts you, you hurt them back’ - and the pain you experience always seems worse than the pain you cause the other person. But, you say, ‘this person hurt me and they should pay for it’. How much should they pay? God alone is capable of answering that question fairly and His Word says in (Romans 12:19-21)’Dear Friends Never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for He has said He will repay those who deserve it. Don’t take the law into your own hands. Instead, feed your enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty give him something to drink, and you will be heaping coals of fire on his head.’ In other words, he will feel ashamed of himself for what he has done to you. Don’t let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good.’ An interesting point here is-: In Jesus’ day, society was built around shame and honour. The left hand was considered unclean, it was not to be used for eating, - or for hitting so a blow to the right cheek would be done with the backhand. It was a way of publicly insulting someone or to remind someone that they were socially inferior to you. So when someone insults you, what should you do? Everyone expects one of two responses; retaliation or cowering Jesus is saying, ‘Your safety and your honour are in the hands of your Heavenly Father.’Now we get creative. One possibility is that we could turn the other cheek, our enemy. can’t left hand our left cheek. Either he has to fight you as an equal, which he doesn’t want to do, or he has to find a non-violent way to resolve the conflict. So now, who do you get insulted by? A “Slap” often take the form of barbs, digs, and backhanded comments. Someone demeans your ideas at work, someone accuses you falsely at home. A relative says something judgmental about you What is your first instinct? - retaliation, fear or both? With The Holy Spirit helping you, There is a new possibility. Don’t run and hide, don’t strike back. Confront the other person with honesty and strength. Be creative, and active. Lovingly work towards reconciliation. This is the reason the Bible in (Philippians 3:14) calls the Christian life the “ The Upward Call” So the next time someone insults or upsets you, “Take the High road.” Thank you for reading my take on “Dealing with Difficult People.” I’m sure there are many other ways, to do this,- but this seems to be the way Jesus did it, not always the easiest, but it does work while still keeping our relationship with God intact and that should always take priority. God Bless Phaline.

68 Faithful Prayer Rewarded. 1Thessalonians 5;17

In this day of instant everything, we often expect God to jump, and instantly answer our requests, and if He doesn’t, we automatically presume He has turned us down. This is very often not the case. Especially when we know we are within God’s Will eg. when we are praying for the Salvation of a friend or family member. Scripture tells us that God desires all mankind to be saved, so we know we are praying in God’s Will, so what is the problem? Our sincerity and love for that person... How long are we prepared to storm Heavens gates for that one soul. During his lifetime, British evangelist George Muller prayed in millions of dollars to feed the orphans in His care. He didn’t believe in broadcasting his financial needs, yet he always had enough to pay the grocery bill – because God always supernaturally provided. However, Muller’s faith was stretched in other ways. For example he prayed regularly for a list of five men he earnestly desired to see won to Christ. After five years the first man gave his life to Jesus, the second and third after ten years, and the forth after twenty five-years, but here’s the clincher; Muller prayed for the fifth man’s conversation for a whopping fifty-two years, in fact the man made a profession of faith in Christ a few months after Muller’s funeral. Would you pray about something for fifty two years without some visible sign of an answer? You should, and you must! In Muller’s own words, ‘God delights to increase the faith of His children.’ We ought, instead of wanting no trials before victory and no exercise of patience, to be willing to take them from God’s hands as a means of pushing through. Trials, obstacles and difficulties and sometimes even defeats are the very food of faith. If you are praying and asking God, ‘Will You?’ His answer is ‘I will’ Psalm 91:15 tells us ‘He shall call upon me and I will answer him, I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him’ And in Jeremiah 33:3 God says ‘Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ In (john 16:33) Observe these three things :- 1. Jesus never said that following Him would be easy. ‘In this world you will have tribulation.’ So when you attempt things for God, - expect difficulties and delays. When construction crews work on roads they sometimes put up signs (Orange cones) that mean EXPECT DELAYS The walk of Faith is littered with these signs. Abraham and Sarah waited twenty five years for Isaac to be born, So why do you think you should get an instant answer from God? 2. You must persevere to receive. Waiting is an uncomfortable concept for us. We are used to having everything “On Demand”. If someone tells us to wait, we find an app on our phone to speed up the process. But there’s no shortcut when it comes to perseverance. Sometimes Faith is painful because God is stretching our capacity to receive. So press through the pain – there’s gain on the other side! ‘Keep on asking and it will be given to you’(Matthew 7:7) 3. The end result of faith is larger territory. Twice after Isaac dug a well, the Philistines laid claim to the water. And he named the new well Rehoboth which means ‘a broad place’ (Genesis 26:18-22) Isaac kept on digging and when the brake through came, he declared ‘At last the Lord has made room for us and we will be fruitful in the land’. And the lesson Isaac learned is still part of our faith curriculum today. We must stretch our faith until there is no stretch left in it, and we must pray beyond all delays. Faith and perseverance go together. If you think you have the faith to believe for someone or something, a wise check to see if this is really what you want is, to ask yourself “How long am I prepared to pray for this. Then you will know just how important it is to you. It is your commitment to God, to people and your prayer for them that The Lord is looking for. So trust Him, He will answer your prayer in His perfect time Thank you for reading my thoughts on “keeping your communication with God open. That is our Hot-line to The Creator, The Saviour of Our Souls and the Souls of those we love. God Bless. Phaline .

67. Satan Wants To Stop You. 1Thessalonians 2:18.

The above Scripture by Paul says:-”We wanted to come to you, time and again but Satan hindered us” Have you ever noticed, whenever you want to spend time with God, that you invariably get hindered or interrupted? The phone rings, a child needs your attention or someone is at the door. It’s quite uncanny isn’t it? Well not really! Whenever you have an assignment from God or want to spend time with Him. Satan will repeatedly “Time and again” attack you, to stop you from achieving your goal. Observe these points (1) His attacks reveal that you are quite capable of accomplishing your goal. That’s why when you are down he wants to keep you there, he knows if you rise again, you will be stronger and more effective than ever. (2) He always attacks the birth of something significant in your life. It may even be the birth of your ministry, as with Jesus in the Wilderness temptation. Or the birth of your child of destiny, like the birth of Moses which initiated the killing of all the new born male babies in Egypt in an effort to stop the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt (3) He uses those closest to you as a gateway to your heart. In Matthew (10:36) Jesus said your enemies will be right in your own household. So what should you do? Pray for them. Your intercession is often the only covering they have. So pray daily for the Grace and Mercy of God to be downloaded into their hearts. Above all never forget that your attitude is more important than the adversity you are experiencing. Attacks pass, but your attitude, if bitter or demoralised, can grow into a root of bitterness that will poison everyday of your future. See (Hebrews 12:15) which says “See to it that no one falls short of the Grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Your influence in God”s Kingdom can be determined by the attacks the enemy launches against you. So don”t get discouraged. Keep praying for yourself and your family. Sometimes Satan’s attacks are obvious. In the Old Testament Zechariah writes, ‘He showed me Joshua the High Priest standing beside the angel of The Lord, and Satan standing at His right hand to oppose Him.’ (Zechariah 3:1). Satan usually prefers to work in incognito, so, frequently he will attack you through people – especially through those closest to you. Scripture tells us in (John 13:2) “ the evening meal was in progress and the devil had already prompted Judas to betray Jesus’ Your best line of defence is the Living Word of God. Jesus was Exposed to a greater level of temptation than any of us will ever face, He quoted the Scriptures to Satan three times and put him to flight. When Satan attacks your mind with temptation, condemnation, doubts or thoughts of inadequacy, God’s Word will be a shield the devil cannot penetrate. In Psalm 119:92) David writes, “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished. And notice also what happened when Jesus had finished doing battle with the enemy. ‘The devil went away and angels came and took care of Him. (Matthew 4;11) You are not alone, God has placed a cordon of angels around you to sustain and protect you. Angels are only servants – (Hebrews 1;14) says “Angels are spirits who are sent to care for people who will inherit Salvation. During seasons of adversity remember, you are a champion, not a victim. Invest your words and energies into creating new goals and dreams. Stay alert, aware, productive and focused Exude Faith. Expect your faith to be Supernaturally honoured by the God who promised to do so in (Isaiah 59;19) to intervene when you need Him most. Cover your back by spending a few minutes first thing every morning with God, acknowledging Him and your need of Him putting your day and all that is going to be in it in His hands. Then proceed with your day. Blessed by The Father, Saved by The Son and led by His Holy Spirit. Thank you for reading my thoughts on this subject and what is available to us when dealing with Satan. Remember, It’s not your body he’s after, so look beyond the obvious, guard your mind and your eternal Soul, pray often, and indulge yourself with the presence of The Holy Spirit. In Jesus name I pray. Phaline.

66. Having the Courage of Your Convictions. 1 Cor 4:4.

What are your convictions? And why should you live by them? Convictions are the mental attitudes that we believe, understand, agree with and choose to live by. These should be closely connected and directed by a well informed conscience. I believe to lead a peaceful life we need to have both, a well informed conscience, and live by our subsequent convictions. If we are Christians, with a consistent prayer life, God’s Holy Spirit will lead, guide and protect us as we build our convictions. The very first of which should be-:Will what I am about to do or say Glorify God or gratify me and my fleshly attitudes, instincts and lusts ? Answering that question truthfully may not always keep us out of trouble, but, it will always keep us under the protection of God. And “If God is for us who can be against us.” So our moto ought to be TRUTH. We have a God-given duty and responsibility to seek out truth, get convicted and live by it In Daniel (1:8) we read, Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank” This particular wine and food was offered to pagan gods as an act of worship, and for Daniel that was incompatible with his convictions. He was being asked to compromise his character and for Daniel that was unacceptable. Seeing he was so far away from home, and he could do as he pleased; nobody at home needed to know whether he followed God’s Word or not. But he still wouldn’t do it, Daniel could have complied and done as the king wanted, so, if he had chosen to say yes to the king’s order and could do as he pleased. Nobody back home would ever have to know it. Plus, if he didn’t eat it, he would be insulting the king – not a good career move! But, Daniel knew God’s word was clear when it came to idol worship, and God blessed Him for it. He ended up being protected, preserved and promoted in unthinkable ways. His philosophy was--; When God says Yes, I say Yes. And when God says No, I say No. and he had this convictions long before he came to Babylon. Here’s a question, Have you established what your core convictions are? Have you spent the good times determining what you will and wont do in the hard times? If not, you need to. Daniel’s friends probably told him, No body will know. But his thinking was, God will know, and so will I. ‘I don’t have to live with you, but I do have to live with me’. Your thoughts and ideas must always be open to change and improvement, but your core convictions must be non-negotiable So live by your convictions. They will form your character. Daniel was forced to decide whether he was going to be a conformer or a transformer. What’s the difference? You ask, Pressure! Pressure controls a conformer.’ If you place enough pressure on them they will cave in’ . If you put enough pressure on them they will smoke the first joint, they will take the first drink, they will do, think and say what everybody else is doing thinking and saying. But a transformer is governed by principals. You may say “Living that way is very demanding.” Yes, it is, and it’s very protective as well, God knows better than we do, how to avoid pain, frustration and destruction in our lives. Because He sees the cliffs edge clearer than we do, He places guardrails next to the drop-off point, and when we follow His commands we avoid heartaches, pitfalls and loss of reputation. Daniels refusal to eat the kings food was not a matter of his diet, but of his dedication to God. Now, I am not advocating the idea of “let your conscience be your guide,” No! Your conscience is not always a good and perfect guide. Just because you don’t think something is wrong, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think it could be wrong. (Perhaps further guidance is required) Your conscience can be damaged or burned. The Bible in (1 Timothy 4:2) speaks of “ (your) conscience being seared with a hot iron” and Paul writes in (1Corinthians 4:4) “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is The Lord who judges me” Nevertheless, the conscience should be your first port of call when faced with a difficult decision. Rarely will you make a good choice to do something if you know doing so will take your conscience on a dreaded guilt-trip . So set your convictions on The Bible and live by them. That’s the safe way to go. Jesus said:”He who is not against Me is for Me”. And in anther place He said:- “Whoever stands up for Me before man, I will stand up for him before my Father in Heaven”. So let’s get of that fence, and have the courage of our convictions, because being neither Hot nor Cold will make Jesus sick and cause Him to vomit us out of His mouth. Some questions to ask yourself. What are my convictions on:- Alcohol, Drugs, Sex before marriage, Divorce Abortion, Euthanasia, Tax evasion, Tithing, Gambling, LGBTQ. Trans Genderism, kidnapping, Child trafficking etc. Think very seriously about these things and get convicted. These are very real issues and problems in our world today and God expects His people to stand-up and defend His laws at every opportunity instead of keeping quiet which is taken to mean we are condoning what is taking place. Think about it!!! Thank you for reading my thoughts on “Having the Courage of our Convictions, living and standing up for them.” That’s what Jesus said, did and lived by. If they are ‘Bible Based’ and “God Trusted ‘ you will, “By the Power of The Holy Spirit” lead a Godly life of honesty and integrity like Daniel did. Then you will be trusted and honoured by both God and your fellow human beings And that’s what will matter in the end. God bless us all as we try to live the life of Integrity to which we were called. Phaline

65 MADE RIGHTEOUS BY FAITH. 2 Corinthians 5:21

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Read that verse again and understand it. Righteous means “Right with God” It is an amazing and life changing truth. The God who made His sinless Son to ‘be sin’ takes unrighteous people ie. people like us who are not right with God, and makes them ‘righteous’ or right with Him. How does it happen? By what we say or do? NO, By Faith. ie. by believing! That’s how people are counted as Righteous or right in God’s eyes. Not by their speech or anything they say, think, do or don’t do, but because of their belief (Faith) in God who forgave us all our sins when His Son Jesus suffered and died on that cross and paid the debt our sins incurred This Righteousness is not about behaving the - right way; it’s about believing the right way. Actually, It is impossible to become righteous in God’s eyes through human effort or by keeping the law. You become righteous ONLY by believing in Jesus Christ, and trusting in His finished work on the Cross. There is no other way. Why? Because in our inadequacy, we could never make up to God or compensate Him in any way for the damage our sins have done. To a Holy and perfect God. This could only be done by God Himself, and He did it, by sending His perfect, sinless Son The second person of the Holy Trinity, who paid the full price (every drop of His blood) required to bring us back to Himself. That is called our redemption or (buying back) So that we could enter in to His Glory with Him. You say,”I feel so guilty when I sin.” And so you should, it’s a good deterrent! But, Christ took away all your sins; therefore He took away all your guilt as well.. So what are you feeling? Inner conflict! Your regenerated spirit lives, and it reacts the same way your natural body reacts to something harmful, sin feels foreign to the new you, and when you indulge in it, the pleasure it brings is brief and the aftermath is bad. In essence your spiritual boundaries have been violated, and your regenerated spirit is telling you that you can’t indulge in sin any more. The old you could have indulged in sin and enjoyed it, but the new you can’t, because you are ‘a new creation in Christ’ see (1.Corinthians 5:17).”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone the new is here:.” So rejoice! Today God sees you as ‘righteous’ Therefore you can approach Him with complete confidence. See (Ephesians 3:12) “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence”. In Romans (4:5) we read “Their faith was credited to them as righteous” ie. accepted by God, There are two ways people think they can become “righteous” The first is through trying, and the second is through trusting. Now, when you try to gain God’s approval by your performance, regardless of how great it may be, how long it takes you , or how many times you do it, you will never rest, because you will never be sure if you have done enough to please Him. But, when you place your trust in Christ’s Finished and completed work on the cross. (Which is called Redemption or buying back) The Bible says you enter into God’s rest. See Hebrews (4:3) “Now we who have believed, entered God’s rest, just as God said.” Paul writes, If anyone is in Christ, the new creation (something that didn’t exist before) has come; the old (appetites and actions) have gone. The new appetites and actions is here (2 Corinthians 5:17) . You don”t have to struggle to be seen as righteous in God’s eyes. The moment you place your trust in Jesus God makes you the righteousness of God (In Christ) (2 Corinthians 5:21) Why did He do it that way? Because any righteousness we could achieve through good works and keeping rules falls so far short of what He requires that He sees them as “Filthy rags” see (Isaiah 64:6) So God credited His righteousness to you and me.(2 Corinthians 5:18). Paul writes “David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who were declared righteous without working for it: ‘O what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight… whose record the Lord has cleared of sin. (Romans 4:6-8)” Hymnist Edward Mote wrote these words:-- Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Now rejoice, That’s how God sees you and me, -today, made righteous by faith. Thank you for reading my thoughts on “Being made righteous by faith. Sometimes Theological and Religious terminology are confusing and misunderstood by new Christians, please don’t let that stop you from asking questions. Your Pastor and church leaders are only too happy to help. Keep up your prayer for God’s mercy which leads us all to His glorious throne of Grace. God bless Phaline.