I asked, "God do you get some sick enjoyment out of seeing people hurt?" I was mad. I was confused. I was bitter. I was angry. I cried out for an answer but got none. I didn't give up. I kept seeking.
It wasn't until I turned to him to save me and seek him with my whole heart. That is when everything changed including how I looked at the whole "Jesus save me thing." Some of you who are reading this are confused and angry just like I was. I would like to help you understand how Jesus can help you too.
Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.
Luke 11:8-10
There was a time when "Christians" turned me off. Some Christians are really not good examples of Christ. Some believe that becoming a Christian is just a ticket to get to heaven. Many do not understand that the whole purpose of being a Christian is to imitate Christ here on earth. We are called to be the "body" of Christ. God wants to use our bodies (hands, feet, ears, mouths) to show others the love of Christ. I say this because some of you may have had some bad experiences with "Christians". Please for your own sake, don't judge Christ by Christians.
Being a Christian does not make you perfect. It does not make you "better" than anyone else and if you have been around ones that act like that, then they are lost and have not discovered what God really desires all Christians to act like. I apologize for all the nitwits who have given True Walking in The Light Christians a bad name. God is Love...therefore we are called to show love. If you have been forsaken, turned off, condemned or ridiculed by a Christian Pastor, Priest, Friend, Stranger etc. Please accept this apology on their part! If you have gone to a church that is filled with bitter, angry, or hypocrites, please accept this apology. I am sorry for the hurt that was caused by these people. Please don't let them harden your hearts towards the loving Father who is waiting for you to run into his arms! I am here sharing this hoping you will see that there is at least one (I know many others) who are REAL, loving Christians who desire to show you the Love of Christ. Let my words fill your heart and soothe the pain caused by others who have forsaken you!
Question....if God is such a loving God, how can he let evil happen....he could stop it couldn't he?
Answer....He gave man free will....we have a choice, the people who choose to do evil created an evil world. I pray they will have a changed heart and evil will end. I can only pray, I can't change people. God wants everyone to choose kindness over hate, unfortunately Hurt People Hurt People.
Forgive those who have hurt you....you will find a place of peace when you do!
Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.2 Corinthians 2:17
Please watch this video....it's message will bring clarity to you,
if you open up your heart and receive it's beautiful message of Love!
God doesn’t judge a person’s worth by external appearances. God doesn’t judge a person by surface or extraneous things like clothes, accent, skin color, the length of one’s hair, or the thickness of one’s wallet.
Neither does God judge a person by the success they have achieved in this world.
God reaches out with love and healing and blessings to the
poor, the oppressed, the hungry, the blind, strangers, orphans, widows, the weak, the
despised,
the sorrowing, and the persecuted.
Jesus illustrated this with his whole life, befriending tax collectors, prostitutes, beggars, Romans, fishermen, Samaritans, and even (are you ready for this?) women!
Who are you serving?
Luke 16:10
The Message (MSG)
[ God Sees Behind Appearances ] Jesus went on to make these comments: If you're honest in small things, you'll be honest in big things; If you're a crook in small things, you'll be a crook in big things. If you're not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store? No worker can serve two bosses: He'll either hate the first and love the second Or adore the first and despise the second. You can't serve both God and the Bank.
I pray that my willingness to be open and honest and bottom line will help someone who reads this. I encourage you to discover the love God has for you. It can transform you just like a a butterfly is transformed. It is time for you to fly my friend and I will be right here to encourage you to spread those wings.
If God can use me and my story to help save you, then my pain and suffering will have the same purpose as his Sons. I want to be used to glorify his name and to give hope to the hopeless. I used to be one but by the Grace of God I was saved. The journey is a life long one. You can not be transformed over night, but once the process begins, you will never look at life the same!
In his love,
Debra
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The below devotional further explains what I tried to convey above. I pray that something in it will help touch your heart, so God can transform you like he has/is me. It is a journey to reaching Your Full Potential...I invite you to join me!
In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley
September 17, 2007 -- The Purpose of Our Trials -- 1 Peter 4:12
Some believers like to portray their lives as perfect and carefree. But in reality, being a Christian isn't always easy. In fact, sometimes we'll experience trials that truly test our faith and ability to trust in God.
In today's passage, Peter refers to times of testing as "fiery ordeals." He says we shouldn't be surprised when hardships come our way. It's important to remember that God has a purpose for our trials and will see us through each step of the way. But the question is, What purpose does God have for the trials we face?
First, the heavenly Father will sometimes use painful experiences to cleanse and purify His children's lives. Trials drive us to the Lord. Then, as we begin to focus on Him, we start to see things from His perspective and often become more aware of our sin.
Second, the Lord at times allows difficulty in our life as a way of testing us--He might be trying our faith, endurance, or devotion to Him. He uses such experiences to reveal something about our spiritual development and to strengthen our faith.
Third, God uses suffering to demonstrate His power to sustain us. When He brings you through difficult times, He glorifies Himself. In turn, this encourages others when they experience trials, because they have witnessed God's sustaining power in your life.
Ultimately, hardships strengthen our testimony. In the midst of adversity, we might feel overwhelmed and discouraged. But once the storm has passed, we can often look back and see the Lord's providential hand carrying us through.
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What does it mean to be Christlike?
Christians say that their goal is to become like Christ. Just what exactly does that mean? What characteristics of Christ are we supposed to develop?
Our conversion from sinner to child of God includes a change of mindset. One of the first steps in becoming Christlike is to adopt the mindset of Christ. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:5) When we choose to surrender our lives and our will to God, we take a first step on the path towards a Christlike mind. We are using our will to choose God over the world, just as Christ did when He went to the cross for our sakes. Many of the characteristics of Christ, like kindness, goodness, patience and obedience, will be obtained by first using our will to make a decision to change.
Once we make a choice to become more Christlike, the Holy Spirit takes us further. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) We give our willingness and the Holy Spirit begins the transformation of our spirit to a Christlike spirit. His work in us is what makes the transformation possible.
Our total commitment to Christ is what makes it possible for the Holy Spirit to transform us into Christlike beings. Look at the example of Matthew: “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9) While the other disciples had trades they could return to if they needed, Matthew was a tax collector and when he left his booth to follow Christ, he left behind his ability to earn a living. That took total commitment and faith and that is the kind of commitment we must make to be transformed.
Choosing discipleship to Christ was Matthew’s way of expressing his total commitment. The point of discipleship is to become like the teacher. “It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.” (Matthew 10:25a) While Matthew was able to follow the human Christ, we also choose to be disciples and we follow the teachings of Christ. In these teachings we learn what our teacher was like and as His Spirit is revealed to our spirit, we become more like Him.
Matthew’s commitment shows us that he made a significant sacrifice to follow Christ. We may be called on for such a sacrifice some day, too. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:35) This is where the rubber meets the road and our true commitment to Christ is revealed. In the U.S., we have not had to make many sacrifices for our faith but in many other countries, Christians have been tried terribly for their dedication to Christ. It bears thinking about how much we are willing to sacrifice for Christ. The answer will reveal a great deal about our commitment and how far we have come in the journey to become Christlike.
What characteristics reveal Christ in us? Humility will probably be on the top of the list. “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:” (Matthew 20:27) God came to us on earth not as a richly robed king but as a penniless teacher, a servant. He suffered shame and degradation for our sakes. Are we willing to suffer the same for His sake?
If we are, it will show in our love for others. Jesus suffered for us because He loved us. He asks us to love each other in return. “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) The progress of our transformation can probably be gauged by our love for others. And, not just the people that are easy to love, but our love for those who have hurt us, too.
Loving those who have hurt us requires forgiveness. Christ came to us to make forgiveness for our sins possible. We didn’t earn or deserve forgiveness; He gave it to us anyway. He had every right to not forgive us but he forgave us anyway. He is our example of how we are to forgive. “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” (Colossians 3:13) Even if we have every right to not forgive, we must do it anyway to become Christlike.
Christlike behavior includes spreading the gospel. Jesus came to save us but He also came to teach us. “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) He passed on the responsibility of teaching to us. Telling the Good News that Jesus brought us carries on His work and makes us more like Him.
As we teach we also learn and grow till we no longer find the old dead spirit in us but see Christ in us. “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, “ (Philippians 3:21a) The change will be gradual and we will slide backwards sometimes. It will not be complete on earth, either, but we should strive to become as much like our beloved Savior as we can while we are in this world. Only in heaven will the work be completed in us: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
We cannot make ourselves Christlike, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to do that work. Our job is to be willing to change and to walk in the changes the Spirit makes in us. We must be committed to change completely. When we are, the love of Christ will shine from us and we will become forgiving and humble teachers of the Gospel. Remember “…that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)
(All Scripture is KJV)