Do You Have Victory?
Rev. John R. Greene
We just returned from a short vacation to northern New England, and as is our custom, we attend church whenever the doors are open (this is called commitment to The Lord)! We visited a church that I helped build physically and spiritually. But, we faced the unexpected.
Uneasiness filled the air, and faces were painted with alarm. We felt out of place and obviously unwelcomed. So what do you do? Many of you know what we had to do, but for those who don't, please follow along because God brought a tremendous, hallelujah-shouting victory. Amen!
We said nothing hostile, although we could have. We could have acted ungodly, but we didn't. We were hurt, but we wanted to know why. So we prayed for wisdom and understanding because reconciliation was needed. Jesus did say, "Blessed are the peacemakers,..." in His sermon on the mount. Paul also admonishes us to be reconciled in every relationship possible. Jesus even said that if you go to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you to go make it right. If you are a true Christian, you will want reconciliation! All of this ran through my mind, so I decided that since Jesus is Lord, He must know what He is doing. Therefore, His advice must be correct. So we did what He said!
We went privately (Jesus said to go privately, not gossip to the world) to speak to the Pastor. We talked in a godly manner, respecting one another, and discovered the issue or cause. The truth was uncovered, apology and forgiveness asked, and given immediately! This is the only way to handle relationships. Jesus was glorified in this instance and a peace that only God can give was evident that day. Praise God!!
When we slander people, gossip about people, or lie about people, we are in sin. We are also in sin if we listen to this garbage and do nothing about it. God abhors walls built between relationships. John told us that God is love. The wall shows that we actually hate our brother or sister. John also said that we must love our brother. If we hold a grudge or have unforgiveness towards someone (the same as a grudge), Jesus tells us that God won't forgive our sins. You can't get into heaven with your sins being unforgiven. No sin will enter heaven! You must understand that God will not stand in sin's presence. He is holy.
I choose to believe God's Word! This week I would like you to look up the Bible verses that I purposely didn't label. Get into God's Word and see for yourself what it says. When you do things according to the Word of God, you are guaranteed heaven. If you can't find the Scripture verses in your Bible, just write and ask for them. I'd be glad to give them to you. Please, don't let there be anything separating you and your brother. Your relations with God must be right, but all other relationships must be right. Don't be afraid to say, "Please forgive my sin." Forgiveness will cure any relationship when it is given to someone who truly is repentant. Confess your wrong, your sin, then ask for forgiveness. Amen? Amen!! Bless God from Whom all blessings flow! See ya' next week.
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