Blog Archives

Deeper Understanding 3 of 3, law of the trespass

9/30/2023

Hi all,

Perhaps the single largest doctrinal error in Christian culture today revolves around the concept of forgiveness. What Jesus taught within the context of Jewish culture and Old Testament law is completely twisted by the modern church.

Paul stated in Ephesians 2:1:"And you has He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins." Trespasses AND sins. They are not the same.

A trespass is one person sinning against another. It is horizontal, person to person, and deals with injury. A sin is against God, it is vertical and deals with the guilt.

Our inner demand for justice is built around the injury. They did wrong, we want them caught. We want to hold them accountable. Church culture says 'forgive them' which takes care of the guilt, but it doesn't address the injury they inflicted on us. That is our conflict. We will forgive, but we want an apology. We want them to admit what they did. We want them to make it right.

Our inner demand for justice agrees with the Law of the Trespass. Everything Jesus and Paul taught on the subject is based on the Law of the Trespass.

Law of the Trespass:Leviticus 6:1-7
"If anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by making a trespass against his neighbor in something entrusted to him, or something left in their care or something stolen, of if they cheat their neighbor, or find something lost and then lie about it or not return it. If they sin in these ways and realize their guilt...

"They must return what they stole or got by deceit or lying. They must return the lost property they found to their neighbor, and in anything like this that they lied about or did to their neighbor, AND add 20% of the value when they return it to the person they trespassed against.

"Then they (with the other person) will take all this to the priest who will make a sacrifice for them, and they will be forgiven of these trespasses."

Notice they have to make it right with the person they trespassed against BEFORE they can be forgiven by God for that trespass.

That doesn't threaten their salvation for the law is specific to each particular trespass. It means if they keep that which was stolen, or they never admit to the person they lied about something, or any trespass, and they never reconcile by admitting their trespass, when they stand before the Lord they will be held accountable.

The victim may forgive them, but they haven't done what is right to be forgiven by God, which is to apologize to the person they trespassed again. For that trespass they will be held accountable by Him.

What does this look like in modern times?
How do you add 20% interest in our day? In their day, if someone found a lost leather coat that was worth $500, they would have to return the coat and add 20% or $100, and give the person they trespassed against the $100 and the coat, THEN go to the priest to receive God's forgiveness.

Today, if we trespassed against someone and wanted to make it right, we would apologize to them, then that "20%" could be taking them to lunch, or meeting them for tea or coffee which you pay for. It could be sending a card or note after you reconciled, just to be sure all is right between you once again. That 20% would be doing something just to be sure you two are okay again.

BUT....If a person keeps the found coat instead of returning it, they become guilty of that sin of stealing before God. They won't go to hell, but they will be held accountable for stealing.

Jesus spoke of the Law of the Trespass in Matthew 5:25-26:"Agree with your adversary (the person you trespassed against) quickly while you are on the way with them. Or they might deliver you to the judge, who will turn you over to the officer and from there to prison. I tell you the truth, you won't come out from there until you've paid every penny you owe."

Christians have misunderstood this for years, thinking this is heaven or hell. It is not. It is simply an exhortation to reconcile with the person you trespassed against, for if you do not, you will be charged with theft, fined the 20% and sent to prison. That was the custom in that day.

The larger passage is about anger without cause, and 'leave your gift at the altar and go and be reconciled to your brother.' It's about being willing to make it right when you've trespassed against someone.

This is the big one
Mark 11:25-26:"And when you stand praying, forgive if you have something against another so that your Father in heaven may forgive your trespasses. But if you don't forgive (their trespasses against you) neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

This is not heaven or hell, this is the Law of the Trespass. First, forgiveness is a decision, not an emotion. It is a decision to forgive that person who injured us. You don't have to feel good about them or what happened for you were injured. They remain guilty before God unless they come to you and reconcile.

That said, both Jesus and Steven asked the Father NOT to charge their executioners of their trespass of murdering each. We have that option of asking the Father to forgive them anyway, even if they don't account for their injury to us or seek reconciliation.

Jesus said at His resurrection:"Whosoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven. Whosoever sins you retain, they are retained." We are given the authority to use His name against demons, to use His name to lay hands on the sick. We can come before the Father in His name to seek mercy and grace to help in time of need. We can also ask the Father to forgive a person's trespass even if they don't reconcile first with us and add that 20%. OR...we can ask Him to deal with them.

Paul in II Timothy 4:14-16:In v16 he says when he was first indicted in Roman court none of his friends went with him to court, and he said:"I pray God that it won't be laid to their account."

But just before, in v14 he wrote this:"Alexander the Coppersmith did me much harm. The Lord will reward him according to what he did."

In the case of Alexander the Coppersmith, Paul chose not to release him from the injury he did to Paul. I'm sure Paul forgave him the guilt, but he didn't release him from the harm he did to Paul. Paul chose to let the Lord deal with him. That meant if Alexander never repented, he would stand before the Lord to give account on that harm of which Paul wrote.

There are some people who will not apologize for the injury they did to us, and we forgive them vertically, but we want them to face the consequences of their action. That is what Paul did - let the Lord deal with Alexander the Coppersmith. That isn't unforgiveness. It is forgiving them vertically, but because they won't do what is right horizontally, we release them into the Lord's hands and go about our business.

Next week a follow up:Working through the emotions (the injury) when forgiving someone. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

0 Comments

Deeper understanding 2 of 3, Why Peter walked, Standing up

9/23/2023

0 Comments

Hi all,

Some more fun today of passages that when set in context, provide a deeper meaning.

Why Peter walked
Jesus walking on water is recorded in 3 gospels:Matthew 14:22-34, Mark 6:45-53, and John 6:15-21.

In most translations the key exchange between Jesus and Peter, as seen in v26-29 picture the disciples afraid they are seeing a ghost walking on the water to them. Then Jesus saying 'It's me, don't be afraid', to which Peter replies something like, 'If it's really you command me to walk on the water to you.'

But that's not what was said
The Greek (and Amplified Bible) brings out the exchange was this:"Take courage. I AM. Now stop being afraid." "Lord, if you are, then command me to walk on the water to you."

That changes everything. The fear may have originally been they were seeing a ghostly apparition, but when Jesus said:'I AM, now stop being afraid', it both confirmed it was Jesus and asserted Who He really was.

When He said He was I AM, their minds would have gone immediately to the burning bush and Moses in Exodus 3:14-15. When Moses asked who was speaking to Him, the Lord replied:"I AM that I AM is speaking to you."

Jesus also claimed to be the I AM in John 8:58:"Truly, truly I tell you. Before Abraham was, I AM." We see Him state the claim again at His arrest, to show He was allowing Himself to be arrested, in John 18:5-6:

"Who are you looking for?" "Jesus of Nazareth." "And Jesus answered them, I AM....and when He had said 'I AM; immediately they were moved backwards and fell to the ground."

Additionally, in John 6:21 it says:"Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going." In other words, Jesus transported the boat with them in it roughly 2-3 miles across the lake (5km).

The summary is that He wasn't just calming them, He was stating that He is the Great I AM who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Is it no wonder that 2 chapters later, in Matthew 16:16 when Jesus asked who they believe Him to be, Peter blurts out:"You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!"

Standing up
The whole of Acts 7 is about Steven's defense before the Jewish leaders. We learn some things from his defense. He makes 2 main statements that are accepted as true, common knowledge to his accusers, but they are new to us. Though they aren't our focus.

The first is in 7:2-3 when he says the Lord appeared to Abraham to tell him to leave his homeland. Genesis 12:1 doesn't say He appeared to him, it merely says the Lord told him to leave. Steven adds that important detail which again, was common knowledge back then.

The second is in 7:22-25 where we learn Moses knew he was God's deliverer when he was 40 years old. Most Christians think the revelation came when he was 80 years old at the burning bush, but that is not the case.

Steven says in v25 that Moses killed the Egyptian (when he was 40) "For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them. But they understood not."

I teach on this often on the subject of being led of the Lord.
Moses had the revelation, but due to his education and experience, tried to help God make His promise come to pass. He killed the Egyptian thinking he would start a civil war, and he was capable of that due to his education and military experience. That mistake of trying to 'help' God, cost Moses 40 years of wilderness living before he saw the burning bush; a full 1/3 of his life.

The burning bush merely told him the timing and the way it would be done. Not by Moses's experience and war, but by God's miracle power. That will preach, as they say.

But our interest is at the end of the chapter, in vs 54-60.
Steve has given a history of the Jewish people, 2 points which I just covered.

What sealed his fate was v56:"And (Steven) said, 'Behold, I see the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.'" It was only then that they rushed him, took him out of the city and stoned him to death. We see his good heart in v60 asking the Father to forgive them of the sin of murdering him, and then he died. The first martyr.

Why the sudden rush to execution?
Steven said he saw the Son of man standing - standing - at the right hand of God. We miss this due to time and unfamiliarity with first century Judaism. But they believed God stands up when judging people.

It's based on Isaiah 3:13:"The Lord stands up to plead (accuse, contend with), and stands up to judge the people."

He saw Jesus standing next to the Father God - standing to judge Steven's accusers. Jesus was standing, waiting to see what Steven would do. Would he want them to be accountable for their sin of murdering him, or would he ask their sin to be forgiven? Jesus stood in judgement. Waiting.

Steven stood before the leaders accused of heresy, but when he said in fact they were being judged by the Lord, it was too much for them - and they executed him.

What is amazing is that when Steven asked:
"Lord (saying to the one standing), lay not this sin to their account", the Lord would have granted that forgiveness and sat back down. No judgement would be forth coming, at least not for that moment. For instead of judgement, Steven asked for forgiveness.

Jesus stood up ready to judge them if Steven wanted them to be held accountable. Had he been silent, that would have been the case. But he spoke up and asked for forgiveness for that sin - not their salvation, just on that one sin. Paul asked the Lord to forgive his friends who were afraid to appear in court with him. (II Timothy 4:16).

Again, lots of depth in each of these. Will close it out next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

0 Comments

Deeper understanding 1 of 3, What day, what He wrote

9/16/2023

0 Comments

Hi all,

This is a fun series about verses and passages you thought you understood, but maybe didn't understand in context. When put in culture of first century Judaism, a whole new meaning appears.

This is the day the Lord has made; Psalm 118:24
I got to know the Father and the Lord in the 1970's, and 'This is the day the Lord has made', was a popular song back then.

Besides singing it, I've also heard it said when something goes wrong:"Oh well, this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it (anyway)."

The context of the verse is Psalm 118, a prophetic Psalm about the Messiah. In v17 He says; "I will not die, but will live and declare the works of the Lord."

Then in v22-24:"The stone which the builders refused has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I beseech you O Lord. O Lord I beseech you, send now prosperity (let it and us be a success). Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord..."

This Psalm 118:22-26 passage is quoted in Mark 11:8-10 on what we call Palm Sunday. It's when the people laid their garments and branches along the road way welcoming their King into the city. The phrase in Psalm 118:25, 'Save now I beseech you' is one word in the Aramaic:Hosanna. (Literally, 'save me please!')

All these years singing and saying 'hosanna', did you know it meant 'Save me now I beg you' or 'Save me now (urgently) please'?

As Jesus entered the city that Palm Sunday, the people were quoting Psalm 118:"Save us now we beg you, Save us now we beg you, Send salvation, let it and us be a success (in this)! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."

The context is about the Lord headed to His death for us. THAT is the day the Lord made, for us, that we might be blessed in every area. In context, it isn't talking about any day in our time, it is about THE day the Lord went to His death for us, and became the cornerstone of salvation. THIS is the day the Lord has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Don't feel bad if you have one of those days where you shrug your shoulders and say, "Oh well, this is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it" - that works too.

But the context is what adds depth, that the people in Mark 11:9-10 were crying out, begging, for their salvation. The trouble was, it didn't come like they expected. They expected Jesus to use His miracle power to kick the Romans out and make Israel great again. When that didn't happen, they turned against Him and crucified Him.

What He wrote in the dust
John 7:2 tells us the Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. It is the last of the festivals God gave to Israel, and celebrates God living with man. It is going to be celebrated annually in the Millennium for Jesus will be living with mankind as King of the earth. Zechariah 14:16-20

The Feast of Tabernacles has another name, 'The Feast of Living Waters' and involved a 'water drawing' ceremony called 'Living Waters'.

It is during this feast, on the last day of the feast, that Jesus stood up and cried out v37 says:"If anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink. He that believes in me will as scripture says, have living water flowing out of his belly. This He spoke of the Spirit, which those who believe on Him would later receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given to man for He was not yet glorified.)"

Chapter 8:1-2 tells us the next morning...
...the day after the 7 day feast, the 8th day, is when Jesus met the woman caught in the act of adultery.

The significance of it being the day after the Feast is that this was called 'the 8th day' and is celebrated to our time. It is called 'shemini atzeret'. Shemini means 'eighth' and 'atzeret' means 'to close or pause'. The 8th day was known as 'the celebration of the Word'. The final reading of passages that had been read all week long were read for one last time.

The oral law of adultery required both the man and woman be brought to the temple to the Nicanor Gate (east side of the city which led to the 'court of the women') to determine if adultery had actually taken place. They did it so they could test Jesus.

Technically,
They would have brought the man and woman to the temple to a priest to be accused. There had to be 2 eye witnesses as well. Then the priest would write in the dust on the floor the sins committed with the names of the accused, as their accusers listed their sins one by one.

Most likely, following the custom of the day but with a twist, Jesus wasn't writing the woman's name and sins, but the sins and names of the men standing there accusing her.

The custom is based on Jeremiah 17:13:"O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be ashamed, and those who have departed from you will have their names written in the dust of the earth, for they have rejected the Fountain of Living Waters."

I personally believe
Jesus was writing their names (and sins) in the earth, for they were convicted and left John 8:9 tells us, the oldest first, then the youngest. Considering the oldest men would have had the most experience and would have heard Jeremiah 17:13 read at the festival for decades, it seems reasonable.

Why written in dust? Because the dust represented the temporary nature of sin before a loving and gracious God, who would with one request for forgiveness, wipe away sin as a man would clear the dust with a wipe of his hand.

The men could have asked forgiveness, but they walked away. The woman was forgiven, but commanded to break it off with the man:"Go, and sin no more." The dust was wiped clean. What a lesson for that woman to see! What a lesson for the men!

There is so much to contemplate in these 2 examples I'll leave it there. More next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

0 Comments

Last thoughts, really, about mental illness, 6 of 6

9/9/2023

0 Comments

Hi all,

In part 4 I shared about the identity crisis Satan brought to Adam and Eve. That identity crisis was a lie, but they believed it. We could say they wanted to fit in to a group. Satan told them they would be like God - what a great group to be part of! So they ate.

They were willing to leave the identity of who they were individually for the chance to be part of the 'God group', to be like Him.

Belonging to or fitting in?
Fitting in to a group is measuring people and figuring out how you can fit in. That's what Satan brought to Adam and Eve. They were asked to measure themselves, measure their current standing with God, and figure out how they could fit in with Satan by being 'like God to know good and evil'. Hmmm, what did they need to do to fit in? Eat the fruit. So they did.

When Satan offered a different identity by assuring them they could belong in the same class as God, to know good and evil - they left their God-given identity to make another identity and fit in with 'that crowd' (Satan's kingdom).

If you belong to a group or person in a healthy way, you'll never be asked to change who you are. Belonging actually celebrates who you are. Belonging requires you to be who you are.

Satan wasn't asking Adam and Eve to belong, he was asking them to fit in - to his plan, his lie, his larger agenda. That's what is diabolical about that part of emotional illness; it can offer a person what they want if they will only do what is needed to fit in. And that means changing who they are.

Satan wants to take away a person's individuality because individuality reveals each person's unique, God-given gifts. If he can get them to just fit in by giving up who they are individually, he can get them to identify with a larger dysfunctional group. Doing so can cover emotional or mental illness of that group. Group-think hides or masks emotional illness.

A healthy marriage will not ask a spouse to give up their personal identity, but celebrate 2 unique individuals learning to become one. Each will celebrate the other's uniqueness as they belong to each other, building a life together, committing to grow and change as human beings.

An unhealthy marriage, friendship, family or work relationship will remove one's individuality, so that a person doesn't know who they are anymore. At work they feel like they are a robot. In marriage a servant or just a partner. In a friendship the one who is always giving but the other friend can't reciprocate.

Helping people - how?
Satan offered a different identity to Adam and Eve. He wanted them to do something to fit into a group who would be he said, like God, to know good and evil. He lied to them, showing that a lie comes before a sin. A person believes a lie first, the sin follows.

When we see people, Christians or not, with emotional or mental issues, the root is an identity crisis coupled with them having believed a lie. They don't know who they are as the Father created them. They don't know His plans for them. They don't know His great love for them. And they've believed an alternate identity of themselves.

They have chosen to identify with something else:Maybe it is self-hatred. Maybe it is narcissism. Maybe it is 8 hours a day on social media, thinking those are true 'friends'. Maybe it is focus on 1 doctrine about end times or conspiracy, UFO or little green men, to the near exclusion of true relationships and life.

Healthy patterns
When a person believes a lie there is a certain amount of security in that. If a girl begins hating herself, she knows and is secure in what she hates and why. To un-believe the lie means stepping into the unfamiliar. "Love myself? I've never done that." As one example.

They need someone to show them their individual identity in Christ. How the Father created them and gave them amazing gifts (Ephesians 2:8-10). They need to know there is an answer. A person with wrong thoughts or unhealthy emotions who is also seeking answers, responds to someone they can 1, confide in, and 2, therefore trust.

It means helping someone who is off-balance emotionally or in their thoughts to show them how to restrain those unbalanced things in them. They need to be shown by that person how to think healthy thoughts and have healthy feelings.

Not always successful
Earlier in the series I talked of how Paul wrote to the Corinthians about his unhealthy thoughts and feelings. But how he came out of it by turning to the One who raises the dead. He was able to do that in part because he had people in his life around him, and praying for him.

Some people may decide un-believing a lie is too hard, to scary. But there are also those desperately wanting to be healthy, and they need someone or a small group to walk along the journey with them. They need to know before they were even conceived, the Father was thinking about them and knew His plans for them. (Jeremiah 1:5, for instance)

Knowing the Father God is therefore the key to emotional and mental health. As mental illness and emotional illness become more common in societies, the need to know the Father God, and we can help them find Him. Doing so helps them find their true identity. Their true group who will celebrate who they are as an individual child of the Father.

Read, talk, listen
Read Ephesians chapters 1 through 3. Everywhere it says 'God', insert Father, for that is who Paul is writing about:"Grace and peace to you from God our Father..." (1:2) So everywhere you read 'God' insert Father. Stop at each verse. The Father sends peace and grace. The Father has blessed you with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies - what does that mean to you day to day? That all blessings are already yours. You don't have to declare, confess, proclaim, fast, pray, give, participate or do anything - all blessings are already yours! Christ is already in you, there is nothing you can do to change or improve upon that.

Help that person see that - spend time in those first 3 chapters especially. Then talk to the Father:This is eternal life, to know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." John 17:3. "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and which His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. I John 1:3

Know the Father by talking to Him. Look for His involvement in your life by noticing the good things that happen to you through the day. Every good and perfect gifts comes from Him, James 1:17 - look for the little coincidences, the favor, the grace, the timing in your life - then say 'Thank you Father' - involve Him in your life, thank Him, then be silent for a little bit, shifting attention to your spirit down inside you - sense that peace? Sense that 'you're welcome'? That's Him.

Helping people to know their Father completes them, fills that hole in their heart, for He alone can fill that....skip the symptom and go right to the heart of the matter. Lead them to the Father, show them His involvement in your life, and lead them. John 6:45:"Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to me." Help them hear and learn from the Father, and they will come to Jesus.

New subject next week, a bit lighter one, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

0 Comments

Next to last thoughts on mental ill (5of6): Christians with demons?

9/2/2023

0 Comments

Hi all,

Wrong thinking and wrong emotions don't always develop into emotional illness, but we are seeing a rise in emotional illness in around the world. It starts with a wrong thought, then a focus on that wrong thought leads to an imbalance in one's life. That imbalance is closely tied to emotional illness.

Christians with demons?
In John 8:44 Jesus said when the devil speaks a lie he is all alone. He is in the spirit realm ruling his kingdom of darkness, so he is outside our realm of the physical world, but seeks entry. He looks for people to agree with him, which legally allows him into their lives.

If they agree with him, his authority is extended to that person and expands his kingdom and it's influence. He is confined within 'chains of darkness' - but if people allow his kingdom into their lives, the influence of his kingdom expands.

While a Christian's spirit cannot have any spirit other than the Holy Spirit, one's mind and body can entertain and even offer a home to an evil spirit. Satan wants influence in the natural world.

The spirit realm touches the natural realm at the point of thought.
I've seen demons sitting on people's shoulders, then hop into their minds. Others report seeing the same thing when in the Spirit and allowed to observe how an obsessive thought happens.

In my experience, it has been those obsessive thoughts that dominate a person's thought life that signify an emotional or mental issue. Where an obsessive thought and a demon meet depends on each situation and person.

I've noticed that a person who is off balance in their thinking and feelings feels threatened if they interact with someone who challenges what they believe. The ability to argue a point and still have the same good feelings about that other person is a sign of maturity and emotional health. If a difference of doctrine or opinion on anything ruins what one thinks of the other, it is a sign of immaturity and possible emotional off-balance.

And that 1 factor right there, means such a person is often single, unable to sustain several long term relationships, because when challenged they cannot separate an idea from an emotion, and their opinion of that person is ruined. That's off-balance. Take to an extreme, it can become emotional illness.

An example from recent US history would include the prophecies from so called prophets that during President Biden's inauguration President Trump was going to come with the army to arrest Biden. It seemed like millions of Christians were caught up in that lie, following so called prophets who banded together and whose 'words' were confirmed only among themselves.

I challenged that idea as of a wrong spirit and NOT the Spirit of God to a few 'friends' on social media, saying that wasn't God and they needed to run from those so called prophets. I got unfriended or otherwise cut off from contact. Their response was anger, so 'unfriend' was the reaction. They couldn't justify it, explain the mechanisms exactly of what that take over and arrest would look like. One 'prophet' even said the Father personally appeared to them to tell them it was going to happen - and false words to that effect.

Look at the emotional off-balance and perhaps illness: The loss of common sense, logic, understanding the mechanics of how things work. The unhealthy focus on 1 thing, 1 topic that drew them in. The shutting out of friends. The inability to deal with challenges to their beliefs. The insistence to hear only those who supported what they said. The certainty they had higher knowledge than others on the 'outside'. That they felt better informed what the Spirit was saying and others would just have to trust them - all point to off-balance and perhaps outright illness.

But look at those same symptoms in the world.
The same emotion, the same withdrawl from anyone who doesn't believe as they do. The anger, the leaving of healthy relationships to join only those who believe as they do, the feeling of being threatened if someone asks them to defend their point of view - we see it in every segment of society - Christian or non-Christian alike. How do those obsessive thoughts begin?

Before Satan brought sin to Adam and Eve, he presented a lie
Consider that statement. A lie comes before a sin. Satan questioned them about God, told them God had lied to them, that He told them wrong, and he (Satan) was right. Even a half truth is a whole lie. Eve believed the lie which caused her to sin.

An adolescent boy finds adult web sites, and sees lies of how s*x is. That's the lie that leads him into s*xual sin as an adult and unhappiness with women in his life. A girl believes she is ugly, so she starts hating herself. Or maybe seeks 'that one' man who will fill her emptiness. A child is abused, so grows up with the lie that they deserved it or they were different, which leads them into sin...and on it goes. Before sin entered the world, a lie came 1st.

Or on the lighter side, 'Just one more piece of cake won't hurt', lol, we know that's a lie - so we sin against our body for the 2nd helping. "I'll quit (the habitual sin) next week..." What other lies do we tell ourselves before we sin?

Consider that a child or adult who believed lies now comes to the Lord and in their spirit finally feel clean and new again. But their mind is still filled with all those lies - they must un-believe the lies - one by one, situation by situation. They must reject the lies as they are seen for what they are, and start thinking God's thoughts about that situation.

People often rebuke the devil not realizing it is God bringing an event to their memory. He does so that they may say "I forgive them" or "I forgive myself" or "I've learned a lesson from that". Often it isn't the devil, but the Father trying to help us reconcile our past, bringing the memory, thoughts, and emotions related to the event to bring healing and subjection in Christ.

You'll know He has done His healing work when the memory remains but the pain is gone.

And I'll close it out with more about unbelieving lies, and more, next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

0 Comments