Unfortunately We Prefer To Travel Down The Harder Road Of Trying To “Help” God Out. We Start Formulating Plan ‘B-Z’ Since God’s Plan ‘A’ Is Taking Too Long! Any Thing You Do Outside Of The Timing Of God You Will Pay A Pretty Steep Penny. Here's Why:

Genesis 16:1-2, “Sarai, Abram’s wife, hadn’t yet produced a child. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, “God has not seen fit to let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can get a family from her.” Abram agreed to do what Sarai said.” (msg)

I am by far no expert in regards to airplanes, flying or pilots! But as comical as it may sound, I did have the opportunity to speak for a pilot safety program. Now, truth be told, you really wouldn’t want to fly in a plane that I taught anyone about! Why? Because I don’t know the first thing about it! However, I was invited because of a devotional I wrote called “Soaring & Stress“, where I used the analogy of pilots dealing with turbulence, and the stress that comes as a result from it. And in case you didn’t know, stress is a real issue for pilots, so they kind of sneaked me in for one of the programs, under the radar several years ago.

Two of the safety directors took me to lunch one day to brief me on what to expect. In the process, one of them told me that over 80% of the crashes that involve private pilots are because of Pilot Error. Then he told me about a disease that has killed many pilots (and many passengers as well). He called it “get-there-itis.” Meaning: “I’ve just got to get there!” Kind of a “By Any Means Necessary“ motto! But this becomes a problem because they don’t adequately evaluate the weather, or the plane, or their own personal condition. Instead they make a short-sighted choice that often leads to disastrous consequences for everyone! However, you don’t have to be a pilot to be in danger of catching the “get-there-itis” disease.

Now, there’s a biblical case of “get-there-itis” in Genesis 15:4. God made this awesome promise to Abram, “Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man [Eliezer] will not be your heir but he who shall come from your own body shall be your heir.” (AMP) Well, needless to say, a lot of years passed; Abram had a lot of birthdays, and so did Sarai. But…the promised baby had none, because it didn’t come. And what happens with many of us when God makes us a promise, but too much time has elapsed (at least in our own opinion), and it’s still not fulfilled? You guessed it, there’s panic and planning! And it was no different for Sarai.

So on to our text in chapter 16. “Sarai, Abram’s wife, hadn’t yet produced a child. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, “God has not seen fit to let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can get a family from her.” Abram agreed to do what Sarai said.” (MSG)

And as they say, “The rest is history.”

Here was a decision that did bring about a son, but it was the wrong son. It was a problem instead of the promise; Ishmael by name. What happened to the promised child, you ask? Well, thirteen years later Isaac would come; you know, the one that God had promised, not the one Sarai was determined to produce of her own accord! And boy did she get what she asked for! But this decision to try to make it happen brought terrible conflict in Abraham’s family and, honestly, even to our world all these thousands of years later as the descendants of Ishmael, the Arabs, and the descendants of Isaac, the Jews, continue to fight it out!

Now, look, Abram and Sarai had a worthy goal, the one God had promised, a family, but God was taking longer than Sarai expected. So Sarai sinned the sin of “get-there-itis.” She made a disastrous choice because she had to get there, by any means necessary. She just had to get what she was asking for! Well, before you judge her too harshly, maybe you could look back on some of the choices that you’ve made in your past and see that you’re not so different from Sarai. I know for a fact, I’m certainly no different.

Let’s be honest, there were some moments you couldn’t wait, so you just took off, and you caused a crash. Or maybe you’re about to sin a sin of “get-there-itis” today! And maybe it’s even a good goal. Maybe it’s something you want to accomplish for yourself, your family, business, ministry or church. Maybe you want to get married, or something to help your child, or to help other people. BUT, God hasn’t made it come to pass. So, you’re starting to push, to plan, to scheme, to arrange, to manipulate to make it happen.

And truthfully, I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve sat across from someone in counseling who has that very same testimony…’If only I just waited on God.’ How many marriages wouldn’t have fallen apart; ministries and churches split; homes foreclosed; businesses shut down; finances dry up, and all because we just had to make it happen, by any means necessary, instead of waiting for God to make it happen, in His time, in His will, in His way.

However, Unfortunate For Us, We Preferred To Travel Down The Harder Road Of Trying To “Help” God Out. We Start Formulating Plan ‘B-Z’ Since God’s Plan ‘A’ Is Taking Entirely Too Long! We start interfering, scheming and scamming only to get what we wanted, but not at all what we needed!

I like Warren Wiersbe’s definition of faith. He said, “Faith is the absence of scheming.” In other words Sarai, stop trying to pull a Hagar; which is nothing more than a tragic hurry-up of God’s plans.

And the sad part of it all is that God had already promised them a son, the plan was already in the works. They only needed to trust God, walk by faith and wait. And people of God, we’re no different. There are some things that God has promised us, but we’re getting antsy now. It’s been 5 years since the promise of a child; 10 years since the promise of a spouse; 15 years since the promise of a ministry, and now we feel the need to “help” Heaven and the Hand of God (as if that were ever needed or possible!)

And one of the things I don’t think we take into account when attempting to “help” God out, is all the pain that comes from the process of trying to produce something before its time. Abram and Sarai’s marriage relationship is strained; Sarai and Hagar’s relationship is strained; Sarai gets lost in her emotions and acts out on the person she drafted into her plans in the first place; Hagar is not even consulted, she’s simply commanded to sleep with old man Abram and produce a child she wouldn’t be able to claim as her own; Abram is battling with 2 women and a kid on the way; and then when the kid gets here, Sarai is mad, Hagar is sent away…it’s just a mess! And all because Ms. Sarai couldn’t wait on God, His will or way, she just had to get what she asked for!

Anything You Do Outside Of The Timing Of God You Will Pay A Pretty Steep Penny For! And Not Only That, But So Will All Those You Draft Into Your Madness! Think About It, When’s The Last Time You Heard Of A Pilot Crashing A Plane Full Of People And He Was The ONLY ONE To Die?! People Attached To You Suffer From Your Choices And Consequences!

Many of us are accustomed to having a back-up plan. We’re depended upon to figure stuff out, to make it work, to fill in the gap, to strategize how to rob Peter to pay Paul. But all of that is all of us, and none of God. You see, it’s not like Sarai was hoping for a promise, the promise was already given she didn’t even have to ask for it, it was given without the need of her request. All she had to do was wait on the timing of God for its fulfillment. And that’s exactly where we get it wrong! We have a tendency to get impatient, devise a plan and go wandering instead of waiting. But what does the Bible have to say?

Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, WAIT. It’s on its way. It will come right on time” (MSG) Listen: Your promise does not need you trying to clock its’ arrival time! God has already appointed its’ arrival time, you’re just frustrated because God didn’t give you the ETA on your promises arrival. But it doesn’t need to be put on your agenda! All you have to do is trust God and WAIT! And the part I love about that Scripture is, “…IT CAN HARDLY WAIT!” Listen, what God has promised you is so excited to get to you that it can hardly wait, but what happens when you can hardly wait, and so you involve yourself where God didn’t need your assistance and now your Promise is on Pause!

And what happens next?

Genesis 16:3-6, “So SARAI, Abram’s wife, took her Egyptian maid Hagar and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. Abram had been living ten years in Canaan when this took place. He slept with Hagar and she got pregnant. When Hagar learned she was pregnant, she looked down on her mistress. Sarai told Abram, It’s your fault that I’m suffering this abuse. I put my maid in bed with you and the minute she knows she’s pregnant she treats me like I’m nothing. May God decide which of us is right,” “You decide,” said Abram. “Your maid is your business.” Sarai was abusive to Hagar and Hagar ran away.” (MSG)

I find it absolutely amazing that Sarai gave her husband to another woman to bed and wife, and yet her response to her own devised plan is: “it’s your fault” Sounds a lot like another portion of Scripture involving Adam and Eve: “GOD, It’s the woman you gave me!” Or maybe another example found in King Saul, “It was the people’s fault I made the sacrifice!” or maybe Pilate? “I know Jesus is innocent, but I’ll give the people what they want and wash my hands of it all!” In other words, when things go as we Asked, but not as we Wanted, the Blame Game Begins and the Finger Pointing Starts! But that’s often what we do, when the back-up plans, That we made for God, don’t work out, it’s everyone else’s fault, but our own of course! And all of this could’ve been prevented if only Sarai waited on GOD! But there’s no need to get mad now! This was your genius plan, this was your proposal; this was your idea! You picked the plan and the woman and gave them the blueprint to follow in building you a son, and yet, this is his fault?! No dear, you needed to wait on God, because He already made you a promise, your problem came about because of your own impatience and plans!

Now, let’s be fair Abram, because you indeed had a hand in this mess too! Remember what God told you Abram: Genesis 15:4-6, “Then God’s Message came: “Don’t worry, he won’t be your heir; A son from your body will be your heir.” Then he took him outside and said, “Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! You’re going to have a big family, Abram!” and he believed! Believed God! God declared him “Set-Right-with-God.” (MSG) Abram, God gave you the promise of not only a son from your own body, but also that you would have a big family. It concludes that you believed God…so what happened?! If you believed Him at the time He gave the promise, why would you lose sight of the promise in the meantime? All you both needed to do were wait and trust God, but as my mom would say, ‘that was too much like right’!

Don’t make the mistake of attempting to rush God or help God out! He knows what He’s doing. He knows what He promised you. He knows the perfect time to bring it to pass. Don’t pull a Sarai and come up with a back-up plan, and don’t pull an Abram, receiving a promise, believing the promise and then agreeing with your wife to do the polar opposite of the promise!

Don’t mess up God’s Promise over your life by attempting to Produce a Harvest from a Seed God never told you to Plant!

Truth is, this Winter we had a 60 degree day. But did that mean the Season changed and now it’s suddenly Spring? NO! The Seasons are Pre-Scheduled to Change at Their Appointed Time, and So Are the Seasons in Your Life! You Can’t Rush It, But You Can Surely Ruin It! Therefore, Always Wait For God’s Due Season!

Please hear me loud and clear, this is our Word of Warning Today: WAIT! And even if it’s slow in coming, still WAIT! Why? Because it’s on its way! It will come on time and will not lie! Remember this: We have absolutely NO reason not to trust God to keep His Word!

Isaiah 55:8-11, “I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, so will the words that come out of My mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.” (MSG)

Can you imagine having such a Word of Promise over your life that it can’t fail, can’t stop, can’t be blocked, can’t be left undone, but has to come to pass, and not just while you’re still on earth, but even up until the day of Christ Coming! In case you ever doubted it, please believe me when I tell you sons and daughters of God, your Father loves you! You don’t have to strategize, plan, scheme, manipulate, or devise a back-up plan to bring God’s promise to pass in your life, it’s guaranteed that it’s coming to pass because God Himself has already held Himself accountable to make sure it does, and He can’t lie!

Jeremiah 1:12:

“…I am [actively] watching over My Word to FULFILL IT.” (AMP);

 “…I’ll make EVERY WORD I give you COME TRUE.” (MSG);

Are You Getting This?! This is how strongly God feels about the Keeping of His Word! That should further encourage us to trust whatever His plans are for our lives. Because He will Make Sure that His Word Given to Us, to Fulfill His Purpose, Comes to Pass! In Other Words, God Doesn’t Need Your Help to Produce What He Promised!

Numbers 23:19, “God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change His mind. GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES.” (CEV)              

So, when you feel like God’s promises are dragging their feet, dig your heels in faith a little deeper and remember GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES! There is no need for you to try and pull out a Hagar, Sarai, just trust the God you serve and you’ll eventually see what HE SAID!

Don’t take off just yet and don’t panic and die of terminal ‘get-there-itis.'” Remember in the opening story, 80% of the crashes, were PILOT ERROR, the hurry to get there before time! Don’t let this happen to you, your family, your business, your education, your employment, your career, your ministry, your church! God has a foolproof plan, therefore your back-up plan is not needed! The term “foolproof plan” is defined as: “done, made, or planned so well that nothing can go wrong; no opportunity for error, misuse or failure; designed so as to be impervious to human incompetence; infallible; guaranteed; certain; safe; never-failing; sure-fire; unbreakable; incapable of going wrong.” Now does any of that sound like it needs a back-up plan? Absolutely Not! God’s Plan Will Prevail and Produce What He Promised!

Jeremiah 29:10-11, “…I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (MSG)

In other words, Sarai, My plan doesn’t need yours! And for us, He Doesn’t Need OURS Either!

Therefore, how about today we deliberately choose to leave this in God’s hands? Let Him bring it to pass in His time. You’ll have a great flight if you do. But if you force it, you’ll crash it. And that goes for everything. Don’t try to force a friendship, relationship, career, schooling, children, marriage, ministry, business, church or anything else. Just trust God and plant in seed-time and watch how greatly you reap in harvest.

But even farmers will tell you, no matter how great the harvest, you still have to WAIT for it! And no matter how great the promise and plans are, you still have to WAIT for them. God has not forgotten, be patient and WAIT for what God promised so you don’t have to suffer from what you produced!

In a Nutshell: Don’t Wander, Just Wait!

Remember: Be Careful What You Ask For, Because You Just May Get It!  

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com

Not Everyone Is Waiting For Christmas To Arrive. No,There Are Some Who Were Diagnosed With Cancer, Lost Loves Ones, Divorced, Lost A Job,There Are Times When You Can’t Put On Your ‘I’m Alright’ Face. But There Is A Christmas Guest That Never Leaves Us

Matthew 1:23 “Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and He shall be called “Emmanuel” (meaning “God Is With Us.”) TLB

Christmas - when a God we thought was so very far away came down to where we are, to hold us close. John 6:38 says, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.” (AMP); John 3:13 says, “No one has gone up into heaven, but there is One who came down from heaven, the Son of Man [Himself – whose home is heaven].” (AMP) Can you imagine Jesus loving us so much to leave His home in heaven to come to earth to see about us?

In fact, the ancient prophecy of the coming Messiah predicted it. And Matthew 1:23 also declares it, "'A virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, 'God with us'". Not just God projected on the screen of some church monitor or religious act either. But God right here! God up close and personal! God with us, God in us!

But for many of us, and far too often, however, He has seemed far away? Such as in those distressing moments when you receive the diagnosis; when there was an unexpected lay-off, family death, or loss of housing; those times when you didn’t see the divorce coming or your finances drastically leaving; Those times when you cry for anything, everything and nothing, and there’s not a sole around to wipe your tears, give you a shoulder to lean on or an encouraging word or hug. Truth is, holiday or not, life can be extremely hard sometimes.

Believe It Or Not, But Not Everyone Is Smiling, Happy, Filled With Joy, Buying Presents And Holding Their Breath Waiting For Christmas Morning To Arrive. No, There Are Some Who Lost Loved Ones During This Time Last Year, And So This Is Their First Year Without Them, and to say the experience is hard, is the understatement of the year! I share this with you because sometimes we’re so immersed in the holidays that we assume everyone is just as joyful. But pain and loss have a way of sucking even the carols out of Christmas…Even if only for a little while...

There Are Times in Life When YouCan’t Put on Your ‘I’m Alright’ Face. You can’t dance, clap, shout, spin, run and speak in tongue over this one. You can’t dress it up in fancy holiday attire, robes or crosses. You don’t have the eloquent prayers to reach heaven with, not for this one. And out of all the Scriptures you know, pain and loss have a way of making you forget even the simplest of Psalm 23. Sometimes you can’t ‘fake it till you make it.’ Sometimes you can’t attend the parties, grin and smile, and wear your red, and celebrate; even if only for a little while.

Some Are Having Their First Christmas After The Divorce; Others After Their Child Died; Or After Their Parents Have Died, Others After The Doctor Dropped The Cancer Bomb On Them. Then there are others who medicate themselves with alcohol, drugs or sex. And then there are those who are on prescription meds and still it’s hard. Others are suicidal, depressed, lonely, and hurting.

BUT before you think that’s how this devotional ends, let me correct you…

Listen: Matthew 1:23 reads, "'A virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, 'God with us'" Despite what we may have to face here on earth, the one guarantee we have is “God With Us.” Even in the midst of trials, struggles, pain, hurt, disappointment and the like, God is still with us! Hebrews 13:5 says, “For He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” (AMP) I tell you, there is no greater comfort than God!

Yes, I know it’s painful, and still it can’t deprive you of the promise God has made to you to ‘NEVER LEAVE YOU UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES’! Truthfully, we can’t count very many people who could make such a promise and keep it, but Jesus is a Promise Keeper! Even when it feels, seems, sounds and looks as though He is so very far away, be encouraged, God is Still With YOU! In fact, what I love most about this Scripture is the detail He goes into: “I will never leave you, never desert you, you’ll never be without My support, I’ll never leave you helpless, and I’ll never relax my hold on you”. Does that sound like He’s far away? Out of touch? Can’t reach us? Not at all!

And that’s what made me smile today! The reminder that no matter how much we hurt, HE will always be with us! And furthermore, our hurt won’t last always! Yes, we’ll cry, we’ll wonder, we’ll question, we’ll hurt…but we’ll get strong again, and recover.

Listen: One of the greatest gifts besides salvation is in knowing that Jesus didn’t come just to leave! He loves us so much that He’s going to return for us, and while He’s in heaven, He’s loved us once again so much, that He couldn’t leave us without comfort! John 14:26, “But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor – Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.” (AMP) We are never without comfort, support, love and strength, Jesus made sure of it!

So, even if you aren’t at your happiest or your strongest this holiday season, know that you are never alone, and God is not far away, but with you and in you! And by all means please know that it is okay for you to be honest about your hurt and where you really are mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. You have nothing to prove to anyone. And addressing your weakness does not take away His strength. Jesus wept, and so can you!

So, family, know for certain that it is okay not to be ‘over-flowing’ with the holiday spirit. But also know that you have no need to wallow in dread. Your Immanuel Has Not Left You Nor Will He Ever! And He Loves You So Much That Even the Father Intervened to Send a Comforter in His Name to Represent Him. Your God is Never far away! And there are no painful glitches in life that can remove His presence from you. Read His Word, Pray, Praise, and Worship…and also cry in your Prayer Closet releasing all of your agony to Him. He understands, and He’s not going anywhere! Hebrews 4:15 informs us, “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin.” (AMP) We serve a Savior who knows exactly how it feels to be human! That’s why we can tell Him our deepest hurts, weaknesses and fears, He understands, He cares, He’s present there with you and always will be!

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com

Don’t Ruin What Simply Needs Repairing! Maybe There’s A Strained Relationship In Your Life Right Now: Family, Children, Sibling, Friend, Marriage. Could That Be Why God Wanted Us Talking About This Today?

Ephesians 4:26-27, “If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly; for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to the devil” (TLB)

Don’t Ruin What Simply Needs Repairing! I always find it amusing and sad that people will quicker redeem cans and coupons, than they will redeem people, relationships, friendships, and even marriages…It’s sad that we possess the Fruit of the Spirit, yet our Flesh has caused it to Rot.

Ephesians 4, starting with verse 26, reads, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the Devil a foothold.” Well, there’s a biblical clock here on strained relationships/friendships, just like there is on letting dirty dishes sit untouched. The longer you wait to clean it up, the harder it is to clean it up. Our conflict in relationships and friendships are like that too. That’s why it’s wise not to allow things to sit, settle and fester. Remember, according to the Bible, we have a clock on our discord, and that clock runs out at sundown every day! In other words, we really shouldn’t be hanging on to our anger after the end of the day.

That reminds me a lot of those old Western movies I use to love to watch. If you’ve ever seen them, you will know the famous line all the marshal’s use, “You better be out of here by sundown!” Well, that’s what we’re supposed to be saying to any anger, or resentment, bitterness or conflict that comes up in our relationships/friendships. “Get out of here by sundown!” There’s a good reason for this. You know those food remnants on dirty dishes which I was talking about? If you deal with them right away they’re soft and easy to remove; just kind of scrape them a little bit and they fall right off. But you know what happens if you wait with a dirty plate? The longer it sits dirty, the harder it is to get clean!

I wonder if that’s where we coined the term “hard feelings? “ Because our unresolved hurt is just as hard as the non-rinsed dishes. And sadly enough, that’s when the Devil gets an opportunity to enter a marriage, or a parent-child relationship, or a friendship, or a church, business, school or workplace.

In conducting various marriage counseling sessions I’ve discovered that at the core of most every marriage breakup there was an issue that once was small, but it wasn’t dealt with when it was small. That’s why it’s so hard to mend marriages, because problems are never dealt with when they occur. They’re not dealt with until what was delayed has now become damage beyond repair. That is also why it’s so hard to keep to the current issue because couples have left so many “small” issues ignored, that now that there’s a problem that happened in January of this year, it can’t be resolved because so much time and energy is still focused on the arguments from January 2018!

In addition, at the core of broken parent-child relationships or a hurting friendship, or a divided church, there are also people who didn’t clean up their anger when it first appeared; when it was still small, when it was still manageable, when it was relatively soft. And now it’s led to a terrible hardening outcome. And the truth is, we can’t blame the devil. The Scripture tells us not to give him a “foothold”, but a foothold is just enough space for a person to put their foot in the door. But, who opened the door? The devil couldn’t get his foot in if you didn’t open the door and grant him access. And how do you grant him foothold access? By sending your anger to answer the door!

“Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down. And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness].” (AMP).

“…Do not give the devil an opportunity…” And what’s an “opportunity”? It’s defined as “a favorable time or set of circumstances for doing something; a career opening offered; a chance for promotion; a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal; a good position, chance, or prospect, as for advancement or success.” And all of that is the Opportunity you allow your grudge, anger, resentment and bitterness to grant to the devil. So when he gets a “foothold” in your relationships, friendships, marriage, children, church, business, workplace, remember who opened the door and invited him in as their special guest…yep, you guessed it…YOU! We made the circumstances favorable for him, we hired him and gave him a career and promotion to destroy our life and loved ones, we helped him attain his goal of disruption, discord and destruction, we placed him in a good position, we helped advance his attack and gain success. Yes, you and the emotions you sent to answer the door of your relationships/friendships! This is not one of those times when you can say, “the devil made me do it.” No, we did it, all on our own! As parents, those are things we like to call Responsibility and Accountability. And if the devil has gotten a foothold into our relationships/friendships, we set out the welcome mat for him to step on. We are held accountable because it was our responsibility to make sure it didn’t happen!

Listen to the Scripture again, “Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger (cause you shame nor allow it to) last until the sun goes down. And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness].” (AMP). One, small 3-letter word is key, “…LET…” defined as “to allow someone to have the use of” You were not supposed to give the devil a foothold but you did, even though the Scripture commanded you, “…do not let your anger…” Did you catch that? “…Your…” All of this is Your Responsibility! You are not to give the devil room to be allowed to use your anger against you and your relationships/friendships. WE are held accountable for allowing the devil to have opportunity! And how did we do that? Pay attention to the Scripture:

“…Holding a grudge…”; “…nurturing anger…”; “…harboring resentment…”; “…cultivating bitterness…” You know, for this to be “the devil’s” fault, as many will use as their excuse. We sure are doing quite a bit in this text to help him don’t you think?

You Can Get Angry But Watch This: How About We Take A Look At The Part We Play…

“Holding” – is defined as “to grasp, carry, support, keep, have in one’s possession, contain, cause to stay, remain tightly secured”

“Nurturing” – is defined as “to rear and encourage the development of; to feed and cherish”

“Harbor” – is defined as “to keep (a thought or feeling) secretly in one’s mind; to give refuge, shelter or protection to”

“Cultivate” – is defined as “to prepare and use; raise and grow; to maintain; to acquire and develop”

This is how well you take care of your Grudge, Anger, Resentment and Bitterness! Do you know this is better care and treatment than some spouses and children receive! All of the emotions that are opening the door for the devil’s foothold into our relationships/friendships are being Held, Nurtured, Harbored and Cultivated…BY US! Do You Know What we’ve Deliberately Decided to Do With our Grudge, Anger, Resentment and Bitterness, according to the above definitions? We’ve purposely grasped it, carry, supported and keep it, we have possession of it, we keep it contained and we cause it to stay by allowing it to be held onto tightly and secure. We’re rearing it up like a child and encouraging its development by feeding and cherishing it. We’re dwelling on it secretly in our thoughts and feelings and it means so much to us that we’ve even provided it with refuge, shelter and protection. We are even preparing it for use as we raise and grow it, maintain, acquire and develop it, because we have absolutely no intentions on letting any of it go! And that’s why the devil has been able to repeatedly enjoy a sweat free-victory over your relationships/friendships. With the loving way we hold our grudges, nurture our anger, harbor our resentment and cultivate our bitterness, what exactly is there left for him to do?

Maybe There Is A Strained Relationship In Your Life Right Now. Could That Be Why God Wanted Us Talking About This Today? Well, if that should be the case, there have been far too many sunsets, too many bad feelings you let hang on! Please understand, it will never be smaller than it is today. I know that it’s bigger than it used to be, but this is the smallest it’s ever going to be. It will never be easier to address that conflict, that resentment, that anger than it is right now, no matter how hard that might seem. It’s only going to get harder the longer you let it sit there untouched and unaddressed. It will only get more costly because you’re going to lose relationships, friendships, trust, support, and even love.

Now, I know we live in a day and age of the “church”, where everybody will tell you, “just let them go, drop ‘em, leave ‘em, forget about ‘em”, however, I do not believe that this is the Conduct of Christians.

Listen, I by no means am saying that those of you with “justifiable hurt and legitimate pain” should not be angry. Even the Scripture doesn’t say that, “go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry…” (MSG) The Bible does not tell us to hide, mask, camouflage, or pretend with our feelings and emotions. We’re never asked to lie about the level of hurt we’ve experienced. However, we cannot take Part of the Scripture, we must embrace it Whole, and the rest reads, “…but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the devil that kind of foothold in your life.” (MSG)

Get Angry, Deal With it in a Healthy Manner, Then Let It Go Before Sundown!

Listen to the Bible, “…Don’t use your anger as fuel…” And for a lot of us, that’s exactly what we’re doing, using our anger as fuel. And one of the definitions of “fuel” is “to supply or give power to.” That’s why it keeps going, that’s why that issue never stops, because you keep refueling it, day-by-day, never dealing with it, never addressing it, never resolving it, and never letting it go. Well, today, I was sent to you for the sole purpose of taking your discord out of delay mode, and shifting it to deal with it mode instead!

The word “delay” is defined as “to put off to a later time; defer; postpone; to impede the process or progress of; to put off action; to retard or hinder.” The key word however, is “impede”. It means “to delay or block the progress or action of.” But its Latin Origin “impedire” means ‘shackle the feet of’. How dangerous to have the devil’s foot free, but yours shackled! While you’re doing nothing, he’s able to move around freely all through your house, marriage, family, relationships, friendships and churches and cause havoc everywhere!

Think about it, do you really want to lose that family member; that relationship, that friendship? As much as it is meant, as long as it’s been. With all the good times and memories, are you really willing to sit shackled on the sidelines while the devil steps all over everything and everyone you love? Have you forgotten their value, their worth, their importance?

Let no one tell you that anyone is beyond restoration. Not even Jesus felt that way. And He had good reason to kick quite a few folks to the curb, but He didn’t…Judas betrayed Him (but He didn’t discard him); Peter denied Him (but He didn’t discard him); Thomas doubted Him (but He didn’t discard him); and in the end, they all left but John, and still He didn’t discard them, in fact, He gave up His life still. Can you imagine hanging on a cross, dying yourself, between 2 thieves, knowing full well that they are guilty as sin, and yet one calls out to Him, and He still answers. Don’t discard your loved ones. One day they will be on the other side of dirt, and by then it will be too late to wish you would have dealt with what you delayed.

We are still called to the Ministry of Reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20, “Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah get’s a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and Him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what He is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; He’s already a friend with you.” (MSG)

God did this for us so we could do the very same for others. Don’t Ruin What Simply Needs Repairing! They Can Be Redeemed, They Can Be Restored, They Can Be Renewed, and You Both Can Be Reconciled! Don’t give up and give in so quickly. Just think where we’d all be if Jesus threw in the towel every time we messed up our relationship/friendship with Him!

Today is always your best opportunity to go to that person and do whatever it takes to repair things. Apologize if you need to, confront if you need to, pray together and talk it through. You just can’t afford the hard spot in your heart that develops from anger that you stuff inside and let sit and settle. Anger never stays the same size. Bitterness never stays the same size. It always grows, just like sin! James 1:13-15,) You can’t afford for the sin of bitterness, resentment and un-forgiveness to grow! Neither can you allow anger, even when it’s justified, to grow! Because all you will be doing is helping the devil accomplish his goal, letting those things grow until they become a “…Real Killer” to you, your relationships, friendships, marriages, families, jobs and churches.

Remember the ‘dish-rinse’ philosophy, there’s nothing to gain in waiting! The longer you wait, the harder it gets! Today is a great day for a new start. So, call them, email them, text them, write them, visit them. Whatever it takes for however long it takes put the work in and rebuild your relationship ruins! It can be done, it will be done. No More Delays…Today…DEAL WITH IT…before the sun goes down!

Luke 17:3-4, “Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him.” (MSG)

Matthew 18:21-22, "At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly; try seventy times seven." (MSG)

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com

Why Does Satan Hate You? You Are Forgiven, He Is Not. Satan Failed In His Rebellion, Satan Cannot Have His Office In Heaven Back.. He Will Never Be Like God But You Will. You Know More Than He Does In A Certain Area & The Enemy Will Use Three Things:

Satan Failed In His Rebellion, But He Remains In The Office God Gave Him. How is the right to Rule won between God & Satan? Many think it is by power, but it is not; there is one thing that we fail at and Satan knows this.

The devil fights with lies, and sometimes his lies sound like truth; but only believers have God truth, which can defeat the devil's lies. The devil often attacks our heart-the seat of our emotions, self-worth, and trust. God's righteousness is the body armor that protects our heart and ensures His approval. He approves of us because He loves us and He sent His Son to die for us.

What we see are the devil's attacks in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations.  But the shield of faith protects us from the devil's fiery arrow.  With God's perspective, we can see beyond our circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours.  The devil wants to make us doubt God, Jesus, and our salvation.  The helmet protects our mind from doubting God's saving work for us.

The sword is the only weapon of offense in this list of armor.  There are times when we need to take the offensive against the devil.  When we are tempted, we need to trust in the truth of God's Word.

Why Does Satan Hate You? Answer: You Are Forgiven, He Is Not. You will one day forget your fallen state; he is doomed to his fallen state forever. Psalms 85:2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.  Ezekiel 18:21.  But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

Satan was created. This sets to rest several in-church urban legends. Satan is not omniscient, knowing all things, like God himself. Created beings do not have the ability to know things that are not revealed to them by some outside source. God is a self-contained source, so He knows all. This means that Satan does not know what you are thinking. God has reserved that for Himself:

“The Enemy Uses These Three Things, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, to entice us to sin.” Scripture shows this process at work in both the Garden of Eden and on the Mount of Temptation. 1 Peter 5:8; be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour:

Confused? Have you ever been in a situation where Satan is all in the midst of it? Look like your prayers aren't working.  It appears that nothing is working, problems with spouse, family members, children, friends, co-workers or church members. Satan is the source of gossip and confusion. Do not allow Satan to whisper in your ear. Watch your thoughts, Satan sneaks into them.  If Satan is whispering to you, tell him to run back to his address! He has to obey you! Yes, that's right; he has to obey you.  Remember that when you speak the name of Jesus, Satan and his entire demons tremble now that should tell you something, that our Father's name is powerful in all of heaven and earth. The devil can lead you to sin but he cannot make you sin, you can choose to take action or walk away.  God does not make you remember your sin, the devil does. Satan wants to see you fail, matter of fact, the devil will set up your failure for you. 

Don't entertain Satan's tactics. He is indeed a deadly force in the world, and he is a personal adversary to us all.  You see, sinners like to blame Satan for their sins. Adam, in the garden, blamed Eve for his sin of eating the forbidden fruit, and then Eve blamed Satan. Sure, Satan helped her, he will lead you to sin, but Satan didn’t make her, he didn’t put it in her mouth. No one person in this earth is immune from the attacks of Satan and his minions.

How can Satan harm you? Satan can devour people. The fellowship between Satan and humans is never based on love, constructive activity, or on redemptive actions. It is all about hate, lust, and murder. He is the great devourer: Satan operates through humans in the flesh and through the flesh. The five senses; taste, touch, smell, hearing, and seeing, all report to the carnal mind – which is the enemy of God. These senses are what Satan uses to tempt us! The lust of the flesh includes tasting, touching, smelling, and hearing. The lust of the eyes is seeing. The pride of life is thinking you are special because of who you are, what you have, what you know, or what you look like.

It is all very simple. Satan cannot have his office in heaven back, and he cannot stop Jesus from doing His work: Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. So, all Satan has left to do is to destroy people by tying them up so well in sin that they cannot reason and understand the Gospel. If he loses someone to Christ, he then attacks them to destroy their Christian victory.

Hebrews 4:12 for the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Satan Will Never Know You As God Know You: 1 Corinthians 13:12 for now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Satan was never, and never will be, like God, but you will: 1 John 3:2 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.

So, why does Satan hate you? Answer: You Know More Than He Does Regarding The Deeper Things Of The Lord And His Work.  John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.  1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abides in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. Satan will never again be "with" the Lord, but you will. Satan hates it that mortal beings like you can be forgiven (he cannot) and be like God in some way that we do not fully now understand.

1 Pet. 5:8   Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. This was spoken to Christians! Our enemy also masquerades as an angel of light. We need to be aware that the enemy is deceitful and can work through people who act as though they are following Christ, and to all outward appearances it looks like they are, but by their false prophesies, preaching of a different gospel, and by the fruit of their actions we can discover that they are really demonized false apostles.

Why does Satan hate you? The enemy is attacking your mind, your rest, your peace, your emotions and your thought life! So what can you do? Will you be loyal to God or Satan?

We become so engrossed in what we see, feel, and hear, that we operate within our natural senses rather than our spiritual ones! However, the Bible instructs us: “Through your faith, God is protecting you by His power” (1 Peter 1:5 NLT). Therefore, you need to keep in mind that your “FAITH” is what activates the Power of God!

Faith Connects Our Weaknesses to God's Strength. Faith helps us to accept what we cannot understand.  Faith will take you places that doubt can't. Faith says I don’t know where it is coming from, I don’t know how it’s coming, I don’t care how it’s coming, I just know its coming because God said it was coming. Faith does not believe that God will do what you want; faith believes that God will do what is right. It does not believe that God can but that He will. It may look like your situation is never going to change, but in a split second God can completely resolve it. When you fall in love with God’s Word, you will fall in love with Jesus. God can restore what is broken and make it into something amazing.  All you need is Faith. Joel 2:25. He is a God of restoration. When we place the broken pieces of our lives in His hands, he restores them to a beauty that for outshines the former life. God can take your nothing and mould it for everything. God cares about everything that concerns you. God doesn’t just love you when you are good and stand beside you when you are strong, He loves you when you are struggling and holds you when you’re at your weakest. He doesn’t spare us trials but He helps us to overcome them. We have to trust Him. He has brought you through before and He will bring you through again.  Make a decision each day to choose faith over fear.

Look at it this way: Before a stone becomes a diamond it’s just carbon put under tons of pressure.

Don't allow Satan to have the final say in your life or situation.  You have the right and authority to do that, you can easily reverse that and you can make sure that you have the final say in Satan's life when it comes to you.  Send the devil running back to his address. Let him know that any relationship with him is toxic and lethal; there is nothing good that comes from Satan. God will never leave us wanting, He will fulfill every need. There is NOTHING Satan can do for us.

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com