The More Troubled Things Are, The More Present God Makes Himself! It Doesn’t Matter What Rages Around You. It Only Matters Who Reigns Within You. Do Not Focus So Much On Your Hurt That You Lose Sight Of His Help!

Father, teach us today how to be a Good Shepherd during this Christmas Season. Just as sheep are innocent and vulnerable to attack, there are those around you who are hurting without the love and protection of God. Therefore, adopt a shepherd’s heart this Christmas, and help bring the lost and broken-hearted back to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Is the Good Shepherd The ultimate depiction of a shepherd is Jesus Christ. In John 10:14-15 He says,

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

The More Troubled Things Are, The More Present God Makes Himself! It Doesn’t Matter What Rages Around You. It Only Matters Who Reigns Within You.  

While everyone around you may be celebrating and totally unaware of how you are hurting, please know that Jesus is moving close to you today, and He wants to do something very powerful for you this Christmas…And That is to Heal What’s Broken!

That is why I think He has led me to remind someone today: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). But there is a turning point in my message today and it is: Thank God It’s the beginning of a new season. It’s the beginning of a new season of reaping, reaping, reaping, just the blessings of God in your life. I know it’s been gradual and gradual but when the blessing of God comes in, we are stepping into this thing called the latter rain.  The latter rain is always going to be greater than the former. 

And it is far worse if what is broken is a relationship you really care about, or your family is broken, or your heart is broken, your joy is broken, your peace is broken, your trust has been broken, your loyalty has been broken. In fact, all the “joy to the world” around you just seems to make the hurt even worse! And often the Christmas Season tends to bring painful reminders of the things and people that have hurt us the most and broken us to pieces! A mother who walked away and never came back; a father who died; a marriage that ended; a child that left home; a doctor’s sad report; the loss of a job after 20 years; the senseless loss of a friend’s life; a relationship that is beyond repair…and the list could go on forever. 

In your brokenness is where you will find God right there! Now that's encouragement! Because most people do not want to be around someone who is broken. Why? Because they know it will only be a time of tears, complaining, sob stories, self-pity parties, and retelling of the same hurtful scripts repeatedly. But Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother! He could care less about any of that, He's not leaving your side, nor is He turning a deaf ear to you, nor will He leave you there broken. After all, He is the mender of broken hearts! So, wherever you find yourself broken today, know that Jesus is Right There, even if no one else is! You my friend are on the verge of being mended!

“Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let us not let it slip through our fingers. We do not have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He has been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So, let us walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, ACCEPT THE HELP” (Hebrews 4:14-16 MSG).

It is not that God has not offered His help; the problem is we have not accepted it! Which makes absolutely no sense since the word itself means 'to take'! Therefore, today, Take the help God is offering to heal you and help you mend every broken area of your life. Do Not Focus So Much On Your Hurt That You Lose Sight Of His Help!

He Really Is The Fixer Of Broken Hearts, Broken Lives, And Broken People! How Do I Know? The Word Of God Said So, And The Word Of God Can’t Lie!

So, if this Christmas You are Battling with Brokenness, Simply Lean on the One Who Has Been Charged to Bind Up the Brokenhearted…His Names Is JESUS!
Let Him Mend You and Make You Whole Again! After all, isn’t that a part of the Reason we celebrate Him this Season? The Son of God Coming to Seek and Save; Heal and Deliver?

It takes time. Remember: No Matter What Is Broken, Where It Broke, How Long and How Bad It Has Been Broken, Why It Broke, When It Broke, or Who Broke It…He Can…and He Will Bind the Broken…Just Trust Him and Accept His Help to Heal!   And this Broken Christmas May Just Prove to be Your Very Best Christmas Yet! 

Remember the REASON not the RECEIPTS of This Christmas! He Came to Save you, and that Includes Saving You from Suffering the Pain of Remaining Broken! Be Healed Today, Be Well Today, Be Happy Today, Be Made Whole Today!

God can heal a broken heart. But you need to give Him all the pieces. Note To Self: Healing Is NOT an overnight process.

“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, and broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed.” (NCV). 

Remember, this Jesus who we celebrated this Christmas was, in the words of the Bible, a “man of sorrows and familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). The Amplified Bible says it like this: “He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him.” (AMP) The Contemporary English Bible says it like this: “He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, “He is a nobody!” (CEB)

JESUS was misunderstood, despised, rejected, forsaken, hated, filled with sorrows, pain, grief, sickness, and terrible suffering, abandoned, betrayed, falsely accused, and even mocked, spat upon, pierced, and put to death! So, in case you feel as if no one knows how you feel; no one can identify with your brokenness, rest assured, JESUS KNOWS, JESUS CARES AND JESUS UNDERSTANDS!

Thank God It’s the beginning of a new season. It’s the beginning of a new season of reaping, reaping, reaping, just the blessings of God in your life is going to be greater than the former.  You’re talking about the floodgates, some of you have had the floodgates of problems in one thing after another and when you recuperate from one thing, it hits you with another, but in this season, God is getting ready to overwhelm you with His goodness. Can you imagine the blessings of God coming on the left hand and the right hand, when they are pushing you in your back, just pushing you into your destiny. I’m telling you God has great things in store for His children, He’s a great Father. He just wants to overwhelm you from the left to the right. He’s got Angels just holding sickles on your behalf in the north, south, east, and west. He is getting ready to release things on the earth that will overwhelm you from the east to the west with blessings that will come in signs of deliverance, miracles, and blessings, miracles, and blessings, a season of them in signs of wonders, a season of them, suddenly God will shift your season suddenly, where you have had a hard time, but suddenly things will shift in your favor. If you believe it, you will receive it. You will see God move, the naysayers will sit back and see God’s children being blessed, people getting healed, people getting delivered, people getting encouraged, people getting goodness and mercy extended to them, property liens given into your hands, degrees are being given in finishing school and universities.

This is a new season; He is expanding your territory on the left and right. God is giving you wisdom; you’ll be able to hold on to it this time. Justice will roll in like mighty waters and righteousness come down like mighty streams. May God turn your affliction; may your affliction never rise again. Have your way this morning Lord, let it rain, let it rain. He’s cutting off things that need to be cut off but adding blessings in your life that you have been desperate for, a season now, cause God’s getting ready to feed you on a new level of where you are going but not where you are coming from, and this is the Lord’s doing. God is going to give some of you your divine testimonies of what He is doing in this season.  God said your suddenly is breaking through now. 

You didn’t know what God was doing but He was working on you. Suddenly the check comes, it is shifting in your favor. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. The miracle is in process right now. I pray this year is a year of blessing, breakthrough, and abundance for you and those you love most. When you have a setback, don't take a step back. This year is your year of COMEBACK, and you will soon see that the setbacks of your last 12 months were a SET-UP for your best days which begin NOW! This is your season of blessings; you are being made in the likeness of Elohim. I pray that God will anoint you and give you new ideas. Have expectation like never before. Tell God to use everything in you for His purpose. We shouldn’t have to be pumped to praise God. Praise Him anyhow this morning,

Watch God's Winter Performance. You Can’t Pray Your Life’s Seasons Away! There are some situations you aren’t meant to Change—You’re Just Meant to Endure! 2 Timothy 2:3. In other words, what you’re currently dealing with that’s Heavily Weighing You Down in the Natural, is considered by the Spirit “…Our Light, Momentary Affliction…” Therefore, you’re not going to deal with it always, But You Have to Deal With It Right Now! The stone in your hand might be small, but the God who is with you is bigger than the giant in front of you. It is not about your stone, but about your God.

I love the months surrounding the holiday seasons, but in all truth, I honestly won’t mind if the North Pole weather cuts its visit short! I was discussing my deep freeze feelings with a friend who lived in Alaska most of her life, and she helped me to possess a different perspective, in fact, an even positive outlook on our cold weather season. She simply said, “Just keep in mind that cold seasons kill a lot of bugs!” Now it didn’t make me happy that I still had to endure the rest of the cold season, but it sure made me happy to know that while I’m dealing with the cold, the cold is dealing with the bugs!

SIMPLY PUT, DON’T LET THE COLD BOTHER YOU, IT’S ACTUALLY KILLING WHAT’S BUGGING YOU!

Far too often we quickly get upset over the Bad, not realizing that it usually leads to something Good! Most of us have lived long enough to see it happen – something Good coming out of something that’s Bad, or even difficult and unpleasant. Therefore, if you’re in a season in your life that’s cold right now, and you’re feeling the chill of crisis; the breeze of bitterness; the winds of worry; the damp of depression; the ice of irritation; the blizzard of backbiters; the storms of struggle; and the rains of restlessness, know THAT EVEN WHEN THE CONDITIONS OF THE SEASON RESTRICT YOU, THEY CAN NEVER CONSTRICT YOUR GOD!

You see, the word “RESTRICT” means: “TO PUT A LIMIT ON, KEEP UNDER CONTROL, DEPRIVE OF FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT OR ACTION” It’s Latin Origin ‘RESTRINGERE’ literally means ‘TO TIE BACK’. We’ve seen that in many winter seasons, as the blizzards hit we’re RESTRICTED in bus, cab, and train service. We’re LIMITED in various methods of transportation and KEPT UNDER THE CONTROL of snowplows as to when we could move, and how far we could go. FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AND ACTION was DEPRIVED for so many who couldn’t get to where they needed to, because they’d been “RESTRICTED”. Which is where we coined the phrase: “MY HANDS ARE TIED!”

But Bear In Mind, That Even When We’re ‘Restricted’, God Is Never ‘Constricted’! The Word ‘Constricted’ Means: “To Make Or Become Narrower, Especially By Encircling Pressure Or Attempting To Tighten Around”. Literally Means To ‘Bind Tightly Together’. You See, Your God Is Too Big To Be Made Narrow, And He’s Too Powerful For Pressure To Place Him In A Tight Grip! Even In Seasons Where You’re ‘Restricted’, Take Comfort In Knowing That Your God Is Never ‘Constricted’! Even When Your Hands Are Tied, His Will Never Be! Regardless To The Condition, He Can Still Bless You In The Midst Of Your Most Brittle, Bitter And Brutal Blizzard! Your God Is Too Powerful To Be Pressured! Even When You Grow Weak, Never Forget The Strength Of Your God!

EVEN WHEN IT DON’T FEEL LIKE IT’S IN YOUR FAVOR, BECAUSE HE’S YOUR GOD…IT IS!

DON’T LET THE WINTER SEASON WORRY YOU, EVERY SEASON HAS TO CHANGE! BUT DON’T MISS OUT ON THE BLESSING AND BENEFITS OF THE COLD SEASON WHILE IT’S HERE!

James 1:2-4, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So Don’t Try To Get Out Of Anything Prematurely. Let It Do Its Work So You Become Mature And Well-Developed, Not Deficient In Any Way” (Msg)

In Winter, trees take advantage of the season to rebuild their strength and prepare to be fruitful next season. Their sap and substance go underground. Then in the Spring, it pushes its way back up again in the form of New Growth. Looking back over your life you’ll find that your achievements are Seasonal. Growth comes, then struggle, and vice versa. Each Season Has Its Purpose. God has a reason for not allowing you to be productive all the time. When He permits Winter winds to blow through your life, He’s preparing you for the coming Spring. That’s why James wrote, “Consider it a …gift…when tests and challenges come at you from all sides…under pressure, your faith…is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So Don’t Try to Get Out of Anything Prematurely. Let It Do Its Work So You Become Mature and Well-Developed, Not Deficient In Any Way” (MSG). One of the issues you’ll struggle with in a waiting period is the urge to Hurry Because Your Flesh Always Wants to Make Permanent Decisions Based On Temporary Circumstances. Don’t Do It! Every Situation Doesn’t Call For Immediate Action! The Only Biblical Way For You to Become Mature, Well-Developed, and Lacking Nothing Is To Endure Hardship! So, if you try to find a shortcut to getting out of your trials, You’ll Have to Take a Longer Journey to Get to Your Destiny!

REMEMBER: THE COLD SEASON GETS RID OF BUGS (AND WHAT’S ‘BUGGING’ YOU), SO DON’T RUSH IT, LET IT COMPLETE ITS WORK!

WHAT THE WEATHER (AND YOUR HATERS) HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU CAN’T COMPARE TO WHAT THE WILL OF GOD HAS PLANNED FOR YOU! FROM THE PIT TO THE PRISON To The Palace, JOSEPH Prospered, HE WAS SUSTAINED BY ONE THING HE KNEW HAD NOT CHANGED—GOD WAS WORKING ON A BIGGER PLAN! If you belong to Jesus, then Joseph’s God is your God, too. And He’s a God who uses even the wickedness of man to do great things. For Joseph, vengeful brothers, false accusations, and terrible injustices BECAME TOOLS THAT GOD USED TO TAKE HIM TO PLACES AND POSITIONS HE COULD NEVER HAVE GONE OTHERWISE! WHICH IS WHY I REITERATE: DON’T LET THE WINTER BOTHER YOU, BECAUSE IT’S KILLING WHAT’S BUGGING YOU!

If it’s cold right now, if it’s dark right now, don’t let discouragement win. Don’t let bitterness or resentment or resignation ruin the greater plan God is working on. Romans 8:28, “We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a PLAN] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” (AMP). During this winter in your life, He wants to build in your qualities that will lead to future greatness. He wants to give you a closeness to Him that you’ve never had before and would never get any other way. And then, He wants to use this season to position you to make a greater difference with the rest of your life than you ever imagined! As Cold as it may seem right now, God is working out some Cool plans for your life! Regardless to what the Meteorologist tells you, There Is A Sunny Side to a Cold Season!

Use your Winter as a time to sharpen your weaponry for the spiritual warfare ahead! And how do you do that?

1...Get Into the WORD of God:  (Isaiah 55:11, “So Shall My Word Be That Goes Forth Out Of My Mouth: It Shall Not Return To Me Void [Without Producing Any Effect, Useless], But It Shall Accomplish That Which I Please And Purpose, And It Shall Prosper In The Thing For Which I Sent It.” AMPC).

2...Get Into WORSHIP: (the posture where you don’t go seeking God, but He comes seeking you)! (John 4:23, “A time will come, however, indeed it is already here when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); FOR THE FATHER IS SEEKING JUST SUCH PEOPLE AS THESE AS HIS WORSHIPERS.” (AMPC).

3...Get the WISDOM of God: (it is essential to making wise decisions)! (James 1:5, “If any of you is deficient in wisdom, LET HIM ASK THE GIVING GOD [WHO GIVES] TO EVERYONE LIBERALLY AND UNGRUDGINGLY, WITHOUT REPROACHING OR FAULTFINDING, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN HIM.” AMPC).

4...Get Into the WILL of God: (this is the place that is attached to your promise)! (Hebrews 10:36, “For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish THE WILL OF GOD, AND THUS RECEIVE AND CARRY AWAY [AND ENJOY TO THE FULL] WHAT IS PROMISED.” AMPC).

5...Get Into the Right WARDROBE: (no soldier fights without his fatigues)! And what are fatigues? (The phrase “military fatigues” was coined by the United States Armed Forces in the mid 1800’s and was used in reference to the clothes worn by soldiers detailed to menial or hard labor. And what are your “fatigues”? (READ: Ephesians 6:11-18).

Discouragement and fear and drifting from God – those are your greatest enemies, not what faces you on your battlefields! This Winter is not dead time or despair time. It’s get ready time! What you do with your Winter will decide whether you win or lose the war! Therefore, get into the Word of God; Get into Worship; Get the Wisdom of God; Get into the Will of God, and Get into the right Wardrobe! Then Work Your Winter! 

Blessings

J.P. Olson

God Has Given You Money. Therefore, He’s Given You Resources! How Are You Managing His Resources? Money Speaks Only One Language. If You Save Me Today, I Will Save Yours Tomorrow. God Has A Plan For Your Prosperity!

 Good financial planning is a part of Wise Stewardship! However, to be a genuinely effective steward, you must believe unequivocally that the Money being managed is Someone Else’s Money – GOD’S! Remember that the Bible says, ‘The earth and all its fullness is the Lord’s (Psalm 24:1, “The earth and everything it contains is the Lord’s. The world and all who live in it is His” GWT). Therefore, every resource, even Money, is His, and you are simply stewards of His resources!

This perspective gives a person the freedom to use finances to accomplish God’s purposes, recognizing that no one comes into this world with possessions. Indeed, no one will leave with anything (Ecclesiastes 5:15, “They came from their mother’s womb naked. They will leave as naked as they came. They won’t even be able to take a handful of their earnings from all their hard work” GWT). So be careful about trying to make yourself rich! Be cautious about increasing your bank accounts for the sole purpose of saying, “I have….” You cannot take one red cent with you when you go! Therefore, you must save money for the Right Motive!

“Money speaks only one language. If you save me today, I will save yours tomorrow.”

“How important are money management and finances in marriage and family affairs? Tremendously. The American Bar Association recently indicated that 89% of all divorces could be traced to quarrels and accusations over Money. Another study estimated that 75% of all divorces result from clashes over finances. Some professional counselors indicated that four out of every five families have serious money problems.” (Jeffrey R. Holland)

In addition, Money is something that God uses to test your ability to handle the other gifts properly He desires to give you (Luke 16:11, “Therefore, if you can’t be trusted with wealth that is often used dishonestly, who will trust you with wealth that is real?” GWT). The Message Bible says it like this: “If you’re honest in small things, you’ll be honest in big things; if you are a crook in small things, you’ll be a crook in big things, if you’re not honest in small jobs that will put you in charge of the store? No worker can serve two bosses: Either hate the first and the second or adore the first and despise the second. You can’t serve both God and the Bank”.

So, if people were to look at your financial lifestyle, would they say you could be trusted with a full storehouse? Or would you be more likely to empty it instead?

One day, God will ask for an accounting of how you manage the resources He has given you. Do your spending habits say you will pass the test or fail?

Luke 19:11-26, “While he had their attention, and because they were getting close to Jerusalem by this time and expectation was building that God’s kingdom would appear any minute, he told this story: “There was once a man descended from a royal house who needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return. But first, he called ten servants together. He Gave Them Each a Sum of Money and instructed them, ‘Operate With This Until I Return.’  “But the citizens there hated him. So, they sent a commission with a signed petition to oppose his rule: ‘We don’t want this man to rule us.’  “When he came back bringing the authorization of his rule, He Called Those Ten Servants To Whom He Had Given The Money To Find Out How They Had Done.”  “The first said, ‘Master, I doubled your money.’

“He said, ‘Good servant! Great work! Because you’ve been TRUSTWORTHY in this small job, I’m making you governor of ten towns.’ “The second said, ‘Master, I made a fifty percent profit on your money.’ “He said, ‘I’m putting you in charge of five towns.’ “The next servant said, ‘Master, here’s your money safe and sound. I kept it hidden in the cellar. I was a little afraid. I know you have high standards and hate sloppiness and don’t suffer fools gladly.’ “He said, ‘You’re right that I don’t suffer fools gladly—and You’ve Acted The Fool! Why Didn’t You At Least Invest The Money In Securities So I Would Have Gotten A Little Interest On It?’ “Then He Said To Those Standing There, ‘Take The Money From Him And Give It To The Servant Who Doubled My Stake.’ “They said, ‘but Master, he already has double.’ “He said, ‘that’s what I mean: Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.” MSG).

So, where have you invested the Money God has given you? Who have you invested in? How much have you invested?

God has given you enough resources, so have you put money away for your children’s education? Have you put money away for retirement? Have you reexamined your finances and rid your budget of non-essential expenditures? Have you been faithful to give your tithe and offering? Have you sown finances in soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and foreign missions? Have you funded orphans and widows as the Bible charges us to do? Have you put a plan in place to get yourself out of debt? Do you know what your credit score is? When was the last time you checked your credit reports? If in debt, what steps have you taken to repair your credit? Are you wearing more than you’re saving?  Do you even know what a stock, bond, 401k, or IRA is?

Do you have a savings account for “just in case?” What’s that, you ask? Well, that’s Money you put aside and save ‘just in case the car breaks down; the kids need braces; the plumbing leaks; an unexpected lay-off takes place; you, your spouse, or your child becomes long-term sick; the rent goes up, etc.........… So, you need a “Just In Case” Fund!

And even things that may seem a little less important but are not: Have you and your family go on vacation together? Do you and your spouse have play money set aside for date night? Do you have a chance for the kids to go to summer camp instead of hanging out in front of the television all summer?

God Has Given You Money. Therefore, He’s Given You Resources! How Are You Managing His Resources?

Also, it’s crucial, Ladies, to note that a Wife who manages resources wisely is a blessing to her husband and family:

Ladies, did you catch some of those highlights? Her husband trusts her without reserve and has no regret! Why? Because she knows how to manage her household…and that includes Managing Money! The Scripture says she “…shops around…” that sounds like bargain hunting to me! A good woman who is a good steward shops around for the best bargain for her family’s budget! She also “…looks for a field and buys it…with money she’s put aside….” It sounds like a savings account to me! For instance, you may come across a foreclosed house or a car for little or nothing, but if you’ve not put aside some money…someone else will enjoy that blessing! Then she also “…plants a garden” …with the “…money she’s put aside” You take the seed to plant, and then you wait, and then you reap, then you sow, then you wait, then you reap, then you sow, then you remain, then you reap…are you getting this?! She ensures that her harvest always comes around again because she’s smart enough, diligent enough…to keep putting money aside! And she’s not selfish either because “…She’s quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor….” Would people agree or disagree that that’s your testimony?

Remember this: “And [God] Who provides seed for the Sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity]” 2 Corinthians 9:10 AMP) In other words, He Only Gives Seed To Those Who Have Sown! Maybe that explains why your barn is always empty! Proverbs 3:5-12, "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track. Please don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health; your bones will vibrate with life! Honor God With Everything You Own; Give Him The First And The Best. Your Barns Will Burst; Your Wine Vats Will Brim Over. But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under His loving correction. It’s the child He loves that God corrects; a father’s delight is behind all this." (MSG)

In conclusion, avoid an overly consumptive lifestyle! The Bible teaches us to be temperate in all things: (1 Corinthians 9:25, “Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself Temperately And Restricts Himself In All Things…Amp). “Temperate” means “Showing Moderation or Self-Restraint.” So, Good Stewards Exercise Moderation and Self-Restraint, even when the shoes buy one get one free; the suit is 50% off and the dress is 50% off, or the wallet and the pocketbook is 2 for the price of 1! Listen, you don’t have to Like me, but make sure you Learn from me!

Good Stewards even know how to pass up a good thing for a better one. For example: Yes, you’ve saved enough for a new car, but your son graduates high school this year, so is this the right time? Good stewards walk in wisdom and discernment!

And Whatever You Do, Avoid Debt! (Proverbs 22:7, “The poor are always ruled over by the rich, So Don’t Borrow And Put Yourself Under Their Power” (MSG); Romans 13:8, “Don’t Run Up Debts, except for the massive debt of love you owe each other… MSG).

Grab hold of the Wisdom of the Proverbs: Proverbs 12:11, “Those who work their land will have plenty to eat, but those who engage in empty pursuits have no sense” CEB). Surely You Don’t Want To Be Known As A Saint With No Sense?

Personal Experience: One of the things I do all the time is drop loose change in a jar I keep on my desk at home. Recently, both pots became too full to add anything else to them. So, I took a Saturday and sat at the island counter in my kitchen, rolling up the coins. All I kept saying was, 'how much can this be? It's just a bunch of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies.' Well, once I finished my little weekend project, the total amounted to $540! I was amazed! Just saving a few coins amounted to that much of an unexpected blessing! Now, that may not be much to some, but that was a pretty penny in my book! In a nutshell, you don't have to do anything drastic to start saving, and you need to start saving! It takes 100 pennies to get one dollar bill, so every penny is of value! Therefore, if you must start with a penny, it's an excellent place to start!

An Important Scripture I Want to Leave With You Is: Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just” The Amplified Bible says it like this: “A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner [finds its way eventually] into the hands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up.”

Two things I want you to take note of:

1) The Inheritance that’s Left is “…moral stability and goodness…” the Inheritance that you leave them has nothing to do with Money! Does that mean you shouldn’t have life insurance? No! Don’t be stupid! Take care of your family! But note that the Biblical Inheritance is “…Moral Stability and Goodness” that’s Real Wealth!

2) You Don’t Have To Be Wicked To Attain Wealth! You Do Not Need Schemes And Underhanded Tricks! The Bible Says: “…The Wealth Of The Sinner [Finds Its Way Eventually] Into The Hands Of The Righteous….” Why? Because It’s For Whom It Was Laid Up”. In Other Words, God Already Has A Plan For Your Prosperity! No matter how much Wealth the Wicked has, it will eventually flow our way! It has no choice but too because it was already intended for us to have! It was already laid up for us!

Today, determine to start putting a plan in place so your financial stability can stop staggering and stagnating! Your present and future self (and generations) will thank you for it!

 “If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents. Value what you know and start charging for it.” (Kim Garst)

 “When you’re having money problems, the first thing to do is quit spending on all things that don’t produce money.”

“Hope is not a financial plan.”

“Money without brains is always dangerous.” (Napoleon Hill)

“Too many people spend money that they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people that they don’t like.” (Will Rogers)

 “No one’s ever achieved financial fitness with a January resolution that’s abandoned by February.” (Suze Orman)

 “You must gain control over money, or the lack of it will forever control you.” (Dave Ramsey)

“Money is usually attracted, not pursued.” (Jim Rohn)

 “If you are born poor, it’s not your fault. But if you die poor, it’s your fault.” (Bill Gates)

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com

Do Not Try To Get Revenge When Someone Has Wronged You. God Will Pay You Back Double For Unfair Situations. Do We Deserve To Be Angry, Of Course. Should You Be Angry At The Person That Molested You, Yes, The Person That Intentionally Lied On You? Yes

Do Not Try To Get Revenge When Someone Has Wronged You. God Will Pay You Back Double For Unfair Situations. Why go into 2023 carrying the same anger that you have been carrying year after year. Let It Go! You Handle Forgiveness, Let God Handle Payback!

Do we deserve to be angry, of course, is there such a thing as justified anger? Yes! Should you be angry at the person that molested you, yes. Should you be angry at the person who was your best friend, but had an affair with your wife or husband, yes, should you be angry with the person that intentionally lied on you, destroyed your character, should you be angry that your parents got a divorce, yes and no, you don’t know what the situation was, it could have been an abusive or toxic marriage, but God! Should we be angry at the person that murdered our loved one, yes, should we be angry toward injustice, yes, should we be angry at the person that killed our family member in an accident, these are all justifiable anger, yes Jesus said forgive them, we have to shower some person with love,  I often say it doesn’t dismiss what they have done to you, but let God handle them, He has already spoken this in His word. God sees everything, don’t think that they are getting away with something. 

Don’t Be Messy! Don’t allow your hurt to make you act out of character.   In a nutshell: Get angry if you must, but you can’t get even!  To Issue Payback Is Human, But To Pardon Is Divine!  This Is What The Word of God Says.  Proverbs 20:22, “Do not say, “I’ll PAY YOU BACK for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and He will deliver you” {NIV}  “Beloved, Never Avenge Yourselves, but leave the way open for [God’s] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance Is MINE, I Will Repay (requite), says the LORD” (Romans 12:19 AMP). Vengeance Belongs to God, and He Alone Has the Right to Exercise It!

Scriptures: Proverbs 20:22, “Do not say, “I’ll PAY YOU BACK for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and He will deliver you” {NIV}  “Beloved, Never Avenge Yourselves, but leave the way open for [God’s] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance Is MINE, I Will Repay (requite), says the LORD” (Romans 12:19 AMP

Revenge might as well be called the battle cry of the modern age. Everyone wants to get even or get back or get to someone else. The world is full of inequality and always will be. There will always be good and bad, rich, and poor, famous, and unknown. 

Studies have shown an association between negative emotions such as Anger and Revenge with a variety of Destructive Physical Symptoms, including headaches, backaches, allergic disorders, ulcers, nausea, high blood pressure, and heart attacks! Sadly, while vengeful people plot another’s demise, they are unaware that for themselves they often develop a painful health problem! In a nutshell, they don’t realize that Paybacks have a way of Paying You Back Too!

Some people's anger turns into rage. When I was counseling, I would often tell clients/patients who were full of anger to say the word Storage and then divide the word or break it down, separate the Sto-from the Rage and what do you get, you get storage, which means that anger is one letter short of danger. Why be a prisoner by allowing someone to have this kind of control over you that’s what it is, you have become the prisoner, no rest, no peace, and it is unhealthy.

Mahatma Gandhi gave us this insight: “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind”. Which is why it’s vital that you Remember for every Payback there is a Surcharge YOU will have to Pay Also!

Revenge is an outward manifestation of an underlying problem: ANGER! Anger left unchecked will deepen into bitter roots of resentment or even jealousy. And when these Unbiblical attitudes are full-grown, the desire for revenge springs up! I agree with Buddha, at least in this respect: “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; When You Are The One Who Gets Burned”! Your anger is Definitely Doing Damage, the problem is, You’ve Overlooked the Burn Marks In Your Hands to Prove to You WHO Really Received the Damage!

Revenge Opposes the Golden Rule: “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). Another translation says it like this: “So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so Do Also To And For Them…” (AMP). Therefore, if you seek Forgiveness when you are in the wrong, don’t expect to get it if Revenge is the Seed You’ve Sown in the Lives of Others!

There are several recognizable phrases in this passage: "Turn the other cheek"; "Go the second mile"; "Love your enemies." People who have never set foot inside a church are familiar with these sayings. But the question is: What do they mean and how do they apply to our lives today—almost 2000 years after they were spoken?

Though Jesus is referring to laws and customs that were specific to his culture, his words do apply to where we live today in the 21st century, because the desire for revenge is as much an issue for us today as it was for those living in the first century. When someone does you wrong, when someone takes advantage of you or bullies you, you want to get even.

First of all, Jesus said … (v. 39) "Do not resist an evil person."

Does this mean that we should become completely passive and let others walk all over us? That we should do nothing to protect our lives or the lives of our children? Or that we should never stand up for our rights? Of course not. When Jesus drove the moneychangers out of the temple, he wasn't being passive. When Paul demanded his rights as a Roman citizen after being without trial in Acts 16, he wasn't being passive. Jesus and Paul encouraged believers to confront those who sin to help them to find forgiveness, 

Just Punishment vs. Revenge: The principle of an “eye for an eye” was an equitable law because it matched the punishment to the crime. It was a just law because it restricted men from their tendency to seek vengeance beyond what the offense deserved. It was a compassionate law because it protected society by restraining wrongful conduct.

The Scribes had twisted this law into meaning that when someone offended you, then you were required to take revenge upon them. They committed two errors in this. First, the restriction on revenge was turned into a mandate to retaliate. A negative directive was turned into a positive injunction. And second, they advocated the matters be taken into one’s one hands rather than referred to the civil authorities.

Resisting Evil: What Jesus teaches in verses 39-42 contrasts with this teaching of the Scribes, and it is only by keeping that in mind that we will understand His message to us.

First, depending on your translation, Jesus says, “resist not him who is evil” or “resist not evil.” The reason for the difference in translation is the ambiguity of the grammar at this point. It is unclear by the grammar alone whether Jesus is referring to an evil person (some say the devil, others say evil people) or to the principle of evil (Tolstoy’s view as mentioned earlier). We get our answer by examining the four specific examples in the text and by looking at what Jesus and the Apostles do and teach throughout the rest of Scripture.

It is not a reference to the devil, because James 4:7-9 and 1 Peter 5:9  specifically tell us to “resist the devil.” Neither is it the general principle of evil because we find Jesus and the Apostles resisted evil with every means and resource. When the Temple was profaned by the merchants and money changers, Jesus drove the evildoers out with a whip. When evil occurred in the church, it was severely resisted. Galatians 2:11 even records that the apostle Paul opposed the apostle Peter to his face because Peter had compromised with the Judaizers. 1 Corinthians 5:13 tells us that when immorality occurs within the congregation that the wicked person is to be removed.

We go back to the opening verse: Proverbs 20:22, “Do not say, “I’ll PAY YOU BACK for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and He will deliver you” {NIV}. Get Angry if you must, But You Can’t Get Even!

“Anyone who angers you conquers you!” (Author Unknown) And last I checked, the Bible Still Says, You Are to Be Led or Controlled By the Holy Spirit ONLY, Not Your Emotions, Feelings, or Hurts! So stop allowing your anger, resentment, and attempts at revenge to become your mini-god! You’ve bowed down to it long enough and often enough already! Cast down the idol of your anger, resentment, and revenge, and serve the Lord as His True Disciple: “Let me give you a new command: Love One Another. In the Same Way, I loved you, you Love One Another. This is how everyone will Recognize That You Are My Disciples – When They See The Love You Have For Each Other” (John 13:35 MSG)

You can’t say out of one side of your mouth that you love God, but out of the other side say you hate your brother or sister! The Bible reads: “If anyone boasts, “I Love God,” and goes right on Hating His Brother or Sister, Thinking Nothing of It, HE IS A LIAR. If he won’t Love the Person He Can See, How Can He Love the God He Can’t See? The Command We Have From Christ Is Blunt: Loving God Includes Loving People. You’ve Got to Love Both” (1 John 4:20 MSG).

Listen, I’ve learned that getting revenge may get us even with our enemies, but forgiveness Places Us Above Them! In fact, we are never more LIKE God than when we turn the other cheek!

In the Lord’s Prayer, the Only petition that is Conditional is Forgiveness! “Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors” (Matthew 6:12) Another translation says it like this: “And Forgive Us our debts, As We Also HAVE FORGIVEN (LEFT, REMITTED, AND LET GO OF THE DEBTS, AND HAVE GIVEN UP RESENTMENT AGAINST) Our Debtors” (AMP). Did you get that? Forgive Us Because We’ve ALREADY FORGIVEN THEM FIRST! Now That’s Within Your Jurisdiction!

Hear the Word: “In prayer, there is a connection between what God does and WHAT YOU DO. YOU CAN’T GET FORGIVENESS FROM GOD, FOR INSTANCE, WITHOUT ALSO FORGIVING OTHERS. IF YOU REFUSE TO DO YOUR PART, YOU CUT YOURSELF OFF FROM GOD’S PART” (Matthew 6:15 MSG). However, I don’t think we fully grasp this Scripture!

Look at it this way: If you are angry with your brother or sister over what he or she did to you on December 1, 2009, and you haven’t forgiven them since, all the wrong YOU’VE done since December 1, 2009, HAS NEVER BEEN FORGIVEN BY GOD NO MATTER HOW MANY PRAYERS YOU’VE PRAYED! BECAUSE YOUR FORGIVENESS HINGES ON THEIR FORGIVENESS! I’ll reiterate the text: “In prayer, there is a CONNECTION between what God does and WHAT YOU DO. YOU CAN’T GET FORGIVENESS FROM GOD, FOR INSTANCE, WITHOUT ALSO FORGIVING OTHERS. IF YOU REFUSE TO DO YOUR PART, YOU CUT YOURSELF OFF FROM GOD’S PART” (Matthew 6:15 MSG). I don’t know about you, but I do too much wrong from day-to-day that needs the forgiveness of God, that I can’t afford to go year-by-year Living Outside of the Forgiveness of God! 

REMEMBER: IT’S CONDITIONAL! YOU ARE FORGIVEN AFTER YOU’VE FORGIVEN!

The Scripture Will Not Change Just Because You’ve Been Wronged! The Fact Is, If You Don’t Forgive Them, HE Will Not Forgive You! Now, Do You Really Want To Take Chances Living Outside The Forgiveness of God?! Are You Really That Angry With Someone That You Would Rather Walk Around Unforgiven By God?! I don’t know about you, but Absolutely No One Can Make Me That Mad! Anger, Revenge, Resentment, and Unforgiveness are All Expensive! They Will Cost You God’s Forgiveness; Heaven as Your Home; a Crown; a Robe; Your Name Written In the Lamb’s Book of Life; Peace; Joy; Contentment etc…

Therefore, I ask you again, Is Payback Really Worth That Much To You That You Would Pay This High Price to Bankrupt Your Own Soul By Losing So Much of God’s Goodness!?!

Take some time today to really think that over!

Someone may ask you, why should we forgo revenge and offer forgiveness? Tell them it’s simple Because We Have Been Forgiven Repeatedly and Completely By God! Therefore, We Can’t Live Anyway Contrary! We Must Do For Others What Has Been Done For Us, Forgive, Repeatedly and Completely!

To Issue Payback Is Human, But To Pardon Is Divine!

Let’s go a little further: Matthew 18:15-17, “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him – work it out BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love.” 

Don’t Be Messy! Don’t allow your hurt to make you act out of character. If there should be an issue between you and another, take it to them alone! Don’t make a scene; don’t make a show; this is not about performance but repositioning two people at odds so they can call it even. Don’t get caught up in the cliques; don’t involve anyone that’s not a part of the problem and solution.

You see, this is where the church often gets messy. Because we talk to everybody about the situation, except the one person it truly involves. And of course, we only give our side, which is the side that shows us in the best light, although this light is usually a lot dimmer than we’d really like to admit. We want to hear everybody tell us we’re right and we deserve to pay them back for what they did. And truthfully, it’s okay to feel hurt even angry when someone wrongs you, but you still must go about handling it the right way. You can’t say you love God while you curse them out. You can’t say you live for God when you’re trying to destroy someone else’s life. You can’t say you want to be like God while your characteristics are contrary to His character. Take the issue to whom it belongs and resolve it in a godly manner where God would be able to look and say, ‘My children are acting like they belong to Me now.’ Stop inviting outside guests to see you act a fool. Make amends even if you weren’t the one that caused the breach. Remember, you don’t receive forgiveness when you don’t give it.

Matthew 18:21-22, “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven” 

To many, this seems unfair. It seems wrong. It seems unjust. However, what if God only forgave us seven times, then stopped, where would we be? Can you imagine God saying ‘sorry, you’ve maxed out your forgiveness benefits.’ And Peter only offered seven times. But from birth, how many times have we wronged God? If this were the case, a lot of us wouldn’t be forgiven past our youth! You’re not going to want to hear this, but as a believer, you don’t get to put a limit on forgiveness. Why? Because God doesn’t put a limit on your forgiveness. And since your forgiveness is directly connected to theirs, do you really want God to cut you off as Peter would suggest, at seven?  I think not. Because as saved as we are, we sin beyond seven times by the time we wake up in the morning! We need God’s constant forgiveness, and likewise, our brothers and sisters need our constant forgiveness. Pray and ask God to give you a heart of compassion like His. To give you tougher skin to handle offense, because offenses will come, and most often by those we love most. Think of Jesus. After all, He did among the 12, three of them couldn’t even stay awake for Him in prayer, one would doubt Him, one would betray Him and only one could be found at the foot of the cross at His death! And yet, He didn’t replace them; didn’t cut them off; didn’t destroy the friendship; didn’t keep rehearsing what they did and didn’t do. No, He continued to be with them, to reveal more of Himself to them, He still loved them and loved them so much so, that He forgave them. Let us as Christians, start acting more Christ-Like. Stop keeping a head count on who hurt you and how many times. Because if God were to count how many times you’ve hurt Him, what would that number look like?

Today, forgive greatly because you have been greatly forgiven.

Ephesians 4:32, “Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” (MSG).

Don’t let your mouth get messy! Keep your mouth off people’s lives, and yes that includes those who have hurt you. The Bible clearly speaks against us, Believers, using cutting words, backbiting and profane talk against anyone. That’s not how we speak. That’s not our language. Our words have life and death power, and because we belong to Him, and are to act like Him, our words need to speak life. Not gossip, not slander, not rumors, not lies, not belittling. We are to speak life and do so in a manner that is both gentle and sensitive. After all, you can’t be nasty towards someone who you’re mad at because they were nasty towards you. We don’t get to play tit-for-tat. We should have put all our childish ways aside long ago. We are mature, character and integrity driven saved folks. And its high time we act like it. Use your speech for conversation not cursing.

In addition, remember, once again, to not only forgive but to do so quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you. Don’t hold anymore grudges! Don’t keep replaying the wrong in your mind. Move quickly and thoroughly in forgiveness, which also means you forgive Completely! Don’t use the cowardly way of ‘I’ll forgive but I won’t forget. That’s a backhanded insult to God. That’s a form of godliness while denying its full power to transform you. Live and forgive just as God did for you…quickly and thoroughly!

Does this really need any further comment?!

2 Corinthians 5:18, “God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships” (GWT)

We are not in the business of recklessness, but restoration. Therefore, today, stop tearing down people and stop hurting others because they hurt you. Stop causing discord and division. We are the body of Christ, and as such we are to maintain Its’ health and well-being. And that’s hard to do when you keep pouring the poison of revenge into the Body of Christ. Remember you’ve been called to the ministry of reconciliation, not the messiness of retaliation. Jesus laid down His life to restore our relationship with the Father. And now it’s time for us to follow suit. Let’s restore our relationship with our brothers and sisters, after all, wouldn’t that be what our Father wants of us His children, especially since He used His own Son to do this very thing on our behalf?

For us, payback is a blessing! No exceptions! This is our lifestyle, this is our conduct, this is our behavior. Does it take away the sting of the hurt? Nope! Does it please the Father? Yes! And isn’t that what this is all about? Doing what pleases the Father? It’s what Jesus did, it’s how Jesus lived. Today, let us follow in His footsteps behaving the very same way. Let’s give unbelievers reason to want to inspect our faith further. Let’s live in such a right way, even when we’ve been done wrong, that makes those who hurt us question their own actions. Let’s be a healthy Body of Christ. A healthy church. Healthy believers. After all, if sin is sickening to death, how can an unhealthy Body help bring the cure to the World that needs it? We can’t try to save them, heal them, deliver them, and our conduct says nothing of salvation, healing, and deliverance, instead, it represents malice, anger, revenge, and unforgiveness. Let’s live in such a way that we Shine, and not have that shine dimmed by payback.

Pay Back is a Blessing, So if You are to Pay Anyone Today, Make the Payment a Blessing, and Watch God Add to You a Bonus!

Why go into 2023 carrying the same anger that you have been carrying year after year. Let It Go! You Handle Forgiveness, Let God Handle Payback!

“Don’t treat people the way they treat you. Treat people the way God treats you.” (Davis Willis)

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com