(IHEAM18PT5) I HAVE AN ETERNITY AHEAD OF ME CHAPTER 18 TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE: PART 4 ACCEPTANCE (continued)

I HAVE AN ETERNITY AHEAD OF ME 

CHAPTER 18

TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE:

PART 5 ACCEPTANCE (continued)

"Simple Gifts" written by Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr., of the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine 1848 

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

YOU are a child of God! Always know and cherish what you are and who God created you to be. Cherish your relationship with your Father. You cannot fail with God, for God never fails!
God did not create people who are losers and failures, or people who are not equal to one another. He only created people who are nothing without Him.

If we are to change the atmosphere of our broken society, we must change the minds and hearts of those in darkness who have become proud, arrogant, hateful, cruel, uncaring, violent, destructive, greedy, insensitive, and without empathy and compassion for those unlike themselves.

Everyone and everything has a beginning. Not to understand this or to continue having love and hope for all mankind would mean that our hearts too have been blinded by darkness. We also, would be without love and compassion for our neighbor. We must understand our neighbors beginning to help support them and guide them down the right path, never judging their ending, for that is to be determined by God.

Darkness uses broken, hurt, ignorant, and enslaved people to inflict relentless pain upon mankind by filling their mouths with hateful and destructive words to label people as inferior, undesirable, hopeless, failures, and losers. Deception, lies, racism, violence, religious discrimination and persecution have all taken an open seat in public debate to legally claim a rightful place within society.

We who STAND in the name of God must help to change the rhetoric and discourse damaging, dividing, and destroying lives, beginning by working from the inside of ourselves.

Truth will cut down the immorality and brutality of darkness, for God is Truth and God Never Fails!

Nevertheless, as God's servants and vessels, we cannot stand idly by, watching those within society and our government try to harden hearts and create a society ruled by hatred, greed, and violence. We are God's servants and vessels. We must work harder knowing we have the power to succeed with God.
Your acceptance of yourself and of others is VITAL to the cause, in order to remove mankind from the path of global warfare, which will result in the loss of millions of lives to Darkness and Death. War is a tool to appease the hatred and greed of those led by their pride and flesh, while blissfully in bondage.

In whatever station, status, or situation we find ourselves, we cannot be afraid of professing our faith and using it as the basis to defend moral conduct, the commonality of mankind, or to rebuke the lies and harsh tenor heard within the brash comments of our leadership, mocking the morality, justice and sound judgement that gives our institutions and offices of authority, honor, respect, trust and stability. If we deny our faith, we deny Jesus and He will deny us to His Father in Heaven. If we allow society to succeed in pushing faith into the background, so that it has no voice or equal voice in society or government, then, we condemn mankind and give the world over to evil.

Our calling is not to cower or compromise. Our calling is not to whisper or become silent. Our calling is to speak BOLDLY in the name of Christ Jesus declaring the Good News that the Kingdom is at hand, HUMBLE YOURSELF, REPENT. and SURRENDER your will, to live in holiness, righteousness, and the fullness and glory of the Lord!

The enemy has concocted a toxic potion to poison the minds of the public, paralyze progress, and prevent our governments from carrying out their commitment to be honest and just to all those they are sworn to and exists to serve and protect. Deception and lies are sweeping from nation to nation as a power play continues between those serving darkness.

Our faith in God is what will hold us up. And if it is indeed faith, then, we will be faithful! Our willingness to stand together and serve Him is a formidable wall against the enemy, for God is our Fortress--a Bulwark never failing.

Those who love and depend upon lies come against God Almighty as His enemy. Those who reject truth, holiness, and righteousness, reject God, for God is Truth, Holiness, Righteousness, and Love.

My friends, it is not that we demonize our enslaved brothers by claiming they are the enemy. However, these are defining times. And, in times like these, the line between Truth and lies, Darkness and Light, Good and Evil is clearly visible and one must stand up to show which side they serve. We must identify darkness and sin, calling it what it is to defeat and expel it.

Those who have chosen to do the bidding of the enemy, the Prince of Lies, join him as God's enemy, as spoken by God, the Creator of man. They have chosen Darkness over Light. The origin and nature of that darkness is evil. Therefore, they have allied with demons and evil principalities to imitate them instead of imitating their Creator and Father in Heaven.

No, it is not our desire to slander and call names. The calling of names is ineffective, and falls on deaf ears, for they have come to relish the opportunity to deceive and lie to satisfy the hungry darkness within them and to falsely claim power and victory. 

We, as the children of God have been given the revelation of TRUTH to which belongs the definition of true power and the Divine authority in which to bring down giants! Today, we find that those who profess to be Believers or Christians, do not understand the Word of God as defined within scripture. They are still professing with their mouths, while their stomachs are filled with the bile of the world, therefore, their stomachs are too weak to speak TRUTH or understand its meaning.

Now is not the time to double over in pain! Now is not the time to put down the Cross! Now is not the time for worldly protocol, misleading and ineffective rites, rituals, form, rules, regulations, pomp and circumstance, or political correctness. We are to shine our Light in whatever form God has told us to, or, provided for us.

GOD IS THE EFFECTIVENESS in which we act and live! WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! 

Acts 5:29 (KJV) Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

As Peter and the others said, "Who should we listen to, God or man? If we are conquerors and not simply church-goers or worshipers by mouth, we listen to GOD! Whereby, in the name of God, we do as David did, not waiting for others to step forward, doing away with worldly form and fashion, cumbersome armor that stand in the way of our being OURSELVES, and using the gifts that GOD (not man) has provided for us.  

When, we are using God's gifts, we must distinguish that which has been taught to us by man, for man's use, and that which is directed and manifested through us by GOD! 

The heart does not speak in MONOTONE and neither does GOD! IT IS BOLD AND PASSIONATE! HEAR HIM SPEAK! THUS SAITH THE LORD! LET ME GUIDE YOUR HAND AND HEART! 

I answered YES, LORD, USE ME in any way that You choose! How will you answer? Can you let go of pride, status, form and fashion, to be ridiculed by man, for the sake of Christ Jesus and the Kingdom of God? Or, are you like those who looked down upon Jesus, Peter, David, John the Baptist, and others, who were seen as unorthodox, ignorant, uneducated, and nonconforming? Yet, they were effective vessels of God!

Has the world stolen your mind and Satan captured your soul and you don't even know it? You proclaim who you are and what you have done in the world that raises you high up, or, makes you better than others, while all the while you are forsaking the Will and Way of God, imitating the enemy, allowing darkness to use you, and crucifying Christ, who came to show us The Way, The Truth, and The Life. 

Yes, just as David stood before the Philistine, Goliath, we cannot be afraid of criticism, ridicule, skepticism, doubt, and laughter behind our backs. We go to the agents of the adversary and WE CALL THEM AND THEIR MASTER OUT with TRUTH to acknowledge OUR GOD and the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! 

Treacherous words and conduct speak for themselves. Their treacherous intent to demean others bring dishonor to their speaker, making them forget who God created them to be. Their PRIDE reveals that the words are not of God and spoken in vain. 

So, let us in turn, wield the Sword of God, by boldly speaking the Word of God, in love, to the Glory of God, not fighting flesh, but, cutting deep within the heart of Darkness to proclaim the power and might of the Holy One, the one and only True God of love, truth, goodness, mercy, glory, and LIGHT! GLORY TO GOD!

Do you really know who you are? Do you really know who you are in Christ? Are you being true to yourself when you speak, act, and how you look at others? Are you really a servant and vessel of God? Or, are you a freelancer, available to the adversary, when you have the same common enemy? 

When you try to serve two masters, does the enemy end up making you an example over and over again of man's failure to live in holiness and righteousness? 

Are you bearing the Good Fruit of God's Holy Spirit? Does pride keep you from bearing Good Fruit? When you fight flesh are you bearing Good Fruit? When you identify your worth, status, knowledge and wisdom by the world, are you bearing Good Fruit and serving God? Does this show that you know who you are? Does it prove to others who you are? 

What is the difference between our trying to provoke others to jealousy and God using us to provoke others to jealousy? Do you seek to glorify yourself or God and His Kingdom? 

To thine own self be true.

2 Corinthians 10: 3-6 (KJV)

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

your servant and soldier, united with the One,

mishael


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SELF REFLECTION: A Look in the Mirror

Once again, when we look at Jesus' parables, He is challenging us to examine where our heart lies. Closely examining your heart, answer the following questions.

DISCUSS your answers with a mature Believer who can guide you in your spiritual relationship with Jesus and our Father, and/or have group discussions to learn from those who have different experiences and perspectives.

QUESTIONS: Write down your questions and discuss them with a mature Believer or submit them to:

https://fsasw.blogspot.com
https://fssw-followers.weebly.com

1. Do you really know who you are? Do you really know who you are in Christ?
2. Are you being true to yourself when you speak, act, and how you look at other? 
3. Are you really a servant and vessel of God? Or, are you a freelancer, available to the adversary, when you have the same enemy? 
4. When you try to serve two masters, does the enemy end up making you an example over and over again of man's failure to live in holiness and righteousness? 
5. Are you bearing the Good Fruit of God's Holy Spirit?
6. Does pride keep you from bearing Good Fruit?
7. When you fight flesh are you bearing Good Fruit?
8. When you identify your worth, status, knowledge and wisdom by the world, are you bearing Good Fruit and serving God?
9. Does this show that you know who you are? 
10. Does it prove to others who you are?
11. What is the difference between us trying to provoke others to jealousy and God using us to provoke others to jealousy? 
12. Do you seek to glorify yourself or God and His Kingdom?
13. To thine own self be true.