(IHEAM:CH18P7) IHEAM: CHAPTER 18 TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE: PART 4 ACCEPTANCE, GREATER IS HE THAT IS WITHIN ME

I HAVE AN ETERNITY AHEAD OF ME 

CHAPTER 18 

TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE:

PART 7 ACCEPTANCE, 

GREATER IS HE THAT IS WITHIN ME, 

THAN, HE THAT IS WITHIN THE WORLD

Perhaps, you've had a somewhat rocky road in life, also; so, rocky it's difficult for you to talk about your experiences and circumstances, so, you rarely share the details with others. Perhaps, like me, there are people out there who think you really haven't been through hardships such as: poverty, homelessness, overwhelming challenges, health problems, tragedy, disaster, grief, near death, or dangerous ordeals, all because, you've moved on in your victory over adversity and sin, through your ability to conquer with Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!

Most likely, those people who criticize and ridicule aren't really caring about what you've been through, but, they are acting out of their own hardened heart filled with pain, frustration and jealousy. Most people still have not learned to accept themselves and what happened in their own lives. So, they will look at others as not having had it as bad as they have. They will have jealousy, contempt, animosity, and condemnation towards those whom they see as having had more than them to start out with; those who attained a higher education; and those who were able to hold on to or increase what they had. People who cannot accept their situation will try to find ways to overcome and sometimes fall prey to charlatans and thieves ready to take advantage of their circumstances. Satan always lies waiting for his opportunity to kill, steal, and destroy.

Gerrymandering in politics has done more than just structure and suppress voting. We have structured our communities to set certain groups of people up in an environment for failure, violence and death. Think about it. Your community may have been designed to shorten your child's lifespan and to keep you in poverty. City managers, builders, and planners may have decided to write your community off in order to garner power and wealth for themselves and others. Community funding for your neighborhood's development and education budget may be less or deflected somewhere else to control who gets jobs, succeeds and has control of power. But, are you powerless?

The wide margin of disparity has set people against one another, dividing nations, states, communities, races and ethnic groups, splitting and grouping people into like religions, socioeconomic and educational statuses.  It is not that we need to prove anything to anyone, but, we can help bring people together by showing them what we overcame, with Jesus being our guide and example, the Holy Spirit being our instructor, and God being our coach and deliverer. This is the unequivocal answer to the question of division within our countries today. We must show people how to overcome physically and spiritually, taking charge of their lives, out of the hands of the enemy. We can be activist in the physical and spiritual world. We can be the resistance in the physical and spiritual world. We can EMPOWER people with TRUTH TO BRING ABOUT REFORMATION!

We can show people that IF WE TRULY ACCEPT GOD'S GIFTS, then, WE STAY IN THE WILL OF GOD! When there are walls and stumbling blocks in our way, we stay in the Will of God. EVEN when things don't go OUR WAY, we stay in the Will of God! If we can't have something, we stay in the WILL OF GOD! WHY?! Because God SPECIALIZES and in His specifications for us as individuals, specific things are required in God's timing, for He knows what is best for us.

While I'm looking for or grabbing something that I think is BETTER for me, or trying to keep my neighbor from having something, I bypass that which I NEED and I'm no better off than when I started out. If I have sinned against my neighbor, than I have sinned against God, so, I am worse off than before.

God doesn't forget about my desires. However, He may see something lacking in me that will prevent my acceptance and growth to be prepared for the BEST THAT IS YET TO COME. Yet, if I JUST HOLD OUT UNTIL MY CHANGE COMES, not only will my cup overflow, but, I will understand it better by and by.

Abundant and eternal life, requires ACCEPTANCE! Acceptance of God's gifts in yourself and in others. Acceptance of who you are and all that has happened in your life to help God to mold you into a better and specialized person. That He is mindful of us is a gift in itself!

The self-righteous are unacceptable in God's sight for they choose only to see sin in others. They cannot accept others because they haven't learned to accept ALL of themselves, meaning that, they are yet to discover and comprehend that THEY ARE NOTHING and CAN DO NOTHING without God! Accepting this knowledge would take away their coveted power to judge others unjustly, not having the authority to do so. Moreover, they would come to see themselves for what they are--unworthy; for it is Christ within us who makes us worthy! We are covered by the precious blood He shed for us on Calvary.

Their vision of themselves would be destroyed, leaving a reflection of an individual who needs true change and deliverance. They would see the proud image of someone who needs to humble themselves, pray, repent, and seek the face of God.

This part of acceptance is the most important of all, for it allows us to open our hearts and minds to take a look at ourselves, without being dismayed and repulsed by what we see; for we know that God is showing us the sin and iniquity that is within us in order to heal and grow us.

Yes, God looks beyond our faults to see our needs. Hallelujah! So must we come to the point in our acceptance of ourselves to look beyond our faults to see our needs that only our Father can provide. As we accept God's perfect and specialized gifts, we give Him permission to break and mold us; to take us through the fire and purge us of the dark matter within our hearts, keeping us from following Jesus and shining in the Light of God.

Each day, we are presented with things from our past and things that lie before us that we must come to accept; not with anxiety, depression, anger, regret, pain and sorrow, but, with the deep understanding that they have been building blocks to lead us to accept victory in Jesus and the Kingdom of God; having conquered the world and accepted who and what God has created us to be.

Have you accepted yourself and your  gift of victory? Then, come, let us REJOICE IN THE LORD! Amen.

We must remember that acceptance of others does not mean we remove ourselves from righteous action, or, that we excuse or make excuses for their behavior. In accepting them as children of God, we, like Jesus, remember what God would have us do and we speak truth to power.

If you repented and asked God for forgiveness, He has forgiven, you. Have you accepted His forgiveness by forgiving yourself so that you can move on and move beyond who you were into who you were created to be? What must you come to accept? As we repent and turn away from sin, we allow God to change us and deliver us. What is needed to complete the process is for you to accept God's gift of forgiveness and deliverance by forgiving yourself, showing love, acceptance and appreciation for His loving kindness.

Yes, there will still be people who will not accept you. There will always be people who don't like you or who doubt you and God's work within you. You shouldn't be one of those doubters. Jesus is the son of God. Yet, there are billions of people who doubt or deny it. As He went about His Father's work, preaching and teaching unto the multitudes, crowds of people doubted his Words--the Word of God. Even today, many hate and despise Him, denying He is the Son and Word of God. How did He accept this reality--this sometimes unforgiving, unloving, unwelcoming and uninviting society and hostile environment which He had been planted within? How did He endure?

As mentioned in previous chapters, Jesus knew who He was. Still, He didn't have to accept who He was. He felt and experienced life as we do. He knew and understood pain and temptation. Like us, Jesus  had freewill. He was free to choose. That choice was given to Him by His Father. The choice was presented to Him in the wilderness, when Satan tempted Him. Living in the world, he could have fallen to temptation, wanting to fit in and be like everybody else. But...

God had given Him something to keep Him and that was unconditional love. Jesus's love for His Father was unwavering because He knew His Heavenly Father. He knew that His Father lived inside of Him, and would always be there, having promised never to leave Him alone.

By knowing God, He knew that nothing could surpass the love His Father had for Him and His children. That same love for mankind, flowed through Jesus. Jesus believed like His Father that all of His Children are equal and deserve good things that are within His will for them.

Those who followed Jesus, knew that there was something different and special about Him put there by God. Still, within every crowd, the doubters stood with scowls upon their faces, some sneering and jeering. Nonetheless, Jesus accepted it and understood it as He accepted them, knowing that God allowed it as He allowed Satan to tempt Him in the wilderness.

Facing adversity helped Him remember and accept who He was and what His Father required of Him. It proved the power of unconditional (agape) love that ran through Him from His Father, giving Him the power to love all and endure. Therefore,  He never forgot who He was. As God's Son, He possesses unconditional love for all mankind, looking beyond their faults to see their needs.

As He looked down from the cross at those who had despised, mocked, and scourged him, even then, KNOWING and ACCEPTING who He was and what His Father required Him to do, He proved His love and acceptance, asking, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Luke 23:34 King James Version (KJV)

34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.