19/12/2024
To give generously and joyously
I recently was talking to a chap who stated his life was great, near perfect.
His children were all employed, he had no limit to the access of the grandchildren and his wife was loving and supportive.
He had little to nothing to ask for.
This troubled me some
How can he be so happy and secure and not be attacked or tormented by the opposition in his role ?
It made me think intensely for days.
Eventually after 14 days I suggested that he testify to 2 people and attempt to deliver them to Christ and see if his life remains steady.
As a church elder he tends to the flock that is in Christ already, my suggestion is he steal from Lucifer one of his souls and see what happens.
Who enjoys being stolen from?
Who wants to retaliate to those who steal , or seek to steal from you ?
My personal life was rather blissfully the same for many decades, stay in my lane, keep to myself , never dare mention Christ.
Never really understanding the full power and manipulation of the opposition.
As I ventured closer to God , the greater turmoil appeared in my life.
Shouldn’t it be better, sweeter in Christ ?
The more I assisted the fallen, the poor , those in need, the greater I and those around me paid the price.
The greater I was persecuted by many means.
You see when it comes to the opposition, I am now very weary of anything, I don’t govern my decisions on my heart or feelings, voices in my head but the written word.
Revelation states that we will act on our feelings and not the word.
My wife states all the time that “Joe isn’t directly attacked or manipulated as he is too aware”
So anyone close to me gets manipulated to torment myself in an attempt to shut me down.
It’s painful as most would know to see a loved one being manipulated.
The written word is written for the reason of reference to those that are lost, as words in your mind are just that…words in your mind.
Those feelings or statements are not reliable.
Cross reference those thoughts to the written word for the truth to govern your actions, scripture, not memes.
So many fall into the world, use the world for their own advantage yet the whole time praying praise to the Lord that they are His child.
Yet they are living in iniquity, Matthew 7:23.
“But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.”
So if I pull my head in, not speak of Christ to those who do not know or seek him, stop giving generously and joyfully, crawl into a hole…
Those close to me may not be tested, I myself maybe can live a happier life, compromised but happier ?
I have found that if God is the head of your union, then your betrothed, everything else in life falls into place.
Anything else above the betrothed, between them and God...everything falls apart.
A strong union is unbreakable , you can both be unstoppable.
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2:24
Let no man seperate what God has joined.
If you have a business and you neglect to maintain the core structure, slowly but surely pressure applies in all directions until that business fails.
Marriage is the same.
If your core structure is strong then anything can be achieved, for a start , when you pray as two, as two God is surely among you.
As two people pray the same prayer it will be given, as has happened with us.
I have been married for 27 yrs, it takes commitment and sacrifice to one another, ignore those outside that union but within that union be committed and ready to sacrifice time, energy , ego and pride to create that unbreakable union.
Openly and readily forgive.
Just looking at my wife calms my soul.
“No use someone who can’t swim jumping in to save someone drowning .”
Build your base to be unified first before attempting anything else.
So should I stop everything I do to create a smooth life….
I can’t see that I can.
I give the shirt off my back and a set of slippers to whoever needs them.
I seek not applause for this action or recognition.
This post is for us all to ponder if the pain and anguish that we must endure daily is really worth it.
Eternal life either way isn’t it, eternally in pain or eternally in bliss.
Surely the rewards that scripture speaks of is in heaven and not on earth for I see it hard to visualise such rewards most of the time….but persist I do regardless.
Romans 8:24-26
For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it….
One of my favourite verses.
What are your thoughts.
Do you have love ones, family, children and friends that backslide into the world, use the world to comfort themselves, hide, evade responsibilities?
Are most of our rewards only in heaven?
I have always thought my wife was a gift from God, a blessing.
Will you now testify to someone to steal a soul from Lucifer to test my theory?
