Growth HOW DO WE RESPOND?

[Hermit]

HOW DO WE RESPOND?​

When communicating, many people get caught up in personalities, and I am no exception to the rule. Self-will agendas and stories that has nothing to do with Truth become the norm. These typical responses are a waste of life energy and gives the spiritual opposition (satan) something to feed on.

We all respond differently to both forum topics and members, but are we responding to certain truths or untruths? Here are some thoughts to consider:

1. Are we being led to respond from our-will or God's-will; are we still speaking from self or by what the Spirit tells us to say or not say?
   
2. Do we respond to a story or to the truth under the story?
   
3. Do we respond only to what is true in the topic, and in others, instead of pointing out what is not true?
   
4. Do we discern what is, and not, the Spirit of Truth in ourselves and others.
   
5. Do we respond to the forum member (believer) as a person, or to the Spirit of Truth in that person?
   
6. Are we responding only in a truthful loving way so that it speaks to the other's Spirit / heart, instead of the other's self-will / head.
   
7. Do we realize that we all have the same Truth within us?
   
8. Do we realize that the Holy Spirit of Truth, in the born-again Christian, is in fact One and the same as in others? That is, the left hand does know what the right hand is doing.
   
9. Do we respond, in total faith, where what we speak or write is not from self but from Christ / God / Truth. And not claiming it for ourselves afterwards?
   
10. Do we realize that a correct response is an answered prayer?

What are your experiences, strength, and hope on these considerations.

 

[Willie T]

I hope all of us can someday learn not to respond as though we think we are "Holy Spirit Jr."

 

[Eugene]

.
I hope that someday we can all believe the simpler things in Christ Jesus.
Rom 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

And whether we come to the conviction for me to either eat, or not eat certain things (Rom 14:3),
or think of one day above another (Rom 14:5), God receives us all who call upon His name (Rom 10:13), and we are all brethren that should grow to love one another.

 

[Chopper]

I believe that in order to be led by the Spirit of Elohim in any forum thread or post, we must consider, before we reply, especially me, what is the Way & Truth & Life that Yashua exhibited while He taught His Disciples, and us thru them.

We must remember that the enemy of our souls pays attention to what is being posted on this Forum. As a result, he enjoys the arguments and debates that he is the author of as he energizes our self/flesh. When two Brothers assault each other with their debates and personal attacks, they should remember what the Spirit of Elohim had the Apostle John wrote in 1st John 2:9-11....

1John 2:9 "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes."

My Brother Peter, with this thread, has a love for the WAY, TRUTH, and LIFE. He, along with Soul man and me, want to see CF.net return to the ideals that the founders had in mind when they were led, by the Spirit of Abba Father, to establish this wonderful forum of true Christians in the WAY.

 

[for_his_glory]

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Do you love yourself or do you hate, argue and debate yourself? ..................something to think about especially when we are to be representing Christ in our life that others in these forums will see the light of Christ in us with everything we post.

 

[Soul man]

It is a great challenge to keep ourselves from lashing out at times. In the forums I'm sure that makes it easier to do, as I have said before most of us wouldn't talk to each other in a harsh way if we were face to face. The old adage of Politics and religion come into play as well. We are created in a way that most are willing to die for what they believe.
It is the lord that has made us, and not we ourselves so I really don't find it to stunning that the mind is so powerful.
The only way I have found for myself is to do what I know is right, do I do that all the time, no, but I have to make an effort to. You will not pray it away, fast it away or any other method you can think of. Has the lord brought us a long way from where you started, sure He does, but it has to be a conscious decision on the believers part. That is a maturing saint, making quality decisions on their own just as your Father would have you do.
You have the mind of Christ, He said, so it is up to the believer to allow that mind to be in them. That is where you will find the fruit of the Spirit, we cannot produce the fruit only bare the fruit of the Spirit.

 

[Hermit]

...The only way I have found for myself is to do what I know is right,... but I have to make an effort to. ... it has to be a conscious decision on the believers part. That is a maturing saint, making quality decisions on their own just as your Father would have you do.
You have the mind of Christ, He said, so it is up to the believer to allow that mind to be in them. That is where you will find the fruit of the Spirit, we cannot produce the fruit only bare the fruit of the Spirit.

Thanks Soul man. I wish to expand on the above.

Let go, let God is an act of faith. The action bit is humility. It brings myself back to earth (humus) _ to dust level. In other words, ego-deflation, like unleavened bread. To do this requires me to pause and become still.

Psalm 46:10 He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; ..." [NIV]. "Cease striving and know that I am God; ...[NASB]
Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

When I become still, I still need to go further by softening up, become gentle and meek.

1 Peter 3:4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23. gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
1 Peter 5:5 (in part)... All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."

So why is this hard to do sometimes?
The fear of being vulnerable and exposed. The fear that I have to bend my knees of pride. Self humility is required so I can admit my own defects of character and shortcomings, and ask God to remove them. As mentioned by Soul man, self-will has not been able to remove them. So I need to let go and let God do what I cannot do for myself.

When I have removed myself off my (theatrical) stage of life, God, Christ and the Holy Spirit of Truth takes over and (...guides the humble in what is right and teaches them (me) His way. -Psalm 25:9)

 

[Hermit]

1John 2:9 "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.".

Thanks for sharing, I have not seen those verses for a long time. Very pertinent.
They remind me of another verse and a sketch that went with it.

Replace our old burdensome yoke with the light yoke of Christ
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

 

[Soul man]

Thanks for sharing, I have not seen those verses for a long time. Very pertinent.
They remind me of another verse and a sketch that went with it.

Replace our old burdensome yoke with the light yoke of Christ
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Like the drawing, it reminds me of the proverbial piano on your back or the 10,000.00 lb weight.
The weight of the worlds weights press's hard to the lords will.
The converging powers of all creation call out to the salvation of the lost.
The world is perfect for what the lord wants. We hold to the fact God gets souls out of the world through its good and it's evil.
The popular opinion that somehow Satan has out done the Father is a farse.

 

[Hermit]

Here are other verses to explain further some of the points mentioned.

3. Do we respond only to what is true in the topic, and in others, instead of pointing out what is not true?
John 4:23-24 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

4. Do we discern what is, and not, the Spirit of Truth in ourselves and others.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Luke 5:22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
Mark 2:8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things?
Matthew 12:14-15 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. 15. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.

5. Do we respond to the forum member (believer) as a person, or to the Spirit of Truth in that person?
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
Luke 10:16 Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me."

6. Are we responding only in a truthful loving way so that it speaks to the other's Spirit / heart, instead of the other's self-will / head.
Ephesians 4:11-15 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12. to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13. until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

7. Do we realize that we all have the same Truth within us?
John 16:12-14 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

8. Do we realize that the Holy Spirit of Truth, in the born-again Christian, is in fact One and the same as in others? That is, the left hand does know what the right hand is doing.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body--whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

9. Do we respond, in total faith, where what we speak or write is not from self but from Christ / God / Truth; and not claiming it for ourselves afterwards?
1 Corinthians 2:9-16 However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived", the things God has prepared for those who love him, 10. these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11. For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15.The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16. for, "Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

10. Do we realize that a correct response is an answered prayer?
Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

_____________________ . _____________________
Luke 8:16-18 "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them." ​