I would love some encouragment and love

[aforgivensonofGod]

As of lately, I've been dealing with something. It has nothing to do with stress or any sorts of relationship between a man and wife. But it has to do with people. To understand me, I have to give my account of my life. I will try to sum it up in very short paragraphs as to, it's a very long journey I've had.

As I was 17, God called me out of my house, and I left to serve him. I left mom, dad, family, and just walked out the door. Jesus pointed to where my direction should be, and he made a way for me to live with a stranger that I don't even know. With this stranger, I found out, he was a youth pastor. The youth pastor worked for a church, that was huge in upbringing within the city. As I live with him, I'm not the only person who there. His home was used for delinquent teenagers to change their life or that was court ordered to live there. I find myself in a place with teenagers and people that constantly provoked my faith. They harassed me, accused me, hated me, and treated me as if I was "Mr. Holy." I get called names such as, "Self righteous, holy man, and bow down to Jesus (mocking me.)"

I wonder why God would call me to such a place, to get harassed, and hated within a church. The holy Spirit was with me through all out of this, and he never left me. It was the only reason I could of stay there, and made it out. Without him, I would of never made it through. Through this, I've learned how stiff neck and hardhearted people can be. Especially Gods own people. I finally got out of the place, and I was a change man. Holy Spirit showed me that what ever I learned in that place in 3 years, it would take a regular Christian 30 years to learn.

Fast forward, to today. My heart has become bitter and angry. Instead of dealing with people of God within that church who harassed me, now I am dealing with unbelievers in this magnitude. It was hard dealing with my brother and sisters who hated me daily. But the grief and hatred that unbelievers bring me, is causing me to be bitter. Why am I bitter about them? Because their attitude towards me, they form in groups to harass one person, and try to strip his dignity out of him. As of today, I can tell you, I've never seen a more godless generation in my life. I understand now how they could of killed Jesus and hated him for no reason. Because these people are ignorant, and full of hatred. They delusional themselves to believe they are love, and they are caring. But inside, they are full of darkness, and are voided.

I find myself fighting back because of my anger and bitterness. Instead of walking away, I find myself, cursing back and holding my grounds. Not only has they caused me grief, they try to strip away whatever you have left in your life. They dig to find what you are doing, and in a job, they will harass your managers to try to get you fired. A good friend on this forum told me, "not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers." I don't hang around with unbelievers much. But even when I'm playing video games or online. I find myself facing these people ONLINE.

As to why it seems so weird, but this has caused me to become bitter. I feel this anger inside me building up, as if, I want to physically start fighting these people, these hypocrites who inject themselves at others as if they're superior, and without fault.

 

[Rush]

Love and encouragement. You got it bud.
Go back to the crux of grace? But while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - It is that grace, that amazing, crazy grace that Christ demonstrates for us, and gives us the strength to live in by the grace and strength of the Spirit.

I understand what you mean about fighting back. I love Peter's question to Jesus... hey Jesus, if someone sins against me, how many times shall I forgive?? 7 times???? (I always imagine Peter thought suggesting a pretty magnanimous number) - and what did Jesus say in response... dude, not 7, but a butt load more (obviously paraphrasing Jesus there).

I love reading about Jesus at the garden of Gethsemane when the soldiers come to arrest him, and Peter, full of righteous anger (who also said he would die with Jesus) starts waving his sword (injuring none of the soldiers, only the servant). What does Jesus say.... Peter, man, i could call down 10,000 angels if I wanted to stop this. And remeber, If one angel could wipe out a 185,000 people in 2 Kings 19, Jesus was saying if he wanted to retaliate, he could, on a scale of retaliation akin to the Flood in Noah's time.

And then what were the famous words that warm our hearts when he was on the cross? "Forgive them". Christ poured out his love and forgiveness like a tidal wave for us all at the hardest possible moment so that we too could do the same.
God loves you bro, draw close to him. Tell him you love him. Thank him for his mercy and remember that we are called to forgive; because it is only through forgiveness that we can hope to change the lives of those around us. It is through forgiveness that we are reconciled to God, it is through forgiveness that we can be reconciled to each other. It is the very essence of the Good News.

So remember, while we, you, me, were all sinners, Christ, who could have oh so righteously called down 10,000 angels in judgement, went to the cross and died for our sins instead.

Let it warm your heart my friend. Soak it up and let yourself be blessed once more by the Good News.
Much brotherly love.
~Rush

 

[Siberian_Khatru]

Who wouldn't love some encouragement and love? And you've got it, forgivenson.

 

[persontalkto]

This is why the calling to heal people, is so important and how the enemy is trying to use the very thing that makes it important to stop you from doing it, people know evil, because there's evil in them, they do evil things, think of jesus testimony, spent his life trying to heal people, only to have them accuse him of what he was against, and put him to death for helping them, they were under the influence of the enemy, but jesus saw that, and he knew the only way for them to be taken out of that influence was to look past what they were lead by him to do, forgive and instruct them a better way. Love thy neighbor as thyself, love your enemies, each bad thing they are led by the enemy to do to you, is a temptation from your enemy to you to hate your neighbor and despise your enemy, intended so you refuse to help save your neighbor or heal your enemy, so that things never get better, instead resist the enemy and his plan to destroy the good work in you with the temptation of others, when a man does a hurtful act against you, allow him to strike again, and stand there after every blow and show him forgiveness, show him the lowly ways of hate will not cause you to move or gripe, you have found strength to withstand these things, it is not alone the man you are showing this too, it is the enemy that deceives the man, so that the man sees the ways of hate are useless compared to you, and the enemy sees you will not be driven off by the things he can deceive the man to do, when the man sees someone not upset by his ways, he may ask how you achieve your resolve, tell the man about how you can reason to withstand such things because you see how not enduring will only make things worse, tell them about how you believe in forgiveness and the power it has to keep you from sin, tell them about how your savior guided you, and about how through his lead you learned that man who do things like he just did, are deceived and being used as servants to tempt those who are not deceived into despising them and letting them continue in their deception, that their urges to hurt others are suppressing the truth from coming to them, and keeping their lives in shambles and distress. Go to your guidance, now and ask to be shown about this.

 

[persontalkto]

This is the reason you should spread the teachings you have, and the same thing the enemy is using so you do not.

What this is your faith against the enemy. You were led into a home where they tried to praise jesus.

The enemy though, had made them persecute you, in leading them to take what you found as real as a joke_

In the non-believers even more, and being harassed in the church,

The enemy tries to dismantle things which are not his doing, he already has most of the people around you under some control, so you are seen, and he directs them to act these ways toward you, each act piles up and piles more, thinking he can overwhelm you to make you grow vengeful. This would make you hate your brothers, and turn to contradict the one who led you.

Instead, remember to love your brother as yourself, and see what happening for what it is, Each time the enemy tempts them to hurt you, it is not to degrade those he already has control of, it is to tempt you to become hateful, to use them to break your faith, to make you say "how can I love my neighbor?", to make you feel hopeless about the effectiveness of what you learned, and make you give up what you are doing?

You have the ability to resist this though, each time a person does something bad to you for your religion is a temptation sent by the enemy to hate and act in anger. It is also a temptation to show people that even someone like you will act hateful to make them think hate conquers and is the most effective way. Confronted with this, the one hurting you is really the enemy, defeat him by standing strong, remembering to love and forgive even when he tempts you by causing you harm. There is something to hate and get get heated about, the thing that is nearly destroying you.

 

[persontalkto]

Remember, the fight is against principalities and spiritual wickedness, these things do have a way of fighting back, and if they to be overcome, they must be addressed directly, hate prevents love, still choose love, you conquer hate, Jesus forgave their sins too, but they live in them still if they are never given guidance they can understand, remember that if you go out and pass by a million people who hate you, and you don't let their hate make you hate them, you have proven better than a million, better than hate itself, and strong. So go prepare, do what it takes to be sound internally, and go out and see every act of hate as a reason to stand sturdy, a reason to not despise the people, the reason for it's cause, and if you are tempted to do back what other people do to you that you find appalling, think about how much more it would be if you were watching yourself do it, if you do it back, you will witness yourself do it, and remember you are supposed to love people like yourself, because they are a different version of what you are, if you find a way to teach them not to seek harm anymore, you will get done one task against what your problem is, and that person, who is like you, is closer to being healed, and able to heal too, doubling the strength of what is around to overcome this problem, heal again, and he heals once, double the strength again, all while taking these people away from the enemy arsenal.

 

[California91]

Give it to God. These people aren't true believers if this is the way that they treated you

 

[Keziah20]

I understand you. Seek God, pray. I mean, really. Pray. This is a dead generation, believers don't even pray like they should.