God permits evil because it is a necessary consequence of free will, which in turn is a necessary condition of being a child of God, which in turn is a necessary condition of enjoying heaven. But the evil of this world is ours, and ours alone. To be good, we have to enlist the help of God, and when we fail, we must ask for His forgiveness in Christ's name.
Use the right words to communicate
Posted in on byUSE THE RIGHT WORDS TO REACH HIS HEART. What you say to a man really is EVERYTHING – certain words can make him pull away and make you feel like you’re losing him, while other words can draw him to you like a magnet so that you feel like the most important thing in the world to him. If you launch at him with an accusation (“You’re always late!”), then not only will you NOT get the resolution you want, but you’ll create more unnecessary tension. But watch what happens when you leave him out of it and focus on your feeling: “I feel really angry when I have to keep waiting, and I don’t want to be late.” See the difference? You’re not making him out to be the bad guy, and you’re not hiding who you really are.
Now here’s the key -- follow up your feeling with an offer of negotiation: “What do you think we can do so we’re both happy?” When you talk to a man like this, he can’t help but feel like he’s just won the lottery. He’s found a woman who isn’t afraid to show him her true self and who respects him enough to want to come to an agreement. Practice this the next time you’re feeling disappointed with a man, and notice how he starts looking at you differently...and responding to you differently.
Forgiveness Is For The Undeserving
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Matthew 18:21
21Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Peter asked the Lord how often he should forgive his brother. The Lord’s answer to him was simple: Up to 70 times seven times. (Matthew 18:22) In other words, all the time!
“Well, Pastor Prince, he does not deserve my forgiveness.”
Neither did you deserve God’s forgiveness.
There is not a single person alive or dead who did not break all 10 of God’s commandments. There is no such thing as a “partial sinner” or “great sinner”. All of us were great sinners when Jesus saved us. And when we realize that we are forgiven much, we will love much. (Luke 7:47)
“Pastor Prince, how can you say that I have broken all of God’s commandments? I have never committed adultery.”
My friend, Jesus said, “If you lust after a woman in your heart, you have already committed adultery with her.” (Matthew 5:28) That is God’s standard. Man looks outward, but God looks inward at the heart. Moreover, if you break one law, you are guilty of all. (James 2:10) So everyone has broken all of God’s commandments. Everyone is a great sinner.
Now, you are no longer a sinner if you have received Christ as your Savior. You are a new creation. But you were a great sinner and God forgave you your huge debt through the death of His Son.
So if someone has wronged you, tell yourself this: “I did not deserve God’s forgiveness, but He forgave me through Christ. So I forgive this person also.” If you say something like, “He does not deserve it,” it makes no sense. Forgiveness is not for people who deserve it. If they deserve anything, it is punishment. But forgiveness means that you extend grace — undeserved favor — like how God extends undeserved favor to you.
Beloved, if you choose to hold on to bitterness, no one suffers but you. You lose your peace, then possibly your health. It is just not worth it. God says to you, “Let go. Forgive them their debts, just as I have forgiven you yours.”
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21Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Peter asked the Lord how often he should forgive his brother. The Lord’s answer to him was simple: Up to 70 times seven times. (Matthew 18:22) In other words, all the time!
“Well, Pastor Prince, he does not deserve my forgiveness.”
Neither did you deserve God’s forgiveness.
There is not a single person alive or dead who did not break all 10 of God’s commandments. There is no such thing as a “partial sinner” or “great sinner”. All of us were great sinners when Jesus saved us. And when we realize that we are forgiven much, we will love much. (Luke 7:47)
“Pastor Prince, how can you say that I have broken all of God’s commandments? I have never committed adultery.”
My friend, Jesus said, “If you lust after a woman in your heart, you have already committed adultery with her.” (Matthew 5:28) That is God’s standard. Man looks outward, but God looks inward at the heart. Moreover, if you break one law, you are guilty of all. (James 2:10) So everyone has broken all of God’s commandments. Everyone is a great sinner.
Now, you are no longer a sinner if you have received Christ as your Savior. You are a new creation. But you were a great sinner and God forgave you your huge debt through the death of His Son.
So if someone has wronged you, tell yourself this: “I did not deserve God’s forgiveness, but He forgave me through Christ. So I forgive this person also.” If you say something like, “He does not deserve it,” it makes no sense. Forgiveness is not for people who deserve it. If they deserve anything, it is punishment. But forgiveness means that you extend grace — undeserved favor — like how God extends undeserved favor to you.
Beloved, if you choose to hold on to bitterness, no one suffers but you. You lose your peace, then possibly your health. It is just not worth it. God says to you, “Let go. Forgive them their debts, just as I have forgiven you yours.”
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