Tag Archives: mercy

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7).

The moment we have been wronged or offended, God gives us grace to respond to our offender with full forgiveness. Hebrews 12:15 says, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” Bitterness begins with a wrong response to God’s grace.

Bitterness is one of the easiest inroads that Satan has to a Christian’s life.

Paul warns us in Ephesians 4:26-27 that if we fail to deal Biblically with our anger and unforgiveness, that we will “…give place to the devil.” Warren Wiersbe says, “If the believer cultivates in his life any known sin, he is giving Satan an opportunity to get a foothold, a beachhead in his life. Satan will then use this opportunity to invade and take over other areas.”

Any area of your life that you do not want God to control, Satan and his demons will! The Bible says that if you become bitter, you give Satan “ground” in your life. Bitterness can become a satanic stronghold!

In 1 Corinthians chapter 5, Paul exercises church discipline on a church member involved in sin. In 2 Corinthians, the church discipline had the desired effect and the young man returned to the church repentant and seeking forgiveness. There were some in the church, however, who refused to forgive. Paul addresses these unmerciful church members urging them to forgive “lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

Whenever you think that your bitterness is justified, James 3:14 says that you have lied against the truth. The truth is, God gave you grace to forgive your offender and you rejected God’s grace and became bitter.

Don’t underestimate the sin of bitterness. It can allow Satan the opportunity to wreak havoc in a Christian’s life. Don’t ignore it or seek to justify it. Deal with it Biblically and receive the grace of God and choose to forgive your offender.

Morris Hull
Home Life Ministries

Please consider sharing this posting on Facebook if you have found it to be helpful. “Like” the Home Life Ministries Facebook page to receive these daily updates in your Facebook News Feed.

“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

One particular four-year old prayed, “And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.” Without knowing what to pray for, we too tend to pray for the wrong things.

1 John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.” But what should we ask God for?

Every day we need to ask God for His mercy.

One pompous church member said, “Faults in others I can see, but praise the Lord there’s none in me.” Don’t you believe that for one moment. Compared with the spotless, sinless character of Christ, there is a multitude of character deficiencies that you and I possess.

It’s not that we are essentially good and that there are just a few bad things in our lives keeping us out of heaven. It’s that – as the Bible teaches – in us “…dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:17). There is an infinite gap not just between God’s goodness and our badness but between God’s goodness and our “goodness.” Isaiah 64:6 says “…all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”
You should buy brand viagra not apply herbal oil over the scrotum. But, in rare conditions, their organ does not receive the amount of blood it requires for an viagra buy no prescription erection. If pill sildenafil important source anything, the processes embodied in IFS Applications are not so hot. Stress is order cialis australia one that a man persistently undergoes at his job, having relationship issues, living a hectic life, etc.
In Isaiah chapter six, the prophet has a vision of God in all of His majesty and holiness, and his immediate reaction is to say, “Woe is me!” (Isaiah 6:5). The interesting thing that one author points out is that this man had been a preacher for years before he ever had this vision. In fact we have five chapters of his sermons where he is busy pointing his finger and pronouncing “woes” on different groups of people. Finally he gets to the point in his own life where he says, “Woe is me!” – because the closer we get to God, the less we see of others faults (especially those in our own home and family) and the more we see our own faults and our own desperate need of God’s mercy every single day.

Don’t focus on the sins and offenses of others – that will only make you bitter. Do you see your own need? The Holy Spirit will bring to mind the hurtful words, actions and attitudes of yesterday (John 16:8).We now need to acknowledge them, take responsibility for them, and seek God’s mercy. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Morris Hull
Home Life Ministries

Please consider sharing this posting on Facebook if you have found it to be helpful. “Like” the Home Life Ministries Facebook page to receive these daily updates in your Facebook News Feed.