Love Your Enemies

    "When you forgive, you are letting a prisoner free" -- Joel Olsteen
      I remember years ago I went to talk to my Pastor about someone that caused me a lot of emotional pain in my life. I was asking him what should I do, or what can I do. I was expecting him to tell me to just ignore the person or don't have anything to do with them or something similar to that. What he told me was that, the meaner and the more hateful they were to me, I needed to be that much more nicer to them. Obviously, this is not the news I was expecting. So I was like, "but it doesn't matter how much nicer I am they are still gonna be mean to me." And he told me to still be even more nicer and loving and giving to them. Of course at that time being a very young adult I felt he didn't understand and that I was still gonna hold this grudge that I had for this person. Little did I know that what the pastor was telling me was coming right from the word of God.
     I know most of us have heard the story of when Jesus said to turn the other cheek. Jesus also said in  Matthew 5:43-48 says 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.   Now this scripture pretty much speaks for itself. What I get from it is that God does not want you to try to get revenge or try to hurt someone that hurts you. Even the most evil people can be nice to ones they love and that are good to them, so what reward is in that? You can rise above all of that by still being good to those who hate you and pray for them and forgive for them. Don't worry about it because God will solve all those cases for you. The quote by Joel Olsteen referring to the prisoner, I hope you realize that the prisoner that you are setting free when you forgive is YOU. 
  Let's say there is a person that you know that is going around spreading rumors about you, lying on you, talking really bad about you. Some how the information got back to you, but not from that person. So of course now you have some bad feelings towards that person for the things that they did to you. Now, you get some news about this person. They have become sick, or they are in a bad financial situation, or a car accident. What is your next move? Do you say, "Hey they deserved it!", or do you feel bad about it. Its easy to have condemnation for that person when they have done you wrong. But, is a great and wonderful thing and it takes Gods great power to offer consolation to that person.
    Here's a challenge for you, think of a person that you may have had some bad experiences with, confess those feelings and any vengeance you may have for them, then think of an act of love that you can show towards that person. You will not only be mouthing, but MODELING the words of Jesus when he said to "Love your Enemies". FORGIVE SO YOU CAN BE FREE!!!    ... on that note, Jesus said LOVE your enemies, he didn't say you had to LIKE them.. LOL.. Just kidding ya'll. 
   
 If you would like to start experiencing God’s plan for your life, then pray the following prayer with me.  Jesus, I welcome you in to my life.  I believe that you are the son of God and you died for my sins and I receive your forgiveness.  I acknowledge that I have been a sinner and repent of all my sins.  Jesus, I will cling to, adhere to you, and trust you.  I will follow these steps with baptism.  And finally, Jesus, thank you for your  Holy Spirit.  I welcome your Spirit into me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

If you would like Prayer, baptism, or if you would like to visit us please call 972- 292- 7129  or go to www.theplaceic.com ... also email me at maineak83@yahoo.com   I am a member of The Place International Church in Longview, TX. Thank you and God Bless you!!!

God's Plan is Better Than Yours by Michelle Benson

I know this may be a lot of reading material, but if you would just take the time to read over the information I know that it will be a blessing and beneficial to your life.

“For I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11). We all make plans in our lives, some fail and some succeed.  Contrary to popular belief, God has great plans for us.  He is not out to destroy us and make our lives miserable. According to John 10:10 Jesus came to give us an abundant life.  Satan is the destroyer!  If anything is destroyed in our lives, Satan is to blame, not God!

Anything you can do, God can do better. . .

Many of us have the idea that “I should know better than anyone else what makes me happy.”  Actually, the opposite is true!  God is our creator or our manufacturer, and no one has a better plan for us than Him.  Job 33:16-18 says “Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.”  This scripture says that God speaks to us and gives us instruction to pull us back from our own purpose. Why would he have to pull us back from our own purpose if we had such a wonderful plan?  It is pride that makes us think we have a better plan than what God has for us. He created us all for a purpose and we are never going to be fully satisfied until we are walking in that purpose. 

Although, God has a specific purpose for each of our lives, he has given us all a free will and His purpose is not going to happen unless we choose.  The first choice we must make in order for God’s purpose to happen in our lives is salvation. 

How can I be saved?

You may have come to a point in your life where you are seeking for more?  The status quo is not enough.  You may be thinking “There has got to be more to life than what I am experiencing.  If so, I am here to tell you that there is more.  God has an awesome plan for all of our lives.  In order to experience his awesome plan for your life, you must first be born again.  John 3:16 says For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 I like the way the amplified version of the Bible puts it.  For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (a unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 

You notice it says, believes in, trusts in, clings to, relies on.  That is the true meaning of believing in Jesus.  Simply believing that he exists does not make you born again.  James 2:19  “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”  Even Satan believes that Jesus exists and he is even aware of Jesus’ power. It says that the devils believe and tremble, but obviously that is not enough.  You must trust in, cling to and rely on Jesus. 

Romans 10:9 is the start of receiving salvation.  “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” Believing and confession are the first steps to salvation.  Confession is simply speaking out loud.  Once again, I will use the amplified version.  It says,  ⁹Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  If you are truly believing in Jesus and the Truth, you will adhere to, trust in, and rely on the Truth that He has told us in His Word. 

In the Book of Acts, Peter was preaching and it said the people were cut to the heart or stung to the heart which means they were convicted and they asked Peter what to do.  And this is what he told them in Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  This is the complete steps to being born again.  The first step after believing and confessing  is REPENTANCE. 

Repentance is not just saying “I’m sorry” and then running out and doing the same stuff.  According to dictionary.com repent is defined as “to feel such regret for past conduct as to change one’s mind regarding it.”  The Greek definition of the word repentance in this passage is “to think differently”  True repentance is when you think differently and act differently!!!    The next step is baptism.  This is a public profession of your faith and your repentance.  This is just as an important step as the others.  You will see all through the new testament where people where baptized and even Jesus was baptized.  The next step to being born again is receiving the Holy Spirit.  You must “receive” the Holy Spirit.  Acts 19 says “ ¹And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, (Notice he said disciples, these were people that believed in Jesus)  ²He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.  ³And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized?  (Also notice that he didn’t ask were they baptized, but unto what were they baptized meaning that since they were disciples that they were baptized) And they said, Unto John's baptism.   ⁴Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.  ⁵When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  ⁶And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

That is the full plan for salvation.  You must first believe, then confess Jesus is Lord, then repent of your sins.  And finally be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.  Let me repeat the steps for salvation again.  They are believing, confession, repentance, baptism, and  receiving the Holy Spirit.

If you would like to start experiencing God’s plan for your life, then pray the following prayer with me.  Jesus, I welcome you in to my life.  I believe that you are the son of God and you died for my sins and I receive your forgiveness.  I acknowledge that I have been a sinner and repent of all my sins.  Jesus, I will cling to, adhere to you, and trust you.  I will follow these steps with baptism.  And finally, Jesus, thank you for your  Holy Spirit.  I welcome your Spirit into me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

If you would like Prayer, baptism, or if you would like to visit us please call 972- 292- 7129  or go to www.theplaceic.com ... also email me at maineak83@yahoo.com   Thank you and God Bless you!!!