Thursday, February 4, 2016

WHERE AM I ON THE SPIRITUAL BAROMETER CONCERNING FRETTING?


MY WIFE AND I WERE WORSHIPPING RECENTLY, AND THANKFULLY THERE ISN'T A SUNDAY WHICH GOES BY THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOESN'T HAVE SOMETHING RICH TO SHARE/TEACH US. HE LED US TO PSALM 37 DEALING WITH HIS COMMANDS, NOT SUGGESTIONS, REGARDING FRETTING! VERSE 1 DECLARES: "DO NOT FRET BECAUSE OF EVIL DOERS...";VERSE 7 "REST IN THE LORD, AND WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM; DO NOT FRET...."; VERSE 8: "CEASE FROM ANGER, AND FORSAKE WRATH; DO NOT FRET --IT ONLY CAUSES HARM." AND PROVERBS 19:3 "THE FOOLISHNESS OF A MAN TWISTS HIS WAYS, AND HIS HEART FRETS AGAINST THE LORD." CAN WE FRET/AGITATE THE LORD?  CHECK OUT EZEKIEL 16:43.."...BUT AGITATED ME WITH ALL THESE THINGS..."

I AM GOING SO FAR AS TO DECLARE FRETTING AS A SIN! HOW SO?, YOU ASK.
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER NEGATIVE SIN WORDS THAT ARE IN THE SAME BASKET AS FRETTING?  WORRY, FEAR, LACK OF RESTFULLY AND PATIENTLY TRUSTING EL SHADDAI (THE ALL POWERFUL/SUFFICIENT ONE), LOOKING AT THINGS SEEN, RATHER THAN THINGS HOPED FOR (HEB. 11:1), LACKING FAITH, ALL WHICH TRAGICALLY STEAL OUR PEACE AND OUR JOY, AND SO DISTRACTS US FROM HEARING HIS "STILL SMALL VOICE". ISAIAH 30;21 DECLARES "YOUR EARS SHALL HEAR A WORD BEHIND YOU SAYING, 'THIS IS THE WAY, WALK IN IT', WHENEVER YOU TURN TO THE RIGHT HAND OR WHENEVER YOU TURN TO THE LEFT." MOST INTERESTING THAT STILL SMALL VOICE DOES NOT SAY "TURN BACK"! THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY SO DESIRES HIS CHILDREN TO MOVE FORWARD!  FOR IT IS WRITTEN IN HEBREWS 11:6 "BUT WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM, FOR HE WHO COMES TO GOD MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, AND HE IS A REWARDER OF THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM."  FRETTING INDICATES THAT THERE IS A LACK OF "DILIGENTLY SEEKING HIM". COULD IT BE THEN, THAT HE WILL NOT REWARD THE "FRETTER"?  PAUSE AND "THINK ON THESE THINGS", BEING NOT ONLY HEARERS OF THE WORD, BUT DOERS OF THE WORD...AMEN?

IT IS IMPERATIVE TO DECLARE AT THIS POINT, THE TRUTH THAT FRETTING AND ALL ITS FAMILY MEMBERS, TRAGICALLY OPENS THE DOOR FOR SATAN AND HIS MINIONS TO RUSH IN AND WRECK HAVOC FOR THOSE BELIEVERS WHO ARE "WALKING IN THE FLESH AND NOT WALKING ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT!" FOR IT IS WRITTEN, THAT THOSE WHO ARE LIVING ACCORDING TO THE FLESH SET THEIR MINDS ON THINGS OF THE FLESH, BUT THOSE WHO LIVE ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT SET THEIR MINDS ON THINGS OF THE SPIRIT". ROMANS 8:4,5  THE QUESTION THEN BECOMES..."ARE WE LIVING ACCORDING TO THE FLESH OR ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT"?

SO HOW DOES THE BELIEVER WHO IS IN BONDAGE TO FRETTING, ETC. BECOME VICTORIOUS OVER THIS BESETTING SIN(S)? BE ADVISED THAT ONE CANNOT ACCOMPLISH THIS IN THE FLESH FOR IT IS WRITTEN IN MATTHEW 26:41 "WATCH AND PRAY, LEST YOU ENTER INTO TEMPTATION. THE SPIRIT INDEED IS WILLING, BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK." AND 1 CORINTHIANS 4:10 "WE ARE WEAK BUT YOU ARE STRONG" AND 2 CORINTHIANS 13:9 "FOR WE ARE GLAD WHEN WE ARE WEAK AND YOU ARE STRONG....". JOHN 15:4,5 DECLARES: "..THE VINE CANNOT BEAR FRUIT OF ITSELF, UNLESS IT ABIDES IN THE VINE, NEITHER CAN YOU, UNLESS YOU ABIDE IN ME. I AM THE VINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES.  HE WHO ABIDES IN ME, AND I IN HIM, BEARS MUCH FRUIT; FOR WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING."
WE ARE ALSO COMMANDED BY JESUS IN MATTHEW 6:25-34: "THEREFORE I SAY TO YOU, DO NOT WORRY (FRET) ABOUT YOUR LIFE,  BECAUSE....."
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IN ADDITION, THE LORD IN HIS MERCY/GRACE HAS PROVIDED BELIEVERS AN INCREDIBLE WAY TO DEAL WITH OUR SIN(S). WE MUST REPENT AND CONFESS OUR SIN(S), 1 JOHN 1:8,9: "IF WE SAY WE HAVE NO SIN. WE DECEIVE OURSELVES AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN US. IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS AND CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS." THE MINUTE WE CONFESS OUR SIN(S) WE ARE CLEANSED AND OUR SIN(S) AND THEY ARE REMEMBERED NO MORE.  REMEMBER THE SONG "O HOW HE LOVES ME, O HOW HE LOVES YOU, O HOW HE LOVES YOU AND ME"? HERE IS A WONDERFUL WAY HE SHOWS US JUST HOW MUCH HE TRULY LOVES US AND CARES FOR US....WE DO NOT HAVE TO CONTINUE WALKING IN OUR SIN(S), THANKFULLY..SINCERELY REPENT, CONFESS, AND MOVE ON.....AMEN?

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT MOMENT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK OUT ROMANS 7 AND 8 WHICH DEAL WITH SIN.

I ALSO STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOUR READING ALL OF PSALM 34 FOR FURTHER ENCOURAGEMENT.

IN ADDITION, THE SCRIPTURE DECLARES IN ROMANS 8:34B AND 37, THAT JESUS IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF HIS FATHER INTERCEDING FOR US, AND BECAUSE HE IS, "WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS"!  WHAT AN ASSURANCE!   
TRAGICALLY THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON NOT ONLY IN THE WORLD AROUND US, BUT IN OUR VERY OWN PERSONAL LIVES THAT FRETTING, TRAGICALLY, HAS BECOME A INTEGRAL WAY OF LIFE, EVEN WITHIN THE LIVES OF BELIEVERS! LET'S EXAMINE THE VERY ESSENCE OF THESE DANGEROUS ACTION WORDS: FRET/ FRETTING!

FRET AS FOUND IN THE AMERICAN DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE (NOAH WEBSTER 1828) INCLUDES SUCH WORDS AS "GNAW, TO EAT AWAY, TO CORRODE, TO AGITATE, TO DISTURB,TO MAKE ANGRY, FUMING.."

THE QUESTION MUST BE ASKED CONCERNING THESE VERY DANGEROUS NEGATIVE INFLUENCES UPON OUR VERY BEINGS IS: "WHERE DOES FRETTING BASICALLY COME FROM?" IT COMES FROM OUR THINKING! AND AN EXPRESSION I HEARD AND LIKE TO USE BECAUSE IT REVEALS THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE BIRTH OF FRETTING..."STINKING THINKING"! IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE EVALUATE JUST WHERE OUR MINDS ARE FOCUSING...THE FLESH (AND WHO CAN SO INFLUENCE OUR MINDS OTHER THAN SATAN) OR THE SPIRIT OF GOD, AS WE JUST READ IN ROMANS 8:4,5.

                                                    TO BE CONTINUED.....

AND AGAIN, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE LIKE THE BEREANS: "TO FIND OUT WHETHER THESE THINKS ARE SO."  (ACTS 17:11)

                               BE GLORIFIED ALMIGHTY GOD, BE GLORIFIED