Tag: biblestudy

The Bible Condones Slavery???

This statement, not a question, came up recently in a Bible Study and my first response was: it talks about slavery (yes) but it doesn’t condone slavery! And after an exchange of comments about this, it was decided that we would meet again and bring verses from scripture to support the statements. So then when I looked this up, I was surprised to find something I didn’t expect or recall:

“ ‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. Leviticus 25:44 NIV

But before anyone gets excited about this “proof”, let’s take a deeper dive into scripture. These are the kinds of “one lines” that are often used out of context and misapplied to support something that is NOT true and does not represent God! I’ve been studying the bible for the past six years on a regular basis and just hearing that first statement, I knew this did not represent the true God I’ve come to know through reading scripture because: God is Love. (1 John 4:8) God REMOVES the bondage of slavery (link for scripture), God GIVES freedom (link for scripture). So how do we explain this statement found in Leviticus truthfully?

Let’s start with searching the word to see all the verses containing this word in Hebrew (because Hebrew was the the original version of the Old Testament.) So right away, I noticed something: the word for for slave: “ebed” (link to scripture) also means “servant” – so now the word choice depends on the translator! This gets more interesting: In the New King James Version, “slave” is used 33 times, but in the New International Version, “slave” is used 94 times, then in the 1995 North American Standard Bible (NASB) version it occurs 101 times and in the 2020 NASB version it occurs 180 times! How can that be? Why is that? Are you seeing a “trend” with time?! “Slave” and “Servant” have different meanings, here is the Google distinction:

The main difference is that slaves are considered property and are forced to work without freedom or rights, while servants are employees who are compensated and retain personal rights, including the ability to quit. Slaves are owned, have no choice in their labor, and their condition is typically for life, whereas servants have a contract and are free to leave their employment. 

Using this distinction “servants are employees” and “slaves are considered property”- Let’s keep exploring this! The Bible says more about “property” so this needs to be discussed:

You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly. Leviticus 25: 45-46 NIV

These are laws given by God to Moses at Mount Sinai. God has a purpose in what He says and sometimes we don’t understand with our limited capacity and knowledge. But we know this about God: He acts without favoritism (link for scripture). There is something more to understand here. If God doesn’t have favorites, and He doesn’t, then why does He allow Israel to have foreign/other nations as servants and identified as property?

“Because the Israelites are my (God’s) servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves.” Leviticus 25:42

God reacts the same way about His land:

“ ‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine (God’s) and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers. Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.” Leviticus 25:24-25

Think about this law too; a foreigner can buy an Israelite:

“ ‘If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan, they retain the right of redemption after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives may redeem them: An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them. Or if they prosper, they may redeem themselves.They and their buyer are to count the time from the year they sold themselves up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for their release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired worker for that number of years.If many years remain, they must pay for their redemption a larger share of the price paid for them. If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, they are to compute that and pay for their redemption accordingly. They are to be treated as workers hired from year to year; you must see to it that those to whom they owe service do not rule over them ruthlessly.“ ‘Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

God chose Israel (scripture link) and God is faithful (scripture link) to His covenants; God does not break a covenant. (scripture link) God established the laws (scripture link, another link) and God is just (scripture link).

In the Bible, “slave” isn’t the same as what America understands and experienced with “slavery.” In the Bible, a “slave” WILLINGLY sold themselves to their “Master”, they were not forced to do this. The Bible explicitly describes this:

“If someone is caught kidnapping (considered stealing) a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.” Deuteronomy 24:7

Kidnapping is stealing and stealing is evil. The way the Bible describes this process is that a person who is poor can willingly “sell themselves” as a servant, if they are Hebrew, they would be released from their obligation after the 6th year. (Interesting prophetic significance by the way). When a foreigner buys an Israelite, one of their relatives may redeem them (Jesus is the “kinsman” redeemer), or if they prosper, they can pay the price and redeem themselves! Think about this a person who sold his or herself may PROSPER and redeem themselves?! Does that sound like the slavery that America had in its history? (Not from what I’ve heard).

“Slaves were kidnapped in America in two main ways: the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which forcibly brought millions of kidnapped Africans to the Americas, and domestic kidnapping, which targeted free Black people and escaped slaves within the United States. Both methods involved abduction, coercion, and trickery to force people into a life of enslavement and were central to the institution of slavery in the Americas.”

I believe we are foolish or ignorant when we apply American cultural understanding and application to something that existed thousands of years before America did and was geographically located in the Middle East. It truly doesn’t make sense and isn’t applicable, nor the same, the way I understand and see it referenced in the Bible. As I studied this further, something surprising happened again: I recognized the prophetic symbolic beauty in the final redemption that Jesus did for all of us!

The more I study God’s word, the more I see His love. I see literal events recorded in biblical history that had symbolic prophetic implications. I’ll give you an example, (read Exodus 12:43-51) for the literal event, now I’ll tell you the prophetic symbology I see: The Passover (this event was part of the freedom from slavery in Egypt for the Israelites)- those who prepared were “passed over” by the Angel of Death and their first born did not die! This was one of the “plagues” that came upon Egypt before they agreed to release the Israelites so they could worship their God, the one and only true God. Some of the significant details of the Passover meal: a lamb was sacrificed (symbolically in the Bible, Jesus is the Lamb- He died on the cross for atonement of ALL sin, for ALL people), the blood of the sacrificed lamb during what is now recognized as “Passover” was placed on the door frame- this is why the angel “passed over” them- they had a sign, a protection obtained through the blood of the lamb, similar for us today, we are protected by the blood of the “Lamb” (Jesus) and will overcome death, have eternal life through Him. Jesus was literally crucified during the Passover Holiday. All this symbolism from the early BC scripture foretells of Jesus and his rescue from slavery in a future literal and spiritual fulfillment. Notice in verse 46 “do not break any bones”- Jesus’ bones on the cross where not broken (John 19:36 link). So these events were literal, but they were also symbolic and prophetic of what was to come!

Notice also the “slave” “you have bought” is allowed to eat the Passover meal (after he is circumcised). Literal and symbolic because God is looking for a “circumcised heart”- a person who desires Him, who loves Him back, a person devoted to Him, a person who recognizes His goodness, His love and wants to belong to His family, God’s family. The “slave” is now “family”! Foreigners get to do this too, as long as they are circumcised. Circumcision is literal and symbolic of the covenant between God and people who want to be “family” (scripture link). As time went on, God revealed that its not the flesh circumcision that He truly wants, but the metaphor of a person’s “circumcised heart” in undivided love towards God.

“A “circumcised heart” means to have a heart that is inwardly clean and devoted to God, removing stubbornness and sin to become truly faithful. It’s a spiritual concept that contrasts with the physical circumcision ceremony, symbolizing an internal transformation rather than an external ritual. This inner change involves humility, faith, and a willingness to obey God completely.”

Let’s talk more about “racism” for a moment. This is another significant fact I observed in the Bible: there is no racism! There are God’s people and foreigners (who worship other gods) but race is never mentioned! (This again is spiritual warfare in my thoughts: the enemy seeks to divide and destroy us by misapplying, misquoting scripture.) The enemy knows: A kingdom divided cannot stand (scripture link). The thief (the enemy) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ( John 10:10 ) Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Let’s talk more about “slave” and “servant” because this part will speak to ALL of us despite our cultural heritage. Using the NIV version the word and searching the word “ebed” again, there are 803 times this Hebrew word is used in the Old Testament. Next let’s look at “slave” in the New Testament (Greek), used 31 times in the New Testament NIV version (here’s the link) these are worth reading, as all scripture is worth reading because All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Now, let’s look deeper at the word “slave” in Greek: doulos – this has the same description as “ebed” in the Old Testament and is referenced 126 times in the MGNT Greek (here’s the link) read these too because this is how we gain spiritual insight into words of scripture! All of us, if we call ourselves a “Christian” are doulos to the Master (Christ, the Messiah, Jesus). Jesus is King, we are servants/doulos.

True Christians hope to hear this from Jesus when He returns: “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:21

We all need to remember this: Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. John 8:34. Pay attention to the next verses: “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family (God’s family), but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Read what Peter says about being set free by Jesus (scripture link) starting in Acts 2:14 through the end of the chapter.

Paul explains this also in Romans Chapter 6 (scripture link). Reflect on this often, this is our salvation, our freedom and is so important for all of us!

We were bought at a price! (1 Corinthians 7:23) While we were “slaves”/sinners, Christ died for us. When we become a child of God: “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” (Galatians 4).

Remember this too, how Jesus came to serve, he came as a “servant” (Philippians 2) and a servant (we) are not greater than the Master (God). Our call is to “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.” (1 Peter 2)

In reality, we all have the choice: do we want to remain “a slave to sin” or will we humble ourselves and choose to be that “slave/servant with the promise of being called a son or daughter of God and heir” in God’s future Kingdom? God is love. Read and remember all this scripture linked to this article. Remember who God has called us to be. God wants us in His family, but He doesn’t force us, just like the “servant/slave”, “ebed” in the Old Testament, will we “sell ourselves” to God and serve Him so that we become a part of His family in eternity?

“For you know that God paid a ransom (bought us) to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors (Adam and Eve). And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver (Jesus’ life on the cross was the payment).” (1 Peter 1 link) Remember who God is as revealed through scripture and remember who God created you to be: His child and LOVED by Him!

If you found this helpful, please share this with others, we don’t want misrepresented scripture keeping people from knowing God, loving Him and their inheritance as a child of God!

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Symbolic Prophecy in the Bible

As I was reading and looking up verses in the Bible, I noticed what may be a symbolic representation and prophecy in Leviticus 12: I think this Chapter is about Israel’s salvation and purification through Jesus. This observation happened as I read this following verse:

4 Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over.

Leviticus 12:4

The woman. I didn’t notice the symbolism here before, but last night, instantly a thought come to mind as I read it. The “woman“ is symbolic for Israel just like in Revelation 12! Did you notice something else? Both books reference “the woman“ in Chapter 12 (Leviticus and Revelation)! (That just became clear as I was writing this, but there is more that I saw.) Before I write about the symbolism I observed, I will point out: this is purely my opinion and observation, the Bible leaves much open to interpretation, so I cannot say for certain this is symbolic prophecy, but wait until I show you more discoveries in this chapter, then I’d like to hear your thoughts! Who could have woven together details like this: over thousands of years, by multiple authors assembled into one consistent interwoven book: the Bible? This certainly supports the statement that scripture is from God, God breathed, inspired by the Holy Spirit through the authors contributing to this book, so much consistency and continual discovery happens when we read and studies the Bible!

Thirty-three days. The 33 days is symbolic of Jesus’ age! He started preaching when he was thirty years old and many scholars believe he was approximately 33 years old when he was crucified based on several events. Assuming this was his age, when Jesus was crucified, his crucifixion was the final purification needed to be in God’s presence, eternity; Jesus’ crucifixion was the ransom that was paid for our sin. Remember when God told Moses to keep people away from the Holy Ground or they would die at Mount Sinai when he gave the 10 Commandments? Doesn’t this make more sense now: Israel (the woman) cannot be in God’s presence (sanctuary) until purified (by Jesus)?

After seeing this symbolism, I continued reading to understand more, but the symbolism wasn’t as obvious to me as the first part, however, I did notice some interesting symbolic possibilities:

  • First of all the entire chapter is about purification after child birth: symbolically the purification process for Israel (and all) as a result of Jesus’ birth

Symbolism from the beginning of the Chapter:

12 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period.

Leviticus 12: 1-2

The symbolism here:

  • Woman = Israel
  • Birth to a son = Jesus (Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, Israel)
  • Ceremonially unclean = the need to be purified
  • seven days = the final seven years (Daniel Prophecy) the time-frame for the end of time, prior to Jesus’ return, those who accept Jesus in Israel will be at the final stage of purification when Jesus returns

The next verse:

3 On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. 

Leviticus 12:3
  • Circumcision is symbolic of a Covenant with God (Genesis 17) to: “walk before God faithfully and be blameless”
  • Jesus was circumcised and walked faithfully and blamelessly as he fulfilled scripture given by the Prophets, completed God’s will to redeem mankind.
  • Following the final seven days (meaning years), on the 8th day (year) Israel will be seen as “faithful and blameless” in God’s eyes because all are purified through Jesus’ crucifixtion and return, given immortal life

The next verse:

5 If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding.

Leviticus 12:5

So the first part (about the son) is Jesus, and the second part about the “daughter” and “two weeks” is:

  • daughter = people of Israel (see why: here)
  • Two weeks or 14 days are significant when it comes to celebrating in the Bible (see references here)- these verses refer to the sacrifice, atonement, relief, Jesus was referred to as the manna from Heaven (John 6:57-59) This points to customs and traditions: the unclean period and purification through the sacrifice; Jesus is the final sacrifice. Notice the scripture says “as during her period”- it’s symbolic.
  • 66 days = so much symbolism here! The number is 6 is symbolically not perfect, 7 is symbolic for perfection in scripture. (click here for more detail about the number 7 in scripture) The number of days for the son was 33, the number of days for the daughter was 66. The number 6 has a connection to humans, the number 3 has a connection to God (see here). Another interesting fact is that Isaiah 66 refers to Judgement and Hope (click here to read it) Within Isaiah 66 it continues to talk about this birth of a son, then daughter and then about delivery! (Jesus delivering all from death through sin!) This is about Jesus’ return and about creation being made new, exactly what Revelation also tells us. (Revelation 21) Another interesting symbolic connection is there are 66 books in the Bible! (link here), The last chapter of the Bible is Revelation 22; so the complete Bible tells the story from creation and ends with Jesus’ return which is the ultimate purification from the symbolic bleeding and the beginning of a new creation.

6 “‘When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering.[a] 7 He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood.

“‘These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. 8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

Leviticus 12: 6-8
  • This symbolism and purification process is repeated again as written in Ezekiel 46 at the 3rd Temple.

There is so much symbolism and repetition throughout the Bible, the more we read the more we will observe. This definitely keeps the Bible interesting and helps us remain connected to God through scripture.

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Is Satan the embodiment of Sin?

I woke up with this concept on my mind: “Is Satan the embodiment of sin?” Please give this some thought, does this make sense to you?

Mornings tend to be the most spiritual time for me. Some mornings, I wake up with a strong thought about something and I have no idea why that thought popped into my mind. Sometimes it’s a dream, sometimes it’s a clarity about something, sometimes it’s a “message” that I feel compelled to share. Often when it is the “message” type, later in the day I will see the same message, sometimes even the exact same sequence of words being spoken by another Christian, and sometimes numerous Christians in the same day will say the same thing. When that happens, I can’t help but think there was more to it. It wasn’t just “my thought”, it was God using various people to pass on the message. I don’t know if God is giving me clarity here about Sin and Satan?

Let’s think about when “sin” entered the world. It happened in the biblical story of Adam and Eve when the serpent deceived Eve and she disobeyed, then caused Adam to disobey the only command God gave them. Pay attention to this too: God was walking (and you can trace this back to the Hebrew word: Halak in scripture) in the garden when He called for Adam. My conclusion is that God was present with Adam and Eve. This concept works whether you believe the story of Adam and Eve is figurative or literal. God was present with mankind on earth at that point in time, before sin entered, but then the Bible doesn’t seem to describe the same possible “physical” presence after that: God remains omnipresent though, it just seems “differently described” after that. It seems (my opinion) that if God is present and a sinful person comes into His presence, the “sinful” person will die: an example is when God told Moses to keep the people away or they would die at Mt. Sinai when he revealed the 10 Commandments to Moses. And interestingly, the 10 Commandments were placed in the Ark of the Covenant and God appointed a specific group of people, the Levites, to be the ones to carry the Ark. The arc was known to be “holy” and there were many rules about being in the presence of the Ark. In fact, there was a story of men transporting the Ark and one of the men reached out and touched the Ark to save it from falling (which would be a “kind” action), but he instantly died. If the man was sinful (and all people are naturally) and the Ark is holy, that would make sense, follow the logic, explaining why he died instantly. Yes the bible tells us God caused that to happen, but was it because of the law (Sin leads to death and the sinful will die in the presence of God or what God defines as “Holy”)? There were also stories of people who stole the Ark and then had calamities happen to them and at one point there was a passing back and forth of the Ark (you take it, “no, you take it”) that I recall from reading the Bible too. This logic seems to make sense to me.

As I was writing this, I had more clarity about “sacrificing.” I wrote about this before and have always struggled with God requiring a “sacrifice.” Why would He ever do that? Why would God allow people to kill animals in the sinner’s place? I really struggled with these questions. However, I just recalled there are many entries in the bible where God states: “I am not happy with your sacrifices! They are worthless!” But yet God told the people specifically what they had to do. Think about this logically: if sin leads to death, then death is a consequence of sin. We know God places a high value on people and doesn’t want people to perish so if God made the law that Sin becomes Death, then if a person sins, according to God’s law, the person must die, but God didn’t want that, but in accordance with His law, there had to be a death as a penalty for sin. Therefore a life must be sacrificed or given up, so God allowed animals as a substitute for people during the Old Testament time. Of course I would not question God about that sacrifice not being proper, knowing who He is, I just didn’t understand this, I couldn’t accept it, but I knew there had to be a reason for it, I just didn’t understand. But throughout the Bible it states that God’s word will remain. Now I think I am beginning to understand: God didn’t want ANY OF THIS! Remember one of the 10 Commandments God gave us: Do not murder. (Does this have a slightly different definition than kill?) The living sacrifice only came about because of Sin and the law was the penalty of Sin is death. There had to be a resolution, an end to the killing, an end to the sacrificing. But it couldn’t stop unless the law was fulfilled, so God (the only one more powerful than all) took personal action, through Jesus, who became the final sacrifice that ended it. Jesus was the sacrifice that no one else could be, no one else has the value of Jesus, was sinless, without blemish, only Jesus. The Son of God is the only one who is worthy to be the substitute for all the sacrifices, and to be the sacrifice for our sin, Jesus was the final sacrifice. We should be thankful, Jesus ended this horrible act.

Getting back to Satan being the embodiment of Sin. The Bible tells us the life we are experiencing is more than what most of us realize: it is a spiritual war happening. Satan, and his followers, rebelled against God and are fighting against God still today. You may ask: Why doesn’t God simply kill Satan then? If He is all powerful, why doesn’t He just take care of it now? My opinion, from what I understand from the bible is that God gives everyone a choice to love and obey Him, but God has a timeline for each and every one of us already determined: a time to be born and a time to have a physical death and that time in between is our opportunity to choose God or reject God. We have numbered opportunities (so don’t waste them). If God did that for us, wouldn’t it be possible for God to do that for Satan too? If God is Love, that conclusion/opinion makes sense.

Here is another opinion/thought about the Bible: maybe God knew how confusing and tough this spiritual war would be for all of mankind to comprehend and experience, so in His love for us, He spoke through the authors and gave us this information (the scripture), so we would know there is a good ending (God wins): don’t give up!

The Bible reveals the last thing that Jesus conquers in this spiritual battle is DEATH. The Sin that leads to death is blasphemy of the Spirit. (Blasphemy: the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk.) All other sins can be forgiven by God, if a desired change in action occurs and one asks God for forgiveness, God is merciful and he forgives. Satan is cast into the lake of fire for eternity = Sin and Death are gone forever.

Think about this: God is Love. Satan is Sin. There is a spiritual battle happening and it is between God and Satan.

Sin separates us from God. Satan is sin. Satan wants to separate us from God; he seeks to kill and destroy. When we choose sin, we are allowing, permitting Satan spiritual access to our bodies, our mind, our being. Satan/Sin is powerful, appealing but deceiving, it’s manipulative, full of lies and people are influenced and drawn to it naturally (sin is an evil spiritual force). People are not more powerful than the spiritual beings, but God is. Who/whatever we give access to will influence and determine the outcome of our existence.

When we allow God access (by surrendering our life, or asking God to take over/guide our life) we then permit God spiritual access (through the Holy Spirit) to our bodies, our mind, our being.

God has always allowed “choice.” So what are you choosing?

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God and Relationships: Healing, Forgiveness and Love

Last night before I went to sleep, when I prayed, I asked God if He would inspire me with something meaningful to share because I haven’t written in this blog since June, I wanted to write, but I haven’t felt inspired for awhile. Well, God answered that prayer at 6 am this morning when the title of this was the first thought I had as soon as I woke up.

It amazes me how the Bible shares wisdom with us “scattered” throughout the book, through different messengers, but all giving the same message.

This topic is consistently timely because we interact with people on a daily basis and need God’s help “dealing with” people, and more appropriately “dealing with” ourselves. I’ll explain the image for this article and how it relates:

We need God in our relationships: any relationship with God as a part of it equals love.

God is love.

MAKING EXCUSES

I believe in being accountable for my own actions, not making excuses (understanding what leads me to something, but not blaming my actions on someone or something else). I’m responsible for my own actions no matter what happens around me. I personally choose to react the way I do. So why is it that I allow different standards for others? I allow excuses for them. Excuses justifying other’s actions or behavior, when I wouldn’t allow myself to act that way. I made excuses because I thought trying to be a Christian meant accepting other people as they are, and not being judgmental of others, which it does, but there is more to this:

A Christian should help others be aware of the wisdom from God through the bible (awareness only -not judgement nor retaliation- that’s reserved for God) – don’t be silent, speak up, but don’t do this in anger, do this in a loving way to build up the other person, in the knowledge of God, not tear them down.

DO NOT JUDGE:

GO TO THE BIBLE AND IN PRAYER GO TO GOD FOR ADVICE, STRENGTH AND WISDOM:

HEALING

I had to think: which comes first: healing or forgiveness? It’s a challenge to forgive someone if we haven’t healed from what happened. But we also can’t heal from it unless we forgive it (let it go). So maybe it’s a combination of healing and forgiveness, but first and most importantly seeking God. This is where we NEED God: to heal and to forgive. There is no question about that. I often think of this simple statement which is so true:

Hurt people hurt people.

Pastor Rick Warren

It’s something I keep in mind whenever someone hurts me. It’s important to have that perspective, it makes it easier to accept someone for who they are. We can’t know everything that happened to someone during their life. If someone was loved throughout their life, they wouldn’t hurt. So because they have been hurt (and haven’t healed), they hurt other people. So it’s so important for all of us to heal from the hurt other people caused in our lives.

FORGIVING

If we want a great relationship with anyone, we need to be able to forgive, regularly! Forgiving someone doesn’t mean allowing what they did to continue as if it doesn’t affect us. But if the other person who hurt us is truly sorry, that person will do their best to not do it again and ask for a second chance. If the person truly wants forgiveness and tells us how they have changed and why they have changed, then we need to offer forgiveness. (If this is an abusive situation, we may need to offer forgiveness but not remain in that person’s life for safety reasons. This type of situation requires other qualified individuals’ assessment of the situation.)

WHY WE NEED GOD FOR HEALING, FORGIVENESS AND LOVE (and Eternity):

HOW WE GET THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

On our own, we are going to fail, that’s the truth, but if we have the Holy Spirit in us, we will succeed. So how do we receive the Holy Spirit? God sends the Holy Spirit to us if we ask and OBEY God:

And this is why we need God in all of our relationships. We need a relationship with God so that we can have good relationships with other people through the strength of the Holy Spirit in us.

Once we have a relationship with God, he will protect us until the end of times.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN TELL IF SOMEONE HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (these qualities will be evident in that person’s life):

We obviously need God as the priority in our life, so the rest of our life can fall in place. As in any good relationship, there is an exchange of giving and receiving. This is no different with God, we aren’t going to receive the power of the Holy Spirit unless we obey God’s commands (sin keeps the power of the Holy Spirit from us). God always loves us, but the power of the Spirit is reserved for those who obey Him. The power of the Holy Spirit makes our lives more peaceful, provides joy, wisdom and enables us to love in a more godly way than we could on our own.

I hope you found this helpful for your relationships!

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