Spirits; February 10, 2020

Posted on February 13, 2020 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 2:12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

I recently had a disturbing lesson in the reality that there are more spirits out there than the Holy Spirit of God. A Japanese TV program that generally gives very interesting insights into places around the world was in a Buddhist temple in Burma (Myanmar), and there was a male-to-female transsexual temple dancer, not only dancing but giving personal prophecy to people present, almost exactly as I have seen many times in Pentecostal/Charismatic meetings. I had such a strong impression of evil that I turned the TV off, even though the program is one of very few that I watch. Shortly before that scene the dancer was being interviewed by the Japanese reporter and was saying that they were “married” to the god of that temple (Burmese Buddhism is quite syncretistic with animistic religion) and since they were the “wife” of the god, they dressed as a woman. I have seen people all over the world who are very impressed by “spiritual” things, but with no real discernment as to what spirits were involved. In “advanced” countries people tend to discount the supernatural, but the spiritual realm the New Testament speaks of in many places is certainly real. God does not send His Holy Spirit into a vacuum, but to displace the evil/unclean spirits that infest the world. We aren’t to focus on the evil but on the good, but we also aren’t to be ignorant that the devil and his demons are very real. We aren’t to be terrified of them, but we are certainly to be on our guard, as the Bible tells us in several places. (1 Peter 5:8, etc.) Again, we aren’t to live in fear, certainly. In a discussion of such anti-christian spirits, John says, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) We are to be bold but not ignorant!

I have encountered evil/unclean spirits many times, but I’m sure there have been many more times when I simply haven’t recognized them. My wife is more gifted in discerning spirits than I am, and she is very helpful to have around. Evil spirits tend to avoid her! One time about 45 years ago we were in Sasebo and she was standing at a bus stop, when two American cult missionaries spotted her and made a beeline for her, thinking they could proselytize in English. They got to about two meters from her and it was like they had run into a wall. They backed up and tried again, and the same thing happened. After that, they turned tail and practically ran away! She (and I when I heard about it) was very grateful for the protection of God. There are many deceiving spirits in the world. That’s why we need to be firmly grounded in the truth of the Bible and choose to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, and no other. I continue to encounter people constantly who are terribly deceived. I am to speak the truth in love, proclaiming “liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,” (Luke 4:18) so that the schemes of the devil may be defeated and God’s kingdom come indeed.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You know the deceptions in the hearts of the people around me far better than I do. I ask You to guard me by Your Word and Your Spirit, so that Your truth through me may indeed set people free, (John 8:32) for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Prayer; February 9, 2020

Posted on February 13, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 15:30 I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.

Probably countless “missionary prayer letters” have quoted this verse. In that sense, missions hasn’t changed for 2000 years! We all need prayer support, but there’s nothing like being a missionary to make you sharply aware of it. The human condition – our stupidity, our weaknesses in countless ways – hasn’t changed since the Garden of Eden. What is different is that now we have a much clearer revelation of God’s grace and mercy through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and so a much brighter hope for overcoming it all. It certainly doesn’t do any good to get mad at Adam and Eve. Rather, we need to rejoice in Christ. We are created to need each other, and conversely, to support each other. Paul was certainly a giant of faith, yet he repeatedly asked others to pray for him. We should never hesitate to do likewise! The marvelous thing is, prayer works. To the secular mind nothing could be more illogical, but I think just about every believer has experienced it. The Bible is of course filled with many examples. I think one of the most amusing is when the believers were praying earnestly for Peter’s release, and then when God intervened miraculously they couldn’t believe it. (Acts 12:1-17) We laugh, but we often have no more faith that our prayers make a difference than they did. It is indeed a mystery why the Creator of the universe would choose to listen to us, or just how that works, really, but the fact remains that Jesus told us explicitly to ask, seek, and knock, (Matthew 7:7-11) and experience teaches us that it’s true. It’s not at all that we can dictate to God; true prayer is as much a surrendering of our will as it is asking God to do things. That’s part of why it’s such a mystery. However, the fact remains that we need to support one another in prayer, and that God uses our prayers to accomplish His perfect will.

I have experienced this countless times, and I couldn’t be more convinced of it. That said, I don’t pray for others as much as I could or should. When I feel a “prayer deficit” in my own life, I need to focus on praying for others! Just this morning I ran smack into my own weakness, experiencing the stupidity of resentment. That gives me much better understanding and empathy for those around me who likewise allow resentment and unforgiveness to deprive them of God’s blessings. I have prided myself on being a forgiving person, and God has allowed this experience to show me just how foolish that pride is. For much of my life I have tended to be a loner, interacting with others at my convenience and often not making the effort. That doesn’t fit with how God designed mankind. Just like Paul, I need the support of others, and I need to lend my support to them. The spiritual battle is fierce, and none of us can make it alone. However, in Christ we are indeed more than conquerors, (Romans 8:37) when we are knit together as His body.

Father, thank You for this strong lesson. Like most such, it doesn’t feel very good in the moment, but the results will be good. (Hebrews 12:11) Thank You for all You have planned for today. Help me flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule so that I will be fully useful to You, and won’t miss out on any of the blessings You have planned for me, either. Thank You. Praise God!

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Churchese; February 8, 2020

Posted on February 10, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

Edification is a word that gets used a good bit in church but hardly anywhere else. Considering that an edifice is an imposing building, you might get the impression it means making people into buildings! The Japanese translation I use has the much more understandable, “spiritual growth.” Every field of study has specialized words that are used freely but are mysterious to a newcomer. In technical fields that is unavoidable, but even there, sometimes there’s a much simpler, or at least easier to understand, way of expressing things. In church there are some terms, like “atonement,” that are unavoidable, but that can get so deep, a close family friend even wrote a book on it, titled, Interpreting the Atonement. There are numbers of other terms, however, like edification, for which substitutes are easy to find. The more such specialized words are used, the more those using them have an “in-crowd” feel, and that’s part of the attraction. As a song of many years ago said, we like to feel that “I’m in with the in-crowd.” However, that is in stark contrast to the whole spirit of the New Testament. God chose Greek as the language to be used precisely because it was the most common, the commercial language that communicated across cultures. There were some people who used it beautifully, and there were some people who butchered it but still communicated. The two letters of Peter are a good example. 1 Peter is such good Greek that it is almost universally used in teaching new students, but the vocabulary and grammar are those of Silas, who served as Peter’s stenographer. (1 Peter 5:12) 2 Peter, on the other hand, seems to have been written directly by Peter, and his origins as a Galilean fisherman really show through. 2 Peter would not get a good grade in Greek class! The whole point is that beautiful words, both spoken and written, are hardly out of place in church, but the focus must be on communicating, on getting past the barriers that keep people away from intimacy with God. When we use “churchese” just to feel big, we are violating what Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-46.

This is a real issue for me, because growing up in church as I did, even the most arcane vocabulary seems natural to me. (Also, I happen to have a very large vocabulary otherwise as well.) When Cathy edits my devotions for me to use them in my blog, frequently she will flag words that are unnecessarily difficult. Sometimes I will override her recommendations, but generally I accept them. Since I teach Medical English to Japanese as a source of income, I certainly understand the usefulness of technical terms. However, the average Japanese has zero background in Christian terminology, and I must make that barrier as low as possible. That’s the valid side of being “seeker sensitive.” I am not to compromise the truths of the Gospel in any way, but I am to make them as easy to understand as possible. Even people who have been in church for a long time often have only a vague understanding of some of the terms that come very naturally to me. I’ve got to recognize that and allow the Holy Spirit to give me good words to express those truths in ways that will penetrate.

Father, thank You for this Word. Thank You that the past couple of sermons I’ve preached were judged as “easy to understand.” Help me not hold back from anything You want to say through me, but to express it in words that will indeed foster spiritual growth, building disciples for Jesus Christ. Thank You. Praise God!

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Spiritual Warfare; February 7, 2020

Posted on February 9, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 13:12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

This whole chapter is loaded with immensely practical teaching, some of which we might not want to hear. Being told to pay taxes (verse 7) is very appropriate for this time of year, but it’s hardly a topic we’re thrilled about! However, gratifying our fleshly whims (verse 14) is hardly the way to grow to be the spiritual warrior, the disciple and child that God desires. When Paul wrote this letter God was forming in him the truths about spiritual warfare that he later expressed more fully in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 and Ephesians 6:10-18, but this in no way conflicts with those. This image of the armor of light is succinct and vivid, not to mention attractive, and it is given practical detail in verse 14, where it says to “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus Himself is our armor of light! When we are abiding in Him, as He talked about so much in the Upper Room Discourse just before His arrest, (John 13-17) we have absolutely nothing to be afraid of. However, we can’t put on Christ while we’re clinging to the “deeds of darkness” this talks about. Too often we treat Jesus like an add-on, an accessory, when He Himself said that we have to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily to follow Him. (Luke 9:23) The battle is fierce, but if we want the armor of light, we’ve got to let go of everything else.

I am not in a place of active physical persecution, like many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are, but I am still very aware of spiritual warfare. The devil doesn’t want to let go of the people of Japan! I have endured attacks of various sorts, and too often my flesh has enabled those attacks. Nothing substitutes for being in Christ! I’m in a struggle right now that is entirely of my own making, and my own strength and wisdom aren’t going to get me out of it. I have repented of the thoughtlessness that got me into this situation, and only the power of God will get me out. If I were the only one involved I wouldn’t be so concerned, but I have wounded an already wounded brother, and I can’t heal him myself. Sometimes even well-meaning words can be deeds of darkness! I’ve got to release the whole situation, myself included, to my Lord for whom nothing is difficult, (Jeremiah 32:27) so that He may turn it all around and use it for blessing, and His glory. (Romans 8:28)

Father, thank You for this Word. Thank You for the beautiful answers to prayer yesterday. There were disappointments in other areas, but those too are in Your hands. Help me be humble enough, quiet enough, before You today to hear what part You want be to play in Your plans, so that indeed, Your kingdom may come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Overcoming Evil; February 6, 2020

Posted on February 9, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The whole passage from verse nine on reads like a collection of pithy aphorisms, like we find in Proverbs. It really makes me think of the messages that some people send out almost every day to encourage everyone on their “friends” list. That said, they are none the less true for that, and this verse pretty much summarizes the whole section. To be honest, each of the instructions counters what could be said to be our natural impulse, that is, our flesh, encouraged by the devil. We make excuses for ourselves, but we all slip up at times, failing to obey these instructions. Conversely, we easily recognize when someone else fails in these areas! We are quick to “grade” someone else’s sin as worse than our own, but that is falling into the trap of the devil. It is no way to “overcome evil with good,” as this verse says. We need to walk in humility before God at all times, allowing Him to show us where we need to repent and extending to others the grace that He shows to us.

I am in the middle of a direct experience in this area. Yesterday I was thoughtless, in a way that is sadly common with me, and I hurt a brother in the Lord completely needlessly. I have talked with him and expressed my apology, but this is not the first time I have done this exact thing in relation to him, and I feel horrible. He indeed has issues that God is working on, but I obviously do too, and I tend to act like I think I’ve got it all together. I need to ask and allow God to show me what to do from this point so that the damage may be minimized. I tell others that Romans 8:28 means that God will use even our mistakes and sins for good if we release them to Him, so I’ve got to believe it myself. There are many things going on, on many different levels in many different areas. I can’t possibly keep it all straight, but God can and does. I’ve got to keep praying that His name would be acknowledged as holy and His kingdom come as His will is done, on the macro level and the micro level, defeating all the tricks of the enemy and exalting Jesus as Lord.

Father, thank You for the ministry I could do yesterday. I allowed that to blind me to the trap the devil had set, but that doesn’t negate the ministry itself. As You had me say at one point, we are all wounded in one way or another, and in need of Your healing touch. Help me be an instrument of that healing and not of wounding, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Conceit; February 5, 2020

Posted on February 8, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!

I have always loved this doxology, both the parts set to music and the whole thing. It touches me that Paul is so moved by what God has revealed to him. That shows clearly that it was a revelation from God, and not just something he dreamed up. As he says in verse 25, we are not to be conceited. (The Japanese expresses it, “Don’t think you’re so smart.”) Paul was both very intelligent and very well educated, and God had to deal with his pride to make him open to receiving such revelations. That was a continuing issue for him, because after he had a trip to heaven and back, God allowed a physical difficulty specifically to keep him humble. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) Conceit is a special kind of pride, and particularly dangerous, because it is entirely self-centered. Being proud of your children and the like is certainly benign, but conceit is focused on “I can do it,” and that cuts God out. The more God blesses us with abilities, the more careful we must be to focus on the reality that it is God who generated the abilities, and not we ourselves. This is very much an issue with prophecy, as Paul experienced. We don’t know what struggles in this area he had along the way, but we can be grateful that by God’s grace he dealt with them sufficiently to receive all that he recorded, writing half of the New Testament in the process.

Conceit is something my father spoke of struggling with, and it has been very much of an issue with me as well. One time my father was driving, with his mother and my mother both in the car, and he was talking about this issue. After a while his mother said, “But Maxfield, it isn’t conceit when it’s just recognizing the truth.” My mother later reported that to me with great laughter! There actually was some truth in what my grandmother said, because the antidote to conceit isn’t denying the gifts that God has given, it’s putting them into proper perspective. They are, above all, gifts for which we should be grateful, making faithful use of them, and they are also totally insignificant compared to the perfection of God. It’s been less than 20 years since God really got it through to me that He’s smart and I’m not. Up until that point I had thought that God was smarter than I was, but in that moment I realized that there’s no comparison at all. It’s not that God doesn’t want me to use the mind He’s given me, but rather that I’m to use it in gratitude and humility, always ready for whatever He might do that is “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,” (Ephesians 3:20) “which transcends all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7) That applies not just to intellect but to every ability I have. Sometimes I’m in awe of some of the pictures God enables me to take. The vision and the reflexes are from Him, and the glory is His as well.

Father, thank You for Your grace in all its manifestations. Help me be a faithful steward of that grace, blessing others and drawing them to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Grace; February 4, 2020

Posted on February 7, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 9:20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?'”

Paul writes about the illogicality of this, but people do it all the time. Probably everyone has been dissatisfied with some innate characteristic of theirs at some point at least. Teenagers are noted for this, but they certainly don’t have a monopoly on it. Many people would like to be taller, but there are times when height is a disadvantage. Many people would like to be better looking, by whatever standard, but vanity is a terrible snare. Many people would like to be more gifted, but “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48) The flip side of that is, people want to be instantly skillful, when virtually every skill requires a lot of practice and diligence. The big issue in all of this is that we fail to recognize God’s grace toward us. When something happens to us that we don’t like we are quick to say, “Why me?” Rather, we should be saying, as Chris Kristofferson sang, “Why me, Lord? What have I ever done to deserve even one of the blessings You gave?” This is closely tied to the whole matter of salvation. Until we realize that our attitudes and actions have made us worthy of hell, we aren’t going to repent and believe for our salvation. Humility is vitally important but often in short supply. Asking, “why,” is not wrong. Actually, it’s one of the more valuable traits God has given mankind. That question has been at the root of the vast majority of the discoveries, scientific and otherwise, made throughout human history. However, our questions need to be made with a fundamental awareness that we are created beings, and our Creator loves us and has good plans for us. Refusing that automatically puts us on the wrong side of eternity.

I’ve certainly walked through this issue! As a teenager I wanted to be more socially adept, not to mention skillful at sports, but the flip side of that was that I took my gifts for granted, and even looked down on others who didn’t have them. Human beings are so foolish! Blessed with a marvelously faith-filled home, I devolved into a spiritual pride that could have destroyed me, had God not been merciful. Over the years God has blessed me in countless ways, and today I am remarkably healthy for my age. That’s not to say there aren’t many things that I wish were different, but one time over 20 years ago when I was thinking that way, the Lord spoke to me very clearly, “How do you think I feel?” That was only the second time I had heard Him speak in what could have been audible words (though they were not audible to anyone else) and I will never forget the experience. I have to accept that there are many things to which I will not know the answer in this life, but that God’s already taken care of on the eternal scale. Things may be a mess now, but they will end up perfect, and I am to walk in peace even in the middle of the mess.

Father, I didn’t expect this to go this direction when I started! Thank You for not being limited to my expectations. Thank You for Your grace to all mankind, and especially for Your grace to me. Help me respond fully to that grace, extending it freely to those around me so that they too may turn to You in repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; February 3, 2020

Posted on February 7, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 9:16 It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

This chapter shows that Paul, too, labored under the burden of trying to understand the infinity of God, even though he, like us, was obviously finite. The whole matter of salvation is a mystery, because we can’t grasp why the Creator of the universe would care enough about His puny little creatures to personally come down and become one of them, dying a horrible death to take the penalty for their sin and give them the privilege of eternal life with Him. That He did that is absolutely glorious, but the flip side is that not everyone accepts that salvation, however much we might want them to. This chapter shows Paul’s heartbreaking desire that the Jews all acknowledge the Messiah for whom they had prayed, running into his inability to make them do so. He himself was called as an apostle to the Gentiles, as he acknowledges in this same letter, (Romans 11:3) but that never meant that he ceased to care about the Jews. This is all part of the mystery of free will. As I tell people frequently, it’s obvious that God didn’t want puppets, or even puppies, but real children. He placed in every human being the capacity to choose, in a wide variety of areas. He made it clear, through the Bible and in our consciences, which choices were desirable and which not, and mankind quickly racked up quite a track record of wrong choices. However much we may desire that people repent of their wrong choices and choose to believe and obey God, we can’t force them to do so, and we wear ourselves out trying. That’s what this verse is saying. All we can do is speak the truth in love and pray for God’s mercy, on us and on those for whom we pray.

You could say this is my life in a nutshell. Born in Japan, though of American parents, I desire the salvation of the Japanese much like Paul desired the salvation of the Jews. Like him, I am impotent to make it happen. In my years of ministry in Omura I have baptized people of various nations and not just Japanese, and I have to say that it has generally been easier to win the non-Japanese! I have a good friend who ministers in the Immigration Detention Center that happens to be located in Omura, alongside pastoring a Japanese congregation. Though Japanese himself, he has said that it’s far easier to minister to the non-Japanese, and he has even won Burmese Muslims to Christ. Like Paul, we have to live with the conflict of knowing God loves the Japanese, yet seeing so few of them love Him in return. I am not to despair or run from my calling, but simply walk in consistent faithfulness, praying for God’s will to be done on His schedule for His glory.

Father, this is a conflict I deal with constantly, as did my parents before me. Thank You for the Japanese who do turn to You in full repentance and discipleship. I pray that more and more believers would understand what it is to be a disciple, a witness to Christ, so that their family and friends may also be brought into Your family, Your kingdom, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Conquerors; February 2, 2020

Posted on February 6, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Romans 8 is my wife’s favorite chapter in the whole Bible, and very understandably so. This last section is like a lawyer, building his case to show that without question his client is innocent. Paul was indeed trained in logic, and he uses it brilliantly here. He acknowledges that believers face many hardships, but here he states a marvelous truth that has sustained believers for 2000 years, in many cases all the way through martyrdom. The thing is, whatever our hardship, it isn’t the end of the story. Verse 28, about God working everything together for good, is even more famous than this verse, but this brings out that even if materially speaking we lose everything, even physical life, we still come out on top because we have eternal life in the God who loves us. Very literally, when we are in Christ we have nothing to be afraid of. That’s not to say we are to be reckless or foolhardy; we are to be good stewards of the body and physical life with which we have been entrusted. However, the devil loves to threaten, and those with weak faith can indeed be shaken. We need to remember that even physical death isn’t the end of the story, and walk in the peace and assurance of the love of God.

Naturally, this applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I’ve walked with the Lord enough that I can say with Paul, “To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) I would certainly be concerned for my wife if I were to go first, since she has quite a litany of medical issues, and in no way do I look forward to life without her if she were to go first, but I know that God’s grace is sufficient for us both. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I have been disappointed, threatened, and betrayed, but none of those have in any way shaken God’s love for me, and I know it. At this point I am in remarkably good health for my age, and I have every expectation of serving my Lord on earth quite a few more years. I have no idea how many years, nor what those years will hold, other than the complete assurance that they will hold more and more of my Lord’s love for me, and that’s certainly something to look forward to.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that’s going on right now. I indeed don’t know the future in the short term, that is, while I am on the earth, but I do know that I’ve already begun eternity with You. I pray that I would be increasingly useful to You in bringing others to that place of faith as well, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Suffering; February 1, 2020

Posted on February 6, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

This is a justly famous passage, but many people leave off, or simply ignore, the very last part of it, and that is the key to it all. The first part sounds very noble, but many people would protest that their faith simply isn’t that strong, and they allow their sufferings/tribulations to tear them down instead of building them up. What makes the difference is the assurance that God loves us, and that has to be a supernatural revelation by the Holy Spirit. We tend to think of the Holy Spirit in terms of power, which isn’t unreasonable considering Acts 1:8. However, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, and God is love. (1 John 4:8) When we open ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit, as we are told clearly to do, (Ephesians 5:18) we open ourselves to the love of God, and that is wonderful beyond words. When you find someone who is “operating in spiritual gifts” but they are not loving, it may not be the Holy Spirit they are full of. As has been said, everything God does is love, even when it is stern correction. That’s why refusing to forgive is so deadly. (Matthew 6:14-15) Refusing to forgive, to love, is refusing God. Sadly, some people are so deceived they choose eternity in hell over releasing a hurt and loving instead. We want to receive God’s love for ourselves, but to do that in truth, we’ve got to allow it to flow through us to others as well. That is, frankly, very difficult at times, but nothing is impossible for God. (Luke 1:37) We try to separate our problems, and our lives, into different boxes, but it is all connected. Going back to this passage, to get through suffering, we need to let God’s love flow through us to those around us – even including the person or people who might have caused our suffering. As Paul said, we can do everything through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13)

This certainly applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I don’t feel I have had acutely severe suffering, particularly compared to even my wife – so how is my character? I’m certainly not to seek suffering, but when it comes I am to rejoice in it, knowing that God loves me enough to grind down my imperfections. As a pastor I am constantly dealing with people who are suffering, or at least think they are. The thing is, suffering is largely subjective: if you think you’re suffering, you are. In teaching medical English to Japanese I teach such things as, “I have a stuffy nose.” The text has a side note that some people might say, “I’m suffering from a stuffy nose.” I point out how ridiculous that is, but many people are just that way. With no sense of perspective, their little bumps in the road look like Mt. Everest! The difficulty for me is in helping them gain perspective without putting them down completely. The key, once again, is opening up to the loving Holy Spirit of God. I am to speak the truth in love, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide my words, so that the truth may indeed set people free from the lying traps of the devil. (John 8:32)

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. You know who comes to mind! I pray that I would be Your agent to help people choose to forgive, recognizing their own need for forgiveness, so that indeed, Your kingdom may come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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