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 God Sees
AWOE Magazine Life Study
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Matthew 7:1-2
I believe we all go through a period of self-discovery.
That discovery usually begins when we start to judge others. We end up discovering that we ourselves are flawed by our need to illuminate the issues we see in everyone else. When we never consider what we put into the atmosphere is usually what we get back.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Matthew 7:3-5
One of the things I've learned is we can't go around looking at other peoples faults without considering our own. Not that we shouldn't judge the sin, we should. But judging the person in such a way it would cause them to be even more discouraged isn't godly. We should always walk in love with people who have issues or walk away if we're not going to be an asset to their finding a way out.
In the meantime we should look at who we are. Be honest about the things we do that aren't in the will of God and judge ourselves. Practice what we preach. Live for the Lord to the best of our ability.
Why? Because it's not hard to find problems with other people, it's real easy to find things we don't like, but to find something wrong with ourselves?
I think that's a whole other story.
I know as my birthday creeps up on me I've been thinking a lot about things that I do and say. To be honest some things, some mannerisms I don't like about myself and if I don't like them God probably doesn't either. I have to figure out how to work those things out because we're all human and we react to things differently.
I've been blessed enough to know not to say everything I think, but thinking it can be just as bad as saying it if not worst because those thoughts gather. When you allow negative thoughts to build up it produces negative thoughts in your life.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Matthew 7:6
When we give our thoughts to the devil it's like casting our pearls before swine. We know what the word of God says about us. That we're created in his image, that we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us and that we're more than conquorers, yet we allow self-doubt to creep in.
When we judge others that's casting our pearls before swine. When we put them down and we say they're not good enough we project the same image on ourselves.
A prime example of this was King Saul. He had been chosen by God to be King of Israel, but he had a real issue disobeying the Lord. Instead of doing what the Lord commanded, he decided to please the people over and over again.
When David came along King Saul had to deal with the people praising this kid over him. Like he had chose the people over God, the people chose David over him, but that door would have never opened if King Saul had judged himself. If he had been honest about his desire to please man rather than God. If he had dealt with that the devil would have never had an opening into his life.
David may have been incredibly confident, some think arrogant to think he when all of his brothers who were in the Kings army couldn't defeat Goliath told the King he was going to go out there and do what they were afraid to even attempt to do.
A Related Study
David had confidence, he knew who he was in the Lord and he knew what God had already done through him.
I don't believe that David ever gave the devil any room in his mind because in reality Goliath was a champion. He could have stomped David to the dust, but God was bigger in his heart than this enemy was in his sight.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8
I believe that the reason the devil is so successful in stealing our confidence is because we're not honest about who we are. David was honest. He was a shepherd boy who was nothing without God. He knew with God he was more than able.
Many of us are afraid to ask God for anything. Afraid to say, I'm a child of God because we are afraid to deal with the sin in our own lives. I think we distract ourselves from our own sin by looking for the sin in someone else's life and we defeat ourselves like that.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
God knows who you are.
I'm serious. If you think you're hiding you're not. Even more importantly God loves you even in the midst of your struggle. That's why Jesus died, because of the love of God that is in his heart for each one of us.
Through Christ we are more than conquerors!
Acknowledging your own problem will only set you on the road to overcoming whatever the devil has used to hold you back. Dealing with it will draw you closer to God because he knows your heart. He will make a way of escape and he loves you no matter what!
God loves you! He made you with his love. He knows what he has planted in you to grow! Don't stunt your growth by thinking your perfect or oh someone else has more problems than you. Look in the mirror of your heart and talk to God about what you see.
God sees so much more!
Be Blessed~
Jen G~AWOE
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