MATTERS OF THE HEART

[T.L. Hawkins]

For weeks I have been on this site in the discussions and I have seen nothing short of division amongst the Body of Christ. There has been bickering, personal attacks, judgmental statements, accusations, slander and then some. I was in a discussion where I was seeking TRUTH on something that I was taught by an individual whom in my adult life I learned was a false Prophet. Rather than receiving what I was searching for amongst the Saints, all I saw was all of the forementioned...DRAMA! It saddens me and is literally breaking my heart to see such division amongst God's people. Not just God's people, but the "Called out ones"!

We will not always agree on everything and that includes,
but is not limited to, THE WORD OF GOD!
I don't understand why it is such a task to agree to disagree and move on.
I don't understand why it is such a difficult task to show respect to one another regardless of wisdom, knowledge, understanding or the lack thereof. I don't understand why we are so judgmental and so quick to accuse our co-laborers in the word of sins we have NO proof they even commit or have committed in the past. The last time I checked, ALL versions of the Bible tells us to "Judge not".

Think to yourself for a moment: If you were a babe in Christ, new to this site or seeking God through this network, would you or would you not be turned away by this type of behavior?

Are we to NOT respect each other because of "Titles"?
Are we to NOT respect each other because of "Age"?
Are we to NOT respect each other because of the length of time we've been in the Ministry is longer than others?

Should we respect everyone REGARDLESS?

Are we TRULY showing each other AGAPE LOVE?

I do know this: JESUS' message was LOVE and still is.

Where did the love go amongst the Body of Christ?
Why are we doing battle with each other instead of with the enemy that is causing all of this confusion?
Would God be pleased with some of things you've said to your co-laborers on this site?
Is this how Jesus instructed us to treat each other?

More questions...

1) Who are you?
2) Why are you here?
3) What is your purpose?

If GOD isn't included in all THREE responses to those questions....WAKE UP!

Peace be with you and I pray UNITY finds us all.

[John]

As Jesus said in 1Corinthians 13:13, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (love) Amen!

[T.L. Hawkins]

Exactly Shemuel! Love, Compassion and UNITY are KEY within the body of Christ!

[shemuel]

When Yahshus walked the earth he was all about us ,first loving the father,then us loving one another .I haven't been participating in the discussion long. This ismy first week, and yes the problem you speak of do exist. The Messiah spoke to the Pharisees openly about these same things. Everything we say and do must be done with LOVE and COMPASSION for others, or it is in vain,and it won't bring GLORY TO THE KINGDOM OF YAHWEH. SHALOM

[biblelover]

well said God help us we must adhere to the prayer Jesus prayed in St. John 17 that we be one as he and the Father are one i believe that before the Lord returns for his church there will be unity in the body .

[regi]

Hello My Beautiful Sister: Good Topic Again (smile)

Remember, The Word of God Fore Warned of These Days (2 Timothy Ch 3):

1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,

7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.

When we come to that place where what God wants is what matters, then you will see what you, I, and many in the body desires. The trick of the enemy is to saturate us with hopelessness, disgust and frustration; to make us weary in well doing and to get us to that point wherein we say; forget it and them. That's a lie and it won't happen, because when you are in Love, someone would have to destroy the heart or the object of that Love to break it. No man or little gods, or evil spirits or satan can destroy the object of a beleivers Love--God!

The Word tells us that we will have diverse trials, and to pray for them that spitefully misuse us. There is a reason for these instructions. God desires all of us to come to that place in Him where we desire Him and are obedient to Him. He wants us to experience that ultimate place in Him, that Joy people speak about but have never truly known. "Joy unspeakable!"

These trials do make us strong as you can see from your own blog(s). You passion increases and your anger decreases, as the Love of God grows inside of you and the compassion continues to soar. You abhor evil and that's a good thing. You hate the sin and the evil and pray for the soul.

When we interceed on behalf of those lost, we create an unrest for satan and his imps. While God won't violate a person's will, He knows their heart, and can hear them crying out. Those that are seeking for self, and are full of lust and greed, we must interceed for them and interceed to disarm them because they are fast becoming the norm and what is right in our society. They are who our youth look up to.

Think about the MONEY - the Metal Mouth (Gold Teeth, a waste of money) - the expensive clothing and no food, the cars etc., all to look like they are somebody. But what is happening is the so called saints have esteemed themselves above the lost sheep and turned their noses up at them. I hear them say, "THEY" don't want anything and they need to be locked up (Don't they know they are already in prison-a spiritual hell?) No they don't know because they themselves are bound.

Noone wants to admit that to walk with Christ means to give away; humility!. I love that parable about the man that was so self-righteous. He was a good man and knew he was good. He practiced good so that everyone would say that he was a good man. He cared what everybody thought of him and had a reputation as a rich man who was a good man too.

Wow, but when he went to modestly (Secretly thinking Jesus would say, you got it brother, nothing--You the man!) boast saying to Jesus, "Lord I've done all those things that you said. What more should I do to enter the kingdom?" (paraphrased) And Jesus said, "Go and sell all that you have and follow me." (paraphrased). Good-bye nice knowing you! He couldn't do it becasue it was not in him-He did not know Christ.

We are in critical times, and I pray that while we exchange these blogs, deep, thought provoking, and educational, that we eat the word, digest it, pray about it, meditate on it, fast, pray, and ask, "Father, what would you have me do today?" Ask God, how you may serve Him, and whom you may assist. Do it in secret so that God will reward openingly. Do it without expecting anything in return, not even a thank you.

We all have nice writings, and words with sweet savor (some powerful), but, are we the only ones to partake of the flavor? We must, and I believe many do, take up our crosses and follow Christ. The body of Christ (the church), what a thought. If we, based on your description, and based on what we see and endure in the the church, among the saved and holy, among believers, those that are soldiers and heirs to the thrown, if, based on your description, we are the body of Christ--I ask, is it infested with cancer!

But I know that many call themselves heirs, and are imposters, for we know them by their fruit. We don't have to fight them because this is what they desire. This is when, my sister, you and I and those true brides of Christ, true heirs, head over heals, crazy in Love with our Father saints, this is when we interceed, fasting, praying, believing and trusting that God IS and He already told us this would happen. Why are we acting surprised?

You stir it up like you do, you remind, you charge, and you keep the faith and the righteous fight, and let God do what God will do and can do. Thank you sister for reminding me, not to let this division divide me. Thank you for reminding me that I am the daughter of the King, and that I have a responsibility to interceed, teach, share, witness, love, correct (when the person is open to receive, other wise it's a fight not worthy of your time). 1.Do not cast your pearls among swine. 2.If you are not received, wipe the dust from you feet and move on, (meaning don't take the mess with you, don't own it, don't let it have power over your spirit, no blame, no anger, no backbiting, just leave it there for them to contend with.) And finally, if you offend your brother/sister or they offend you, go to them and ask forgiveness. If they will not accept it; leave it! You've done what you can do.

Sister, I pray that these blogs are not soap boxes to get things off one's chest or stages to flaunt what we might deem talents or self made strenghts, (like the mess you speak of here), but instead, a place to share nuggets of wisdom and thought provoking topics causing each of us to search our own hearts as this blog is doing for me and pray for others. Keep strong sister, and keep pressing your way.

With Agape Love
Sis Regi

[Lonnie Kluttz]

Nice post Sister,

But you have to remember that so many of us believe that I AM RIGHT ALL THE TIME. And some of us believe that God only speaks to ME and no one else. Some of us only believe that I have the truth and no one else. I hope you see the pattern here. God loves us all when WE believe in His Son and become born again. When we follow the two greatest commandments ( MATTHEW 22: 36-40), you have no choice but the love others. Because if you love God with all your mind, heart and soul, then you have to love others as you love yourself. But so many of US love to here ourselves talk and only believe the stuff we make up.

God Bless

[T.L. Hawkins]

Thank you so much Brother Hancock and Sister Ree Ree. LOVE....LOVE...LOVE. RESPECT and ACCOUNTABILITY!

[Lady Divine]

My heart aches when any part or person in the body of Christ suffers....unloving behavior is ungodly and an indictment against the entire body of Christ.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[1] into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

There is no fear in love.
But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us.
If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar.
For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1 John 4:7-21

[T.L. Hawkins]

Thank you Sis. Tara and Bro. John for your responses. Just know, I am not discouraged, but, disturbed and hurt. I'm not hurt on a "personal" level. I'm hurting for the entire Body. What I'm speaking of in this Blog isn't happening JUST on BPN. It's happening in churches around the world. I know there are those that teach the word to the letter as well as those that take from it and add to it. I have NO desire to change the word, but only to understand it as GOD intended. I cried as I wrote this. Not because I was hurt by anything anyone said to me, but, I cried at the mere THOUGHT of how many people may have left this site for this very reason. I cried at the mere THOUGHT of how many sinners chose NOT to get saved BECAUSE of this type of mess IN the church. DRAMA! DRAMA! DRAMA! WE are hurting the BODY of CHRIST! When I first came to this site, I was in awe, loving it, couldn't stay off line, waiting for the next blog, next discussion, next new member to join. Lately, I come and when I see messages in my inbox I think "Oh Lord. What Now?". When I've gone to discussions lately, I say "Wow..I can't BELIEVE what I'm reading". I won't say the THRILL IS GONE, but I will say...again...WAKE UP! WE have been behaving like preschoolers on this site!

[John]

Tarmeque please understand and I know you do that Satan has implants. Jesus said in Matthew 24:11, Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. Matthew 24:24, For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders;insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect and again in Matthew 7:15 -23 is also clear. Just because one has the titles doesn't mean they are called. There are evil spirits at work also. I had stated earlier when I first returned why I had stayed away and it was because of what you posted Tarmeque but you know we can't run nor get too frustrated because we have to realize that this life is a war for souls and Satan is going to have his army every where. He is the great deceiver and we have to recognize this. We have to keep on the full armour and helmet of salvation of God in Christ Jesus and rebuke them in the name of Jesus just as Michael did in Jude 9. We have to remember who we represent regardless of those that don't represent Him and act in accordance to that representation no matter what is thrown at us. Others get angry because they forget it's not them that changes or does anything it's the Holy Spirit as Brother Luckett stated and it's God that gets the glory and not us. I refuse any longer to let my anger get the best of me nor attack anyone. I may not always choose the best words to say because of my zealousness for the Lord but it's not my intentions to attack anyone. If I do let me know and I will not return. Now I won't give warm fuzzy feeling responses or say what one wants to hear I will simply say what is biblical and provide that verse from God. I'll tell you when it's coming from me and you will be able to tell also. Just know that only a bad tree delivers bad fruit and not a good tree. It's just that the bad trees do exist and so do the tares. God bless you my Sister in Christ and don't be too discouraged because it's not like Jesus didn't warn us about these times no matter how much it hurts to the core. It's not about us it's about the souls being lost. He did say more will go through the wide gate than the narrow gate. Matthew 7:13 - 14.