Category: the stick in your eye

1 John 1:7 · 12 days of Christmas · a word for God's church · a word of emotional healing · a word on "expert" advice · bible studies · Bible study · bibleisfood · biblestudy · bigkidsofgod · broken christians · christianitytoday · christianthoughts · christlightshining · conviction sings · disciple or follower · disciples · Disciples for Jesus · disciplesofchrist · disciplesofjesus · discipline · fear causes control · Following God · Following Jesus · getting your feelings hurt · Grace to the Rescue by laura grace · Grace to the rescue ministries speaking · gracerescuedme · gracetogrow · Gracetogrowrealstories · highminded · holiness · holy ghost teaches · know it alls · Know Jesus · knowing God · knowing God better · knowinggodbetter · not all about me · Offenses · relationships and everyday problems · Relationships are everything · relationships are everything with God and others · the I love you project · the stick in your eye · Uncategorized · victoriousinChrist

You Can’t afford to be Offended

Laura GraceLeave a comment

Me 2015.jpgI want to share a little over a week ago God Led me to forgive some stuff. After I did it, I realized how many people I had let down in my life time. That was God’s Grace (TO ME!). I have to wonder,if my forgiveness allowed the Holy Spirit to reveal more to me about myself, and lift the blinders from my eyes.

We All have expectations of people.

Some is based on how we are raised, how we understand the bible, or whatever else. People can feel they are offering the help they have to offer, and you rejected it (or them) and I mean to tell you what, there are SO MANY THINGS the devil can (try) to turn it into an offense, I simply cannot list them all here. 

I’ve had people reject what I had to say when I thought it was God’s will I said certain things. It hurts, because we think we are giving a gift, and it just got rejected. If it happens 100 times, we may be at risk of getting offended. You’d be suprised how many people have “rebuked me” when I talk about Growing In Christ.

There are some who believe getting saved leads to this “instant Jesus pudding” and we automatically grow, without any real participation on our part.

Growing in Grace is a message that is balanced, and between the “Auto Pilot’ thing and the “being under law” mentality. Growing up IN Christ is a sensible and sound message, but not a popular one.

Therefore, I am delivering a word God asked me to deliver …..and yet those who seem to have the pulpit do not always agree. Does it stop me?

NO! It will not! And, I must not get offended. If I do, I will ruin myself.

I”m so glad when people tell me things like, “I waved at you, you didn’t wave back”. So many times, I just did not see them wave at me!

There are times people forget, don’t hear us, or do not understand how important something is to us. (really). Don’t fall for the “all about me” mentality. It’s a monster! ME MOnster.jpg Cartoon by Jeff Larson 

Yes, there are times people have been little snots, but it’s not all that often. Most of the time when people hurt us, it’s quite accidental.

The important thing is that remain “not offended”. If I’m not, I can go foward in Christ.

Proverbs 18:19 says “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.”

Don’t put your walls up. It’s just not worth it to miss out on what God has for you next.

Laura Grace, Author, Grace to the Rescue and Grace to Grow, available on Amazon.

2 or 3 witnesses · a word of emotional healing · abuse · abuse of power · abused men and women · christlike · Grace books · Gracetogrowrealstories · gracetogrowstudy · gracetosoar · gracetotherescueseries · gracewalk · grief · jesusforever · speaking ministers · the stick in your eye · the word of God · thegospelisfree · there is hope · Uncategorized · when God doesn't seem to listen · when hope is dying · why do gay people want to be clergy · why is my church not growing?
Laura GraceLeave a comment

alone picture

If you jump to conclusions, leap before you look or listen (in speaking to someone) or make someone feel more scared than they already were before they spoke to you, chances are they won’t confide in you again. Being trusted with the confidences and problems of others is a Holy keep.

Don’t scold a wounded heart. A wise person is prayerful about how they approach a situation. How do I know this? I’ve messed up. I’ve had people mess me up too.

“Please Father make us trustworthy. In Jesus’ name.
Help us know when to speak, when to be silent, and what to say.” Amen

Psalm 141:3
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
discipline · discipline of God · discipling · gnats and camels · Holy Spirit, come · holyfire · modern day pharisees · ongoing salvation · pentecostal pride · pharisees · Preach christ · renewing your mind in Christ · salvation · sound doctrine · spiritual food · teachersinchrist · the stick in your eye · trusting god · Uncategorized · what Christianity really is · what would jesus do · why is my church not growing? · why people fall away · wisdom of God · Word · words of wisdom · worldy knowledge

Straining gnats and swallowing camels……Matthew 23- “the warning”

Laura GraceLeave a comment

magnifying glass

Matthew 23:24 “Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
SOMETHING GOD SAID TO ME Awhile back “They are building a church, but not my Kingdom, and it’s eating them up inside………” 
Pharisees prided themselves on how cautious they were, and how protective they were of God’s word. They were not aware of the pride growing subtly within them, as they prodeeded with no caution- as far as examining themselves, and their own hearts. They thought they’d arrived. 
We have some today- who protect the building of the church, and consider themselves to be supervisors (and experts) of God’s own word. 
They are so busy protecting themselves, shielding themselves, and building giant barricades to keep out evil, they fail to see the heart of God– behind every word Jesus spoke. 
Self-righteousness, Pride, selfish ambitions, greed, lust, (for power not just drugs or alchohol) Are very real threats to the human soul. Why else would Jesus (and his Apostles) warn about these things so much? “take heed to yourself” (The preacher cries.) 
Luke 11:35
“Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness”
In being so careful and examining things, the Pharisees missed the miracles. They missed (Out) On Jesus, the son of God. They missed out on everything God intended for them, and they were so sure (oh so sure) they were full of God’s light. He tried to warn them, but they were so focused on protecting themselves, They did not really hear him at all.
                                     They Judged Jesus’ ways. And, cross-examined him. 
If a drop of rain falls (on your head) and you needed that rain, do you examine it to see if it’s really rain at all? Or do you question where it came from? “He must be from the devil,” They said, for he did not measure up to the former words of God the way THEY Undestood it. The trouble is, they didn’t understand God’s word at all. Jesus was trying to show them, but they would not listen (or hear). 
When I pray for something I don’t care who (the answer) comes from. I expect Jesus can answer any way he wants to. GOD RAISES UP THE HEAVENLY ARMOR within us as we grow in Him and study his Word WITH The Holy Spirit as our guide. He does the work. He’s the Author and finisher of our faith (and our Salvaton) which is why all the glory goes to him, not to us! We aren’t going to be commended for how SMART we are we will be commended for having Faith IN HIM! 
Therefore, Pride has no place in us (or our hearts) there is no reason for any self =righteous Indignation. When we see ourselves becoming all angry about how we are not listened to or followed, we can see pride and/or self-righteousess has taken root in our heart(s). 
God spoke to me about some pride I had……in an area of my life. I’m so glad he did, and he has done it before, and I pray he will do it again! And yes I did something about it. I endured the humiliation so he can make me free! 
Pride you have to go! Self righteousness, you have no place in me! I Resist you satan! Get away from me with your lies and delusions of granduer! I ask you Holy Spirit to teach my heart. I ask you Jesus to purify my soul and cause me to really SEE you and hear you! 
IN Jesus’ mighty name, the name above all names. I dont care how much I suffer for it Lord I want YOU And only you! and only your living word! Cleanse my soul Father wash me clean! I renounce everything that is not you Lord! 
And by the way Pride doesn’t just go before the fall, it can possibly go before the great falling away…….so here’s your sign. Get rid of it! Ask God to show you if you have it! He will answer that kind of prayer! I Promise, HE WILL. 
-Laura Grace (Grace to Grow) peace! and amen
adultery · disqualified preachers · grace to grow · no more witchhunts · plucking out a stick when you have a beam in your eye · revival · sin that went too far · the stick in your eye · Uncategorized · what is grace · witch hunts

Stuff we don’t want to talk about: Adultery of the Heart Matthew 5

Laura GraceLeave a comment

Matthew 5. Jesus says a startling thing. Have you ever read it ? 

First he says, if you looked at a woman with lust YOU ALREADY Committed Adultery. Then he starts talking about plucking your eye out of your head, to avoid hell! Wow. 

But nobody wants to preach this stuff, so they like to get on people’s cases for what they consider to be “real adultery,” instead. Shutting people out of ministry because they’ve been divorced. Hiring ministers, who have lust problems they don’t even know about (see no evil, hear no evil?). Can we really go by what we see? I don’t think so. 

This is the kind of stuff, people don’t want to talk about, or even consider. It stands to reason then, If you idolized something in your heart, (desired it more than God) You also committed idolatry. Do we jump now to the passage where they go to the lake of fire for Idolatry? Or Adultery? 

Apparently sin was so bad in one church, Paul said, “and you have your Father’s wife” so some relatives were sleeping with each other, out of wedlock, and they didn’t even have the sense to be sorry about it. So Paul was on their case, and saying the church had better do something. However, I know this from reading my bible, Jesus did not send his word for all of us to go on a witch hunt. In the early years of our nation, people in Salem used to do just that, and justified burning some innocent people. 

I don’t care if a million preachers preach something else, because I know what Jesus said. He said, if you lusted after a woman (ever) you committed adultery. For this reason, I cannot see, nor understand shutting people out of ministry because they got divorced. You don’t know what happened to them. I met a pastor (a man) who is one of the finest ministers I have ever met. Turns out, he was divorced. His wife cheated on him, he divorced her, but he had a really hard time getting a pastor job! Why? 

Because, People love to apply the word of God to everyone but themselves, that’s why. Did we forget the bible calls God’s word a mirror? It was designed for you to look into it and find your own blemishes, in the light, that you cannot seem to see in the darkness. 

Don’t talk me down when I’m preaching good. I know this is the truth. 

I’m growing in grace (still) How about you? And, if you’ve messed up (like Paul) and God calls you to preach, DO IT! Don’t let the fear of man stop you!

With love, –Laura Grace