by VMTC | Mar 11, 2024 | Bills Faith Promise Letter
Beloved Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I would like to share with you some scriptures and thoughts about who we are and how “The Father” sees us. “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” (Ex. 25:8) “Do you not know you are God’s temple/sanctuary and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (I Cor.3:16) “The Lord is in His holy temple/sanctuary.” (Ps. 11:4) “Do you not know that your body is a temple/sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, whom you have from God?” (I Cor. 6:19) “But the Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him.” (Hab. 2:20) “In Christ you also are being built together into a dwelling/ temple/sanctuary place for God by the Holy Spirit.” (Eph. 2.22)
- One, we are “The Father’s” dwelling place, His sanctuary, His temple. This is not of our own doing. This is the desire of the One who called us into being before the foundation of the world was laid. He told the children of Israel – “make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” We see in the Old Testament that being manifested, first in the making of the sanctuary and then in the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. In the New Testament, it is we who are the temple in which God dwells, and we are being built together as the place where His glory is manifested. So, individually the Spirit of God dwells in us as well as corporately. He is molding and fitting us together, so we are built into His dwelling place, His sanctuary.
- Two, we are involved in building/making our body His dwelling place. We are not “bystanders”. We are participants. God gave Moses clear instructions as to how the Tabernacle/sanctuary was to be built. He gave David clear instructions on how the temple was to be built. The people were involved in carrying out those plans/instructions. So, we are participants in becoming the temple of the living God. He has given us His Word and His Spirit so we could help in the building of the sanctuary for the “Father” within us. That is what this Ministry is all about – clearing out all the garbage of this world that we have picked up; identifying our areas of hurts and wounds and unforgiveness; busting up destructive habit patterns; removing “critters” (unclean spirits) we have allowed in our sanctuary that does not belong there and receiving healing so we can be a “wholely” sanctuary for the “King”. As we have learned that does not happen instantaneously but requires our continuous maintenance and diligence. It also helps us to understand the heart cry of David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me”. (Ps. 51:10). May the Holy Spirit work mightily within you so the glory of the Lord might shine through you more and more with each passing day.
February was a busy month for VMTC. We began the month with a school of prayer ministry in Redding, California hosted again by Little Country Church and held at the “Lighthouse Worship and Retreat Center” (formerly “Anselmo Vineyard”). We had 28 in attendance – 1 “first school”, and 6 “second school”. We did 25 ministry sessions and once again, saw tremendous victories. Chris and Gina Cook, who run the retreat center, did an amazing job of taking care of all our needs. Pastor Rick Caldwell did a fantastic job of taking care of all the things necessary for a school to happen. Gris Waters was the school’s director – her first time as director and she did great! Thanks to all those who served as “leads” and “supports” who came at their own expense as well as giving sacrificially of their time.
The Board of Directors met for the first time since 2020 at the San Pedro Retreat Center in Winter Park. This took place the second full week in February with all members able to be present, as well as their spouses. It was a great time of fellowship and seeking God’s will and way for the coming years for VMTC. The retreat center allowed us to take care of our meals since we were not meeting at the same time another group was meeting and we did not have enough to open the dining room. Curt and Mary Albrecht took care of making sure we had plenty to eat at breakfast and lunch, as well as healthy snacks. We ate out at nearby restaurants for supper/dinner. Our new “website” should be up and running by Easter. The board members are Bill Westlund, Tom Schrock, Bill Jenkins, Gris Waters, Curt Albrecht, Rusty Richter, Laura Jenkins, and John Thomas, our Corporate Secretary.
Our next school is WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY, July 10-12 at the Mennohaven Conference and Retreat Center in Tiskilwa, Illinois. Information and registration should be up on our new website soon. Please plan to register early because of limited housing (32+/-).
Pray for a “Prayer Ministry Weekend” at the Heritage Bible Church in Bakersfield, CA. April 19-20. Once again the challenge is finding men to lead/support.
Our fall school in Lodi, CA. is in the planning stages. Expect it will be the first weekend in October again.
Please pray for the opportunity for new schools anywhere in the United States, especially where we don’t have any VMTC activity.
Love and blessings,
by VMTC | Jan 26, 2024 | Bills Faith Promise Letter
Dear “Beloved of the Lord”,
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind.” (I Peter 3:8)
How is that for a living description of who we are called to be in a time where none of those things are valued? We are living in a time when everyone has their own “truth”. When “truth” is malleable. (“A. capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers. B. capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influences; C. having a capacity for adaptive change.” Merriam-Webster). How can we possibly live as Peter suggests when the news is full of accusations, when anger is the first response, when love is all about sex, when hardness of heart is a necessity, and when the one who dominates wins? It would seem that anyone who is sympathetic, has a desire to love others, has a tender heart, and walks in humility is not going to get very far in this world. Which is absolutely true if one only sees the kingdom of this world and is bound by the things of this world. This however is not the case for us. We do not live under the power and authority of this world. We are part of a different kingdom and hence are not subject to the bondages of the kingdom of this world. We have been set free to live in the Kingdom of God now, which requires us to allow the King to give us His mind; to cause us to have His sympathy; to share His love with one another; to break the hardness of our hearts and replace them with His tender heart; and to empower us to live in His humility. He invites us to be “malleable” under the hammer of His Spirit so He can mold and shape us into His perfect image. This will cause us to be accused, as the early disciples were, of – “These are they who have turned the world upside down have come here also.”(Acts 17:6b)
Jesus did not come to make our lives easy. He came to set us free and to allow His Holy Spirit to transform us into being just like Him. He empowers us to be forgiving to others and ourselves. He gives us His mind so we can think like Him and then to act like Him. Since we have experienced His love and acceptance, we are free to love others even when they are not particularly lovable and don’t understand how they are making it so difficult to love. We are not bound to old habit patterns, because He makes all things new. His life in us helps us to be gracious and humble, even when those whom we are having to live with are not. Jesus has set us free. Let us walk in His freedom so these words of Peter will be true of us: “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind.”
If this is not a letter you have time to read, or you just throw it in the wastebasket, would you be a good steward and email me that you are no longer interested in receiving the “Faith Promise Letter” anymore, and I will remove your name from our mailing list. My email address is: [email protected], and be sure to include your name.
Uganda just finished its first school as a member of VMTC International. They had 65 who attended the school, + a team of 29. They also had 230+ who attended the “Freed to Live” seminar. Kenya had a school this week with 400 coming to the “Freed to Live” seminar and 42+ coming to the school in Solai. Through your generosity we are helping to cover the expenses of those schools as well as work in Cameroon and a school to be held later this year in Tanzania.
February 1-3 we will be having a School of Prayer Ministry at the “Lighthouse Worship and Retreat Center” in Shingletown which is east of Redding, California. We are expecting at least 40 to attend. Little Country Church in Redding is once again hosting this school. If you have not registered and are moved by the Spirit to come, call the church at: 530.222.4092 for information.
Our Board of Directors will be meeting at the San Pedro Spiritual Development Center here in Winter Park, February 13-15. Please be in prayer for us as we seek God’s direction for VMTC-USA in 2024 and beyond. At our year end “zoom” meeting we joyfully welcomed Rusty Richter to the Board of Directors. He and his wife Pam live in Wyoming, Michigan and have been involved in VMTC for many years. As we move forward, we are expecting to add additional members to the Board of Directors. Ask the Lord to raise up new people who will help us expand this Ministry into new churches and states. There is such a need for people who are wounded and bound by hurts of the past to be set free so they can know the “Truth” and be set free by Him. You are experiencing that freedom, encourage others to join you.
Thank you for being a vital part of this Ministry, for all your prayers and generosity which make it possible for us to reach around the world with God’s Word that sets the captives free.
Love and blessings,
VICTORIOUS MINISTRY THROUGH CHRIST – USA
P.O. BOX 1804, WINTER PARK, FLORIDA 32790-180404
by VMTC | Jan 2, 2024 | Bills Faith Promise Letter
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
DECEMBER 2023
Have you noticed that God tends to be a “disrupter”?
“Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son.” (Luke 1:13b). “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call His Name Jesus.” (Luke 1:30-31) “When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 1:18b) “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…” (Luke 2:4) “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth… because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7c) “And in the same region there were shepherds… And an angel of the Lord appeared to them…and they were filled with great fear.” (Luke 2:8a, 9). “Where is he who has been born ‘King of the Jews?’…When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matt. 2:2a – 3) And these are just a few of the multitude of “disruptions” the Father has instigated in the Scriptures and down through the ages.
All too often, we think that Jesus is going to make everything perfect in our lives to our way of thinking. When in reality He is going to disrupt our lives, so He can mold and shape us into His way of being. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Thousands of people are happy without God in this world. If I was happy and moral till Jesus came, why did He come? Because the kind of happiness and peace is on the wrong level; Jesus came to send a sword through every peace that is not based on a personal relationship to Himself.” (December 18 – His Utmost for His Highest)
Zacharias and Elizabeth had accepted they were not going to have any children. Joseph and Mary were not planning to conceive until after they were married, and certainly not to give birth in a stable. Herod was not expecting another king during His reign. The shepherds were totally unprepared to be serenaded by angels.
Jesus comes to transform us, to disrupt our comfortable patterns and belief systems and give us His mind and His heart. He has come to set us free from thinking “if I am good enough” and “if He would just make things better, everything would be alright”. Jesus came to invite us to give up our way of thinking and become totally dependent upon Him. This is why He fills us with the Holy Spirit. Why He gives us His mind. Why He gives us new hearts. “I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new Spirit I will put within you.” (Ezek. 36:25b-26a) Jesus came to deliver us from our “do by self” attitude and transform us into sons and daughters who only do what the Father tells us to do and to say only what the Father tells us to say, just like His Son Jesus did. It is His transforming power at work within us that empowers to as the song says, “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word.”
As we celebrate the birth of the Son of God and launch into a New Year may you continue to walk in His freedom and set captives free to light up the world that is clothed in darkness.
Great news!!!
- You can go to: vmtc.org and register for the first School of Prayer Ministry of the year in Redding, California, February 1-3. Click on “Prayer Ministry Schools” and then scroll down to the bottom and click on “Redding”, then follow the directions.
- We have begun the process of switching over our website to make it more “user friendly” and more up to date. “Connecting Points” will be developing and managing our website from now on. If you have any recommendations or suggestions, please let me know ([email protected]) and/or Tom Schrock ([email protected]).
- The calendar is our gift to you to help remind you to pray for the Ministry and its growth in the New Year. It is because of your faithfulness and generosity we can do this.
- In the “not so good news category” the Board has received and accepted the resignation of Rick Vance as a member of the Board of Directors. He shared with us: “At this point, I hear the Lord saying I’m in a new season. With that, the Lord is taking me through some changes. I am asking to be changed effective this month to Board Member Emeritus, no longer an active Board Member… I have felt so privileged to work with each of you for the last five and a half years to set the captives free. The deep satisfaction I have felt at the end of every school can only be experienced, not adequately described.” Rick’s joy and enthusiasm will be sorely missed, as well as his deep love for the Lord and the gifts of the Holy Spirit he brought to this Ministry.
- This means, as a Board, we will be looking for at least one new Board Member. So, I would ask you to lift up in prayer this need, as well as for additional Board Members the Lord might raise up.
- Your prayers and generosity have made this year exceptional in covering all the costs of doing ministry. This included having three of the largest schools we have had in years. We have been able to invest $8,000 in the growing ministry of VMTC in East Africa, where Uganda just finished its first “Freed to Live” seminar and “School of Prayer Ministry” unassisted. They had 2 “Freed to Live” seminars with a total attendance of 106 and a “School of Prayer Ministry” with 11 attending, plus their team. Cameroon also had a school in November with over 30 in attendance. Kenya will be having a school in January. God is so good.
May you indeed be blessed this Christmas season and be filled with the Holy Spirit as you enter a new and exciting year.
Love and blessings.
VICTORIOUS MINISTRY THROUGH CHRIST – USA
P.O. BOX 1804, WINTER PARK, FLORIDA 32790-180404
by VMTC | Dec 15, 2023 | Bills Faith Promise Letter
“GIVE THANKS”
“All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord and all Your saints shall bless You!
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and tell of Your power, to make known to the children of man Your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works. (Psalm 145:10-13)
In this season of “thanksgiving,” the words of the psalmist remind us of the goodness of the Lord towards us because He has called us to be His people. The psalmist declares, “ALL Your works shall give thanks to You”. That is us, among other things. We are called upon to give Him “thanks”. Giving thanks does not always come easy. I find when things are going well, I am naturally inclined to give thanks, but when things don’t go so well – it is a lot more challenging. Giving “thanks” for the three powerful, life-changing schools we have had this year is really easy. All of them had more participants than expected and yet we were able to minister to everyone who needed a session and then some. We had new people at every school and people who were at more than one school in the same year. There was a sense of joy and laughter that had not always been present. There is a deepening of commitment to the ministry and to seeing this ministry grow. Ministry is taking place regularly in Lodi, thanks to Gris and her team; at the Little Country Church, thanks to Rick Caldwell and his team; at Henry and Decatur, IL. thanks to Tom and Jan and their team; in Kingwood, TX where Bill and Laura have been ministering, and to Rick Vance who has both ministered and taught about the power of the Holy Spirit.
The psalmist reminds us to tell others about the glory of the Father and His kingdom and acknowledge His power at work in our midst. It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord can bring healing and restoration to people who as Anne often said, “were walking wounded”, and had been for years. When allowed to forgive and be forgiven, to be cut free, to experience deliverance and the healing of the whole person, lives are transformed, loads are lifted; and everyone gives “thanks”! God is good indeed!
When I look at the world in which we live – all that is going on in Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East; the ongoing war in Ukraine; the open border and all its challenges; the challenge of inflation; the protests on several fronts; the divisions within our nation politically, socially, theologically, sexually, etc.; it is good to be reminded there is one God and He is sovereign always. It is all going to work out just as He planned. We can trust and rest in Him because He is both “Love” and “Just”, and as an old song says, “He has the whole world in His hands”.
I find these words to be most comforting and encouraging, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works.” No matter what, God’s kingdom does not change regardless of what goes on in the kingdoms of this world. Neither the “world, the flesh or the devil” will be able to thwart “The Father’s” plans. His plan has endured all the generations preceding us and will continue to until “the skies unfold, and we behold His glory”. We can trust His Word because it is “Truth” and never changes, nor disappears. His Word always is for this time. It is always current no matter what the world thinks, or how we choose to interpret it or deny it. As the psalmist wrote, “The Lord is FAITHFUL in ALL His Words”!
As I reflect on being “thankful”, I am drawn to remembering Anne and the men and women who in the early days laid the foundation of VMTC, working out the pattern, discovering things that worked, and things that didn’t, dealing with leadership styles and opinions, as well as opposition. I am grateful for the directors over the years who caused the Ministry to grow, who challenged and sustained the Ministry; for all the thousands of men and women who have been set free by the pattern of VMTC; for the sacrifice of time and resources many have given to spread this Ministry around the world; for the wonderful freedom and love this Ministry has brought to so many families and churches; for the opportunity so many have had to have their lives transformed, marriages saved, families restored and folk set free. The Lord indeed is faithful. I am thankful to you, who participate, pray, give, love this Ministry, and who continue to undergird it.
As you celebrate this “Thanksgiving” may you know how grateful I am for you. Because of you, this Ministry continues to grow, and many lives are changed so they can glorify the One who has set them free. Because of the pattern of prayer, many can daily walk in 16newfound freedom rejoicing, as well as encouraging others to discover they too can walk in freedom and to love in ways they never could before.
I am indeed thankful for you. May you and yours have a wonderful and beautiful “Thanksgiving”!
Love and blessings,
by VMTC | May 1, 2021 | Teachings & Encouragements
We are living in a time referred to as “the cancel culture”. It seems if somebody does not like what someone else says, they “cancel” them. They “wipe” or “blot” them out. The term is not new but now is used in a way to control freedom of thought and freedom of speech of those with whom you disagree. Let me share with you some wonderful ways in which the Scripture uses the term “cancel”. “I even I am He who blots (cancels) out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25). “ “It’s a story about two men who were deeply in debt. One owed the bank one hundred thousand] and the other only owed ten thousand dollars. 42 When it was obvious that dollars,[neither of them would be able to repay their debts, the kind banker graciously wrote off (canceled) the debts and forgave them all that they owed. Tell me, Simon, which of the two debtors would be the most thankful? Which one would love the banker most?” (Luke 7:41-42 The Passion Version) “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out (canceled), that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” (Acts 3:19) “God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against and that stood opposed to us; He took it away nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13b-14) Now that is the kind of “cancel” culture in which I can rejoice!
Forgiving is not something that is going on in our culture today. “Canceling” has replaced “forgiveness”. Culture requires us to conform to whatever it says whether it is true or not; whether it is factual or not, and whether it is accurate of not. “Truth” is like “shifting sands“ in the present culture. It is changeable, flexible, forgettable, and unnecessary. We who have been confronted by Jesus who is the “Truth” about our sins and experienced His forgiveness; have a newfound freedom and power to forgive those who have sinned against us. We know what it means to have our sins canceled.
We not only have experienced “forgiveness”; we have experienced “peace, love, and joy“ in ways we never knew before. Our culture is in great need of folk whose sins have been canceled. This is our time to join those whom it was said of, “These men and women (they) who have turned the world upside down have come here also,” (Acts 17:6b RSV). May we be known in our culture as “turning the world upside down”. We who have benefited from the “Circle of Love” have “good news” to share with those who are overwhelmed by life, the Coronavirus, being “locked down”, depressed, and/or controlled by fear. We know what freedom means – for our sins have been canceled.
We have been set free from the things of this world; delivered from the powers of the spiritual world, healed of our wounds, those self-inflicted and by others, and walk in the power, grace, and love of the Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Praise the Lord!!! Let us live boldly a life of victory and humility.
by VMTC | Oct 5, 2020 | Teachings & Encouragements
We know we are commanded to forgive, but what does that really mean? It simply means to give up our right to revenge, restitution or recompense – like forgiving a debt.
As important as the word forgiveness is, it is interesting to me that when you see it written in the Old Testament it usually refers to the LORD’s attitude toward man in light of man’s sinful nature. That doesn’t mean that God didn’t deal with men’s attitudes and dealings amongst themselves; there are the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. And Leviticus 19:18 states “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” You see the same commandment in more than one place in the Gospels and James even refers to it in Chapter 2 of his epistle as the “Royal” commandment. Galatians 5:14 says, “The entire law is summed up in a single command; “Love your neighbor as yourself.””
Given what forgiveness means, we see that love is being contrasted in Leviticus 19:18 as the opposite of un-forgiveness; therefore we know that love and forgiveness are two words that go hand in hand. We are all familiar with 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 which says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Another verse very close to this is 1Peter 4:8 which says, “Above all, love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins.”
I wonder, is it really possible to forgive someone without love? Specifically, can we forgive those who spitefully use us without God’s love in us? I’m not sure I believe that we can forgive anyone, even those we love without God’s love. I think we can fool ourselves into thinking we have by putting their transgressions out of our mind and choosing by our will not to think of them, but what if something happens to remind us of what that person did to us? What if they do it again? What if they’ve done it many times?
Maybe we can forgive those we love on our own without Him. Is it worth taking a chance?
In the Gospels, we can see that the disciples made two practical requests of Jesus, one was when Peter asks in Mathew 18:21 how many times he should forgive someone: “Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
Right after Jesus tells Peter he should not just forgive 7 times, but 70 X 7 times, He reinforces it with the parable teaching about the unmerciful servant who begged for and received mercy, but immediately after being released, met someone who owed him a fraction of his forgiven debt and showed no mercy. As you know the master heard and rescinded the mercy that had been extended and Jesus finished by saying, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
The other request was in Mathew 6:5-14 which says, “and when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. This then is how you should pray:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
This is incredibly clear; there is no ambiguity here and these are not the only admonitions in scripture concerning our responsibility to forgive. If we have such a hard time forgiving those we love (and we do whether we realize it or not), how are we going to forgive those who spitefully use us? Mathew 5:43-48 says, “You have heard it said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
How many times have we heard this passage and the others like it and we can’t help agreeing with it; after all, it is the Lord’s command, but how do we do it? I think that often when it comes to things that are difficult in scripture we think if we repeat it enough and apply our self-will, we can cause it to become internalized in us, i.e. forgiveness will start to happen because we want it to. That is dangerous as we are just as likely or even more likely to just start paying it lip service, lulling ourselves into a false sense of security. Our minds are wonderfully adept at justifying our thoughts and often betray us to that end.
I submit to you that we must have love in our hearts to forgive and we cannot love adequately apart from the Holy Spirit. Even when we are submitted to the Lord there are things that are difficult for us and sometimes we have to make the decision to forgive and ask the Lord to cause our mind and emotions to catch up to our decision. This in itself is not possible if we are not appropriately submitted to the Lord.
Forgiveness will be a lot easier if we can try to see ourselves and others from God’s perspective instead of always viewing others and ourselves from our own unique and selfish perspective. If I could manage that, I might be able to see the real motivations behind other people’s thoughts, words and actions. I might see that we are fighting a common battle, but separately (isolated) and that one or both of us may be losing and getting hurt badly. I might even see the possible tragic consequence in eternity for others (and/or myself) of not persevering or maybe never even engaging in that spiritual battle. If I could even get a glimpse from God’s perspective, I/we may get some indication of what really makes our heavenly Father sorrowful and angry.
How is it that we want Justice for everyone else and Mercy for ourselves? Scripture is clear, if we want mercy, we must be merciful. We must love and forgive. How do we do that? We have to start by getting our mind off ourselves and realizing that we are here to bring Glory to God, not to promote ourselves.
The easiest way I’ve found to forgive others is to pray for them with no strings attached – to pray the LORD’s blessings over them for whatever they need, not that which will make it easier on me. It is very hard to be reasonable when you are angry or emotional, but it is impossible to stay angry at someone when you are truly praying blessings over them.
My very favorite scripture passage right now is James 2:12, 13 which says, “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”
