Thread by @2runtherace

The Kisses Of An Enemy — Or The Rebuke Of A Friend?

Would you rather have the rebuke of a friend or the kisses of an enemy?

A true friend will openly rebuke you if they see you walking in sin, or going down a harmful path! They will do so because they love you!

Proverbs 27:5-6
Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

So many who say they are Christians are living lives that do not demonstrate the fruit of the Holy Spirit!

They bless with their mouth using the Name of the LORD, then they turn and curse in the next breath!

James 3:8-11
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

The Holy Spirit in a believer will not allow this to continue without nudging and bringing conviction. The LORD accepts us in the condition we come to Him — but He loves us too much to leave us in that condition!

He transforms our lives, our actions, the words we speak, and our thoughts! He conforms us to His image, that we might reflect His glory, and glorify Him!

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

As we spend time with Him, and spend time reading His Word, His Word reads us, it shows us the error of our ways! He gives us His desires, for our fleshly desires!

I believe that this Psalm speaks about this changing of desires! He will give you His desires as you walk with Him!

Psalm 37:4
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

There will be a dramatic difference in the life of a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, from that of the world, and from our previous lives!

Colossians 1:13
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.

Our lives will begin to produce fruit, not the fruit of the flesh, but the fruit of His Spirit!

Galatians 5:19-25
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,

Wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

We will begin to hate evil, and the things of this world will grow less and less desirable. We will began to distance ourselves from the things of this world!

James 4:4
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Sometimes the changes are little by little, sometimes they are more dramatic!

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (homosexuals) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the LORD Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Ephesians 4:29-32
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

If you have a brother or sister in Christ who truly loves you, and is walking by His Spirit, they will tell you the things that are hard to say; the things that may make them and you uncomfortable!

If we truly love others, we won’t accept their sinful condition or practices, like the world tells us we should, we won’t tolerate sin, but we will speak what the Word of God says about that sin!

We will love others enough to risk telling them the truth in love, even though they might hate us for it!

The Word says that believers are not to even speak about the vile and evil things around us, yet we see so many who laugh and make light of the sin in this world!

We are to reprove, and expose sin, but we are not talk of it lightly! What a grievous thing that must be to our holy Father in heaven, and to His Spirit in us when we do!

Ephesians 5:9-13
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the LORD.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Iron sharpens iron! A true friend will draw you closer to the LORD, but bad company will corrupt good morals!

Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

1 Corinthians 15:33
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

So, beloved, I come to you today as your friend, asking that you allow the LORD to examine your heart and life and see if there are things that should not be there!

I come to you because I love and care about you, and the LORD would have me remind you today that He desires holiness and purity in His children!

I come not to provoke you to guilt, sadness or anger, but to love and good fruit in your lives, in the same way I would desire you do to me!

Hebrews 10:24-27
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
#EyesOnHim

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