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Why Do We Want To Hurt Our Best Friend?
Have you ever given any thought to what kind of a friend you really are? Yea yea….I hear you, falling all over yourselves telling me and giving example of what a great person you really are as well as you are a “friend to the end!!”
Now I am going to ask you another question. Are you a Christian? Let’s restate that okay? Are you a Biblical Christian? Since I can not hear you I am going to assume that most of you are saying….Y E S!!!!!
Sadly many of us consider ourselves Christians, but in a very broad sense. But many of you who say that you are, where would you go if the Rapture happened right now or if you were to suddenly pass away? A lot of us are Christians while others are looking at us, but when we are alone……Well? Do you know what integrity is? Integrity is what you are when you are all alone and no one else is watching…..Starting to hurt a little now isn’t it?
A lot of your friends you will buddy buddy around with, but when their backs are turned, you say some of the most hurtful things about some of your pals…..But that is not where I am really going….We have sailed past our array of usual friends and the backstabbing that goes on…..So let’s look deeper yet.
Remember that word integrity? Oh my!…..We are walking past the local pub and oooops…..Look who is inside and what’s that we see….Is that a beer?….And just listen to all of that coarse talk!…..Is that a dirty joke we hear? What did James say about praising God and cursing coming out of the same mouth? Speaking of potty mouth, they are actually lighting up a cigarette! Now they not only sound like a potty, they now smell…..Let’s move on. You get the idea!
You see what is happening here? We see things so two dimensionally. Does it occur to you that while you are doing these things, especially under the banner of being a Christian, that there is a Spiritual world all around you?…..How does it make you feel to actually realize that Jesus could be standing at your side hearing you and watching you. If you are indeed SAVED…..You have God’s Holy Spirit inside you and you are subjecting His Spirit to garbage like this.
John 14:16-17 NIV
[16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— [17] the Spirit of truth. …
In case you missed it…..That’s the Holy Spirit…..When Jesus left, He asked the Father to send us the Holy Spirit. Whether you speak in tongues or not, if we are saved, His Spirit resides in each and every one of us. Article 9 from the International Pentecostal Church of Christ’s Statement of faith and Articles 7 & 8 from the Assembly of God’s 16 Fundamental Truths both state, “The Baptism of The Holy Spirit is an experience available to ALL believers.” I don’t want to leave you hanging with no proof of what I am saying so let’s take a look at Acts……
Acts 2:4 NIV
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 19:6 NIV
When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
So there is our evidence that the Holy Spirit resides in us and for those of us who are Spirit filled we have the evidence of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit enables us.
The Holy Spirit is not only our companion, our counselor, but our comforter as well. In essence He is our best friend. He is always there for us. He watches over us and loves us…Do we ever speak directly to Him?….Nope. Do we take into consideration His feelings? Not really. We slap Him in the cheek and He, out of love, turns the other cheek. A lot of times, He will speak to us and we just blatantly ignore what He has told us.
In our conversations we use such strong language that we actually grieve Him and we never give a thought about it. We have been warned in many places in the Bible about us being held accountable for idle words…….What does the Bible say about words and deeds?….
Ephesians 4:25-28 NIV
[25] Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. [26] “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, [27] and do not give the devil a foothold. [28] Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
Yes we are held accountable not only for our deeds but our words. Do our words really grieve the Holy Spirit? Well, you be the judge. If it were not so, then why is this in the Bible?
Ephesians 4:29-32 NIV
[29] Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. [31] Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. [32] Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
And I will tell you this….And from practical experience…..Your words WILL grieve His Spirit. Several years ago, I got very upset with some contractors who fell through our bathroom ceiling from the roof. They never said a word to us and my wife walked in the bathroom and exclaimed she could see the sky….She called the rental office and me like a jerk, grabbed the phone from her hand and I proceeded to scream at the young lady at the other end as well as I used some strong language…..At that point I felt an extreme sadness and deep grief fall on me…..and I realized I was way out of line…..I called the lady back and apologized to her….And I was very sincere….She forgave me, but that feeling did not leave me for several hours…..Wanna guess why?….Because I violated Ephesians 4:29-32…..There are some things we have to learn the hard way…..And I am real good at that too.
Funny thing is that I wonder how many of you who, for some unknown reason to you, start to feel sad and have no real reason to feel that way. Maybe if you go back and review your recent actions you may discover that something you did grieved the Holy Spirit. Please, one important thing to consider here…..Don’t use a situation like this as gauge of doing right or wrong. Never let your feelings be your guide. What you do should be embedded in something solid like the Bible. However God will let you experience certain things like feelings, which will give you clarity….And believe me the stupid thing I did became very clear to me and was something I never forgot.
Why don’t each and every one of us start today doing things differently in our lives. Let’s put into practice Ephesians 4:29-32. Drop the coarse talk and strong negative actions. Let’s start taking into consideration the feelings of our best friend. Not only that, but why don’t you talk to the Holy Spirit once in a while. Thank Him for His help and presence. In fact it would not hurt to give Him some praise. Thank God for the blessings that comes from His Holy Spirit.
Finally remember if you think that little off color joke would go good right about now, THINK….You just could have Jesus standing close by…..and inside you there is the Holy Spirit…..Throw that off color joke in the trash where it belongs, Give God some praise and thanks and move forward…….Let’s be the right witnesses for the Most High God!!
We ARE the church…..The Bride of Christ. It’s high time that all of us realize this fact and start acting like His responsible children.
Be Blessed until the next SBS
Keith D. Hardin
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