Are You Under the Influence?

Dear Friend,

Do you ever wonder how our Father feels when He sees His children trying to destroy each other? I’m talking Christian against Christian. Satan seems to have convinced people that using Scripture to hurt others is okay.

When the Apostle Paul prayed in First Corinthians 5:5, he was praying over a man who was fornicating with his father’s wife. We know the Word says unrepentant fornicators won’t make it to Heaven. However, Paul was making a mercy call in verse 5 when he said: To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

I’ve noticed these days that many people are speaking evil against others just because they don’t like their preaching. They seem to think God is going to punish the ones they don’t like for them!! That, my friends, is Christian witchcraft. Demons will pick up the evil they have spoken and use it to attack others, and those who speak evil think God did it for them. What a shame. How deceived can a person be?

Our Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit must be very sad to see this. We have to be careful to keep our hearts pure and our motives good.

I find that people get very angry if you don’t agree with them. But if what they’re saying is contrary to the Word, you can’t agree with them. Satan will do everything he can to get you pulled into the strife arena, because where there’s strife, there’s every evil work. Satan’s good at what he does. Therefore, as Christians, we need to really unite and quit giving the enemy so much ammunition. Amen. We will either be influenced by God or influenced by Satan. It is and will always be our choice.

I know emotionally it can be hard to walk in love with others. Sometimes I really have to stay on my knees to forgive and let go of some of the injustices that I see. The good news is, with Jesus, we can do all things.

Even when people think they’ve gotten by with hurting others, nothing escapes God. In Second Timothy 4:6,7, Paul, knowing he was getting ready to leave the planet, said:

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

At the time, Paul was being forsaken by people who had once followed and ministered with him. He says in verse 10: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. Verse 14 says, Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works.

Now, how Paul responds to the hurt from people who were once close brought me to tears years ago: At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge (Second Timothy 4:16). Paul forgave them.

I love verses 17 and 18:

Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I love the stand Paul made. We can and will have victory!

I want to encourage you, as long as you have Jesus, you are never alone. We don’t have to do things the way the world does them. We can let the love of God be our biggest influence.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 2:3,5

Glory to God!! We serve a faithful God. Don’t let Satan lie to you.

In His love,

Donner Roberson