The Passionate Believer

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” [1 John 1:9] In an earlier blog I spoke about repenting on behalf of other people and said that is an impossible thing to do because repentance is a matter of the heart. God has to touch the heart of an individual to bring about transformation. It is however possible to confess the sins of other people as Daniel did [Daniel 9:16] because confession of sins is an acknowledgment that people erred. Confession of sins must be coupled with remorse. “ For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death” [2 Corinthians 7:10]. When we confess the sins of others, God may grant repentance [see Acts 11:18, Acts 8:22, 2 Timothy 2:25] and it is His prerogative to forgive or not, but it is imperative that we always pray for people to be saved. Now John is addressing believers since he uses the word “we”. He is

" And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor .” - Judges 6 Vs 12  (ESV) This is the way God addresses Gideon, calls him a "mighty man of Valor." But in verse 15   his response is completely different and somewhat weak. " And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house .” " - Judges 6 Vs 15 (ESV) So, the question I ask is this, who has the case of mistaken Identity ? Was it God who looked at Gideon and got the wrong impression ? I believe we all know the answer to this obvious yet simple question.  The same applies to us every single day. Everyday, we wake up with the same attitude as Gideon had when He responded to God in that moment. We think of ourselves in the least ways possible, as did Gideon. That's the way Gideon saw himself. But here's the point today, when God looked at Gideon

“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” . [Matthew 24:12]  The old song invites us to remember that this world is not our home and we are just passing by. And yes, we are passing by because the world to come is going to be totally and radically changed, transformed from what we see just like our lowly bodies will also be transformed. “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is” [1 John 3:2].   I think believers need to hear it often and especially this time because we tend to get too comfortable and forget that we are on mission with God. He has laid out His plan and though the world may not know or understand it, the church of

“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” [ Titus 3:10-11] “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” [2 John 1:10-11] Is there anything like loving someone from a distance? If so, is there Scripture which can help explain that to us? An area the word of God teaches us to love someone from afar is where there are people who cause divisions and people who teach wrong doctrine. The Bible does not mince words about these two kinds of people. Divisions separate the body of Christ and anyone who does that is at loggerheads with God. In order for us not to be judgemental, due process must be taken to help a divisive person. Paul says, “after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him”