Fixing Relationships

 

We can easily sin against God by doing the wrong thing in our relationship with other people.

Remember what Joseph said when tempted by Potiphar’s wife? Genesis 39:9, “…how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”  You say, “but wait a minute – Joseph would have only sinned with his master’s wife - right?” But Joseph saw it differently.  He knew the sin would ultimately be against God Himself. 

Too many Christians block the flow of favor and blessing from God in their lives because they offend the Lord in their dealings with other people. Unanswered prayer, hindered worship, and lack of joy; these things and many other “spiritual problems” arise from relationship problems or sins against other people.

Let me ask a few soul searching questions.  Can you think of people you may have hurt or offended in some way?  Are you bitter or holding grudges against people that may have hurt you?  Are you involved in any improper (unspiritual) relationship right now? Have you gotten too close with someone (of the opposite sex) at work? Do you avoid regular fellowship with your local church? Are your family relationships as they should be?  These questions are only for your consideration and personal reflection.  Why? Because the way you treat others affects the way God treats you!

If you are struggling to get God to respond to your prayers, struggling with worship and you find yourself avoiding certain people because things are not right between you. Then prayerfully consider fixing your relationship with others. You just may find heaven “closed” until you do.  

God wants to bless you, He really does. However, your relationship issues may be the reason God won’t bless you right now.


The Pastor’s Pocket

Pastor Bruce Freeman





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are You Ready?

Image
It’s that time of the year when the animals are getting ready for winter. They make sure their nesting place is ready for hibernation. They are gathering food or eating a lot of food now to sustain them during the winter months.   In the mornings when we wake up, we get ready for the day. When we are expecting visitors, we get ready for their arrival. The airline industry works hard to make sure their planes are ready to fly. Athletes warm up to get ready for competition.   Jesus tells us to get ready because He is coming.  Are you ready for His return? We must be prepared, for one day the Lord will surely come. How can you be sure you are ready for that moment? (1) Make sure you are saved, born again. (2) Be serving Christ in some capacity. (3) Make sure you are doing the will of God. (4) Be a worshipper. Practice now praising the Lord because that is what you will do in heaven (Revelation 4-5).   Are you prepared for an encounter with the Lord today? Have you positioned yourself to m
Read more

Shopping Season

Image
Our daughter was shopping at a wholesale store recently and sent my wife this text, “Insane how packed it is on Wednesday afternoon!” My wife’s reply to her was, “Tis the season”. The busy shopping season has begun. It’s a great time of the year for retailers.  During this season as Christians, we mustn’t venture out without asking the Holy Spirit to fill us with patience and give us the strength to maintain a Christ-like spirit.   This is a shopping season when many people are searching for, hoping for, something that will satisfy a craving, fulfill a longing, or give them a thrill. For some it will be a party, alcohol, a new car, new clothes, a new boyfriend/girlfriend perhaps. For some, their happiness comes from a sale at the mall, and their many purchases. It’s a season when many are looking for a “high” which turns out to be only temporary.   Friend, there is a “high” you cannot buy. It’s righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). It’s not something temporal
Read more

Trusting God

Image
You’ve never really given a problem over to God until you completely trust Him with the outcome. Too much of our faith in prayer is tied to getting God to do what we think is best. We rejoice if God does what we ask or if He responds as we think He should. What if God has other plans? Is He any less faithful?   The truth is, God sometimes does have plans that differ from our own agenda.   As we pray, we must be willing to accept whatever God determines best.   That’s never easy, but it’s a place we must come to in our understanding of the Holy One.   We all know the story of the three Hebrew young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and the fiery furnace.   The story is found in Daniel chapter 3.   An order had gone out from the Babylonian king that everyone in the province was to bow down to the golden idol, and anyone who refused would be thrown into a fiery furnace. I love the approach of these three men in Daniel 3:17, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us
Read more