“Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:13-15, all scripture KJV).

With Tears I write:

Have you ever Loved someone so much and thought that they Loved you, only to find out that their Love for you just seemed to change… especially the more you grew in CHRIST? I have Loved Ones that I Love Dearly! I thought for sure some of them were my Best Friends at one point in time. Somehow, over the years, the Devil stole them away one by one. ‘Stole Them Away’ as in getting them to Betray, Turn Against, and Forsake not only me but other Family Members in this Painful Process as well.

As Devastating and Heartbreaking as this Nightmare Experience has been, we know that we are not alone. Nearly everyone we have spoken to concerning this Last Days Phenomenon could relate to this Experience in one way or another. Family Estrangement is nothing short of a Tragedy in a person’s life. We have also come to realize that it may very well be one of the High Costs of Discipleship! After all, JESUS told us that to be HIS Followers, we are to ‘Count the Cost’!

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish” (Luke 14:26-30).

One night I was abruptly awakened after having a Dream about one of my Estranged Loved Ones; and somehow, the scene from the old movie Pet Cemetery (which we have not seen since the early 90’s) came to mind. The scene of the Parents Grieving So Much over their Little Son that they Dared to Exhume his Body and Bury him at Pet Cemetery! These Parents wanted to ‘Resurrect’ their Precious Son so badly that it did not matter the Cost! Risking to bring him Back, all the while Knowing that he Would Not be the Same! Sure enough, their Little Boy came back; and not only was he Not the Same, he was now Satanically Evil! Since their Son was So Evil, the Cost ended up being their very lives!

Like the Grieving Parents in that movie, I have been Desperate to ‘Resurrect the Walking Dead’ Loved Ones in my life! Knowing Full Well that these Relationships would More Than Likely Still be Very Toxic, I Longingly took the Risk! By Optimistically ‘Extending the Olive Branch’ not once but several times (that would be my Forever Optimist Mindset apparently stuck on Repeat) over the years, in Hopes that with each New Effort that things might have Finally Changed! Unfortunately, the Best way to describe this ‘Circling the Drain’ Experience would be to liken it to bringing them back from something like the ‘Pet Cemetery’!  A better description to me would be likening it to bringing them back from what I would call more of a ‘Toxic Cemetery’!

Excerpt from:  WiseGeek.com “What Does it Mean to Extend an Olive Branch?”

The term “to extend an olive branch” means to make an offer of peace or reconciliation. This term has Biblical origins, coming from the section of the Old Testament that deals with the flood; the sign that the flood is over is an olive branch brought back to the ark by a dove. Olive branches were also symbols of peace in Ancient Greece and Rome, and they continue to be used in various works of art that are meant to suggest peace, from murals to patches. – Source

The ‘Revived’ Relationships would Last anywhere from 3 Weeks to A Year and a Half each time. But since Minds and Hearts were Not Changed and Issues were Not Resolved due to Lack of Repentance, the Relationships basically did not have a Genuine Chance to Survive and would Painfully End once again! One can Extend all the Olive Branches in the world, but until the other Persons in the Relationship have their Minds and Hearts Right with GOD, no amount of Coaxing and Kindness can smooth over that kind of ‘Walking Dead Toxicity’!

GOD is the Only One who can Change Minds and Hearts! HE Gives every one of us Freewill to Choose. It is up to us to Decide if we Believe in HIM or not! GOD does not want ‘Robots’ to Mindlessly Love HIM. HE wants us to Freely Choose to Love HIM of our Own Volition! Until that ‘Transaction’ takes place inside a person, they are under the Spell of the Enemy! The Devil takes them Captive to do His Bidding which is to Steal, Kill, and Destroy; and that includes the Destroying of Relationships too!

As long as they are held Captive by Satan, they are Blinded to the TRUTH of the Gospel! Since they are Blinded to the WORD OF GOD, they will Not be in Obedience to HIM which is to Love One Another. JESUS tells us to Love the LORD your GOD with All your Heart, Soul, Mind, Strength, and to Love One Another as you Love yourself!

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

And the second is like, namely this, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).

Until one is Born Again, they will not be able to carry out this Command.  The Deceiver, sadly, has most of our Estranged Loved Ones Deceived into thinking that they are Christians, yet one can clearly perceive that they do not ‘Have Fruit in Keeping with Repentance’!  Namely the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ such as Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.  When a person claims to be a Christian but Their Thoughts, Actions, and Conduct Consistently Display Hatred, Misery, Conflict, Impatience, Meanness, Wickedness, Inaccuracy, Cruelty, and Indiscipline, then one has to wonder if they are just a Christian in name only.

Hence the Reason we will Never Stop Praying for them! When a Family receives this much Opposition in their life, it is evident that there is a Spiritual Battle taking place! So, what we have learned in this Process is that it is ultimately Fruitless to try and ‘Resurrect the Walking Dead’ from the ‘Toxic Cemetery’ while this Spiritual Battle is raging!

The Best we can do is to Pray for them and let GOD Work on their Minds and Hearts In Only The Way That HE Can! Believe me, I have Tried and Tried with some Loved Ones Time and Time again to No Avail! The Realization is that we Do Not have the Ability to Change Minds and Hearts… Clearly that Ability Belongs to the HOLY SPIRIT Alone!

If you are in the Same Boat of this Last Days Phenomenon, the Best Exhortation I can give is to be Thankful in All Circumstances!  I know it sounds Absurd to be Thankful for Heartache, Broken Relationships, and Suffering but many times that is what it takes to Catapult our Relationship with CHRIST to a Whole New Level!

In Our Lives that has been the Case; so in Hindsight, all this Suffering did was Nothing but Catapult Us To Our Most Intimate Walk With JESUS! A Walk that we probably would not have had if this Tragedy did not come upon our Family! Therefore, even though there have been many tears shed, the Reality is that this has been the Best Thing that could have ever happened to us!

If any Tragedy or Trauma brings you Closer to GOD and/or to Salvation, then Discernment reveals that it was Definitely a Blessing in Disguise! Still, we are Praying that it will also become the Best Thing that could have happened to our Lost Loved Ones as well! What the Enemy meant for Evil against us… GOD worked it together for our Good!

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1Thessalonians 5:18).

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

Until next time… MARANATHA! JESUS = WAY, TRUTH, LIFE

*Ambassador For Christ in All I Do

*YouTube Channel: All For Christ (Sign Language/Voice Ministry)

*Instagram: ambassadorforchrist07

*Occupation: Sign Language Interpreter Sub//Highest Calling of Wife, Mother, & Keeper of the Home

“Forgive” – according to Miriam Webster: 1.) to cease to feel resentment against an offender; 2.) to give up resentment of, or claim to, requital; 3.) to grant relief from payment; 4.) excusing an offense without exacting a penalty; and 5.) excuse or forgiveness for a fault, offense or discourtesy. (any emphasis is mine)

As humans with a hereditary sin nature, we are all considered to be sinners while on this earth (Romans 3:23). There was only one person that has ever led a totally sin-free life while on this earth, and that was Jesus the Christ. His blood was pure and not human-mixed as He was placed in the womb by the Holy Spirit, and not by Joseph. Also, Mary’s blood never mixed with His as she was just the “carrying vessel” until His birth. Everyone else that has ever lived, and will ever live all the way to the end of the millennium, carries the sin-nature that Adam and Eve gave to all of us when they sinned (Genesis 3).

As sinners, if we didn’t have a Savior to forgive us, our eternity would be to be cast into the Lake of Fire forever, which would be our righteous punishment because any and all unforgiven sin is death (Revelation 20:11-15; Romans 6:23).

With the grace of Jesus and mercy from the Father that has been shown to us, we are able to have a new beginning with God. When we repent and confess our sins, and when we ask Jesus to be our Savior, we are given full forgiveness of our sins because of the perfect sacrificial death, and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. With the fact that we have received forgiveness, our Heavenly Father righteously commands us to forgive those who have sinned against us in any way.

One point here before going on: forgiving someone who has truly hurt us, or tried to hurt us, is probably one of the hardest things in this life we will be faced with. By forgiving someone, we are not condoning what was done, and we do not have to even like them. Also, someone who has been a victim of a very harmful act does not have to trust that person as well. We are “releasing” them and what they did to the authority of the Almighty Heavenly Father. It will be His to judge others, and it will release the hold their actions had on us.

All through the gospels, we read of the confrontations Jesus had with the “religious leaders” of His day. He pretty much made it plain to them who He was (John 10:30), and that by rejecting Him, they would not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. There were a couple exceptions with Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, and possibly some others. With this in mind, Jesus made the ultimate example for us by asking the Father to forgive them. Crucifixion was one of the most painful and degrading forms of death, yet in His agony, Jesus was offering them an opportunity to repent and be saved. The choice became theirs completely to make.

For some verses on this subject, we go first to Colossians 3:12-13, “Put on them, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another; and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive.”

Matthew 6:14-15; “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Luke 17:3-4; “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times saying, I Repent, you must forgive him.” (This goes along with Matthew 18:21 where Peter asked the Lord if he should forgive someone seven times, and the Lord replied seventy times seven.)

Ephesians 1:7; 4:31-32; “In Him (Jesus), we have redemption through His blood; the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.”

Psalm 103:12; “As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.”

Micah 7:18-19; “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity, and passing over transgressions for the remnant of His inheritance?” (originally for Jews, but also for all believers) He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love (see 2 Peter 3:9). He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You (God) will cast all out sins into the depths of the sea.”

One more – Mark 11:25; “And whenever you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also, who is in Heaven, may forgive your trespasses.”

In this current day and age, we are nearing the time when Jesus will call all true believers up to meet Him in the air (Rapture or Harpazo). There is an enormous amount of hate being generated by people who are being influenced by Satan and his demons. This is not a surprise to our Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The satanic activities have been around since the beginning of time; however, they have been increasing steadily over the past couple years. Today, there are changes daily that we did not see earlier. Isaiah 5:20 where good is called evil, and evil is called good, is absolutely in full effect. Satanists are out in the open as never before.

God has not changed His mind as to what sin is, and what are abominations to Him. For all who are willing to turn away from their habitual sinful life, He is ready and willing to save all who call on Him (Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:9-13). As Christians, we are subjected to more hate than ever before. Christian businesses are being challenged as being “prejudiced” in the courts, and some small businesses have literally had to shut down.

Our President, Vice President, and any others that profess a belief in Jesus are being challenged. It’s almost as if the deluding influence given in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 is in full force. Sad part is, we’re only experiencing a “taste” of what this world will be like during the Tribulation/Wrath period. It will be beyond anything we could possibly imagine. To even try and accept Jesus during that time will be possible, but the cost will most likely be martyrdom.

This is why so many of us are trying to reach souls every day that need Jesus. We all need Him, but the majority will reject Him as given in Matthew 7:13-14. He will turn no one away, but at the same time, will not force anyone to accept Him either. When we have forgiven those who have done us wrong, we are opening our minds to the comfort that our Heavenly Father offers. Yes, we will still feel pain because of what others have done, but we will not be an active part of it. Jesus even knew all along who was going to betray Him, yet, I believe, He stood ready to forgive Judas if he had truly repented. All scripture referencing the “betrayer” made it clear Judas was never going to repent.

Release anything that may come between you and the Savior today. Pray for Him to provide a forgiving frame of mind for you. He’s ready to take on all our troubles, and provide a sense of peace. To repeat, this in no way condones the actions of others; it directs them to the one capable of taking care of them. Our Heavenly Father is more than qualified to take our “problems” upon Himself. After all, His Son took on All Sin so that we could have an eternal paradise. Call today; that “midnight hour” clock is getting closer all the time.

Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus!

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