It's troubling to me to read about the dreadful split between Judah and Israel, and of the horrendous works of the evil kings. It makes me sad to realize it was all due to Solomon's wandering heart and idolatry later in his life. With all his wisdom, he should have known better. It just goes to show that "you can fall from any level," as Rick Joyner said in The Final Quest. How serious we need to be in maintaining the fear of the Lord, and a pure love for Him and His Word!
All the turmoil of those Old Testament days reminds me of modern times, even of American politics. If you look just under the surface of current events, you will see the seeds of civil war. The trouble is, so many of the issues are spiritual, just as they were back in Ahab's day. God's people today seem to have just as much trouble in dealing with ungodliness in society and government as they did in Bible times. Why is that, I wonder? Do you think, perhaps, that most of us are just too concerned with trying to survive to do anything to confront the evils that are trying to gain power over us, individually and as a nation? [and I'm not talking about "rebellion," I'm talking about submitting to God and following Him.]
In order to be free from evil domination, we will have to be willing to see what is really happening around us and to us. We will have to be willing to see evil, not close our eyes to it. Seeing it and liking it, or just going along with it (as well as simply closing our eyes to it), is what leads us into slavery. Seeing it and hating it is the beginning of getting free.
God expects us to love what He loves and hate what He hates. This, of course, must be established in our own personal life, but after that, what? I would say, no matter what, start with prayer. Prayer is the launch pad. None of us will know what He is doing, or what we ourselves are to do, without seeking the Lord in prayer. If you don't really trust God, now's the time to dig down into the Word and get your roots planted into Him. Every time you obey Him, you get a little more rooted. You're going to have to trust Him in order to stand godly in the evil day.
The truth is, while Christ's Kingdom is being established on earth, the worldly kingdoms are crumbling. Can you feel the foundations being shaken? Do you see the chaos beginning to take hold of the world's systems? Of course, all those with worldly power, not to mention the evil spiritual entities that hold sway over the nations, are trying to tighten their grip. Controls will strengthen, and when people rebel against control, flattery will try to win them-- but only so that even greater control can be exercised. There's no getting away from this. It's the times we're in! That's why it's so important to see the Kingdom of God and go for it. It's time to see what kingdoms are what, and choose.
Whatever you're called to do in the Kingdom of God, God has provision for you. It takes a lot of courage to take a stand for God in evil times, or even to support one who openly does. But as Jesus said, Be not afraid! We saw how the Lord provided for Elijah-- He sent ravens to feed him! Then He asked a poor widow to care for him, and miraculously provided for her too. Not only was there enough food for them, but there was also provision for healing (her son was raised). Even if the Lord were to call for judgments (such as famine) against an idolatrous nation, His people will be provided for if they will trust Him and obey Him.
As we read in the story of Peter and Cornelius, the Lord even has communications covered: prayer, the leading of the Holy Spirit, visions, and angelic visitations will keep God's people "in the know" and the Kingdom of God running according to His plan. And remember how Stephen got transported by the Spirit, and he just found himself somewhere? Who needs cars, planes, cell phones and the internet when you have such efficient modes of communication and travel? We might as well get used to it-- we're called to live in a supernatural Kingdom! It's not science fiction, it's real! We'll see more and more of it as the return of the King draws nearer.
I know it's normal to say, "Well, I'm not Elijah! Maybe that guy over there is!" but each of us has been given a place of authority in our life, whether large or small; and in this place of rule, we are each called to declare the Word of the Lord and to resist evil, no matter what the apparent cost. We must trust the Lord to provide all that is needed, even when the world from which we have been gaining our support is falling down around our ears.
"And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead." Acts 10:42
Showing posts with label authority. Show all posts
Showing posts with label authority. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
May 12, 2010 Bullies in a Battle of Words
We're always going to get tested to see what our true motivations are. King Saul was tested, and he flunked. If we look at the story only in the natural we might want to take Saul's part; but if you see what Samuel saw, you'll realize what went wrong, and why the kingdom was to be taken away from him.
The king and his son were the only ones who had swords! The oppressive enemy had seen to it that the people had none (and they put up with it!) In the spiritual sense, Saul was the one who had the word of God-- and he disobeyed it. His explanation sounds plausible, but Samuel says other wise. Saul was not "a man after God's heart," and therefore his kindgom would not continue.
David, on the other hand was a man after God's heart. He knew not to fight the enemy without the Lord going before him: "Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies." Psalm 108:12-13 Saul sought his own glory, but David sought the glory of God.
Jesus said, "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him." John 7:18
Jesus said only what His Father told Him to say. He only sought the glory of the Father, and now the kingdom of Christ has been established over all.
We get tested when the enemy is there taunting us and making threats, and we think the Lord isn't doing anything about it. Sometimes He doesn't "show up" fast enough for us. If we don't have the Word in us, we're going to go run and hide in a cave, and the bully gets a victory. If we do have the Word, but we don't have God's heart, we will speak and act presumptuously. We may have been better off running and hiding. When we speak the Word or do an "obedient" action out of God's time, and with a selfish motivation, we can easily become a weapon in the hands of the enemy.
"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit."
Proverbs 15:4
I think we know, by now, that the perverseness is in the heart (if it were in the physical tongue, we could all cut out our tongues out and be very righteous indeed!). Words can be swords. How many times have our rash words broken another's spirit, and, in turn, our own? I cannot begin to count the times I have done this. But it happens less often now, because I'm tired of hurting others and suffering the pain of it myself-- and I'm tired of grieving the Holy Spirit. I want a wholesome tongue. I want a whole heart after God.
Powerlessness is a bad thing, and God wants to deliver us from it. But power without godly authority is deadly. We cannot inherit the kingdom of God by walking in power without love and submission to God. We can't beat the devil with the devil's attitudes. For one thing, we must realize that Satan is already defeated; but we still must destroy his works. God will help us destroy the works of the enemy if we have God's heart and are seeking His glory and not our own.
Jesus is the Tree of Life. The more we yield to the Spirit and allow Him to grow that Tree in our heart, the more life-giving our words will be. This is God's heart for you, and for all His children. Some of Satan's strategy would be to irritate you so much that you hack away at the Tree growing in someone else's garden. Let's be patient with one another, and look for and nourish that Tree. At this moment, it might be just be a seedling that needs to be nurtured and protected. Someday, it will be a great Tree that will offer shelter to the lost and dying.
The king and his son were the only ones who had swords! The oppressive enemy had seen to it that the people had none (and they put up with it!) In the spiritual sense, Saul was the one who had the word of God-- and he disobeyed it. His explanation sounds plausible, but Samuel says other wise. Saul was not "a man after God's heart," and therefore his kindgom would not continue.
David, on the other hand was a man after God's heart. He knew not to fight the enemy without the Lord going before him: "Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies." Psalm 108:12-13 Saul sought his own glory, but David sought the glory of God.
Jesus said, "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him." John 7:18
Jesus said only what His Father told Him to say. He only sought the glory of the Father, and now the kingdom of Christ has been established over all.
We get tested when the enemy is there taunting us and making threats, and we think the Lord isn't doing anything about it. Sometimes He doesn't "show up" fast enough for us. If we don't have the Word in us, we're going to go run and hide in a cave, and the bully gets a victory. If we do have the Word, but we don't have God's heart, we will speak and act presumptuously. We may have been better off running and hiding. When we speak the Word or do an "obedient" action out of God's time, and with a selfish motivation, we can easily become a weapon in the hands of the enemy.
"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit."
Proverbs 15:4
I think we know, by now, that the perverseness is in the heart (if it were in the physical tongue, we could all cut out our tongues out and be very righteous indeed!). Words can be swords. How many times have our rash words broken another's spirit, and, in turn, our own? I cannot begin to count the times I have done this. But it happens less often now, because I'm tired of hurting others and suffering the pain of it myself-- and I'm tired of grieving the Holy Spirit. I want a wholesome tongue. I want a whole heart after God.
Powerlessness is a bad thing, and God wants to deliver us from it. But power without godly authority is deadly. We cannot inherit the kingdom of God by walking in power without love and submission to God. We can't beat the devil with the devil's attitudes. For one thing, we must realize that Satan is already defeated; but we still must destroy his works. God will help us destroy the works of the enemy if we have God's heart and are seeking His glory and not our own.
Jesus is the Tree of Life. The more we yield to the Spirit and allow Him to grow that Tree in our heart, the more life-giving our words will be. This is God's heart for you, and for all His children. Some of Satan's strategy would be to irritate you so much that you hack away at the Tree growing in someone else's garden. Let's be patient with one another, and look for and nourish that Tree. At this moment, it might be just be a seedling that needs to be nurtured and protected. Someday, it will be a great Tree that will offer shelter to the lost and dying.
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010
April 20, 2010
How great is the faithfulness of our God! When I read this verse, "Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass." Joshua 21:45, my spirit sighs a sigh of contentment. I am proud to have a God like that. He promises wonderful things to His children, and He keeps His promises without fail. I want to be like that.
Our God is also faithful to stand up for us and defend us when He has authorized us to do something. No matter what anyone says, if you're obeying the Word of the Lord, stand your ground. Jesus always had the ultimate answer for any of His detractors, the statement that made His enemies close their mouths. I want to be like that.
Ethan the Ezrahite, the writer of Psalm 89, extolled the Lord and His faithfulness in this beautiful song. I want to be like that too.
God is faithful! As I meditate on His intrinsic faithfulness, thanking and worshipping Him, His nature and His character will be imparted to me. As I practice walking in godly faithfulness (something I have far to go on), He will strengthen and uphold me.
As we grow in faithful obedience to God's Word, we grow in authority. As we demonstrate His characteristic faithfulness, people will be drawn to the Lord, because it is a very winsome quality indeed!
Our God is also faithful to stand up for us and defend us when He has authorized us to do something. No matter what anyone says, if you're obeying the Word of the Lord, stand your ground. Jesus always had the ultimate answer for any of His detractors, the statement that made His enemies close their mouths. I want to be like that.
Ethan the Ezrahite, the writer of Psalm 89, extolled the Lord and His faithfulness in this beautiful song. I want to be like that too.
God is faithful! As I meditate on His intrinsic faithfulness, thanking and worshipping Him, His nature and His character will be imparted to me. As I practice walking in godly faithfulness (something I have far to go on), He will strengthen and uphold me.
As we grow in faithful obedience to God's Word, we grow in authority. As we demonstrate His characteristic faithfulness, people will be drawn to the Lord, because it is a very winsome quality indeed!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
April 14, 2010
The Luke passage again reminded me of the problem of offenses (remember the walled city). What He says shows us how very serious offenses are. Here, Jesus is teaching us about what we need to do to avoid offenses. Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” Luke 17: 1-4
Notice that everybody's talking in the last scenario. Offenses come when we don't talk to our brothers and sisters. He's speaking about our family in the faith-- people in a Family whose whole foundation is God's total forgiveness. He instructs us to tell them what they did wrong, that is, when they do something to us that is sinful (He doesn't mean go around and correct everybody for everything! This is personal). And He doesn't say, go point out the person's repeat errors. He says if they do it again and come and repent to you, let them know you forgive them, over and over. This is a great way for us to get trained in a righteous behavior, by practicing accountability. Notice that this brother is not offended, since he keeps asking for forgiveness. And we are walking in forgiveness, which means we've released it to the Lord.
Pay attention, though: Jesus said "Take heed to yourselves." We're being careful here not to create an offense. And not to take offense ourself. We all sin on a regular basis. We get offended when we don't get things aired out. If I let someone sin against me over and over, and I don't point it out to them, it is too easy to become hard of heart, bitter and unforgiving. Soon my fellowship with God and others is ruined. This is offense. Jesus didn't say, "If your brother offends you." We choose to be offended. If we do as Jesus said, we keep ouselves clear. Guarding against offense means we must act against it before it comes, because once we're offended, we're probably going to need to be rescued (delivered).
We must understand how we could possibly create an offense, so we can be careful not to do so. We help create an offense by not speaking correction at the proper time. Consider this: what if, later on, the person realizes they've been sinning all this time, and you didn't tell them. What if they reaped all sorts of bad consequences for their sin that could have been avoided by honesty.
We also create a situation for offense when we wound someone and do not admit it and ask them to forgive us for our sin. It's not enough to repent privately to God and know we're forgiven. If someone is harboring something against us (we used to call it "an ought" from the King James, and all that means is "something"), then things are not healthy, and we are all hindered. The Kingdom of God is a lot about right relationship. These things can contribute to people taking offense-- not only against you, but against the whole church, and eventually God. They create opportunities for the devil to steal, kill and destroy.
The direst circumstance of creating offense is against "one of these little ones." I see this as little either in the natural, as a young child, or young in the family of God. I think a "little one" can be anyone you are have authority over. When a person in authority-- such as a parent, or a spiritual leader-- sins against those in their protection-- those who trust and follow them-- they create a situation where the rebuke-repent-forgive scenario (open communication) cannot usually take place.
"Little ones" will usually be too afraid to approach the authority to confront them about a sin. If they do attempt it, most of the time, they are repelled, and will never attempt it again. The young, untrained, and immature have the ability to forgive a parent or leader's sin without speaking about it to them (and most of the time to no one but God), but if the sin is very heinous or repeated, and it is not humbly confessed, this places a burden on these little ones that, too many times, cannot be overcome without help.
Parents are mistaken if they think they should never admit wrong to their children. [In order to keep from defiling them unnecessarily, we confess only what the child already knows about]. Humble repentance is always in good order. Children respond very gracefully to it, are very forgiving (unless they are already offended), and learn by the example.
Our responsibility as Christians, especially if we are in a place of maturity and leadership, is to do everything we can to guard against offense. Offense causes people to build terrible walls around their heart and life. These walls become fortresses that keep people from loving and receiving love, and often make people lash out angrily. If we realize we have helped create an offense, we must get on our face and repent before God, seeking Him as to how to restore the person or people. It will not be easy, but nothing is impossible with God.
Having been in the place of offense myself, on both sides, I can testify that the feeling is much like Jesus described: a millstone tied around one's neck and drowning in the sea. Until we realize how horrible it is to treat people in this way, and how unbearable it is to be in this place, we will not be diligent enough.
I have not discussed sinning against, and causing offense, in unbelievers. How has the world been affected by the professing Christian who does not walk in love or obey Christ's commands? What must we do to deliver the world from offense?
Notice that everybody's talking in the last scenario. Offenses come when we don't talk to our brothers and sisters. He's speaking about our family in the faith-- people in a Family whose whole foundation is God's total forgiveness. He instructs us to tell them what they did wrong, that is, when they do something to us that is sinful (He doesn't mean go around and correct everybody for everything! This is personal). And He doesn't say, go point out the person's repeat errors. He says if they do it again and come and repent to you, let them know you forgive them, over and over. This is a great way for us to get trained in a righteous behavior, by practicing accountability. Notice that this brother is not offended, since he keeps asking for forgiveness. And we are walking in forgiveness, which means we've released it to the Lord.
Pay attention, though: Jesus said "Take heed to yourselves." We're being careful here not to create an offense. And not to take offense ourself. We all sin on a regular basis. We get offended when we don't get things aired out. If I let someone sin against me over and over, and I don't point it out to them, it is too easy to become hard of heart, bitter and unforgiving. Soon my fellowship with God and others is ruined. This is offense. Jesus didn't say, "If your brother offends you." We choose to be offended. If we do as Jesus said, we keep ouselves clear. Guarding against offense means we must act against it before it comes, because once we're offended, we're probably going to need to be rescued (delivered).
We must understand how we could possibly create an offense, so we can be careful not to do so. We help create an offense by not speaking correction at the proper time. Consider this: what if, later on, the person realizes they've been sinning all this time, and you didn't tell them. What if they reaped all sorts of bad consequences for their sin that could have been avoided by honesty.
We also create a situation for offense when we wound someone and do not admit it and ask them to forgive us for our sin. It's not enough to repent privately to God and know we're forgiven. If someone is harboring something against us (we used to call it "an ought" from the King James, and all that means is "something"), then things are not healthy, and we are all hindered. The Kingdom of God is a lot about right relationship. These things can contribute to people taking offense-- not only against you, but against the whole church, and eventually God. They create opportunities for the devil to steal, kill and destroy.
The direst circumstance of creating offense is against "one of these little ones." I see this as little either in the natural, as a young child, or young in the family of God. I think a "little one" can be anyone you are have authority over. When a person in authority-- such as a parent, or a spiritual leader-- sins against those in their protection-- those who trust and follow them-- they create a situation where the rebuke-repent-forgive scenario (open communication) cannot usually take place.
"Little ones" will usually be too afraid to approach the authority to confront them about a sin. If they do attempt it, most of the time, they are repelled, and will never attempt it again. The young, untrained, and immature have the ability to forgive a parent or leader's sin without speaking about it to them (and most of the time to no one but God), but if the sin is very heinous or repeated, and it is not humbly confessed, this places a burden on these little ones that, too many times, cannot be overcome without help.
Parents are mistaken if they think they should never admit wrong to their children. [In order to keep from defiling them unnecessarily, we confess only what the child already knows about]. Humble repentance is always in good order. Children respond very gracefully to it, are very forgiving (unless they are already offended), and learn by the example.
Our responsibility as Christians, especially if we are in a place of maturity and leadership, is to do everything we can to guard against offense. Offense causes people to build terrible walls around their heart and life. These walls become fortresses that keep people from loving and receiving love, and often make people lash out angrily. If we realize we have helped create an offense, we must get on our face and repent before God, seeking Him as to how to restore the person or people. It will not be easy, but nothing is impossible with God.
Having been in the place of offense myself, on both sides, I can testify that the feeling is much like Jesus described: a millstone tied around one's neck and drowning in the sea. Until we realize how horrible it is to treat people in this way, and how unbearable it is to be in this place, we will not be diligent enough.
I have not discussed sinning against, and causing offense, in unbelievers. How has the world been affected by the professing Christian who does not walk in love or obey Christ's commands? What must we do to deliver the world from offense?
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
March 18, 2010
True authority is given by God. It comes by His word. We saw three examples today: Joshua, John the Baptist, and Jesus. God told Moses to give Joshua some of his authority to lead the people. John the Baptist was sent out by the word of God that came to him. Luke 3:2 Jesus was released into His ministry by the Spirit of God and the voice of the Father. 3:22 Each of these were also empowered by the Spirit of God.
Who operated in God's authority: John, who rebuked Herod the tetrarch for his wickedness, or Herod, who imprisoned John (and eventually had him beheaded)? What happens to people who usurp authority not given to them by God, or abuse the power of their position of authority? Are you able to discern when a leader is not submitted to God's authority? How do you respond to that situation?
All of us, including you, are given authority over some areas in life. What has God given you authority over? How do you know? What do you do with the authority that God has given you? Have you ever tried to take authority over something/someone that was not given to you? How did that turn out?
One way we can recognize our authority is by the fact that we have to make decisions. In what areas of life do you have to make decisions? We get into trouble when we start trying to make decisions in areas that are not under our authority.
Do you have trouble making decisions? God told Moses that Joshua would need to go to the priest, who would inquire for him "by the decision of the Urim before the Lord." Numbers 27:21 I have to admit that I haven't done research on the Urim and the Thummim of the Old Testament priesthood, even though it's always intrigued me. I have this picture of some stones lighting up with God's "yes" or His "no"! (I'd be happy to have a comment with any knowledge you might have on this.) Back then, they cast lots to make decisions, such as apportioning the land for the tribes' inheritances, trusting God to make the decisions. We don't have to cast lots now, because we have the Holy Spirit and we can hear the Lord's voice speaking directly to our hearts. Isn't that awesome?
"Peace" and "anxiety" are kind of like the Urim and Thummim to me. I go to the Lord with a decision and seek to hear His word on it. If I'm worrying over something, I wait for the peace of God about it before I do anything. Decisions based on fear don't turn out very well! I try to keep myself free from anxiety (e.g., anxiety stemming from consuming too much caffeine). Maintaining a peaceful spirit and quiet mind makes it easy for the Holy Spirit to use a "feeling" of anxiety as a quick warning system, to stop me from making a wrong decision, or to protect me from danger. I try to respond immediately to that. He can always explain later! I haven't mastered all this, but I've gotten a lot better at it with practice. [I have found that external "peace enhancers" interfere with my ability to be led by the Spirit. This doesn't mean that if you need to take prescribed tranquilizers that you should suddenly quit taking them; but it is a goal to work toward, maybe with the help of a therapist.]
The Good News is that when you're born of God, you're the brother or sister of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Almighty God is your Father! When was the last time you sat quietly with the Lord and heard Him say to your heart, "You are my Beloved son/daughter; with you I am well pleased." Shhhh. . .listen carefully. You'll hear Him, I know you will.
Who operated in God's authority: John, who rebuked Herod the tetrarch for his wickedness, or Herod, who imprisoned John (and eventually had him beheaded)? What happens to people who usurp authority not given to them by God, or abuse the power of their position of authority? Are you able to discern when a leader is not submitted to God's authority? How do you respond to that situation?
All of us, including you, are given authority over some areas in life. What has God given you authority over? How do you know? What do you do with the authority that God has given you? Have you ever tried to take authority over something/someone that was not given to you? How did that turn out?
One way we can recognize our authority is by the fact that we have to make decisions. In what areas of life do you have to make decisions? We get into trouble when we start trying to make decisions in areas that are not under our authority.
Do you have trouble making decisions? God told Moses that Joshua would need to go to the priest, who would inquire for him "by the decision of the Urim before the Lord." Numbers 27:21 I have to admit that I haven't done research on the Urim and the Thummim of the Old Testament priesthood, even though it's always intrigued me. I have this picture of some stones lighting up with God's "yes" or His "no"! (I'd be happy to have a comment with any knowledge you might have on this.) Back then, they cast lots to make decisions, such as apportioning the land for the tribes' inheritances, trusting God to make the decisions. We don't have to cast lots now, because we have the Holy Spirit and we can hear the Lord's voice speaking directly to our hearts. Isn't that awesome?
"Peace" and "anxiety" are kind of like the Urim and Thummim to me. I go to the Lord with a decision and seek to hear His word on it. If I'm worrying over something, I wait for the peace of God about it before I do anything. Decisions based on fear don't turn out very well! I try to keep myself free from anxiety (e.g., anxiety stemming from consuming too much caffeine). Maintaining a peaceful spirit and quiet mind makes it easy for the Holy Spirit to use a "feeling" of anxiety as a quick warning system, to stop me from making a wrong decision, or to protect me from danger. I try to respond immediately to that. He can always explain later! I haven't mastered all this, but I've gotten a lot better at it with practice. [I have found that external "peace enhancers" interfere with my ability to be led by the Spirit. This doesn't mean that if you need to take prescribed tranquilizers that you should suddenly quit taking them; but it is a goal to work toward, maybe with the help of a therapist.]
The Good News is that when you're born of God, you're the brother or sister of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Almighty God is your Father! When was the last time you sat quietly with the Lord and heard Him say to your heart, "You are my Beloved son/daughter; with you I am well pleased." Shhhh. . .listen carefully. You'll hear Him, I know you will.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
January 12, 2010
OYB: Genesis 27:24, Matthew 9:2-8 Today I saw examples of the contrast between blindness and sight (speaking spiritually here). Isaac was physically blind, but he could have exercised discernment. Instead, he allowed himself to be deceived. Jesus as the Son of Man, on the other hand, was always perceptive-- nothing could fool Him or deceive Him-- He always knew the truth. He could see faith; he knew men's thoughts and motivations, and of course, he knew the Father's heart and could always see what the Father was doing. Because of this, He had authority. He had the authority to forgive sins and he had the power to issue a blessing. He is the example we are to follow.
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