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CORRECTING OUR SPIRITUAL COUSINS: How do we related to Christians who disagree with us?

As Israel approached Canaan, God warned them not to harass or harm Edom, Moab, and Ammon. Edom was descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. Moab and Ammon were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. They were, figuratively speaking Israel’s cousins. The Lord referred to them as their brethren and told Moses not to attack or harm them. In studying the scriptures relating to these three nations, we might learn some lessons in how we relate to and deal with our spiritual “cousins.” The issues are very clear when we deal with the non-Christian world. They reject the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. But the dynamics becomes a little more complex when we deal with fellow Christians who disagree with us on some doctrinal points. They may be in error, but we cannot automatically say they are of the devil and evil. The New Testament does not tolerate heresy and false prophets, but it does call for humility, wisdom, and grace in dealing with them. Here are a few points to remember. Matthew 13...
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SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD’S SENDING JUDGMENT

  SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD’S SENDING JUDGMENT I wrote the paragraphs below as a response to a good friend who was uncomfortable with one of my previous posts dealing with God’s judgment. Please feel free to post a comment or send an email with any questions or thoughts you’d like to share. ---Billy Long (broblong@gmail.com). The first motivating thought in my post is that there is a God, as opposed to the Atheist who thinks God does not exist and who thinks He is irrelevant to earth’s events, and as opposed to the deist who thinks God simply walked off and left us to ourselves. There is a God who manages the affairs of earth, and we must acknowledge and call upon Him. When I say “nothing is out of His control” I am saying that nothing is “out of control,” that is, God is not helplessly standing by watching. I would not make a blanket statement saying bad weather is God’s judgment. The book of Job says that God sends weather for correction and for mercy (Job 37:1). The weather is lik...
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Some Keys to Successful Spiritual Warfare

  Below is a list of principles that will be helpful in your walk with the Lord and in facing the adversities and difficulties of life. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10 Realize we are on a battleship and not a cruise ship . We must face “Og” (the enemy at the border), cross the Jordan, and deal with “giants” in the land we will possess. Christians often tend to expect victory without battle...and if there is adversity, they tend to expect battle without victory. If we continue and stand in faith, we will see battle...but also victory.   1 Cor 15:32; 16:9   Don’t be disillusioned by adversity, hardship, and struggles of battle. We are called to patiently endure and persevere. In the beginning we stand with untested faith. We are often naïve to the potential carnalities and failures in ourselves and others. Those who don’t face these issues redemptively risk becoming “burnt stones,” afraid to try again. ...
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THANK YOU TO MY VISITORS

  I am sincerely grateful to all of you who visit my blog. We have many visitors from all around the world. I would love to hear from some of you and let me know something about you and how you found my blog. Please feel free to post comments. There is a "post comment" button at the end of each article.  God bless you, Billy Long broblong@gmail.com www.billylongministries.com
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SOME PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY

Walk in a deep, abiding faith in the Sovereign Almighty God. This will produce the ability to maintain composure, rest, and peace in the face of pressure, problems, adversity, and conflict. It will prevent unwise and premature reaction, carnal grasping and impulsiveness.  Faith produces the grace to wait, endure, and persevere. It will help produce a security that will counteract insecurity which has caused problems for so many ministers and has hurt so many people. Faith in the Sovereign God is at the heart of our ability to face life redemptively. It is at the heart of Romans 8:28. “For all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”  Psalm 31: 14-15, Daniel 2:20-21, Psalm 75, Heb 11. Walk with purity of heart and motive, sincerely seeking God’s will and God’s interests. This will produce a clarity in your ability to hear God and will produce peace. When you desire God’s will, you can rest knowing He stands behind it. This...
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UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

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My book, Spiritual Power for Everyday Living is an excellent tool for introducing people to spiritual gifts and to the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit in the church today. The objective of this book is to inspire the reader to hunger for and experience the presence of God. The lessons and examples presented here are not simply academic in nature but were experienced in my life as a pastor and minister working with people over the years. Part One defines and explains spiritual gifts and supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit and gives first-hand testimonials. Part Two helps the reader to understand the prophetic ministry as practiced in the lives of the first Christians. Part Three gives clear teaching to help the reader understand praying in tongues and its role in aiding the believer in a deeper experience of intercessory prayer and praise. A careful reading of this book will bring clarity and remove misconceptions relating to the role of spiritual gifts, prophesying,...
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THE STRUGGLE TO FIND COMFORT

"In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.” Psalm 94:19. REFUSING COMFORT “Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, ‘For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.’ Thus his father wept for Him.” Genesis 37: 34-35 "Refusing comfort" refers to the state in which the loss or pain is so great and final that there seems to be absolutely nothing that could possibly heal the hurt, relieve the pain, or replace the loss. Jacob found himself in this condition as he experienced heart-wrenching grief over the loss of his son Joseph. No one was able to comfort him. No words could relieve or console him. GENUINE, NOT SUPEFICIAL To a person in such grief the idea of comfort often seems like an empty and futile promise. Consolation is viewed much like the consolation prize which is...
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