Christian freedom costs me a lot...

[blueSKYpilot]

I am starting to deal with people (uptight, strict, legalistic, Jesus-denying, political correct, mean, cold... blah blah) in a very immature nature. I will seriously FLIP OUT, and throw objects, get into fits of rage, etc. could you please pray that God helps me deal with this in a way that is more appropriate? Even though He probably takes my side on all of this... I still need a little help trying to persuade people that I know what I'm talking about.


I think way outside the box, sometimes to a point that people actually think I'm immoral (i have this thing... if something is okay in God's eyes.. it is. End of story. and even though I am correct about that... I do take it to an extreme. For example, i see absolutely no evil in wearing a hat in public places. I say to myself "God says I can wear it... therefor i can.." but i forget that I am not dealing with God here... I am dealing with unsaved sinners, who cannot think straight, for they have been blinded by the devil. They are lost.

i also have other things im like that about as well, such as saying "four letter words" I say "well, they were made taboo by mankind.. not God. God says I can say those words... and you don't. Should I listen to God and enjoy my freedom, or should I bow down to what you think is moral?"

thats the kind of person I am. I use my Christian freedom to do things that mankind thinks is evil. And even though none of it is wrong in the eyes of God, people hate what I do.

So, basically, I need to let some of this stuff go. Picture me as a Christian way back around BC.... If I lived back then, I would have taken all the meat that wasn't "kosher", go out in public, and just eat away, making everyone mad, saying "god says i can eat it, you say I cant. Therefore, I am going to enjoy this meat, and if you don't like it... tough. like it or lump it. and if you want to kill me, go ahead. Ill gladly die for what I believe in.."

Yes...I know I have the right idea, but it has been causing a lot of problems for me. And it makes me look like a bad witness.

so, could you please pray that God helps me get rid of some of these little "things" for the sake of Him? I still WILL use my Christian freedom... just not to provoke people.

also, please post if you're dealing with the same thing I am. I need someone to talk to, because most people just call me an idiot.

 

[smile]

I am starting to deal with people (uptight, strict, legalistic, Jesus-denying, political correct, mean, cold... blah blah) in a very immature nature. I will seriously FLIP OUT, and throw objects, get into fits of rage, etc. could you please pray that God helps me deal with this in a way that is more appropriate? Even though He probably takes my side on all of this... I still need a little help trying to persuade people that I know what I'm talking about.


I think way outside the box, sometimes to a point that people actually think I'm immoral (i have this thing... if something is okay in God's eyes.. it is. End of story. and even though I am correct about that... I do take it to an extreme. For example, i see absolutely no evil in wearing a hat in public places. I say to myself "God says I can wear it... therefor i can.." but i forget that I am not dealing with God here... I am dealing with unsaved sinners, who cannot think straight, for they have been blinded by the devil. They are lost.

i also have other things im like that about as well, such as saying "four letter words" I say "well, they were made taboo by mankind.. not God. God says I can say those words... and you don't. Should I listen to God and enjoy my freedom, or should I bow down to what you think is moral?"

thats the kind of person I am. I use my Christian freedom to do things that mankind thinks is evil. And even though none of it is wrong in the eyes of God, people hate what I do.

So, basically, I need to let some of this stuff go. Picture me as a Christian way back around BC.... If I lived back then, I would have taken all the meat that wasn't "kosher", go out in public, and just eat away, making everyone mad, saying "god says i can eat it, you say I cant. Therefore, I am going to enjoy this meat, and if you don't like it... tough. like it or lump it. and if you want to kill me, go ahead. Ill gladly die for what I believe in.."

Yes...I know I have the right idea, but it has been causing a lot of problems for me. And it makes me look like a bad witness.

so, could you please pray that God helps me get rid of some of these little "things" for the sake of Him? I still WILL use my Christian freedom... just not to provoke people.

also, please post if you're dealing with the same thing I am. I need someone to talk to, because most people just call me an idiot.

No, I have not dealt with what you have, but I have some verses for you to consider.

Your Christian freedom? What you descriped I would not call christian freedom. I call this christian freedom-
Romans 8:22:"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."
Christian freedom is not freedom to do whatever we please, having freedom in Christ is freedom from darkness, from sin.We are called to be humble servents. Jesus was.
"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake."-2 Corinthians 4:5
Matthew 23:11"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted"
Pr. 14:35"A king delights in a wise servant,
but a shameful servant incurs his wrath."
Phil. 2: 5-8 "
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!"

Ps. 34:22 "The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him"



"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25)
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1).

James 1:19-21"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

And those 4 letter words you speak of, I do believe Jesus did address that-Matthew 15:10-11: 10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. 11What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'
"Matthew 15:18-20: "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. 17"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean."
Matthew 5:37: "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
Matthew 12:34-36: "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."

Psalm 19:14: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."​

Colosians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."

Psalm 19:14: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."​

"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[f] your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant." Col. 21-23​

​

"1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ​

5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Col. 3 1-17

If Jesus is love, and we are to be like Him, we must love to. We must sacrifice ourselves for God. For our opinions. For our wants. It's not about us anymore. It will never be about us again. It never was about us.​

Blessings,
Smile

 

[Christina M]

1 Cor 6:12

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.


Remember: Just because you CAN do things, doesn't mean you should!

 

[marieg]

Hi blueSkypilot, I am going to pray that the Lord imparts his truth in you for when that really happens you will be free and the truth will be in you.


marieg

 

[markthomas]

ill pray that God takes these little habits away from you.
ive met brothers who have filthy mouths, disregard what others think about them, smoke, all sorts of things that lots of people don't like. i am on my way to stop smoking, just because God is taking it away from me. personally it doesnt bother me at all b/c i know i am far from being perfect as well, and i know that i dont have to be perfect in order to please God. in order to bear fruit, in order to point others to Christ, and tell them, "that is where i get my joy, peace, understanding, hope, love, and kindness from", you have to have their respect sort of. to become a better fisher of men so to say, it is best to glorify God in as many ways as you can. God may be able to use you to bring someone into Christ and into glory if you just complied with their earthly requests. i dont know if i am saying anything helpful i really feel like im babbling, but i have been called immoral before b/c i have had a problem with smoking. people who don't know Christ, and i tell them about it, they usually say something about me smoking. or other brothers and sisters who are young in the Spirit are kind of suprised that i smoke, they think like "when are ya gonna quit that?".
if it offends people, and may effect their faith or their perception of Christ, just ask God as much as you can to take it away from you. remember that we are ambassadors for Christ and we surely don't want to give Him a bad rep., enough people throughout history have done that for us. anyways, i will pray for ya brother.

 

[InTheFlame]

So, basically, I need to let some of this stuff go. Picture me as a Christian way back around BC.... If I lived back then, I would have taken all the meat that wasn't "kosher", go out in public, and just eat away, making everyone mad, saying "god says i can eat it, you say I cant. Therefore, I am going to enjoy this meat, and if you don't like it... tough. like it or lump it. and if you want to kill me, go ahead. Ill gladly die for what I believe in.."

Hehe.... I can relate, I'm often tempted to do similar stuff. Thing is, with me, it usually comes from pride, not anything Godly.

Sounds as though you're already aware that the bible doesn't support you doing this stuff, and you're trying to let go of it... right? I think you need to find the root of your behaviour - is it pride? arrogance? self-centredness? a need for attention? ... and ask God for help giving it to him.

Anyways, sending up a quick prayer for you!

 

[teffie]

ive heaps of ppl like that. when they comment, just be4 u start 2 yell and stuff, think :WWJS. just pray in ur head quickly for god to jus calm u down. remember these people are blinded by satan, and its OUR job as christians, who know god, to do something about it. dont let satan chase u away form helping ppl dude!! im sure we can work around it...just give it time. and DONT let satan get the better of you!! amen

 

[Zunalter]

I am starting to deal with people (uptight, strict, legalistic, Jesus-denying, political correct, mean, cold... blah blah) in a very immature nature. I will seriously FLIP OUT, and throw objects, get into fits of rage, etc. could you please pray that God helps me deal with this in a way that is more appropriate? Even though He probably takes my side on all of this... I still need a little help trying to persuade people that I know what I'm talking about.

I would say that God might take your side only based on the intent, not the actions. I am glad that you see it as immature, at least you have made that first step.

I think way outside the box, sometimes to a point that people actually think I'm immoral (i have this thing... if something is okay in God's eyes.. it is. End of story. and even though I am correct about that... I do take it to an extreme. For example, i see absolutely no evil in wearing a hat in public places. I say to myself "God says I can wear it... therefor i can.." but i forget that I am not dealing with God here... I am dealing with unsaved sinners, who cannot think straight, for they have been blinded by the devil. They are lost.

This is a curious statement. Last I checked, it was the unsaved sinners that wore hats in public...not the other way around. However, I agree in that certain instance that God doesn't care about your hair, only your heart.

However, I would ask you to consider the following verses:

1Corinthians 8:13 - Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

In this verse Paul talks about doing things that though they are not sin, they cause others to sin. His message is apparent.

1Corinthians 6:11, 12 - "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

The church at Corinth was taking "Christian Freedom" too far. Paul tells them that though they have been saved by Christ's blood, that does not give them the free license to sin as they please.

i also have other things im like that about as well, such as saying "four letter words" I say "well, they were made taboo by mankind.. not God. God says I can say those words... and you don't. Should I listen to God and enjoy my freedom, or should I bow down to what you think is moral?"

Consider Matthew 12:33-35 -

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

And again in Luke 6:44-46 -

Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

I do not know what kind of bible you are reading out of brother, but never in it have I ever seen a verse allowing someone to cuss. Please ponder and pray on these verses, I feel you may have made an error in logic.

thats the kind of person I am. I use my Christian freedom to do things that mankind thinks is evil. And even though none of it is wrong in the eyes of God, people hate what I do.

I would say that you have misunderstood what God finds as right and wrong. Also, though God may not consider something as "wrong" to do it without concern or regard for anyone else's feelings is selfish. I am sorry for putting it bluntly like that, I hope you won't take it the wrong way, but it's the truth.

So, basically, I need to let some of this stuff go. Picture me as a Christian way back around BC.... If I lived back then, I would have taken all the meat that wasn't "kosher", go out in public, and just eat away, making everyone mad, saying "god says i can eat it, you say I cant. Therefore, I am going to enjoy this meat, and if you don't like it... tough. like it or lump it. and if you want to kill me, go ahead. Ill gladly die for what I believe in.."

I defer to the above comment.

Yes...I know I have the right idea, but it has been causing a lot of problems for me. And it makes me look like a bad witness.

so, could you please pray that God helps me get rid of some of these little "things" for the sake of Him? I still WILL use my Christian freedom... just not to provoke people.

also, please post if you're dealing with the same thing I am. I need someone to talk to, because most people just call me an idiot.

You have a good heart, and you are trying to make these things right, and I appreciate that. However, I feel that you may need to take more time to develop your knowledge of God's word, and please consider the context of everything you read, and pray about everything you read, so that God may reveal the truth of it to you. God be with you, I will be checking up on this soon. =)