HOLIDAYS 2004 Newsletter
LUKE
17:3 Ministries
for
adult daughters
of
controlling or abusive birth-families
A
sisterhood for those who seek support in developing self-esteem, setting
boundaries and limits, forgiveness, Godly confrontation, recognizing and cutting
ties with reprobates, healing, and rejoicing in the peace and love
of
the Lord, our
Father
take
heed to yourselves. If thy brother
trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him……..Luke
17:3
VOLUME
2, ISSUE 4
HOLIDAYS
2004
Happy Thanksgiving!
Merry
Christmas!
Happy New
Year!
Luke 17: 3 is the scripture often
misquoted, usually by an abuser or his enabler, when he tells you that the Bible
says “Forgive and Forget”, or that you must forgive him because you are a Christian. However, Jesus is very specific when he
tells us to rebuke the sinner, and if he repents, to forgive
him. Have you rebuked your abuser,
and has he or she repented?
THE
ONLY FORM OF ABUSE STILL CONDONED BY SOCIETY. THE ONLY ABUSE IN WHICH THE VICTIM IS
CRITICIZED OR ABANDONED FOR TRYING TO PROTECT HERSELF. CHILD ABUSE THAT DIDN’T END WHEN ADULTHOOD
BEGAN…THE CONTINUING ABUSE OF GROWN CHILDREN BY THEIR
PARENTS.
If
you have ever experienced Adult Child
Abuse by a parent, sibling, or other relative, We Welcome
You!
Our
newsletter is sent to you free-of-charge, as the Lord continually provides. Do
you know someone who would like to be on our mailing list?
If
so, please contact:
Sister
Renee Pittelli
Luke
17:3 Ministries, Inc.
P.O.
Box
684
Chestertown,
NY 12817
or
E-mail us at:
Luke
173@hotmail.com
VISIT
OUR WEBSITE AT:
www.luke173ministries.org
HAPPIER
HOLIDAYS-
IS IT TIME FOR A
CHANGE?
“Insanity is when you do
the same thing over and over again and expect a different
result”……Albert
Einstein
The Christmas Holidays and
Thanksgiving are a time peace, joy, and thankfulness. We thank God
for all our blessings and rejoice over the birth of our Savior Jesus.
We all expect a certain amount of stress and fatigue during the
holidays. Shopping, cleaning, decorating, and cooking can take a lot out
of us. And after all the work and rushing around is done, most folks
can look forward to being rewarded with an enjoyable time surrounded by their
loving family. But for
some of us, these holidays, as well as others (especially Mother's Day) are a
time of extreme stress, anxiety, upset, depression, and exhaustion. We do
not have an enjoyable time with family to look forward to. Instead, we
dread the coming aggravation from controlling, ill-tempered, selfish,
jealous, or abusive relatives. We end up being disappointed,
disillusioned, and saddened that every holiday has to be ruined by family
members who should be expressing their love and gratitude instead. We feel
doomed to never having a nice holiday. Continued on page 2…..
You
will be with child and give birth to a son, and you will give him the name
Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of
his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom
will never end….Luke 1:31-33NIV
He
replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near.’
Do not follow them. When you
hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the
end will not come right away”….Luke 21: 8-9
NIV
I
will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and
strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with
justice….Ezekiel 34:16NIV
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask
for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours….Mark
11:24
NIV
HAPPIER HOLIDAYS- continued from page 1…..
And yet we do it again the next time. We keep doing the same things, over and
over again, hoping that this time, maybe it will be different, but it never
is. We think we're doing everything right, but we must be doing something
wrong! Guess who needs to make some changes here? (If you said your
abusive relative, you're wrong- and you know that's not going to happen
anyway!)
Sister, are you ready to make some changes? Are you ready to
have the happy holidays you always wanted? Are you ready to change your
definition of a 'family holiday'? Are you ready to experience the kind of
holiday you and your husband and children deserve?
Please read the articles in the
Happier Holidays section of our website. We pray that our testimonies as well as
the articles in this newsletter will help you claim the peace and joy of the
holidays, in Jesus' name. God bless you and pour out his love, and the
love of family and friends upon you during every
holiday! In
His love,
Sister Renee and Sister
Denise
Please ask about our Luke 17:3 Ministry
in Tennessee, founded by Sister Denise
Rossignol.
Commit to the Lord
whatever you do, and your plans will succeed….Proverbs
16:3
CLAIMING THE VICTORY
SETTING LIMITS- THE
CURE FOR GETTING NO RESPECT
By Sister Renee
Pittelli
There are two basic concepts that are foreign to many of us who are used
to being victimized, abused, or taken advantage of by family members. The rest of the world has always
accepted and put into effect these concepts. It is time that we internalize
them for use in our own lives as well.
Dear Sister, repeat after me:
1. I have the right to set limits on the
behavior I will tolerate in my presence, or in the presence of my
children.
2. It is perfectly
reasonable to expect adults to control themselves.
Forgive me for repeating a story which I originally told in the article
“Enriching Your Holidays While Including Your Birth-Family” (See Happier
Holidays section of website), but I feel it best illustrates a couple of points
I would like to make.
One time when I tried to reason with my birth-father, he grudgingly told
me that he would modify his behavior in my home, but that I “had no right
to tell him how to act” anywhere else, even if it was in my presence or my
children’s presence. I found this
response fascinating and enlightening for several reasons.
First, even though he was a grown man, his statement was very juvenile
and immature (“You can’t tell me what to do!”) I almost expected him to stick
his tongue out at me! Second,
without even realizing it, he acknowledged being
perfectly well aware that his behavior
was unacceptable; otherwise, why agree to stop it in my home? The third interesting insight was that
he could control his behavior if
he wanted to, he just wasn’t going to because I had
asked!
My birth-father had chosen an adversarial spirit, rather than a spirit of
cooperation. He wasn’t going to let
me “win” without him getting some concessions from me.
Sister, I am here to tell you
that the devil is a liar and he always tries to negotiate or bargain with you-
to make a deal so he will still come out a winner! Satan wants you to agree that some form
of his evil is acceptable. Do not
compromise what you know is right!
Never make a deal with the devil!
We all know we need to set and enforce boundaries and limits on
unacceptable behavior, but many of us are not sure how to go about doing
that.
Many therapists recommend using “I” statements to avoid making the
offender feel that you are attacking him and to enlist him as your partner in
solving the problem. An “I” statement is worded in such a way as to put the
focus on the feelings that the hurtful behavior elicits in you, rather than
coming right out and stating that the behavior is wrong. You might say, “I feel _______ when you
say______”.
“I” statements may work in your situation, and are certainly worth a
try. In my personal situation, they
not only didn’t work, but backfired on me in the sense that now that I had let
my birth-father know his behavior was bothering me, he did it even
more!
When I said to my birth-mother, “I feel hurt when you criticize me,” she
brushed me off with “That’s because you’re too sensitive”. Another time, I told her “It makes me
feel bad when you keep pointing out that I’ve gained weight”, and her answer was
“It’s for your own good.”
Once, when I told my birth-father, “It upsets me when you call me
‘stupid’”, he told me “Oh, stop it! You take everything the wrong way!” Well, at least he didn’t say, “That’s
because you are stupid!”
My “I” statements were certainly not
having the desired effect, because the offenders preferred not to “get the
point”. “I” statements pre-suppose goodwill on the
part of the offender toward the offended. They attempt to give the abuser the
benefit of the doubt. When you use an “I” statement, you are assuming that the
offender actually cares about your
feelings, and that it wasn’t his intention to make you feel
bad.
“I” statements don’t take into
account that an offender may very well be a malicious person, who is
deliberately trying to hurt, upset, or degrade you. And worse yet, now that you have let him
know it worked, he’s going to do it even more! Some people really are trying to
get your goat, and you will have just handed him his tool for success on a
silver platter. With a true abuser,
if you show any vulnerability, he will smell blood. Now that he knows your weakness, he will
go in for the kill! After all,
“abuser” is just another word for “Bully”.
I believe that you need to come from a
position of strength when dealing with an abusive relative. It is the only thing I have seen work,
at least to some extent, with a truly abusive person. There are some people you
simply cannot reason with. You have to stop acting like a victim, begging the
abuser to take pity on you. It
doesn’t help to talk about hurt feelings and let him see that you are
vulnerable. What helps is to show
him that you’re tough and strong, even if you really don’t feel that way, and
that you will not tolerate being treated disrespectfully.
That being said, and regardless of
goodwill or malice on the part of your relative, you need to begin to take
control. First, let’s define a boundary, or limit, and a
consequence:
Boundary (or Limit): What you are or are not willing to do,
accept, or tolerate.
Consequence: What steps you will take to protect
yourself or your loved ones from someone who does not respect the limits of
others, to minimize the damage an abuser can inflict, and to ensure that your
boundaries are indeed respected.
There are three easy steps to
taking control of your life and your environment, and they include two chances
for your relative to change his behavior before it results in a negative
consequence for him:
1. Decide on your boundary, and let your
relative know what it is. That will give your relative the benefit of the
doubt by giving him a chance to respect your boundary. You can consider this his
first warning.
2. If he chooses to repeat his
objectionable behavior again, reiterate
your boundary and inform him what the consequence will be the next time he does
it. This is his second
warning.
3. Hopefully by now, your relative
has taken you seriously and it will not be necessary to enforce your
consequence. But if he still
chooses to disregard your boundary, you need to enforce the consequence. If you don’t back your words up with
action, they will be seen as just an empty threat, and any limits you try to set
in the future will be ignored.
Following are some examples of
empowering statements that will inform your relatives of your new limits, and
the consequences of not respecting them.
Customize these sentences to your own situation, and then begin to speak
up!
SETTING LIMITS:
WITH YOURSELF:
I will limit my exposure to abusive
behavior. (I will call my mother no more often than once a month, I will not
spend my birthday with my parents, etc.)
I will set an example for my children by teaching them that we do not
tolerate or accept evil or abusive behavior.
WITH YOUR
RELATIVES:
We won’t be coming for Thanksgiving this year. We are going on a ski
trip.
My religious beliefs are personal.
We need to respect each other’s differences. You do not have the right to
impose your beliefs on me.
I am not asking for your opinion on this subject.
I am the mother of my children, and I want you to respect my authority
concerning them.
I would like us to relate to each other as friends, but we cannot do that
if you continue to speak to me in a condescending manner.
I don’t feel it’s appropriate for me to discuss my marriage with you.
Let’s talk about something else.
I don’t feel it’s appropriate for you to discuss your marriage
with me. Let’s talk about
something else.
I’m not asking for your input right
now.
I will not loan you my car
again. The last time you returned
it dirty and with an empty gas tank.
You will have to make other plans.
I’ve already made my decision and
I’m not going to change my mind.
Let’s not talk about it anymore.
We are not here for you to evaluate
me.
I am an adult and I will not be
spoken to as if I were a naughty child.
When you discussed my decision not
to have children with my aunt, you violated my trust. Do not discuss my personal business with
anyone else again.
This is not open for
discussion. Let’s change the
subject.
CONSEQUENCES: (Any variation of “If you do_____,
then I will do____”)
I will not permit you to call me
names. If you cannot control
yourself, then I will leave.
I will not allow you to drink in
front of the children. You cannot
see them unless you are not drinking.
I don’t like it when you compare me
to my sister. Unless we can talk
without you making comparisons, she will have to be an off-limits
subject.
If you feel you need to reveal or
discuss my personal business with other people, then I will no longer tell you
anything personal.
If you continue to raise your
voice, I will hang up the phone and we can discuss this when you are able to
address me in a respectful manner.
If you criticize me in front of
people again, I will stop going out with you.
If you continue pressuring me, I
will leave the room.
I will not expose my children to
your tirades. If you cannot keep
yourself under control in their presence, then you won’t be able to be with
them.
My bedroom closet is my private
space. If I find that you have
looked through it again, then you will not be invited back into my
home.
I will no longer be around you when
you are drunk. You will have to be sober if you wish to speak with
me.
Some situations call for setting a limit and enforcing it at the
same time. For example:
DEALING WITH A KNOW-IT-ALL OR ONE
WHO HOLDS OTHERS HOSTAGE BY TALKING ALL NIGHT:
I understand quite clearly what is
being said. You don’t need to
explain it to me.
I see you have a lot to say about
this subject, but can you hold that thought?- I want to hear what other people’s
opinions are as well.
Let me interrupt you for just a
minute.
LAST RESORT (to be said in
mid-sentence-there will be no other choice): Excuse me, I’ll be right back. (Then
walk away and don’t come back- they probably won’t even
miss you!)
DEALING WITH AN IRRITABLE PERSON OR
ONE WHO IS POUTING:
You seem like you’re in a bad mood
right now. I’ll go home and come
back another time when you’re feeling better. (If you ask “What’s wrong?”, I
guarantee you’ll be sorry you asked!)
DEALING WITH THOSE WHO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF YOU:
I’m not willing to have all the
holidays at my house anymore. I’ll
host Christmas this year if you’ll have Thanksgiving at your house.
(BOUNDARY, shows willingness to compromise)…..
If the answer is NO: Okay, then I guess we’ll go our
separate ways this year. Maybe we
can work something out next year.
(CONSEQUENCE- Be sure to enforce it by making your own
plans and not breaking down and inviting the person who will not
reciprocate. Having to stay home or
make other plans isn’t the worst thing in the world and maybe it will help them
to appreciate you more.)
When you advise others of your
limits, you are doing them a favor.
You are giving them a chance to change before it becomes necessary for
you to protect yourself. If you
never tell a person that her behavior is offensive, then you really can’t expect
her to change. Maybe she honestly
doesn’t realize that she is being hurtful.
Maybe she has her own issues and is angry, jealous, etc. Maybe she is just downright malicious
and thinks she can keep getting away with it. The only thing you can be sure of is
that if you don’t set and enforce some boundaries, in all likelihood, nothing
will ever change.
It is time to relate to your
inconsiderate or controlling relative as an equal. Unfortunately, we cannot
teach others to treat us with kindness if they are simply unkind people, but we
can teach them to treat us with respect.
We pray for you to be filled with the courage and strength of the Lord as
you do what needs to be done, and it is our hope that your birth-family
relationships can improve and become more enjoyable for you. And if a relationship can’t be salvaged
because of an abusive relative’s stubborn refusal to respect your limits, we
pray for you to be at peace with that, as well, and secure in the knowledge that
you have done all you could do to resolve your differences before it became
necessary to walk away. God bless
you, dear Sister, as you take back your own life from those who would swallow
you up!
When I was a child, I talked like a
child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways
behind me …..1Corinthians 13:11 NIV
Answer a fool according to his
folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit….Proverbs 26:5 KJV
Be strong and of a good courage, fear
not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with
thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee….Deuteronomy 31: 6
KJV
Hallelujah!
Our Savior Is
Born!
If your enemy
is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning
coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you….Proverbs
25:21-22
Joy in
Jesus
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY
BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE
EVERLASTING LIFE....John 3:16 KJV
Thank you, Father!
KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS, MESSIAH, REDEEMER, SAVIOR,
TEACHER, ALPHA & OMEGA, SON OF GOD, SON OF MAN, LION OF JUDAH, GOOD
SHEPHERD, MASTER, RABBI, LAMB OF GOD, LIGHT OF THE WORLD, RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, ROCK
OF OUR SALVATION, PRINCE OF PEACE, IMMANUEL!
Bless that Wonderful Name of
Jesus!
JESUS IS LORD!
Sister, did you know that the
King of Kings is your brother?!
He replied,'
My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into
practice.'....Luke 8:21 NIV
Did you know that the Lord of
Lords is your friend?!
I no longer call
you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business.
Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father
I have made known to you.....John 15:15 NIV
Whenever I read those
scriptures, I am struck by how awesome they are! How great is our
God! How deep is his love and caring for us! Thank you
Jesus!
Peace I leave with
you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid......John 14:27
NIV
Come unto me, all
ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find
rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light....Matthew 11:28-30KJV
Hallelujah! Jesus will lift your heart! He will give you peace and
joy!
Happy
Birthday, Jesus!
1 John, 2 John, 3
John
By Sister Renee
Pittelli
These books of the Bible are believed to have been written by the apostle
John, who also wrote the Gospel of John and Revelation. John teaches us many interesting things
about God’s nature, our relationship with him, and our relationships with
others, including the reasons behind some of the sorrow we experience at the
hands of those we love, but who don’t love us in return.
With a few decades after Jesus’ crucifixion, many false prophets were in
the land, including those who taught that Jesus was never human, but always a
spirit. John wrote these letters to
refute false teachings about Jesus.
He emphasizes that God is truth, goodness, and love. He teaches us about
truth, and very importantly, how to discern who is of God, who is of the world,
and who is of Satan:
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him
yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in
the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word
has no place in our lives…1 John 1:5-10
Yet I am writing you a new command: its truth is seen in him and you,
because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining….1 John
2:8
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be
called children of God! And that is
what we are! The reason the world
does not know us is that it does not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of
God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he
appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is….1 John
3:1-2
We love because he first loved us…1 John
4:19
We are taught that the
children of God acknowledge Jesus as his Son and do not continue in their sinful
ways. We learn that God loves us
and protects us and we have nothing to fear from the devil because he cannot
harm us. As God’s children, we can ask anything of him, according to his will,
and he will answer:
We have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask,
because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus
Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us…. 1 John 3:22-23
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his
will, he hears us. And if we know
that he hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of him….1
John 5:14-15
We are taught that the Spirit of God lives in us. If we are
Spirit-filled, we need no man to teach us, because the Spirit teaches us.
Discerning the spirit of a person will help us understand their nature, whether
they are righteous, worldly, or wicked, and whether they are a sister or brother
in Christ:
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him”, but does
not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love
is truly made complete in him. This
is how we know we are in him:
Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did…1 John
2:3-6
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the
antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come…1 John
2:18.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the
truth…..no lie comes from the truth.
Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such as man is the antichrist- he denies
the Father and the Son. No one who
denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father
also…1 John 2:20-23
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you
astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you
do not need anyone to teach you….1 John 2:26-27
If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is
right has been born of him .… 1 John 2:29
No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has
either seen him or known him….1 John 3:6
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was
born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God and
that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has
come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true….1 John
18-20
And this is how we know the he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us….1
John 3:24
We are instructed not to desire the things of the world. John explains why and how we are
different from worldly men and women, why they cannot understand us, and why
they will not listen to us. We are
warned not to be surprised if those of the world hate us. The whole world is under the control of
the evil one, and only we, who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, will
overcome the world:
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of
the Father is not in him….1 John 2:15
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God
lives forever…1John 2:17
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his
brother. And why did he murder
him? Because his own actions were
evil and his brother’s were righteous.
Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you….1 John
3:12-13
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one
who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore
speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God
listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of
truth and the spirit of falsehood….1 John 4:4-6
John makes several points about good vs. wicked behavior. We know the spirit of a man or woman by
his or her actions. Those who do
right and love their brothers are righteous and children of God, but those who
continue to sin and do evil and do not have love in them are children of the
devil:
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous,
just as he is righteous. He who
does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the
beginning. The reason the Son of
God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work…. This is how we know who the
children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is
not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother…1 John 3:
7-8,10
Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God
and knows God. Whoever does not
love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among
us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through
him….1 John 4:7-9
Many of us know people in our families or churches who claim to be
Christian, sometimes putting on quite a show, but whose behavior is exactly the
opposite of righteousness. Such people have the spirit of False Religion, and
use their “faith” or “holiness” as an excuse to abuse others or to lead others
astray, as well as for protection from being challenged about their destructive
words or actions. We should not be
intimidated by such people and the religious appearance they attempt to give,
but should discern their spirit according to the instructions we are given in
the Scriptures:
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the
world. This is how you can
recognize the Spirit of God: Every
spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,
which you have heard is coming, and even now is in the world…. 1 John
4:1-3
Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the
flesh, have gone out into the world.
Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you
have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not
continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the
teaching has both the Father and the Son.
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him
into your house or welcome him.
Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work….2 John
7-11
I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have
nothing to do with us. So if I
come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about
us. Not satisfied with that, he
refuses to welcome the brothers. He
also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil
but what is good. Anyone who does
what is good is from God. Anyone
who does what is evil has not seen God…. 3 John
9-11.
Finally, the apostle John
sums up the most important lessons he wants us to
learn:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the
Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as
well…..Who is it that overcomes the world?
Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the one who came by water and
blood- Jesus Christ. He did not
come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies,
because the Spirit is the truth.
For there are three that testify:
the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and the three are in
agreement…..And this is the testimony:
God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does
not have the Son of God does not have life….1 John 5:1, 5-8,
11-12
Praise to
our God for his wonderful Word!
Hallelujah! Thank you,
Lord!
Sing to the Lord, you
saints of his; praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. ….You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you
and not be silent. O Lord my God, I
will give you thanks forever….
...Psalm 30:4-5,
11-12.
