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1 Samuel 24:12
12
May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.
13
As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.
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The enemy in front of you, is not God's enemy. The enemy in front of you is who has been placed their to test you. Yes, they may harm you, steal from you, murder your family and friends. But even if they kill you, they are a part of the trial placed in front of you. And the choices you make, either bring mercy or condemnation upon your soul.
Taking refuge in the Lord. Remaining faithful, and seeking the righteousness of God so to make choices that honor the Father's will. This is a manor that keeps the enemies from harming you. But this does not remove you from trials. You may be an heir of God, but until your ceremony, you are still a slave to the master of this world. Our daily bread, is of suffering and of trials.
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Job 1:9-12
9
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied.
10
“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.
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But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
12
The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
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What we celebrate beyond our relationship with the Father, is up for challenge by the master of the world. Whether it be relationships, possessions, authority, or any other worldly gain we hold dear. Like pride, our ego, or our vanity. So when someone is placed in front of you who challenges your hold on these things, you are called by Christ to love them. Love them, because they represent an opportunity to make a choice to confirm your faith.
Nothing of our worldliness suggests we forgive and love our enemy. Love and forgiveness is eternal, and holy.
Those who seek refuge in the Lord, have the Lord within them as well. And to maintain the truth in us, we must deny ourselves what we would generally desire. The reason we should deny ourselves is, we don't want to give the master of this world, reason to challenge our sincerity in our faith.
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James 1:2-8
2
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, a whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
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Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
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But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7
That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
8
Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
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Do we stumble? Yes. None here are righteous. Not one. But that does not mean we lose faith and begin to be defensive, or aggressive towards those who are placed in front of us to challenge our faith.
Another way to see this is, how much do you fear God, if you continue to celebrate meaningless things? People who strip you of worldliness, are actually doing you a favor. Yes, it is sin against you, and yes, that evil will be judged by Christ. But Jesus himself healed the ear of the guard who came to arrest him. We are not here to defend our meaningless lives, or our meaningless relationships. We are here to build a relationship with the Father despite what is placed in front of us.
In closing, make choices that are based in love, mercy, and compassion. Fear God, because everything else turns to rust and dust and has no meaning. Deny yourself. The Lord is our refuge, but that does not mean we are without trials.
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