Tag Archives: Self Righteous

March 13th 2020 – God, I Got This On My Own

“And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’” (John 20:26-27)

We have all heard the comments, “get it together,” “straighten up,” or the ever classic, “as the good book says, the Lord helps them that help themselves.” Eventually, we heard it enough that we believed it. First, I have read the good book from cover to cover several times and let me assure you, it does not say that. Second, the Lord helps those that ask for His help.

If you are still determined to make it on your own, or get yourself cleaned up, or fly right or that you can fix the problem, whatever term you want to use, the Lord will let you try. The moment you realize you need the Lord’s help, He will be there to help, though not when you are over the trial, but while you are in the trial. To think that He comes to us after we get through the tough stuff is to paint Him as a fair weather friend. Beloved of God, it is you that the Lord longs to walk with through the storms of life. Call out to Him right where you are, just as you are and He will become even more real to you. The Lord loves you enough to take you just as you are, and thankfully He loves you too much to let you stay that way.

“Jesus will come to us right where we are and as we are.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I’ve tried it my way and my way doesn’t work. I need Your help in my life. Whatever things I’m trying to do on my own outside of You, I completely surrender to You. Please help me. Thank You for being the here for me always. Forgive me for not listening to You when I have heard the answer to my situation many times. Forgive me for choosing my way over Yours. I confess that am just a sinner and do not know more then You Lord. Please strenthing my faith and trust in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you would like to request a prayer Click Here

Interested in experiencing forgiveness and love found in Jesus? Please click here to learn more about how to ask Jesus into your heart. 4 Simple Steps to Jesus

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Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

February 2nd 2020- Rejecting God’s Light

“But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” (John 3:21)

Perhaps Nicodemus is having reservations about Jesus’ message to him that he must be born again. The Lord is making it clear, for both Nicodemus and the religious establishment he represents, that they are not believing in Him. Jesus said to Nicodemus “you don’t know these things” (John 3:10), “you do not receive Our witness”(John 3:11) and “you do not believe” (John 3:12).

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” (John 3:19-20)

One of the greatest tragedies in the world is the rejection of God’s light inside the glorious Gospel. When people reject Jesus it’s often because there is a secret sin that is more important to them rather than intellectually needing more information to believe the Gospel. Nicodemus perhaps loved the prestige of being a Pharisee, a well-known teacher, and a rich influential part of the religious establishment more than the Lord.

We all have a proclivity towards the darkness in our own sinful nature. Sometimes these dark spots surface in our relationships with others that are broken. It can also poison our love for anything that is not from Christ. It’s really important for us to see that His sacrifice for our sins is more than enough to amend our broken and dark ways so that we might be in the light with Him.

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)

“It’s not that people don’t believe because they don’t know; it’s because they don’t want to know.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You that You give me the opportunity to approach You so that the truth of Your love might be revealed in me. Thank You for Your death for my sin and for giving me the opportunity to look to You and lean on Your sacrifice for my sins so I wouldn’t have to succumb to death and darkness for eternity. Please continue to shine in and through my life and the lives of those I fellowship with in the body of Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

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Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

June 11th 2019 – The Handwriting On The Wall

“And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; Tekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
(Daniel 5:25-28)

The King Belshazzar was definitely afraid. The fingers appeared out of nowhere in the midst of a party where he defiantly mocked the God of Israel,  and also celebrated the false gods of Babylon. We can all easily look at this and think, ‘The King was worshiping idols’. But we know in the word, that coveting leads to idolatry.

For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.” (Ephesians 5:5-7) 

Is there anything that we put before the Lord? Is He first in your time, talent, treasure, and circumstances? If not, then what is first? No matter how good it may be or noble that thing is, if it is before the Lord it is considered an idol. Perhaps the Lord has revealed something to you this morning that you have allowed to slip into being in front of the Lord.

Are you reading His writing from His word before He issues His corrective and loving judgment against that idol? The Lord loves us so much that He graciously many times allows us to judge ourselves in light of His truth before bringing a corrective hand into our lives.

“For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” (1 Corinthians 11:31-32)

“Beware of the corrosion, corruption, and compromise that comes from covetousness.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank you for revealing Your righteous judgements and truths to me from Your Word. Please forgive me when I prioritize my time, talent, and treasure towards something else instead of You first. Please give me the grace and the ability to be Your disciple that I may allow Your Spirit to direct me and to be disciplined to walk in Your truths continually. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click here to learn more.

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Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

June 9th 2019 – An Extreme Act of Faith

“So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22)

Noah’s decision to build an ark in an area where there was no large body of water around required an extreme act of faith.  In fact, it had never rained on Earth before. So in one of the greatest acts of faith in human history, Noah cut down his first gopher tree to start building the ark.

It was such a bold act of faith that Noah was memorialized in (Hebrews 11:7), known as the Hall of Faith: “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.”

This verse gives us a number of important insights into what inspired Noah build the Ark. First of all, we read that he was “divinely warned.” God spoke to Noah. In the book of Romans it says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Your faith will grow when you read what the Bible says and then take the next step and put it into action.

We also read that Noah “moved with godly fear.” Noah had a reverence for, or a fear of, the Lord.  Here is a great quote I have heard on fearing the God “Holy fear is the key to God’s sure foundation, unlocking the treasuries of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. Along with the love of God, it composes the very foundation of life! We will soon learn that we cannot truly love God until we fear Him, nor can we properly fear Him until we love Him.”

Noah’s walk with God caused him to work for God. And one must always precede the other. If you walk with God, you will want to work for God. Works don’t save you; faith does. But if your faith is real, then it will produce works. That is how Noah’s faith worked when God told him to build the ark.

“When we walk in faith, wisdom and boldness, incredible things can happen” 

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I am grateful that You are the Rock that I can stand on and an ever present help in times of need. Lord, in those times I feel weak in faith, remind me of Your faithfulness and love for me. May Your Spirit lead me to draw close to You and trust in Extreme ways as Noah did. Help me to always choose Your Word over my feelings. I choose to have faith and trust in You. Help me to grow in wisdom and to be intentional with my life. Give me opportunities to step out in boldness to love, give and share my faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

April 25th 2019 – Spiritual Pride

“Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” (Romans 2:1)

In Romans chapter one, we learn about the unrighteousness of man. In chapter two, Paul addresses our self-righteousness; our desire to consider ourselves better than everybody else. Nobody wants to be called self-righteous, yet we are so quick to judge others. We need to be aware of your own weakness and sinfulness. If you think that once you became a Christian you stopped sinning, you should check out the passage below:

“If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place.” (1 John 1:8-10)

Judge yourself. If you look long at the sins of others and not enough at your own sins, you will develop spiritual pride, which is a stench to God. Have you ever looked at someone and thought there is no hope for them? Well then, you are making the statement that the mercy of God is limited. You are pridefully saying that your sins are covered, but another’s are not. Every person, whether we deem them good people or not, needs God’s saving power and grace. Stop and think… How much have you been forgiven? Does this mean we cannot speak into other’s lives? Absolutelywe can and should, but not in condemnation. Just as God has heaped His grace so abundantly on you, in discernment you can speak into someone’s life from your experiences with an attitude of love, peppered with grace. You cannot condemn someone and offer hope at the same time. The moment we start to condemn people is the moment we forget our mission. What is our mission? Our mission is to tell people about Jesus.

“Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

“pridefully Seeing the Sin in others does not root out the Sin in us”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for forgiving me of my sins. I am so grateful for Your grace. Please forgive me for times when I, in my own pride, look at someone else and condemned them in my mind. Please give me opportunities to tell people about Jesus. Thank You. In Jesus name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

Interested in experiencing forgiveness and love found in Jesus? Please click here to learn more. 4 Simple Steps to Jesus

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

April 18th 2019 – Pride Destroys Relationships

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,” (1 Philippians 2:3)

Pride destroys relationships. It shows up in so many ways, like criticism, competition, stubbornness, and superficiality. Another problem with pride is that it’s self-deceiving. Everybody else can see it in us but us. When you have a problem with pride, you often don’t see it in your life.

“Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin”  the Message Bible puts it this way. “First pride, then the crash — the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

Pride destroys relationships, but humility is the antidote to pride. Humility builds relationships. The Bible says in (1 Peter 3:8) “Live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble”

How are you and I going to grow in humility? It happens by letting Jesus Christ begin to control our thoughts and hearts and attitudes and reactions. He’s got to be a part of this.

“Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person” (Ephesians 4:23-24)

How do you become a new person? How do you start to think in a different way? The basic law of relationships is this: You tend to become like the people you spend time with. If you spend time with grumpy people, you get grumpier. If you spend time with happy people, you get happier. If you want to have more humility, spend time with Jesus Christ. He is humble. He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to spend time with him in prayer and reading his Word and talking to him. He is humble, and as you get to know him, you’ll become more like him.

“Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves …. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to” (Philippians 2:3,5,6)

No one has done anything more humble than Jesus, coming from Heaven to Earth to become a man, live for us, give his life for us, and be resurrected for us. When you spend time around him, it makes you more humble, and that builds your relationships..

“Pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes” John Ruskin

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your grace. Please forgive me for the times when I have let my pride outshine my grace.  Help me to show grace from now on so that others will see You in me. I lift up the broken relationships in my life because I let pride get in the way. Help to humble my heart and ask for forgiveness when needed and soften my heart to extend grace and forgiveness to others. Keep me my old ways.  I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

March 31st 2019 – Toxic Unforgiveness

You forgave the guilt of your people – yes, you covered all their sins. .” (Psalm 85:2)

After a recent conversation with an Assist Attorney general. I was curious and did some research on attorney’s in general. I discovered something that I did not know about the country I live in (United States of America). Not only do we have more laws, we also have more people on probation or in prison, and more mariages ending in divorce then any other country.

We also are the most litigious society on the face of the earth, with about 80 percent of the world’s attorneys living in here in the US. More people graduate from law school than from any other professional academic course of study in the entire nation. And what do attorneys do? They Sue and Defend, for the most part, because there is no forgiveness. We’re not willing to say, “It’s all right. I forgive you.” The Justice system doesn’t even forgive a person have served the sentences imposed and paid their dept in full.

And what is really toxic is our unwillingness to accept responsibility for our own actions and our unwillingness to forgive. It’s worse than toxic; it’s sinful. Let this not be said of us, God’s people! Unforgiveness will eat you up spiritually and, in many ways, bring your spiritual life to a standstill.

Unforgiveness is choosing to hate. It produces bitterness, anger, rage, anxiety, and even depression. Simply put, it is sin.

Instead, we must forgive. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is like taking a piece of pottery and smashing it into a thousand pieces. There is no way it can ever be put together again.

God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness and truth, and forgiving of iniquity, transgressions and sin.(see Exodus 34:6-7). That is our God! He forgives.

You might say, “What my spouse did to me is unforgivable. Even if God forgives them, I’m just a person. I’m flawed. I can’t forgive like that.”

If you want to become like Jesus, then you should reflect His character. God has said that if you confess your sin, He is faithful and just to forgive you of your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9).

God has said it. And as His spiritual child, you can do the same.

“We cannot withhold forgiveness for any reason or excuse.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending your only begotten Son to die and rise again so that I could be forgiven and saved and adopted into Your family. Thank you for Jesus. Please forgive me for the times of speaking against others and holding onto unforgiveness and anger from the past. Father, I am sorry and I choose to forgive those who have wronged me and I choose to speak good and pleasant and edifying things about others. Help me to always be kind and tender hearted. I need Your help Lord, strengthen me. I also ask You for wisdom and grace to do this. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life. Click here  to discover how you can find peace with God.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

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Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries 

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

February 11th 2019 – Don’t Comdemn Others

“Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” (Romans 2:1)

In Romans chapter one, we learn about the unrighteousness of man. In chapter two, Paul addresses our self-righteousness; our desire to consider ourselves better than everybody else. Nobody wants to be called self-righteous, yet we are so quick to judge others. Always be aware of your own weakness and sinfulness. If you think that once you became a Christian you stopped sinning, you should check out the passage below:

“If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” (1 John 1:8-10)

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1)

Judge yourself. If you look long at the sins of others and not enough at your own sins, you can develop a sense of spiritual pride, which is a stench to God. Have you ever looked at someone and thought there is no hope for them? Well then, you are making the statement that the mercy of God is limited. You are pridefully saying that your sins are covered, but another’s are not. Every person, whether we deem them good people or not, needs God’s saving power and grace. Stop and think… How much have you been forgiven? Does this mean we cannot speak into other’s lives? Absolutely we can and should, but not in condemnation. Just as God has heaped His grace so abundantly on you, in discernment you can speak into someone’s life from your experiences with an attitude of love, peppered with grace. You cannot condemn someone and offer hope at the same time. The moment we start to condemn people is the moment we forget our mission. What is our mission? Our mission is to tell people about Jesus.

“Seeing the evil in others does not root out the evil in you.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for forgiving me of my sins. I am so grateful for Your grace. Please forgive me for times when I, in my own pride, looked at someone else and condemned them in my mind. Please give me opportunities to tell people about Jesus. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you do not know Him personally, I encourage you not to pass up the precious gift of His love and eternal life. Jesus died on the cross for you and me. Jesus loves us and wants to help us through the storms. If you have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior please click here 4 Simple Steps to Jesus

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

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Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries 

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

January 8th 2019 – Don’t Fall Victim to Mind Control

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8)

We decide what we put into our mouths. Food doesn’t simply jump in. We decide whether we will eat this or won’t eat that. We pick it up, take a bite, chew it (hopefully), and then swallow it. And when we start putting on weight, it’s happening because we put the wrong things in our mouths.

In the same way, we decide what goes into our minds. We let certain thoughts in, and we keep certain thoughts out. This is important, because the first temptation that came to Eve was to think wrong thoughts about God. We read in Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Notice that he didn’t come to Eve and say, “Hi. I’m the Devil, the enemy of God. You’ve probably heard about me.” No, he was more subtle. He came slithering in like a snake.

That is what the Devil is a thief, a liar and a killer. He has come to steal, to kill and to destroy you. The devil will assault and attack your mind.

That is why we need to control what goes into our minds. It is there that we dream. It is there that we contemplate. It is there that we reason. With our minds we can reach into the past through our memories and reach into the future through our imaginations.

So protect and train your mind to think properly and biblically, not emotionally or sinfully. Fill it with the Word of God.

“Don’t fall victim to the devils lies”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I am grateful You are a God of truth. May I always be gracious toward others, keep me from the enemies false flattery. I don’t want to be manipulated by his lies any longer. Teach me and guide me through Your written word and with Your Holy Spirit within me. You are the God of truth, so may I always embrace truth and resist every lie. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

This is no lie, Jesus died on the cross for you and me. He loves us and wants to help us. If you have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior please click here 4 Simple Steps to Jesus it’s the greatest decision you will ever make.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

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Rob Lavallee

 Scriptural Seeds Ministries 

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

 

 

December 10th 2018 – God, I Got This On My Own

“And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’” (John 20:26-27)

We have all heard the comments, “get it together,” “straighten up,” or the ever classic, “as the good book says, the Lord helps them that help themselves.” Eventually, we heard it enough that we believed it. First, I have read the good book from cover to cover several times and let me assure you, it does not say that. Second, the Lord helps those that ask for His help.

If you are still determined to make it on your own, or get yourself cleaned up, or fly right or that you can fix the problem, whatever term you want to use, the Lord will let you try. The moment you realize you need the Lord’s help, He will be there to help, though not when you are over the trial, but while you are in the trial. To think that He comes to us after we get through the tough stuff is to paint Him as a fair weather friend. Beloved of God, it is you that the Lord longs to walk with through the storms of life. Call out to Him right where you are, just as you are and He will become even more real to you. The Lord loves you enough to take you just as you are, and thankfully He loves you too much to let you stay that way.

“Jesus will come to us right where we are and as we are.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I’ve tried it my way and my way doesn’t work. I need Your help in my life. Whatever things I’m trying to do on my own outside of You, I completely surrender to You. Please help me. Thank You for being the here for me always. Forgive me for not listening to You when I have heard the answer to my situation many times. Forgive me for choosing my way over Yours. I confess that am just a sinner and do not know more then You Lord. Please strenthing my faith and trust in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you would like to request a prayer Click Here

Interested in experiencing forgiveness and love found in Jesus? Please click here to learn more about how to ask Jesus into your heart. 4 Simple Steps to Jesus

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Rob Lavallee

 Scriptural Seeds Ministries 

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

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