"RECOGNIZE and IDENTIFY!"

Matthew 5:21-26               (ESV)
"21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny."




These scriptures caused my mind to reflect on a conversation recently with an acquaintance when the subject of him being done wrong by several of his adversaries came up.  He was telling how he was treated badly by others when an interview of Dr. Charles Stanley was brought to my mind by the Holy Spirit.  In the interview Dr. Stanley recalls GOD speaking to him and saying "You've got to see it all as coming from ME (GOD)"!  My initial response to the conversation with my acquaintance was to join with him in calculating a proper response to the people who were offending, but then I thought how JESUS would respond to them and my thoughts began changing.  Being able to RECOGNIZE and IDENTIFY" when the enemy is present should be one of the easiest things to do, but he blends in so well with our daily activities that it can be difficult to SEE him, unless we are keeping a keen eye on the lookout for him!

In the scripture passage above, JESUS is telling HIS disciples that we should not react the way "this world" reacts to being done wrong!  We are "called" (1 Peter 2:9) out of darkness into HIS marvelous light maybe in order for HIM to be glorified.  JESUS said in Acts 9:16 to Ananias "For I will show him (Saul) how much he must suffer for the sake of MY name."  Some are called to suffer for the sake of HIS name and exhibit that we are simply here to draw Glory to the FATHER!  It should be our privilege to be used of HIM to draw Glory to HIM.  Keeping our focus on the "main thing" will help us be able to SEE the Spirit world and the enemy at work!

Do I automatically SEE the lessons I am trying to be taught by the Holy Spirit?  Obviously NOT!  Sometimes I don't even SEE them until the person with whom I am speaking with has already left my company.   Being able to "RECOGNIZE and IDENTIFY" the snake that Satan is should be something we all need to improve on in our lives.  Genesis 3:1 says he is "more crafty" than any other creature that GOD has made.  Satan will disguise himself to us where to where we THINK others should be blamed for actions, when in reality, the reason we are offended is satan is seeking to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10)!

While I am far from where I need to be Spiritually, I can only thank the Heavenly Father that I am not where I used to be!  Being able to "RECOGNIZE and IDENTIFY" the enemy when he tries to slither into my surroundings is something that we all should continually improve upon.  We MUST be able to SEE that there are plenty of good people who are being used by the spirit of the enemy to assist him in stealing, killing, and destroying.  Basically, it is GOOD versus evil, and we are being used to further an agenda.  Whose agenda do I most often display???  How proficient am I at being able to "RECOGNIZE and IDENTIFY"???