This is a really good READING…
As I have Stated Before My Favorite book is Mathew and Chap 7 is My Favorite…
It has been The words in My Life…That Yahshua Touched My Spirit With…
Our culture uses Matthew 7:1 “Judge not lest ye be judged” to promote a tolerance that often encourages acceptance of behaviors the Bible forbids. We know that wasn’t Jesus’ intention. So, what did Jesus mean when He told us not to judge?
To judge means: to separate, to pick out, select, choose. By implication, it means to condemn, punish—avenge, conclude. It also carries the idea of having discernment. The passage where Jesus said,
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1) goes on to show us how to have discernment. Love is the proper motivation for not judging and for using good judgment.
What Are We Not to Judge?
The Bible says we can’t judge what is in someone’s heart.
We may assign bad motives to someone who ignores us when, in reality, he is fighting hidden battles. He may have just learned his spouse is unfaithful or his child has leukemia—or both. Or we may project good motives on someone in order to avoid conflict.
To judge another person shows pride. Only God knows what is in a person’s heart and the effort it takes to function where they are. We may assume the late mom is irresponsible. But she may be a single mother working two jobs and tending a special needs child.
A conference speaker said he misjudged a man who sat on the front row and slept through most of his lectures. Obviously, this man lacked spiritual interest. That assessment flipped 180 degrees when the man’s wife told him her husband was very ill and heavily medicated. He’d begged his doctor for permission to come that weekend to hear his favorite speaker.
“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” (John 7:24).
We aren’t to judge believers who practice their faith in ways different than us. We may decide someone is spiritually immature because they don’t pray, dress, or practice faith in the way we do. Maybe you don’t like the Scripture tattoo she wears on her ankle or that he won’t pray aloud in groups.
Paul wrote, “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat… So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister” (Romans 14:10, 12, 13).
When we stand before God, He won’t ask us why our friend or family member did what they did. He will ask us to give an account of ourselves. To manage ourselves is a full-time job. The Holy Spirit doesn’t need us to do His job.
We don’t judge or take vengeance on our enemies. “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).
God is the only one who knows the best way to deal with someone. We might be too harsh or too lax. If I judge them by carrying out vengeance God will deal with me. Do I want God to discipline me or them? We are not to judge or discriminate for or against people based on their race, gender, wealth, or status (James 2:2-9; 4:11-12; 5:9).
“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly” (Leviticus 19:15).
“If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?…If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers” (James 2:3-4, 8-9).
We are not even to judge ourselves. Sometimes people have super-sensitive consciences while others are less sensitive (1 John 3:20; Psalm 139:23-24).
“I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:3-5).
What Does “Lest Ye Be Judged” Mean?
Paul said that the works we do in this life will be judged (1 Cor. 3:10-15). This includes the time and energy we spent judging others with our words and thoughts (Matthew 5:22). And as seen in James 2:9 above, when we judge others, we break God’s law and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. Those who criticize others invite criticism. When I complained to my children about leaving their dishes out, they began to point out whenever I left something out! What we dole out comes back to us.
Is it Ever Appropriate to Judge?
While the Bible denounces faultfinding, it applauds fruit inspecting (Matthew 7:15-20). “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:17).
If a person has a pattern of wrong or hurtful behavior, that information helps us make sound decisions. “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them” (Ephesians 5:11, NLT)
When a church member was involved in sexual sin Paul said “For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this” (1 Cor. 5:3).
In other words, Paul didn’t need to interview the man to find out why he was doing what he did. He judged the man’s behavior based on the Scriptures.
Many people suffer because they suppress the negative vibes they pick up. They don’t want to appear judgmental. Yet Jesus said, “be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16, NASB).
How Do I Judge Wisely?
While we are to “judge not” as in belittle, punish, or condemn, we are to use sound judgment as in be discerning, evaluating, and shrewd. The rest of Matthew 7 explains how to do this.
Ask God to remove the prejudices that block our vision. How can we see the speck in our brother’s eye if our own vision is blocked? By allowing God to search and cleanse our hearts, we can see clearly to take the speck out of our brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3-6).
Discern between the holy and the profane. When Matthew 7:6 (NASB) says,
“Don’t give what is holy to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces,” Christ is not talking about the animal kingdom. Dogs and swine describe dangerous people.
We must recognize the dogs and swine. Otherwise how can we protect our pearls from them?
Ask God for discernment (Matthew 7:7-11).
God promises “everyone who asks receives.”
Look for patterns of behavior (Matthew 7:15-23; Proverbs 20:11).
Paul made sound judgments based on the bad fruit he saw. The apostle judged some believers as worldly and others in the church as false believers who intended to bring the church into bondage.
Paul’s judgment in discerning the spiritual condition of the saints helped him protect and instruct the church.
“You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”(1 Corinthians 3:3).
“This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves” (Galatians 2:4).
Why Is it important to Use Right Judgment?
We know “judge not” doesn’t negate right judgment because God’s laws are summed up four-letters—LOVE (Romans 13:10).
The Bible says, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9).
Love is stronger than tolerance.
It seeks the eternal good of the one loved. It protects even when it uncomfortable to do so.
If something is harmful (evil in the above verse), love stays away from it. Good parents monitor their children’s diets, friends, hobbies, and screen time to protect their bodies, hearts, and minds.
“Judge not lest ye be judged” begins a chapter that warns against evil influences.
God doesn’t want us to hurt other people; neither does He want us to be victims of harm (Proverbs 4:14-15).
A woman told me a tragic story of the peril of ignoring discernment. A neighbor came to her apartment late one night and asked to come in.
Her internal alarm sounded, and she said, “No.”
But when he told her he was depressed and needed to talk with someone and she was the nicest person he knew, a debate raged in her mind. This man has been drinking; it is late; I don’t feel good about this…
On the other hand, this may be my opportunity to win him to Christ. How can I call myself a Christian and turn him away?
She let him in, and he raped her.
Don’t let the fear of being judgmental cause you to throw away your God-given discernment.
Satan misused Scripture when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-10).
He uses the same tricks today. Adolf Hitler said, “What luck for leaders that men don’t think.”
May that not be true of us.
A Critical, Judgmental Spirit Tears Down the Body of Christ.
It crushes tender spirits and causes people to hide their spiritual gifts.
Discernment protects the church and us. When we sense something is wrong, we must not let a distorted view of “judge not” guilt us into ignoring this radar, even if it concerns a family member, coworker, or ministry leader we care about or who is respected by others.
With practice and the help of the Holy Spirit we can train our senses to discern good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).
“Judge not,” like all of Jesus’ commandments, is summed up in love. “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).
This Is Extremely Well Put…I will be adding More But Hope you SEE….Beyond Reading Words….TO HEARING THEM….
This can and WILL Be Used as A Reverse CURSE…ONTO YOU…By EVIL…For as You Condemn others SO YOU WILL BE CONDEMNED…
What the Bible Says about Breaking Curses
Betty Miller
April 19, 2007
Bible Answers / Spiritual Warfare
Word Curses: What the Bible Says about Breaking Curses
By Pastor RS “Bud” Miller
Pastors Bud & Betty Miller on Breaking Curses…
Today, we think of “cursing” as someone using foul language, profanity, or perhaps, even blasphemous words against God. Our definition usually is synonymous with “swearing.”
This is a form of cursing, but it is only a small portion of what curses mean in the Bible. Cursing in the Bible is not only speaking evil of someone, but evil coming upon someone.
If a person is under a curse, according to the Bible, evil has come upon them in some way. Sickness, tragedy, or bad circumstances are occurring in their lives.
Please Note: This does not mean that every difficult circumstance that we go through is a curse.
Sometimes God leads us through circumstances to stretch our faith. This is for our own good, as it is helping us to grow stronger and identify ourselves with Him.
However, He is not bringing anything upon us, but rather leading us through a circumstance so that we might experience His overcoming power.
For the duration of this article, we are referring to an evil curse that comes not from the hand of God, but from the enemy.
Breaking Curses from the Enemy
Even today, in many cultures, witch doctors or shamans put curses on people through demonic powers.
In some cultures, for example, “voodoo” is practiced. This includes such practices as sticking pins in a doll made in the image of a person, usually with some of that person’s hair, fingernail clippings, and so forth incorporated into the doll. Hateful words are projected as the doll is stabbed over and over.
There also are more gruesome practices used. However, with all evil witchcraft rituals, it is the hatred and evil projected from these people that is aimed at the targeted person that causes the harm.
The curses spoken over that doll do not come to pass because of the doll or the pins. There is no power in those inanimate objects. They come to pass because of the demonic power operating through the person speaking forth the curses.
In many cultures, other than Western Societies, people have no problem understanding these curses and blessings, because the presence of demonic beings is very real to them.
In fact, in many places, they leave offerings to appease evil spirits, for the purpose of warding them off so they will leave them alone.
If you have been affected by a curse such as listed above, we have good news for you. By accepting Jesus, you can be free from demonic oppression and actually have authority over the devil and his curses (Luke 9:1)
instead of his spirits having power over you or your family.
Can A Curse Affect A Christian?
In today’s culture, some Christians still have curses operating against them. That is because various occult practices are openly practiced in our societies in this day.
Many Christians need to be freed from curses spoken against them before they were saved, or from curses that have come upon them through involvement in idolatry and witchcraft (Deuteronomy 29:24-28).
We have been redeemed from the curse, but if we walk in willful rebellion, we are “breaking covenant” and that leaves holes for the enemy to bring a curse on us.
Many Christians mistakenly believe that the devil cannot come near them in any way. The Bible does not support this theory.
When Paul wrote to “not give the devil any foothold, or a place” (Ephesians 4:27),
he was writing to Christians! Curses can work against Christians if they are in rebellion, out of the will of God, or not walking in faith and love.
However, if we are walking where God wants us to walk, a hundred curses against us would just bounce off and would do us no harm.
The story of Balaam and Israel gives us a good example of this principle (Numbers 22).
Although Balaam was not an Israelite, he was a prophet of God. The kings of Moab and Midian wanted him to curse the Israelites during the journey from Egypt to Canaan. Elders of those nations offered him what apparently was a lot of money, and he tried to do what their king wanted — but he could not. He tried three times but was unable to do anything, but bless Israel.
Jesus Took The Curse For Us
Before we are born again, we walk under the law of sin and death; but, after we are regenerated, we are under the law of life in Christ Jesus, who became a curse for us.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14
How wonderful is our inheritance as Christians! We do not get the evil that should be ours. We all deserve hell, but when we come to Jesus, we get Heaven.
We are not under the curse of sickness and death any longer. We now have power over sin through Jesus.
Sin can no longer pull us around like bulls with rings in our noses. You know, leading an animal by that ring must hurt his nose sometimes. Many of us have been led around hurting with rings in our noses!
However, we have to want to overcome the habit of sinning. God will not violate our wills. If we want to keep on sinning after we are saved from the law of sin and death,
He will allow us to do so. We need to clearly understand that when we sin, it produces the death principle in our lives.
Although we are children of God and have been given the covenant of blessing, “idols” in our hearts and lives can cause us to be open in some ways to the curse.
Those who come under the curses of God are unbelievers and Christians who knowingly and deliberately continue to sin.
Breaking A Curse
The way to break a curse is to repent for whatever involvement has occurred on the enemy’s territory and rebuke the devil out of your life. You should also pray something along the following lines:
“Father, I ask you first to forgive me for my sins and cleanse me from any area where I have allowed the devil to enter my life. I renounce any involvement with the works of darkness. In the name of Jesus, I now cancel every curse, and Father, I ask you to forgive the people who have spoken them against me. I thank you that those curses will no longer operate against me. In Jesus’ name, they are broken right now, by the power of Almighty God. I cancel every evil that was spoken against me and ask you to cover me and my family with your protection according to your Word in Psalm 91.”
The Bible tells us in James 4:7 to “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
If we think that someone is speaking a curse upon us, we should not send a curse back on the one who sent it to us. We are not to return evil for evil, but rather overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
Ask God to forgive them, because many times they do not know what they are doing.
If you intercede for such persons, you are obeying the Word, which allows the Holy Spirit to cancel the curse automatically if we are speaking good and praying for those who would seek to harm us. We should also quote the scriptures that promise us protection such as Psalm 91.
Remember the devil is the fallen one and we have power over him, so we need not fear him. As we use our authority over him in faith, he cannot hurt us. We have power over all curses through our Lord, Jesus Christ.
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:18
ME AGAIN…
I hate to Disagree with this Last Part…But Unless you are very DEEP into Faith and understanding of Spiritual Warfare….YOU CAN AND WILL BE HURT…This is not Lack of Faith But is COMMON SENSE and Experience I Speak From….
more to come…need to pray and move forward with GOD my Life…
Thank You..