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Writer's pictureAndy McIlvain

Do You Listen To Others, Do you Bear With Them in All Things?


man standing on mountaintop
God Give Me a Listening Heart


Do you think people with different opinions (about any subject) than yours are your enemy?


Or does that just relate to politics?


Are you a Christian or want to be a Christian? That process starts with praying and talking to God, telling him you are a sinner. He will forgive you, he died for you.

When Jesus hung on the cross he was not only brutalized and beaten but nailed to a cross by people who thought of themselves as HIS enemy. Yet amazingly he did not consider them to be his enemy.

The seven things Jesus said while died on the cross:

Luke 23:34: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Luke 23:43: Verily, I say unto you today, thou shalt be with me in paradise.

John 19:26–27: Woman, behold thy son. (Says to disciple) Behold thy mother.

Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

John 19:28: I thirst.

John 19:30: It is finished.

Luke 23:46: Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.

The first statement is quoted in Luke 23:24. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

This applies to you and me as we are all the worst of sinners. Our sin nature makes us do sinful evil things. It we are left to our own will power to counteract this nature we fail. We are a natural man. Faith in Christ allows the Holy Spirit to activate our Human Spirit which allows Christ Jesus to be in us. WE are the temple.

We need to also understand what God says about our human heart. Jeremiah 17: 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

You and I are totally depraved apart from Christ. We can do evil and wicked things to ourselves and other people.

The reality of total depravity is that it is “total.” Even in repentance, the brokenness of everything in us and about us can lead to times of fear and despair. Victory has been secured and is certain, but the war wages on. The enemy (our sin nature and Satan) will fight until the bitter end.

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:6–7).

Apart from God you can claim to be wise but you will only be a fool.

Romans 1:22–23: “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images.” They became fools which is the ultimate foolishness. This is the most foundational and basic meaning of sin: exchanging the glory of the immortal God for substitutes—anything we value more than God. We look at the Creator and then exchange him for something he created.

Have you exchanged politics, or a politician, or an idea for God? Think about this. If you have then you must turn this around. Start with prayer and repentance.

Ok so we are all Americans! By birth or immigration, whatever. What has made America exceptional in the past among other things is that we agreed to disagree, and we tried to compromise and make changes, do the right thing.

We are not exceptional right now. We have become polarized and separated by political opinion and religious opinion. We are caught up in a cult of personality and have become malicious and hateful with our fellow Americans.

As a Christian you and I following the example of our Lord should not be thinking and acting like our fellow citizens and brothers and sisters in Christ are the enemy. If you are thinking that way you need to repent, 1 John 1:9 and pray for reconciliation. Stop demonizing everyone you don’t agree with.

Speaking of Demons do you realize who is instigating much of our discord? Yes, it is Satan and his Demons who feed on our sin and evil actions. We are partly to blame, and our sin provides fodder for spiritual warfare.

Do you want to help turn America around? Consider your heart. Your attitude and actions may even be part of the reason America is declining!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. (Eph. 2:4–5)


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