^“ Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude vv. 24-25)

Dear Partners and Prayer Warriors,

Living a powerful, harmonious and Godly lifestyle of freedom takes deliberate study, thought and practice. The more we know about God’s Word, the easier it becomes, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can attain all that God intends for us to have.

We must Walk in Power and Authority.

When we walk in both the Power of the Holy Spirit and the Authority of God, all things are attainable but we must have balance between these two.  In other words, if we walk in the “authority” God gives to us and not allow the “power” of the Holy Spirit to temper that authority, then we become one-sided and walk, only in part, of who we are supposed to be!  On the other hand, if we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit but without the vessel of authority for power to flow through, we are ineffective in seeing the promises of God play out for us to succeed. Either way, we become unbalanced and out of unity with ourselves, others and what God intended. These two must work together. When the Apostle Paul was bitten by a viper, he was able to shake it off. He was filled with

the power of the Holy Spirit and walked in the authority of God. The scripture said Paul didn’t die. (Acts 28:3-5)

We must Pursue Peace over Competition.  

 When one individual’s insecurity collides with another individual’s competence a competition is formed within the insecure person. It is also true when everyone is competent and has an opinion, it can cause a competition.   

To pursue peace over competition, we must lay aside the root cause of pride/ ego and humble ourselves (Phil.2:3). In doing so, we allow God to have His perfect work within us and make way for others and Jesus will be seen in us! One example of this can be two people vying for another’s attention while another example is traffic; road rage! In the first example there could be room for everyone and in the second example, every person jockeying for position does so without the care or concern for another. In both scenarios, by pursuing peace over competition, we arrive at our appointed destination without angst or frustration.

 “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2)

 “In every relationship be swift to choose peace over competition, and run swiftly toward holiness, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14)

We must Choose Forgiveness over Justice.

 We live in a fleshly body in a fallen world whereby each demands justice; a place where rights are demanded and expected to be fulfilled.  We live by the rule: “right is right and wrong is wrong!”  There is no room for mistakes, no grace and no healing from the hurt of those mistakes. (An outward expression)

However, forgiveness, (An inward heart confession) sets right the wrongs, gives grace for mistakes and is the starting place for healing. Forgiveness also cuts the tethered cord between the offense and the offender so the healing can begin.

“And we have come to Jesus who established a new covenant with His blood sprinkled upon the mercy seat; blood that continues to speak from heaven, ‘forgiveness,’ a better message than Abel’s blood that cries from the earth, ‘justice’.” (Hebrews 12:24)

And we must Give Mercy over Judgment.

 “and remember that judgment is merciless for the one who judges others without mercy. So by showing mercy you take dominion over judgment!” (James 2:13)

 This scripture comes with a warning and a promise: If we judge another without mercy, then no mercy will be given to us, but if we give mercy instead of judgment then we have actively stepped on the enemy’s head and will receive mercy.  Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, filled with the Holy Spirit, walked in His authority, chose forgiveness of our sins, and gave us mercy (a new covenant of grace) at the cross. Peace, Forgiveness and Mercy are the tools that partner us with Jesus for Kingdom purposes. The Good News is Love always wins!

Another interesting look at six of these words is the spiritual battle of good & evil:

Peace, Forgiveness, & Mercy vs. Competition, Justice, & Judgement

A short note:

We have some good news to share: Loving People Enough Ministries has opened a counseling office. We are planning to become Life Coaching Certified and add this skill set to LPEM, hopefully this next year. We have been asked to partner with Walking in Freedom Ministries, which will include jail ministry as well as help others set up Freedom Ministry in their home church.  We are excited about where God is leading us.

 It is because of dedicated and faithful partners and prayer warriors like yourselves that make what we do possible.  We thank you for joining us in the mission of winning souls and healing hearts to enlarge the body of Christ.  Know that we pray blessings over you for what you do for us. We appreciate You!

LPE Ministries is a 501(c) 3 Charitable Organization.  All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.