We have all been hurt by people in our lives. We have been controlled, betrayed, lied & gossiped about, and many of us have been emotionally abused and some physically or sexually abused. God requires that everyone forgive those who have sinned against them in order to have their own sins forgiven by Him. “For if you forgive men their sins, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, neither will your Father forgive your sins.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:14-15‬ ‭ So does that mean that every relationship should be restored if the person who hurt you doesn’t own their bad behavior and change and still remains unhealthy or emotionally abusive? Did Jesus want to stay in relationship with everyone? He absolutely did not want to stay in close relationship with the Pharisees and scribes. Matthew 10:34-39 Christ Brings Division 34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and a man’s enemies will be those of…

IT'S BETTER TO BE ALONE WITH JESUS THAN TO HAVE MANY TOXIC FRIENDS & FAMILY By Mindy Schuman There are many times in life when we find ourselves surrounded by friends, family and others who may not necessarily support us or have our best interest at heart. There could be individuals we have allowed to be part of our lives who have not aligned themselves with the kingdom of God and His commandments and have become a negative influence in our thoughts and actions. In some cases we, for whatever reason, have continued to allow these individuals to speak into and be an active part of our lives causing much damage to ourselves and perhaps even our spouse and children! These types of relationships can be harmful and cause us to not be able to walk in the peace that God desires us to have. We have a responsibility to our spouses, if married, and children to guard ourselves from those with evil intentions and who habitually practice sin and walk out their fleshly desires. In my own life, I struggled with giving the types of people mentioned above access to my life because I feared being alone and feared…