Judgmental  

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Leviticus 19:15     Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

Psalm 19:14      May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 141:3     Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.

Proverbs 18:21     The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 31:9     Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Matthew 7:1-5     “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Matthew 12:36-37     But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.

Luke 6:31     Do to others as you would have them to do you.

Luke 6:37-38     “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measures you use, it will be measured to you.”

Romans 2:1-3, 13      You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.  Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.  So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? . . . 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 12:16     Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.

Romans 14:3-4     The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.  Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?  To their own master, servants stand or t=fall.  And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Galatians 5:17

Ephesians 4:29     Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

James 4:11-12     Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.  Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.  There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.  But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

 

I started looking into fasting several weeks ago.  My initial intent was fasting food, but then I read about fasting other things—and came across negative words and thoughts to fast.  There were other things also—alcohol, pornography, gambling, and so forth.  We can all overuse things—food, desserts, and shopping, and watching too much TV, watching too many sports, and the list goes on. There is an abundance of things we can fast if we realize we are abusing them.

I came to realize I was negative and judgmental.  Immediate conviction.  I felt totally crummy.  Certainly, I do not want someone judging me—I do enough of that on my own.  And I find myself wanting in many areas.  But, and surprise! This is NOT what God wants me to do.  I am loved and cherished by God, and He made me with all my quirks, strengths, faults, and abilities.  Who am I to judge my errors so harshly?  Who am I to judge any others?  I do not always judge others harshly.  I see many others, several, and find myself lacking when I compare.    But I am not supposed to compare myself with others.  I am uniquely made, and I need to appreciate the way God has given me strengths, abilities, and gifts, and NOT make any comparisons.  My reading of purging and fasting the negative words of judgment, comparison, criticism, gossip, negative thinking, and so forth also made me realize I am sinning by making judgment calls toward myself, therefore finding fault with how God created me.

But I certainly have no right to judge others.  I am certainly no better than anyone else, and since God made each of us unique to the strengths, gifts, and abilities He gave—I have no right to judge or to envy others.   I do find many that I admire, they have traits I think are wonderful, dress wonderfully, have a great sense of humor or an ease with others.  I have a time getting accustomed to new people and feeling relaxed.   There are many I admire, but then find fault with my whatever…but that is NOT God’s desire for me.  He wants me to use my strengths and gifts to be the best ME–not to emulate someone else and their strengths.

And, most importantly, it is a sin for me to judge—and therefore be critical of the way someone else does something.  I have been sinning.  Only with the Holy Spirit can I change my judgment, my critical thinking, my envy of others, and gossip and so forth.  Only He can point out and make me aware of the many ways I am sinning.  And with the Holy Spirit, He can give me the nudge, the awareness to STOP, to confess and repent.  With awareness, we can change our behaviors.  I want to fast my negative thoughts, words, and deeds.

I will admit I am more aware—I have been shown when I have had a moment of judging, or begun to gossip, or whatever.   And I am recognizing this negative behavior more and therefore able to stop it.  My belief is I will overcome this with the continued help of the Holy Spirit.  And it makes me very thankful.  Lord, I want to get closer to You.

When I think back over the growth and walk I have had with God, I can be nothing but thankful.  Thank You, Father for all the blessings You have given me and ‘mybellaviews.’