A pop-quiz on love

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • On one of my very rare days off, I went to get a treat from a local eatery.
  • In doing so, I had an encounter with a cashier who was less than helpful when taking my order, which is a “spiritual trigger” for me. The enemy and my flesh knows that all too well!
  • The Lord also knows that, and I’m certain this was a “pop quiz” from Him in applying Matthew 5:43-48.

Scripture references

Matthew 5:43-48

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

How we treat others who mistreat us is a barometer of our love and maturity in Christ.

BCUFam, big battles and big testimonies are a part of many of our lives, and we thank God for them. Just as important are the day-to-day interactions we have, in respect as to how we treat people who mistreat us. It is easy to bicker, quibble, wrangle, and verbally spar with others as a way to prove we are right or to avenge ourselves. While the Lord gives us permission to speak up in a firm way as needed, the love we have for Jesus and people will have us conduct ourselves that honors God. And yes, sometimes we may feel that throwing napkins, telling someone off, or flipping a table will avenge us, but if we love, bless, do good and pray instead, we will be called the children of our Father in Heaven and the Lord will take care of our enemies (see Luke 18:1-8). Amen? Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform BCU is available on. Some of those platforms are Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify,  Stitcher Radio , and many more!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

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Fear and People-pleasing

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • In my recent internet travels, an influencer spoke about fear as is relates to people-pleasing.
  • While trauma is usually the reason, basically speaking, people-pleasing is rooted in the spirit of fear.
  • Sometimes, we operate in the fear of what will happen if we say “no” to people, especially if they are powerful, have influence, have something we need, or have a habit of “making” us feel guilty. That is called a snare.
  • If God tells us to say no, we must trust that He has better way, and His way will keep us safe.

Scripture references

Proverbs 29:25

25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

I Timothy 1:7

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Galatians 5:19-21

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Proverbs 21:1

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Galatians 1:10

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

People-pleasing is rooted in the spirit of fear. What is it about this person that we are so afraid of?

BCUFam, people-pleasing and the addiction to people-approval is a subtle snare set up by the enemy, and many of us have gotten caught up in it. The good news is that Jesus has come to set us free from the fear of people! If we can trust that He will take care of us despite what the people say, then we will ALWAYS be safe. Let’s pray!

Father in the name of Jesus, we thank you for your Word that reminds us that we do NOT have to live in the fear of people. As we come before you, please forgive us for the times that we allowed fear to put others before You, Lord. Also, Lord, please forgive us for being the person who used fear to set a snare for someone else.

In the name of Jesus, we ask you to please come in set us all free from the snare of people-pleasing! Break every chain of people-approval, over-explaining ,and even being the person who is using our power or influence to make someone fearful of us. Free us, Jesus from the guilt that comes after we say “no”. And Lord, if we are being told “no”, help us to receive it graciously! Bless us to remember not to be a snare to anyone, because You supply our needs, Jesus. We trust that You will work everything out for us, Your way and in Your time. So while we wait, we thank You, Jesus for sustaining us.

Fill our hearts and minds with your perfect love, as I John 4:18 reminds us, that casts out all fear, and please bless us to continue walking in our deliverance and victory! Thank You Jesus for blessing us to trust in You, so that we are safe. We thank You for answering our plea, and will ever give Your Name the praise, glory and honor for Who You are and all You do for us. It is in Jesus name we pray and thank You, Lord! Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform BCU is available on. Some of those platforms are Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify,  Stitcher Radio , and many more!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

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Put them out!

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • As of this post, we are in the first week of January, 2023 and we thank God for it!
  • While many people of God do not need to/ make “resolutions”, a new year sometimes prompts us to take spiritual inventory of areas where the Lord needs to help us do better.
  • In talking with the Lord, He reminded me that separating from certain people is needful for Him to work through us.

Scripture references

Mark 5:21-43

21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.

22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

I Thessalonians 5:12

 12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you..

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

We spend too much time trying to convince people who we are and Whose we are. Let the LORD working through you do the speaking FOR you. #PutThemOut

BCUFam, I love how Jesus did not waste time trying to convince the crowd who He was, why they should not have laughed, or that God sent Him. He also did not spend energy rebuking or punishing them at all. He simply put the scorners out, kept the believers with Him and allowed the miracle He performed to speak for Him.

We can follow the blueprint Jesus left us as well. Let’s stop wasting time proving to people that we are qualified to do what God called us to do.

Put them out.

Did they laugh at you when you got up to do sing or speak? Is that causing you to shrink back from your calling? Today, we are giving those people and those feelings to God and moving forward in Him.

Put them out.

Maybe the people you are around have a tendency to make light of the things of God (scorners). They want to remind you of who you used to be and it’s impossible that God wants to/can/is using you.

Put them out.

With the help of the Lord—-through the power of His might, we can live a life serving Him at full capacity and bringing Him glory. There will always be scoffers and scorners, but we will NOT allow them to interfere in our assignments any more! Amen? Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for the word that came to us that we are not to be concerned about the scorners, but rather as Ephesians 4:1 reminds us, to walk worthy of the vocation in which we were called, with Your full approval and backing. Thank you for helping us to get every assigned task completed so that Your will (not the scorners) is done on Earth so we can hear well done, thou good and faithful servant when we go to Heaven! It’s in Jesus name we pray, Amen! Let’s get to work, BCUFam!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, and  Stitcher Radio !

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

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It’s a heart condition…

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • I had an interaction with a co-worker who had questions for an “obvious” request I made.
  •  As I spoke to the individual, my tone and words were pleasant, but my heart was agitated and God was not pleased.
  • The Lord reminded me that we are in a position of service, and that starts in the heart.

Scripture references

Luke 6:31

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

Colossians 3:22-25

22 *Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

2 Corinthians 5:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Jeremiah 17:9-10

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Matthew 15:18-20(a)

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20 These are the things which defile a man:

2 Corinthians 9:7

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

If the Lord was physically in front of us, how would we serve those who agitate us?

BCUFam, I have an update! First, the Lord put me in a situation where I had to have a conversation with someone who was a bit short with me when I was asking necessary questions—and I did not enjoy how that felt and had to repent! God has a way of chastening us so we will remember what NOT to do!

Shortly after that, the Lord arranged another opportunity to interact with the co-worker from the podcast–in fact, even the request I had for them was very similar to the first one I had. Immediately, the Lord reminded me of my lessons, so with His grace, I was able to answer their questions (serve) the individual properly—with singleness of heart and being pleasing to God! It was a challenge now, but the Lord brought me through it! Glory to His name!

In this life, there will be areas of our walk with Christ that will be a bit more of a battle than others, and the Lord knows that. The good news is that these battles are not to destroy us, but to make us more dependent on and more like Christ. And when do feel the challenges overwhelming us, we can call on the POWERFUL and MIGHTY name of Jesus every step of the way and He will help us! Amen? Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, and  Stitcher Radio !

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

*These scriptures DO NOT condone or endorse slavery as our history recounts and many of our people remember. Mankind has a way to take the Word of God and twist it for personal gain/benefit and that’s NEVER what God intended.

According to history, in Biblical times, some were servants as a way to pay off debt, and others were servants that made a living taking care of others. Some of the servants (and perhaps employers as well) were newly saved and were getting out of order, so Paul gave directions to both parties. In modern day terms, these verses apply to the employer/employee relationship.

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Just how GREAT is our God?

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • We are now days away from the day many set aside to celebrate the birth of Christ. (Note, There is NO biblical reference mentioning when Christ was born. We’re just glad He came).
  •  As we meditate on the miracle of His birth, and how/why He came here to save mankind (see John 3:16), the preparation and circumstances for Jesus’ arrival were orchestrated perfectly.
  • Years ago, God gave me this simple, yet powerful post that truly showed me how and reminded me of how powerful He is! Please listen, reflect and rejoice on the magnitude of our God!

Scripture references

Prophecy: Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me, the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”

Situation: Joseph & very pregnant Mary are in Nazareth/Galilee about 70 or so miles away from Bethlehem and likely had no reason to go there. Until…Let’s go to Luke 2:1-3.

1And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

2This census first took place while Cyrenius was governing Syria.

3So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Solution: Caesar declares a tax and all people, including Joseph and Mary have to make their way to their own/home city (and with no modern transportation, I might add). Now to Luke 2:4-6).

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was great with child.

6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.

Lesson: God used a carnal government official to make His Word/promise come to pass. He’s that powerful!! Psalms 62:11 says, “God has spoken once, twice have I heard this: power belongs to God!” That’s something to get excited about!

Proverbs 21:1 declares, “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.” When we think about that, it helps us to understand who God really is and how He organizes circumstances to accomplish His will. While we may not understand or like our current situation(s), with His help, we need to trust He knows what He’s doing. In fact, Paul reminds us that “..we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬). While the individual situations that happen in our lives may not feel good, once the Lord finishes His masterpiece, ALL things will work together for good! With the grace of God, we’ll just hang on in here together and let the Lord have His way! Amen? Amen

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, and  Stitcher Radio !

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

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