Christianity – Page 11

Lessons from the 2016 Election! 🇱🇷

Hi there BCU Family!

As usual, you have the option of listening to our podcast (click the BCU avatar below to listen), reading the notes or BOTH. In any case, we pray the podcast blesses you. If so, please thumbs up or leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy your study!

With all of the kerfuffle about the 2016 Election in the United States this week, supporters and opponents of the two main candidates took to social media to let anyone who would read know how they felt about the result. While there were some civil comments, many fired back retorts in retailiation, doom, angry words, name calling, jeers and cursing. And sadly, some of those responses were from people who say they are Christian, Holy-Ghost filled, baptized in Jesus name believers.

What does that look like to the people we are trying to win to Christ?

What must God be thinking about the people who are called by His name?

Sigh.

Yes, God is forgiving, understanding and allows us to feel and be emotional about things that are passionate to us–He made us to do so. The issue comes in when we practice letting the emotion CONTROL us to the point where we start walking in the flesh rather than in the Spirit. In fact, Galatians 5 says that the works of the flesh, in part, produce hatred, wrath, and strife–and on TOP of that they that do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (see Galatians 5:16-21). That should be enough to encourage us to walk in the Spirit! I do know that it can be trying at times–and the Lord knows that too, which is why He gives us His Word to apply.

Matthew 18:7 says offenses will come. In this life, we will either offend someone or or be offended by someone. While we don’t want to be “repeat offenders”, with the help of God, when someone trespasses against us, we are commanded to go to the person to straighten out the matter, as well FORGIVE seventy times seven times–in order words, LOSE COUNT, otherwise WE will not be forgiven. Matthew 18 tells us all about that.

James 1:19 reminds us to be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath. Why? Because the [deep-seated, retaliating] wrath of man does NOT work the righteousness of God–that holy standard of behavior that is required from us (James 1:20). As we strive to be more like Jesus, we understand that the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy (Psalm 103:8). That means we need to be the same way.

Do we have to get upset about EVERYTHING? No. The discretion of a man defers his anger and it is his glory to pass over a transgression (Proverbs 19:11). Simply put, slow the anger down and learn when to overlook being offended.

Even when we do need to respond to someone, we can do it so God is glorified! Proverbs 15:28 says, the heart of the righteous studies [thinks carefully and with wisdom] about HOW to answer [wisely and appropriately], but the mouth of the wicked pours out EVIL things. When you think of something being poured out, it’s coming quickly, forcefully, and with little to no control or regard to who is around or the effects of the pouring. This is NOT the standard of holy living God has called us to! BCU Fam, NOTHING evil should ever come pouring out of our mouths whether in verbal or written communication. Words are weapons and the scarring can be PERMANENT.

Bottom line: You know, God’s eyes behold and His eyelids try the children of men (Psalms 11:4), so this election and the outcome and our responses were truly a test for many of us, myself included. Depending on how you did on this or a similar test, do know that it will be administered again, not to torment or frustrate us, but to help us to be more like Jesus and be prepared for His coming–it’s nearer than we think and we DO NOT want to miss the rapture! Let’s commit the Word spoken here today to memory and action–and pass this exam with the help of the Lord! Amen? Amen!

Well, BCU family this was a tough yet needful reminder! It’s imperative that we respond to offenses in a way that glorifies God and does not taint our witness.

We have to stop here–but no fear, there are other podcasts for you to enjoy on the BlenCouragesU.com site that are available 24-7! You can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and iTunes.

Before you go, we’d LOVE to dialogue with you! We’ll make it easy to comment by asking you to please answer this question:

Which of the points resonated with you the most?

As always, thank you for stopping by and may God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you! #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

12 Nov 201612 Nov 2016

BlenCouragesU1 Comment

Singles Chalkboard |Waiting…. while…..single.

Hi there BCU Family!

Where are my single listeners?! This podcast is all for you! (and curious marrieds :-)) So, I was blessed with the opportunity to be a speaker at the 2016 She is Set Apart Singles (SISA) Conference last month, and I thought I’d share the audio [it cut out on occasion, but not too badly] with you.

sisa-conference — The conference was WONDERFUL! Please visit SISA’s site, AND link up with these AMAZING speakers!

A common question from singles is “what do I do while I wait?” I used to ask questions like that and the answer I got was “just wait” or “pray”. [Insert question mark face here]. While that is accurate, there is a little more to it than that. I’m glad the Lord blessed me to know better than that–and I’ll share it with you.

What you will hear are 5 areas where we singles should do an inventory check on ourselves through the Word of God. This is NOT a “fix-and get-married-quick” list, rather, as we look at these areas through the eyes of God, we start to see where we can become more like Him and move to doing just that. In the process, if it is His will to send us that mate, we’ll be more discerning, choose wisely, and even better equipped to handle the responsibility of a relationship that God is entrusting you do give your best in.

The areas of examination (and base Scriptures) are:

Spiritual (I Corinthians 5:17, Acts 2:38).

Financial (2 Corinthians 9:7–and not JUST money)

Emotional (Matthew 20:11)

Physical (I Corinthians 6:20)

Mental (Matthew 12:34)

In this podcast, we’ll get through almost three of the five. It’s a good idea to have your notebooks handy to jot down the Scriptures, so you can study them and take note of what God tells you. Also, if you’d like more detail in a .PDF format, please send an email to Blen@BlenCouragesU.com or pop me a note in the comments. I cannot wait to hear what your thoughts are!

Thank you so much for stopping by! If this was a blessing to you, please comment below and share it with someone–you’ll never know how the Lord may use you to encourage someone else! And if you have not done so, please like BlenCouragesU on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram! And PLEASE subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and iTunes. You’ve already done that? Then tell someone you love AND your enemy–I’m trusting they will soon become your friend! 🙂

Until we are together again, may God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you—-and #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

1 Oct 201612 Nov 2016

BlenCouragesU1 Comment

Series: Gated community living! Lessons from Nehemiah chapter 3

Hey there BCU Family!

As usual you have the option of listening to our podcast (click the BCU avatar below to listen), reading the notes or BOTH. In any case, we pray the podcast blesses you. If so, please thumbs up or leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy your study!

So…we have gotten a LOT of mileage out of a chapter that looked like it should be skipped! LOLOL! Just when you thought there was NOTHING else to talk about in Nehemiah 3, we have some interesting information here about the gates here.

gates-marked-1 — The ten very important gates of Nehemiah chap 3! Pic courtesy of FreeBibleImages.org

You really need your Bible as we’re going to skip through the chapter and talk through the importance of the gates that we rebuilt. Recall that they were burned by fire (Nehemiah 2:3) and with the wall, they needed replacing. The walls are for safety and protection and the gates keep the good in and the bad out. Let’s explore what these gates were and how they apply to us!

v1Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.

The sheep gate is where the shepards brought in sheep and lambs that were brought in for sacrifice. Who is our Lamb? Jesus. Are we His people and the sheep of His pasture? (Psalm 100:3). Yes! Is Jesus the good Shepard? Doesn’t Jesus tell us He is the door and if we enter in, we are saved and find pasture? Did nor He lay down His life for the sheep? (Read John chapter 10 for these references). We can see how this gate directly points to Jesus!

v3But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

This gate is where the fishermen brought their catches in to be sold. After we have been saved, we are fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). Something to think about here, when one goes fishing, you have to use bait. What bait are we using? The Word of God or our words? Any words at all? More importantly, do our lifestyles line up with the Word of God? Titus 2:12 says we should deny ungodliness, worldly lusts, LIVE soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Your consistent Christ-like lifestyle is the “bait” the will draw people to Christ.

v6Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

This represents the “old” or established way of salvation. Jesus made it plain. Repent. Be baptized every one in the name of Jesus and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38). Moreover, once we are saved, we should LIVE life as Jesus commands. Where do you start? Luke 10:27 says to love God with all your heart, soul and strength and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. That’s the law in two commandments. If you love the Lord, as you seek to please Him you will not intentionally, willfully and consistently practice sinning. On top of that, if you love your neighbor as yourself, (and yes, you do love yourself–you take time to bathe, eat, etc., that’s love), you won’t practice doing anything wrong to others. The Word of God makes it plain–no loopholes or “new”alternatives for living God’s way. “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrew 13:8).

v13The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.

There were several valleys surrounding Jerusalem and that reminds us that we will go through the valleys (tests, trials and tribulation) in this life. How do we conduct ourselves in the valley ? Some of these experiences can last for years. What are we doing in the valley? Who are we reaching? Who are we ministering to? How much prayer vs. complaining are we doing? While the valley experiences press you, the have a lesson (we need to ask God to show us what that is) and a purpose. “But the God of all grace, who has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered awhile, make you perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you” (I Peter 5:10).

v14But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth–haccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

This gate was where trash was dumped and burned. How does this apply to us? As we come out of the valley, and loading up on the Word, old ,tired, non Christ-like habits, attitudes and actions and thoughts are dumped or purged. Take away the dross from the silver and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer (Proverbs 25:4).

WHEW!!!! As we wrap up this podcast episode, we are reminded that God is awesome enough to speak to us in something as basic as a gate, yet leave us a powerful message and call to action. As we meditate on the Word, let’s work on applying what God said, so we can become more like Him. Amen? Amen!

Lord will, next time we are together, we’ll plan to go through the the remainder of the gates–you do NOT want to miss that!

Thank you so much for stopping by! If this was a blessing to you, please comment below and share it with someone–you’ll never know how the Lord may use you to encourage someone else! And if you have not done so, please like BlenCouragesU on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram! And PLEASE subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio and iTunes. You’ve already done that? Then tell someone you love AND your enemy–I’m trusting they will soon become your friend! 🙂

Until we are together again, may God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you–and #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

10 Sep 201610 Sep 2016

BlenCouragesU10 Comments

Learning to take “no” for an answer.

Hey BCU Family,

I was asking the Lord what to chat about this week and the Matthew 7 came up in my heart. The Lord gave me this thought awhile back and impressed upon me to share it with you as a wonderful reminder that “no” can be a beautiful thing.

Let’s take a look at Matthew 7:7-11

v7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
v8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
v9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
v10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
v11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

While we should ask, seek and knock, focusing on verses 9 & 10, we have to ask God to help us discern if what we are asking, seeking and knocking for is not a stone or serpent. In our limited wisdom and knowledge, we see and desire many things! And while they may resemble bread or fish, it’s really a stone or serpent–we just can’t see it. Many times we ask, plead, beg, fast and pray for that something or someone that is NOT a good gift–and will bring us BIG trouble.

The earliest account of disobedience to God’s “no” is in Genesis 3. The highlights are the subtle serpent (hmm, see the correlation?) walked up to Eve and asked her about eating off the one tree God said NOT touch or eat from, lest they DIE. (translation: that was a clear “NO”). Naturally, the serpent discounted what God said, talked up the fruit and it’s benefits to the point where Eve ate it and gave some to Adam. Notice God did not take away the free will of Adam or Eve–they made the decision to disobey and had to suffer the consequences of overriding God’s “no”. Same thing for us–God tells us what we are to do and we can skip His will for ours, but there will be consequences. In the first couple’s case, the serpent (who used to walk) was cursed, now crawls on his belly and is an enemy of ours, Eve got us multiple sorrows, pain in conception and childbearing, along with husbands ruling over us, and Adam now had to work the ground in order to survive. Their consequences were passed down to us! Our decision making should be carefully considered as we do not know how we will effect our future or the futures of our families, friends and anyone we’d come in contact with!

Well, what about a situation that’s not a clear “no” in the Bible? The Word of God has us covered there as well. Turn to Joshua chapter 9. Once again, I will not read the entire Scripture, (please read it when you get a chance), but the mighty Joshua who led the people after Moses passed away and winning all these battles with God’s help, lost a big battle this time.

The Gibonites, who had heard of Joshua and what the Lord was doing through him, were afraid and wanted “asylum”. So these crafty folks, who likely lived within a few miles from Joshua, dressed in old clothes, beat up shoes, brought moldy bread, old wineskins, saddled up and came to Joshua pretending to be ambassadors from a far country, who needed protection–in fact they insisted that Joshua went into a league or peace treaty with these them. While Joshua inquired some more (obviously he was not sure he believed them–that was likely the Lord saying “no”), he eventually made a peace treaty with these slick enemies! Joshua 9:14(b) says “…and [they] asked NOT counsel at the mouth of the Lord”.

The point here is we need to seek counsel from God on that thing that looks good or seems harmless–and be prepared to take “no” for an answer. Is it easy or pleasant to hear “no?” Do we like our requests to be denied? Do we skip away with glee after a “no”, especially when it’s something you really want–that ministry, job, car, house, opportunity, person? While it may hurt now, in many cases, we will see up the road that God protected us from being stoned or bitten. As we look back over our lives, how many of us can tell the Lord thank you for the “no”? I know I can! GLORYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

As we prepare to wrap up, going back to Matthew 7, please understand that we SHOULD ask, so it will be given, seek so we can find, and knock, so it shall be opened–no doubt there! Just know that if what we are seeking, asking or knocking for what is not a good gift, we accept that with His grace. We do not want to keep asking for that opportunity disguised as a stone, that job that’s more like a serpent, right? Remember in Matthew 7:11, Jesus says, that if we, being evil (fallible folks striving for perfection), know to give good gifts to our children (you would not give a six-year-old your car keys or let your pre-teen only eat goodies and sweets) then how much MORE shall your Father (who made everything, all of us, knows the end from the beginning, what the best plan is for our lives) which is in Heaven give GOOD things to them that ask Him? Let’s trust God and wait on the good stuff, BCU Family! What do you think? We want to hear from you!

Thank you SO much for tuning in! Please like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram! And PLEASE subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio and iTunes. You’ve already done that? Then tell someone you love AND your enemy–I’m trusting they will soon become your friend! 🙂

Until we are together again, may God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you–and #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

3 Sep 201610 Apr 2018

BlenCouragesU1 Comment

Series: #SpeechTherapy..it starts in the heart! (part 2)

Hey BCU family,

As usual, please enjoy the audio podcast (click on the icon below), the written transcript, or both! In either case, God bless you as you read, hear and apply the Word of God.

We prepped and started heart surgery last time, realizing we may harbor too many old and bad things in the heart/mind, and bad meditations get you in trouble! We saw that with the evil-thought/actioned Haman in Esther 3. We need to understand that many of the adverse thoughts the enemy brings are rooted in lust that is spoken of in I John 2:15-17, followed by some examples.

Do not love the world or anything in the world, if anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything in the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, comes NOT from the Father, but from the world. The world and the lusts pass away, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

lust of the eyes (Esau wanted Jacob’s stew and sold his birthright for it in Genesis 25:30-34).
lust of the flesh (many of us know all about David & Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11:1-4).
and pride of life (besides Haman in Esther 3), King Herod who gave a speech, was lauded by the people, and the angel of the Lord smote him for not giving God the glory (Acts 12:21-23).

This is a fixed fight you know, and God wants us to be victorious over our heart meditations and gives us the Word in which to do it. Let’s go back to Romans 12:1 from a previous study. I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. Verse 2 says not to be conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing (ongoing) of your mind, that you may test or prove what is that good and acceptable perfect will of God. When we offer up our bodies, that includes the heart and mind. Acceptable means welcomed, well-pleasing and favorable. And we cannot present our bodies properly if the mind/heart isn’t right. Let’s talk about the lust of the eye.

*Since eyes are the windows to the soul, this lust tied to the soul and emotions. For the most part, every lust comes from a desire that is good. There is NOTHING wrong with desiring something—God gives us the desires of our heart when we delight ourselves in Him (Psalm 37:4). We desire to work, have things, work in a ministry, to be married—those are GOOD things. Where we have to be mindful is how the enemy can pervert good desires in your heart with thoughts that are contrary to how God commands us to think speak or act. When you start to covet, plot, scheme, start working overtime, missing church, saving your tithes and offering money, not paying your bills, all to get “things”, that’s where the lust comes in. Let’s look at 1 Kings 21:1-16.

The story is, Naboth had a vineyard that the king, Ahab wanted (or coveted) BADLY. Naboth refused and Ahab was so upset about it, he would not even eat. Queen Jezebel found out and devised a HEINOUS plot to lie on and have Naboth killed–and then told the king the vineyard was now his to have. Just.like.that. This couple did not care that an innocent man was killed, his family likely very devastated—it did not matter who they needed to step on to get what they wanted, so long as they got it.

Can this apply to us? Perhaps not to this extreme…but let’s think about it from a few angles. For my singles..wanting to get married because you “see” everyone else is in a relationship, so you go out of our way, or rather “out of God’s way” to make it happen. When you get Mr. or Ms. NotRightNow, things go great initially (that’s how the enemy does it), and then he lowers the BOOM and you have a crazoks on your hands! Let’s ask God to keep us content with what we have, and bless us with “extra” as He sees fit.

I Timothy 6:6-8 says, but godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be content.

Or, think about the times you may have wanted something so badly you missed important date or responsibility just to get it. In my early saved days, I skipped paying a bill to get a pair of shoes. I cannot tell you where those shoes are, what they looked like or where they are today! I can tell you I had a hard time recouping that money to pay my bill. All because of wanting something someone else had/ wanting something SO bad. A covetous heart. A desire gone bad.

Okay, what about the lust of the eye/desire to “play.” The purpose is socializing; taking a break..maybe talking a bit at work, playing Candy crush or a binging on a movie marathon. We all like to relax the mind–and that is a good thing.

What happens when the scales start tipping to the lust of wanting more play than work? This is when chronic slothful/laziness creeps in. A Sunday off here, missing a study there, half-doing what you’ve been called to do, not tending house, not taking care of yourself, burying your talent, not calling a sister, sending a note of encouragement, or maybe witnessing—all because you don’t feel like it, not in the mood, need a break from the people, the chores, etc, or have gotten into the habit of a Lifetime Movie Marathon or the whatever your go-to play routine is. While we all need days to unplug, recharge and refresh, we are accountable for the time God gives us and we have way too much responsibility to practice slothfulness on the regular. With God’s grace, let’s ask for wisdom to know how to spend the time He gives us.

See then that you walk circumspectly not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Do not be unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15-17).

What about the desire to be safe? Keeping/knowing our loved ones are safe? Our jobs are safe, the bridge is safe, etc. We teach at work that feeling safe is a basic need—NOTHING wrong with that desire–in the right place. Where things go too far is when the emotion FEAR comes in. Fear can come on the form of cowardice, worry, panic, having irrational thoughts, making emotional decisions. Let’s not forget the unprofitable servant in Matthew 25 —the one who buried the talent? During accounting time, verse 25 says, the servant told his master he was AFRAID and went to hid his talent in the earth. The master called the servant wicked and slothful–and proceeded to cast him into outer darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.

A bit back, a dear friend and sister in Christ got a message in between Sunday School and morning service that a family member had not been heard from since the night before—not answering phones, etc. Notice how the enemy timed this attempt right before service. What I loved was that the sister said something like “God knows where he is and I am not going to worry about it.” We prayed and it turned out he was fine, thank God!! Sister did not let fear take over. Now, I realize that there are scary situations out there—no doubt. We want to ask God to cover, keep and sustain our hearts from fear.

And we know that God has NOT given is a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

What about grief? That’s an innate desire when we lose a loved one or friend. The emotion connected to that is sadness. Perfectly normal. Now hear me good, grieving, sad days, crying spells are normal as we miss a person—birthdays, holidays, special times…

Where the enemy gets heart-busy is when the grief is extended to the point where one cannot function and stay in a state of depression for years at a time. We talked about that in Ruth 1 as Naomi vocalized her grief (after losing her husband and two sons) by telling the folks to call her Mara meaning bitter—because the Lord had dealt bitterly with her. While she went though the grieving process,at some point the Lord blessed her to start adjusting to the “new normal”, and she was used to bring Boaz and Ruth together. If Naomi had stayed grieving, she would not have been functional as to what God called her to do–and look at the result! Boaz and Ruth became great-grandparents to king David and mentioned in the lineage of Christ in Matthew 1.

To every thing, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Once again, let’s start paying more attention to your thoughts/what’s in your heart. Ask God to show you (even if it’s painful), what areas need more attention or a purge. and ask for His help in overcoming them and creating a clean heart Psalm 51:10. Also, step up your gatekeeping of the heart as directed in Proverbs 4:23. Philippians 4:8 reminds us to think on true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy, think on THOSE things. I did not say not to talk to the Lord about what bothers you, we just want to take it there and LEAVE it there. Amen? Amen!

Join us next time as #SpeechTherapy continues with the lust of the flesh–you do not want to miss it! Thank you so much for stopping by/tuning in and until we meet again, #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

*See http://www.themoorings.org for a nifty chart and examples of lust gone awry!