Walking In Integrity

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:

  • Integrity can be defined as aligning your conduct with what you know to be excellent.
  • Years ago, I heard a sermon on integrity, and how the people of God should display good morals even in small things.
  • While running an errand, the Lord gave me an opportunity to “witness” integrity to someone in real-time.

Scripture (KJV) References

James 4:17

17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Song of Solomon 2:15

“…..the little foxes…spoil the vines…”

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.

BCU Fam, that moment was a witness of how Jesus wants us to operate in this present world. That interaction could have been a seed planted or watered so that God can bring the increase AND save the young lady and/or her family! Now that’s something to be excited about!

So, it really is in our best spiritual interest, to walk in integrity in each area of our lives so that God is glorified, honored, and praised. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus as we come before You today, 
thank You for blessing us to walk in integrity! We thank You for the times we do things Your way, and how those victorious moments bring glory AND souls to You! Please help us to be conscientious, Jesus of all that we do, say and, how we interact with people, so that the integrity You put on the inside, shows up on the outside. In Jesus’ name we pray and we thank You, 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, X,and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––-we are LIVE on Facebook, at 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, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

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

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesULeave a comment

“….No Good Thing…”

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:

  • Over the past couple of months, reconnecting with people from my past has been a real blessing!
  • One reconnection opportunity was exciting——-but did not lead to a favorable response.
  • This situation started a bit of overthinking, until the Lord stopped by to give me His Word on the matter.

Scripture (KJV) references

Psalm 84:11

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

2 Corinthians 10:5

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Philippians 4:11
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

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.

BCUFam, sometimes when people act a certain way, we start to analyze, worry, and wonder——what we did, did not do, what happened, what it something said, overlooked, or forgotten? And the list goes on.

God is not interested in us being overburdened, fretful and in a place where negative and hypothetical mental gymnastics take over our hearts and minds. Because we serve a good God and Father that cares about His children, if the relationship (or anything else) is a good thing, we will get it. And if not, we thank God for His hand of protection. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, as we come before You, Lord, we want to bless Your name for the Word of God that has come into our hearts and for the reminder that You are looking out for us and taking care of us from every angle, including our relationships.
We thank You, Lord, for giving us divine direction as to who should be in our inner circle and who should not. Help us, Lord, to be at peace with the fact that there are certain people in our lives for reasons, for seasons, to teach us lessons, and to be a blessing. Wherever they are and whatever the purpose is, Lord, we thank You for helping us to see that, to be content with it, and to move forward in doing whatever it is that You would have us to do according to Your will and Your way.

Regardless of relationships and their status, Lord, we thank You for blessing us to continue to love people and to treat them correctly according to how You would have us, according to the Word of God, so that You are glorified, honored, and praised.

We bless You, we praise You, we thank You, we magnify You, and we lift You up for this and for all things.
In the matchless name of Jesus Christ, we pray and we bless You. Let every heart say, 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, X,and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––-we are LIVE on Facebook, at 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, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

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

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesULeave a comment

Room A203: My Mom, A Road Trip, and a Heart to Serve

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:

  • My earliest memory was my first road trip to South Carolina to visit our extended family, which I LOVED!
  • A highlight of our outings was to head to the Piggly-Wiggly to pick up provisions for our family.
  • Unbeknownst to me at the time, through these trips my parents (Mom in particular), taught lessons on entitlement, humility, and being a blessing to others.

Scripture (KJV) references

Romans 12:10

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.

Philippians 2:3

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves”.

Matthew 23:11-12

11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

A picture of my late Mom and I in London
Mom and I in London

BCUFam, in this present world, we see pride and a spirit of expectation and entitlement—–completely opposite of what the Lord instructs his children to do. Jesus was about serving and being a blessing to others, and my Mom walked that out in front of us for early and often.

As I reflect on the life of my late mother, I recognize that the lessons she taught—–both spoken and unspoken and they how continue to resonate with me today. Lord will, I plan to share some of those lessons with you all as I chronicle her phenomenal life and impactful legacy. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Eternal God, and amazing Savior as we come before You today, we thank You for reminding us to walk in a spirit of humility as we interact with others. Please help us to be cognizant, Lord of how we can be a blessing to others as we continue to reflect You in our lives. We thank and praise You, and we honor You for the opportunity to be a blessing to others, and to serve You in a way, where someone will ask, “what must I do to be saved?” We thank You, and we praise You for this and for all things, Lord, in Jesus name, we bless You. 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, X,and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––-we are LIVE on Facebook, at 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, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

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

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesU2 Comments

Conversation & Correction

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:

  • Some time ago, I had a conversation with my best friend, Kenya, who is a decorated nurse, and dedicated wife, mother, student, teacher, and minister of the gospel.
  • At work, an unintentional miscommunication came up between Kenya and a nursing student that initially strained the relationship.
  • The Lord used this circumstance as a teaching moment for Kenya, the student, the staff, and many others.
  • With permission, Kenya urged me to share the story and lesson with the BCUFam.

Hebrews 12:5-11

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Romans 12:10

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Psalm 61:1-2

1 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Psalm 63:1

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Proverbs 16:3

3 Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Psalm 19:14

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

BCU Fam, this testimony was such a blessing on several levels. Many times, the people of God testify about the good things (money, cars, homes, et cetera), that God provides, and there is nothing wrong with that at all–He us a supplier of needs, will take care of His people and we NEED to hear that. What’s more valuable and less popular are these testimonies——-where we confess our faults to one another and share the lessons and correction without shame or concern about who will judge us.

Frankly, we should be more concerned with the Lord judging us. 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 tells us, if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. In other words, the Lord lets us know where we missed the mark, so we can correct ourselves NOW (with His help), so we don’t have to be condemned LATER. Kenya was tender to the Holy Spirit’s correction and obeyed what He said, so she’s all set. And she shared this story with us as a reminder for us to do the same thing. Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for our sister Kenya sharing her testimony and experience with us freely. Thank You for the correction and chastening that You give us here, Lord, so we can see You in peace when we leave this present world and hear “well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

Bless us to be without spot, wrinkle or blemish in all interactions with people, so that You are glorified, honored and praised every time. Help us to see when we are not honoring You in our communication and blessing us to correct our behavior going forward without justification, but rather in humility and gratefulness. Thank You for the mind to want to please You in all of our ways. We thank You for hearing our plea, for Your patience and unfailing love towards us. In Jesus name, we pray, 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, X, and Instagram. 

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

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

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesULeave a comment

What’s Love Got To Do With Anything? Everything!

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 use the term “love” very generally, but the definitions are very specific.
  • There are more types of love to define, but our focus is on the four below.
  • Regardless of the love type or (lack of) love reciprocity, God expects us to exhibit love in all interactions.
  • Loving the hard-to-love can be a challenge, but if we are willing, God is able to help us.

Types of Love

Eros: This love is often and erroneously confused with lust. I Corinthians 6:15-20 reminds us to flee fornication (sex before marriage) in part, because our bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost and members of Christ.

The eros level of intimacy is reserved for married couples for emotional bonding and reproduction. See Hebrews 13:4 and 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 for more details.

Storge: This natural love is what is felt and expressed between family members—like parents and children, those who are related to you, or close friends of the family. An example of flawed, but familial love is found in Genesis 25:28, where we see where Issac loved Esau and Rebecca loved Jacob.

Another illustration of storge love is found in 1 Samuel 18: 1-2. Because of the deep phileo relationship between David and Jonathan, Saul actually took David in as a permanent guest.

Phileo: This type of love is characterized as a caring, compassionate affection we should have for our “neighbor” in general, and is the love commonly shared among Christians. In Hebrews 13:1, Paul reminds us to “let brotherly love continue”. A perfect example would be the story of the Good Samaritan as told in Luke 10:25-37.

This love also describes general the emotional, powerful, bonds of a deep friendship.  I Samuel 18 tells the story of David and Jonathan, whose souls were “knitted together”(united closely; tied or fastened) so much so that Jonathan loved David as he “loved his own soul.”

Agape: A perfect illustration of THIS love comes from God Himself! In fact, God loved the world SO much that He GAVE His only begotten Son [Jesus], that whoever believes on Him should not perish, BUT shall have everlasting life (John 3:16). With the help of God, this unconditional, patient and forgiving love should be exhibited by all who profess Christ as their Lord and Savior. See I Corinthians 13 for more on this essential-to-our-walk-with-Christ-love!

BCU Fam, I admit it has been some time since I have looked at these love types in detail, so this was a good reminder for me to check my love-meter in all these areas so I am loving people the right way. This study also let us know how much God loves us!!! There is NOTHING like His agape, unconditional love that He has for us and I am SO grateful for that and I know you are as well.

Also, in honor of Valentine’s/Love Day/Week, with all of the hearts, flowers, chocolates, pictures posted and everything love-themed, this time of year can be difficult for people for many reasons——even in knowing that Jesus loves us. Is that you today? I definitely understand, and I know from experience that Jesus is a present help. Let’s pray about it.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for this day that You have made—-Your Word tells us to rejoice and be glad in it. For someone today, it’s a struggle to rejoice and be glad. Jesus, we ask that Your love comes in and washes over all who are broken-hearted, broken in spirit, challenged with not forgiving, needing to be forgiven, or whatever the circumstance is. We thank You for being nigh to and healing those with a broken heart and saving those of a contrite spirit. Jesus, please wrap Your loving arms around someone today and bless them to feel Your presence as a Comforter and strengthen them in every area of need. Thank You for blessing someone today to know You, Jesus are always present and available when we need help, guidance, strength, tear-drying, love and above all—–salvation! We honor and praise You for answering our prayer today, in Jesus name, we thank You! 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, X, and Instagram. 

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

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

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesULeave a comment