Stay on the wall – Page 80

A lesson from the leaves

Hey 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!

As we fully transition into autumn especially in New England, (my mind is still in August, though :-)), the brilliance of the colors of the leaves changing and falling to the ground is a timely reminder from Solomon: “to everything there is a season and a time and purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiates 3:1). Yes, we’ve likely heard this before–it’s just that God so beautifully demonstrates this in our lives at this time of year.

A tree has no brain, thinking or decision-making capacity in any way–only what God has told it to do, which is let go of the leaves as they die off.

How this applies to us: God has made us in His own image and likeness, giving us the ability to think, reason and make our own decisions. Now, He has supplied us with the Word of God and His Holy Spirit (for those who have the Acts 2:38 experience) to guide us in the decision making process, but ultimately we do get to make choices, good or bad. It is ALWAYS wise to heed the voice of God in our decision-making–this way the outcome is 100% perfect.

fall-foliage-1740841_640 — The leaves are pretty, but can also be deadly…

So, as your relationship with Christ grows and you hear His voice, when God urges us to let go of the “dead leaves”, with His help, LET THEM GO! Dead leaves can come in a variety of ways–maybe it’s time to walk away from that job, a toxic relationship, or telling that able-bodied, freeloading relative you will no longer support them. Nothing in those areas? What about the fear of walking in your calling, witnessing about Christ, a bad habit, (cutting people off when talking, habitually tardy, angering quickly), a weakness, (seeking comfort in illicit company or going to the wrong types of places, worrying) or whatever “crutch” (excessive shopping, over-eating)–you may have. You all get what I mean, right? We do not have to wait until October to let go, mind you, this is a good time to examine ourselves through the Word of God’s microscope or just ASK the Lord what needs to be let go of–trust me, HE WILL tell you!

And once we know, it’s our duty with His help to lay aside EVERY dead weight and/or sin (Hebrews 12:1), that will slow you down, trip you up or outright attack you. Ask God to help you see WHY you want to hold on to something He is asking you to turn loose. The answer may come right away or later on—just be prepared for the answer! Let’s take a look at an example.

Many years ago, in my B.C. (before Christ) days, for years I dated a “great” guy, we’ll call “Sam” (just to protect his identity). Sam and I were talking marriage. For some reason, my heart was very unsettled about getting married, but kept planning. I don’t recall the exact sequence of events, but one thing led to another where we broke things off. I was devastated and hurt, but that break-up led me to the alter where I was filled with the Holy Ghost. Apparently, the Lord knew Sam was not the person for me (and BOY, did I find that out later–YIKES!) Thank God for His protection!

But even after being saved and understanding God’s providence, He was urging me to let go of the friendship with Sam–period. MAN, that struggle was REAL–it was really hard to let all that love and history. But, eventually with the grace of God, I walked away from it and have not looked back. While I could never accurately predict what would have happened if I had continued holding on the “Sam season”, I’d like to think that I would not have gone as many places, done as many neat things as God has allowed and would have NEVER been as obedient or effective in my Christ-walk, gifts and talents. Glory to God!

While we do not need a change of seasons to remind us to let go of things, we can use the leaves effortlessly falling from the trees as a reminder to trust that when God says drop it, He means it and for good reason. While new growth is dormant for a season, hold on for the new growth/spring coming in your life.

“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth, shall you not know it?”….(Isaiah 43:19a).

Amen? Amen.

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!

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

Love,

BCU

22 Oct 201630 Oct 2018

BlenCouragesU2 Comments

Motley post> How to: avoid consuming rotten fruit

Hey BCU Family!

About a year ago, I posted a chart I saw on Linked in–outlining what we tend to say to ourselves (I’m not good at this) vs. what we should say (what am I missing?) So as I looked at the post again, while the “positive affirmations” still resonated with me, the Lord spoke to my heart and mentioned the many negative things we say to ourselves can and SHOULD be overridden with the The Word of God.

Paul reminds us that we are to think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). That’s important because what we think translates into words and they effect our actions. In fact, Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue and you will “eat the fruit of your words”. Every self-depreciating comment, negative affirmation or put-down is like eating rotten, deadly fruit. How many of us would knowingly eat harmful food? If you’ve ever had food poisoning or ANY gastrointestinal trouble after eating a particular food or at a place, you would totally avoid it! We need to incorporate God’s Word in our thought and word choices.

Instead of thinking this…	Think on THIS
I’m no good at this!	I can do ALL thing through Christ that strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
They will never change!	The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, and just like the rivers of water, He turns it wherever He wants. (Proverbs 21:1).
What did I do to deserve THIS situation?	And we know that ALL things work together for good, to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Seems like they get away with doing wrong. Why do right?	But you, brethern, be not weary in well-doing (I Thessalonians 3:13).
This situation will not get any better..	With God, all things are possible (Mark 10:27).
If only I had more…	But godliness with contentment is great gain (I Timothy 6:6).
This is scary AND I’m lonely!	Fear not, for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am Your God who will strengthen, help and uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness (Isaiah 41:10).
I do not feel special..	I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows well (Psalm 139:14).
I will NEVER forgive.	How often should you forgive? Seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22).

If we don’t change the way we speak, the rotten fruit of our lips not only effects you to the point where you feel like you cannot do anything correctly, it either draws other “flies” to you (fellow bad fruit eaters–that’s another post) and/or can drive away the folks who prefer to speak life. Moreover, it is a like a slap in the face to God, who has made us and not we ourselves (Psalms 100:3).

Bottom line: If it you are reading this, it’s not too late to repent for thinking and speaking in the negative. We all say things on the left side of the list from time to time, myself included—the thing is not to continue practicing this behavior. How different would our lives be if we spoke life into ourselves, children, co-workers, et cetera? It’s best to ask God to help us line up our thoughts, words and actions with His Word and enjoy the good fruit of the spoken labor. Amen?! Amen!

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

God bless you and thank you for reading!

Love,

BCU

15 Oct 201619 Nov 2016

BlenCouragesULeave a comment

Singles Chalkboard: SIGH What do I do while I wait?!

Hi there BCU Family!

#TeamBCU is praying in the name of Jesus for all survivors, family and friends who were/will/may be effected by Hurricane Matthew. BCU Family, please pray and as you are led by God, DO what you can to assist those in need. Thanks and God bless you!

sisa-conference — This conference was the place to be, BCU Family! Please find these ladies on the SISA site and follow them STAT! 🙂

We’re back and continuing our lesson on the Singles Chalkboard! To catch you up, the Lord blessed me with the fantastic 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.

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”. [This is where the blank stare comes in]. 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 the remaining 2.5 of the 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.

We covered 2.5 of these areas in the last podcast:

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

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

*Emotional (Matthew 20:11)

And we’ll cover these areas this podcast:

Emotional (Matthew 20:11)–*We’ll finish this up

Physical (I Corinthians 6:20)

Mental (Matthew 12:34)

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. Click on the icon to listen!

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

Love,

BCU

8 Oct 201612 Nov 2016

BlenCouragesULeave a 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.

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!

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! Nehemiah chapter 3 (part 2)

Hey there BCU Family!

How have you been enjoying our Nehemiah study? I pray it’s been as much as a blessing to you as it is to me! In a recent podcast, we talked through 5 of the 10 gates in Nehemiah 3 and looked at how they apply to us today. You can check here for complete information and meanings for the first 5 gates but for now, here are the ones we covered:

The Sheep gate
The Fish gate
The Old gate
The Valley gate
The Dung gate

As we look at the remainder of the gates, please have your Bible as we’re going to skip through the chapter noting talk the importance of the gates that we rebuilt. Let’s begin!

gates-marked-2 — The 10 very amazing gates of Nehemiah chapter 3! (Pic from FreeBibleImages.org)

v15But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Col–hozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king’s garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.

This was a near a pool is where you cleaned up after the rubbish burning. I do not like taking out the garbage, but I do like the sense of accomplishment and freshness once the trash goes out. I immediately wash my hands afterward, too and try and keep things clean. So in our lives once we’ve been purged, we clean ourselves off and with God’s help and live without reproach! “Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His Holy place? He that has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully”(Psalm 24:3-4).

v26Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.
Fountains and water go together! This was near a spring and it represents the Word of God and how it’s reflected in our lives. We continue to wash ourselves in the Word to stay clean! Psalm 119:9 asks “How do we cleanse our way? By taking heed to thy word.” James also reminds us to be doers of the word, and not hearers only, otherwise we deceive our own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was” (James‬ ‭1:22-24).

v28From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.

This is where the horses were kept in case of war they were ready. We war DAILY so we have to be and stay ready. Ephesians 6:10-18 says:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints..”

v29After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.

The east gate was referenced in Zechariah 14:4. It looks toward the Mount of Olives and speaks of the return of Jesus Christ. Another reminder to stay rapture ready.

V31After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith’s son unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad and to the going up of the corner.

The word Miphkad in Hebrew has a military connection and according to tradition it was at this gate that David would meet his troops to inspect them. God will “inspect” and reward us properly. “And behold I come quickly and my rewards with me to give every man according as his work shall be”(Revelation 22:12).

v32And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.

This verse rounds out the gates. Notice how the gates/chapter started and ended with the sheep gate, just like things start and ends with Christ. ” I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end the first and the last”(Revelation 22:13).

Isn’t our God amazing? See how He spoke to our hearts using a gate as a tool? He knows just how to break things down so we can understand His Word! So, with His help we can apply the Word to our lives daily as we strive for perfection in Him. Amen? Amen!

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

Love,

BCU