Word study: “Liberty”

Hey there BCU Fam!

Typically, you have the option of listening to our podcast, reading the notes or both. 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:

  • A fun fact about me: I love vocabulary and word etymology (the history of a word or phrase shown by tracing its development and relationship).
  • When studying the Bible, it’s important to get an understanding of the original text (Hebrew|Old Testament or Greek|New Testament).
  • In doing so, we can better comprehend the meaning and see how we can apply it to our daily lives.
  • One definition of “liberty” in the Greek is —“aphesis”, meaning release from bondage or imprisonment. forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty. It can also mean power, license or authority.

Scripture references

Galatians 5:1

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:13

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another..

Mark 12:28-31

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

When we love God with all of us, and love people like ourselves, we have kept all the commandments.

BCUFam, it is a blessing to walk in the liberty Christ gives us. The freedom we have does not give us the license to do whatever we want–that mindset leads us back into the bondage of sin. Rather, because of Jesus, we are free to do what was impossible before He filled us with the Holy Ghost—and that is to live independent from sin.

Sure, we will struggle in some areas, or mess up along the way, and if we do, we can repent, ask for God’s forgiveness, and walk in the freedom of His forgiveness. That means we will not allow people to hold us hostage to what God forgave us for, AND going forward with God’s help, we do not continue practicing sin. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the Name of Jesus, we come before You with a thankful heart for the liberty you have given us! Thank You for freeing us from the bondage of sin, and helping us to walk independent from sin, and dependent on You to help us follow Your Word to the letter, so we are pleasing in Your sight, we are good witnesses of the transformational power of the Holy Ghost, and, so we can see You in peace, hearing the words “well done, thou good and faithful servant.” We give you all the glory and honor for giving us the privilege of representing You in all our interactions, in Jesus name, we pray and thank You, Amen!

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 mediums include Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google 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

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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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Does your heart need healing?

Your heart can be healed

Hey all,

I didn’t post last week (please forgive me) but I have a few ideas roaming around in my head and I think I will start with this one. This is something I penned years ago out of my heart and I recently found it again. So many young ones (and not so young) are going through for love when Jesus took care of that for us all. I thought I would share an excerpt with you.

There was a time I wasn’t free
There was a time I was hurting
There was a time I was being hurt
It was mental, it was physical
It was from someone who said, but “Bay, you know I love you”.

I was bound in bondage–at the time I didn’t know
The enemy had this sabotage planned
in order to forever claim my soul.

I went through life trying to mask the pain
A voice telling me I was to blame
I wasn’t good enough I needed to improve
Then he’s really love me–hey, that’s a good move.

But even with this brand new me
The changes I mad that all else could see
Wasn’t good enough for he
I was still being lied to, he’s still cheating on me

But the prayers of my parents and loved ones and friends
didn’t fall on deaf ears, for God heard and saw my pain.
And He wanted to dry my tears.

After leaving from that mess, a new freedom I’m on
I could be myself, the healing could begin
I let that bad man out of my life and let Jesus in.

To forgive me, love me and show me love.
That unconditional agape amour that comes from above
To show me how to forgive and love others, too.
And to learn to love myself and all that I do.

Love my skin, my lips, and my hair
Learn from my past mistakes, and with others I’ll share
The real way to love us yes, though a man,
His name is JESUS– it’s part of His divine plan.

To let us know to love Him first.
Trust Him to give us what we need–including a man
A real man who will love, honor and cherish me correctly
Like the beautiful, unique queen that I am.

I want women everywhere to know that true love starts and ends with Christ. He can heal your broken heart and make you whole again. He desires to fulfill all your needs, we just have to wait on Him–it’s not easy, but totally worth it. Be encouraged!

Love,

Blen

© Blenda, Blen’s Blog and poem/Blenblogs, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Blenda and Blenblogs with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Thank you

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