Are children ALWAYS a reflection of their parents?

Hey there BCU Family!

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 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!

~In my B.C. days (before Christ) and for sometime after, my mouth spoke a LOT of things it should not have.

~ I had a-plenty to say about people and kids who I felt were heading the wrong way because of ineffective parenting.

~The Lord chastened and corrected me on speaking that way, and reminded me of that in a recent conversation.

KJV Scripture References:


~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 (Hebrews 12:11).

~Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

~The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things (Provebs 15:28).

~Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again (Matthew 7:1-2).

 ~Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge, there is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? (James 4:11-12).

 ~Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: (James 1:19).

~The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16b).

BCU Fam, I THANK GOD for the chastening from so many years ago! When speaking to people now, I can encourage them that while we have a responsibility to train up children in the proper way, God gives us all free will, or the ability to make choices. So we are not to walk in guilt or shame about our children’s choices, or worry about what people think about our “reflection”. Our job is to pray and look to the Lord to help our kids make the right decisions, and if they do not, that they will go back to the ways they were taught.

Maybe you did not know the Lord when your kids were young and your teen/adult children are not making the best decisions–guess what? God knows how to speak to their hearts. Proverbs 21:1 declares,”the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turns it whithersoever He will.” Let’s keep loving on and praying in faith for our children, BCU Fam! Jesus is the King of hearts!!! 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 Thursday nights–we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and Apple Podcasts!

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

Helllloooo BCUFam!

Hey there BCU Family!

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 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!

  • 2021 was a year of challenge for many of us—myself included.
  • God gives us people for a season–it’s important to nurture relationships.
  • The people we are given are not always easy to deal with, but God commands up to love them anyway.
  • We can do that with His help.

Scripture references: (King James Version)

Matthew 5:38-48

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

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.

BCUFam, my intent was to come on for a “casual” conversation/update, but the Lord led me in this way and I THANK Him! I’ve been dealing with some unlovely people, and this was a timely reminder to do what God says–exercising humility and kindness, rather than “clapping back”. God saw everything and will take care of the offense in His own time and way. Meanwhile, I want to be sure with His help, that I continue doing what I am supposed to do, so I may have the honor of being called a child of my Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:45a). Amen? Amen!

If you have not already 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! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and  Apple podcasts. Finally, please join us LIVE on Thursday nights at 8:05pmEST onYouTube.

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

Love,

BCU

The people we are given are not always easy to deal with, but God commands up to love them anyway.

@blencouragesu

BlenCouragesU3 Comments

Your current wait time is…

Hey there BCU Fam,

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! 

Who out there in the BCU community really enjoys waiting? How about waiting on the Lord to answer a prayer request? Right. Let’s talk about that.

When I got saved, I was under the erroneous impression that  I could “name and claim”, “blab and grab”, and “it’s my blessing so I should get it now” for anything I wanted and did not have to wait on it. After all, the King’s kid should have whatever they want when they want it, right? 🙄 Not always. There are times where God does move on our behalf swiftly and suddenly–and of course we love when that happens. Many times, the reason He does is because our petition lines up with God’s perfect will at that time. Other times, maybe we are reaping what we have sown. Still again, the righteous are never forsaken, nor His seed begging bread, so God will take care of us no matter what. The point is, that God’s perfect will and timing are in effect. We believe that when things happen suddenly. Do we believe it when we have to wait?

For many of us, once we make out requests known to God, there is that hopeful expectation and faith that He will answer, and in our minds mostly, pretty soon. But sometimes it is God’s perfect will for some wait time before He fulfills our petition. That is when we need to settle in and enjoy the process.

According to Strong’s Concordance (4037),  the word “wait” in Greek is a compound word, perimènō. Perí, meaning all around, and mènō, meaning remain, abide. In essence, waiting is staying steadfast or enduring through challenging situations.

Many times, when the wait time is extended, our faith in God can grow weak. Then the adversary comes in to let you know you that the Lord is taking too long, God has forgotten you, if you are so faithful why hasn’t He responded, or you may need to do things yourself, rather than wait on God. When we choose to mediate on these lies, we become consumed with the fact that God hasn’t answered yet–and begin to doubt and question our faith and trust in God. In fact, because we are so concerned with what it looks like God is not doing, that very request will be our focus point so much so, we will talk (aka complain) to anyone that will hear us and not hear God’s voice at all. Very often, our lack of faith will prolong the wait time even more. Or cause us to miss out on the blessing altogether. 

When the Lord freed the children of Israel from the bondage of the Egyptians, it’s been said that their journey to the Promised Land was about 250 miles, which could take about 11 days to a month or so, depending on breaks and such. The Word of God tells us that the trip took 40 YEARS, mostly due to murmuring, complaining and disobedience against God! On top of that, out of approximately one million people, only TWO from the original trip were able to enjoy the blessing? That is NOT the testimony God wants us to have! Rather, His Word is here to help us. Let’s take a look at a few of my favorite Scriptures.

We need faith and to believe God. Hebrews 11:6 says:

 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

We should not give up on God. Proverbs 24:10 says:

 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

If we feel weak, though, there is help! We continue waiting. Waiting should produce strength vs weakness. *Isaiah 40:29-31 reminds us: 

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

There is a purpose in waiting–it produces the fruit of patience and matures us. James 1:2-4 says:

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect (mature) and entire, wanting nothing.

And while we wait, we should be thankful. I Thessalonians 5:18 says:

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

BCU Family, I might add that the Scriptures in *Isaiah indicate that waiting is active versus passive. When nothing else in on your heart or mind except what you are waiting for God to do, the anxiety of wondering when is it coming, why is it not here, what’s the holdup, etc., can stop us from continuing to serve the Lord.  Isaiah mentions flying, walking and running as we wait, so that tells me that we ought be busy for the Lord WHILE we wait. Hmm…I may talk about that in an upcoming podcast…stay tuned.

I can testify to the fact that I have been waiting on the Lord for quite a few things..some requests put in yesterday, some for months, and yes, some for years. I would not be telling you the truth if I told you I always followed the Scriptures I listed above. The Lord was  (and still is) really patient with me as I cried, complained, murmured, shut down, and eventually allow/ed patience to have her perfect work.  This perfect work is designed by God help us be more like Him here on Earth, so we can make it into Heaven. Amen? Amen!

So what about you, BCU Fam? What is your current wait time? Have you been waiting on something specific from God for awhile? How have you constructively occupied yourself while you wait?  Or has there been more complaining? We have no judgement for you here–let’s talk in the comments section.

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! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and Apple podcasts!

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

School’s out! So what did you learn?

Hey there BCU Family,

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 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!

The BCU Youth Squad is back! As school winds down for the summer here in New England, a few of us had an impromptu conversation around what the kids have learned over the school year. Listen in to what Kaniya, 13, Jaz, 10 and Professor, 9 shared with me.

Podcast and Scripture highlights:

How to treat others. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise (Luke 6:31).

Drama avoidance.  He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20).

Stopping and listening before doing. He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him (Proverbs 18:13).

These kids are pretty insightful, right? This is why it is SO important to actually ask our young people questions and prayerfully LISTEN to the answers. THEN we can comment, commend or correct as the Lord leads. Amen? Amen!

What are your thoughts around what the youth had to say? I am certain they would LOVE to hear from you, so please head down to the comments section, let us know what is on your mind so we can continue our conversation!

In the meantime, 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! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and Apple podcasts!

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

Tribute: Three lessons I learned from Apostle Floyd E. Nelson, Sr.

Hey there BCU Family!

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 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:

    • Apostle Floyd E. Nelson Sr., the presiding apostle of the International Bible Way Church of Jesus Christ passed away on April 2, 2019.
    • I am veering away from my usual topic/format to talk through the impression and impact he (and his wife, Dr. Yvonne Nelson) made on me.
    • I’d like to share three lessons I learned that God blessed me to implement in my life and ministry.
    • The related podcasts I mentioned are here–> who isn’t clapping and the power of the surrender. 

 

You know, those very lessons helped BlenCouragesU.com to get “back on track”–unbeknownst to him, but very obvious by the growth in BCU subscribers! I love and thank God for ALL of you! So while we mourn his passing, I thank God for the life lessons and legacy he brought to all who interacted with. May God continue to bless and comfort all who were touched by this great man of God!

BCU Fam, as much as we do not like to think about it, our days on Earth are numbered. Psalm 90:10 reminds us that the days of our years are threescore and ten (age 70) or by reason of strength fourscore (age 80), and after that we fly away. Obviously some live longer or shorter lives and that’s all up to God. How long we live is not necessarily the point, it’s HOW we live that makes a difference. Psalm 90:12 says teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. This means we need to wisely do all God has assigned to us in the time allotted, to be a blessing to all those we come in contact with here AND  so we can hear “well done, thou good and faithful servant”, when we go to see Jesus. Amen? Amen!

So how are you walking out your calling from God? What do you want people to remember most about you? Let’s talk about it in the BlenCouragesU.com chat section below!

As we wrap up, 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! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and Apple podcasts!

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

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesU2 Comments