Importunity | Faith & Sight | Bartimaeus & Jesus

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:

KJV Scripture references

Luke 18:35-43
 35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

BCUFam, Bartimaeus did what was needed to get the attention of Jesus—and that was cry out in faith and persistence until he was in the presence of the Lord. And Bartimaeus received a double blessing—– not only did he receive his sight, he went on to become a follower of Jesus! When we go to Jesus with a heart of importunity, we can expect the Lord to answer our prayers by giving us all that we need, and maybe a little (or a lot) extra! Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, as we come before You, we thank You as always, for encouraging us to continue coming to You in prayer. There are some of us who are have been asking for certain things for a long time, Lord. Because we know we are to pray and not faint, we know You are able, we know that it is our faith that pleases You, we continue to bring our requests to You for help, deliverance, healing or whatever blessing someone needs today. Above all, we pray that someone realizes that they need You as a Savior, and will surrender to You TODAY, Jesus according to Acts 2:38-29. Glory to God!

As we continue to come to You in persistent prayer we will also continue to serve You and give You all the praise, glory and honor that is due Your name! 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

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Importunity | The Widow x The Unjust Judge

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:

KJV Scripture references

Luke 18:1-8
18 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?

BCUFam, sometimes God doesn’t answer our prayers right away, but that doesn’t mean we stop asking. If a corrupt judge can be moved by a persistent widow, how much more will our righteous God do for His very elect (chosen) as we call on Him in faith and importunity? With the help of the Lord, we will keep praying, knowing that the Lord is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) Amen? Amen! Let’s pray about it!

Father, in the name of Jesus, as we come before You, we thank You for the parable of the unjust judge and widow reminding us to come to You in faith and importunity. We thank You for answering our petitions and avenging us according to Your will and timing.

As we continue to come to You in persistent prayer we will also continue to serve You and give You all the praise, glory and honor that is due Your name! 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

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Bible Word Study: Understanding ‘Judge’ in Scripture

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:

  • This month, we will revisit the classic #BCUWord of the Week video series here and on YouTube.
  • “Judge” is this week’s word. One definition in Hebrew is “shofet” meaning, to select, decide or discern. It can also mean, “a deliverer from potential defeat” (that is very important).
  • Would you like to watch the video? Click here: YouTube | BCU Classic Word of the Week.

Scripture references

Luke 7:41-43

41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

I Corinthians 11:28-31

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

Matthew 7:1-5

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

John 7:24

24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Luke 18:10-14

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Proverbs 18:13

13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

BCUFam, did it surprise you that we make judgements daily as it relates to decision-making? What about the phrase “you cannot judge me”? It is a blessing to now have a deeper understanding and wisdom around this important word. With the help of the Lord, let’s make it our business to judge only according to how the Lord instructs us. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the Name of Jesus, we come before You with a thankful heart for more insight into Your Word, and for helping us to judge things the way You would have us to, or not at all. We ask that You would help us to turn the spotlight on ourselves on all the areas needed to be more like You. Also, as we are speaking and commenting about things, please help us to remember to acknowledge You first, so that our speech is edifying, administers grace to the hearer and is seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6 and Ephesians 4:29). We ask that You continue to bless and strengthen us, as we continue to walk upright before You, in Jesus name, we pray and 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 Thursday nights––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts, YouTube podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and many others 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

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“All I can do is pray?”

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:

  • At some point in our lives, we will run into situations which can try our patience and our faith in God.
  • Very often, we will do all we can from a human standpoint FIRST and then we cry out in an exasperated tone “all I can do is pray”.
  • Many times that phrase is said in defeat and as a last resort. Prayer should be our first line of defense.

Scripture references: 

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path (Proverbs 3:5-6).

And He [Jesus] spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.. (Luke 18:1).

The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord  (Proverbs 19:3).

Pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17).

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Casting all your care upon him; for He careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (I Peter 5:7-8).

So what are your thoughts on topic-du-jour?  What is your go to behavior when it comes to tough situations? Pray first? React first? Please head to the comments section below and let’s chat some more!

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

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BCU Youth Squad: Your ONE back to school essential.

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 interview 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:

  • Prayer is just a conversation between you and God.
  • Our youth can and should be taught to pray at anytime.
  • The posture of our heart is more important than the posture of our bodies.
  • Prayer helps to keep your paths straight.

Scripture references

 And He [Jesus] spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint… (Luke 18:1).

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13).

So BCU Youth Squad, are you feeling more equipped to tackle the school year with confidence? When you feel faint, how will you remember to pray? What are your views on prayer in school? Please head down to the comments section to share your thoughts  with Jaz and the Professor—–they will be delighted to hear from you!

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

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