His eye is on the sparrow

Here there BCU Family!

I typically record our content in an informal “podcast on the go” format. Many times, the Lord gives me subject matter as I am driving or waiting, so I record on the spot! You can access the podcast here, or click on the avatar below, as you refer to the show notes below for the highlights. We pray the content blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the podcast!

Podcast highlights:

  • As I was finishing up my early morning study time, I was prompted to open the back door.
  • The sun was not quite up yet, and the birds were chirping in the most cheerful tone—-as if it was high noon!
  • Because nothing God does is “random”, this is a lesson/reminder from God and His creation about praise and provision.

KJV Scripture References

Matthew 6:25-26

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Psalm 34:1-3, 10, 19, 22

1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

22 The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Psalm 122:1-2

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

BCUFam, I can tell you from experience, while we are in the waiting period, we can get concerned and nervous as we wait and wonder if God is going to come through for us. After reading these Scriptures, it is comforting to know that He will look after His greatest creation, as His word promises. As we wait for Him to deliver us, and as we hear the birds chirp in expectation and gratitude, let us continually give God praise, individually and collectively. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father in the name of Jesus, as we come before you today, we thank for this day that You have made——we will rejoice and be glad in it! There are some of us who are in the thick of a struggle today. We do not know which way to turn or what to do. We are looking for direction, help, healing, reconciliation, provision, protection, and/or deliverance, Jesus. Whatever someone needs today—whatever capacity that someone needs You to step in as in, Lord, we ask that You please do it, in the matchless Name of Jesus!

We thank You for working things out, giving us peace and for sustaining us in the meantime, as we continue to praise and serve You, Jesus! We will look to the hills, because our help comes from You that made the heavens and the Earth. We thank You, Lord for what You are doing in our lives, and the lessons You are teaching us in this waiting season. We give Your name ALL the praise, glory and honor today and always, 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 Thursday nights––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify!

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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Prayer “demands”

Here 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:

  • I was taught that when interacting with my parents, or authority figures, you answered and spoke with respect.
  • Demanding how and when we wanted something done in a loud tone was grounds for serious physical correction.
  • I saw a post from a friend of mine, who was pondering how we often “order God around” when we pray.
  • Are we authorized to tell God when and how we want things done?

KJV Scripture Reference

Philippians 4:6-7

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Acts 17:28

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Psalms 100:3

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

BCUFam, after pondering Dr. Sue’s post, while the Lord knows “what we mean” or the heart behind what we are telling Him, I thought about how much I dislike someone demanding something from me, without a hello, please or thank you. Moreover, with the help of the Lord, I like to make sure that when I ask for someone to do something for me, I treat that person with respect——with the proper manners, tone and gratitude. So, if we, who are made in God’s image do this amongst ourselves, then how MUCH MORE should we extend proper requests to the Lord who made the heavens and the Earth? The Everlasting Father whose breath He gives us every day? Our Lord and Savior, Jesus who lifts our heads and dries our tears? I could go on and on about how awesome Jesus is——but when we think of who He is, we should make our requests known to Him with the reverence and honor that the King of Kings deserves. Amen? Amen. Let’s pray about it!

Father in the name of Jesus, as we come before You, we want to start off with “thank You”. Thank You, Jesus, for Your provision, protection, Your loving-kindness, which is better than life! We bless and praise Your Holy Name and for the love You have for us, that will let us know when we are in error. And Lord, as we reflect on the podcast and are reminded of the times where we told You what to do, or demanded that You do something now, please forgive us, Lord Jesus.

For some of us who have had these “demands” sometimes we were angry, sad, frustrated, tired, stressed, agitated, desperate, or worried. Other times, though, we did feel like we “deserved” our request and wanted it now. In any case, once again, we thank You for forgiving us, and going forward, please help us, Jesus, to be mindful of how we approach and ask things of You. Please help us to remember it is You that have made us, and not we ourselves (Psalm 100:4). It is You, Jesus, who died and rose again for us! It is You Jesus, who gave many of us the gift of the Holy Ghost! It is in You Jesus, that we live, move and have our being——we cannot do anything without You! So we certainly have no claim to tell You what to do and how we want it done.

Instead, we will make our requests known unto You, through prayer, supplication and thanksgiving, and Your peace, which passes all understanding, will guide our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Thank You for helping us to come to You correctly, and help us to approach one another correctly as well, with our speech seasoned with salt, so that the people who are hearing us, see and hear You, Jesus. We thank You for this and all things, in Jesus Name, 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, Google podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify!

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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Haste, waste, stress & mess.

Here 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:

  • Blogging/podcasting is such wonderful blessing to me—–the Lord has truly brought BCU a LONG way!
  • Experience has taught me that I need to break my podcast production into two parts.
  • One particular week, I leaned to my own faulty understanding and did not follow that teaching.🤦🏽‍♀️
  • Listen in to what happened, and what the Lord taught me about haste, waste and prayer.

KJV Scripture Reference

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.

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

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

I Thessalonians 5:17

 Pray without ceasing.

BCU Fam, we live in a society where it is almost a badge of honor to be busy, running, stressed and tired. There is no biblical evidence of that being a requirement for salvation, or living the Christian life. In order to combat this worldly mindset, with the help of the Lord, we should acknowledge Him regarding ALL our tasks, even the things we know we have to take care of routinely. I am not saying that we need to ask the Lord if we should brush our teeth or clean up the spilled milk before we leave for work. Rather, if we make it a habit to start our day with prayer (Psalm 63:1), and pray throughout the day, asking the Lord for the wisdom, knowledge and understanding on how to carry out our assignments, and which ones take priority for the day, He will help us. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, as we come before You, thank You so much for the reminder, as always to acknowledge You in all of our ways. Whether we are going to work, school, at home, taking care of family, whatever it is, please help us to ask You, Jesus, in what sequence things should go in for the day.

Help us, Jesus to hear You and follow that sequence, so that we are not walking around tired, stressed, angry, agitated, irritated, or any of those things that are not of You. Thank You for giving us the grace to follow what You tell us to do, as we look forward to being more productive and doing things in the kairos time zone, according to Your will and way! 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 Thursday nights––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify!

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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Need a pick-me-up? Let’s read Psalm 91!

Here 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:

  • While many of us know the Lord, there are times when we feel afraid, lonely, defeated, attacked or just depleted.
  • At the time of this podcast, I am having a bit of a valley experience (yes, it happens to me, too).
  • A dear sister encouraged me to read Psalm 91—which happens to be a favorite of mine!
  • By the time the Lord took me through His Word, I felt SO much lighter and refreshed–glory to God! I pray you are encouraged as well!

KJV Scripture Reference

Psalm 91

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

So BCU Fam, I feel like GOING ON! What about you? Let’s pray about it!

Father in the Name of Jesus, as we come before You today, we thank You that we dwell in the secret place of the Most High, so that means we abide under Your shadow. We thank You that we can confidently say You are our refuge, fortress and our God and we trust in You. We thank You for delivering us from the snare of the fowler and the noisome pestilence! We thank you that a thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, but it doesn’t come near us.

We thank You, Lord Jesus, that you are our habitation, no plague comes nigh our dwelling and for giving Your angels charge over us. We thank you for setting Your love upon us, delivering us and that we call on You and You answer us. You will be with us in trouble and You will deliver, honor and show us Your salvation and give us long life! Thank You, Jesus for everything in Psalm 91 and how it applies to us.

Thank You for speaking to someone’s troubled heart and mind, for calming and settling us down and for the victory 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 Thursday nights––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify!

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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Fret not | Psalm 37

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

  • Focusing on others causes us to worry, get anxious, and to fret.
  • The word “fret” has several meanings including to be agitated, to be disturbed or to gnaw.
  • While we may initially be disturbed about our situation, consistent fretting has no place in the life of a believer.
  • The Word of God has “built-in” verses to ease the hearts of those who fret.

KJV Scripture references–Psalm 37

1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.

18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

40 And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

BCU Fam, as a “recovering fretter”, I completely understand how it feels when you are waiting for God to move on your behalf for the healing, job, spouse, blessing, miracle, situation to clear up or whatever you are trusting God for. As we mature in Christ, it is imperative that we remember God really is in control and that His will, timing and gifts are always perfect. Trust me, (well, trust God) whatever He has for you will be so much better than you imagined, you’ll be so thankful that you waited and did things God’s way. Let’s pray about it!

Father in the name of Jesus, we thank You that rather than fretting needlessly, we can come to you with our anxious thoughts, worries, cares and concerns, and leave them with You. We will no longer be consumed with who is doing what, and seemingly getting by, rather, we will rest and wait patiently in You, Lord. We will rest knowing that our steps are ordered and that we are the righteous, so we will not be forsaken, and we are Your seed, so we will not be begging bread. We bless Your name because You preserve and deliver your saints because we trust in You. Thank You for Your continual care of us, Jesus, and we will continue to give Your name the praise and glory, 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 Thursday nights––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify!

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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