Series: Speech Therapy..the words of my mouth (part 5)

 

Hey BCU family!

As usual, please enjoy the audio podcast (click on the icon below), the written transcript, or both! In either case, God bless you as you read, hear and apply the Word of God.

Last lesson, we talked through some examples of idle words as Jesus warned us about in Matthew 12:33-37. Additionally, the book of James reminds us about the words of our mouth.

“For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”
(‭‭James‬ ‭3:2-12)‬ .

Whew—-we’ve got work to do! Let’s dig in!

C.  The non-listener/hasty speaker

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God (James 1:19-20).

He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding, but he that is hasty of spirit exalts folly. (Proverbs 14:29).

See a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him. (Proverbs 29:20).

He that answers a matter before he hears it it is folly and a shame to him (Proverbs 18:13).

The Lord has brought this to my attention both as the offender and the offended. I probably notice it more as I was offended a couple of times recently and I liked that as much as I like a big ol’ plate of canned beets. Meaning I DON’T!

After setting up a meeting with someone to get clearance for a special task, I wanted to give them the background, so it was clear WHY I needed the clearance. I am ALL about making sure you understand, so nothing comes back to get me later. In mid-explanation, the individuals CUTS me off and gives me a some solution to the clearance—I listened quietly, and heard them say something like,  “is that what you were leading up to?” Me: “No”. Reread Proverbs 29:20.

Also, I had conversation with someone, where we disagreed on the conclusion of whatever we were talking about. Every time I wanted to explain why, I got CUT off. I finally just shut down—and listened. Then person was curious about my quietness.

There is also cutting into a conversation, while someone is talking and switching the subject—like the shell game! LOLOLOL!! I’m laughing but it’s really not of God. And I KNOW that I’ve done this to people–maybe out of excitement or wanting to get the point in while it was fresh or whatever, but what did my action do to the speaker? How did I make them feel? Like I was listening or just waiting for them to hush so I can talk?

All this really is birthed out of the pride of life—where self-exaltation and exaggerated importance tells you that the people/persons that are currently speaking DO NOT MATTER. What you have to say right then and there trumps the other person because you KNOW better, you HAVE the answer (you were not asked yet), you ARE superior, YOU HAVE lived longer than said individual, I DON’T have to listen to this; I WANT to end the conversation; I HAVE BETTER things to do; SHE takes TOO long expressing herself. I KNOW exactly what you want to say. DO YOU? No.

#BottomLine: Use your ears twice as much as your mouth.

D. Excess wording
“Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”
‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭5:33-37).

While many of us know not to use swear words (believers DO NOT practice using foul language), what about the “swear substitutes?” “What the…” “Oh my gosh” (substitute for God) or “jeez” (short for Jesus). Sure, we’re not taking the Lord’s name in vain…well directly, more like indirectly.. God knows our hearts, yes, but since He reminds us we have to give an account for our excess words, we should reconsider what we’re saying.

What’s the need to”swear to our God”, on your grandmother’s grave or say some other ridiculous claim to get someone to believe you are telling the truth? Is not our word enough, especially if we are truthful all the time. When telling your story, stick with the yay and nay (the truth of the story) without extra details and embellishments so we can stay away from anything evil coming out.

E. Empty promises/promising to do something when you can’t.

“Knocking someone into next week/kingdom come.”
“If….. happens, I’ll eat my hat”.
“Shake her hand till it comes off.”

Now I know these phrases sound very innocent and harmless. Think about it, though. If you really wouldn’t eat your hat, you’re not telling the truth. We can’t really knock someone into next week or any other week, either. You know, God never said anything He could not do, so we need to stop practicing this form of idle chatter.

F. Hasty, emotional responses:

“Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few (Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5:2).
“If God never answered another prayer….” do you really mean that? What if God took you seriously?
“I promise I will never ask for…” or “God if you do..I will..” Do we need to “bribe” God?  Ask, and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened. Whoever asks, gets, seeks, finds, knocks, it shall be opened. If it’s according to God’s will, you will get it..He likes to give good gifts.

“As long as I have Jesus I don’t need nobody else?” Really? Does not God work through people? Are we not called to love and interact with people? No…we don’t worship them, but we need one another.  An example? One plants, one waters and God gives the increase. (I Corinthians 3:7). We need people.

Also, should we really bargain with God? Ecclesiastes 5: 4-6 warns us not to.

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

Jephthah in Judges 19 learned this lesson painfully. He vowed if he was victorious in battle, he would sacrifice the first thing that came out of the house and it happened to be his only daughter.

#BottomLine– even in our anger and excitement, we can still honor God with how we speak. We need to choose our words carefully.

So once again this week, let’s ask the Lord to help us to “weed out” these types of idle words from our  hearts, mouths and vocabulary and replace that idling with more of the Word of God. We can do all of these things through Christ that strengthens us!

Thank you so much for tuning, God bless you, keep you, make His face to shine upon you and until we meet again #StayOnTheWall!

 

Love,

 

BCU

BlenCouragesU2 Comments

God’s lessons from 2015 (Part 2 of 2).

Hey there BCU family!

What you will be reading is the”enhanced” transcript from the podcast, meaning,  you get a little more information in the written account than the audio file. 🙂  Enjoy either format and thanks for stopping by!

We are back with the second and final part of The five (5) BIG lessons the Lord taught me in 2015. Last time, we covered “Promises, promises” and “Appearances can be deceiving,” you can catch up here.  As a side note, I was tested on the the “promises” post.

I agreed to do a project for someone awhile back, and I followed up on it, but the person was a little slow in getting back to me, so I sort of dismissed it.  Of course, at the 11th hour they now want the project which will likely take me many hours to prepare. I started to fuss, but the Lord gently reminded me of what He said through the last post, so with His help, I will take care of it with a cheerful heart. See, I told ya’ll–when I post these things, I am talking to me first–I’ve got to be the first partaker of the fruit! (see 2 Timothy 2:6 for that reference).

So let’s see if we can get to the last three:
3. Happy Holidays?
4. Think outside the circle.
5. Say what?

Click the logo to start the podcast (audio file).

Happy Holidays?

I realize the official Christmas holiday season is over, but some situations occurred that will now have me looking at things in a more compassionate and through the eyes of Christ type way.

A friend of mine working on my computer remarked, “I’ll be glad when the holidays are over. This is a tough time for some people.” Later that same week, another good friend remarked, “the holidays are not happy for everybody.” In the both cases, my friends  had lost an immediate family member and understandably, the holidays brought some sadness. While I wanted say something to make it better, I was led to listen and quietly pray.

Lest you think that grief is unbiblical, take a look at Ruth 1:19-21. Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law was making her way back home to Bethlehem after the death of her husband and sons. As the townspeople were asking after her, she said:

“Call me Mara, [meaning bitter] not Naomi, [pleasant] for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full and the Lord brought me home empty, so why call me Naomi seeing that the Lord testified against me and afflicted me.”

The woman was clearly grieving and said so! Notice the Word does not record anyone responding with familiar platitudes to quiet her down or ease her pain.

Proverbs 25:20 says “as he that takes away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that sings songs to a heavy heart.” Nitre was and still is a cleansing agent found in the lakes of Egypt–it is similar to what we know as baking soda. Nitre effervesced or bubbled when coming in contact with something acidic, like vinegar. So think about it–as these folks are mourning their loss, our well intentioned selves can say acidic things like “don’t cry, she would not want you to be sad”, “he’s not suffering anymore”,  “you’ll see her again,” ” she is in a better place”, “God needed her”, “He knows what He’s doing, it was best.” Now with the exception of “God needed her” (for what? God has plenty of resources and once we leave Earth, our work ceases), these sayings may well be true–was that what needed to be said at the time? Are those words really going to comfort someone? As a matter of fact, some of those remarks were said to a revered and  wonderful woman of God who lost her husband. She said, “I know all that, but I don’t want to hear that right now!”

For some reason, we want to hush and rush individuals through the grieving process, and even once the person is otherwise doing fine and gets sad, we want to shoo the sadness away. We are human and losing someone  in the flesh just HURTS and we will miss their presence, especially at certain times of the year.  Don’t get me wrong, it is hard to watch someone grieve–and it is natural and CORRECT to want to comfort the person. God knows what you should say (if anything), and will lead you accordingly if you ask. Proverbs 25:11 says, “a word spoken fitly is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” When you think of what a stunning vision that is, how awesome would it be to speak that way? Yes! Ask God how. And know sometimes, just a listening ear, a quiet shoulder, or just your silent presence can speak volumes.

Think outside the circle

This moment came from a lunch with my one of my best friends, Billie. We were talking about the gifts God has given us and how difficult it can be to operate them among people who know you. Sound familiar? In Matthew 13,  Jesus had just finished powerfully teaching many great parables (the sower, wheat and tare, what the kingdom of heaven was like) to multitudes by the shore. The Word does not record the reaction to the Jesus’ teachings, but I’m thinking the crowds were blessed by it, based on what happens around verse 54. Jesus came home to teach in the synagogue and folk  who knew Him started questioning His wisdom, mighty works they had ALREADY seen Him perform and His family tree.

And they were offended in Him, but Jesus said unto them, “a prophet is not without honor [is honored everywhere] except in his own country and in his own house.” And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:57-58).

Notice, who questioned Jesus–it certainly was not the people outside His “circle”, rather the ones IN the circle. The ones who should be encouraging, believing, praying and standing with you can sometimes be the toughest crowd. I can remember speaking at a function and  looking out on the cold faces of the circle of folks I had known for years, versus the encouraging smiles of the ones who were newer to the circle.

I do not mind saying that did sting quite a bit and it would neutralize me if I let it. This is why  Proverbs 3:5  says we cannot lean to our own understanding (if I did lean on my own, I would have stopped publicly speaking right after that. Thank God for healing me). Rather we are to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). If you are Holy Ghost filled, we have the power of the resurrected Christ in us to change the atmosphere no matter how combative it may be. We also need to accept the fact  that in some cases, we may not be well received at all among certain people, and unless God steps in, it will not change. But with the grace of God, we will NOT let that change us or the way we use the gifts God has given us.  Let the account we give have to give God one day have Him respond, “well done, thou good and faithful servant…. enter into the joy of the Lord” (Matthew 25:21).

Say what?

This is more of an observation and gentle PSA. I am a little old school when it comes to sharing certain aspects of what I deem to be private, but it looks like I may be in the minority in comparison to the rest of the world.

With the onslaught of fake “reality” TV,  raunchy tell-all talk shows, dash cams, smart phones and social media, folk seem to think that it is allright to tell, post, video and snap pics of your every waking thought in exchange for 15-minute fame, free therapy, someone to co-sign your wrongness, spreading gossip, likes, sympathy, followers and to be the trending topic of the week whether intentional or not.

I recall a story where a day care provider posted something about not liking to be around lots of kids. YIKES!!! Of course, the post was seen and she lost her job.  Proverbs 29:11 says “a fool utters all his mind, but a wise man keeps it all in till afterwards.” Since we have seen the results of foolishness,  let’s look at wisdom in action.

Mary, mother of Jesus is a prime example. In Luke 2, angels had visited shepherds to tell them about the birth of Jesus and in turn, the shepherds went to see Joseph, Mary and Jesus to verify what the angels said. Once the shepherds saw Jesus for themselves, they “made it known abroad” what the angels said.  Even in all this excitement, the new mom “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (verses 17 & 19).  If the mother of our Savior, King and Redeemer could keep quiet about such an important visitation, how much more should we? We should use discretion on all of our communication, except when Jesus is the subject and good news!

Granted, there are times when we need to talk something out or share information (that is yours to share), and that is where God’s wisdom comes in to lead you to the right person(s),  the medium to use, or to go directly to Him. Proverbs 3:6 reminds us to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways and He will direct our paths. Amen? Amen!

Well family, that concludes our series! It was my pleasure to bring you His Word and I am excited for how the Lord will bless us to apply what He says.

May God continue to bless you richly. If this post has blessed you, please let us know by giving a thumbs-up, commenting and sharing with a friend. Thank you for reading/listening and until next post #StayOnTheWall.

 

Love,

BCU

 

 

 

BlenCouragesU1 Comment

Rats, Turkeys and Fruit…

 

Hey family!

Be Jive Turkey free!

Summer is fast approaching and in all the sunshine and excitement of the season, we still need to be prayerful and on high turkey alert! I learned a little more about turkeys from rats. Let me  “‘splain.”

I was flipping channels awhile back and caught a show called Rat Wars. It was a show about a New York City exterminator, who was ridding the Big Apple of these pesky rodents, who in some cases had overtaken the homes and businesses of some of his clients.  The guy mentioned that rats were smart creatures, and I thought “yeah, right”. But he was right!

Yep, I am smart~Trust!

What happened was, the exterminator set traps and noticed just a few of the rats were caught. Reason? He said some of the rats watched the others go to the traps and get caught/killed. The rats who stood by were astute enough to know to avoid the trap! If a creature that God made who hasn’t attended a day of school, nor have the Holy Ghost as a guide, knows to watch and avoid entrapment, how much better can we do? I’m just saying……Ok, keep that in mind and read on.

In my travels a few years ago, I met up with a dude in whom we had mutual acquaintances. We got to talking about the folks we knew and life in general, so I mentioned about being my saved, etc. Bozo did inform me that church girls were “easy to get with”–something about desperation and some other monkeyshine not worth repeating.  I don’t know how he thought his statements were attractive, but I was as hot as a freshly lit firecracker!  The truth is either he had that experience or was conducting a test. Either way, I know I wasn’t about to become a case study for Dr. Strangelove!!  If you really want to get to know someone, let them talk–God will let you know what’s up! What’s in the heart comes out of the mouth (Matthew 15:18).

Next is the saved-looking fruit. I notice, is that once we ID the fruit we like, we immediately hook up. “Oh well, there’s a saved-looking pear, that’s the one for me!”  Don’t misunderstand me, if one person is saved, the other NEEDS the Holy Ghost, no doubt. Salvation does not equal compatibility or God’s will.  Experience has taught me there is value in taking your time and developing a friendship based on mutual interests, experiences, goals and values. It’s also important to see where you differ and how negotiable those areas are. This way, if it is not God’s will for you to be together, you hear and see with a clear heart, rather than with a heart that has developed feelings and rationalization. I also believe that in the end, you will remain friends with no hard feelings or unforgiveness.

A former post I wrote about women not being the “low-lying fruit”,  got a little attention from a couple of guys I’m cool with on Facebook.  One young man who had his share of the easy fruit, said that eating fruit off the ground  “can make you sick”.  I didn’t think about that at the time I wrote it, but its true. Many times the fruit that’s just laying on the ground,  although convenient, is overripe, worm-ridden, bug-filled, spotty and rotten.  Sometimes women even go and pick the fruit, (rather than waiting to be picked). How did that work out for you?

Whether you are the low-branch fruit or pick it up, it may fill you up for now, but give you a bellyache, long-term illness or even death! As we mature, it’s important to recognize foolish behavior and correct it immediately. Do not pick off the tree! Didn’t we learn from Eve? LOLOLOL! Seriously, it’s better to wait and be picked properly. Proverbs says 9:6 Forsake the foolish and live; and go in the way of understanding. Why willingly die of from an avoidable case of “foolish”?

The bottom line:  I know there are some fantastic, stand-up guys out there—I am friends with quite a few and look forward to meeting more as my life progresses. In the spirit of watchfulness, the Bible says to watch and pray…(Matt 26:41) AND that you will know folks by their fruit (Matt 7). If it looks like a grape, yet talks thorns, then something is amiss. No matter how many grapes you thought you saw or have continuously look for, it’s a thorn bush. Pray for God’s divine (not permissive) will to be done and clarity in your thoughts and decision making so the decks are clear for your real blessing!

Thanks for reading and be blessed!

Love,

~Blen

Jive Turkey pic: http://www.newsrealblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/jiveTurkey.png

Rats pic: http://www.show31.com/2012/04/20-amazing-facts-about-rats.html

BlenCouragesULeave a comment

Rejoice with them that rejoice… right?

Hey family,

Welcome new followers–God bless you! And faithful followers, God bless you as well!! Years ago, I worked with a wise woman of God who used to quote Proverbs 10:22 when the Lord blessed her with something. She’d say aloud,  “the blessing of the Lord, it makes rich and He adds no sorrow to them”.  I used to chuckle when she said it, but I think I finally got why she said it.

Praise is what we do.

While we are happy to receive the blessings from God as He gives them, it is sometimes a challenge to share our news with people, in part because of the reaction we may receive. As we testify or people witness the blessings of God in our lives, ideally we’d like for them to be happy for us. Very often, people may comment adversely, causing us to not want to share how God made a way.

I raised my daughter as a single parent, which was a challenge to the third power sometimes–especially financially. The Lord saved me when she was 3, which did not  put me on Easy Street— He did send “ex-ree” 😀 blessings down on occasion. Whenever I wore something new to work, a former co-worker would notice and ask me “how can you afford that?” Oh, it gets better! Another ex-coworker–no, a manager once said, “I don’t know how you can dress all matched up like you do. I don’t have time to comb my hair. ” *insert hair blown back here* Of course that comment was a reference to me not being married , but “Sue-Ann” didn’t know it was with God’s grace getting my child and myself together every morning. On another occasion, the Lord blessed me to get some “accoutrements” on my car.  Someone went to my superior and said something like, “Blenda’s got money to do that– that’s not cheap!” Seriously?! Is that any way to react to someone received a blessing? Comments and attitudes like that are enough to make you stop testifying altogether.  But it shouldn’t.

Psalm 107:8 says, “oh that men would praise the name for His wonderful works to the children of men”.  And since He doesn’t add sorrow to His blessings, we should not be sorry or fearful for what He’s done, rather tell of His goodness! When Jesus healed and forgave folk in the Bible, they ran and told that thing to all who would listen!

Now it is true everyone can’t handle hearing about your blessings, so tune into God to find out who you can celebrate with and how to handle the naysayers. You may find the “negatory” folk are the ones who need to hear about God’s goodness and the plan of salvation.   If they are saved already, gently remind them that all that’s good and perfect comes from Him–and ask what good has happened in their lives lately.

Lest you think this post is about receiving all a ton of material things from God, that’s NOT my point. God has blessed me to grow spiritually, be healed emotionally, sustained physically, and be kept financially–and I am not sad about that at all!  With all that’s going on bad in the world, we really have a lot to be thankful– not sorrowful for.

Go ‘head and testify. I will praise God with you!

Be blessed all!

Blen

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