Faith, Persistence & Humility.

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 recently had the privilege of visiting God’s Holy Temple in DeSoto, TX.
  • First Lady Lakeisha Perry taught one on of my FAVORITE scriptures—Luke 18.
  • In this recording, Sister Perry will remind us of the importance of faith, humility and salvation, along with persistence in prayer in the face of adversity.

Scripture references:

Luke 18:1-7

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luke 18:9-14

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

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.

Luke 18:15-26

15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.

21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.

22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.

24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?

Luke 18:27

27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.


BCU Fam, the Lord used Sister Perry to break down and connect this chapter in a way that I had NEVER heard before. In addition to persistent prayer, we need to have faith, humility and surrender to God, knowing that what is impossible with man is possible with God. It sounds simple, because it is—we just tend to complicate things, especially when what we are praying about does not come to pass right away, or things start to take unexpected turns. But God has a way of stepping in at the right time to avenge His very elect that cry out to Him day and night. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!


Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank You for Your Word today and for You being our Avenger. Thank You for reminding us that nothing escapes Your knowledge and that You will always take care of Your elect. We thank You for blessing us to walk in a spirit of humility towards the people we serve, helping us not to put our trust in the things of this world, and that through You, ALL things are possible! In Jesus name, we 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 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 platforms are Amazon Music, Apple PodcastsiHeart 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

The Widow vs. 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:

  • I was taught a parable is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”—-and so began my love of the parables.
  • The “Unjust Judge” is a story about a widow who had a situation that only this judge could rectify.
  • The judge was corrupt, but her insistence eventually wore him down.
  • This parable is a good reminder that persistence in prayer in the face of adversity will keep us from fainting and, that God, our Just Judge will always avenge His elect.

Scripture references:

Luke 18:1-7

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Job 14:1

1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.

Isaiah 40:31

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.

I Thessalonians 5:17

17 Pray without ceasing.

Proverbs 24:10

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


BCU Fam, persistent prayer is a necessary staple in the Christian’s life. We want to keep in mind that sometimes, our prayers are not answered “in our favor” (meaning, the way WE want) because our Just Judge has a better way of doing things. There are several things I “thought” were good for me, at the time, but thanks be to God HE KNEW differently and answered accordingly. So, when we pray consistently and persistently, God hears us, yes, but if we listen, we will hear Him, and in that, our hearts will acquiesce to His perfect will for our lives. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!


Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank You for Your Word today and for You being our Just, Holy and Righteous Judge. Thank You for reminding us that nothing escapes Your knowledge and that You will always take care of Your elect. Bless us to remember that when we are wronged, You will right the wrong in Your way and on Your time——and that rather than us being consumed with how and when You avenge us, we want to continue praying and living so You are pleased with us in all that we think, say and do, in Jesus name, we 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 podcastsGoogle 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

Creation & science: The benefits of crying

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! 

For those of you who know me, I can get really emotional (a.k.a cry) over some of the smallest things–an unexpected note, a heart-felt word of encouragement, someone going through something, or just in response to God’s goodness and mercy–especially during/after prayer, praise and worship. I was talking to my amazing sister and friend Nekesha after a wonderful service at church where God really moved on my heart through tears almost throughout the entire service!  Nekesha mentioned she had done some research on crying and how cathartic it is for us. So, I thought it’d be interesting to see why God made our eyes to cry like they do.

According to an article in Medical News Today.com we have three types of tears:

Basal tears are omnipresent in our eyes. These constant tears are what keep our eyes from drying out completely. The human body produces an average of 5 to 10 ounces of basal tears each day. They drain through the nasal cavity, which is the reason so many of us develop runny noses after a good cry.

The second type is reflex tears, which serve to protect the human eye from harsh irritants such as smoke, onions or even a very strong, dusty wind. To accomplish this feat, the sensory nerves in your cornea communicate this irritation to your brain stem, which in turn sends hormones to the glands in the eyelids. These hormones cause the eyes to produce tears, effectively ridding them of the irritating substance.

The third type of tears is emotional tears. It all starts in the cerebrum where a strong emotion such as stress, pleasure, anger,  gratefulness, sadness and suffering or physical pain is registered. The endocrine system is then triggered to release hormones to the ocular area, which then causes tears to form.

Emotional crying is mostly attributed to babies/children, women, and “weak people”(whatever that means), but because God is so amazing, He MADE us the ability to cry for specific reasons. To start, crying can help you regulate your emotions, reduce your distress and rally support from others. In addition, research says that crying:

Helps to relieve pain

Research has foundTrusted Source that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins.

These chemicals make people feel good and may also ease both physical and emotional pain. In this way, crying can help reduce pain and promote a sense of well-being.

Enhances mood

Crying may help lift people’s spirits and make them feel better. As well as relieving pain, oxytocin and endorphins can help improve mood. This is why they are often known as “feel good” chemicals.

Releases toxins and relieves stress

When humans cry in response to stress, their tears contain a number of stress hormones and other chemicals.

Researchers believe that crying could reduce the levels of these chemicals in the body, which could, in turn, reduce stress. More research is needed into this area, however, to confirm this.

Aids sleep

A small study in 2015 found that crying can help babies sleep better. Whether crying has the same sleep-enhancing effect on adults is yet to be researched.

However, it follows that the calming, mood-enhancing, and pain-relieving effects of crying above may help a person fall asleep more easily.

 Fights bacteria

Crying helps to kill bacteria and keep the eyes clean as tears contain a fluid called lysozyme.

A 2011 studyTrusted Source found that lysozyme had such powerful antimicrobial properties that it could even help to reduce risks presented by bioterror agents, such as anthrax.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319631.php#benefits-of-crying

So, in looking at this list, BCUFam, I’m thinking if I continuously suppress my urge to cry, then I add to my body’s stress levels which in turn harbors sickness, pain, multiplies toxins, and hosts bacteria in my cells–that can’t be good for our bodies and minds at all! Even our Lord and Savior Jesus wept! (See John 11:1-45 and Luke 19:41-44). Let’s see what else the Bible says about crying.

Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me (Psalm 56:8-9). This poetic language reminds us that God does not forget our tears at all and will save us from our enemy! What a blessed assurance!

The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles (Psalm 37:17).  Here we are assured that God hears our cry and will deliver us. Hallelujah!

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27). Sometimes, we cry outwardly and inwardly (groan). Often, we do not understand why, but the Spirit does and advocates on our behalf. Praise our God!

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful (Revelation 21:4-5). Can you imagine God actually wiping away our tears? Ohh— this is something to look forward to, BCUFam! 

The wrap up? As the book of Revelation promises, there will be a day where there will be no more tears. Until then, God in His infinite wisdom, made our tears to be like an internal pressure valve to release the tension and cares of this life, so that we can continue to run on and live for Him. So, ignore the stigma and negative connotations that the world has assigned to crying, let the tears flow and the healing begin! Amen?! Amen!

What are thoughts on our topic du jour, BCUFam? Does crying come easily for you? Is it a struggle? What do you think about the science behind the tears? Let’s continue our conversation in the comments section below!

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