We don’t have to take it…

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:

  • Last time, we talked about how in a conversation, we “give and take” with our words.
  • Specifically, we spoke about idle words, and our responsibility to ensure the words we give are profitable, edifying and give God glory.
  • What is equally as important is monitoring the thoughts, words and people we allow in our hearts.
  • If what is being said is not lining up with the Word of God, we do not have to “take” it.

Scripture references

James 1:19

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

Proverbs 4:23

23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

John 13:34

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Titus 3:9

But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

James 2:9

But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

Romans 1:30-32

30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

1 Corinthians 10:13

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Ephesians 6:10-11

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Love does not mean that we have to take in everything someone gives us.

BCUFam, we are called to love everyone. That love reminds us that everyone we interact with will not know the Lord, or may only know Him to a certain extent, so, of course we do not reject everyone who doesn’t line up with our beliefs. As people of God, we are prayerfully listen to the person while asking God how to proceed. It is worth noting our love is not a free pass to allow everyone to continually deposit unbiblical thoughts and ideas into our hearts—we do not have to take it!

For example, I know of a few “semi-habitual” givers of unbiblical speech. In one situation, the Lord gave me directions on how to handle the things to keep my heart guarded, but not without me enduring some of the conversations first. In this way, we were able to dialogue about their “unsound speech” based on the Word of God, and with the prayer that the Word would penetrate the heart of the person and make a change. Sometimes changes do not come right away, so as the Lord is dealing with the person, my instructions were to limit our conversations to keep my heart guarded, yet keep my love for the person.

Heart-guarding and conversation-limiting can be a challenge with family members, those in a position of authority, or friends who have a “strong” personality. Even so, it is imperative to prayerfully allow the Holy Ghost to lead us as to how far a conversation should go before we politely shut it down. With the help of the Lord, He will give us perfect directions on what to say and do in the Spirit, so that God is glorified, the person is edified, the enemy is terrified and the situation is rectified! 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

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Idle Words…

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 spoke with a friend about our relationships and the conversations we share.
  • We talked about how in a conversation, we “give and take” with our words.
  • It is our responsibility to ensure the words we give others are good, profitable, edifying and give God glory.

Scripture references

Proverbs 18:21
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

Ecclesiastes 5:2

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.

Hebrews 11:3

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Matthew 12:33-37

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

James 1:19

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

Colossians 4:6

6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Ephesians 4:29

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Ecclesiastes 3:7

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

In our conversations, are our words building people up or leaving people in tatters?

BCUFam, with the help of the Lord, let’s be intentional about asking the Lord what to say so that our words we are a blessing to those we interact with. Sure, we may have to have a challenging conversation with someone, but that doesn’t mean evil communication has to be a part of that exchange. If we speak what God tells us to say, our responses will always be perfect. 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

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Distractions….

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:

  • As of this post, we are almost at the end of our “Redeeming the Time” study taught on YouTube Live on Thursdays.
  • We’ve been talking about stewarding over our time and awareness in the chronos and kairos time “zones.”
  • When we know what God has called us to do, and we are on our way to do it, we can become distracted.
  • Distraction is a trick of the enemy, therefore, with the Lord’s help, we need to be diligent in how to recognize this tactic and not be overcome by it.

Scripture references

Psalm 37:23
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

Proverbs 3:6

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Nehemiah 4:1-6

1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?

3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.

4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:

5 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.

6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Matthew 5:43-48

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.

God doesn’t always move the distractions, He doesn’t want us to be moved by them.

BCUFam, battling the spirit of distraction is a CHALLENGE. You can be on the path of doing what God had directed you to do, and the enemy can get into your ear about how inept you are, the work being too much, bringing by people to throw you off by questioning your credentials, or asking for valid favors that have to be done NOW! In any case, and all too often, we do not realize a distraction is a distraction until after it has distracted us. We spend so much time dealing with the situation improperly (in the flesh), that the assignment God has given us ends up half-done or not done at all.

As the people of God, we want to take Nehemiah’s lead and deal with distractions in the Spirit. Take them to the Lord in prayer! As we acknowledge the Lord, He will let us know if and how we are to respond. Doing things God’s way is a guarantee that the distraction will be dealt with accordingly, and we will stay on the wall doing what He has called us to do! 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

BlenCouragesU1 Comment

Representation Matters

Hey there BCU Fam!

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 (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:

  • Last week at this time, I was severely under the weather—–and it’s been a LONG time since that’s happened.
  • While scrolling through a social media page, a friend posted a song,* based on Psalm 23.
  • As I the song blessed me, I was reminded we all have some hardness to endure as good soldiers.
  • The Lord, Our Shepherd also let me know that as we endure, we will not want, therefore we should always represent Him well.

Scripture references

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Timothy 2:3
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

There are some things the Lord takes us over, and other things we He takes us through.

BCUFam, I do not know anyone who enjoys being sick or going through hard situations on any level. If the battle goes longer than we think it should, if we are not careful, we can allow it to alter our mood to the point where we’re grumbling and complaining to others about how unfair what we are experiencing is, and taking our frustration out on those around us. Is that how Christ would want us to represent Him?

We will have times where our faith will be tested to the point where we’ll have some off days on occasion—-and that’s understandable. When we feel those feelings coming, let’s remember that Psalm 23 is true—the Lord is our Shepherd, so we will not want or lack ANYTHING we need, including the help and strength we need to ensure Jesus is well-represented through all we endure. 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

*To hear the song, please listen to the podcast.

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