Let’s make a deal…

Hey there BCU Family!

As usual, 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!

So while it’s back on now, as I child, I remember watching the original “Let’s Make A Deal”, with Monte Hall as host. For those unfamiliar with the show, Wikipedia describes it this way:

  • The format of Let’s Make a Deal involves selected members of the studio audience, referred to as “traders,” making deals with the host.
  • In most cases, a trader will be offered something of value and given a choice of whether to keep it or exchange it for a different item.
  • The program’s defining game mechanism is that the other item is hidden from the trader until that choice is made.
  • The trader thus does not know if he or she is getting something of greater value or a prize that is referred to as a “zonk,” an item purposely chosen to be of little or no value to the trader.

In watching the show, I’ve observed people trade good money or a solid prize in intrigue, mystery, curiosity and greed for the hidden items behind doors number 1, 2 or 3.

While the show was entertaining and fun, we can apply the Let’s Make a Deal premise to our own lives. When we think about it, those of us who know Christ in the pardoning of our sins and have the gift of the Holy Ghost (see Acts 2:38), received the best “deal”–eternal life in Heaven in exchange for the one-way reservation we had to hell. While God blessed us with salvation, it’s our responsibility to maintain that salvation–and that means making the right decisions according to what the Word of God says, versus exchanging His will and Word for what may seem better–until you get it.

How many of us have traded what God said for “the hidden item” or zonk you’d find out about after your exchange?

  • Our purity for a little love aka lust (which can end in unwanted pregnancy, unexpected responsibilities,  disease and heartbreak).
  • Our honesty for a larger income tax refund (which will rapidly be blown through or the item not be as wonderful as when you purchased it).
  • Our time with God for a movie or TV show (leaving your flesh temporarily satisfied and your spirit restless and empty). All these consequences are the “zonk” that wasn’t calculated into your exchange.

The adversary works through our flesh, if we let him. And he who would like nothing more than for us to “make a deal” with him to trade what we KNOW to be true–what we have in hand– (what God said or asks for),  for something that might seem better, but after the reveal,  turns out to be of of little or no value.  Let’s take King Saul for example.

In 1 Samuel 15, Saul, the anointed king of Israel, was told by God to destroy Amalek and spare NOTHING. Rather, Saul spared Agog, the king of the Amalakites and choice sheep, calves, oxen and lambs (vs 9). The Lord then spoke to Samuel, the prophet telling him that he regretted making Saul king, because he turned his back on God–and would not keep His commandments. This upset Samuel so much he cried the whole night.

The next day, Saul told Samuel he had done what the Lord said, to whit, Samuel asked about the animals he heard bleating. Let’s take a look at the exchange:

15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?

18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.

26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

Saul made a deal.

He exchanged what He KNEW to do, what was sure, traded the divine will of God for people approval and choice animals—that God didn’t even ask for. In fact, He said t DESTROY everything.

Saul’s trade cost him his place on the throne.

And no matter how sorry Saul was—he could not and did not get his throne back.

Once God says “no”, His decision is final.

This is SO sobering, BCU Family. And yes, while we live in the dispensation of grace, we STILL are accountable to God to maintain holy living which means not practicing sin. I know firsthand how tempting going outside of God’s will is to get what you want–especially if you’ve been waiting a long time. While trading God’s commands for what looks/sounds good or may offer instant gratification, the trade always ends up with us losing. Losing our blessings, miracles, peace of mind, favor with God and yes, even our place in Heaven. Is anything on Earth worth that? Saul would tell us no.

With the help of the Lord, let’s hold onto God’s Word and obey it as He asks. In doing so, we can rest assured that His gifts will never compromise His Word and they will ALWAYS be perfect! Amen? Amen!

What are you thoughts about what we chatted about? Are you all done with deal-making with the help of the Lord? Please head down to the comments section to share your thoughts so we can continue our conversation!

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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A walk through Psalm 100

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 conversational story, please tune into the podcast recording and refer to the written post for the highlights and corresponding Scriptures. 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 a child growing up in church,  part of our order of service was a “second call to worship”.
  • In that part of the service, the congregation recited Psalm 100 every Sunday for YEARS.
  • By default, I memorized that passage as a child and STILL know it by heart.
  • The richness of this Psalm ALWAYS blesses me! Let’s explore it!

Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing.

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.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.

So what is/are your favorite verse(s) in this Psalm? Is there a different Psalm that stirs up your praise? Or mayhap there is another passage of Scripture you love? Please head down to the comments section to share your thoughts so we can continue our conversation and praise to our God!

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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“The pennies don’t count?”

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 conversational story, please tune into the podcast recording and refer to the written post for the highlights and corresponding Scriptures. 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:

  • The U.S. penny hardly gets any love! They are often thrown away or tossed aside as a nuisance.
  • If something is little, we’ll often “overlook” it.
  • “Little” things will morph into bigger things.
  • God holds us accountable for the little and big things in our lives.

Scripture references:

Matthew 25:14-30 (NKJV)

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.

15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.


18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.

19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’

21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’

23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

28 Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

                    ***********************************************

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Revelations 21:8).

A talebearer reveals secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter (Proverbs 11:13).

Romans 1:28-32

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

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

31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, 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.

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines…..” (Song of Solomon 2:15)

Know ye not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (I Corinthians 5:6b).

So what are your thoughts on the “little things” in your life now? How do you treat the “pennies”  in your life?  Will you ever look at a penny the same way?  Please head down to the comments section to share your thoughts so we can continue our conversation!

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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Confronting the spirit of fear.

Hey there BCU Family!

As usual, 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 post blesses you. If so, please thumbs up or leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy your study!

 

I “wrassled” with something awhile back and I thought I’d share  with you all, in case you have a similar situation. If not, take it on credit.

I had an acquaintance we’ll call “Jamie” (name changed), who I TOTALLY thank God for. The thing with Jaime? They have a penchant for being very talkative to the point where 1) you can’t get a word in edgewise 2) the conversations are not always fruitful (sometimes laced with complaints and backbiting) and 3) “mindless chatter”, all of which I have a low tolerance for (yes, I pray even now that God help me with this). Now to Jamie’s defense, they are very nice and will share the last Ring Ding with you, but listen, is a Ring Ding worth all of that conversation?!

While I would fraternize with Jamie when I needed to, it’s not something I wanted to do. In fact, I tried to avoid Jamie at as much as possible, fearing I’ll get into a long conversation, or say something (nicely, of course) that will hurt the über-sensitive feelings of this individual and lose my Christian witness.  Jamie was the type of person who you could say something to in the nicest way possible, but would still be hurt. I was in a tough place.

So one day, Jamie left me a message –apparently it was question that only I could answer. In a matter of seconds, my attitude changed from happy to irritation and anger because there was no way to avoid talking to this person. My mind raced wildly–what now? Didn’t I take care of that other situation we had last week? Is this question going to lead to a verbal bashing of a friend? Should I schedule our conversation in between appointments—that way I could limit my time talking? Then, I started practice responses to possible questions that could come up—-RARRRRRRRR!! (arms flailing).

While I was ranting in my car, the Lord invited me to talk to Him about it. Rather than let anxiety take over, as Philippians 4:6 reminded me, it was better that I make my requests known before God in prayer, supplication and with thanksgiving, so that God’s peace would keep my heart and mind.

In talking this through with God, the bottom line was FEAR! I was letting FEAR make me crazy before I even knew what the situation was. Also, I was running (related to fear) from this thing like it was a six-foot bear, when with God on my side, this situation was a plastic poodle! On top of it, I was tired of being afraid!

As a Holy Ghost filled woman, I have Christ on my side, and whatever the conversation was, I needed to be ready to tell Jamie with seasoned speech if what was being said was not agreeing with me or I needed to get going. I also needed to quit worrying (a by- product of fear) about hurting feelings in lieu of pleasing God.  In addition, Proverbs 27:5 reminded me that open rebuke is better than secret love, AND as long as my speech was seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6), God would be pleased. In the final analysis, pleasing God is really the only thing that matters. After talking that over with Jesus, the peace that came over me was AMAZING!! I felt armed and ready to deal with Jamie or any other potentially sticky situation.

How did my Jamie story end? It turns out that a couple of emails answered Jamie’s questions (see, I didn’t even have to chat with him after all), and NOW with God’s grace and help, I’ll be better equipped to deal with a confrontation when needed with NO FEAR! Sure, tackling an unpleasant issue is uncomfortable and unnerving–but confrontation is biblical. We just have to know how to do God’s way and that starts with prayer! He will give us the words to say so the conversation will be perfect. So with have our directions from God and Holy Ghost leading us, there’s no need to be afraid–God’s got our back!

The final word on fear? II Timothy  1:7 reminds us that God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Let’s take God at His word and walk in what He says. Amen? Amen!

What are your experiences with fear? How have you handled it? Or do you let it handle you like I did? 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, or 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

BlenCouragesU2 Comments

Petty Christians?

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 conversational story, please tune into the podcast recording and refer to the written post for the highlights and corresponding Scriptures. 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:

    • A talk show host made a disparaging comment about a respected gospel group.
    • Social media was flooded with rebukes–some mean and personal in nature.
    • A call was made for “petty Christians” to join into the conversation.
    • Webster’s dictionary defines “petty” as having undue an concern about trivial matters, especially in a spiteful way.
    • Petty is another word for “busybody”, which is cautioned against in the Scriptures.
    • Pettiness is not a badge of honor, rather something to be reproached.

Scripture references

Luke 10:38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

10:39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

10:40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

10:41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

10:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters (1 Peter 4:15).

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business… (I Thessalonians 4:11).

Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm (Proverbs 3:30).

He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears (Proverbs 26:17).

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (Romans 12:17-18).

What are your thoughts on the “petty movement” sweeping our Christian hearts and minds? The comment section is below–let’s continue the conversation!

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, Instagram, and  YouTube! 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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