Forgiveness 101- Chapter 1

I was doing a You Version Bible Study Plan again. First in 2013 and here in 2017, I find myself studying it again, for the Holy Spirit told me to do so in the wee hours of the morning.  Here’s the link to the plan: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/75-forgiveness    Day 1 verses are: Proverbs 18:19; Micah 7:18-19; Matthew 5:23-24

The first verse given me by the Holy Spirit was Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”.  The verse was not listed in the plan of verses to memorize, but God. Praise to His Spirit for leading me there first. Therefore, I have concluded that His first message to Shelia is to “lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset”.  “Ya heard me?”  Here are 7 synonyms of beset to make us think deeper about the spiritual healing of forgiveness: 

• Affected(unnatural)
• Plagued( snowed under)
• Tormented(tortured)
• Overwhelmed(dazed)
• Harassed(stressed)
• Surrounded( walled)
• Full of (crammed with)

 

Proverbs 18:19 (KJV) – A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

This plan started off with a powerful Proverb. It is fact.  We are a people controlled by our feelings which in turn cause us to react heartlessly to what we see as a violation to us. We react heartlessly because our heart has been hurt. Admit it.

We don’t forget being hurt my people close to us, our sisters and brothers, our children, our friends from school, work, and church or from wherever the friendship began.  We are even offended by people we don’t have a relationship with. What is our first reaction? You guessed it.  We put up a guard against the person(s).

Think about relationships in your life. Is not this proverb true to its words? The sad thing about this is that this happens in the Body of Christ.

What did I learn from studying this verse? Let me tell you and I’ll make it short.

Admit and say it out loud “I am offended”. The Holy Spirit guided me this morning to admittance being the first step on my path to forgiveness. Now whether you say it to self or to the person that offended you, that’s something your heart will have to declare.  I was offended by my son’s dog barking as I was studying the bible this morning on the back porch. I wanted to slap the dog and bar up his mouth.  😛

Yes, the Lord’s children get offended. We Christians will put bars up plus walls. Some will remove self from the situation/person and/or plot to repay for the offense.  No one likes to be hurt over and over again by the same situation -different scenario and/or person, especially those with intent to hurt and those controlled by evil spirits.  We do not look to the operation of evil spirits, but to the person we SEE in person as the culprit of the offense. This is our first natural reaction.

Questions to think about. (TYHS)

• Does the bible show God as being offended? If so, how did he react?
• What sin doth so easily beset you?
• So how do we remedy an impasse (standoff, gridlock) when offended?
  

Share your wisdom. Thanks for stopping in. You are appreciated in Jesus name.

• Additional reading I came across after writing blog: Christianity Today

 

My Journey through Romans 13:8-14

What Love Is Not.

I find it fascinating that this four letter word packs so much power, yet it is so hard for many to understand its power. It is also fascinating to me that when a woman gives birth, how love is immediately manifested once that baby passes through the birth canal. The same is true for those mothers who have a C-section. Along with that love comes relief and excitement. The pain is immediately forgotten because love overshadows it. A woman has gotten through what seems like a stormy season; she is blessed and the child (someone else) is blessed that the mother had enough love to whether periods of gestation. At least that was my experience with my three gifts from the Lord. Not to mention that the five times my  “only daughter” was pregnant, I experienced having all her symptoms as though I was going through the birth with her. That was so weird to me. After each delivery, I was dead tired. She tells people that I gave birth to my grandchildren. 😛  Perhaps, I should have stayed out of the birthing room.

Eve was also excited when she bare Cain, she told Adam, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” After the birth of my first child, I said ‘Lord have mercy, look ____ (ex’s name), we have a baby boy’, and that baby boy is still close to me til this day at the age of 35. I am blessed. He thinks he is my father now. I was really excited and felt an immediate need to protect him as with all my children I bore.

I hate to admit this, but I feel I must. Some people who knew me years ago, knew how I felt about children at that time. Before I had my first child, I did not have a liking for children because they seemed like little pests to me. I had no inkling of what love was for children. Praise the Lord, I now know. God showed us firsthand what love is in Genesis 1:27 –So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. I believe if He had not love, we would not exist. As a matter of fact, everything that He has done and continues to do is out of love for us all. A main point about the word love is this: “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

In verse eight (8) the love Paul speaks of is not of that much difference than the love we have for our own family members. He had learned from experience and from Jesus that we are to “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” We know that love fulfills the law; so where do we understand it more? It is here in  1 Corinthians 13.  

We know from experience that it is hard for us to love others as God intends for us to love. For whatever reason, a lot of us just don’t have love for others.  Some of us even hate our family members. We as Believer’s/Christians need to keep searching our hearts like we search for stuff on the internet. Search until we find the love that overshadows our dislike for others and for family members.

Yes, people are full of disappointments and hurt which appears to be a given for us. Make no mistake it is not love itself that does those things to us. Let me prove my point. Can you imagine how God felt when His son died on the cross for our sins? People. Can you imagine how God felt when Adam and Eve whom He created sinned against Him? People. Can you imagine how He felt when Satan turned against Him? Yes, People. Can you imagine how He felt when He had Moses lead His children out of Egypt and they turned on Him? People. I think our problem with love is that most of us don’t place an emphasis on what love is not. And now, since we have the basics of what love for others really is, let us move forward to knowing what love is not for others. They are found in verses 9-10 of this chapter.

Love is Not:

• Committing Adultery/Betrayal against one in a marriage

• Killing another for any reason

• Stealing from others

• Lying on and for others

• Desiring what others have

• Harboring hate for others in your heart

• Treating others with hostility/ill-will

• Ignoring and neglecting to fulfill the law of God

Is it safe to say that at some point in all of our lives that we have shown and still show what love is not? Yes. I repeat, we most assuredly have a problem with knowing what love is not. Jesus is returning, though we know not the day. Hence, time is upon us to work at showing what love is not for all. This is why I believe Paul goes on to alert us in verses 11-14-“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

Besides, hating others is a sin that leads to other sins. Believe it. Stop looking at the world through rose colored glasses. In 1 John 3:9-11 we are reminded that “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

May we all understand this message of what love is not by waking up from our “works of darkness” and putting on our “armour of light.”  Lord, help us in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you for stopping in. Be blessed. Enjoy the quotes.

Do You Need To Change Your Dirt? – Alkalinity vs. Acidity- Part 1

Beautiful Atlantic Sky

As I was on a cruise a few days ago to Nassau, Bahamas, dirt and death came to my never resting mind while sailing over water of all places. I began to think about all the people whose remains are in the ocean for whatever reason and I prayed for them. I begin to think about water balancing the ship and just thought ‘wow’. Ok, so I think too much.  However, I am amazed at how the Holy Spirit makes me think deeply about things on another level. All I saw was water and cloud formations I’d ne’er seen before as we sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. I love watching the sky. It was beautiful and it felt beautiful. It was a feeling of serenity being close to God’s creations that he spoke forth “In the beginning.”  God is the best balancer and protector of all.

Seeing the ocean also brought to mind the parable of the sower in Luke 8 and Mark 4 (TYHS)  Dirt is something we hardly ever give much thought to (especially when out on the ocean)unless  you are interested in digging graves, disturbing ancient graves, in the field of agriculture/forestry, or organic gardening to say the least.

I would go far as to say that dirt is of our essence because Genesis 2:7(KJV) reads- And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Has anyone given much thought to how many weeds have been marketed as “healing” grasses lately?  How much dirt can be found in oceans?  or Is their really “light at the end of the tunnel?” Those are my off the path thoughts. 

 

Beautiful Cabin Porthole View Bahamas

 

As my travels were coming to an end, I thought about and realized many things that were very Holy Spirit inspired.  I’ll share three of them with you. I need to change my dirt, hence this blog. I have no fear or regrets when death presents itself. (For sure now, my children better not let others persuade them per my private pre-planned arrangements or else)  Lastly, for once, I need to focus on me. If you didn’t already know I’m a NATURALLY CERTIFIED caregiver, protector, and thinker for/about others. I even cry for those who start wars and I feel so sorry for the devil and his minions.

Now let us move on to definitions and other information about the A words before sailing any further. It’s back to the classroom science time kids.

 

 

 

 

Alkalinity – (n) – the quality or state of being alkaline

Alkaline- having the properties of or containing an alkali;

Alkali – (Agriculture): a soluble mineral salt or a mixture of soluble salts, present in some soils, especially in arid regions, and detrimental to the growing of most crops.

Acidity –  1. the quality or state of being acid. 2. sourness; tartness; bitterness

Acid – a sour-tasting material (usually in a solution) that dissolves metals and other materials; an acid is the opposite of a base and has a pH of 0 to 7. 

Brief rundown about pH     Reference Used

Simple Definition- pH is a logarithmic measure of hydrogen ion concentration, originally defined by Danish biochemist Søren Peter Lauritz Sørensen in 1909 [1].  pH = -log[H+]  where log is a base-10 logarithm and [H+] is the concentration of hydrogen ions in moles per liter of solution. According to the Compact Oxford English Dictionary, the “p” stands for the German word for “power”, potenz, so pH is an abbreviation for “power of hydrogen”

Theoretical Definition -pH has been more accurately defined as  pH = -log aH+  where aH+ is the hydrogen ion activity. In solutions that contain other ions, activity and concentration are not the same. The activity is an effective concentration of hydrogen ions, rather than the true concentration; it accounts for the fact that other ions surrounding the hydrogen ions will shield them and affect their ability to participate in chemical reactions. These other ions effectively change the hydrogen ion concentration in any process that involves H+.

More important NOTES to think about from this article I found : How to change your soil’s pH

• Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline.

• The soil pH is important because it affects the availability of nutrients in the soil.

• Consequently, most horticultural plants grow best in soils with a pH between 6 (slightly acid) and 7.5 (slightly alkaline).

• The standard measurement of alkalinity and acidity is known as pH. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral, which is neither acid nor alkaline.

  The Big Note- But before attempting to raise or lower your soil’s pH, you should first conduct a soil test to determine your current soil pH. 

 

Wayside and Rocky Soil

 

And now that brings us to the dirt port: Do you need to change your dirt?  If so, you will need to conduct a soil test. According to the parable, there were four types of dirt/soil: (1) wayside soil (2) rocky soil (3) thorn filled/ overcrowded soil, and (4) good soil. Jesus goes even further to explain how the seeds reacted to the soil upon which it had fallen. It is safe to conclude that the wayside, rocky, and thorn filled soil became full of acidity that changed its pH balance, which limited and/or killed growth activities.

This parable speaks on three things and its outcome; the Sower, the Seeds, and the Soils. Now, let me try to share my modern day understanding of what Jesus said about the first type of dirt. It’s all about hearing and seeing what you let into your heart and mind…alkalinity vs. acidity. It’s about a balance within the heart and mind. It’s about the tilling of your soul. Bottom line: “The sower soweth the word.” (Mark 4:14)

Wayside Soil

Have your spiritual pH fallen below 7?  Have you been trampled on repeatedly by many thus leaving you with a hardened heart even after being exposed to the word of God?  Have you become confused about your purpose in life due to stressors and or disabilities? Have you let some things just fall where they may; in turn allowing others access to come along and peck at the nutrients of your very being?  Have you had a negative change of heart about the word of God? If so, you have  quite possibly fallen to the wayside. Your level of alkalinity has given over to an all-time high acidic level. In other words, the devil has taken control of cultivating this soil.

Note – “The soil pH is important because it affects the availability of nutrients in the soil.”

 

A Soil Sample View–  As we know, nutrients are needed for all living things to survive and grow. This soil can represent ongoing stressors and or disability issues in a Believer’s/ Christian’s life that may harden one’s heart against the Word. It could represent people who have earnestly prayed  to God for answers and have yet to receive a reply. After all, we are all impatient humans. We grow tired of dealing with constant negatives and negative people. Negativity in many cases cause stress. It limits our ability to sow both physically and spiritually. Just take a look at the negative things sowing around the world.  

If a person believes he/she has no way of seeing the light of day, forget the light at the end of the tunnel; the stress and or disability in most cases will not allow the word of God to penetrate the heart unless therein exists a lit opening at the end of its tunnel. The devil dwells in dark tunnels which have no openings for light to penetrate its soil. He will come by the wayside and acidize the soils pH balance as he works to block penetration of the word (needed nutrient) of God.

Heartburn

However, beneath the hardness, somewhere there used to exist a spiritually balanced and penetrable soil that allowed the Word to provide its nutrients. Can you think about when, who, why, and what caused your dirt/soil to harden? Do you often feel abandoned by God? Do you get tired of church folk saying “everybody is going through something?” That saying has become a programmed church motto pretty much telling you to go away. Such a response is also lacking the compassion that Jesus had for all that came unto Him.

In essence, fellow Believers are telling you that they don’t have time for your issues when those five words fall out of their mouth and not their heart. (Ok, shoot me!) Are we not suppose to be there for one another, if only to hear? Did Jesus say to anyone that approached him with a problem?… “Everybody is going through something.”  No. In the Holy Bible, we will find many instances of which Jesus only told one individual to go away, or “get thee hence” and that was Satan and/or Satan’s indwelling in someone. This is why I believe that saying is about as wayside as one can get! It’s kind of like that overly used saying- “I get it.” I get tired of hearing it.

Before you know it, sermons will be given via text message while sitting in church. “Hallelujah” and “Amen” replies will be sent via text. It will be a pity for those who don’t own a cell phone. People have mastered a way of avoiding face to face and voice to ear communication with fellow Believers. It’s all wayside. Gasp! (Ok, so maybe I’m overthinking it with this scenario or maybe not?)

Nevertheless the cause for the hardening, there is still the opportunity to change your dirt.  Jesus taught his disciples that whatever seed falls upon this dirt will experience this: “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” (Luke 8: 12 )

Therefore beloved,  be encouraged to “believe and be saved.”  Let not your heart be troubled by the acidity within it. Ye that once believed in God, can believe in Him again so that ye believe also in Jesus. The right pH level of alkalinity that is detrimental to your growth in Him is in His word, not by the wayside. 

Stay tuned next week for part 2- Rocky Soil

 

 

 

 

A Ready, Willing and Able Heart Requires A Building Up In Christ First- Exodus 35:5

Exodus 35:5 (KJV)~ Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver, and brass,

As I read this chapter, it occurred to me once more how the heart plays a big factor in decision making to do for the Lord as a Believer. I try to echo this in all my SheSpeaks4U Seminars 4 the Heart and Mind. Thank you Holy Spirit for giving me an additional understanding found specifically in this one verse about having a willing heart. I get it! Yeah!

Can I share something with you? Sure. I made a decision last November to try one of those Read the Bible In A Year plans received from a church that I visited. I never thought much of those plans because I felt it wasn’t spirit led. However, God proved otherwise and I am doing well with it. He is speaking to me through verses I’d never given a second thought to over the years. I do miss picking out what I want to read over and over. My four older bibles have been marked up pretty good and I hate typing notes on my IPAD using that bible app, it’s just not paper. I have a love for writing on paper.

So my daughter-in-law asked me what I wanted for Christmas last year, I told her that I wanted a medium size KJV bible, because I did not want to start writing in the 20 pound bible I inherited from my pawpaw. Lo and behold, she bought me one with a matching bible tote and faith diary to write in. In the bible she wrote “To my real mother…” Aww that made me shed tears. Not many DIL’s consider their mother-in-law much, other than a babysitter.  As I was following the yearly plan in Exodus, she came to mind and the many who are trying to build bigger churches with unwilling and unable people came to mind.  Thank you for your reading patience.

And now, let us move along to a heavy message that should heave the heart of those that claim to love God, but their heart is not stirred with the Spirit of God. You may get angry about this message, and that’s ok, just don’t wake up tomorrow with the anger still in your heart. (Ephesians 4:26 message coming soon to a WP blog near you) I assure you the message is neither from me nor the evil one.

The text in Exodus 35-36 and the Holy Spirit showed me several things about having A Ready, Willing and Able Heart:

1. A willing heart does not give sacrificially nor give according to legalistic issues. (It’s all SPIRITUAL)
2. A willing heart does not have to involve pecuniary giving. (Everyone is not financially able to give, irrespective of what is preached)
3. A willing heart is flawed when one gives after receiving a brash call (usually from the pulpit) to do so.
4. A willing heart automatically produces an overflow (clothing, food, and appliance donations to homeless shelters is a great example; when storms hits, people give what they have with a willing heart to rebuild and help others)
5. A willing offering occurs when a person gives of their knowledge, time, understanding, wisdom, on-hand items, and their gifted abilities when their “heart is stirred up” to do something for the Lord. (These abilities show that one is filled with the Spirit of God.)

To sum it all up, the following verses should explain what the Holy Spirit led me to understand about giving to and doing for the Lord (You should read Exodus 35- 40, to get to the nucleus of it all):

Exodus 35:10-And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the Lord hath commanded;

Exodus 35:21– And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.

Exodus 35:29– The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.

Exodus 35:31– And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;

The Outcome of A Ready, Willing, And Able Heart is here: Exodus 36:5-7- And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.

Another thing beloved…The Holy Spirit just reminded me of this and the scripture. The glory of the Lord will fill those that have such a heart. I’m not saying you’ll be walking around with a shiny face like Moses had, but someone will notice His glory in you. Let us not forget that our bodies are also the Lord’s tabernacle. (TYHS) Exodus 40:34-Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

I was in the midst of a sermon preached that made my heart sick a while ago. The glory of the Lord was nowhere in the midst of that tabernacle. I love it when the Lord shows me when people are emitting twisted words while making demands on the body of Christ. There is a falsehood floating around in many small and even large churches about the “need” to build buildings costing millions upon millions of dollar to “house the people of God.” Quite a few people that I have come in contact with through my seminars believe this to be an ongoing negative issue within small churches. Lo, the Lord will handle the building of a building, whatever the cost, in His time. The focus does not need to be on a building; it needs to be on the heart and souls of those Believers who have lost their heart for Christ and for those who do not know Christ.

Why do people think a “new building will” automatically “change” a person into having a ready, willing, and able heart for God? Wisdom Speaks- A new atmosphere will not change the people of God that are dead set in their non-Christ-like behaviors and attitudes; those that have a return to Egypt lifestyle mindset, a stiff necked people. Remember the Israelites that were led by Moses?  I know of one church with about 150 members that sold their three million dollar building in order to purchase or build  a six million dollar building. Needless to say, that church lost quite a few members because of “greed from within and a relocation that caused life long family members to leave…” The church was “not experiencing any growth”… so I asked why would they sell and relocate. Their response blew me  away-“…pastors and leaders are always trying to build new churches and compete when they get tired of being in an older building….and then the prosperity sermons started…” This is a message to those that believe a “bigger and newer eye pleasing church will allow us to do more ministries to bring in more members.”  Strike 1, Strike 2, Strike 3 – You’re out.

God is watching every behavior and hearing every word that does not glorify Him concerning His tabernacle, i.e. your body. It’s not about doing more ministries, nor is it about “eye pleasing” others.  It’s about preparing those bodies inside the church to go outside of the church to spread the Gospel of Christ. It’s about preaching and teaching those in the body of Christ how to become a more ready, willing, and able member led by the heart that God has instilled His Spirit within.  Isn’t that what Jesus did with his disciples and other followers? We’re always running around here like a chicken with his neck broke claiming “Jesus is the head of my life” with an unrented, unwilling, and non-penitent heart toward others in the body of Christ. Negative behaviors of and toward those already in the body of Christ does not glorify God. That’s a sure sign of a heart attack taking  place in the body of Christ.

The Spirit of God has been beating me down for the last year (February 14, 2015) about getting this message out. Actually today is the anniversary date for me to share the entire message. Believers of Christ just can’t build a church on a rock when its members have not truthfully and wholly consecrated their heart to the Lord. You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip, unless it is the Lord’s will. It’s not always about building a structure made of steel, wood, plastic, and bricks. Again, our call is to build up one another first in Christ and by sharing the message of the Gospel of Christ outside of church walls. We are also called to work with the gifts the Lord imparted to our hearts for His church. No brash demand, eye pleasing service nor new building can glorify God with a people lacking a willing and stirred heart.(Missing in Action)

Let us ask ourselves as shepherds and sheep, did God ever abandon those that He gave a willing heart to build something for Him? Again, buildings (old or new) do not help people to come to Christ, nor does it improve the heart’s status. It is those members in the body of Christ that worship Him in spirit and truth filled with a willing heart from the Spirit of God that will lead people to Christ to do for Him. Remember the cleaning of the cup from the inside is what makes it clean?  

Peradventure, the outcome that took place in Exodus 35:7 will happen, then a new building may be built because of the spiritual overflow.  We must start believing what Jesus said in John 4:23-24- But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

Message Finale– You as a shepherd and/ or a sheep must spiritually have A Ready, Willing and Able Heart to build up and out for the Lord.  A stressed out congregation can not comprehend what it is to have a willing spirit. When the building up in Christ comes first, then comes the “stuff” you have will be “sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.”  (TYHS) Peace 2 you beloved.

 

I Love You

Love Covers A Multitude of Sins