Spiritual Food for Women

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”   Psalm 122:1

Are We Glad?

What does it mean to be glad? I’m sure the first word we all think of is happy. Happy and glad are similar as far as the world is concerned. Sometimes we use them interchangeably, such as, “I’m happy that it is sunny today” or “I’m glad it is sunny today.” But gladness in a biblical sense is much deeper than the weather. According to Vine’s Bible Dictionary, gladness is translated as having joy or delight in something. Another translation is exultation or exuberant joy. Gladness is associated with rejoicing. So gladness or joy has a much deeper meaning than just being happy. The words “glad, joy, delight and rejoicing” are all basically the same word or word form. Why do you think David wrote this Psalm? Obviously, the Psalm is meant to uplift God’s people. It is a song of encouragement for God’s people from their earthly king. I can picture the people singing this song as they traveled to worship God in Jerusalem. I feel like David was trying to instill the joy of worship in God’s people. Do we ever have a hard week and not feel like going to worship services or Bible study services? Do you think God’s people felt that way at times back then? I’m sure they did, and they had to travel a long way on foot. They also had to sacrifice animals to atone for their sins, which technically didn’t even take their sins away, only rolled them forward. It was a lot!! It was a much more difficult situation than what we have today. Do you think the people were happy all the time when they were on their way to worship? Was their life perfect? Of course not. Just like our life is not perfect, neither was theirs. We have disappointments, struggles and failures, just as did they. We lose loved ones, just as did they. We deal with sickness, marriage problems, and problems with our children, just as did they. Sudden heartache and tragedy can strike us at any time just as it could back then. But in all these things….. I ask these questions, do we still have something to be glad about? Can we still feel joy even when we are in sorrow? Do we still have something to rejoice in even in the worst of times? Yes! We can rejoice and be glad because of who we belong to! We belong to Christ! Because of this fact, no matter what happens in our life, we will still have that joy ingrained in us. We may not be happy every second of every day, but we can still find joy/gladness in the darkest of times, because we know where we are going when we leave this earth, whether it happens five minutes from now or 50 years from now. Belonging to Christ is our joy. Paul says in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” When does Paul say to rejoice in this verse? He says to rejoice always. I take that to mean in good times and in bad. And believe me, I know that it is hard to imagine rejoicing while suffering. But isn’t that how we get through the suffering? The Bible teaches us that we will have suffering. God has never sugarcoated this life for us. We will not always be happy. If that were the case, then we wouldn’t have Paul’s example shown to us as a person who endured tremendous suffering. I also don’t think Paul would talk about being content in every situation he found himself in, if his life was wonderful all the time. (Philippians 4:11-13)  Paul was even rejoicing by singing praises to God with Silas while they were in prison in Philippi. After the earthquake hit and all the prisoners’ chains were loosed, the jailor was about to commit suicide, because he thought all the prisoners had surely escaped. But Paul stopped the jailor and told him not to harm himself, because they were all still there. All this led to the baptism of the Philippian jailor and his family. Amazing isn’t it? And it all started with a worship service in the prison at midnight!! It also says that all the prisoners were listening to Paul and Silas as they sang. What an example for those prisoners! The seed can certainly be sown anywhere and at any time.  (Acts 16:25-40) So….what is the “house of the Lord” today?

In Psalm 122:1 David says that he was glad to go to the house of the Lord. And what do we mean by “house of the Lord” in today’s sense of the word? Well…..the house of the Lord is the church, and the church is made up of people who have been saved and added by God to the church after following God’s plan for salvation. (Acts 2:37-47) We cannot join a church of our choice. We do not join the Lord’s church. That is not found in the Bible. God adds us to the church after we are baptized. (Acts 2:47)  We may place membership in a certain congregation of the Lord’s church, but that happens after God adds us to the church as a whole. Every congregation of the church of Christ makes up THE church. The church is not the building. The church is  the people who are members. As long as we are worshiping God together according to His will, that is all that matters. We can look directly at the New Testament, and see if the church we are attending is the church found in the New Testament. The pattern of how we are to be saved and how we are to worship God is found in the New Testament. So…..what should my attitude be when I enter the “house of the Lord” or the church?

 Are we glad to go to the house of the Lord each Sunday for worship and Bible study? Each Sunday night? Each Wednesday night? We certainly should be. We should never dread going to church services. But are any of us ever guilty of feeling this way? When we start to feel this way, let’s think of heaven. If we don’t enjoy going to worship now, how will we ever be able to be able to be in heaven someday? We will be worshiping God for eternity in heaven. We will be around His throne worshiping Him continually. (Revelation 15:2-4, Revelation 19:6-7) So if I’m not enjoying worship here on earth, then I definitely need to do some soul-searching to figure out why. At this point, it’s a heart problem and I need to fix it as quickly as I can. And maybe, it is not that we don’t enjoy worship. Maybe, because our lives are so crazy busy that we simply just dread having somewhere else to go. Maybe we don’t dread the service itself, but we just dread having to leave the house to go somewhere, because our lives are go, go, go all the time, every night of the week some weeks! Is this not a little like the seed that fell among thorns in the parable of the sower where the cares of this world choke out the word of God causing the person to become unfruitful? (Matthew 13:22) Only in this case, the busyness of our lives is getting in the way of our commitment to the Lord’s church, and choking out our desire to be at services. If our desire and commitment are choked out by worldly things, can we be fruitful for the Lord the way we are commanded to? Or maybe we are just so tired that we don’t feel up to it. But then I ask myself, do I miss work just because I’m tired? Do I miss my kids’ ball games or other activities just because I’m tired? Folks, I’m not judging. I’ve been guilty many times of missing church services when I could have gone. I am talking to myself right now as much as anyone, and I’m simply giving all of us some food for thought. What about our kids? How does our own faithfulness and attitude about going to “the house of the Lord” for worship and Bible study affect our children? And how does this affect the entire future of the church?

Sisters, I have learned from life experience and observation that if I don’t take being a Christian seriously, then my kids won’t. If I don’t put God and His church as my top priority, then my kids won’t. If worldly activities are more important to me than the services of the Lord’s church, then where do I stand with God and where will my children stand with God someday? Now sisters…… I am not talking about missing services for things that are out of our control, such as personal illness, family illnesses, and at times our secular jobs. I know that sometimes our jobs do keep us from services. But, we can still be there every opportunity that we possibly can, and we can make sure our children are there even when we can’t be there. And…..if we do have to miss services for work, our kids need to see us grieve over having to miss services. They need to know that we didn’t choose to miss, and that we would rather be there with them. Just because our jobs keep us from services sometimes doesn’t mean that we are putting our job ahead of God. Sometimes it can’t be helped. As long as we are not choosing to work shifts that fall during church services, then I believe that God understands our obligations in regards to our jobs. It is about our hearts. He knows where our hearts truly lie. My kids are grown now and I hope that when they were growing up, they saw their dad and I putting God and the Lord’s church as the top priority the majority of the time. I know we made poor decisions sometimes. We were not perfect and still aren’t, as no one is. Looking back, I can pinpoint things that I wish I had done differently with my kids. But I can’t go back. I can only admit my mistakes and try to do better now, and be a good example now and in the future. Do we truly put our church services first? What message are we sending our kids when we are able to go everywhere else, but can’t make it to Wednesday night or Sunday night services? Or Sunday morning worship and Bible class? The future of the Lord’s church and true Christianity depends on whether we make it the top priority in front of our kids right now, starting when they are babies. I ask myself, who will be our preachers of tomorrow? Who will be our elders and deacons of tomorrow? Who will be our Bible class teachers of tomorrow? I ask that you read these words from Deuteronomy 6:4-7 and see how serious God is about our children being taught His word, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” I put my name in place of Israel in those verses. God is talking to each one of us. It is never too early or never too late to start teaching your children about God in your home and taking them to worship and Bible study. Again, food for thought my friends. 

What about our worship? Is it pleasing to God? Are we glad to get to worship our Father? Do we enjoy it? Are we rejoicing because we have the privilege and freedom to worship God? Do we give God our whole heart when we worship Him? It doesn’t do me any good to be at church services every time the doors are open, but have my mind focused on everything except God. Ouch, my toes!! I can’t just have the attitude of “well, I’m here and that’s all that matters”. I’m not punching a clock. I should have a deep desire to be with my spiritual family every time that I can. Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:23-24 these words, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” What does it mean to worship God in spirit? It means that God wants our whole heart/mind when we worship Him. He is actively seeking people who give Him their all in worship. It is literally an “all or nothing” situation. That’s a little scary to me. We can’t have our minds on other things while we are in a worship service or Bible study service. He knows if we are truly focused on Him or not. I shudder at the thought of God seeing my mind wander to things other than Him during worship. It is something we all have to fight against, because our minds are stretched so thin all the time. We are busy people, aren’t we? But when we are too busy to truly worship God in the right spirit, then we need to re-evaluate our priorities. But people worshiping with the right spirit/heart is not all that God is looking for is it? Jesus said he is looking for people who worship in “spirit and truth”. We can’t do one without the other. What does it mean to worship God in truth? Well, first, where do we find truth? We know that truth is only found in God’s word. Psalms 119:160 says, “The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” Let that verse sink in and key in on the words “entirety and forever”. Every word of the Bible is true and it will always be here…..forever. In Jesus’ prayer in John 17:17, he prays to His Father for His disciples and says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” If something that we are doing in our worship to God is not found in God’s word, then we are not worshiping Him in truth. I know that people who are not a part of the church of Christ wonder why we do the things we do and why we don’t do certain things. For example, we don’t use musical instruments, praise teams, or have people singing solos in our worship services. I have gotten asked “why” several times in my life? I try to answer as best I can. We don’t use musical instruments because they were not used in the worship assembly of the first century church. God told us to sing and make melody in their hearts. He also told us to speak to one another as we sing. (Ephesians 5:19) No mention of mechanical instruments, solos or praise teams is found in the New Testament. No one’s talent is to be put on a pedestal above anyone else’s. We don’t want to turn worship into entertainment. This is why the church of Christ does not include any of that in worship. We don’t want to take any chances and assume that God is okay with things that He didn’t specifically tell us to do. I’ve heard the statement, “but God didn’t tell us not to use instruments”. If I tell my students in my class to color with crayons, I shouldn’t have to list all the other things I don’t want them to use. God has told us what to do, so why not just do that? We don’t have to have a list of all the things He doesn’t want us to do. This is food for thought, my friends and spoken with complete love and respect. If you are searching for a church that teaches the truth of God’s word in love, please consider the church of Christ. It is not a name, it is a description. It is the church that belongs to Christ. It is the church that Jesus told Peter he would build in Matthew 16:18. I love knowing that I belong to the original church found in Acts 2. I know that the apostles got their instructions on what to preach during that first gospel sermon in Acts 2 directly from Christ before He ascended back into heaven. Why would I listen to anyone else’s opinion? Acts 1:3 says that Jesus was with the apostles for forty days, “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom (church) of God.” Jesus gave them instructions on how the church was supposed to be organized. He prepared those men for that day of Pentecost for forty days after His resurrection, and then He ascended back to heaven to be with His Father. (Acts 1:9) Nothing about the first century church should have been changed. Why take chances with your eternal soul? Make sure that you are being taught the truth found in the Bible. One of the greatest ways that we can show that we are glad to go to the “house of the Lord”, which is the Lord’s church, is to be content to do things the way that God says for us to do them in His Word. We just need to simply obey God. We don’t need to add anything to our worship to “make it better”. God established His church. He gave us a pattern for worship with examples in the New Testament of the things He wants us to include in worship. Nothing that we add to it or take away from it could ever make it any “better”.  How can man ever improve on what God has established? I know that many who read this may disagree. None of this is said to pass judgment. Judgment is for God and God only. Everything that I write is written with Christian love and the utmost respect for everyone who reads it. I am only giving a simple explanation of why we do what we do in the church of Christ.

So….to end this post, here are some questions for myself to review. Am I truly glad to go to the house of the Lord? Is my attitude right? I can’t dread going to worship. I need to remember that in heaven I will be worshiping continually. If I don’t love to worship here on earth, then how am I going to be in heaven doing it continually? Do I feel joy and rejoice in the fact that I am a member of the Lord’s church in good times and bad? I need to remember how lucky I am to be a member of His church, and find joy in that even in the hardest of times. Am I putting church services as my top priority? I need to remember that a part of putting God as my top priority is putting the services of His church as a top priority. This is so important when we are trying to raise our children to be faithful Christians. The church of tomorrow depends on us as adults in our children’s lives. Do I need to examine my priorities? I know that I need to continually examine my priorities to keep them in the right order or I will drift. And finally, am I a member of the “house of the Lord”, which is the Lord’s church? If you are not a member of the Lord’s church and have questions, please reach out. I’m happy to help in any way that I can. I’ll end this post the same way that I began it with the question, are you glad? Do you have true joy in your life? I hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead!! Thank you for reading!! Love to you all.

Are you in Christ? Below I have added God’s plan of salvation with scripture references. If you need help in understanding, please reach out.

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

What is True Freedom?

Galatians 5:1

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.  

When you think of liberty or freedom, what comes to your mind? We celebrate our country’s freedom every year on July 4th and I think it is a wonderful holiday. I am glad to live in a country where we have the freedoms that we have. We enjoy freedom of speech. We have the freedom to vote for our elected officials. It is awesome that we get a say-so in who runs our country and our state, all the way down to who runs our local government. We have the freedom to worship God according to the Bible without fear of persecution or harm. We are very lucky in this country. Juneteenth (June 19th) is another holiday that I believe is important to recognize in this country. I am glad that we are recognizing this holiday as of the last couple of years. It commemorates the ending of the horrible practice of slavery in our country. How we as a country could be a part of something so degrading and dehumanizing is beyond me. We have come a long way in this country as far as basic human rights are concerned. Of course our country is not perfect, however, it is the only country that I would want to live in at this present moment in time. Do I agree with everything our government decides to do? No I don’t. Do I agree with everything the government allows to happen? Absolutely not. But I do not dwell on everything that I don’t agree with. I can only strive to live my life the way that I know God wants me to live, and try to be a positive influence on others along the way. But there is a type of freedom that is above every other type of freedom. I am thankful that I have a type of freedom that goes beyond the worldly freedoms of this life. The freedom that I am most proud of is the freedom that I have in Christ. It is the most important freedom that I have. No matter what happens here on earth, Galatians 5:1 tells me that I am free because I belong to Christ. Let’s dive in and look at the context of this verse. Who was Paul talking to in this verse? What was going on at this time? Why is he writing the letter? How does it apply to us today?

So first….who is Paul talking to in Galatians 5:1 and what is going on at this time? In Galatians 1:2, we read that Paul is writing to the “churches of Galatia”. The churches of Galatia are the ones that Paul established on his first missionary journey: Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Paul and his company endured heated persecution from the Jews in these cities. In Acts 13:49, when Paul was preaching in Antioch of Pisidia, we learn that, “the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region.” Acts 13:50  tells us that the Jews did not like the success that Paul was having in their city, so they “stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.” Then, when they moved on to Iconium, they were teaching in the synagogue and “a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.” (Acts 14:1) So, again they were having success!! However, we see in Acts 14:2 that because of their success, “the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.” The city was divided with some standing with the apostles and some standing with the Jews. In Acts 14:5, the Bible says that “a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them.” So Paul and his brethren were chased out of Iconium and went into the cities of Lystra and Derbe where they continued preaching the gospel. (Acts 14:6-7) Let’s not forget that Lystra is where Paul was stoned and left for dead. (Acts 14:19) It is so amazing that Paul and his brethren never backed down in the face of persecution. They just kept preaching the truth without fear of what might happen to them. I ask myself these questions often. If the message of Jesus wasn’t true, why would people risk their life for it? Why would Stephen die for it? (Acts 7)  Does it make sense for people to be so passionate about a message that isn’t 100% true? And how would something that is not 100% true stand the test of time the way that the gospel has? If anyone reading this has doubts, those are just questions to stir your heart. Why take a chance with your eternal soul? The God of the universe is in complete control. The Bible is 100% truth. There is no doubt in my mind. Always keep in mind the verses that, in my opinion, are the hub of the entire Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 

So……why did Paul write a letter to the Galatian churches? In Galatians 1:6-7 we find Paul’s reason for the letter. It reads, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.”  Paul wrote the letter to get the Galatian Christians back on track. They had been influenced by Jewish false teachers who were still trying to keep the law of Moses. The Jews were trying to bind parts of the law of Moses on these new Christians. They were telling them they had to be circumcised in order to be saved. (Acts 15:1) This was the perverting of the gospel that Paul was referring to in Galatians 1:6-7. Paul called it a “different gospel”, however he then clarifies that there is no other gospel when he says, “which is not another”. Paul then went so far as to say in Galatians 1:8, that if anyone preaches another gospel to them, let them be accursed. And…..for good measure he made that statement again in verse 9. These Jews were trying to undermine Paul’s teachings, and they were even trying to discredit Paul’s apostleship. We know this by the way Paul begins the letter in Galatians 1:1. He says, “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead).” Paul begins the letter by defending his apostleship first and foremost!  Then he defends the gospel a few verses down from this in Galatians 1:11-12 when he says, “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” I am sure that all this was confusing to the new Galatian Christians. And I’ll bet these false teachers were super convincing just the way that false teachers are in this day and age. But just think about all the persecution that Paul endured when he was preaching and establishing churches in those cities. I can’t even imagine the kind of persecution and pressure that was put on those new Christians in those cities! Were they ready for that pressure? They were babes in Christ! They were vulnerable. They had just come out of pagan religion to become New Testament Christians. And now, they had these people coming to them who were very knowledgeable in the law of Moses, saying that Paul was a fake and everything that he told them was a lie. These new Christians were not grounded in the truth yet, and I am sure these Jews seemed very intelligent and charismatic. I’m sure they appeared to know what they were talking about. Does this sound familiar? Isn’t this going on in our world today? There are some very charismatic men and women spreading false doctrine like wildfire in our country and across the world today. Paul and the apostles preached repentance and baptism in order to be saved. In Romans 6, Paul gives a beautiful explanation of baptism and the essentiality of it. The entire chapter is focused on baptism. He also says in Galatians 3:27 that everyone that is baptized into Christ has put on Christ. He told them in the Galatian letter that if they tried to keep the law of Moses, that they would sever themselves from Christ. So basically they would not be in Christ anymore at that point. He told them that if they kept one part of the law, then they would have to keep all of it. He said that they would  “fall from grace” if they tried to be in Christ and still follow parts of the law of Moses. (Galatians 5:2-6)  In other words, they had to be “all in” for the gospel of Christ. We have to be “all in” for the gospel of Christ as well. Also, the term “fallen from grace” in verse four refutes the idea of the “once saved, always saved” doctrine that many denominations teach today. The parallel between these judaizing false teachers and the false teachers of today is clear. They were distorting the truth of how to be saved back then in somewhat the same way that people distort it today. Isn’t the truth distorted today when false teachers tell people they don’t have to be baptized in order to be saved? That they can just verbally say they want to be saved? In comparison, the Jews during this time in history were trying to bind more on the Galatian Christians by making them adhere to the law of Moses in order to be saved. Whereas false teachers today are telling people just the opposite. They are teaching people that they don’t have to do what the Bible plainly says is required to be saved. In some instances, people are told they don’t have to do anything at all to be saved. Please study for yourself. The scriptures on the steps of salvation, which include baptism, are at the bottom of this post. If you need help understanding, please reach out. I would love to study with you or put you in contact with someone to study with. 

How does Galatians 5:1 apply to us today? So…..when Paul says “do not be entangled again in the yoke of bondage”, what does that mean to me? It means that I don’t need to become a slave to sin again after I become a Christian. Just like the Galatian Christians during the first century, didn’t need to become slaves to the law of Moses again, we can’t become slaves to the world and to sin again, once we have gained our freedom through Christ. We can’t have God and the world. Christ chose us out of the world and out of sin through the gospel. (John 15:19) Why would we want to lose our freedom in Christ and be a slave to sin and worldly desires again? Paul explains the difference in being a slave to sin and a slave to God in Romans 6:20-23. It reads, “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” I normally use the New King James Version, but I used the New Living Translation for these verses because I thought it made it easier to understand. When we are a slave to our worldly desires and sin, what are we working toward? What is our end result? Spiritual death and separation from God for eternity is the end result of being a slave to sin. (Isaiah 59:2) When we are baptized into Christ and become a Christian, we are slaves to God. We are slaves to what is good and righteous in God’s eyes. When we are slaves to God, what are we working toward? What is our end result? Eternal life with God and His Son Jesus Christ is our end result when we are slaves to God. And I ask myself, is it really slavery to be a Christian? Do I feel enslaved? NO!! I am free from the sin, the worries, and the cares of this world. It has been a journey for me to feel this freedom and I still struggle some days in certain areas of my life. It certainly does not mean that life is perfect. But…..being a Christian is the closest thing to a perfect life that I can imagine. Have I ever fallen away? Have I had to repent of sin that I let myself fall back into? Have I had to go back before my brothers and sisters in Christ and ask for forgiveness? Have I had to rededicate my life to Christ? Have I had to ask for the prayers of my brothers and sisters in Christ? Have I been on my knees before God begging Him to forgive me and help me? Yes!! To all of the above questions!! It took me quite a while to realize what a special thing I had. I had been raised in the church for my entire life, and I am sorry to say that I took it for granted. I feel like I was just going through the motions of what I had been raised to do. It wasn’t truly my faith. I was still just doing what mom and dad had taught me to do for a while. It was not that I didn’t believe it, but I wasn’t taking responsibility for my own part in it. I am truly thankful for my wonderful parents and my upbringing in the Lord. I would not be where I am today without it. But we all mature at our own pace depending on our own circumstances. I truly believed everything that I was taught, but I didn’t find my own way as a Christian until later in life. I didn’t have my own ministry and mission, which every Christian needs, by the way. Everyone has something to offer the church and the lost. We just have to find our own niche. Anyway, I am fully vested in my own ministry and mission for Christ. I know that I can never do enough, but I’ll never stop trying to do more. I pray that my children have found their own faith in God set apart from us as their parents. I pray they have found their own ministry and mission, their niche. Every Christian, no matter what age, is their own separate branch with their own separate responsibilities on the vine which is Christ’s body, the church. (John 15:1-8) I had to become my own branch separate from my parents’ branches as we all do. This is a big part of the freedom we feel in Christ. We have to come into our own as Christians. We fully give our lives to God, and find our own ministry in the church and mission for the lost. That is when we find true freedom. Your ministry and mission will not be the same as someone else’s. It is yours. And btw, you don’t have to go to another country to be a missionary. I’m so thankful that we have people who can and are willing to do that. That is their niche. But we are all missionaries in our own way by how we live our lives and conduct ourselves in front of the lost. We have a mission field in front of us everywhere we go. People can see Jesus in us if we are letting Him be seen. That is freedom. Showing Jesus through love toward the lost is freedom and it is a mission. Don’t ever diminish your impact as a Christian.

To find true freedom in Christ, I had to fully give my life to Him, to fully trust in Him, and to fully give my struggles and temptations to Him. I had to lay myself at His feet. I can honestly say, I don’t know what took me so long to figure it out. Take my advice, my sisters in Christ, younger and older. Stay strong in Christ. Don’t let yourself fall away. Pick your people that you hang around very carefully. Surround yourself with people who are positive influences on you. Study God’s word every single day. This will help us find our ministry and mission. Being in God’s word gives us confidence. I need to know God’s word if I am going to help someone else to know it. Plus, God cannot heal you if you don’t allow Him to speak to you through His word. Pray to God every single day. Tell Him everything. He is your ultimate best friend. Show Christ’s love to others and you will have a ministry and a mission that will grow as you grow. Being in Christ is the only true and complete freedom. Be your own branch on His vine. (John 15:1-8) You are so important to His kingdom. Now if you are not in Christ at this point, He needs you. He wants you. No matter how you were raised, no matter what your past is, no matter what walk of life you are in. It doesn’t matter to God what you have done in the past. We all have a past. He wants to forgive you and He wants everyone to be saved. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 says, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” He wants you to understand the truth and be free in Him. He died for you. You can overcome whatever sin is in your life through Him and be free. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.” Whatever struggles with sin you have today are the same struggles that people had in the past all the way back to Biblical times. Let Jesus’ blood wash you clean so that you can be free. And please…..don’t let anyone tell you that the truth is whatever you want it to be and that truth is subjective. The truth is not subjective. Subjective means that the information is based on someone’s opinions, feelings or emotions. The truth is objective. Objective means that the information is based on facts and evidence. The Bible is 100% the truth, because every word of it is from God, and God who created all things is the only one who has the authority to determine truth. Men do not have that authority and neither do we through our opinions, feelings, and emotions. We will have to change and we will more than likely have some bad habits to break. It will not be easy and we may fall and get back up several times. I certainly did.  We all do. We may have some things that we have to deny ourselves of. The Bible says that we have to deny ungodliness (sin) and worldly lusts (sin) in order to have hope in Christ. (Titus 2:11-14)  Unless we change we cannot be in Christ. But won’t the change be soooo worth it? To be with God and His Son Jesus Christ in heaven someday? To be free from all the sin, worry and cares of the world? I don’t know about you, but that is my ultimate goal, for myself and everyone else as well. Like I always remind everyone, we won’t be perfect!! It is not about being perfect. It is about our effort to be Christ-like and live according to His purpose. I want everyone to feel the freedom found in Christ. Remember Jesus’ words in John 8:31-32, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Let Christ free you. Love to all of you. Thank you so much for reading. Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Are you in Christ? Below I have added God’s plan of salvation with scripture references. If you need help in understanding, please reach out.

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

More Than Conquerors

Part 2- But how do I overcome discouragement?

In my last post, we focused on discouragement. We said that discouragement is not from God. It is from Satan. It is one of his most subtle tools that he uses to gain control over our lives. We looked at what discouragement can do to us as Christians. If we allow discouragement to grow, it can take us away from God. We talked about some things that cause us to get discouraged in this life. So….how do I overcome discouragement? If I am “more than a conqueror”, then how do I conquer discouragement?

First of all, let’s define discouragement in everyday terms. It is the feeling we allow ourselves to get when life isn’t going our way. Maybe our prayers have not been answered the way we wanted them to be answered. Maybe we keep having setbacks in different areas of our lives. So basically, discouragement is actually about ourselves and our unfulfilled lives. One definition says that it is a loss of enthusiasm for something. But what causes us to lose our enthusiasm? Well….just like I said above, when things don’t go our way in a certain area of our life, we lose our zeal and enthusiasm for that area of our life. But when our spiritual life is the area where we are losing our zeal and enthusiasm, then we have to address it before we spiral. So what are some ways to overcome discouragement in our Christian walks?

To begin with, I want to ask myself this question. Am I being honest and real? I believe we all need to be honest and real about our struggles and weaknesses. We don’t need to continue to pretend like everything is wonderful when we are really torn to pieces inside. That will not help us. It will cause more discouragement. We have a church family who will embrace us if we open up and let them. Ask for the prayers of your congregation if you feel you are simply just hanging on by a thread. Or maybe you need to talk one-on-one with a sister in Christ about how you are feeling. This is where we need to be available for each other, ladies. We are all human and we need encouragement from each other, and sometimes we need to voice our disappointments and our feelings of discouragement to someone else. Who knows? They may be feeling the same way you do. Maybe together you can lift one another up. 1 Corinthians 12:26 says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” We are all in this Christian race together. Let’s help each other along the way. And let’s not forget that sometimes in our weak moments, we may be able to help someone else just as much as they helped us. So be honest and be real. 

Next question for myself is, who am I focused on? When I am discouraged, where is my focus? It is 100% on myself. I am feeling sorry for myself. The Christian life is not all about me and what I want. It is about serving God and serving others to the best of my ability at any given moment. I have to remember my “why” for being a Christian. In a secular example, sometimes I have gotten discouraged in my career as a teacher. Things were just not going well in my classroom. The kids seemed disinterested no matter what I did. They were not progressing no matter what I did. I felt like a failure. And of course, I would go home discouraged. But….then I would remember my “why”. Why am I a teacher? Is it about me and how I feel? No! I am a teacher, because I love children and I love to see them become successful. I love to see the lightbulb come on when they finally catch on to something. My “why” for being a teacher is about helping children. When I redefined my “why”, I suddenly began to get new ideas just popping into my head of how I could engage them again. It is the same thing in our Christian walk. Why are we Christians? What is my “why”? Well look at Ephesians 2:10 and we see our “why”. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We are here to do good works for others. And a part of the good work that we are here to do is to tell people about the gospel. It is not all about us. I mean, of course we want to go to heaven. We follow God because we want to be with Him for eternity. But getting discouraged will not get us closer to Him. It will inch us further from Him. Let’s turn our attention to helping others as best we can in whatever situation we are in. Let’s all remember Philippians 2:3-4, “ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” I need to focus on others rather than myself. Then I may not have time to get discouraged. I have my Christian family to encourage and build up, plus I have people in my life all around me who are not Christians who need the gospel. Discouragement? Nope, no time for it.

Another question for myself, can my pain and suffering help others? This sort of goes along with the paragraph above about focusing on others. If I am having problems in some way, maybe I should use those problems for the good of someone else. Maybe my pain and suffering can encourage someone else and help them make it through their struggles. This should keep me from letting my problems distract and discourage me. I need to know that I am not alone in my struggles and I don’t want others to be alone either. Listen to Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” He told the Christians at Corinth what a struggle he and his entourage were having, but not in a discouraging way. He said, yes we have it rough, but we are not giving up! He said, we are not in despair, meaning we are not discouraged! He told them all of this to lift them up and to encourage them to keep the faith. Then in verse 15 of this same chapter Paul tells them why they endure what they endure. “For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:15) He says, we are doing all of this for you, Christians at Corinth! And then he says some of the most encouraging words to those Christians in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Wow! Let’s not forget that these words are for us today, just as much as they were for the Christians at Corinth back then. I have told you all before that I love to make Bible verses personal for me. If I were to put my name into those verses to make them personal for me and talk myself through it, I would say, “Don’t be discouraged Greta. Your outward body and appearance is fading, but your inward spirit is being renewed every day. And you know that your problems here on earth are really not that bad, because they will end someday. Greta, don’t look at the things that are temporary here on earth. Don’t focus on all the bad things going on in the world, and all the problems in your life. Those are temporary. Focus on the eternal life that you will have with God someday. Think about all the people whose problems won’t end after this life. Think about all the people who won’t have eternal life. Focus on them and help them. This is what God told you to do, Greta Hoover!” This is how I get myself out of feeling sorry for myself. This is how I combat discouragement. So please, spend time in God’s word and in prayer. Make the scriptures come to life for you. Talk or pray through them. Make them become personal for you. This really helps me. Maybe it could help you as well.

So, let’s review! We need to be real and honest about our feelings, struggles, and problems. We don’t need to hide them and push them down inside. We need to turn to our church family for help. We need to remember our “why” for being a Christian. What should be our focus? Remember, it is not all about us. We are here to help and support others. Focusing on others will help us stop focusing on ourselves and our troubles. And…our struggles may help someone else to not feel alone. If we talk about our feelings and struggles with others in a positive way, it may lift them up and help them to be able to keep moving forward through their pain and suffering. Renew your mind with God’s word and with prayer. Use the Bible to talk yourself through your problems and struggles in whatever way works for you. Pray to God. Talk to Him like you would a friend. And…..always remember the reward that you have coming when this life is over. Stay focused on the fact that you will be with God for eternity. Keep that in the forefront of your mind at all times. 

And last, rest and relax when you need to. Do what you can do for the cause of Christ and then relax. Do I mean relax and do nothing? No! However, we have to rest our minds and God knows this. Give yourself time to rest in Christ. I think of Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” We can rest in the fact that God is in control no matter what we are having to go through on this earth. Believe it or not, I struggle with this one. I am always feeling like I’m not doing enough and I don’t allow myself to relax and rest. I need to relax and know that God is pleased with me. So do you. If you are doing all you can do for Christ, within your limitations, then let yourself rest and relax. It’s all good. We all have individual limitations, and God knows what each of us can do and can’t do. Know your limitations, work for the cause of Christ, and then give yourself time to rest. God is preparing heaven for us. 

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30  “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus would not have told us to rest in these verses if He didn’t mean it. He knows that we need to rest and relax sometimes. But notice, Jesus is addressing those who “labor”, which means those who work hard for His kingdom. He expects us to be busy and active in His church and for His church. However, He also knows our limitations and knows that we have to rest and relax in Him. We have to have balance in our lives.  Doesn’t reading those verses spoken by Jesus relax you?

I hope this helps you if you are struggling with discouragement. Life is tough sometimes but we are so lucky to be “more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

Have a wonderful week! Thank you for reading! Love you all!

Are you in Christ? Below I have added God’s plan of salvation with scripture references. If you need help in understanding, please reach out.

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

We Are More Than Conquerors!!

Part 1- Don’t Get Discouraged

I ask myself all the time, “why do I let myself get discouraged?” Why do I let Satan have that foothold in my life? Because that is exactly what discouragement is…… it is a foothold for Satan. When I let myself get discouraged for some reason, I am giving the evil one a certain amount of control in my life. And…if I don’t get rid of it, it will continue to grow until it has completely taken over my life. Discouragement does not come from God. It comes directly from Satan himself. It is one of his most subtle tools to gradually gain control over our lives. God is constantly reminding us throughout His word that He is here for us, that we don’t have to worry, and that He loves us. He has promised us as Christians that we will have eternity with Him if we are following Him and putting Him first. Revelation 2:10 tells us, “Be faithful unto death and you will receive the crown of life.” Why should I feel discouraged when I belong to Christ? That is the question. But the bottom line is that we all do feel this way sometimes, because we are human. It is in how we deal with those feelings that is the key. When I allow myself to get discouraged for whatever reason, some serious things start to happen at that moment. First, I don’t pray enough and when I do pray, I don’t have the right attitude. Second, I don’t let God speak to me through His word. I am wallowing in self-pity so much that I am using other measures to try to forget my troubles, other than turning to God’s word. Before I know it, I’m watching TV shows or movies to take my mind off my discouraging thoughts instead of opening my Bible. But guess what? The discouragement is still there when the movie is over. I may go get some comfort food that I know I am not supposed to have because of health issues that I have. But guess what? That makes me even more discouraged. This is the point where I come to my senses and get myself on the right track, and say, “Wake up Greta! You are more than a conqueror! (Romans 8:37) Get it together!” But imagine if I didn’t get on track. Imagine if I just let it keep growing. What if I missed a service at church? Or two? Or more? What if I drifted completely away? It can happen friends. Discouragement can snowball and grow into depression, confusion, blaming others, blaming God, searching for answers in places other than God, anger towards God and others, and the list goes on. For a really long time, I did not turn to God the way that I needed to. I turned to anything, but Him, I’m ashamed to say. I went through the motions and pretended that I was ok….when I really wasn’t. I am so thankful that I came out of that turbulent period in my life that I was in for so long, and let Him heal me through His word. Do I still get discouraged? Yes, but I will not let it gain a foothold. I resist those feelings. Sometimes I even verbally tell Satan to get away from me and get out of my head. For me, that helps. The devil is really just a coward. James 4:7 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” That verse tells me that he is a coward and if I just resist him, he will run from me. If I resist those feelings of discouragement and use God’s word to combat them, then Satan will literally run from me! Wow! The power of God’s word is amazing! I am nothing without God. Because of His love for me through His Son, I am more than a conqueror and so are you, my sisters in Christ!! (Romans 8:37)

What causes discouragement? It can be so many things. Poor health or physical and mental exhaustion can cause discouragement. Being overwhelmed with life and all that you have to do can cause discouragement. Failure in any kind of situation can certainly cause discouragement. All three of these are valid reasons to get down on yourself and down on life. The apostle Paul had all of these situations in his life, but he was able to stay positive because of his faith in God, his love for his fellow man, and his love of the truth. Just imagine how exhausted Paul had to be from everything he went through. And we know that he had some kind of health problem that we are told about in Galatians 4:13. But, he didn’t let any of that stop him from his mission to preach the gospel. Imagine how crazy his life was as he traveled around everywhere preaching the gospel, all the while trying to make enough of a living to survive by being a tentmaker. Did Paul experience failure? Absolutely he did! He experienced failure every time he went into a city and people rejected the message of Christ, every time he was thrown in prison, and every time he was persecuted for the cause of Christ. But there is one cause of discouragement that I feel is tougher to handle than all of the above three and that is fear: fear of not being able to accomplish some big goal we have in front of us, fear of disappointing our families and friends in some way and most of all fear of what other people think of us. Fear comes from a lack of trust in God. If we are fearful of not accomplishing a goal here on earth, then we are not completely giving that goal to God. Put your goals at God’s feet, work your hardest to accomplish them while still putting God first, and then accept His will for the situation. We have to trust that if we have tried our best and it doesn’t work out, then it probably isn’t meant to be. It simply isn’t God’s will for us. He knows best. Just remember that a lack of trust in God leads to fear, and fear leads to discouragement and then discouragement grows into bitterness, anger, and so many more negative emotions that can lead us away from God. At that point, Satan has his grip on us. 

Do we sometimes worry more about what other people think of us than about what God thinks of us? We become people pleasers instead of God pleasers. How does this cause discouragement? It is because it is impossible to please everyone in our lives. We are actually trying to please both people and God. That is impossible. Let’s pause for a moment and remember Peter’s statement in Acts 5 when the Jewish council had told the apostles not to preach about Jesus anymore. Peter simply stated in Acts 5:29, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” And what happened after he made that statement to the council? They were furious and plotted to kill them. (Acts 5:33) We don’t have that kind of threat to our lives today, but we are persecuted in other ways for what we believe. We are called haters and bigots by the world. We are ridiculed by the world. The world tries to convince us that we are the problem. The world is truly brainwashed by Satan. It is so sad. But we cannot let the world discourage us and cause us to be afraid. Discouragement can literally paralyze us as Christians and cause us to be useless in God’s kingdom. I never want to be paralyzed and useless again for as long as I live. So…….if we are speaking the truth in love about Christ and His message, we certainly aren’t going to be able to please everyone, because there are so many who just don’t want to hear it. The pure, real truth is not popular. But Christianity is not a popularity contest. Jesus didn’t go find the popular people to be His followers. I still shudder to think about how much I used to worry about what others thought of me. I’ll admit that I was afraid to speak up for the truth. In the beginning, I was hesitant about putting my writing out there for fear of what friends in denominations or friends who do not go to church would think of me. It was so discouraging to be afraid. It was literally tearing me apart inside. I knew it wasn’t pleasing God for me to be afraid and that was so discouraging to me. I had to decide who I was going to please. I was at a crossroads in my life. So I resisted the fear. And now, that fear is gone and I feel free. Does fear try to come back on me sometimes? Yes, but I resist it again and again. And it gets easier every time I resist it. I promise all of you one thing. The more that you resist Satan’s ploy to use fear to discourage you from standing up for Christ and for the truth, the easier it will get. Don’t you like the idea of Satan running from you? I sure do! 

Let’s go back to Revelation 2:10. I quoted the end of this verse earlier in this post. But let’s look at the whole verse. Our Lord Himself says, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Now Jesus is talking to people who were being persecuted at that time in history, however He is also speaking to us and telling us not to be afraid as well. Think about how easy it would have been for people at that time to become discouraged with all the persecution they were facing day in and day out. It is easy for us to become discouraged as well, because it seems as though the world is against us. But Jesus made a promise to those Christians back then and to us today. He will keep that promise. Jesus made the same promise in Matthew 5:11-12 in the sermon on the mount when He said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Through these words, Jesus is encouraging us not to let the world’s evil words against us cause us to become discouraged. He says for us to rejoice because we will have a great reward coming if we run the Christian race with endurance. (Hebrews 12:1) Jesus is telling His apostles and followers that they persecuted the prophets, therefore they will persecute you. We can look at it from our perspective today. They persecuted the apostles and Christians of the first century, and they will persecute us today. The persecution of today may not be in the same form as it was in the first century, but it is here and it is all around us. Jesus said the world would hate us, but not to worry because it hated Him first. (John 15:18) Jesus chose us out of the world, and this is why the world hates us. But isn’t that encouraging to us? To know that Jesus chose us out of the world? (John 15:19) Jesus also said in John 15:20, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” I ask myself, am I willing to be persecuted for Jesus sake? I certainly don’t want to persecute my Savior any more by being afraid to stand up for Him. I don’t want to crucify Him all over again by letting the world (Satan) cause discouragement in me. I don’t want discouragement to stifle my influence for Christ. It is a fight, my friends, for all of us. It is a fight to keep our heads up, and put on a smile some days. It is a fight to not let the world discourage us and keep us from our purpose on this earth. It is a fight not to become bitter towards the world. But remember Jesus’ words on the cross, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34) He wasn’t bitter toward them. He begged His Father to forgive them. What an amazing God and Savior we have! And He has given us His Word so that we can know how to live, how to be saved, and how to help others be saved! Absolute perfection! We can’t let ourselves get discouraged and become bitter. We just have to remember that the world doesn’t know what we know. Godly sorrow is all we should feel for the world. That godly sorrow towards the lost will help us continue to live according to His Word and work toward fulfilling His purpose for us. 2 Timothy 4:7 assures us that, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Let that verse truly sink in my friends. Let’s never forget, my sisters in Christ, that “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) 

Use these verses to help you overcome discouragement in your life. Pray through them. Write them down and keep them with you. We can do it, Sisters! God would not tell us in His Word that we are “more than conquerors” if He didn’t mean it! He believes in us! Let’s believe in ourselves and each other! I plan to write part two on this subject and focus on what makes us “More Than Conquerors” and ways we can combat and overcome discouragement. Thank you for reading! Love you all!

Are you in Christ? Below I have added God’s plan of salvation with scripture references. If you need help in understanding, please reach out.

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

Verses Out of Context

Part 3-  Philippians 4:13         Don’t Make This Verse Worldly

One of the most quoted verses in America is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I’ve noticed that athletes really love to use this verse in hopes of winning the big game or overcoming an injury so that they can play the sport that they love again. I’ll admit that I used to be one of those people who misused this verse. I didn’t understand its true meaning. It is easy to get caught up in the feeling that this verse gives you and take it out of context. And don’t get me wrong, I do love this verse because it just exudes confidence in our Savior. However, it is severely taken out of context most of the time. It is used in a way as if to say that because I’m a “Christian”, Christ will strengthen me so I can be successful in sports, in school, in my career, in my finances or in anything I want to do in this world. But success in worldly things was not the apostle Paul’s focus in this verse, not even close. That way of thinking has a prosperity gospel type of vibe. If that is the case, that would mean that God is a respecter of persons and we know that he is not. (Romans 2:11) Let’s put this verse in context so that we can get a true understanding of it. 

Paul wrote the letter to the church at Philippi while he was in prison. (Philippians 1:7) Philippians 4:22 tells us where he was in prison with this statement, “All the saints salute you, especially those who are of Caesar’s household.” This tells us not only that he is in prison in Rome, but that there were some of Caesar’s household who had obeyed the gospel and become Christians. That makes me wonder…… was Paul responsible for their conversion while he was in prison? It’s a valid possibility that he was. It is amazing to me that Paul was trying to help the very people who had imprisoned him for two years. He wanted his captors to go to heaven someday. And do you remember, in Acts 16, when Paul and Silas were thrown in prison in Philippi and the Philippian jailor was going to kill himself when the earthquake loosened all the prisoners’ chains? But what did Paul do? He stopped the jailor from harming himself and preached the gospel to him and he and his family were baptized. (Acts 16:30ff) What an example of love for the lost! I have to ask myself, do I love the lost the way that Paul did? Or better yet, do I love them the way Jesus did? 

So….. in thinking about Paul and his amazing statement in Philippians 1:21 of “to live is Christ and to die is gain”, why would Philippians 4:13 have anything to do with a ballgame, a big test, a job interview, or any other worldly ambition? The theme of the entire letter of Philippians is about getting to heaven ourselves and then helping others get to heaven. So if our ultimate goal is to get to heaven and help others to get there, then Philippians 4:13 takes on a whole new meaning, doesn’t it? The worldly things that we try to attach to that verse pale in comparison with heaven. In Philippians 3:14 Paul says, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ.” And then he tells the Christians at Philippi to be “mature” and have this same mindset in verse 15. We see where Paul’s focus lies and where he wants his readers’ focus to lie. The focus is to be spiritual, not worldly.

On a side note, you would think by the way the world looks at Philippians 4:13, that it is the only verse that really matters in this chapter, maybe even in the entire Philippian letter, maybe even the entire Bible for some people. The t-shirts, coffee mugs, tattoos, wall hangings, and many other decorations with this verse stamped on them have made a lot of people a lot of money. Am I saying that it is wrong to wear a shirt that has this verse? No, I’m not. Of course not. But we need to know what it means and we need to make sure that we aren’t just wearing a shirt with a Bible verse on it just to be trendy. If I wear a shirt like this and rarely open my Bible to study and never learn the truth of the gospel, what good does the verse on my shirt do me? Is my shirt or my tattoo or my mug with a Bible verse on it going to get me to heaven? This is the problem that I have with verses out of context. Just food for thought, friends. I’m not at all condemning anyone for having t-shirts, tattoos, mugs or anything else with God’s word on them, as long as they are understanding the context and studying the Bible to learn God’s entire message of salvation.

So what are the verses that set up Philippians 4:13? First, in Philippians 4:6-7, Paul encourages the Christians not to worry or be anxious about anything, and to continue in prayer with thanksgiving to God. He says that if they do this, then “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard their hearts and minds through Jesus Christ”. I find those verses to be some of my go-to verses when I am feeling worried, anxious or overwhelmed. In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul tells the Christians at Philippi what they should focus their hearts and minds on, which is everything noble, just, pure, lovely and of a good report. Paul also tells them to continue to do the things that he taught them to do. This is another warning to be on the lookout for false teachers who would try to teach them something different from what Paul had taught them. Let’s not forget what Paul said twice in Galatians 1:8-9. He said that anyone, even an angel from heaven or Paul himself, who tries to teach another gospel other than the one they had preached to them, let him be accursed. Paul warned about false teachers often in his letters to the churches. So… in these two verses he is reminding them first to keep their thoughts pure and second, to keep to what he has told them to do. I remember in 2 Corinthians 10:5-6, Paul tells the Christians at Corinth to “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and be ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” We have to take our thoughts captive and keep them pure. Our thoughts can take us away from God or lead us closer to God. This is why Paul, by the inspiration of God, tells us to keep our thoughts pure. Anything that we watch, read or listen to that puts impure, destructive or negative thoughts into our minds is not helping us keep our thoughts pure and lovely. Personally, I know that I need to take an inventory of what I see, hear and think about often. Even the nightly news can cause us to worry and be discouraged. Satan will use anything he can to pull us away from God.  He wants us to doubt God and His word. But, if we are in Christ and being faithful to Him, then we will have that peace that passes understanding. Because of this, we can capture any thought that shouldn’t be there and put it out of our minds. So…..does anything in Philippians 4 so far lead you to believe that our worldly desires are the focus? Let’s keep going!! 

In Philippians 4:10, Paul changes gears just a little and begins to show his appreciation for the Christians at Philippi. He thanks them for their care and concern for him. If you skip down to verse 15, you will find out that the church at Philippi was the only church who supported him financially after he left Macedonia. Verse 16 says that they sent him even more assistance when he was in Thessalonica. But Paul wants them to understand that no matter what situation that he is in, he has learned to be content with what he has. In Philippians 4:11 Paul says, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content..” I ask myself, can I say the same thing? Am I content? This is at the heart of what Philippians 4:13 is saying. Paul is not referring to winning a ballgame, passing a test, getting a specific job, making money, or any other worldly or material thing. He is saying that no matter what happens in his life, no matter how hard it gets, no matter what trials and tribulations he goes through, he is content in the moment. Why? Because he is in Christ. He is truly in Christ. Paul goes further with this idea of being content in Philippians 4:12 when he makes the statement, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” He has trained himself to be content in the moment no matter if times are good or bad. He wants the Christians at Philippi to know that he appreciates all that they have done for him, but he also wants them to understand what it means to be content. God inspired Paul to write these words in Philippians 4 because He wants us to understand that being a Christian is about being content with where we are in each moment. The time that we spend here on earth is fleeting. Our eternity is where our focus truly needs to be. Remember James 4:14, “whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Does thinking about your life in this way give you a different perspective on your life? It certainly does mine. I’ll be honest. I struggle with being content in each moment. I want so badly to be the type of person that Paul was, a person who could be content in the worst of circumstances. I can’t even be content when things are good sometimes. I am certainly a work in progress. But I am confident that God has begun a good work in me, and He will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) He has begun that good work in you too. As long as we are in Christ and being faithful, He will continue His good work in each of us if we allow Him to.

Let’s read and think about all that Paul went through.

 “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 24-28 ESV) 

Can you imagine being in Paul’s shoes? What an example God gave us in the apostle Paul! But even more so, what an example He gave us when He sent His Son to earth to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Jesus was content not having anywhere to lay His head. (Matthew 8:20) The Son of God was literally homeless during the time of His ministry. The Son of God was content with being born to be a sacrifice for us so that we can be saved. He was content with being beaten, spit on, made fun of, mocked, and finally crucified for me and for you. 

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)

So please…..the next time you see Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, on a shirt, a mug, a sign, etc., don’t connect it to something worldly that you want to accomplish. After all that the apostle Paul went through in order to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, why would he write that verse for us to use in a worldly way? He wouldn’t, because those things are not truly what is important. Dig into God’s word and study the true meaning of the verse, which is to be content in every situation, no matter the circumstance, because we are in Christ. I hope this has encouraged you in your Christian walk. It has helped me to write about this verse, because I know that I need to be content in each moment of my life simply because I belong to Christ. Thank you for reading! Love you all!

Are you in Christ? Below I have added God’s plan of salvation with scripture references.

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

Feeling Overwhelmed

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  Psalm 61:2

Wow. I am so glad that my God knows me, and knows that I need Psalm 61:2 to pray through often. I love this verse. It lets me know that God knows my struggles with feeling overwhelmed. He is my rock. Only He can lead me to freedom from those feelings. He will lead me down the right path for me, so that I can deal with whatever comes my way. He will lead you down the right path for you to deal with whatever you are dealing with today. Everyone’s circumstances are different and God knows them all. He will help you find freedom in whatever way is right for you. Sometimes we may need some extra help. I just want to add that God provides help through His word, but He can also work through doctors, therapists, and counselors who can be of so much help to us when we need it. God puts people in our paths to help us. I firmly believe that. Never feel like you have to do this life on your own. Remember, you are never alone with God. And also, you have people here who can help you. God will lead you to people who can help you if you need it. I wanted to say all that at the beginning before I went any further with this post.

Are you a person who gets overwhelmed easily? Does the smallest task seem to push you over the edge sometimes? Do you feel like you just can’t do one more thing? Personally, I feel like the title of this article defines a huge percentage of my adult life. And to some extent it still does. I try really hard to cope with these feelings in a healthy way, and have gotten better over the years, but I still struggle with letting life completely overwhelm me. From responsibilities at home and at my job, all the way down to the weekly laundry and the daily cooking and dishes, I can get overwhelmed at the drop of a hat. I realize now that those feelings are a form of anxiety, and when I would continue to keep going on and on, day after day feeling that way without giving myself some form of self-care, I would eventually go into a full-on anxiety attack. It wasn’t pretty. I would get to the point where I felt simply paralyzed and  barely able to function at all!! Do any of you ever feel this way? I feel like I’m probably not alone in these feelings. As women, we feel like we have to be all things to all people in our lives. We try to do it all with no thought given to what we might need to do for ourselves. I kept thinking, what’s wrong with me? I should be able to handle everything. I’m a wife and a momma, not to mention a teacher. Why am I struggling so much? I wasn’t giving myself any grace. My physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health went backwards for a time until I realized what I needed more than anything else in the world. Grace. I had to show myself grace. Am I the greatest housekeeper in the world? No. But it’s livable. Am I the best cook? No. I do fine, but I’m not a gourmet chef. Am I the perfect wife? No. But I love him with all my heart and soul. He’s my best friend. And I’m just thankful that he has put up with me for thirty years. Am I the perfect mom? No. But I love them with all my heart and soul and would give my life for my kids. I tried my best, but I made mistakes and I own that. Am I the best teacher? No. But I love my kiddos and I give them my all when I am with them each day at school. And here is the tough one. Am I the perfect Christian? Of course not. Not even close. Not by a long shot, but I love God with all my heart and I want to be His servant. I love my sisters and brothers in Christ and I want to be in heaven with them. I love the lost and want to help them find the truth. You see, I had to stop beating myself up for every mistake I made. I had to stop looking around and comparing myself to everyone else. I had to stop thinking about everything that I wasn’t doing well enough, and start looking at everything I was doing. Were there areas where I could improve? Of course, but isn’t it that way with everyone? You see, I have figured out that the majority of my feelings of being overwhelmed were really me feeling like nothing I was doing was ever good enough. I was feeling inadequate. Everything felt like it was piling up and I didn’t know where to begin. And do you know what I was thinking? How could I let things get like this? Why did I let things pile up like this? I am a terrible wife, mom, Christian, etc., etc. Do you see how that snowballs? That had to stop! I couldn’t be effective in any part of my life if I didn’t stop that kind of perfectionist type of thinking.

So….. my sisters in Christ and friends, give yourself a break! You are doing a great job! Take a step back and look at all that you’ve done for your family and friends. You are a rock star!! And I’m talking to all women, whether you are married or unmarried, younger or older, moms or not moms. I am talking to all of you. You are amazing! God sees you! He sees all that you do! He sees your heart! So please……starting today, make time for you. May I suggest that the first thing that you do for yourself is to get into God’s word daily? Find those verses that speak to your soul and help you cope with the day to day struggles that life throws your way. Get on a daily Bible reading plan, but make your own plan. You don’t have to read the Bible through in a year. I mean if that’s the plan that works for you, then that’s fine. It works for some people. I myself cannot have something dictating how many chapters I need to read each day. That makes me feel overwhelmed in itself. I have to set my own pace and order to how I study. Find what works for you. Pray every day. Talk to God about all that is going on in your life. Lay all the struggles at His feet. Talk to Him like you would talk to a friend. That’s what I had to do! Until I began a daily routine of Bible study, journaling and prayer, I didn’t really get any better no matter what I did. I had always heard that exercise was the key to helping with those feelings of anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. And I agree with this. I try to exercise some every day. It is so very good for you physically and mentally. However, at more than one point in my life, I was exercising every day excessively, but not feeding my soul spiritually. Without spiritual food, nothing gets better. I realized that if I wanted to improve my physical, mental and emotional health, I had to first improve my spiritual health. I had to get my life right with God and get my priorities in order. 1 Timothy 4:8 tells us this, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness (spiritual training) is of value in everything and in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.” (I used the amplified Bible version for this verse. I thought it explained it very well. Normally, I use the NKJV.) God’s word trains us in two ways. It trains us to be better Christians as we go out into the world to influence others, and it helps us get to heaven. What more could we want? So after I got my Bible study and prayer routine in place, I began trying to implement some physical exercise into my day. If I am alone while exercising, I may listen to a Christian podcast or I may just simply listen to some of my favorite music. Are there days when I fall short in my daily routines? Yep. I am a work in progress for sure. But I know that I cannot go very long without feeding my soul. If I do, I find myself getting negative and not coping with daily life very well. And ladies, no matter what age you are, I am telling y’all this because I care about all of you, and I want you to have an easier path than I have taken. I wish that I had gotten my act together sooner. Don’t wait. Start now. If you start making Bible study and prayer a part of your daily routine now, then there will come a time when God’s word will stay with you throughout your entire day. God’s word will become a part of You if you allow it to. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:16, you will have “the mind of Christ”. This is why 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to study! I can’t have the mind of Christ if I don’t listen to God through His word.

I would like to share with you some things that I did to help me when I was trying to establish routines with Bible study. I began to journal my prayers. I love to write and writing out my prayers really helps me when I am struggling. I can also go back and read my prayers and that helps me to see where I was emotionally on a particular day. I also have a small notebook that fits in my purse that has some go-to Bible verses that I can read during the day. I like to use different colored ink to write them in my favorite colors. It is therapeutic to me to write the verses down rather than look them up on a phone or computer. I also began praying through Bible verses like the one above, Psalm 61:2. I write them down, but I put the verse in the form of a prayer. I have grown to love doing this. Of course, I don’t do all of these every day. I do different things but almost all of them involve writing because that is what works for me. This blog is a part of my Bible study as well. It is also wonderful therapy for me. I thank you all for putting up with my ramblings. Maybe you can relate to them. 

When I am feeling overwhelmed, here are four verses that soothe my soul in that moment. I have many, many more, but I am sure you have your own favorites that soothe you in your time of need. 

“You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the Lord forever,

For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”   Isaiah 26:3-4

If we focus our minds on God’s word, He will give us perfect peace. He is our everlasting strength.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”    1 Peter 5:6-7

I love that we are able to cast all our cares on Him. Only someone who cares deeply about us would allow us to do that. And I love that He will lift us up to heaven someday, if we humble ourselves to Him. 

“But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.”         Isaiah 40:31

This is one of my favorite verses to pray through. When I am feeling out of control and overwhelmed, this verse reminds me that I have to “wait” on God’s timing for things. But with God, I can have the strength and endurance that I need while I wait. I just need to calm down and wait.

“…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”   Philippians 1:6

I love this verse because I picture God looking down at little ole imperfect, overwhelmed me, and saying that He began a good work in me and He will complete me someday when I go home to Him. I know that I am complete in Christ while I’m here on this earth but only because His blood cleanses me and makes me complete, but when God completes me on the day of judgment, I will be complete for eternity.

Sisters in Christ and friends, I hope this post has been helpful to you. It has been helpful to me to write it. It has been a tough couple of weeks for me and this has helped me cope. Just remember, you are never alone. God loves you. I love you. You are an amazing person made in the image of God. Never forget that. Thank you for reading.

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

HOW DO WE CALL UPON THE LORD TO SAVE US?THROUGH BAPTISM INTO CHRIST

Verses Taken Out of Context

Part 2- Romans 10:13     How do we call upon the name of the Lord?

Hello sisters in Christ and friends!! I’ve been wanting to write some articles on some verses that have been on my mind lately. They are verses that are easily taken out of context and misunderstood. Many of you will already understand what I’m talking about in this article, but I’m hoping it will reach someone who needs to hear it. I’m hoping that it will encourage someone to look in the Bible and make sure that they are right with God, not right according to what a person says or what a billboard says or anything else……but only according to God’s word. 

In Romans 10:13 Paul says these words,  “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” So that is self-explanatory, right? We just have to call to God and ask Him to save us and that’s it, right? Nothing else is required of us, right? Have you ever seen this verse on a billboard or a commercial all by itself with no other explanation? I’ve seen this verse on a few billboards when driving down the interstate and heard it countless times from some television evangelists. I love that someone would put a Bible verse up on a billboard for everyone to see as they drive down the highway. But, sometimes just one verse taken out of context from the entire Bible can mislead and confuse people.This verse is where people get the idea that they can ask Jesus to come into their heart to be saved. That is what a lot of people think calling on the name of the Lord means. And I understand how you might think that by reading that one verse. But reading one verse does not give us the full picture of God’s word. We have to study it all to understand it completely. We can’t go to the middle of any other book and pick out a sentence that tells us the entire contents of the book. One chapter of a math book will not teach us all the math we need. So what is Paul saying in Romans 10:13? Is he telling us how to be saved in that verse?

Let’s build a bridge before we discuss this verse. The bridge that I am talking about is between the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and the book Romans from which our key verse comes. It is the book of Acts. The reason that I think of Acts as a bridge is because we can’t fully understand our key verse or any other of the New Testament books without reading Acts. The Lord’s church, singular, was established in Acts 2. This is when Peter preached the first gospel sermon. The people were pricked in their hearts because they realized that they had crucified God’s son and asked, “What shall we do?”. (Acts 2:37) That is when Peter told them exactly what they had to do. He told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. (Acts 2:38). The church began that day with 3000 souls being baptized and added to the Lord’s church. They didn’t join a church of their choice. God added them to the church after they were baptized. (Acts 2:47)  After this, the entire book of Acts is devoted to the conversion of the Jews and Gentiles, and Paul’s conversion and missionary journeys. It is a book of the history of the early church. Throughout this book, there are ten conversion stories. In every single conversion story, baptism is there. The first one was of course in Acts 2 when the church first began. After that they are as follows: the Samaritans (Acts 8:5-12), Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:13), the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:35-39), Saul of Tarsus, later known as the apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-18, Acts 22:6-16), Cornelius (Acts 10:47-48), Lydia (Acts 16:13-15), the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:30-33), the Corinthians (Acts 18:8), and the men at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-5). If baptism isn’t necessary for salvation, then why is it in every conversion story in the book of Acts? Why would Peter tell the people on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 to be baptized for the remission of their sins if it wasn’t necessary? 

I wanted to build a bridge through the book of Acts up to the book of Romans before I tried to explain this verse. I want you to have some scriptures to refer to and study to see exactly what the Bible teaches on how to be saved. I don’t want anyone to be misled because they have read one verse out of context. If you go back up to our bridge, which is the book of Acts, you will see that none of the conversion stories from Acts include asking Jesus into your heart. It is just not there, friends. Now should we have Jesus in our heart (mind) if we are Christians? Absolutely! But we can’t ask Him to come into our heart to be saved. That is not in God’s plan. But what about Romans 10:13 you ask? Well, if you read the entire chapter of Romans 10, you will see that it is not a chapter that is telling us how to be saved. It is about who can be saved. The key word in the verse is “everyone”. If we look at the entire chapter of Romans 10 in context, it is addressing the problem of the Jews not wanting to accept the Gentiles as equals with them under God. The Jews are still under the impression that they have to keep the old law of Moses and they are trying to bind that law on the newly converted Gentile Christians. Right before verse 13 it says that all people whether Jew or Gentile have the right to be saved. You see, Paul wrote the book of Romans in a letter form to the Christians in Rome. It was written to people who had already obeyed the gospel which included being baptized for the remission of sins. (Acts 2:38) He was not telling them how to be saved in Romans 10. That was not the context of which he was writing. He was telling them that all people have the opportunity to be saved no matter what ethnic background they come from. You see, the people to whom Paul was writing already knew how to be saved from their sins because they had already done it. They were already Christians. If we go back to the book of Acts, which is our bridge, and read all the conversion stories that are listed, we will understand that calling on the name of the Lord includes more than just asking Jesus into your heart. Paul is the writer of Romans and he knows exactly how to “call on the name of the Lord”, because this exact phrase was said to him by Ananias on the day that he was converted to Christianity. In Acts 22, Paul is telling his conversion story and in verses 14-15, we read the words that Ananias said to Paul on that day, “The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know his will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.” So Ananias tells Paul that he has been chosen by God, that he will be a witness for Christ, and that he is to tell all people about Christ. But, I ask you, is he saved yet in verse 15? Has Paul accepted his new role as a Christian yet? No, not yet! Paul was sent by Jesus Himself to Ananias to be told what to do next. (Acts 22:10, Acts 9:6)  Paul was not saved when he was on the road to Damascus. But, in Acts 22:16, we have one of the most important verses in the New Testament, because it refutes the idea that we can simply ask Jesus into our hearts. The verse explains to us how we are to call on the name of the Lord. In Acts 22:16, Ananias says to Paul, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” How did Paul call on the name of the Lord in that verse? He did this by being buried with Christ in baptism. Paul called on God with the obedient act of being baptized into Christ. God calls us to be saved through His word and we call out to God through baptism into Christ. The calling goes both ways. How did Paul receive forgiveness from sins? Again, by being baptized to have his sins washed away. So why did Paul write about calling on the name of the Lord in Romans 10:13? Why did he use that phrase? Because that is exactly what he did when he was baptized by Ananias!! And it makes sense that Paul would use that language when he was writing to the Christians in Rome, because that is the language he heard Ananias say to him on the day he was baptized into Christ. 

Friends, I hope this helps you understand the context of Romans 10:13, but more importantly, I hope it encourages you to look deeper into God’s word to make sure you know the truth about how to be saved. Please don’t listen to what people say or what a billboard says without looking in God’s word first to make sure that what you are being told is the truth. If you need help to find answers, please reach out. I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. I would be happy to set up a Bible study with you or for you if you have questions. I hope and pray that everyone who reads this article will know that it is written out of love for God’s word, and love for all of you. Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!! 

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

Psalms 121- 

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? 2  My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

I Will Lift Up My Eyes

Isn’t it wonderful to know where to go for help in any situation that we find ourselves in? Maybe you are starting a new job and you are very nervous, because you are not sure where to go when you get there. You don’t know anyone. You know you are qualified for the job, but you don’t know the ropes yet. Then, when you walk in the door on your first day, there is that one person who seems to just take you under his/her wing. This person says to you, “If you need anything, you just come to me. I have got your back.” You breathe a sigh of relief! That person has no idea what they just did for you, right? You think to yourself…..”okay, I got this. I’m going to be okay”. I have had people do this for me in new situations, and I have tried to do this for other people as well. But sisters in Christ, don’t we have someone who has our back 24/7? We have the Creator of the universe in our corner on our side in every situation we come up against. He is our ultimate help. 

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills– From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2) How comforting those verses are to me!! I look out at the beauty around me and I know with all my heart who is in control of all things. The leaves are getting ready to change color just like they do every year at this time and the air will eventually get cooler. The smell of fall is in the air and I know that my God is in control of all of it. I can count on Him to keep everything on this earth going for as long as He sees fit. It is all on His terms and in His time. Our planet will stay on its perfect invisible path around the sun, turning on its perfect invisible axis for as long as He allows it to do so. How can anyone say there is no God with all this perfect order? How could an explosion or big bang cause anything except destruction? An explosion causes chaos. Our planet is organized in all things. Can you imagine the mind that it takes to keep our earth going? To keep every living thing going? To keep us going?

Sisters, let’s never forget that God never sleeps. He watches over us day and night. What do we have to fear? Nothing that happens to us here on earth will matter, because when we leave this earthly home, we will be with God. And if we fully put our trust in Him while here on earth, He will not allow us to stumble. “He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:3-4) When I read this, I picture Jesus holding my hand as I am hiking down a steep trail, with slippery rocks. I picture the trail to be narrow. I have to walk carefully or I will stumble and fall. But my Jesus is beside me all the way, holding my hand, helping me keep my balance so I won’t fall. The side of the trail drops off like a cliff. But He keeps me away from the edge. He keeps me away from danger as long as I hold on to Him. The trail that I am on represents my life. It is slippery, steep and rough sometimes. It can be exhausting. It is not an easy road to travel. Jesus tells us what road or trail we need to travel in Matthew 7:13-14. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” And ladies, we can all walk it with Jesus. I know that as long as I am holding on to Jesus, I can walk down that trail. Sometimes Jesus may even have to carry me down that trail in some seasons of my life. Believe me, He has carried me many times. But you know, I am human, and sometimes I let go of Jesus’ hand, because I get the idea that I can walk this trail on my own. I don’t lay everything at His feet. I don’t allow Him to help me. Or maybe I want to go in a direction that Jesus doesn’t want me to go. Maybe I step a toe into that easy wide way of destruction where Jesus will not travel with me. This is when I stumble and fall over the edge of that narrow trail. But am I completely lost and without hope because I stumbled and fell? No, of course not. This is why I have Jesus. And like Peter, when he was sinking into the sea, I needed only to reach toward Jesus and He would lift me up and we would keep going down that narrow way…together. You see we may get off the path and stumble if we let go of Jesus, but with Him, we will not stumble. Hang on to Jesus for dear life, my sisters.

Sisters, God is our keeper and protector every single day of our lives. “He is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.” (Psalm 121:5-6) When I read those verses, I picture Jesus as my right hand man. He will be there whenever I need Him and He will never let me down. I also picture God shielding all of us from the sun by giving us the ozone layer to protect us from its rays. I picture Him placing our planet at the perfect distance from the sun so that we have just enough heat for survival. He keeps the moon at the perfect distance from us for its gravitational pull to somehow help keep the ocean tides in check. Tell me an explosion did that. No way. Now think about this ladies, if God protects the entire earth from the sun, while at the same time using the sun to sustain us with heat and light, don’t we believe He will be with us individually every day? Will bad things happen? Yes….they will. But God will be with us and keep His promise to save us for eternity. We just have to keep our commitment to Him. The suffering that we go through now is only for a short time. And then……paradise. Hang in there ladies. It will be worth it.   

Sisters, our God preserves us in every way. All we have to do is cling to Him. “The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7-8) When I read these verses I think of how my mom and both my grandmothers would can vegetables and fruits from their gardens. They would preserve all of their vegetables so that none would go to waste. Inside the sealed jar, the vegetables’ original state would be preserved, to keep them from becoming rotten and decayed. God begins preserving our souls the moment that we are baptized into Christ. He will continue to preserve our souls if we remain faithful in our commitment to Him. Jesus’ blood will continually preserve us from the sin that can cause our lives to become rotten and decayed. His blood will keep us in our original sin-free state that we were in the moment we came up out of the waters of baptism. We will remain new and preserved if we remain faithful. What a beautiful thought. God also watches our comings and goings. He is concerned about where we are going in our lives. Just as we as parents are always watching our children’s comings and goings, God is always watching ours. I could never rest until my children were home safe and sound. Even now that they are married adults, I still like to know that they are home safe from wherever they have been. That will never stop for me as a mom. As long as I’m breathing, I’ll be a momma to my babies. My babies, they will forever be. God never stops watching over us. When we are faithful, He is watching. When we are wayward, He is watching. He is with us through all our ups and downs and everything in between. He never stops. He is interested in each one of us as individuals. 

I’m so thankful for my God. He is so faithful to me. He is my helper and my protector. He preserves me through His Son’s blood. He watches over me in every stage of life that I  go through, even the stages that, I’m certain, have not been pleasant for Him to watch. He has seen me through it all. He has seen me at my very best, and He has seen me at my very worst. And He will continue to see me through the rest of my days here on earth until I get to be with Him. Sisters, He is our Heavenly Father, our God, our Creator and our sustainer. Let’s not let life get in the way and keep us from recognizing how wonderful God is and how lucky we are to belong to Him. Slow down, take in each moment and be still and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)

This chapter really spoke to me and made me really think about how much God loves all of us. It is such a beautiful chapter. I hope this has been an encouragement to you today. Thank you for reading!! Love you all!!

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

Verses Taken Out of Context

Part 1   Matthew 7:1    So……Never Judge, Ever? 

Hello sisters in Christ and friends!! Have you ever heard someone quote Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged”? I am sure you have, because it is one of the most misused verses in the Bible. We live in a “don’t judge me” society, don’t we?  Matthew 7:1 is almost always used when someone is committing a sin willfully and they know that the Bible says what they are doing is wrong, but they don’t want to stop the behavior, so they spout Matthew 7:1 to make themselves feel better. Think about it. Why else would they quote a Bible verse to justify sin unless they already knew that the sin was condemned by the Bible? This is the verse that people like to “cherry pick” when they are approached by someone else about the sin in their lives. I myself may have even repeated this verse myself, in my head, while at worship on Sunday, when the preacher said something that stepped on my toes. Of course, that was in the past, when I didn’t like for my toes to be stepped on and I was being stubborn. I knew better!  But now…..I actually welcome my toes getting stepped on, because it helps me examine myself and grow. But anyway, Matthew 7:1 is the verse that people will use to justify themselves when they don’t want to change. They say things like, “How dare you judge me when Jesus says no one has the right to judge” or “no one is perfect” or “God is the judge, not you” or “I’m ok. I’m not as bad as most people”. Of course, if they would continue reading through verse six of that chapter, they would understand that Jesus isn’t condemning all judgment. He is saying that we have to judge in the right way and with the right motives if we are going to judge at all. And when we do make a judgment about someone’s behavior, we need to put ourselves in their position in order to handle the situation in the right way. How would we feel? Do we like being called on the carpet? If we are being honest, none of us like to be called out or “judged” by another person for something we have said or done. We might even be attacked as a Christian for our belief in and adherence to God’s word. It is human nature to be defensive, but as Christians, we have to stop and examine ourselves and ask some questions before we react to the person who calls us out. Is this person a member of the Lord’s church? Do they have our best interest at heart? What perspective is the person coming at you from, the scriptures or the world? Whether it is something we need to be called out for or not, we will show who we truly belong to by how we respond to the situation. We need to always respond in a way that shows Christ living in us. We will talk more about our response to others later in the post. However, on that note, aren’t we as Christians accused of being judgmental all the time in today’s society, all because we follow the standard of God’s word? But I am certain that using God’s word as our standard for determining right from wrong is not being judgmental. It is called righteous judgment when we do this in the right way, and Jesus tells us exactly how to do that in Matthew 7:1-6. Of course, we also have to use God’s word in a loving, kind, and merciful way all while being careful not to compromise the truth. And I won’t sugarcoat it! It’s hard! People in the world do not understand, because they don’t believe the way that we as Christians believe. God’s word doesn’t mean to them what it means to us. And because they don’t understand, we are called intolerant and unloving, and even bigots and haters. Of course, this is so far from the truth. If only they could see that we stand against sin because we love their souls and we don’t want them to be lost eternally. But have you noticed that the very same people who are calling us judgmental, are being judgmental themselves by calling us judgmental? The only difference is that they are using a different standard to judge us. They are using the world’s standard of judgment on us. With all that being said, let’s take a deep dive into Matthew 7:1-6 and truly see what Jesus means in these verses.

First of all, Jesus is not condemning all judging, only hypocritical judging of which He accuses the scribes and Pharisees of many times. In Matthew 23, Jesus spends the entire chapter calling the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for their unrighteous judgment on others. Several times in that chapter, Jesus makes the statement, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” So we definitely learn from them how not to judge! But throughout the New Testament we find many verses that support the fact that we as Christians are to judge with righteous judgment. Jesus was not saying that we as Christians are not allowed to judge if a behavior is sin or not. How would we fulfill our commission in Matthew 28:18-20 to go and make disciples if we can’t help them understand what behaviors in their lives are sinful? How would preachers ever stand in the pulpit and preach the truth, which includes pointing out sin?

In Matthew 7:15-16, Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” 

Don’t we have to judge someone’s words to see if what they are saying is the truth from God’s word? 1 John 4:1 says that we are not to believe every spirit, but we are to test the spirits to see if they are of God. Why? Because many false prophets have gone out into the world. The word test could be substituted with the word judge. We have false teachers everywhere we turn today. We have to use God’s word to expose their lies. 

Paul, when speaking to the churches in Galatia in Galatians 1:8 says, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”

Paul uses some strong language here. I am certain that Paul means for the Christians at Galatia to judge whether what they are being told is the truth. Paul even says that if we are truly spiritual, we will judge all things that are going on around us to make sure we are doing what is right.

Paul, when speaking to the Christians at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 2:15 says, “But he who is spiritual judges all things…..” 

So if we are in Christ and we are faithful Christians trying to walk in the light and fulfill God’s purpose for our lives, then we can judge with the righteous judgment that Jesus is speaking about in Matthew 7:1-6. What is our measure that we use to judge right from wrong? The measure is God’s word and God’s word only. Judgment can only be righteous if God’s word is the measuring stick. 

Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-2, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use , it will be measured back to you”.

So how do we want to be judged? How do we want our children/family members to be judged? If one of my children gets into some kind of trouble like possibly getting a DUI, how do I want my child to be treated or talked about/judged by my brothers and sisters in Christ? Will they judge me as a parent because my child made a mistake? How do I want others to judge him/her? Harshly, unmercifully, and critically? Or with love, mercy and forgiveness? I’m sure there are many of us who have experimented with alcohol when we were young, but…..the truth is…….we just didn’t get caught. And that’s only one example of something that could happen. Let’s put ourselves in others’ shoes and determine how we would want to be judged or treated. And let’s try and help that person overcome their problem by encouraging them, visiting them, or sending them a card, not by shunning them or treating them like they have the plague. Maybe we haven’t been involved in the same type of sin as someone else. But we cannot be self righteous by thinking we are better than other people because we haven’t been involved in the same sin as they have. We all have our own sin. (Romans 3:23) Jesus was the opposite of self-righteous. He ate with sinners. He forgave the woman who was caught in adultery. He talked to the woman at the well. He even took the time to listen to and forgive the thief on the cross when He himself was in more agony than we could ever imagine. He didn’t shut Himself off from the world. And He, of course, didn’t allow the world to influence Him. He never condoned anyone’s sin, but He was ready to forgive them if they had the right heart. Oh how wonderful it is to have Him as our example!! Are we trying to be like Him? How did He judge? How do we want to be judged by God? We want grace and mercy from God, don’t we? 

James 2:12-13 is plain and simple friends. “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” 

If we want mercy, we must show mercy. We will be judged by God in the same way that we judge other people. Jesus is simply warning us right from the start by saying, “don’t judge if you aren’t ready to be judged in the same way by someone else or by God.” He is saying, if you can’t judge in the correct way, then don’t judge at all. Think hard about that before we move on. Do you want God to judge you in the same way that you judge other people? That might be a scary thought! Do we want to be judged on our physical appearance, our race, our hometown, our family, etc.? What about our past? Let’s be honest…..most of us would not want to be judged on our teen years, our young adult years or possibly even our recent past. 

Let’s remember Jesus’ words in John 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

So what does righteous judgment look like? Just a few verses down from Matthew 7:1-6 is the verse we call the golden rule. I would think that the golden rule would have a little something to do with righteous judgment. 

In Matthew 7:12 Jesus says, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” 

Think about this verse. How does it apply to our judgment of others? 

In Matthew 7:3-5, Jesus goes on to say, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Jesus clearly wants us to do some self-examination in these verses. We have to examine ourselves if we are going to judge righteously. And Jesus uses some very strong language. Anytime Jesus uses the word hypocrite, it makes me want to sit up and take notice, because I know it is some serious business! However, it is almost as if Jesus is using a little humor here to get his point across. Imagine someone looking for a tiny speck on someone else when they have a huge beam sticking out in front of them that is completely blocking their sight. How would we ever help that person if we can’t get around our own beam? If we can’t see clearly our own flaws, how can we see someone else’s flaws? And seeing our flaws does not mean us saying, “well, I’m not perfect”, but then not really working to get rid of them. Yes, we all have flaws. And we can all say that we have flaws, but are we working on getting rid of them? God intends for us to work on getting rid of them. Jesus says very plainly for us to remove our beams, whatever they may be. As Christians, we should always be working to try and better ourselves throughout our entire life. This will help us to be able to judge with righteous judgment. So….first, we have to admit that we have flaws, which is hard for some people. That is a flaw in itself. It is the flaw of self-righteousness. Second, we have to specifically identify our flaws and be real about it friends!! We may have some we don’t mind admitting and others that we would rather not face at all. And last, we have to intentionally work on those flaws with God’s help through prayer and through His word. We have to be intentional. I have never had a problem admitting my flaws, however my problem was working on them. I couldn’t work on them because I wasn’t putting God first in my heart. I wasn’t praying like I should have been. And I most definitely wasn’t in His word enough to allow God to help me work on them. It takes both prayer and Bible study to truly change. I could pray and pray and pray some more for God to help me, but if I wasn’t listening to God through His word, and if I wasn’t being intentional in trying to change, then He couldn’t help me. That is my personal issue and I don’t care to admit it if it helps someone else with their struggles. I don’t mind sharing my past struggles. If my testimony helps others to not feel alone, then it is worth telling. With that being said, Jesus says for us to examine ourselves before we try to help someone else with their struggle with sin. We can’t help them if we are involved in the same type of sin that they are involved in. This is when we become hypocrites. For example, maybe we hear a friend using bad language and we automatically want to go talk to them about this behavior. But, what if we turn around and talk about other people in a negative way or gossip about others. Isn’t that a beam that Jesus is talking about that we should get out of our own eye? Bad language and gossiping are in the same family of corrupt communication, right? Another example might be a father being hard on his daughter about her clothing choices, but when he is alone, he gets on the internet and looks at pornography. Isn’t he holding his daughter to a standard that he isn’t holding himself to when he is looking at women who are degrading themselves online? These are just a couple of examples of unrighteous judgment. 

We also have to have the right motives behind our judgment. What is our true purpose for judging? Righteous judgment also includes having the right purpose and motive for judging. Our purpose has to be solely to help the other person get on the right path to heaven. It can’t be for any glory for ourselves. And it can’t be to just make ourselves feel better about our own sin. I also don’t believe we can call people out in an embarrassing or “holier than thou” way. The context of the verses in Matthew 7 is referring to approaching other Christians about sin in their lives to try and help them get themselves right with God and back on the straight and narrow. However, whether they are fellow Christians or not, we have to go to them gently, in love, with mercy and forgiveness in our hearts and in our voices. Sometimes it is not what we say, but how we say it. And also, is there a difference between how we handle each other as sisters in Christ and how we handle friends who are non-Christians? I personally believe there’s a huge difference. Most fellow Christians should understand your reasoning behind coming to them. They should know that you are just doing what Jesus has told you to do in His word. Whether they respond positively to you or not, deep down they know why you are doing it. They know you love them and that you are concerned about their souls. But non-Christians may not understand your reasoning and may see you as thinking you are better than they are no matter how you approach them. Like I said in my opening paragraph, they don’t see God’s word the way that we do. I firmly believe that we will make a more positive impact on a non-Christian simply by being a good example when you are around them. Just be Christ-like in front of them and wait for doors to open to talk to them about Jesus and the Bible. Show them the life you live by how you talk, where you go, what you watch, and what you find important. Treat them with kindness and respect even if they aren’t making all the right choices. Show them respect even when they don’t show you respect. Stand up for the truth at all times, but always with respect and never stoop to their level by losing your temper. Friends, were we not once where they are? Yes! We were. And I always try to keep in mind that everyone hasn’t had the upbringing and opportunities to learn God’s word that I have had and I haven’t walked in their shoes. And this brings me to the final verse of our study. I have always found this verse out of place because I didn’t truly understand what it meant. But after I have studied it, I get what Jesus is telling us.

Matthew 7:6 says, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”

When we are trying to help someone, we have to know when we have done all that we can do. Sadly, there are some people who don’t want to be helped. They do not value God’s word. It means nothing to them. When we make an effort to make a righteous judgment in order to help a person who doesn’t want to change, it is like throwing what is holy to dogs and and throwing pearls to pigs. Pigs were considered unclean in the law of Moses and dogs were considered savages at that time. They only want the scraps of food that are thrown out onto the ground. They get the leftovers.  In comparison the people Jesus is comparing to dogs and pigs only want the scraps of the world, not the pearls of the gospel. They may want no part of the Bible at all. Or, they may only want the parts of the Bible that suit their lifestyle, or they may want to twist the Bible to fit their way of life. Hence the term, scraps. They don’t want what is good, right, and whole. They don’t want the full truth. They want scraps. This comparison is not to degrade a person and call them dogs or pigs. They are human beings that God loves just like we are. It is only an analogy about how they treat God’s word. They treat God’s word the way that dogs and pigs treat scraps of food. If we keep coming at them with God’s Holy Word (pearls) and they keep pushing it away, eventually they may turn on us, attack us and try to destroy us in some way, either by taking advantage of us or possibly slandering our name. We have to decide if a person just has no interest in the truth of the gospel. It is a judgment call. We can’t force a person to change no matter how hard we try. It is ultimately up to them. We should not feel anger towards them, but rather, pity, because of the state of their soul. At that point, all we can do is treat them with kindness and respect, and pray for them. 

Remember what Jesus told His twelve disciples in Matthew 10:14, “And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.”

Jesus knows that sometimes we are just spinning our wheels with some people. He wants us to spend time and effort helping those who want to be helped. Sometimes it may even be someone we love dearly. Does that mean we are giving up completely? No, of course not.  We can keep praying for the person. We can keep showing kindness. We keep being a Christ-like example. But we have to protect ourselves and concentrate more on those who are interested in learning the truth. I’m so happy that Jesus loves us so much that he added verse 6 to his teaching on 

righteous judgment. Even though it seems out of place, it actually ties in perfectly. Jesus wants us to protect ourselves. He doesn’t expect us to work a miracle with people who are obstinate towards God’s word. Thank you Jesus for Matthew 7:6.

In closing, let me ask myself all the questions. You can do the same. Was Jesus condemning all judgment? No, He was condemning unrighteous judgment. As long as we are following Jesus’ rules for righteous judgment, then we are always going to be in the right.  Do I want God to judge me in the same way that I judge others? If I want mercy and compassion, then I have to show mercy and compassion. Do I examine myself before judging someone else? Do I have a beam in my eye that I need to remove? I can’t help anyone if I myself am not right with God. Am I a hypocrite? Self righteous? I don’t want to be like the scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus called hypocrites over and over in Matthew 23. What is my purpose for judging a person? Am I doing it to save the person’s soul or to ruin their reputation? Am I trying to make myself feel better about my sin? Motives are everything. And finally, does the person want to be helped? Have I done all I can do? I have to protect myself from being attacked by the person I am trying to help. If they have no interest in changing, then I have to stop throwing my pearls to the pigs and move on. One more question, my sisters in Christ, does Jesus imply through these verses that we need each other? Absolutely, He does!! How would we be able to help each other if we don’t get to know one another, and make connections with each other? It is so important that we as sisters in Christ are there for one another. I need my sisters in my life, and I want to be present and available for my sisters. I need to do better in this area and I’m challenging myself to do that. That is my challenge to us all, myself included. Get to know one another and make those connections with each other. I know we will be blessed for it.

I hope I have done this subject justice. I love God’s word and want to make sure that I am thorough in everything I write. I also want to put myself into it and make it personal to all of you. I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thank you for reading!! 

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

Will He Not Make It Good?

Part 1- Studying the Bible in Context

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Hello Sisters and Friends!! When I first noticed Numbers 23:19, I thought……now that is a verse that makes me want to write!! It tells me so much about God in just a few words. But then I asked myself, “who said this?” and after reading just a little, I realized that Balaam said this. Of course, the first thing that popped into my head was…..THE TALKING DONKEY!! I hadn’t really thought about that story in years. Then I asked myself a few questions to get my brain thinking. “Who was Balaam? Why did Balaam say this? Who was he talking to?” Now I have heard the talking donkey story since my childhood, but have I really studied it? No I haven’t. I didn’t even know that Balaam said it until I began to read and study the context of the verse. Since I started writing for this blog, that is how it has worked for me most of the time. I start with a verse. But then….. I realize that in order to explain the verse, I have to put the verse in context with who said or wrote it and why it was said or written. You see, if I don’t put the verse in context, I could completely misunderstand the verse’s true meaning. Plus, I don’t go as deep as I could go in its meaning and I miss valuable connections that the verse makes with other verses and characters in the Bible. Maybe that is why my posts are long. I like to dig deep. Think about it. Would you ever open a novel in the middle and read one sentence or one paragraph or one page or even one chapter and be able to understand the entire book? Of course not. Then, why do so many people think that it’s ok to do this with the Bible? With that being said, context is everything. On the surface, by reading this verse only, you may think that whoever said it, is a devout follower of God. However, we find out as we dig deeper that he is really not devout at all. He is evil and is against God and His people. I believe this verse is probably being said in a spiteful and disrespectful way towards God. I thought the verse was a tribute to God when I first read it. Then I began to dig deeper. I found out that even though the verse all by itself contains wonderful truths about God, the context around the verse makes me see it in a whole new light. Now that I know the context, I can just hear the contempt for God in Balaam’s voice. Let’s go back to Numbers 21 to see what events lead up to our key verse and let’s take a look at the verse in context.

At the end of Numbers 21, we see God’s people defeating the Amorites in a big way. God is giving His people the victory as long as they are trusting in Him. Then in Numbers 22, we meet Balak the son of Zippor, the king of the Moabites. Balak had observed all that Israel had done to the Amorites to defeat them and now the entire nation of Moab was afraid. This fear leads to the introduction of the person who spoke the words of our key verse in Numbers 23:19, Balaam the son of Beor, a non-Israelite prophet. Balak wants Balaam to come to Moab and curse Israel. Here is the message that Balak sent to Balaam. “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” (Numbers 22:5-6) I wanted to quote what Balak said verbatim, because it shows that Balaam has a reputation for doing this. He has supposedly “blessed” people and “cursed” people enough in the past to gain this reputation. Balaam is an evil prophet and is called a “diviner” in Numbers 22:7. (NKJV) The elders of Moab and Midian were prepared to pay Balaam a fee to curse Israel. The princes of Moab were sent to get Balaam and bring him to Balak. Balaam, of course, was a greedy person who was willing to do it, however, he would not agree to it without first seeing if he would get a word from God on the matter. This shows that he knows who God is and knows about His power. This is where the story can be a little confusing because in Numbers 22:8, Balaam says, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” Obviously, Balaam recognizes God’s power. Why would he think God would allow him to curse His people? In Numbers 22:12, God tells him not to curse the people for they are blessed, so Balaam did not go with the princes of Moab. But Balak was not giving up. He sent more important princes than before to Balaam, and offered him even more honor and riches to come to Moab and curse Israel. Balaam keeps saying that God will not allow him to curse them. He literally says that he cannot say anything except what God tells him to say. Now keep in mind that Balaam really wants to curse Israel and become rich, but God is using His power to keep Balaam at bay and protect his people. When Balaam comes to God the last time and asks if he can go with Balak’s men to curse Israel, God finally says for him to just go, but also warns Balaam that he will not allow him to say anything that He has not told him to say. God is angry with Balaam because he went, even though He told Him to go. This could be confusing but if you think about it, it is really not. Think about it this way. Have you ever gotten so aggravated with someone who keeps asking you if he/she could do something over and over? You have said “no” over and over and this person knows how you feel about it, but they don’t really care how you feel. They just want their way. You get so tired of it that you finally say, “just go ahead and do it then!” That is not really permission is it? You were not happy about it, but you were just “over” being asked about it! That is what was going on between Balaam and God. Of course, Balaam chooses to go with the princes of Moab and this journey is what brought about the story of the talking donkey. As the donkey was traveling, he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the path holding a sword and came to an immediate stop. Only the donkey could see the angel. Balaam began to beat the donkey and then God allowed the donkey to speak to him. The funny thing to me about this story is that Balaam didn’t even act surprised that his donkey was talking to him!! He literally answered the donkey when he asked Balaam why he was beating him!! So all this led to Balaam eventually getting to Moab and trying in every way possible to still be able to curse God’s people, but God would not allow it. More than once he had Balak build altars and offer sacrifices in an attempt to curse them, but instead he ended up blessing God’s people three times instead of cursing them. Balak is very angry. All these events finally lead us to our key verse, Numbers 23:19 where Balaam responds to Balak’s anger, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” It is as if Balaam is saying, “come on Balak, what did you expect? I tried to tell you! God is not cooperating!”  So, how does the context affect how you see this verse after studying the people and events that surround it? Do you feel differently about it?

For me, I still love the verse itself, and I am eventually going to write an article breaking down the actual verse more in depth. That was my intention to begin with. The meaning of the verse is awesome. However, it bothers me that I almost overlooked the context of this verse. I almost missed out on studying this amazing story of God’s faithfulness to His people. Our God is so great. And as long as Israel was faithful to God, He took care of them and they prospered. Let’s think about our lives and compare for a moment. If we remain faithful Christians until death, then God will be faithful to us and give us that crown of life. (Revelation 2:10) God knew every single one of us even then, when He was dealing with the Israelites, Balak, and Balaam. All that God did for Israel then, was also for us today so that Jesus could come and be our Savior. All of it led up to Jesus and it was all for us……every single one of us who are willing to follow His plan to be saved and be added to His church. The experience that I have had with studying this verse makes me realize how much I have missed out on by not having good Bible study habits in the past. And I still fall short some days. Sometimes I let life get in the way. We all do. I’m so thankful for the forgiveness that I have in Christ. 

So how does this verse make me feel? Well…..it makes me feel grateful that I have a heavenly Father that, as the key verse says, cannot lie. Hebrews 6:18 says it is impossible for God to lie. This tells me that I can count on God to never let me down. However…..it also makes me sad because the person saying these words of truth to describe God was not saying them to honor God. He meant them in a disrespectful way. It makes me think of all the people in our world today who know that God is in control but they choose to follow the world. They have no respect for God. There are others who say they love God, but they don’t obey His word. How can that be? Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Some say that they believe in God, but they don’t believe His word is inspired. They say it is an outdated book written by men. But the Bible is the only way that we even know that God exists, so how can we separate God and His word? If we didn’t have God’s written word, we would just be here on earth wondering how we got here. We would have no true purpose. If I don’t believe His word to be the truth, then I don’t truly believe in God Himself. And how can I believe in Jesus, my Savior, if I don’t believe that the book in which I have learned about Him is the inspired word of God. It does not make sense. There are so many who don’t believe in God at all. They claim to believe in a “higher power”, but they won’t call it God. Balaam knew who God was and saw His power, and still chose to go against God. How sad! You would think that Balaam would have turned to God after all that happened in this story, but that is not the case. We find out in Numbers 25:1-3 that the children of Israel went against God and committed harlotry with the women of Moab and the people bowed down to their gods. Israel was joined to Baal of Peor and God was angry with them for this. Would you like to know who counseled King Balak to teach the women of Moab to seduce the men of Israel which then led them to worship Baal? Let’s go to Numbers 31:16 and you will see. It reads, “Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.” So Balaam found a backdoor way to “curse” Israel with his evil counsel and I’m not surprised. Balaam had no respect for God and he was angry, because God wouldn’t allow him to line his pockets with riches at the expense of His people. This incident even carries over into the NewTestament where Jesus is speaking to the church at Pergamos. Listen to our Savior’s words in Revelation 2:14, “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.” So now do you see why our key verse takes on a deeper meaning when we know the context around it? Do you see why the entire Bible has to be read in this way? 

Over the next few weeks I will be looking at some verses that are taken out of context by not only the world,  but by the religious world as well. The practice of taking Bible verses out of context is very dangerous and can cost us our souls. I leave you with two passages that are crucial to our understanding of the Bible. I believe the first one is the hub of the entire Bible because of one three-letter word….”all”. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man (woman) of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We have to believe that “all” scripture is inspired by God or we will take scriptures out of context and make them mean what we want to mean, and we will ignore scriptures that we simply don’t want to follow. The second one tells us what we have to do if we want to learn how to put verses in context, how to be saved and how to live a faithful Christian life in one word……”study”. 2 Timothy 2:15 says for us to “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” If we want to put verses in the right context and help others get to heaven, then we have to study or we will misunderstand and misuse God’s word and that would be a tragedy.

The next post will be on Matthew 7:1. I will look at how it is taken out of context and misused in our world today. Thank you for reading!! Have a wonderful Lord’s Day and week ahead!! 

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)