- A free ezine for people who love
the Lord. Easy-to understand devotionals, testimonies, biblical
questions answered and resources to help you grow in the Lord.
Read the current issue at
Current Issues
To subscribe, send a blank email to: Subscribe
"It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4 (KJV)
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been feverishly working on my website. I mean, I gave it the smack down and organized everything.
On top of working every day for a week and a half on my site, in the final push
to get it finished, I worked through an entire night and then worked through the next day.
I nearly jumped for joy when it was finally finished. Hopefully, I’ve made it more user friendly. My husband asked me why I would do such a crazy thing so I opened up my website for him and let him look around. “You’re right,” he said. “I have to scroll down the page to find anything. There’s just too much stuff.”
After I organized my site, I added a free audio Bible, both the New Testament and the Old Testament, for anyone who doesn’t have the time to read the Bible, but may be able to lend an ear to the Word of God. You can listen to it online while doing something else, such as cooking dinner or cleaning the house. You can even download the Bible onto your computer and burn it onto a disk and listen to it while driving to work and back.
Thank you to all of my subscribers, without you, the new Christian, this newsletter wouldn't exist. I would love to hear from you, but please do not
hit reply to contact me because I won't receive your response. If you need to contact me you can
email me at sandra @ thebossychurchlady.net (without the
spaces in the address).
I'd love to hear what you think! And, if you want to share something with the other readers in a future issue of this newsletter--such as a testimonial, or a poem, devotional,
a story that God has inspired you to write, or even
if you want to advertise your own site-- you
can send it to me at sandra @ thebossychurchlady.net (without the
spaces in the address).
Your privacy is important to me; therefore, I will not sell, rent, or give your name or
address to anyone. At any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe.
><>Ten Excuses To Avoid Spreading The Gospel and How To Combat Them ><>What Christians Should Know About Popular Meditation Techniques ><>The Bank Of Jesus ><> Bible Trivia ><> Resources
Ten Excuses To Avoid Spreading The Gospel and How To Combat Them
I believe that deep down inside, every human being is afraid of rejection to
some degree. Some more than others. And because of that fear, we Christians are pretty creative in our efforts to slither
out from under the most important duty that was given to us by the Lord Himself
in Mark chapter sixteen: The Great Commission.
What used to stop me every time, at the last moment, just when I was about to open my mouth,
was when I saw myself stammering, stumbling over the words I had so carefully rehearsed like a drunk stumbling out of a bar. I’d sound ridiculous,
I knew. I saw myself running the person away from the Lord rather than to Him.
Even worse, I worried that the person would ask me a question that I didn’t have the answer for. So I clammed up. I kept the Lord a secret.
Since 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that the Lord didn’t give us a spirit of timidity, our fears of telling others about the Lord are coming from the enemy. Below, I’ve listed
ten excuses that people use to avoid spreading the Gospel and ways to combat those excuses.
Excuse number one: I have no idea what to say.
Believe it or not, God will help us talk to others about Him. In Matthew 10:19-20, Jesus said: “Do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (NIV)
Excuse number two: I can't get anyone to believe in the Lord no matter how hard I try.
I'll be honest here.
Some people have been so sorely disappointed in the past
when their unrealistic expectations about witnessing failed to come to fruition
that they gave up on spreading the Gospel. Frankly, it's a pie in the sky
dream to expect someone to just fall to their knees and repent the instant that
we tell him or her about the Lord. Realistically, if someone gives us the time of
day, if someone listens to what we have to say about Jesus, we should expect
that person to want to think about what we've said
for a while. We need to be patient and let him or her think about all of the
ramifications of becoming a Christian, and be prepared to answer their
questions. In the meantime, we should pray that God will send someone else to water the seed
that we've just planted.
Excuse number three: I'm not very smart.
God gave the brains to everyone else.
Here’s what Job 32:8 has to say about that excuse: “But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.” Give God an ear and He’ll teach you all you need to know. God’s eyes are constantly roaming the earth, looking for anyone who is seeking His face. A lot of seeking His face is making a sincere effort to get to know Him intimately. The only way to do that is to study His Word and spend time with Him.
Excuse number four: I'm just a follower! God didn't make me to be a leader, let alone to preach the Good News to anyone!
You don’t have to go to seminary school or be standing up at the pulpit to proclaim the Good News to someone. In Mark 12:31, Jesus said that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. How then are you going to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself if you don’t even make an effort to snatch him or her out of the fire? Even if you only manage to teach your children about Jesus and tell your friends about the Lord, you’re still producing good fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Excuse number five: I'm damaged goods. I’ve sinned; I'm not as good as the people who grew up knowing and loving God.
Oh really? I don’t recall reading in the Bible that we have the right to decide whom God can and cannot use. Consider Saul who later became the apostle Paul. He persecuted the Christians before Jesus had a little talk with him on the way to Damascus. What about Simon of Samaria in Acts 8 who was a sorcerer until he heard about Jesus? After Moses killed a man, he fled Egypt and was later used by God in a big way.
Excuse number six: God doesn’t need me. He’ll find someone else to do whatever He has put on my heart to do.
Aha! This one was one of the devil’s favorites to use on me years ago and I fell for it every time. Just like the rest of us, when God called to Moses, Moses immediately said, "Here I am." However, when he heard what God wanted him to do, he tried to slither out from under his assignment by pleading with God to send someone else.
And what did God say to that? “What about your brother Aaron…” I like the way that the Lord encouraged Moses to participate by assigning the task of speaking to Aaron, and the working of the signs to Moses, which didn’t require any speaking.
Excuse number seven: I don't have confidence. Or, I have a speech impediment… Or I can't talk eloquently—
If it’s really that bad, type out your message and hand it out to people. In all honesty, I’m pretty shy around people I don’t know, but when faced with the prospect of giving God a lame excuse for why I chose not to witness to someone about Him, I’d rather stumble a bit over my words and feel my face become red.
"O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue," Moses protested to God.
I get a chuckle out of what God said next because not only was God not about to let Moses off the hook, but He made Moses painfully aware that his mouth belonged to Him by saying: “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." We can apply that promise to ourselves as well. God will always teach us what to say—provided that we’re willing to listen to Him that is.
Excuse number eight: I’ll do it later.
What if later never comes? People die every day and none of us have any way of knowing when our time is up. Trust me when I say this: it’s easier to risk losing a friend or family member because you cared enough to tell him or her about Christ than to live with the guilt of not talking to him or her about the Lord before he or she has died.
Excuse number nine: I don’t want to be judged.
Granted, no one likes to be judged. While the Bible says that we’re righteous in God’s eyes because we’ve been washed clean by the blood of Jesus, it also states quite plainly in Philippians 1that we Christians are a work in progress. Nowhere does it say that upon accepting salvation we become absolute perfection. Despite this, there are some Christians out there who think otherwise, but they’re in the wrong.
Excuse number ten: People will laugh at me when I try to talk to them about God.
In Luke 10, Jesus said that whoever rejects us over the Word of God rejects Him. If you get laughed at or teased over God’s Word, do what Jesus told the apostles to do: wipe their dust off your shoes.
Another thing, people certainly won’t be very derisive when they’ve been left behind after we’ve been raptured now will they! (Yes, I know it’s horrible to say, but it’s so true!)
What it all boils down to is this: When God asks us to do something, He isn’t asking us to hem haw around and beat around the bush with the request, or dump it off onto someone else’s lap. He’s asking us to do what He requires. God wants us to have enough faith In Him to do what He requires. He wants us to trust His Word like Noah did when he unquestioningly built the arc despite the fact that people were probably laughing at him.
Verses to read:
2 Corinthians 5:18-20
James 2:17-26
* Copyright 2008 Sandra Purdue. You may swipe anything I write as long as you leave the byline intact.
The Bank Of Jesus
Have you ever felt like you had a deep yearning for something, but didn't know what? Ever felt like you were starving, but weren't physically hungry?
Just like when the demand for water can sometimes run a well dry, in the world of Christianity, we believers can become so focused on reaching out to others, on evangelizing, that we can end up tapping into our own spiritual resources so much that we can empty them.
That spiritual well can run dry for only a short space of time before we begin to feel drained. When that happens we begin to feel a little edgy, a little peaked, a little stressed, and overwhelmed. Suddenly, your small problems are looming over your shoulder just waiting to gobble you up.
Make your withdrawal at the Bank Of Jesus by spending one-on-one time with Him. You can do this by spending time in prayer, reading your Bible--even just for five minutes-- or even subscribing to a daily devotion, which will give you a generous portion of the spiritual food that you need.
Even Jesus took the time to spend with God on a regular basis. And if Jesus went off by Himself to
eat some spiritual food, then we should too.
Verses to consider:
John 6:48-58
Luke 5:16
Mark 6:31-32
* Copyright 2008 Sandra Purdue A.K.A. The Bossy Church Lady. You may swipe anything I write as long as you leave the byline intact.
What Christians Should Know About Popular Meditation Techniques
by Heavenly Manna and Hannah Henderson
Various forms of meditation techniques are being widely and fervently promoted as a way of attaining peace, promoting relaxation, and developing a higher consciousness. However, many people, Christians and non-Christians, who take up these techniques of meditation do not realize the strong biblical warnings against such practices.
Although the forms of modern meditation vary, they all share a central goal--the blanking out and emptying of the practitioner's mind. What is the danger of totally clearing one's mind? First, it should be understood that an empty mind is prime territory to be filled with ideas, thoughts, suggestions, sounds, and imaginations. Essentially, a blanked out mind is much like a dry sponge which absorbs practically any liquid with which it comes into contact. The cleared mind corresponds to the dry sponge, and thoughts, imaginations, ideas, suggestions, and sounds, correspond to the liquid. This truth is evident in the fact that very young children whose minds have not had the opportunity to completely learn a language, learn foreign languages effortlessly. Why? Because there's no other language or sound pattern present to buffer the incoming language and sounds. As the child grows older, his ability to learn language in the same way as he did or could have at a very tender age, departs forever. Again, this is why children are impressionable and why brainwashing is extremely difficult to reverse if it has taken place in a child before reaching the age of four.
When an adult masters the "art" of meditation to the point of totally clearing his mind, his psyche becomes even more impressionable than that of a baby! The difference is that this blanking out of the mind has been achieved unnaturally and carries consequences.
Whenever the Bible speaks of meditation, it always consists of active thought, of filling the mind with the knowledge of God's law, not blanking it out. In fact, warnings are made against failure to guard against an idle mind. Psalm 1:2 says, "his delight is the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night." Joshua 1:8 records, "this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but, thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein." Finally, in Psalm 119:97, king David worshiped God saying, "o how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day."
Should such biblical references be used to form a doctrine regarding meditation techniques? Is biblical instruction really valid for today's world? These questions have been anticipated and answered by the all wise God whose word teaches that, "all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Man is also reminded that, "the word of the Lord endureth forever..."(1 Peter 1:25).
Meditating to blank out one's mind gives nothing but a false and temporary peace because it is a "peace" obtained through the breaking of God's instruction to, "be sober (have an alert mind), be vigilant (on the watch), because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
Hannah Henderson is one of the writers for Heavenly Manna.
The paranormal, mysteries of the Bible, and successful Christian living in a turbulent world are just a few of the topics dealt with by the ministry.
The answer from the last edition is death. Psalm 23:4: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." (KJV)
Q. What does the Bible say about supporting a mooch?
A. I have to say that the very best thing to do is to pray and wait for God to answer by
either putting a burden onto your heart to help the person or by removing the burden that you have to help him or her.
Other than that, I can give you a few Bible verses that pertain to this situation and then offer some first hand advice and let you draw your own conclusion.
To begin with, 1 John 3:17-18 says: "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." (NIV) And in Matthew 25:40, Jesus said: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’” (KJV)
On top of the above verses, the Bible tells us that we are to bear each other's burdens, but it doesn't tell us how far we should go or how long we should help another. I suppose it all depends upon who the person is that needs your help
and what their needs are. For instance, if someone who is physically or mentally disabled and cannot work
needs our help, then it's our duty to do what we can for him or her. Or if it's a widowed, homeless, or elderly person who just doesn't have enough money to get by, we should help and do it gladly.
And going by what James 4:17 proclaims, we should support someone in his or her time of need. However, this verse is a two-edged sword for all concerned. What I mean is that on one side, if you continually enable a mooch, you're doing more harm than good for him or her and on the other side, if you don't keep helping someone who is needy, you’ll end up feeling guilty.
Now, I'll tell you straight up what I know from first hand experience. If you continue to enable a person by frequently giving him or her money, you’ll do more damage to your relationship with that person than almost anything I can imagine. If you keep giving to the "moocher" you'll end up becoming resentful of him or her personally, then you'll end up loathing the person due to their unreasonable expectations. Sure, you were glad you had the money or a home to help at first, but after a while, it seems to be expected. It begins to feel like you're being taken advantage of.
Secondly, if it's allowed to continue for some time then the mooch will become a helpless victim and this will create an endless, vicious circle. If it continues, this moocher will turn you into an enabler, which is not a fun position to be in. Just ask any family member of a drug addict or alcoholic and they'll tell you that these people literally bully them into a position of either constantly helping them or losing the love of the addict.
Thirdly, your relationship with the moocher will become so full of tension that
you'll hardly be able to bear being in the same room with him or her. On top of
that, before he or she has a chance to say anything, you'll automatically be on guard. Right off, you'll ask yourself: "How much does he/she want this time?" And then you'll wind up whipping out your wallet and stuffing money into his or her hands to make him or her “just go away”.
That said I’m sure you’ve heard the old proverb that’s generally attributed to Lao Tzu
that goes like this: “Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and feed him for life.”
With that in mind, the question now becomes, "How do you make them stop?” Or, “How do you
stop this horrific merry-go-round from going around one more time?”
Tell them, “Look, I can help you this time, but you need to get a job and support yourself or stop doing whatever it is that is putting you into this position.”
If anything, you can have him or her do some work for you in order to earn that
money. Hold firmly to what you tell the person. However, if he or she doesn't have a car to look for a job or a printer to print out a resume, then by all means, help the person out
by giving him or her rides to job interviews or help with bus fare and whatnot.
At first, you may even have to take the moocher by the hand and lead him or her around literally by the nose... telling him or her what to do step-by-step until he or she is back on his or her feet, but the reward for both of you will be
his or her independence and your peace of mind.
On that same vein, I do have to say that God really does work in awesome and mysterious ways. On more than one occasion in my life, God has
unexpectedly blessed me with extra money hours or even days before someone I know had a need for it. I just thanked God for giving it to me and passed the money on to the person who needed it. And when that person thanked me, I told her to thank God for it because that's where it came from.
Resources
I'm always delighted to present each new resource that I find because it's my
hope that every one that I include in my newsletters will help you grow in Christ. If you know of any resources that you would like to share with the other readers, feel free to write to me and let me know about it so I can include it in the newsletters.
><> Star Ferdinand, the author of The Prayerful Bible Study Series, has an excellent web site. You can read study guides, numerous devotionals, and other Christian writings on her site at: http://www.starferdinand.com/vision/
><> Who Are You Hanging With?
I had many friends over the years who
influenced my life deeply. Some good and
some bad. I learned, though, if I wanted
to move forward into God's purpose for
my life, I needed to choose friends who
uplifted and encouraged me to be the
best me possible. This book will answer
your most burning questions about
friendship. http://www.lulu.com/visionhopemag
><> F.r.e.e witnessing materials: Learn how to communicate God's Word to people of the Buddhist, Wicca, and Hindu faith! They’ll even teach you how to witness to Islamists. These downloadable, printable pamphlets are excellent resources for those witnessing to others for Christ. Go to:
http://www.contenderministries.org/tracts/tracts.php
Remember when you read your first
Bible storybook? It may have been this volume. Originally written in 1948, this book has enjoyed a popular readership for more than
50 years.
Today's classic version offers 60 Old and New Testament Bible stories in updated language. Read to your children the
timeless biblical accounts of God's faithfulness, grace, and mercy as He interacts with His people. Recommended for ages 6 to 8.
Save up to 75% off the price of this book!
This 100% cotton, natural colored t-shirt features a screen print of a crown with the name of the music group, Casting Crowns, above it in red lettering.
Save
up to 75% on the price of this shirt!
NEW!Answers To Your Burning Questions About God
Are you witnessing to an unbeliever and need some super duper quick answers
about God and Jesus... like yesterday?
Get this f.r.e.e e-book and use it as a witnessing tool
to silence the doubters! Give it away to your friends!
><> Babe in Christ? Seeking answers about God? The Bossy Church Lady's website is packed with inspirational articles, tools,
resources and scriptures that will answer your questions about Jesus.
http://www.thebossychurchlady.net
><> Get a f.r.e.e e-book that will take you by the hand and explain everything you need to know about the end times! If you're a
webmaster, snag the book and give it away to your visitors!
http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/free_ebook.html
Until next time...
Love The Bossy Church Lady
To unsubscribe, go to http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/goodbye.html, enter your email address in the form and click the
unsubscribe button or use the link at the very bottom of this letter to
unsubscribe.
The Bossy Church Lady 9400 Elm Ct. Denver, CO 80260
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it."
Isaiah 45:7-8 (KJV)
This week, my church sent out a bulletin in order to share something totally
mind-boggling that puts our lives, especially our problems, into perspective. I
duplicated the letter and put it up on my website and also in this newsletter.
If you're receiving a plain text version of this email, I highly encourage you
to go onto my website and
take a humbling look at ourselves.If the link doesn't work, you can see the page by copying the following
URL into your browser: http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/look.html
Thank you to all of my subscribers, without you, the new Christian, this newsletter wouldn't exist. I would love to hear from you, but please do not
hit reply to contact me because I won't receive your response. If you need to contact me you can
email me at sandra @ thebossychurchlady.net (without the
spaces in the address).
I'd love to hear what you think! And, if you want to share something with the other readers in a future issue of this newsletter--such as a testimonial, or a poem, devotional,
a story that God has inspired you to write, or even
if you want to advertise your own site-- you
can send it to me at sandra @ thebossychurchlady.net (without the
spaces in the address).
Your privacy is important to me; therefore, I will not sell, rent, or give your name or
address to anyone. At any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe.
><>What Can We Christians Do To Bless Another? ><>A Humbling Look At Ourselves ><>The Recommended Daily Dose Of Spiritual Vitamins ><>Victory by Debra ><> Questions and Comments ><> Bible Trivia ><> Resources
What Can We Christians Do To Bless Another?
In the last newsletter, I asked if we could find anyone to bless in our communities.
In this issue, I thought I'd elaborate a bit on that idea and list
a few of the different things that we can do to bless someone else, to let the light
of Christ shine on. Below, I've listed some things that we can do for another without having to spend any money.
We can pray for
someone else. It can be about anything at all. Believe me: you don't
have to sound like the preacher or the prayer leader does on Sunday mornings. God responds to
honest, unselfish, heartfelt prayers from someone who is praying out of love. He's not interested in
fancy words, He's interested in the motivations behind the words so don't
worry about what to say. In my experience, God always answers when I ask Him
to swaddle someone in peace and love especially when they've had a bad day or
an off day. One or two people that I've prayed for told me that they don't
know what happened, but a feeling of peace stole over them. Try it, you'd be
surprised at how fast that God acts.
Another thing you
can do is pray for someone who is financially strapped. You'd be amazed at the
miracles that God works. After all, everything--even our money--belongs to Him
so it's His choice who He decides to bless with it. You can even ask Him to
bless another in a way that it's obvious to the recipient that the blessing
came from God. I love to hear people give the glory to God for every good
thing they receive.
We can help an
elderly person rake leaves or pull weeds in his or her yard. Before my neck went
out, I used to do this for my mother and my grandmother and it always
brightened their days. Almost nothing is more satisfying than helping another.
In this day and age, since it comes as a surprise whenever anyone does something for someone else
without expecting something in return, even if what you're doing seems like no
big deal to you, the
person you're helping will be grateful.
Let your small
children help you do something. Kids love to help with anything and
everything. Even if your children are only capable of putting a few leaves or
weeds into a trash bag, or helping to pick up the mess from wrapping Christmas
presents, you're still blessing your little ones by letting them help. Never
forget to thank your children for all of their
hard work and make sure to tell them that they did a great job. By doing these
things, you're
instilling values in them that will go a very long way, even into adulthood.
Making sure to thank them for their hard work encourages them to jump in
and help the next time, it empowers them to look for ways to help.
This one is such a
simple thing, yet so many of us overlook it due to our hectic lives: telling someone to
have a great day. You'd be amazed at how positively people respond when you tell them to
have a good day or a good evening. From first hand experience, I can tell you that working a customer service oriented job can be harrowing. Near the end of the day, it's hard to keep
that smile on your face. For the most part,
any position in the customer service field is a thankless job where you
oftentimes see
the worst of people. Some people can be downright rude and unless you have
thick skin, so to speak, it's difficult to bounce back from some of the insults
you receive.
Clerks, cashiers,
managers, waitresses and waiters are so used to telling their customers to have a good
day that they're pleasantly surprised when a customer tells them to
have a great day or evening. What's more, when you see their faces light up
and a smile instantly blossom, you
know you've done something good. You know that the light of Christ has just
shined upon that person. Don't forget about your children or husband or
wife too. By biding them a good day, you're wishing them well. Have you ever
heard about the "ripple effect"? This rule applies perfectly to this
situation. When someone is blessed, they in turn look for others to bless. Try
it... you'll see that you'll feel better yourself by doing this.
If someone you know
is sick or has just gotten out of the hospital, you can take them a meal or
help him or her around the house. You can run errands for him or her such
as grocery shopping, or running to pay a bill or two.
Sometimes I'll do little things like do a few loads of laundry for my sister-in-law or my mother-in-law or do their dishes when I know that they don't have the energy for it. The result: their days are brightened, they see the love of
Christ through my actions.
There are plenty of other things you can do to bless another that I haven't even thought of. Just listen for the Holy Spirit to prompt you on ways to bless another. If need be, go ahead and ask God to show you a way to bless someone else.
* Copyright 2008 Sandra Purdue. You may swipe anything I write as long as you leave the byline intact.
P.S., I received the following in one of my church newsletters so I thought I'd share it with everyone
else.
All this happen with one BIG BANG?
I don't thank so.
THIS is really fascinating -
it's rather dazzling to see it presented this way.
I CERTAINLY THOUGHT THIS WAS ENLIGHTENING.
BEYOND OUR SUN. IT'S A BIG UNIVERSE.
ANTARES IS THE 15TH BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY .
IT IS MORE THAN 1000 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
NOW HOW BIG ARE YOU? NOW
TRY TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND THIS
THIS IS A HUBBLE TELESCOPE ULTRA DEEP FIELD
INFRARED VIEW OF COUNTLESS
'ENTIRE'
GALAXIES
BILLIONS OF LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.
BELOW IS A CLOSE
UP OF ONE OF THE DARKEST REGIONS OF THE PHOTO ABOVE.
HUMBLING, ISN'T IT?
He knows how many hairs are on your head.
Matt. 10: 30
And not even a single sparrow dies apart from His will.
Matt. 10: 29
NOW
HOW BIG ARE YOU? AND HOW BIG ARE THE THINGS
THAT UPSET YOU TODAY?
AND HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD? KEEP LIFE IN
PERSPECTIVE.
AND DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!
IT'S ALL
UNDER CONTROL (Job 38)
* Copyright 2008 ?? Since I'm not sure who wrote and put together the above, I can't grant license to reprint it. It sure is cool though... at least I think so!
Even more amazing: "He determines the number of stars and calls them each by
name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit."
Psalm 147:4-5(NIV)
The Recommended Daily Dose Of Spiritual Vitamins
When we take a daily vitamin, we don't just take it one day a week and expect it to last the rest of the week. We take our vitamins every day in order to get our recommended daily dose of the vitamins and minerals that we need for the day, makes sense right?
Unfortunately, that's just what a lot of us Christians are doing. We're taking in enough spiritual vitamins on Sunday to last for Sunday only and then
wonder why that one dose isn't lasting the rest of the week. It doesn't work that way, it can't.
Here's what the ultimate physician, Jesus, ordered: Abide in me and I in you (John 15:1-8). If we abide in Jesus by spending one-on-one time with Him in prayer, reading from our Bibles,
reading a daily devotional,
or listening to a sermon every day, we'll always receive the necessary dose of spiritual vitamins that we need every day.
Verse to consider:
John 15:1-8
* Copyright 2008 Sandra Purdue A.K.A. The Bossy Church Lady. You may swipe anything I write as long as you leave the byline intact.
Victory
by Debra
Do you know victory? Have you been in that dark abyss of lost depravity and experienced the utter joy of Christ’s hand pulling you out into the daylight? Few have.
Sadly, there is more talk of victory than experience. We casually speak about freedom in Jesus and deliverance from sin, but too often we do not grasp the magnitude of deliverance or the cost of remaining where we are.
The Israelites knew bondage. Egypt’s Pharaoh despitefully used God’s people and broke their backs and wills with his labor. Sweat dropped from their brows and tears stained their aging faces. They groaned under the weight of their bondage and despaired in their captivity.
Have you groaned and despaired in the captivity of sin? Any sin can become bondage when we do not repent and we continue in it. In fact, each time we repeat a sin, we give the devil more power over us. Unrepented sin really can consume us and bring us into a dark abyss because sin separates us from God. If we are born again and have a secure position with God, we can still interrupt our relationship with Him with unrepented sin. (Note that true repentance requires a turning away from sin.)
This can continue in a downward spiral which produces a stronghold. A spiritual stronghold is much like a physical stronghold. Think of a medieval castle filled with men flaunting arrows, boiling oil and other weapons. Usually, a castle was also perched on a hill and often surrounded by water. This was a stronghold and an attacking army was at a serious disadvantage; such a stronghold was very, very difficult to overcome. I recently traveled to Scotland and visited a few castles. It amazed me to realize that such a fortress was ever overcome. Repetitive sin produces just such a spiritual stronghold.
In fact, you and I are powerless to overcome a spiritual stronghold. Even if we somehow manage to discontinue the physical sin itself, i.e. stop using illicit drugs, we can never free ourselves from the power we have given this sin over us. And it is rare that we are even able to stop the outward behavior. As the apostle Paul says, speaking of sin in general, in Romans 7:24, What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Are you wretched? Have you been locked into a sin from which you’ve found no escape? It can be anything: overeating, smoking, drunkenness, gossip, fornication, the list is endless. People find themselves wanting to be free, but completely bound in captivity to the one thing they want to stop most. Why? Because each time we repeat a sin we give the devil more power over us in that area. We literally build a stronghold in our spirit. Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey---whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness. (Romans 6:16 emphasis mine)
So are we forever lost in the darkness, falling in the abyss? No! Paul continues, Thanks be to God---through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25a) We cannot free ourselves from strongholds anymore than the ancient Israelites could free themselves from Egypt, but our deliverer is Jesus Christ and he is more than able to set us free. He does, however, require our cooperation.
First, we admit to the Lord we have allowed the devil to produce a stronghold in us and that we are powerless to overcome it. Second, we confess the sin and ask Jesus to forgive us and set us free. Third, we stop both thinking about the sin and doing the sin. Fourth, we find scripture which addresses the issue and read it, out loud, every day. Fifth, we ask the Holy Spirit to give us the power to resist the sin and we rededicate ourselves to following the road of righteousness and freedom, every day. Finally, we believe that Christ can and will deliver us. If you don’t have that faith, ask the Lord for it and He will give it to you. If we fall, we get back up, confess, and once again turn from the sin.
Just as you built the stronghold one occurrence at a time, through the power of Christ you destroy the power one victory at a time. Every time you are obedient in thought and/or action, you break a piece out of that castle called a stronghold. Some people seem to tear it down quickly as if with a wrecking ball and some slowly stone by stone. But remember, victory is always worth the effort and time. And there is nobody and no sin which is too powerful for Jesus. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Too many Christians live without victory and power in their lives. They know that they shouldn’t sin but have no idea how to conquer it. Many give up and assume it’s hopeless and that they just need to go on the best they can with that heavy bag of sin dragging behind them everywhere they go and keeping them from leaping with the joy and strength of the Lord. This ought not to be. Jesus wants us to be free!
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 emphasis mine)
Q. If God knows what we're going to pray for, then why ask for anything in
the first place?
A. The Bible tells us that we have not because we ask not (James 4:2).
Not to mention, it doesn't hurt us one bit to humble ourselves and ask God for whatever we need.
Bible Trivia
In the last issue, we unscrambled the following word: seesign to form the word "Genesis"
New Question:
Fill in the blank: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of _____ "
><> F.r.e.e witnessing materials: Learn how to communicate God's Word to people of the Buddhist, Wicca, and Hindu faith! They’ll even teach you how to witness to Islamists. These downloadable, printable pamphlets are excellent resources for those witnessing to others for Christ. Go to:
http://www.contenderministries.org/tracts/tracts.php
><> Written by Jon Walker, a superb writer for Christ, who is the resident writer at GraceCreates.com and who also writes “The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals”, the powerful devotionals at GraceCreates.com cut to the heart of the matter and always leave you feeling closer to God. Go to:http://www.gracecreates.com/subscribe and sign up to receive his devotionals in your email.
><>
Dating God's Way
When I found myself a Believer and
single after a break-up, I found it difficult
to sort through my Christian values and
reality. This book is a handbook for
anyone struggling with the need to meet
someone and honor God at the same
time. http://www.lulu.com/visionhopemag
Does your husband, boyfriend, or teenage son hate going to church? Are the men in your congregation sitting there in the pews with their arms crossed and their lips pursed? Discover how your church can encourage participation by even the most stubborn of men. Without even realizing it, the men in your church will be active, willing participants who can’t wait for next Sunday to come around.
Save
up to 75% on the price of this book!
In this remarkable best-seller, Rick Warren will help
you understand God's purpose and plan for your life so that you can learn to live the life for which you were created. The book is
divided into forty short chapters so that it can either be read as a personal devotional or studied in a small group setting. Don't let
yourself or your family and friends go without this life-transforming book! For additional resources, visit the Purpose-Driven
Life Shop.
Save
up to 75% on the price of this book!
P.S., Once I read The Purpose Driven Life book, I saw why it's a hot seller! Packed with scripture to back up Rick Warren's claims, this little book really helps with spiritual growth! The Bossy Church Lady.
NEW!Answers To Your Burning Questions About God
Are you witnessing to an unbeliever and need some super duper quick answers
about God and Jesus... like yesterday?
Get this f.r.e.e e-book and use it as a witnessing tool
to silence the doubters! Give it away to your friends!
><> Babe in Christ? Seeking answers about God? The Bossy Church Lady's website is packed with inspirational articles, tools,
resources and scriptures that will answer your questions about Jesus.
http://www.thebossychurchlady.net
><> Get a f.r.e.e e-book that will take you by the hand and explain everything you need to know about the end times! If you're a
webmaster, snag the book and give it away to your visitors!
http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/free_ebook.html
Until next time...
Love The Bossy Church Lady
To unsubscribe, go to http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/goodbye.html, enter your email address in the form and click the
unsubscribe button or use the link at the very bottom of this letter to
unsubscribe.
The Bossy Church Lady 9400 Elm Ct. Denver, CO 80260
"He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me." Psalm 18:19 (NIV)
Isn't it comforting to know that if we call on the Lord, no matter where we are,
no matter what we've done, He will stretch out His mighty hand and rescue us?
I was listening to KLove one day last week and listened to a caller who has 4 kids talk about how much that God has blessed her and her family. One of their children,
her seven-year-old, has Leukemia.
In spite of their financial hardships, they have yet to do without: God has provided for their every need! Recently, when they were low on groceries and had no money,
the Lord let them win a new freezer full of food!
God has been blessing them in so many ways that this woman couldn't help but tell
others.
Can you find someone in your community to bless... to shine the light of Christ on?
Thank you to all of my subscribers, without you, the new Christian, this newsletter wouldn't exist. I would love to hear from you, but please do not
hit reply to contact me because I won't receive your response. If you need to contact me you can
email me at sandra @ thebossychurchlady.net (without the
spaces in the address).
I'd love to hear what you think! And, if you want to share something with the other readers in a future issue of this newsletter--such as a testimonial, or a poem, devotional,
a story that God has inspired you to write, or even
if you want to advertise your own site-- you
can send it to me at sandra @ thebossychurchlady.net (without the
spaces in the address).
Your privacy is important to me; therefore, I will not sell, rent, or give your name or
address to anyone. At any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe.
><>Just Turn and walk away ><>The Promised Land ><>Raise Your Hand If You Want To Be Poor! ><>Gospel of Matthew - Chapter 7 - Discreetness By Paul George ><> Questions and Comments ><> Bible Trivia ><> Resources
Just Turn and walk away
There I wept, couldn’t hold back the tears
The burden of my sin, just too many years
"Have no fear now. My blood covers you."
"You’re one of my own children too."
But I didn’t believe Him
Said I have too much sin
Nothings left now, just turn and walk away
"I'll never leave you. I'm here to stay."
Though I’m drowning in the sea of sin
A prisoner, freedom, I’ll never win
"Just take my hand."
"I’ll lead you to the Promised Land."
But I didn’t believe Him
Said I have too much sin
Nothings left now, just turn and walk away
"I'll never leave you. I'm here to stay."
Can’t see through myself, the pit of self-centeredness
I can’t see You, Lord, my life is such a mess
"If you’d just trust Me,"
"You’ll see that you’re already free."
But I didn’t believe Him
Said I have too much sin
Nothings left now, just turn and walk away
"I'll never leave you. I'm here to stay."
My doubts are crowding out your love for me
How can I know? How can I see?
"It’s okay, yeah, I love you anyways."
"Though you don’t feel it, I love you even today."
But I didn’t believe Him
Said I have too much sin
Nothings left now, just turn and walk away
"I'll never leave you. I'm here to stay."
The Day of Judgment now here I stand
I see my mistakes now, in the pit I’ll land
"Have no fear now. You’re already mine."
"I can see you, like a star you shine."
But I didn’t believe Him
Said I have too much sin
Nothings left now, just turn and walk away
"I'll never leave you. I'm here to stay."
He opened my eyes
Made me see through the lies
There He stands, His arms open wide
I’m so grateful He never lied
* Copyright 2008 Sandra Purdue. You may swipe anything I write as long as you leave the byline intact.
The Promised Land
When God calls us out of our old lives, He wants us to move forward in Him
believing that He is there with us every step of the way. He wants us to have simple, raw,
child like faith that He will push, pull, or drag us through whatever He has in mind for us so we'll reach
The Promised Land.
Unfortunately, a lot
of us are too terrified to
take a step forward. We're too afraid to march onward like the soldiers He
wants us to be.
Those of us who can't or won't trust God to get us through, those who lack faith
in Him will remain bound up and manacled, prisoners of something unseen by our human eyes, but very real nonetheless. Something that the enemy uses against us to cause us to distrust the Lord, to
cause us to hesitate when He calls us to move, to nearly destroy us just when we're on the edge of a breakthrough. That weapon is called doubt. Others call it disbelief.
If we give in to our doubts, we'll never fully experience the freedom that the Lord promised. We'll never know the awesome power of God and the depth of His love for us.
Looking at the ancient Israelites, it's easy to see that they're not much different than we are today. For example, when God promised them that He would lead them to "the land filled with milk and honey", they expected Him to immediately
take them there. What they didn't realize was that their hearts, their minds, their spirits needed to be prepared before they entered that land. That journey costed them extra time. About 40 years worth of time.
Why?
Because they were too stubborn to unreservedly trust God. Just like us Christians today, when
the future began to look
a little scary, when it seemed like things were about to go awry, they
questioned God's motivations. Their minds surely told them that if they followed God,
if they trusted where He was leading them, then they'd meet destruction.
If we give in and pay attention to the doubts that our minds are constantly
spewing forth, if we begin to wonder if God is leading us down the wrong path in
order to punish us, it'll be next to impossible to believe what God promised in
Jeremiah 29:11. We'll be like the ancient Israelites who asked Moses: "Hast thou
taken us away to die in the wilderness?" as they reached the border of freedom.
If we don't silence our doubts, then we'll never fully trust in the fact that God has only what is best for us in mind. Our doubts about the Lord's intentions will pull us away from Him faster than you can say the word "gone".
"For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness,"
the Israelites told Moses. Just like them, we Christians have a tendency to look
back and think about better days, but if we do, we'll never see what's ahead of
us. We'll never cross that finish line into The Promised Land.
We need to have the faith of Moses: even though things looked bad, when the
Israelites were staring death in the face, when their backs were to the sea, and
they were facing an imminent onslaught by the Egyptian army, rather than melt with fear, Moses confidently told the Israelites, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day."
Did they believe that God would bail them out? Not on your life! They had yet to experience the awesome power of God, the miraculous power of the God of the universe. In their limited experience, they hadn't seen all that He can and will do for His children.
Just like the Israelites, in our finite understanding, when we experience doubt, rather than look to God and wait on Him to strut His stuff,
we oftentimes voice our fears.
When the Israelites saw that God had parted the sea so they could walk across to safety on dry land,
not unlike we Christians of today, they probably stood there, gaping open-mouthed and wanting to trust Him completely, wanting to run straight through, but at the last second, hesitating, worried that God would let the sea come crashing down on them when they were halfway across. Their minds replaying all of their sins, terrified that God had brought them out there so He could use that occasion to punish them for their sins.
When the end seems to be in sight, we tend to wonder what we'll have to go through next. What
we can't see, but God can, is when we're on the border of a breakthrough and we just need a little nudge in the right direction.
Once they crossed the sea on dry land, God proved to them that He was there with them when He let the sea fall back into place and decimate the
Egyptians, utterly destroying their enemies who were bent on killing them.
He still does the same for us today. He still destroys our enemies, whether they
be Egyptians, or something else that causes us to sin.
In Joshua 1:5, God promised that He would never
forsake the Israelites. That promise applies to us in the here and now. Just like the
Israelites, He will never
desert us, He
will guard us night and day.
He will be there to light our way, never allowing us to travel down that road to
destruction.
In Matthew 28, Jesus promised: "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Rather than give in to the spirits of fear
and mistrust, which come from the enemy, let's move boldly into The Promised Land, trusting fully in the love of God.
Let's step forward, believing wholeheartedly that He wants only the best for His children.
* Copyright 2008 Sandra Purdue A.K.A. The Bossy Church Lady. You may swipe anything I write as long as you leave the byline intact.
Raise Your Hand If You Want To Be Poor!
Poverty can strike anyone at any time. Things happen in life, whether through the fault of the stricken or due to outside influences
beyond the sufferers control, things happen. As I read an article called "How to Preach about Poverty" written by Dale Hanson
Bourke, I was hit over the head, hard. * "After talking to people and scratching beneath the surface," Dale said, "I discovered that
many Christians believe that people are poor because they don’t work very hard, lack good values, or aren’t really motivated.
There is an underlying assumption that poor people are different from the rest of us."
I had to ask myself: "Could we Christians really have that kind of an attitude about the poor?" I looked hard, searched deep within
my own heart following that, and as sad as it is to say, I used to look down my nose at certain people, yes, even the poor. In the
following article, I'll show you five different scenarios or faces of poverty. At the end of this article, I pray that you'll be able to see
for yourself why looking down on the poor can hinder our walk with Christ.
Scenario number one: Imagine that you're a woman with two small children and you're a victim of domestic violence. As
he's beating the stuffing out of you, or one of your children, the most terrifying threat that he's ever uttered rings in your ears once
again: "If you ever leave, I'll find you and when I do, I'll kill you." Because of that threat, even if you had family or friends who were
willing and able to take you and your children in and help you out, you're too afraid to put them at risk.
With no other alternatives ahead of you, though you're facing homelessness, possibly even worse, almost anything looks better to
you than your children witnessing your husband beat you--or perhaps them--on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis. You wait until
after your husband has fallen asleep or has gone to work the following day to flee. In desperation, you take your kids and run with
only the clothing on your backs; you didn't have enough time to pack anything because you know that your husband will either call at
lunchtime to make sure you're home waiting for him or awaken in the night to discover you and the children missing and you need
every precious minute to put as much distance between him and you.
You run to a faraway place, to a different state, where you pray daily that your abusive husband won't ever find you. What else
could you do but go to the state and ask for help? Until you can get a job that'll pay you enough to support yourself and your
children, though it's humiliating, you find yourself living on food stamps and possibly welfare.
People suggest that you get him for child support, but you refuse for fear that he'll find you or worse: he'll gain visitations with your
children every other weekend and beat them. Think taking him to court is an option? Forget it... you don't have the money to hire
an attorney, let alone put food on the table.
How could her poverty be her own fault?
Scenario number 2: You're a picture of perfect health, you're proud because you've never missed a day of work. Your
supervisor has told you that you're next in line for a promotion because you're the best worker he has. One day, you wake up and
you're feeling a little sick. You go to work and by the end of the day, you're so sick that you're considering a trip to the emergency
room. The following week your doctor informs you that the tests came back positive: you have cancer. The following month, your
bank account is drained from the co pays that you've been paying for your cancer treatments, your medications, your regular bills.
How would you respond if someone called you lazy, or different, or unmotivated?
Scenario number 3: You're driving to work one day and the traffic on the freeway ahead has come to a complete stop, so
you stop. If you don't you'll rear end the person ahead of you. Just as your waiting for the traffic to move again, you're slammed
from behind, hard. Following that, due to the pain, you're helpless to do much, even getting dressed in the mornings has become a
challenge.
How would you feel if someone told you that you were lazy, or lack good values because you can't work?
Scenario number 4: Imagine, if you will, being a parent and being forced to decide whether to buy dinner or put gasoline in
your car so you can get to work, the only job you could find that you're qualified for. Deciding to put food on the table, now you
have no other choice but to hitchhike to work and back, which will only add several additional hours to your already long commute.
You'd go to college, train for a better job, but you have to care for your sick spouse and children, or your aging parents, when you
return home. You're exhausted and there's no end in sight.
Does it make you lazy because you're not trying to train for a better career?
Scenario number 5: Imagine being elderly, only getting a meager three-hundred dollar social security check and, knowing
that because you've been having to cut your blood pressure pills in half, you're facing imminent stroke or heart attack. You're left
with no other options if you want to eat or pay for electricity, or pay the property taxes on your home so it doesn't go up for auction
and you thank God for what little you do have. You figure that a little help with your sky-high blood pressure is better than nothing.
Sure, you've seen those ads for the free medicine, but you can't spare the twenty dollars for each prescription that the company still
demands, claiming it's for "other expenses incurred". And don't consider your sickly middle-aged son or daughter for financial help
because they're barely making ends meet themselves.
Does this make you a loser?
This poverty is very real folks... it's happening in our neighborhoods, in the schools that our kids are attending, in the
elderly woman's home just up the street. No one wants to be homeless, penniless, or any other terrible thing that can happen in
life; things just happen. The majority of the people who are ill, injured or are facing other terrible financial circumstances would
give just about anything to be productive, to be able to care for their family financially, but they can't. The people who are living
examples of the above scanarios should never be considered lazy, careless, or even worthless.
Please, don't treat a poor person with contempt. Treat the poor like you yourself would want to be treated because any of the above
scanarios could happen to you. Your life could be changed for better or worse in the blink of an eye. As Christians, we need to live
what Jesus taught us in Matthew 25 where He said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye
have done it unto me." If we look down on the poor, we're looking down on Jesus. Most of all, since God made them too, He loves
them too; therefore, let's treat them like dearly beloved family members because that's who they really are in Jesus.
More than anything above, the thing I want you to do the next time you see a poor person, or even someone who is homeless is to
bring the following verse to mind: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
(Hebrews 13:2 KJV)
At the very least, I hope you will take this article to heart because it could
literally change the face of Christianity and make us more Christ-like.
* Quote taken from an article by Dale Hanson Bourke called: "How to Preach about Poverty"
http://www.pastors.com/
Verse to consider:
Luke 9:58
* Copyright 2008 Sandra Purdue A.K.A. The Bossy Church Lady. You may swipe anything I write as long as you leave the byline intact.
Gospel of Matthew - Chapter 7 - Discreetness
by Paul George
Matthew 7:6
"Don't give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."
In this commandment "Don't give that which is holy to the dogs" or "throw your pearls before the pigs" is a command not to give to the dogs that which is dedicated to the service of God and set apart for the service of God or throw to the pigs the precious things that come from God, His ordinances and free gifts are precious things.
In this command Jesus is not referring to the animals the Jews regarded as unclean, disgusting, fowl, loathsome, vile, He was referring to the stiff-necked, unwilling to submit to the will of God. The enemies of the gospel. The haters of truth and righteousness. Those incapable of appreciating the precious things that comes from God. The presumptuously self-confident, self-assured, self-righteous. The extremely contemptible vile. Those who walk in the ways of the sinners. Those who have sat down in the seat of the scornful. Those who hate and despise instructions, counseling, and rebukes. Those who defy God's law. The irrecoverable and irreclaimable wicked. Those who return with the dog to his own vomit. Those who return with the washed pig to her wallowing in the mire. Those who follow the immoral ways of the false prophet and teacher. The ungodly and unrighteous. Those who refuse to conform to the standard of what is right and good. Those who refuse to conform to the high standard of morality or virtue. The roadside soil in Jesus' parable of the sower (Matthew 13:4). The rocky and thorny soil in Jesus' parable of the sower (Matthew 13:5, 7). The tare planted in the wheat field.
Before His ascension into heaven Jesus told the apostles, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations," these are not the dogs and pigs.
The command do not throw your pearls before pigs is not a reference to animals but a reference to men lacking in the ability to understand the truth. Lacking in the ability to understand the truth they trample the truth under their feet.
The command do not give that which is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs does not mean the disciples are not to preach the gospel to the wicked and profane. The reference is to the unwilling to submit to the will of God after the gospel was preached to them and then now speak profane and abusive word about God and persecute the messengers of God. This should come as no surprise to the messengers of God.
When Jesus sent the apostles to the lost sheep of the house of Israel He told them He was sending as sheep in the midst of wolves (Matthew 10:16). Jesus told the disciples they would be insulted, persecuted, and all kinds of evil said against them "because of Me" (Matthew 5:11).
The reason for not giving that which is holy to dogs and not to throw your pearls before pigs is revealed in verse 6, "Lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."
Is this an excuse for not preaching and teaching the gospel? While this is not an excuse for not preaching and teaching the gospel it refers to the method we need to use in the preaching and teaching of the gospel in an evil generation; we need to use discreetness. This does not mean we are to candy coat the gospel message so that it will tickle the ears of the rejecters of the truth.
In the preaching and teaching of the gospel we will find those whose heart has become hardened by their continually rejection of the truth and the calling of the Holy Spirit. Through their rejection of the grace of God they have moved farther and farther away from the presence of the Holy Spirit and they can no longer hear His calling. Whatever we say can do one of two things; it can create anger and rage in the hardened heart. That anger and rage can drive the individual farther away and can also result in the individual taking the anger and rage out upon us. This can be accomplished in one of two ways; a physical attack or an attack upon our name and character.
That is why when we encounter one who has continually rejected the call to repent and believe the gospel we must rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit in dealing with the individual. This will also require the use of discreetness.
Many a soul has been driven away from the grace of God because someone has not been led by the Holy Spirit to speak to the person and has approached the individual with a condemning attitude.
Jesus said we are not give that which is holy to dogs or throw our pearls before pigs. If we give that which is holy to those who are haters of the truth and righteousness, enemies of the gospel they would not know what to do with them. This is why Paul told the Corinthians he wanted to feed them meat, the deeper things concerning God, but he had to feed them milk because they were not capable of understanding the deeper things concerning God.
The pearls Jesus said we are not to throw before pigs include the deeper things about God that those who are not capable of understanding. When these deeper things concerning God are thrown before them, not able to understand them they trample under their feet.
Discreetness is a quality in a person that allows him to choose the sensible course and the Holy Spirit can use that quality as a means of bringing the sinner to place where he realizes there is one solution to the situation he is in and that is the blood of Jesus Christ.
A.
The Bible says that God gives everyone the same measure of faith. But how do we arrive at the point of
being absolutely certain that God can and will do what He promised, that He will take care of us
and love us despite everything that happens or will happen?
By knowing God intimately. By hearing His promises. And by applying His promises to our lives.
In Romans 10, we discover that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. A lot of us Christians think that what Paul said only applies to unbelievers; however,
what he said also applies to us who are already believers. See, when we’re given the faith to believe, not only are we hearing the promises that God made with our ears, but we’re also hearing His Word with our hearts and our spirits. And when we believe God’s Word, our thinking changes; His Word becomes intertwined with our everyday thinking and our faith is increased. As our faith grows, we begin to automatically apply His promises to our own lives and we no longer doubt His power and His depth of love for us.
When our faith is increased, we begin to see that the promises that God made not only pertain to the men and women of old, but they’re also for us as well, they apply those of us who are living in the here and now.
Another way to increase our faith is by experience.
In Luke 12:24, Jesus said: “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?” Despite this, even us believers can derail our own faith by believing that if we don’t take care of everything ourselves, then no one else will, but that kind of thinking is flawed. Perhaps this thinking came from society.
See what I’m saying?
I grappled with Luke 12:24 for a long time. I was constantly worried about putting food on the table, buying clothing for my kids, and everything else. Because I didn’t listen fully to what He promised, I worked like a dog to provide everything for myself, I never enjoyed life. I didn’t trust God completely.
Finally, as I learned to step back and quit trying to do everything myself, and I began to trust in the Lord to provide me with everything I needed, the Lord came through each time. As a consequence, my faith increased. Hopefully, you’ll learn far sooner than I did that if you’ll step back and let God take care of you, He will indeed fulfill His promises in your life too. I pray that soon you’ll be able to say with absolute certainty: “It’s the Lord Who takes care of me, not me.”
Listen, my own mother, who claimed that she was an atheist up until she was near death, had absolute faith in God. She knew without a doubt that God would come through for her and He always did. If she can have faith like that, then so can we.
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said: “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (KJV) The key here is to realize that it’s not us moving those mountains, but God. Apart from God, we can do nothing. If we’ll just step back and let Him strut His stuff in our lives, miracles will happen. If we step back, take our own egos out of the equation, and let Him fulfill the promises He made then those mountains will be moved and our tiny little mustard seed of faith that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 20 will grow into a huge tree.
Verses to consider:
1 Pet.3:9
Romans 1:17
Romans 8:1-39
Q. Will God still hear me even if I'm not very good at praying?
A. Yes. Even if we don’t pray eloquently, even if we don’t pray like the greatest prayer warriors, or pray like the preacher does on Sunday mornings, we can be confident that the Lord will hear our prayers. How do I know? In Romans 8, the apostle Paul said that even if we don’t know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. He goes to God on our behalf.
Bible Trivia
The answer from the last edition is
the world. John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (KJV)
New Question:
New Question:
Unscramble the following word: seesign
><> Free witnessing materials: Learn how to communicate God's Word to people of the Buddhist, Wicca, and Hindu faith! They’ll even teach you how to witness to Islamists. These downloadable, printable pamphlets are excellent resources for those witnessing to others for Christ. Go to:
http://www.contenderministries.org/tracts/tracts.php
><>
Dating God's Way
When I found myself a Believer and
single after a break-up, I found it difficult
to sort through my Christian values and
reality. This book is a handbook for
anyone struggling with the need to meet
someone and honor God at the same
time. http://www.lulu.com/visionhopemag
Did you get my scary looking book on the end times yet? Now there are three ways to read it:
MS Word format, on
my website and in
PDF format. Don't let the cover fool you; I didn't embellish or elaborate too much
when I talked about the judgments in this book so the content is not as scary as the cover.
(Make sense?--well, at least it does to me.)
P.S., You can give the book away to anyone you want... you can even print it out and use it
as a witnessing tool with your non-believer friends or family.
NEW!Answers To Your Burning Questions About God
Are you witnessing to an unbeliever and need some super duper quick answers
about God and Jesus... like yesterday?
Get this free e-book and use it as a witnessing tool
to silence the doubters! Give it away to your friends!
><> Babe in Christ? Seeking answers about God? The Bossy Church Lady's website is packed with inspirational articles, tools,
resources and scriptures that will answer your questions about Jesus.
http://www.thebossychurchlady.net
><> Get a free e-book that will take you by the hand and explain everything you need to know about the end times! If you're a
webmaster, snag the book and give it away to your visitors!
http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/free_ebook.html
Until next time...
Love The Bossy Church Lady
To unsubscribe, go to http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/goodbye.html, enter your email address in the form and click the
unsubscribe button or use the link at the very bottom of this letter to
unsubscribe.
The Bossy Church Lady 9400 Elm Ct. Denver, CO 80260
![[]](http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm123/thebossychurchlady/image1.jpg)
![[]](http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm123/thebossychurchlady/image2.jpg)
![[]](http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm123/thebossychurchlady/image3.jpg)
![[]](http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm123/thebossychurchlady/image4.jpg)
![[]](http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm123/thebossychurchlady/image5.jpg)
![[]](http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm123/thebossychurchlady/image6.jpg)
![[]](http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm123/thebossychurchlady/image7.jpg)
![[]](http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm123/thebossychurchlady/be_happy.jpg)
P.S., 
