It All Comes From There

Today’s post is a little bit of thought about Matthew 6:31-33 (ESV). “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

As I was reading this one day, I got the coolest revelation, and it made me much more mindful about food, drink, clothing, etc. This passage, when we put it in a personal context of soul prosperity, or spiritual balance and wellness, tells us a couple of things. First, God does do things right. Meaning, He wants us to eat and drink for our health; exercising self control and good sense. Our clothing should fit us, not only physically, but they should also reflect our personal style and preference. They should make a statement about whom and whose we are.

How can we do this? Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, means finding out what He has to say about good health, strength, and vitality. When we line our hearts and minds up with, “love your neighbor as yourself,” and we begin to love ourselves, we begin to make better choices for ourselves. We begin to pay attention to the things that make us who we are, and we begin to develop those personal styles, which include food choices. I feel naked if I don’t have fries with my cheeseburger; so I always have fries, of course. As you get to know God better, you get to know yourself better, and discover those wonderful things. See, all those things will be added to you.

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Three Key Points

Today’s post addressees three key points that are needful for recovery and stability. The first is: Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

When I read this, keeping in mind what Jesus said about the kingdom of Heaven being within us, upon us, and at hand, I began to see things a little differently than I had learned to. Treasures that are important to successful living are not material or temporal. Yes, we need those things; they are necessities. But treasures are those things that turn minutes into moments, give us revelation and understanding, and strengthen us. They are those few moments spent on the patio early in the morning, sipping coffee and listening to the world wake up. Triumphs, special bonds to people, places, and things can be counted as treasures. The things we cherish and treasure become parts of our soul. It is these things that we will fight for, protect and defend, and hold on to with all our might. That’s why it’s important to have the right understanding of what treasure is. That brings us to the second key point: Matthew 6:22 (ESV) The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

This is a powerful revelation about misinformation and wrong attitudes. It reminds me of Jesus’ words, “I am the truth, the life, and the way.” We can grow up learning the wrong beliefs, which cause us to adopt the wrong attitudes, and develop the wrong thought processes and coping strategies. This creates a darkness that can hamper, hinder, and eventually destroy our lives completely. And all the while, we’re thinking we’re enlightened and know the truth. This is why it’s crucial that we know the truth, which we find in God’s Word.

Finally, we come to the fork in the road. Key point number three: Matthew 6:24 (ESV) No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

There’s a reason you can’t go out and party like the devil on Saturday night, till you don’t even know what you’re doing anymore…and now it’s Sunday morning, you’ve have 1 1/2 hours of sleep, don’t know who this guy next to you in bed is, and you’re supposed to be at church for choir warmup in and hour. You’re going to hate that it’s Sunday, hate that you have to go to church for choir, maybe hate that guy next to you, but surely hate yourself for losing control last night. It isn’t just about money; it’s about all things temporal and worldly. Paul said it best: All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful, and I won’t be mastered by anything. That’s why we need to know the truth, think the right thoughts, come to the right conclusions, and make the right choices. This is where that sin and iniquity checklist comes in handy. It can help us to see things more clearly, and make the right choices and changes.

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What Will You Create In My Heart

(Matthew 6:5-7) Jesus teaching us to pray can teach us something about correcting and teaching our children, First, don’t do it in public, or make a spectacle of it. That destroys dignity and hinders the ability to learn. (Matthew 6:19-21) Jesus speaks about storing up treasures for ourselves in Heaven, for where our treasure is, our hearts will be also. This is such a powerful revelation about what and how we should teach and correct our children. Not only this, but it says something about how we should treat one another. Secondly, keep it short and simple. I recall my dad’s lectures….Aagh! Once, I was in the living room, he was in the kitchen lecturing me. I actually got up, took a quick shower in the bathroom, and when I came out, he was still lecturing. He hadn’t even noticed I wasn’t answering him anymore. Supporting scriptures: (Matt. 13:3-9) , (Matt. 13-15) What happens when we do it the wrong way (Matt.13-19-23)

(Psalm 51:9-12) Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a rightspirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. The entire psalm is awesome in regard to the difficulty of changing our old habits, ways, even thinking. These verses, however, are a reminder of what that child feels when he/she is in trouble with Mom or Dad. Don’t hide your face from my fearful and needy little heart, Mom/Dad. Blot out my attitude/immaturity. Create in me a clean (bold, strong, and upright) heart that knows I’m still loved, still precious, and still ABLE! Stay with me through this so we can both rejoice in my victory! Actually, the victory belongs to all three of us, doesn’t it?!

That one statement: “take not your Holy Spirit from me,” is powerful. Jesus said, “He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31) ‘Nuff said? Yes, I was tearfully speechless when I got what a huge difference that one made in my own life. Once again, thank you, Lord, for my Oma. Love you so much, Oma!

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Saturday Silly – August 13, 2022

Ah, yes, I do so love enjoying time in the park. When I arrived at Sunset Park one morning last week, I noticed the geese were up by the road, visiting the people sitting there. I think they realized those folks were picnicking, and thought they were going to score some treats.

As I was passing by them, I heard a “hiss.” I said, “Is that one of you geese hissing?” Someone there answered and said, “No, it’s that lady there. She doesn’t like you, and she’s hissing at you. Are you scared?” “Scared,” I replied, “No, she doesn’t scare me; I’m used to that hissing. I grew up with four sisters who were airheads.”

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Yes, You Have Heard It…

(Matthew 5:21-48) “You have heard it said…” This gives us a confirmation that we humans are fallible at best. When you’re trying to reorder your life, one of the most important things you need to do is to look at what you have learned to do, how you’ve learned to do things, what you’ve been taught-even by yourself-to believe, and what attitudes you’ve adopted. We pass so much on to our children, in the way of attitudes, fears, beliefs, etc., and some of it isn’t all that great. Especially when you’re coming out of dysfunctional situations, whether from your childhood, or some other relationships, you need to remember that there is nothing, really, that does not affect you in some way. Misinformation and missing information (incomplete truth) can really mess you up. (Mk.7:6-8) And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” What you learned, the way you learned it, etc., isn’t written in stone-it can be changed. YAY!! (Matthew 5:20) (ESV) For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of Heaven, in your life here on Earth, is the mindset and heart for God’s ways; for order instead of chaos, for peace instead of turmoil and drama drama drama, for progress and positive growth that leads to powerful living. (Matthew 23:3) so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice what they preach. This is where we need to check to see if what we learned, heard, used to do, etc., lines up with what God says, and the way He does things. (Luke 11:34-36) Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” All that negative stuff, the old wounds, the old bad attitudes, and the fear(s) are darkness. When you begin to see and understand that, you begin to desire change. When you begin to see and understand things differently, you can begin to do things differently.

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When YOU Are That Child

This is actually part two to yesterday’s post. What do you do if you’re the one trying to get a better life? What do you do if you’re the one recovering from addiction, dysfunction, etc.? Go back and get the baby, and come on down to yourself, in Jesus’ Name.

(Matt. 5:4-11) (ESV)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons* (Huioi) of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

*5207 hyiós – properly, a son (by birth or adoption); (figuratively) anyone sharing the same nature as their Father. For the believer, becoming a son of God …(Strong’s Greek Concordance)

These are all promises from the Father in Heaven to us. If you grew up in dysfunctional circumstances, if you’ve been wounded by and in life, if you’ve wounded yourself through poor choices (drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, etc.), God loves you and has promised you that you can overcome all that stuff. (John 16:33) “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” The question(s) you need to ask yourself are: 1. Do you want healing? (John 5:5-8) 2. Are you hungry and thirsty for righteousness in your life? According to Wikipedia: Righteousness is the quality or state of being morally correct and justifiable. It can be considered synonymous with “rightness” or being “upright”. It can be found in Indian religions and Abrahamic traditions, among other religions, as a theological concept. It isn’t just a theological concept, though. It is the fruit of what we sow. What goes in comes out. So, if we want good things to come out, we must put good things in. That means learning new ways, adopting new attitudes, thinking new thoughts, and speaking new words and in new ways. We speak positively instead of negatively. 3. Are you merciful to yourself and others-especially those who helped you get to where you are? –for good or bad? Yes, we can get angry at those who pushed us or had a hand in that “fall-down” that ended up saving our lives.

To be pure in heart, when it comes to recovery of your life, means to be single-minded; to be sure. You must be so sure that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get it; even if it is just one step closer to freedom from bondage, dysfunction, fear, pain, etc. 4. Have you made peace with God? How about with yourself? And what about those ones back there in the past? I never could discuss my pain with my parents. I ended up writing them both letters after they had passed away. It was after I’d done this that I began to discover some things about their early lives that were connected, and influenced their adulthood.

You can bet that you will suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake! The powers and principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness will be busy, busy, busy in your life for a while. I can laugh now. I was often in tears then. But, as the verse promises, it’s a good sign to you that you’re winning the battle! Keep fighting!

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You Have To Come Down To Them

(Matthew 5:2-3) (ESV)

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.“

Have you ever heard the expression, “He/she is really high-spirited”? To be poor in spirit, in this case, means to be humble. Jesus, the King of kings, was humble. (Philippians 2:8) At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. What does this have to do with raising children? I thought about that once, about a year into the beginning of my serious Bible studies. What came to me was when Jesus was talking to his disciples about not being like the rulers of the Gentiles who lord it over them…”(Mark 10:42-43) (Matt. 18:1-4)As parents, we must be servants of all. This means we seek to aid our children in their growth. We encourage them, we instruct and guide them, and we comfort and console them when things don’t go as well as expected. Jesus set this example many times, but one of the best ones is found in (Luke 10:25-37) The parable of the good Samaritan, or the good neighbor.

I watched a special on reproduction once, and discovered that conception really is a miracle. The odds are stacked against that baby coming into this world; so you know God has to be blessing you and calling you to parenthood. (Genesis 18:19) You’ve been chosen to raise that child up.

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They Need To Know

Matthew 3:17

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

Their temperament, their expressions, their likes/dislikes, their antics, their favorite things to do, to eat, their favorite people, television shows, books, etc. All these things tell us about our sons and daughters. They are what make up their personality, move their heart and soul, and influence their minds. Have you noticed them? Each one of us is unique; there’s no one exactly like you. (Psalm 139:13) –For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

When we know our children intimately, we can help them grow into their gifts, their talents. We can guide them into their destinies. We can foster interests that will help them develop the skills they’ll need in certain vocations. Remember that refrigerator covered in pictures that Little Mr./Ms. Monet painted? One day, you may be attending a showing of his/her art pieces at a gallery. That kid that loves to play with Legos just might grow up to be an architect. Then there’s the little boy who loves everyone, hugs the neighborhood kids when they get hurt, and rushes out the door with a bag of cans for the little man who recycles. He might be a social worker, or maybe even the pastor of a church one day.

“This is my beloved Son/Daughter, in whom I am well pleased.” That’s an affirmation that means so much! I don’t remember hearing that daily. I don’t remember saying that daily. I’m sorry, Kids. Affirmations like this let us know who and whose we are.

The number one reason we need to know who and whose we are: So that we know what we can expect (what I have, what I can do), what’s expected of us, what we don’t do, and what we don’t tolerate.

Matthew 4:1-11 The temptation of Jesus, in the wilderness, by Satan

Don’t think for one second that Satan isn’t lurking around and just waiting for an opportunity to pull you down to his level. Yes, I said, “down to his level.” You see, the devil is beneath your feet. The example Jesus gives us here is that we need to check and see if it lines up with what God says. And Satan will try to twist the scriptures to confuse and lure you. It’s exactly what he did in the Garden of Eden with Eve. He didn’t deceive her about what God said. He did trick her into doubting God’s intentions toward her and His love for her. “For God know that when you eat of it, you’ll be like Him, knowing good and evil.” We are created in God’s image and after His likeness.. God told them if they ate of the tree they would surely die. Satan lied and told her she wouldn’t die. Yet, that death is a spiritual death. She and Adam were flesh, and lost that spiritual nature/life when they disobeyed. (Genesis 1:26-3:19) That’s why Jesus had to come and die for us. Through His death, He reconciled us to God, which restored our spiritual nature and gave us the power to become children of God. (John 3:16-17) (Romans 5:8-10)

A Great Stir Yourself Up

Psalm 150 wraps up our studies in Psalms. Tomorrow, we’ll move on to the Gospels and study some of Jesus’ teachings and how they apply to generational curses and parenting.

Psalm 150 (ESV)

Let Everything Praise the LORD

Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!

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The Real War

Psalm 148 is a beautiful psalm of praise to the LORD. The only thing I can say about this psalm is that our homes, work places, and really, our world should be filled with such joy! Please read it, and read it aloud with your family; it’s awesome! I’m moving on to Psalm 149.

Psalm 149 (ESV)

Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!
Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the LORD!

I want to focus on verses 6-9. The two-edged swords the psalm speaks of are The word of God, and The Word of God. He, Jesus, is our instructor, commanding officer, and our example. Those nations, peoples, kings, and nobles that we war against are those in the heavenly places; those in the spirit. (Eph. 6:12) The vengeance spoken of here is the vengeance of living as the head and not the tail, of living a better life, of overcoming the world and all the adversity it may have handed, or may still hand you. (John 16:33) The judgment that is written against our enemy is this: Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. (John 12:31) Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:7-11) The honor spoken of here is the baptism and presence of the Holy Spirit within the children of God. The honor is that we are children of God.

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