No matter what you are facing, you need His perspective in order to see your way through. I can give you my opinion all day but that won't help you one bit. You need to know what He says. His Word washes away the old man, our way of thinking… but we also choose our perspective by the words that we speak. We can either speak life or death into any circumstance we face.
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”
Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”
James 1:26 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.”
James 3:6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Psalm 120:2 “Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.”
Proverbs 10:31 “The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.”
Isaiah 28:11 “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
No wonder He speaks to us in another tongue… ours is so deceitful and wicked… unruly!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say...
I’ve been really convicted lately about my words… esp. with the passing of our sweet Bishop. I wonder if he ever had to repent of his idle words. I want to be careful with ever conversation.
Proverbs 17:9 “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.”
Gossip is killing us… sometimes it’s disguised as a prayer request. Just because something is true and you know about it, there is no need to repeat it. We tell ourselves it isn’t gossip if it’s true.
Psalm 15: 1-3 “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.”
I want to abide in His tabernacle, dwell in His holy hill… I want to guard my tongue.
Matthew 12:36But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
James 3:10 “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing…”
Proverbs 17:9 “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.”
Gossip is killing us… sometimes it’s disguised as a prayer request. Just because something is true and you know about it, there is no need to repeat it. We tell ourselves it isn’t gossip if it’s true.
Psalm 15: 1-3 “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.”
I want to abide in His tabernacle, dwell in His holy hill… I want to guard my tongue.
Matthew 12:36But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
James 3:10 “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing…”
Monday, June 28, 2010
Jesus, I'll Never Forget
This old song was always one of our Bishop's favorites. As you can tell, he has been on all our minds a lot lately. He is mentioned in every sermon, every Sunday school lesson, every conversation. He was quite a man and has left us with a convicting, gripping responsibility to do more in his absence. I will continue in the vein of thought from my post about the valley of remembrance. We have to remember what God has done in the past for us to remind us that He is still working for us now.
All throughout Psalm 78 we read of how God’s people provoked him in the wilderness (v 40)… they remembered not his hand nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy (or translates from affliction)… it goes on to tell all he did unto them and then, in verse 52 it says:
“But God made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.”
He is such a merciful God. No matter how much we fail Him, how much we get it wrong, we are always His sheep in need of a shepherd. That's how He sees us. We get bogged down feeling unworthy of His guiding hand… feeling that we’ve doubted Him when the waters got too high or the way seemed too rough. Here is a clear example of how He longs to lead His people safely and in the way that’s best for us. You’re only a breath of repentance away from His perfect divine plan.
What has always moved the heart of God? Repentance. He can’t help but rush in when we acknowledge our ignorance, our selfishness, our wrong choices, our weakness and lack of faith.
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
One more example... in Mark 9 a man brought to Jesus his son, who had a deaf and dumb spirit. This spirit would sometimes cast the boy into the fire. Jesus told the man, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." I love this part... the man was honest enough with Jesus to just cry out with tears and say, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." He acknowledged that he didn't quite have all the faith he needed. We don't have to have it all together. We just have to admit that to Him and watch Him work. By the way, He healed the child instantly. We won't forget!!!
All throughout Psalm 78 we read of how God’s people provoked him in the wilderness (v 40)… they remembered not his hand nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy (or translates from affliction)… it goes on to tell all he did unto them and then, in verse 52 it says:
“But God made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.”
He is such a merciful God. No matter how much we fail Him, how much we get it wrong, we are always His sheep in need of a shepherd. That's how He sees us. We get bogged down feeling unworthy of His guiding hand… feeling that we’ve doubted Him when the waters got too high or the way seemed too rough. Here is a clear example of how He longs to lead His people safely and in the way that’s best for us. You’re only a breath of repentance away from His perfect divine plan.
What has always moved the heart of God? Repentance. He can’t help but rush in when we acknowledge our ignorance, our selfishness, our wrong choices, our weakness and lack of faith.
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
One more example... in Mark 9 a man brought to Jesus his son, who had a deaf and dumb spirit. This spirit would sometimes cast the boy into the fire. Jesus told the man, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." I love this part... the man was honest enough with Jesus to just cry out with tears and say, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." He acknowledged that he didn't quite have all the faith he needed. We don't have to have it all together. We just have to admit that to Him and watch Him work. By the way, He healed the child instantly. We won't forget!!!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A Mighty Warrior Has Made It Home...
Psalm 116:15 "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. "
If possible, I think this verse is even MORE true for such a man as this. Our Bishop, Gerald Archie Mangun, went to be with his maker early this morning. He will be missed greatly but what an impact he has made on this world! There's no telling how many people will be in Heaven because of him. His focus was always on eternity. It affected everything he did, said and breathed... what an example for all of us to follow! We will give it our all, Bishop! We won't forget...
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Through The Sea
I've had surgery so I've been in somewhat of an abyss... a big black hole. That's the best way I know how to describe how I have felt.
The other night I had a dream in which I was being pulled through murky water. It was a place I didn't want to be. I felt like God was saying "this is the valley of remembrance" over & over. It was such a restless night. The next morning I couldn't stop thinking of it and looked up scriptures relating to "call to remembrance" and I found this:
Psalm 77:6 (Amplified) "I call to remembrance my song in the night; with my heart I meditate and my spirit searches diligently."
This chapter goes on and on talking about how surely God has forgotten and shut up His mercies... but then... he begins to call to remembrance what God has already done...
Verse 19 "Your way [in delivering Your people] was through the sea, and your paths through the great waters, yet Your footsteps were not traceable, but were obliterated."
Sometimes we may have to face the sea... with things looking as if our answer is not going to come... but just like He did for the children of Israel, He will take us right through the very thing that looks uncrossable. His ways are so much higher than ours. We can't always trace His steps or know what He's doing, but we have to know that He is ever guiding, leading and yes, sometimes "carrying" us.
The other night I had a dream in which I was being pulled through murky water. It was a place I didn't want to be. I felt like God was saying "this is the valley of remembrance" over & over. It was such a restless night. The next morning I couldn't stop thinking of it and looked up scriptures relating to "call to remembrance" and I found this:
Psalm 77:6 (Amplified) "I call to remembrance my song in the night; with my heart I meditate and my spirit searches diligently."
This chapter goes on and on talking about how surely God has forgotten and shut up His mercies... but then... he begins to call to remembrance what God has already done...
Verse 19 "Your way [in delivering Your people] was through the sea, and your paths through the great waters, yet Your footsteps were not traceable, but were obliterated."
Sometimes we may have to face the sea... with things looking as if our answer is not going to come... but just like He did for the children of Israel, He will take us right through the very thing that looks uncrossable. His ways are so much higher than ours. We can't always trace His steps or know what He's doing, but we have to know that He is ever guiding, leading and yes, sometimes "carrying" us.
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