Empathy

Most in prison have lost everything, usually from their own doing. Victims can be inconsolable, needing the restoration of Christ’s love. The dynamics go hand in hand. We are all prisoners and victims to some degree. Hebrews 13:3 says empathy is a necessary and holy love.

Hebrews 13:3 (MSG)  3 ...Regard prisoners as if you were in prison with them. Look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you....  

10/28/2018

Battles

Hamstringing horses is unthinkable, but in this scripture there is symbolic meaning.  Put your energy forces into God’s wisdom and power, not your human based abilities.  God wants you to cut the hamstrings off anything that powers or motivates you that is not of him.

 

Joshua 11:9 (NIV) 9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.

10/21/2018

Prayer

You personally are not what other people need to make their lives right. Jesus needed time alone with his Father to ask what his will was and the courage to follow it. Alone, he rested in God. Pray to God for the same for yourself and only then for other situations and people.

Mark 1:35-37 (NIV)  35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

10/17/2018

Fear of God

The term fear of God is used more than 100 times in the Bible. Some bristle and say fear is not healthy in relationships but in the Bible it is positive. A deep reverence for the Creator and of right and wrong, even if you aren’t aware of it, benefits everyone.

Exodus 20:20 (NIV)  20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

10/14/2018

Men and Women

Men and women need each other as God made both. The differences are complimentary. Talking men or women down or being competitive is not fruitful. All are made by God, belong to God and God gives each their purpose from conception to death.

1 Corinthians 11:11-12 (TLB) 11 But remember that in God’s plan men and women need each other. 12 For although the first woman came out of man, all men have been born from women ever since, and both men and women come from God their Creator.

10/7/2018

Honesty

Luke 16:10 isn’t just about being honest when others can see. It includes being honest with yourself and God. Honesty reaches all aspects of your life, secular and spiritual. Being trustworthy in your word and actions is a base of all positive growth and outcomes in your life.

Luke 16:10 (TLB)  10 ... For unless you are honest in small matters, you won’t be in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.

9/30/2018

Fear

After 40 years, the Israelites were across the river from the Promised Land and they froze up in fear, afraid to step into God’s promises. Those who incited the fear were struck dead before the Lord. Strike your fears dead, before the Lord, when you doubt or lose faith.

Numbers 14:36-38 (TLB)  36-38 Then the ten spies who had incited the rebellion against Jehovah by striking fear into the hearts of the people were struck dead before the Lord. Of all the spies, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive.

9/23/2018

Good and Evil

One of the first central lessons of the Bible is the Tree. When God restricted eating from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil, he was saying that he, not mankind, would determine what was good and evil. Let God tell you what is good and what is not. You won’t regret it.

Genesis 2:16-17 (MSG) 16-17 God commanded the Man, “You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don’t eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you’re dead.”

9/16/2018