Confession: I've Been Letting the "Thorns" Take Over

Hello everyone,

I have a confession.  The past several weeks I've been in thorny soil.  And, for whatever reason, I chose to stay there for awhile.

Some things didn't go as planned.
Other things went way off plan.
Things I needed to keep working broke down;
Tasks and work deadlines came in like an avalanche.

And I just let myself get all unhappy.
In addition, I chose to stay unhappy for nearly two whole weeks.

Why do I still do this - when I know better?
Why do many of us do this -- when we know better?

I was still praying. I was still in the Word. But I suppose I forgot that I should give all my worries to God. I didn't give him all the worries.

Instead of giving him the worries, I sort of just acted like the worries weren't really worries. Instead, they were just regular thorns in regular life. The type everyone deals with everyday. The kinds of worries and problems that would likely get better on their own, or would improve with passage of time.

Then, in an interesting turn of events, on Wednesday morning of this week, one of my own videos popped up for me. And there I was, talking to myself about my own problem.

Sigh.

I took the quick, daily spiritual assessment for myself; and I realized that I wasn't dealing with all my thorny problems in the right way.

Instead of taking my worries to God; I assumed things would get better on their own.
Instead of trusting Him; I just figured, "this was just the way things are going to be."

That is not the way He wants us to go through life, however. He wants us to take all our worries to Him, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).  He wants us to bring those anxieties to Him, so that He can guide us and lead us out of our focus on thorns; and into the harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, and self-control.

As we move into this Thanksgiving week, I challenge us all to identify all the little and big thorns we are allowing to scratch on us. Let's take those to the Lord and ask Him the following:

"Lord, please take away these thorns, or Lord, please help me to deal with these thorns in a better way, and with a better attitude, an attitude that is pleasing to you (and more pleasing to those around me too!)"

Below is a link to the former blog and video from this summer that turned up on my page; and it was literally me reminding myself of what I was doing wrong. The holidays are upon us and its a good time of the year, along with all the busy-ness, to take a quick daily spiritual assessment. What kind of soil are we allowing ourselves to be in each day?

Video with transcript--> http://www.gospellifelearning.com/2017/07/teaching-10-quick-daily-spiritual.html


Link to author's books on Amazon -->  go Here



God's Plan Is Taking SO Long! Should I Give Up Hope?

Some people on the internet were predicting that the world was going to end again, or at least something hugely significant from a Biblical perspective was going to happen last Saturday, September 23, 2017. 

The world seems to be heading for self-destruction anyway, both by the forces of nature and by acts of humanity.  We've experienced what seems like an unprecedented number of natural disasters within the last month alone: 


Hurricane after hurricane after hurricane. 

Fires and fires. Smoke and more fires. 
Earthquake followed by earthquake.
Flooding then mudslides then more flooding.

All this has been occurring, not just in the USA but in Asia and Mexico too. There were more terrorist attacks in Europe and across Asia this week. There was a school shooting last week in the USA, and a church shooting this week too. Those were hardly even blips on the news. I am an avid follower of current events around the world, and I literally cannot even keep up with all the destruction and evil and suffering that has happened in the last thirty days alone. All of these are such horrible events happening close together. Oh, I just realized I forgot to mention that we are also under a threat of nuclear war. 


Now, there is also much news of spiritual good within all this. People are helping people. Some who had grown lukewarm in their faith are seeking the Lord again. Thousands and perhaps even tens of thousands of those from the Islamic faith are being drawn by the Holy Spirit, and are discovering the teachings of their prophet Isa for the first time, and learning that their Isa is the way of assurance and the path to a right relationship with God. Some lukewarm followers, who had left Christian fellowship, are seeing the hope that such communities offer in times of crisis, and are returning to such fellowship once again. 


Overall, though, it seems as if I can almost "feel" the beginning of the spiritual separation in the final harvest. I'm referring to the separation of the wheat from the tares, the good in the world from the evil. 


Are we in the time of the final spiritual harvest? 

It is taking so long, so very long.
Do we give up hope?

There are many passages we can read to remind us of the assurances and promises that we have from God. However, today, I want us to find assurance in what may, at first, seem like an unlikely passage in the Bible. 


It's in a passage of scripture from the first part of Matthew.  Go ahead, open up your Bible, or your Bible app, to Matthew 1:1.  


This is where we are going to find our hope today.  


Look up Matthew 1:1 Then scan from Matthew 1:1-1:17. 


What it that section about? 


I'll wait a few minutes........


...........................................


............................................


Oh, did you think perhaps I had given you the wrong passage? 


What is in Matthew 1:1-17?


That's right, it is a genealogy -- a really long genealogy, from Abraham to Jesus Christ. 


No, my recommending that passage for today's source of hope was not a mistake. Yes, today we are going to find a source of assurance and hope in a lengthy New Testament genealogy. 


Look more closely and think about this question, "How many generations passed between Abraham and Christ?"


Hint: Look at verse 17 and then add up the generations. 


Answer:  42 generations passed from Abraham and the birth of Isaac, to the birth of Jesus. 


And therein lies our hope. 


God works through many, many generations to fulfill his great plan for the world. He is patient. Early on, God promised His people that He would send the Christ. 


From Adam to Jesus, we know the fulfillment of His promise took 6000 earth years.


From Abraham to Jesus, the time that passed was approximately 2100 earth years.


David knew the Christ would come. David longed for his coming. Yet, God fulfilled His promise at least a full 1000 years after David’s birth.  


Today, we also know that Jesus will return as he has promised. 
We shouldn't be doubtful because it seems to be taking so long. We shouldn't lose our assurance and hope because it is taking longer than 2000 years. 

Rather, we should expect it to take so long. For that is the way God has always worked out His plans, and that is the way God often fulfills His promises. God works through the generations. Long, long lists of generations. 

This is our assurance for these times. May your will be done, Lord. May your will be done in your time, Lord. 


Amen. 


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Follow this link to find this Sherry's books and writings available for Kindle, and some in paperback, on Amazon.com. If you see something you would like to read, please know that your purchase as low as $2.99 goes directly to support the author's ministry, a ministry focused on encouraging genuine revival in the hearts of God's people, and specifically reaching out to women who may have "de-churched," but still love the Lord -- in order to provide online ministry to assist them with finding closeness and remaining close to the heart of God. Sherry also prepares online, scriptural-based classes and Bible-based "in-depth" studies for youth in grades 6-12. Link to author's books on Amazon -->  go Here
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"The Road to Emmaus," painting by Robert Zund, 1877.








The Purpose and Plan Behind Storms in Life

The Purpose and the Plan Behind Storms in Life

As many of you know, I am in northwestern Harris County, between Houston and The Woodlands,  and the remaining bands from Hurricane Harvey are pummeling us right now. The rain bands  have been pelting us, on and off now (mostly on), for two days. We see on the news that the whole southern coastal area of Texas is seeing catastrophic levels of flooding.  Our home has not taken in water as of yet; but we wait, listening to the storm and watching the water rise in the streets and around our neighborhood. We do not know for certain just how bad the destruction will be.

I shared more on this video on YouTube, or you can read more below it: 




We know it is going to be bad. Will tens of thousands of homes be destroyed, or will hundreds of thousands of homes be destroyed? And although I know it is a selfish thought,  of course, we also naturally wonder: is our home going to be one that is affected? Are we prepared? If we take in water and destruction, do we have a plan to seek help, to seek safety, and ultimately to rebuild? And if we are blessed to stay safe in a dry home, we still wonder:  are we prepared and willing to seek ways to personally help others who may not be so fortunate?

I've been thinking of what to write this weekend. Honestly, I've only been thinking a little bit about writing - because I obviously have a lot on my mind right now. However,  today my pastor addressed us with an excellent message through Facebook Live. He did this because  all the churches in the area are closed and unable to hold services today due to the storm. 

So in this moment, I feel that my notes, gleaned from the wisdom my pastor shared this morning, are the best words to also share with all of you today. So whether you are also going through the Harvey Storm (as I know many of you are); or whether you are in a different kind of life storm -- I hope these words will help you stay close to Him, and help you to seek His purposes throughout it all.  

Here are my notes:

God does have  a purpose to every storm  in life, and there is also a purpose and a plan beyond every storm.

Storms refine our faith. Adversity stretches us, and causes us to trust more and more in Christ for our needs and for our strength. 

Trials are the “classroom” for our spiritual development.

Storms are not always due to 
disobedience. Sometimes we go through a storm because  God has larger purposes for His kingdom plan. 

God may take you to a storm, and He made take you through a storm; but he never leaves you in the middle of a storm.

Through the storm, God is always working. He is always there.

God will not leave us in a storm. God would not have led us to it, if it was His intention to leave 
 us in it.  

Promises from God in the midst of a storm:

With Him, we can weather any storm that comes our way. Nothing that comes our way will overcome us if we stand in the power of God. Paul said, “Whatever it is, I can get through it, through Christ who gives me strength.” (paraphrased)

There is no promise of a storm-free life; but we are promised His presence in every storm. Peace came to the disciples when they turned to Christ during the storm. Sometimes we just have to sit and watch the destruction happen, knowing there is nothing we can do. But we never sit there alone.

Somehow God will use this for His glory. We probably don't want to hear this now; yet it is a definite
 promise from God. Romans 8:28 tells us,  "All things work together for good for those who love Him and are called towards his purpose."


He will use this storm, and all storms we encounter, in order to grow our faith. We will be able to use this experience as a future testimony. "He turns our tests into testimonies."

We cannot see it now, but God is using this to build a foundation for something that we cannot see.

Fear is the opposite of faith. We can be fear-filled or faith-filled, but not both.

We cannot control the outcome, but we can trust the One who does.

Storms in life can be of all kinds: financial, medical/health related, or family or job troubles.


God is the God of any and every storm.  

---------<end of notes>----------------

As I finish writing this, the rain has picked up once again, and it continues to pelt relentlessly. We will go to bed tonight not sure what tomorrow nor the days ahead will bring. 

We cannot control it. We cannot stop it.
 We cannot even get out of it.
 We have to go through it.

 We don't have to go through it alone. 

God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the same comfort we ourselves receive from God.
  - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4


If you would like to see the entire message from Pastor Fleming on Facebook, it is posted on the church facebook page. I'm not able to find a way to link directly to the video, but you can find the video by scrolling to posts dated the morning of August 27, 2017 :  https://www.facebook.com/championforest/

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 Link to author's books on Amazon -->  go Here
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Teaching 14: Some Things Only Change Through Prayer

Some Things Only Change Through Prayer
For today's post, the written summary is first, and you will find the video at the bottom of the post.

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If you need to catch up on the summer with Jesus series, you can find a list
of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, by going HERE.

Find books by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.
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The backstory for today's passage:  Jesus, Peter, James, and John have just come down from the mountain of transfiguration. They have just met back up with some of the other disciples to discover that these disciples are having some trouble in their ministry. Specifically, there is a boy who needs healing from an "evil spirit," and the disciples, even though they have been successfully driving out evil presences before this, are not able to drive the foul spirit out from this boy.  

So with this background, here is the passage for today:

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."

Why couldn't the disciples drive out this particular demon? Jesus answered, "This kind can come out only by prayer." What is Jesus' underlying assumption, then? Simple -- the disciples had not been praying, nor had the gone to God in prayer to help them with this specific task. 

We know from other accounts of Jesus's healings, that lack of belief had been a cause of failure for healings to occur. It seems that somewhere along the way -- after Jesus had left them for awhile to go up on the mountain for the transfiguration -- the rest of these disciples soon lost connection with their source of power -- God. Perhaps they had been so continuously successful in casting out demons for a period of time,  that they started doing the work in their own strength. Perhaps they were just "going through the motions"  of healings and casting out spirits. 

In prior accounts, we know that the lack of belief led to the failure to rid an evil spirit. Now, Jesus implies that, if the disciples had prayed for their situation, they would have been successful. We can assume that, most likely, the disciples hadn't been spending much time in prayer during the days that Jesus was away from them. 

Over and over again, Jesus both teaches and demonstrates that time spent in prayer is absolutely crucial in order to be close to God, in order to have the power of God at work in one's life, and in order for one to be able to do His work. 

So this brings us to these questions:  

What areas of our lives have we not prayed about in awhile? 

Are we honestly praying as much as we should?

What problems are we facing now, or are we anticipating facing soon?

What if our problem is the type that can only be overcome by prayer?

From this reading we see that Jesus clearly states that there are some types of problems that can only be helped by prayer. Yet, he didn't specify exactly which types of diseases, evil influences, or other issues were considered "prayer absolutely required" types of problems. On the other hand, we know that all problems. large and small, can be greatly helped by prayer. So for the logically minded, what is the obvious action to take for all of our problems? Let's look at the two propostions as we will then see the obvious conclusion. 

1. All of our problems can be helped through prayer. 
2. Some of our problems can only be helped through prayer. 

So if we have any problem, large or small, what should be our first response to help it or solve it?   

Yes, it's that simple. Prayer. Always the answer is prayer. Prayer never hurts us. Prayer always helps us. We already know this. We know this well. So why don't we do it? Why don't we pray, every single time over ever single problem - big or small? I can't answer that for each of us; however we can each answer it for ourselves. Here we go; fill in the blank below:

Sometimes I don't pray about problems or concerns in my life because ________________________. 

Here are two ways that I personally filled in that blank:

Sometimes I don't pray about problems or concerns in my life because-- the problem was of my own making, so I just assume that since I caused the problem alone, I can resolve the problem alone. 

Sometimes I don't pray about problems or concerns in my life because -- I assume that God already knows about the problem and I don't understand why I really need to pray about it, if He already knows.

And in my responses above, I see that once again, my thoughts and assumptions are not in line with what God has revealed. Once again, my thoughts are not His thoughts and my ways are not His ways.

My thoughts:  I caused the problem alone. So I should solve the problem alone, rather than bother God with my foolishness.

God's thoughts:  You are never alone. (Joshua 1:5; 1:9; Matthew 28:20) Cast all your concerns onto me; because I care for you and I will help you. (1 Peter 5:7)

My thoughts: God already knows about this problem and so I don't understand why I need to actually "go through the motions" to pray about it. 

God's thoughts:  You have been taught to pray about all your concerns; and I want you to pray about everything. (1 Peter 5:7) Your decision to pray is a choice which demonstrates your trust in me and your willingness to follow and obey what you have been taught.  Your decision to pray is a demonstration of your faith and belief. (Hebrews 11:6) The prayer of a faithful and righteous person has great power. (James 5:16) (Just assuming that I already know what you want -- has not so much power.) 

So what did you write in your blank? When you do not pray about all your concerns, what is your underlying reason why not? Let's take all those reasons to task. Let's identify the areas where our thoughts are not in line with His. Let's meditate on His thoughts, allow them to replace our own -- and let us be the beneficiaries of His answered prayer, in all things, all concerns --  big and small. 

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Follow this link to find this Sherry's books and writings available for Kindle, and some in paperback, on Amazon.com. If you see something you would like to read, please know that your purchase as low as $2.99 goes directly to support the author's ministry, a ministry focused on encouraging genuine revival in the hearts of God's people, and specifically reaching out to women who may have "de-churched," but still love the Lord -- in order to provide online ministry to assist them with finding closeness and remaining close to the heart of God. Sherry also prepares online, scriptural-based classes and Bible-based "in-depth" studies for youth in grades 6-12. Link to author's books on Amazon -->  go Here

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

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Teaching 13: When We Assume God Won't Help Us

When We Assume God Won't Help Us

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If you need to catch up on the summer with Jesus series, you can find a list
of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, by going HERE.

Find books by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.
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Here is our scene today, from Mark 8. The setting: the disciples and Jesus just entered a boat after Jesus had miraculously fed thousands of people who had gathered to hear him teach.

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. "Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."

The disciples discussed this with one another, (likely wondering what Jesus meant*), and said, "It is because we have no bread."


Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"


"Twelve," they replied.


"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"


They answered, "Seven."


He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"


*This is my, the blogger's, parenthetical insertion. Not in the actual text!

Here we are with the disciples, who just realized that even though they had seven baskets full of extra bread, that they only brought one loaf with them on the boat. How could they have forgotten to bring more of the extra bread?

Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he responds in a somewhat typical fashion - with a warning and a play on words! He said, "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees." What?

Here is some background. To the Jews, yeast was considered a metaphor for evil. The idea was that a small amount of evil in a person's soul is likely to eventually spread throughout, eventually making the person fully evil. Jesus made a play on words.  The disciples were worried about not having enough bread; and here is Jesus, giving a warning about metaphorical yeast! The disciples didn't know what to make of it.

What is the "yeast of the Pharisees?"  The commentaries for this chapter generally conclude that Jesus was referring to the fact that the Pharisees had witnessed many miracles, yet they still did not believe. The "yeast" was their hardened hearts, hearts that were predisposed to one way of thinking so that they could not accept the truth, even in the presence of miraculous evidence. Similarly, Jesus disciples had been with him for quite some time now. They had seen all his miracles thus far. They had been recipients of numerous miracles of abundant provision. Yet they still thought that they were going to go hungry for an evening? No wonder Jesus asks them, "Do you still not understand?"

Yet, the disciples didn't understand. They just assumed  that Jesus was chastising them because they forgot to bring the extra bread that he had just provided. Why were they so worried? Did they assume that because Jesus had just provided; that he would not do so again due to their foolishness? Were they thinking to themselves, "We are such idiots! Jesus just provided an abundance in bread for us; and we just left it on the shore. We forgot to bring it! It is going to waste! We are so foolish to have squandered what he provided for us! Now what are we going to do?"

The disciples didn't doubt Jesus's ability to provide.  They assumed, however, that because they had been foolish and forgetful, that Jesus would not provide for them again.  It was their fault. They messed up. Certainly they would not be rewarded with another provision, when they had wasted the provision they were just given.


Do we also feel this way sometimes? Do we secretly think, maybe without even realizing it, "Oh, God just provided for me, so I certainly shouldn't expect anything more from Him anytime soon."

Or do we believe, "God gave me that opportunity, and I missed it! I squandered it! It is my fault for not seizing the opportunity God gave me. Certainly He is not going to give me another chance or another opportunity any time soon. I really messed up!"

Can we think of some examples of when we may have thought this way? Let's complete this sentence, "Sometimes I feel like God won't provide for my needs because I _________________."

Do we assume God rations out His provisions?
Do we assume if we do something foolish that He with withhold a provision from us -- a provision of something that we really need?
Do we think God will punish us by withholding something we really need?

Never will He do that!

Think about it. Even when the Israelites were required to wander in the wilderness due to their disobedience, God still miraculously provided for their true needs through the manna, quail, and water from a rock. And to this day, He continues to meet our true needs in unexpected, but dependable ways. He meets our needs because that is His nature. He is God the Provider; One of His names is Jehovah Jirah (the Provider). God provides based on His ability and desire to provide to us (Phillipians 4:19), not because we have acted wisely.

Do we think God's economy ever suffers a recession? He owns all and is able to give and meet all our needs, regardless of what we may have squandered in the past. Each day is a new day; and if we wake up and confess and repent of our erroneous ways, He erases that past foolishness and gives us a clean slate once again. So we must throw out any false beliefs that God won't provide for us because of some dumb thing we did or because of certain sins in our past.

God is our Provider.
It is His nature to provide.
He will provide for us.

And He asks us, lovingly and questioningly,  just as Jesus asked the disciples, "Do you understand this yet?"

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Follow this link to find this Sherry's books and writings available for Kindle, and some in paperback, on Amazon.com. If you see something you would like to read, please know that your purchase as low as $2.99 goes directly to support the author's ministry, a ministry focused on encouraging genuine revival in the hearts of God's people, and specifically reaching out to women who may have "de-churched," but still love the Lord -- in order to provide online ministry to assist them with finding closeness and remaining close to the heart of God. Sherry also prepares online, scriptural-based classes and Bible-based "in-depth" studies for youth in grades 6-12. Link to author's books on Amazon -->  go Here

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

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Teaching 12: Times of Anxiety and Running on Low Faith...

Times of Anxiety and Running on Low Faith

For the next several posts, we will be looking at some of the miracles of Jesus.

Remember, if you also need to catch up on the summer with Jesus series, you can find a list
of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, by going HERE.

Find this book and others by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.

Here is our passage for the day, from Mark 4.

That day, when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this?" Even the wind and the waves obey him!
- Mark 4:35-41

Jesus says to his disciples, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Is Jesus suggesting that  when we exhibit fear -- even in the midst of a life threatening danger --  that we are also demonstrating  a lack of faith? From this reading, it certainly seems so.

However, I find it more important to notice this:

Even though the disciples were afraid,
even though they lacked faith, and
even though they were assuming the worst, presuming that they would die...

they still came to Jesus with their great fear and anxiety, including even their criticism towards him,
and
Jesus still helped them.

Jesus still met their needs. He still helped them. He still calmed them; and He even calmed the storm around them.


Even if we are afraid, very afraid, about a life situation, we can still go to Jesus in prayer with our fears. Our fear does indicate a lack of faith; Jesus himself stated this. However, when we bring our fears to Him, He will still hear us. He will still calm us; and He is still willing to demonstrate control and provide calm in the situation around us. Once we experience this, our faith grows stronger; and the next time we go through one of life's storms, we may react with a higher level of faith. The storms teach us to bring our fears and burdens to God; where He has the opportunity to demonstrate that He can do things only He can do. As the disciples said, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" There are things that only God can do in the midst of whatever fear you are facing!

So we may bring our huge fears with our small faith to Jesus. We may be convicted that our fear reveals our limited faith; however, we are also encouraged that He is willing to help us anyway.

What are some life situations that are currently causing us fear and anxiety about the future? What literal or figurative storms are we facing or fear we may face soon? Are we worried about money or meeting our financial obligations? Are we concerned about an illness, or a recent diagnosis? Have we experienced a loss of relationship, a loss of work, a rejection, or some other loss that has us gripped with fear over the unknown that lies ahead? Are we worried about someone we care about -- their health or their lifestyle? Or perhaps we worry about relationships - losing a relationship, or not ever finding meaningful friendships?

Here is a challenge for us, a challenge that will grow our faith as we depend on God to calm us and guide us through our most fearful and stressful experiences. Let's write down on paper all the things that bring anxiety into our lives. Take three to five minutes, and write down a list of everything that immediately brings fear into our lives.

Next, we will take that list to God in prayer, confessing our anxiety to Him, and asking Him for His peace and His plan in each of those items on our list -- in each of those areas which bring us so much fear.

Here is an example of a specific prayer for each item on this list of fears:

God, I bring my fear to you about __________________.  Help me to recognize that you are in control and that I can trust you. Strengthen my faith and trust in you. Please remove these anxious and fearful feelings from me, and replace them with your peace and a portion of your wisdom. Please also provide me with patience to wait upon your answer and on the unfolding of your plan.


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Follow this link to find this Sherry's books and writings available for Kindle, and some in paperback, on Amazon.com. If you see something you would like to read, please know that your purchase as low as $2.99 goes directly to support the author's ministry, a ministry focused on encouraging genuine revival in the hearts of God's people, and specifically reaching out to women who may have "de-churched," but still love the Lord -- in order to provide online ministry to assist them with finding closeness and remaining close to the heart of God. Sherry also prepares online, scriptural-based classes and Bible-based "in-depth" studies for youth in grades 6-12. Link to author's books on Amazon -->  go Here

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

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Teaching 11: When We Don't Forgive


Note from Sherry:   I am enjoying sharing videos and transcripts with you, and hope you are enjoying them and gaining some new insights and encouragement to help you strengthen your walk with our amazing God!  I realize that I have fallen behind in my promised "two videos per week" over the summer. Creating, editing, and posting videos turned out to be a much larger and time-consuming task than I realized! I hope you will understand! (I know you will, you all are wonderful people!) So for the rest of this summer teaching series, I will be posting some video teachings and some will be regular written blog posts. Some will be a mix of writing with a video inserted for the points that are better communicated in voice than in pen.

Remember, if you also need to catch up on the summer with Jesus series, you can find a list
of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, by going HERE.

Find this book and others by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.

When We Don't Forgive

For me and many others, the teaching we are reviewing from Jesus today is quite frightening! It is a very clear teaching about what happens when we choose to live with a spirit of unforgiveness. This teaching is found in a parable in Matthew 18.

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

At this, the servant fell on his knees before him. "Be patient with me," he begged, "and I will pay back everything." The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. "Pay back what you owe me!" he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, "Be patient with me, and I will pay it back."

But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Then the master called the servant in. "You wicked servant," he said, "I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?" In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.  - Matthew 18: 23-35 (NIV)

For me, this parable can be very personal and frightening! Jesus is very clear in this teaching that we are to forgive others. God has forgiven us our sins, therefore, we should forgive others of their wounds against us. God went to great lengths to offer us complete forgiveness. How can we consider holding unforgiving grudges against our brothers, sisters, and family in Christ?

Look at what happens towards the end of the parable. The master turns the unforgiving servant "over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed."

Then look at the very last part of this passage again at what Jesus specifically says about what this parable means. Jesus said, "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Ouch! This means that if we do not forgive others, then God will allow, or even cause, negative events to come into our lives! The purpose of these negative events is to cause us to learn to forgive. This parable of the unforgiving servant is a very serious spiritual teaching with serious consequences if it is not understood and followed.

There is a 16th century painting by an unknown artist that depicts a scene from the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant as if it had taken place in the 1500's. The painting captures the stubborn bitterness on the face of the unforgiving servant, as he is handed over to the jailer who may punish and even torture him. The jailer, even though he wears a nice top hat, appears, by the features on his face, to be just as stubborn and unforgiving as this unforgiving servant.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to go anywhere with this hat wearing, fancy clothed jailer! The jailer doesn't look like a forgiving person. Wait...? Does that mean the jailer also depicts a reflection of me, when I don't forgive? When I am unforgiving, do I also desire to see others "get what is coming to them?" No! I don't want to be like that! Lord, help me to forgive, every day! I want to remove the burden of unforgiveness upon my heart, and I desire genuine and complete freedom from emotional bondage that the habit of unforgiveness pressures upon our lives. I want to forgive not merely for the sake of the person who hurt me -- but I want to forgive in order to stay genuinely close with you, Lord!

Take a look at the painting here:


Then look at the last verse of this passage again. Jesus says that you must forgive from your heart. In other words, just saying "I'm sorry," or "I forgive you" may not be sufficient. God looks into our hearts, and He knows the true state of whether or not we have authentically forgiven or whether we are harboring grudges, revengeful thoughts, and other symptoms of unforgiveness.

When we do not forgive in our hearts, we invite trials, troubles, and difficult times in our lives. Some of these trials may even feel torturousThis is why it is often said, that when we forgive, we don't really do it for the other person -- we do it for ourselves, in order to free ourselves from the prison of unforgiveness!

Now, I want to insert here that forgiveness and reconciliation are not synonymous. Forgiveness is always required by God; reconciliation is not required. In fact, God recommends, as found in the Proverbs, that we do not reconcile with people who are quick to anger, nor those who actively abuse wine or other substances, nor with those who stir up dissention, nor those who lie, nor those who refuse to genuinely apologize or admit when they are wrong. If you have been wounded by someone with one or more of these characteristics, you may be relieved to know that you are required to forgive, but you are encouraged not to reconcile (Proverbs 22:24, 16:28-29, 6:16-19). This doesn't mean that you continue to harbor harsh feelings toward the person. Instead it may mean that you still care about that person and genuinely pray for an increase in their well being, but do so from a distance.

So we pray, pray, pray each and every day for the ability to forgive. We ask God to reveal to us areas of unforgiveness and judgmental attitudes that are residing in our hearts. We confess those areas every single day! And then we re-confess them when those attitudes of unforgiveness return in our hearts. See, most times, forgiveness in not immediate, it is a process of renewal in our hearts. This is especially true when we are first learning how to forgive. We may have to ask for the ability to keep forgiving the same person for the same event day after day. This parable teaches us that, when we keep our hearts pure by authentically confessing areas of unforgiveness and grudges each day, we will likely avoid many troubles in our lives -- and we may also avoid some "tortourous troubles."

In the beginning, if we are not used to praying for a forgiving heart, then we may consider keeping a list in our journals of the people we need help with forgiving. (We may want to use "code names" or "coded initials"  if we don't want anyone finding this journal and reading our list!) Praying over that list, we will ask for a forgiving heart for each person on our list. We will ask God to release the anger and bitterness inside us over whatever offense occurred.  Then we will check our list daily before prayer time. Has an unforgiving attitude returned towards a person on that list? Has someone new made their way onto our list? Then we pray for a new dose of forgiving ability. Doing this daily will become a significant link in our ability to experience and follow a close and intimate walk with the Lord.

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Follow this link to find this Sherry's books and writings available for Kindle, and some in paperback, on Amazon.com. If you see something you would like to read, please know that your purchase as low as $2.99 goes directly to support the author's ministry, a ministry focused on encouraging genuine revival in the hearts of God's people, and specifically reaching out to women who may have "de-churched," but still love the Lord -- in order to provide online ministry to assist them with finding closeness and remaining close to the heart of God. Sherry also prepares online, scriptural-based classes and Bible-based "in-depth" studies for youth in grades 6-12. Link to author's books on Amazon -->  go Here

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Teaching 10: A Quick, Daily Spiritual Assessment

A Quick, Daily Spiritual Assessment

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

Find this book and others by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.

HERE is the full video for Teaching 10 titled A Quick, Daily Spiritual Assessment A written transcript is right below the video, if you prefer reading through it.  Enjoy...and I would love to hear any feedback/discussion you have by commenting here, on facebook, or by sending me a message on facebook.



------Begin Transcript---------------

Today we are in the book He Called. I've been skipping around some. We are on Day 15 now, page 96 in the paperback. This is the Parable of the Sower. And I know that probably many of us have read this before. It is Mark 3:4-9. I want us to think of the parable in maybe a bit of a different way in how we have thought of it before. Let's think of this parable as a spiritual assessment for ourselves. And everyday, when we wake up – or when we go to bed – let's think about, what part of the field were we in that day? And what are we going to do the next day, or in the morning – throughout the day – to stay in the best part of the field?

So to explain the parable: Jesus was talking about spiritual growth in God's kingdom on earth. And he compared it to a sower, and the sower is the person who is spreading the word of God, the person who is teaching the Bible, the person who is spreading the word that God is near, and He's available, and is sharing the gospel.

So the sower spreads the seed, and some of the seed falls on the side of the road. And there's these birds! And these birds gobble up that seed before it can ever take root. And in our lives, those birds are if you are putting yourself into some kind of culture, or if you are surrounding yourself with people who are denying the Lord or who are, in anyway, making you uncomfortable in your faith – I think that you could say that you are letting yourself – being bait for the birds. Don't let yourself be bait for the birds! So, on the side of the road – are we there? Are we starting to completely leave the Lord? Hopefully there is not many of us there, but if you are, you can very easily move back over.

The next one is the rocky soil. Are we in rocky soil today? What happens is, when the seed is in rocky soil – or maybe the wind blows it over into the rocky soil, maybe after it had been in good soil for a short time – what happens then is – we are growing just a little bit, but it's not really having any effect. And the first time we get too busy or something hard gets in the way – we just die (spiritually).

Then, the next area that the seed falls in, is the thorny soil. And the truth is that many of us spend many of our days in the thorny soil. And the thorny soil is when you have accepted Jesus, you are following him, but you have days when the thorns, the distractions of the world, the distractions at work, the difficulties, the anxieties, things you are dealing with – those things should be propelling you closer to the Lord – those problems, those thorns. Remember when you are having problems, what do you do? How do you solve them? Always do something that is going to bring you closer to God. Ask yourself, “Is the way I am dealing with these thorns – is my thorn management – is it something that is bringing me closer to the Lord, or is it taking me further away?” Because if you are letting it take you further away, if the choices you are making – if the method you are using to deal with your thorns is taking you further away from God, those thorns are going to take you down.

So ask yourself, where am I? Am I dealing with thorns? Am I letting thorns get in the way?

And then the last area that the seed falls on is the good soil. And when you are in the good soil and remain in the good soil, you produce a crop of 30, 60, 100 times what you ever would have done had you spent too much time in that thorny soil. And notice the difference – those over there flirting with the birds, they aren't producing anything for the kingdom of God. Those in the rocks, they aren't producing anything. Those in the thorns, now they are producing some, producing some fruit. But if you stay in the good soil, you deal with those thorns – by coming closer to God when you have thorns, rather than letting those thorns distract you. And then, you stay in that good soil – that good soil where you are walking with God, you are thinking about Him, you are carrying Him in your mind throughout the day. You are staying close to Him. If you need to, you are using strategies to keep Him in your mind – whether it be signs posted throughout your house; or visualizing that He is there with you throughout the day, or setting a timer so that you can stop and reflect and be thankful for him throughout the day. You are in that good soil, and your fruit is going to be 30 times, and then 60 times, and then 100 times! It just multiplies, and multiplies, and multiplies.

And what is this harvest? What is this fruit? We know the fruit of the spirit. It is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, and self control. That's the fruit. So, at the end of the day or in the morning – use this as a spiritual test – oh I don't like the word 'test' – use it as a spiritual assessment. And don't use it to beat yourself up. “Oh I spent too much time with thorns today.” Just ask God for forgiveness and move back over into that good soil. And let me tell you something. If you're not feeling love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, or self-control – if you are lacking one of those, or if you are struggling in one of those areas – I bet it's because you are dealing with your thorns in the wrong way! And those thorns are latching in and not allowing you to experience – not just the love, joy and peace – but experiencing it growing, and bouying, a hundredfold, and increasing, so it just starts to flow over – and you are changed.

So that is the parable of the sower. Stay in that good soil, every day, Wake up and say, “What am I going to do when my thorn comes up today? Because you know what your thorns are. You know what your thorns are. Get your garden plan. Assess each morning. Stick with it. Produce that crop, that increasing, increasing crop. I'll tell you what – once you've spent some time in that good soil, and you start [knowing the increasing good things the Spirit gives,] you will never want to go back to the thorns, ever again. Never again. Who wants to live in thorns?!

All right – have a good day, have a good evening, have a good weekend. Bye.

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For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

Teaching 9: A Simple, Effective Method of Prayer

A Simple, Effective Method of Prayer

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

Find this book and others by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.

HERE is the full video for Teaching 9 titled A Simple, Effective Method of Prayer A written transcript is right below the video, if you prefer reading through it.  Enjoy...and I would love to hear any feedback/discussion you have by commenting here, on facebook, or by sending me a message on facebook.




--------------Transcript -------------------------

I just want to take a few minutes and share with you a method that I have used to really help my prayer life – to have more effective prayers and to have more focus in prayer. Some of you may already have something or may have been taught this before, but I know many, many people who haven't. So I felt led to share this today.

What I am recommending for anyone who is struggling with consistent prayer, or focused prayer – wondering why their prayers aren't effective, feeling like they are “hitting the ceiling,” feeling maybe like God doesn't hear them or God doesn't care – this is something that will help. It has helped me so much, and if it helps someone else, or if it even helps many people – please share this video! The only way your friends and other people will know, is if you help me share. Could you imagine if all around our country and on facebook, if people started learning to pray effectively and started applying this – how it could change their lives?! How many lives could be changed?! For someone, a Christian who has de-churched themselves and doesn't go to church anymore – and it could be for  valid reasons. Or maybe someone who hasn't “plugged in” anywhere with a faith group and they haven't learned these things. Oh, it could be such a change in their lives, because we know prayer changes things in a big way.

This does line up with the teachings of Jesus. I'm not going to go into all the background here because I want to get right to the recommendation.

Basically, it is a four step prayer. The first step has two parts, we will say part 1a and part 1b. When you start praying, the first thing that you do is you thank God and praise God for who He is. You actually begin your prayer with praise to Him, in recognition of who He is and His characteristics. And that sets your heart in the right place. So you start your prayer with “Thank you, Lord, for ____(whatever comes to your mind – for being so powerful, for being so great. Thank you Lord for all your love and that you are in control. Thank you for hearing me).____ Then you start transitioning from thanking God for who He is – for His characteristics – to thanking Him for things He has done, for you and for us and for the world. Thank you. So you start off with a time of just thankfulness and praise, thanking Him for what He has done, and that sets your heart and releases anxiety that you may be carrying over the response, or the answer to your prayer. So it is a great way to start a prayer, and as you know, Jesus recommended, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” He started with recognition of God in an honorable, praiseworthy, thankful way.

Then step two is confessing your sins. Of course I always have some sins that come right to mind, and then I ask God to bring anything to mind that I need to confess. This is also when I – in my prior videos I share that every day I ask God to reveal grudges and any bitterness in me – I ask Him to bring those to my mind, so that I can confess them and ask Him to take those out of me, and to give that load to Him. Now, this is the best thing – after you pray and confess your sin, let it go by telling God, “I confess this, and I accept your forgiveness. That is a big difference than just confessing. Because the Bible tells us that if we confess our sins, He will forgive them. It's spiritual law. If you confess, with an authentic and contrite heart, if you confess and wish to repent – He will forgive it! It is done! Because what some people do, and maybe they feel as if their prayers are less effective, is they keep confessing the same thing over and over again to God in their individual prayers. So after entering [prayer] with praise and thanksgiving to God for who He is and what He has done, then you confess your sins. [As an example], “Dear Lord, I got really angry, and I was rude. I'm sorry. I confess my wrong attitude. I want you to help me change, and I accept your forgiveness.” And I have found that adding that phrase after you confess each sin, just saying, “and I accept your forgiveness,” it just releases that burden and the angst even further because you can take that promise. He's forgiven me! He's forgiven me.

So there is step 1a and 1b, and then step 2, and then step 3 is when you move from confession to the third part of the prayer, which is the requests. This is the part I don't have to instruct anyone how to do. Everyone seems to know how to make prayer requests to God and to ask Him for things. You make requests for yourself, and requests for others in that time.

Finally, the last part (step 4) is closing it [the prayer] with letting Him know, “This is what I want; I really hope that this is within your will; but Lord if it is not I know that somehow - what your plan is, is what is best for me.” And when you pray like that, it kind of releases the control of the situation – that continuing anxiety. “I am giving it to You.” And this can be tough.

And another thing that I do – I will admit that I have been incredibly scattered in prayer. So one thing that I have started doing (I do this when I am feeling tired or having trouble keeping my mind focused) is I set a timer, so when I start my prayer I set the time for one minute. And I go through that first phase of praise and thanksgiving. Knowing that the timer (and I use a silent buzzer [on my phone]), knowing that the timer is going to go off keeps me focused. So I am not wondering like, ok have I prayed enough yet? It keeps me focused on the Lord, because I know that timer is going to go off. Now sometimes the timer goes off, and I need more time in that particular segment of the prayer that I am in. So then I will just hit reset – not reset, but re-start – and take another minute. For me, this has helped me so much. I know it sounds silly, and of course this is not the only way to pray. God hears all our prayers, but this has helped me so much, and I just want to share it with any of you. Then the timer goes off, and I am finished with that section [of the prayer], so then I go to the next part – the confession. Usually I do have to increase  the minutes on the confession! "I confess....and I accept your forgiveness." And usually by doing this [with the timer], my prayers have extended. That wasn't even the original goal. The goal at first was just to see if I could pray for four or five straight minutes. But I find myself needing more time, because I am more focused.

So it has helped me, and it may help many of you if it is something that you want to try. Ok, so here's to effective prayer lives for millions of people.


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Find this book and others by the author at  Amazon by clicking HERE.

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.