Lamentations

Lamentations (1)

I have begun reading Lamentations.  This book is not one I have memory of spending much time in.  It speaks to me now.  Perhaps because there are parallels to the present age. 

Lamentations 1

_{1- How lonely lies the city that once thronged with people!  Once great among the nations, now she is like a widow!  Once princess among provinces she has become a vassal.}

_{2-Bitterly she weeps at night, tears running down her cheeks, not one of all her lovers is there to comfort her.  Her friends have all betrayed her; they have become her enemies.}

My first reaction was to place the US as the city.  My most recent is to put the church at large in her place.

This begins a tale of loss; loss due to ‘wrong’ living and bad choices.  This due to the consequences that follow those whose trust is in themselves and the ungodly.  God’s presence is not appreciated nor followed.  Arrogance and self-pride has risen and its fruit is the loss of all. 

Lamentations (2)

Continuing in Lamentations:  I see my country, people in the same state of affairs…

3-Y’hudah has fled into exile from oppression and endless slavery.  She lives among the nations, but there she finds no rest.  Her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress.

4- The roads to Tziyon are mourning because on one comes to the festivals.  Her gateways are all deserted, her cohanim are groaning, her unmarried girls are grieving — how bitter it is for her!

Note:  Chapter begins with Hebrew eiche – this word is used when God looks for Adam, also when Jesus cries over Jerusalem…

When we grieve, we use this word, ‘how’ I miss you, ‘how’ did this happen, ‘how’ much…

I continue to see parallels between then and now.  Covid has shut down cities and festivals; ex-patriots live outside the country fleeing the conditions that exist here.

Our people are in bondage to the laws and ways of sin, all that is anti-God.  The result is loss of homes – homeless, loss of jobs – much by choice; loss of health – trusting in human cultures and data rather than God…

Our religious leaders are faced with confusion…the influx of doctrines and lifestyles that go counter to scripture…

Our children are confused to the extent they do not know who or what they are…

Hear our prayers, O God!  Have mercy and Holy Spirit move upon the hearts and minds of your people even as you move upon the waters of renewal.

Presentation..

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4

Comments, thoughts and reflections welcome

14 Do all things without murmuring and arguing, 

15 so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. 

How do we present to others?  Social media has been an effective magnifier of who we are when we leave that place of being centered on Christ.  We are to be blameless in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation which in itself will have us shining like stars in the darkness that surrounds us.  Too often I  find we have become like the darkness and there is no perceivable difference between us and others but for the differences in affiliations or politics.  Hmmm.

Does the following describe our actions and words?

14 Do all things without murmuring and arguing, 

To be able to engage others without murmuring and arguing requires centering in Christ.  Directly above this passage we are told:

¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

God is at work in us. Our speech, written and spoken, will reflect His will, will accomplish His work through us and in us.  All for His pleasure when we have our minds centered upon Him.  Would our posts and comments on social media look and sound differently if we truly were centered in His will?  How can that be?

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, 

I can only be obedient to that which I know…reflect on that a bit…

So what do I know?  I know a lot about what is being presented outside of Christ.  There is abundant exposure to the mindset outside of Christ through the internet allowing access to social media and news media and advertising…How do I know the mind of Christ?  My mind can be filled with the knowledge of who He is and what He does, how He loves and what He loves…He has shared that with us in scripture and in holy fellowship with other believers.  I can know what pleases Him, I can know what I can be obedient to.  This is centering on Christ not on the mindset of those outside of Christ.

Therefore, I can be a light in the darkness. I can shine like the stars in a dark sky.  My writings and my comments can be a reflection of what I find in the shared words of God, they can reflect the place my mind has found in Him.

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Alone…

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4

Comments, thoughts and reflections welcome

Reflections take me to considering the year’s absence  from our gatherings of some members of our fellowship.  Loneliness rests at both ends of the spectrum.  Not much is said about the space of emptiness left behind when some do not attend gatherings the purpose of which is to encourage one another as we worship in unity. Virtual worship cannot replace contact worship.  There is an element of bonding and love that is missing and we’ve been cautioned against “forsaking the assembly” as we are social beings not meant “to be alone”.  The present conditions of separation and isolation must have the dark side of the universe rejoicing.  This is not what God created and mankind/humanity loves to distort and destroy the “good” that God created.  By appearances that is what presents itself today…

Events and conditions are in fast change mode and not for the betterment of our existence.  Who is responsible?  Is it evil-driven or is it the heavy hand of God telling his people to change, to repent, to walk humbly with Him.  See

Ezekiel 14:19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off humans and animals from it; 20 even if Noah, Daniel,[a] and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would save neither son nor daughter; they would save only their own lives by their righteousness. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+14%3A19-21&version=NRSV)

Or,

2 Chronicles7:13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+7%3A13-15&version=NRSV>

Can it be both?  Changes that are not in alignment with scripture need to be addressed by His people both collectively and on an individual basis.  The hard question to answer is where stand you?  Can it be possible to love and fight for what is right by God’s standard?  Is there a place for reconciliation?  Working in unity of spirit within God’s parameters?

Recently shared: A quote from Gordon Pennington and shared by Lance Wallnau.

Above all, we are Christians, and in serving the risen Christ, our greater mandate and uncompromised commission is to proclaim the good news of salvation, God’s free gift of grace, to a world in bondage to sin, and shame, and fear. This is the true foundation of all freedom.

Tyranny, in all it’s forms, through the political machinations and manipulations of conceit and deceit, is a manifestation of idolatry. It places surrender and obedience to man-made edifices of government in bondage, over surrender and obedience to the throne of Almighty God in worship. Only Christ offers enduring freedom to humanity. The governments of this world have never ultimately provided anything that did not lead to eventual subservience bondage.

What Are We Passing on…? Psalm 78

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans

Comments, thoughts and reflections welcome

Listen, my people, to my teaching;

turn your ears to the words from my mouth.

2 I will speak to you in parables

and explain mysteries from days of old.

3 The things which we have heard and known,

and which our fathers told us

4 we will not hide from their descendants;

we will tell the generation to come

the praises of Adonai and his strength,

the wonders that he has performed.

5 He raised up a testimony in Ya‘akov

and established a Torah in Isra’el.

He commanded our ancestors

to make this known to their children,

6 so that the next generation would know it,

the children not yet born,

who would themselves arise

and tell their own children,

7 who could then put their confidence in God,

not forgetting God’s deeds,

but obeying his mitzvot.

8 Then they would not be like their ancestors,

a stubborn, rebellious generation,

a generation with unprepared hearts,

with spirits unfaithful to God.

a stubborn, rebellious generation, a generation with unprepared hearts, with spirits unfaithful to God.  A generation like today. A nation in the process of turning its back on God, a nation more and more unfaithful to God, to the principles upon which it was built.  A nation who is losing its position in the world as a beacon of light in the darkness. A nation looking at the rest of the world and wanting to be like them…  This is not new, there are consequences that follow when this path is taken.  We’ve been here before; perhaps not as a nation but as a people it is recorded for us to read about and learn from, to take note and avoid the same consequences that have fallen on others who took this path.

9 The people of Efrayim, though armed with bows and arrows,

turned their backs on the day of battle.

10 They did not keep the covenant of God

and refused to live by his Torah.

11 They forgot what he had done,

his wonders which he had shown them.

He had done wonderful things

in the presence of their ancestors

in the land of Egypt,

in the region of Tzo‘an.

13 He split the sea and made them pass through,

he made the waters stand up like a wall.

14 He also led them by day with a cloud

and all night long with light from a fire.

15 He broke apart the rocks in the desert

and let them drink as if from boundless depths;

16 yes, he brought streams out of the rock,

making the water flow down like rivers.

17 Yet they sinned still more against him,

rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High;

18 in their hearts they tested God

by demanding food that would satisfy their cravings.

19 Yes, they spoke against God by asking,

“Can God spread a table in the desert?

20 True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out,

until the vadis overflowed;

but what about bread? Can he give that?

Can he provide meat for his people?”

21 Therefore, when Adonai heard, he was angry;

fire blazed up against Ya‘akov;

his anger mounted against Isra’el;

22 because they had no faith in God,

no trust in his power to save.

23 So he commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of heaven.

24 He rained down man on them as food;

he gave them grain from heaven —

25 mortals ate the bread of angels;

he provided for them to the full.

26 He stirred up the east wind in heaven,

brought on the south wind by his power,

27 and rained down meat on them like dust,

birds flying thick as the sand on the seashore.

28 He let them fall in the middle of their camp,

all around their tents.

29 So they ate till they were satisfied;

he gave them what they craved.

30 They were still fulfilling their craving,

the food was still in their mouths,

31 when the anger of God rose up against them

and slaughtered their strongest men,

laying low the young men of Isra’el.

 So they ate till they were satisfied; he gave them what they craved. They were still fulfilling their craving, the food was still in their mouths,  when the anger of God rose up against them and slaughtered their strongest men, laying low the young men of Isra’el. Consequences for asking? No. Consequences for mouths that spoke deception and rebellion.  Even while they are being blessed they turn their hearts from God.  Our nation, even while it is blessed is turning its heart from God.  Evil is growing unchecked in our actions, our laws, our words.  We do not demonstrate the principles of a loving people connected with God.  We argue, engage in name calling even while our mouths are full of the blessing of God.  We support those who call for the spilling of innocent blood for profit; those who celebrate the perversion of God’s creation; those who advocate the destruction of God’s places of worship and the destroying of His Word.  Consequences will fall that are not pleasant; that will decrease our numbers.  The examples that have gone before us are written down and yet we continue with our mouths full of his blessing to turn our hearts from Him.

Still, they kept on sinning

and put no faith in his wonders.

33 Therefore, he ended their days in futility

and their years in terror.

34 When he brought death among them, they would seek him;

they would repent and seek God eagerly,

35 remembering that God was their Rock,

El ‘Elyon their Redeemer.

36 But they tried to deceive him with their words,

they lied to him with their tongues;

37 for their hearts were not right with him,

and they were unfaithful to his covenant.

38 Yet he, because he is full of compassion,

forgave their sin and did not destroy;

many times he turned away his anger

and didn’t rouse all his wrath.

39 So he remembered that they were but flesh,

a wind that blows past and does not return.

Therefore, he ended their days in futility and their years in terror. When he brought death among them, they would seek him; they would repent and seek God eagerly,  remembering that God was their Rock, El ‘Elyon their Redeemer. But they tried to deceive him with their words, they lied to him with their tongues;  for their hearts were not right with him, and they were unfaithful to his covenant. This we see today among believers and unbelievers alike.  There are the unfaithful who use words to try to placate a God who demands holiness. God is not mocked; He is not a God of our own making.  He has told us who He is and what He does.  Do not be deceived, there will be much sorrow to pay for our lack to stand as our forefathers stood.  We sit behind doors and talk, talk, talk.  We even join in prayer but our hearts are not in it.  But they tried to deceive him with their words, they lied to him with their tongues; for their hearts were not right with him, and they were unfaithful to his covenant.  How do we know?  One indicator is the voting, another is the language on social media.  There is shaming and name-calling.  This is not a generation who loves their God and their neighbor. It is all too evident in how they treat one another.

Yet he, because he is full of compassion, forgave their sin and did not destroy; any times he turned away his anger and didn’t rouse all his wrath. So he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that blows past and does not return. The destruction of the pandemic could be much worse.  The coming destruction of our systems of government and laws could be much worse.  The destroying of our economy could be much worse.  We have a God who is also full of compassion. He recognizes we are fragile, a wind that blows past and does not return.

The signs are all around us.  We seem to have forgotten how to read the signs as Christ instructed us to do.  There are those among us putting out the call to repent and change, to fast and pray, to ask in the name of Jesus for deliverance in our land; the move of the Spirit of God on the hearts and souls of men. The question is who of these are you?  What do your words indicate? What does your vote, although private it’s not hidden from the eyes of God, say about your heart? What is your stand; what does it look like?  Are you praying from the heart not just words with no desire to change? Time to take inventory of the soul.  What are we passing on to our generations that follow?

Scripture taken from: Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2078&version=CJB>

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THE HOLY SPIRIT & SOCIAL DISTANCING

via THE HOLY SPIRIT & SOCIAL DISTANCING

Faith or Fear?

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans

Comments, thoughts and reflections welcome

Faith over Fear

Pandemic Reflections

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

8:45 AM

Today began with time spent listening to Candace Owens put all that has been happening together into one concise piece.  It resonated with me in that much of what she said I too have listened, watched and drawn conclusions about.  God blessed us with discernment, wisdom and intelligence.  We can use the gifts or cave to fear.  I for one do not want my life led by fear.  I also ask for wisdom. I have often been blessed with discernment.  God’s word is full of wisdom, wisdom that is for our use and benefit. I thank Him for those gifts and give Him the glory for the answers to prayer that permits me to continue to have faith in His work on this planet. That said, I then shared a time of devotions with my husband and this is what we were presented with.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

[Ecc 3:1-8 RSV] 1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

There is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.  The devotional continued with a focus on the autumnal season; a time of great beauty but also decrease into apparent death.  The point was made that the apparent death held life in the form of seeds being planted to come forth at a later season with new; new life, new possibilities, new creation… Keeping that in mind, then read what Parker Palmer had to say in “Let Your Life Speak; Listening For the Voice of Vocation. Pp. 98-99.

“Autumn is a season of great beauty, but it is also a season of decline: the days grow shorter, the light is suffused, and summer’s abundance decays toward winter’s death…

In my own experience of autumn, I am rarely aware that seeds are being planted…

But as I explore autumn’s paradox of dying and seeding, I feel the power of metaphor.  In the autumnal events of my own experience, I am easily fixated on surface appearances–on the decline of meaning, the decay of relationships, the death of a work.  And yet if I look more deeply, I may see the myriad possibilities being planted to bear fruit in some season yet to come.

In retrospect, I can see in my own life what I could not see at the time–how the job I lost helped me find work I needed to do, how the “road closed” sign turned me toward terrain I needed to travel, how losses that felt irredeemable forced me to discern meanings I needed to know.  On the surface it seemed that life was lessening, but silently and lavishly the seeds of new life were always being sown.”

 

That last line especially can be applied to events we are experiencing today.  “it seemed that life was lessening…” does it feel that way for you? “but silently and lavishly the seeds of new life were always being sown.”  are you searching for alternatives, new ways of doing, new information and understandings?  I see the emergence of new personalities who have potential for leading in healthy directions, I see the exposure of those in leadership who do not seem to have the best interest of humanity at heart, rather there is a strong element of self-interest at heart.

We will have the opportunity, Lord willing, to use what is being made clear to us to inform our choices in the days ahead. Will we function under the strong arm of fear or will we allow our faith in God to direct us in new paths according to His word?  Can we remember the words of Paul,

[Phl 1:21 RSV] 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Believers, there should be no fear of death.  Our future is sealed.  Our actions should give hope to those who do not yet know life that is found in Christ, given to us by God, lived by the Holy Spirit.  We can act with wisdom, but also without fear.

The devotional left us with a question:  “What ‘road closed’ sign is before you today that may be God’s way of redirecting you to something new?”

Take on the day and live in peace, not the peace the world offers but the peace that God gives in the midst of turmoil.  Confusion is not of God, he is a God of order.  Seek His face in today’s events.

The link to Candace Owens’ video: https://www.facebook.com/realCandaceOwens/videos/168943087616092/?t=0

Disclaimer:  if ads are appearing anywhere on this page it is because they are placed there by WordPress not by me.  I have read the information on ads and in order to be ad free now, Word Press charges a fee.  I apologize for any inconvenience these ads may cause you and if they are inappropriate please message me.  Thank you, gracie

So many regrets…Proverbs 5 and 6 what to avoid

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans

Comments, thoughts and reflections welcome

March 5 means Proverbs 5 to start the day.  Verses 1 and 2 then 9, 10 and 11 spoke to me.  It was humbling and hindsight is always clearer.

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding; so that you will preserve discretion and your lips keep watch over knowledge. 9 so that you won’t give your vigor to others and your years to someone who is cruel, 10 so strangers won’t be filled with your strength and what you worked for go to a foreign house, 11 then when your flesh and bones have shrunk, at the end of your life, you would moan.

For many at the later years, this speaks true.  There are regrets… a desire and need to buy back the time.. It isn’t just about our walk with one another; its about our walk with God.  Who gets your youth and energy? Wrong choices can mean someone you don’t know gets what you worked so hard for.

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March 6 and Proverbs 6 focused my attention on what is not pleasing to God… Verses 16-19 elaborated on what to avoid.

16 There are six things Adonai hates, seven which he detests: 17 a haughty look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet swift in running to do evil, 19 a false witness who lies with every breath, and him who sows strife among brothers.

1. haughty look – the eyes
2. lying tongue – the mouth
3. hands that shed innocent blood – hands
4. heart that plots wickedness – heart
5. feet swift; running to do evil – feet
6. false witness, lier
7. one who sows strife

This brings me back to guarding my heart and body, self.  These are actions driven by one who is not following a path to peace or goodwill. They are to be avoided in our daily walk with others and our God.

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A warning…Proverbs 7 and 8

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans

Comments, thoughts and reflections welcome

March 7 provided me with a warning from Proverbs 7.  Verses 24 through 27 held the warning.  Often used to warn the young of the folly of following those whose intent is to cause them to stray from the spouse and love of their youth and engage in relationships outside the parameters of marriage, it can also speak to those who leave their relationship with God to pursue other gods, other beliefs that are in conflict with His ways, much like Israel did.

24 So now, children, listen to me; pay attention to what I am saying. 25 Don’t let your heart turn to her ways; don’t stray onto her paths. 26 For many are those she has struck down dead, numerous those she has killed. 27 Her house is the way to Sh’ol; it leads down to the halls of death.

Any belief and/ or action that is away from God is the reference to ‘she’. Those who left God to follow other gods, and practice idolatry, were led to “the wages of sin” which is death. This death is a separation from God. Jesus told us that “broad is the way and many there be that follow it to destruction,,,” My take-away is to be sure my love is for God, my actions reflect that love, my words speak his love to others.

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March 8 and Proverbs 8 told me what fear of God is.  This fear is that of awe and wonder, not fear that causes me to be afraid.  Verse 13 explains simply what fear of God is.

13 The fear of Adonai is hatred of evil. I hate pride and arrogance.

When, in the Old Testament writings, we read of the punishment of the children of Israel, it is for their arrogance and pride, the arrogance and pride of their kings and princes.  Arrogance and pride rises up in us so silently and so swiftly without our awareness of it sometimes.

Have we taken offence at something someone said to us?  Pride. Have we boasted of an accomplishment of ours without giving God the credit for enabling us to do so? Arrogance.

God hates these two and verse 13 equates them with evil. if I stand in awe and respect of God, I will avoid the pitfalls of pride and arrogance.

Disclaimer:  if ads are appearing anywhere on this page it is because they are placed there by WordPress not by me.  I have read the information on ads and in order to be ad free now, Word Press charges a fee.  I apologize for any inconvenience these ads may cause you and if they are inappropriate please message me.  Thank you, gracie

Reacting To Correction; Proverbs 9

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans

Comments, thoughts and reflections welcome

March 9 found me reading Proverbs 9.  It spoke to me of confidence and how valuable understanding is to being sure of yourself. And, I found verses that gave me a clue as to what our reactions to correction say about us.  Hmmm…worth spending time reflecting on.

Proverbs 9:6 “Don’t stay unsure of yourself, but live! Walk in the way of understanding!”

What should I understand that can give me confidence? How can I be sure of myself by walking in the way of understanding? Wisdom offers me confidence; says to me I can become sure of myself by dwelling in her house and learning from her. But there’s more…

Proverbs 9:7 He who corrects a scoffer only gets insulted; reproving a wicked man becomes his blemish. 8 If you reprove a scoffer, he will hate you; if you reprove a wise man, he will love you. 9 Give to a wise man, and he grows still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will learn still more…knowledge of holy ones is understanding.

If you correct someone; note their reaction…if you are corrected; note your reaction…wise or scoffer; righteous or wicked? And it would seem gathering information will increase understanding; that includes gathering information from the correction that comes or the reaction to the correction that comes.  What say you?

Disclaimer:  if ads are appearing anywhere on this page it is because they are placed there by WordPress not by me.  I have read the information on ads and in order to be ad free now, Word Press charges a fee.  I apologize for any inconvenience these ads may cause you and if they are inappropriate please message me.  Thank you, gracie

And How Then Should We Live? Proverbs 3 and 4

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans

Comments, thoughts and reflections welcome

March 3 and 4 spoke to me about how I treat others, who I look up to and how I guard my self from those influences that would hinder my walk with God.

March 3 leads me to Proverbs 3 and verses 27-31 with words to live by; words to guide my actions and attitudes toward my neighbors.  Who is my neighbor? Jesus answered that question.

Proverbs 3:27 “Don’t withhold good from someone entitled to it when you have in hand the power to do it. 28 Don’t tell your neighbor, “Go away! Come another time; I’ll give it to you tomorrow,” when you have it now. 29 Don’t plan harm against your neighbor who lives beside you trustingly. 30 Don’t quarrel with someone for no reason, if he has done you no harm. 31 Don’t envy a man of violence, don’t choose any of his ways; for the perverse is an abomination to Adonai, but he shares his secret counsel with the upright.

Perverse is opposite God’s ways. Quarreling is adverse to peace; generosity is a blessing; sharing when it is needed is righteous.  And…my neighbor is any who have need, any who ask, any who live beside me.

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March 4 blessed me with Proverbs 4 verses 23,24,25,26.

23 Above everything else, guard your heart; for it is the source of life’s consequences. 24 Keep crooked speech out of your mouth, banish deceit from your lips. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze on what lies in front of you. 26 Level the path for your feet, let your ways be properly prepared;

Heart, mouth, eyes, feet…what I believe, what I allow to have entrance to my inner being, how I use my mouth, eyes and feet, what I allow my mouth to say, my eyes to see, my feet to take me.  All of these feed my heart and being.  I have the ability to deny anything that would be adverse to the will of God to have access to my inner self.  I can choose to walk away, to say no, to not look, not read, not watch anything that would have the potential to lead me away from the way of the Lord God Almighty.

Verse 24 then, says watch what you say and how you say it. Verse 25 supports what Paul says to “look forward to the prize of our high calling.” Christ calls, look to him. Verse 26 tells us to watch where we go, remove hindrances to following Christ, those obstacles to doing His will, and in doing so, level our path forward.

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