A Lesson on Anger and Forgiveness

The world teaches you to be quick to anger and slow to forgive, but the LORD teaches us to be slow to anger and quick to forgive! This can be hard to do. But, reading His Word will help you.

*****Ephesians 4:31-32
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.*****

Proverbs 14:29
He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

Proverbs 16:32
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

James 1:19
This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:18
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, But the slow to anger pacifies contention.

Colossians 3:13
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Romans 12:19
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Ephesians 4:26
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Proverbs 14:17
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated.

Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 18: 21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ” Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? ” Jesus answered, ” I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Be slow to anger and quick to forgive!
~M

Blessings Through the Storms…

This past year has been one of my hardest ever. I have struggled and struggled with countless illnesses, vehicle troubles (both vehicles having dead batteries on the same day…flat tire that had to be replaced and only the dealership could order and put a new one on…both kids having surgery (our son (age 5) had his 4th set of tubes, our daughter (age 6) had her tonsils out and her first set of tubes)…foundation on house had to be repaired…our dishwasher died, our air conditioner’s control board fried (had to get new one and was without central air in south Louisiana for almost a week)…my dad having a stroke (and not being able to go see him due to my illnesses)…and several more things.

There were times when I just wanted to throw my hands up and say, “Lord, I give up! I can’t take it anymore!” But, I kept enduring the storm because I knew that the Lord was growing me through this time. If you focus on the negatives, then you allow Satan to take your joy away. Now, some positives that I experienced…Our children aren’t near as sick as they were, foundation has been repaired, an anonymous donor purchased us a new dishwasher, our air conditioner could be fixed and we found a window unit to keep us cool as we spent extra quality time together as family, we grew closer to the Lord and closer as a family unit. God has sent people in our lives to encourage us and to hold us up when it felt like our world was crashing down. To those people, “Thank you! You will never know how much that meant to us. You are a blessing to our family and to the Kingdom of God!”

During this time of struggle, God led me to several scriptures and directed me towards this song called, “Blessings by Laura Story”, that just described what I was going through so well. It truly ministered to me. I even set this song to replay in my van for a year. I hope these scriptures and the lyrics to her song bless you as much as they me.

James 1:2-4 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Ezekiel 36:26 —“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

1 Peter 5:10 – “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Lyrics from Blessings by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Let your blessings rain down, Lord!! Be blessed and be a blessings to others!
~M

What’s Your Top Ten?

A Question To Ponder…
Recently a childhood friend of mine asked me to make a list of ten ways that I would want others to treat me. So here is my list. Top 10 ways: Lovingly, Respectfully, Seriously, Compassionately, Mercifully, Forgivingly, Gently, Kindly, Encouragingly, and Gracefully. After compiling my list of the top ten I was feeling pretty good about myself. Until he said something to me that I did not expect. He said with a firm voice; now ask yourself one Question. “Is that how I treat all people?” Wow I was taken back by this question. It caught me off guard. I wasn’t sure if I could answer yes to all ten or even to just a few of them. Because he wasn’t asking how I treat people who I love, but for the treatment of all people. The longer I pondered on this simple question, the more I realized that the first question was not nearly as important as the second one. My answer to all ten toward all people was; No, not always. At this point in my conversation with my friend I prayed these words.”God forgive me of this sin and help me to treat others how I want to be treated even when they don’t treat me the way I desire. Thank You Father for this insight and revelation In Jesus Name I Pray Amen.” The Bible tells us in Luke 6:31 (NIV) “31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.” So I’m asking each one of you to take time and write your own top ten ways that you want to be treated. Then ask yourself, is this how I treat all people? A Question that all of us need to honestly answer before God. How do you treat what God has created?

From Your Pastor’s Heart,
~G

What are you afraid of?

Ok folks….I have to admit I am a “big scaredy cat”. When I was pregnant with Jamie, about 3am I heard the dog door’s noise….both doggies were with me. I was almost paralyzed with fear. Sent my husband to investigate, made a barricade, then ran to the bathroom with the doggies and yes, I even LOCKED the door. A few months ago, G came home from work…..thought he saw a snake and wanted me to come outside and shine the flashlight in that direction….HAHAHA, I made it maybe 10 baby steps, then ran back inside, shined the light in the direction from inside the house, it was indeed a snake…so I took both kids and once again locked us in the bathroom.

With that said….I found this scripture that I need to read daily: Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”. John 14:27

So, next time, I think I will try to keep the bathroom door unlocked when critters come around? 😉

Now to the serious stuff: I’ve asked this question a lot: “what are you afraid of?” I’ve got varied responses from losing their homes, losing their jobs, kids rebelling, being alone, being hurt by others, not being enough, the future, etc. The most common, however, is death.

Why are we so afraid of death? I know why. You don’t know where you are going after you die? If you know Christ as Lord–then you go to heaven. Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” There will be streets of gold! Who doesn’t want to experience pure happiness? There will be no more sorrow! Are you sure you will get to spend eternity with the Savior? If you have questions, please comment or click submit a question on our page.

Now, if you don’t know Jesus…you will be in a place called hell. Hell is not a happy place. It is a lake of fire full of torment. Revelation 14:11 “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” Hell was not made for you. It was made for the devil and the fallen angels. The Bible reminds us of is in Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

So, it’s your choice heaven or hell?!
~M

What makes your heart happy?

Hello Readers! I hope you have a blessed weekend. We will be relaxing, watching football, and hopefully video chatting with my dad. His left side is still immobile. He warmed my heart yesterday. Yes, I cried like a baby. But, it made my heart happy. He is sometimes hard to understand because of the weakened left side. He said, “I will never be tired of talk to Marie!” **instant happy tears**.

But, that made me think. Our Heavenly Father wants to hear from us. He never grows tired of hearing from us. We communicate to God by prayer and reading the Bible. The Bible is our instruction book. It delights the Lord’s heart when we open His Word, read it, think about it and apply it to our daily life. Do you spend enough time with The Lord that His heart is happy?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 instructs us to “Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

In James 2:23–“And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.”

I don’t know about you, but I want to be God’s friend. He never leaves you. He loves you more than anything. He will never talk badly about you or betray you. It hurts your heart when people talk negatively about you, criticize you, turn their back on you when you need them, etc. Remember The Lord will never do those things. He gave us many promises in His Word that puts a smile to your face. Here are just a few of mine:

Jeremiah 29:11-“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,and you will find rest for your souls.”

Isaiah 40:29-31: “He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Philippians 4:19-“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

What makes your heart happy?
Are you making Christ’s heart happy?

Thanks for reading. Be blessed and be a blessing.
~M

The Great Command

The Great Command…
Some call it, The Great Commission…

Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.

1) Jesus Reminds His People Of Their Purpose – vs 18

God is telling all that confess Him as Lord to remember why they have done so and He is reminding us of the authority given to Him. It is by this authority that He commands us and guides us.

2) Jesus Gives The Command To Go & Make Disciples Of All Nations – vs 19

Disciples are made, not born. They are an ever work in progress of the Divine Plan of God. To be a Disciple you must first surrender your agenda and accept the Plan God has for you. God said for His people to not neglect anyone of any race. The people of God must never show favoritism toward anyone due to the level of the wealth or lack of.

3) Jesus Reminds His People That They Are Not Alone – vs 19

Through the command of baptism Jesus refreshes the minds of His people. He lets them know that baptism is a symbolic way of being born again. He also brings in the Trinity of God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit. In doing this, He was reminding His people that they are not alone.

4) Jesus Tells Us To Teach What We Have Learned From God – vs 20

We as the People of God must always be ready to share our Faith with others. We are called by God to teach or share what we know and believe to be the truths of Gods Holy Word.

5) Jesus Reminds Us That He Is Always Here – vs 20

It is a promise from God that He will walk with us in this life. It is comforting to know that He our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is ALWAYS here for us. Remembering these Truths found in the very Word Of God will help us to live a life that God intended.

Why Jesus Ministries,

Pastor G

S.T.R.E.S.S.

Hello Readers, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Welcome back to the “Monday Blues”. So, I thought today’s topic should focus on Stress. I found an old project I did in High School about stress. So, I thought I would share it with you. Please remember that I was just 17 when I wrote this.

This six letter word is ruining my life!!!!!

S — Striving to do the Best you can! Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

T — Trying to Give it Your All! 2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

R — Reading too Much into What Others Say! Psalm 120:2: “Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.”

E — Everything that Makes You Worry! Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

S — Scared of Not Succeeding! Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be achieved”

S — Screaming into the Night! Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”

There are so many things in life to be stressed about. I used to easily stress out. But, I have prayed and asked the Lord to help me with that issue. I just want to say thank you for dropping by today. It is truly a blessing to share my heart with you.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
M.

Stress Relief Part 3

Supplication should be our first response to stress,

but our second response is…

II. STILLNESS:
Psalm 4:3-4 (NIV)
3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD will hear when I call to him.
4 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.

This is one of the simplest commands God has ever given, and yet the most difficult to keep, is to ” be silent and still.”

The Bible says,
“Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

People have brought a great deal of stress upon themselves, simply not “waiting for the Lord.” Phillips Brooks once put it this way, “The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t” (Nelson’s p.599).It was the same for the Children of Israel in the wilderness. God led them with the spectacular display of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Over time, the people grew very impatient. Among other things, God was teaching them to wait on His leadership; to be patient.

We have to allow God to do things in His time, not ours! In many ways we have become an impatient people: we want things our way and we want them now! However, whether we are seeking world peace or inner peace, we must re-learn what it is to “wait upon the Lord.”

When David writes, ” when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent,” he gives a vivid picture of what it means to “be still.” Every Christian ought to take time out for God; set aside a time, maybe in bed before we go to sleep, to mediate on God’s Word and share our hearts with our Lord.

Make an appointment with God every day and don’t break it.

When life becomes stressful, the Lord invites us to practice

supplication,

stillness,

And come back tomorrow to finish our series on stress relief.

God Bless You,
Pastor G

Stress Relief Part 2

In coping with stress, our first response should be…

I. SUPPLICATION:

Psalm 4:1 (NIV)
1 Answer me when I call to you,
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

Prayer is still the best place to start in response to any problem we might face in life. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7).

Our Heavenly Father wants to provide us with the relief that we so desperately need. But, it falls to us to ask, seek, and knock.

There are three parts to David’s prayer in verse one:
praise, appreciation, and petition.

First, He starts by saying, “O my righteous God.” David is praising God for who He is. It is important sometimes for us to take our eyes off ourselves and realize the goodness and greatness of our God.We need to remember that this life is not all about us, but It’s about God.

Second, David expresses appreciation to God,saying, ” Give me relief from my distress.” He is acknowledging that God alone is the one who can relieve him of his stress, and David is thankful for that. Many times when we are stressed out over something we have a hard time remembering all the good that we have experienced in life.

David reflects on the past with a heart of thankfulness. God has done some wonderful things in our lives, often using stressful circumstances to bring about His purposes. By appreciating what God has done in the past we, again, stop focusing inward and start looking upward!

Third, David makes his petition, “be merciful to me and hear my prayer..” David asks for grace and mercy in this situation. Perhaps David realized that his trouble was, at least in part, a result of his past sins. Sometimes deliverance from our distress is as simple as saying, “God, if I’ve brought this trouble on myself I’m asking You to forgive me.” It is truly amazing how gracious God is willing to be to us,if only we would ask Him.

Evangelist John R. Rice once wrote: I once imagined I was in Heaven. Walking along with the angel Gabriel, I said, “Gabe, what is that big building there?”

“You’ll be disappointed,” he answered. “I don’t think you want to see it.” But I insisted, and he showed me floor after floor of beautiful gifts, all wrapped and ready to be sent.

“Gabriel, what are all these?”

He said, I thought rather sadly, “We wrapped all these things, but you never asked for them.” (Nelson’s p.631)

Truly God has great gifts ready for us, if we are willing to ask for them. Psychologists tell us that, in many cases,simply talking to someone about our problems will help us put things in perspective. So Talking to God through prayer, is perhaps the greatest gift we have been given; and, by taking advantage of that gift, we can greatly reduce the stress in our lives.

So let’s follow David’s example when coping with the stresses of life.

Supplication should be our first response to stress.

Come back tomorrow for part 3!

God bless you as you serve Him,
Pastor G

The Anger Rules in Relationships

In life, in marriage, and in all relationships, we must learn to control our anger and learn to forgive. Forgiveness is a key part of love. The LORD sent Jesus to die for our sins so we could be forgiven.

The world teaches you to be quick to anger and slow to forgive, but the LORD teaches us to be slow to anger and quick to forgive!

Here are the anger rules:
It is okay to be angry.
1. Do not hurt yourself.
2. Do not hurt others.
3. Do not hurt things.
Always talk about it.

*****Ephesians 4:31-32
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.*****

Proverbs 14:29
He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

Proverbs 16:32
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

James 1:19
This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:18
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, But the slow to anger pacifies contention.

Colossians 3:13
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Romans 12:19
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Ephesians 4:26
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Proverbs 14:17
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated.

Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 18: 21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ” Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? ” Jesus answered, ” I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

It is okay to be upset or angry, but do not sin in your anger! Be quick to listen and quick to forgive. Be slow to anger! Remember to SMILE!

Be a Blessing to Others,
~M