Tag Archives: Influencing Others-for good or evil?

God Made Moms??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #219

12 Sunday May 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, Holiness, Holy, Holy Living, Honor Your Father and Mother, Influence, Influenced by the world or Jesus?, JESUS, Motherly Wisdom, Mothers, My Grace Is Sufficient, My Help Cometh from THE LORD, Virtuous Women

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God Made Moms??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #219

Motherhood is a blessing from God, yet there are many kinds of mothers; there are mothers who give birth and care for their children; there are mothers who give birth and give their child into the care of another—some by circumstance, some by death, and some by sheer neglect;  there are mothers who never give birth physically but give themselves to care for someone else’s children as a step-mother, as a grandmother or aunt; others who were not gifted to bear physical children, but who made a difference in the the lives of children to whom they didn’t give birth, but life, hope, joy, healing, restoration, and the light of Jesus!  Where ever you fit in this gambit of women, may these passages comfort, encourage, warn, and lead you to be all that God called, equipped, and placed you where you are to be and to fulfill His purposes for you and the lives HE brings into your circle of service.  May you go forward with love, hope, and the joy of the Lord in your life, your smile, your beneficial gifts of service which God has imparted to you.

“Who can find a virtuous woman?

for her price is far above rubies.”  Proverbs 31:10

“The fear of the LORD

is the beginning of knowledge:

but fools

despise wisdom and instruction.

8 My son,

hear the instruction of thy father,

and forsake not the law of thy mother:

9 For they shall be an ornament

of grace unto thy head,

and chains about thy neck.”   Proverbs 1:7-9

“Children,

obey your parents in the Lord:

for this is right.

2 Honour thy father and mother;

(which is the first commandment with promise;)

3 That it may be well with thee,

and thou mayest live long on the earth.”  Ephesians 6:1-3

“Rebuke not an elder,

but intreat him as a father;

and the younger men

as brethren;

2 The elder women

as mothers;

the younger

as sisters, with all purity.”  1 Timothy 5:1-2

“Greatly desiring to see thee,

being mindful of thy tears,

that I may be filled with joy;

5 When I call to remembrance

the unfeigned faith that is in thee,

which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois,

and thy mother Eunice;

and I am persuaded that in thee also.”  2 Timothy 1:4-5

Lois and Eunice lived their faith in front of young Timothy and Paul ascribes this in part to Timothy’s faith and his faithful service in following Jesus.  What are we living in front of our children and those children in our realm of influence?  Are we leading them to heaven or hell?

Remember, you can choose to be a blessing as you follow Jesus, or you can reject HIM and go the other way, taking others with you. (See Matthew 7:13-14.)  Here are a couple of biblical examples of the wrong kind of women.

“And the woman was arrayed

in purple and scarlet colour,

and decked with gold and precious stones

and pearls,

having a golden cup in her hand

 full of abominations

and filthiness of her fornication:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written,

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,

THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS

OF THE EARTH.

6 And I saw the woman

drunken with the blood of the saints,

 and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus:

and when I saw her,

I wondered with great admiration.”   Revelation 17:4-6

“Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee,

because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel,

which calleth herself a prophetess,

to teach and to seduce my servants

to commit fornication,

and to eat things sacrificed

unto idols.

21 And I gave her space to repent

of her fornication;

and she repented not.

22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed,

and them that commit adultery with her

into great tribulation,

except they repent of their deeds.

23 And I will kill her children with death;

and all the churches shall know

that I am he which searcheth

 the reins and hearts:

and I will give unto every one of you

according to your works.

24 But unto you I say,

and unto the rest in Thyatira,

as many as have not this doctrine,

and which have not known the depths of Satan,

as they speak;

I will put upon you none other burden.

25 But that which ye have already

hold fast till I come.”  Revelation 2:20-25

You are free to choose, but choose wisely there is a test, and the choice you make will not only affect your future, but the lives of people that you may not realize are watching you until eternity.  May God direct your steps into His perfect will!  May we not be described by the old gospel song, “You Never Mentioned Him To Me” by James Rowe.  May Jesus be seen in we who claim His name, in grace and truth.

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling,

and to present you faultless

before the presence of his glory

with exceeding joy,

25 To the only wise God our Saviour,

be glory and majesty,

dominion and power,

both now and ever. Amen.”  Jude 1:24-25

Amen and Amen!!! 

YOU DO Make A Difference??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 19 No. 15

12 Monday Sep 2022

Posted by in Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, Follow Jesus, Following Jesus, For Such A Time As This, Making a difference, My Grace Is Sufficient, Stand Fast!, YOU Can do ALL things through Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 19 No. 15   YOU DO Make A Difference???

I was thinking about how often we let circumstances get us discouraged, yet God has promised that HE is our sufficiency and strength no matter our circumstance.

“I can do all things

through Christ

which strengtheneth me.”  Philippians 4:13

On the opposite side is the truth that Jesus made clear to His disciples just before He was crucified; without JESUS we can do nothing of eternal spiritual value, but when we are walking with Him, through HIS power we can do anything that HE asks us to do.  We are going to make a difference in one way or another—we will be an influence for good, for GOD, or we will be an influence for the enemy of our souls, and the souls of our children and grandchildren, a difference with eternal consequences.

“I am the vine,

 ye are the branches:

He that abideth in me,

and I in him,

the same bringeth forth much fruit:

for without me

ye can do nothing.”  John 15:5

So, not to be overly simplistic, we can choose to walk with Jesus in faith, grace, and power, or we can be discouraged, distracted, and disappointed by the influence of the world, which we are called to recognize and reject, by renewing our minds in God’s Word, HIS ways, and HIS supply.  When I know what God has said, I am empowered to walk in victory.  But I must, absolutely must, be grounded in HIS Word to walk in that victory, by walking in the ways of my LORD!  Peter gives us an amazing example of godly behavior patterned after our Lord and Savior!

“For this is thankworthy,

if a man for conscience toward God

endure grief,

suffering wrongfully.

20 For what glory is it, if,

when ye be buffeted for your faults,

ye shall take it patiently?

but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it,

ye take it patiently,

this is acceptable with God.

21 For even hereunto were ye called:

because Christ also suffered for us,

leaving us an example,

that ye should follow his steps:

22 Who did no sin,

neither was guile found in his mouth:

23 Who, when he was reviled,

reviled not again;

when he suffered,

he threatened not;

but committed himself to him

that judgeth righteously:

24 Who his own self

bare our sins

in his own body

on the tree,

that we,

being dead to sins,

should live unto righteousness:

by whose stripes

ye were healed.

25 For ye were as sheep

going astray;

but are now returned

unto the Shepherd

and Bishop

of your souls.”  1 Peter 2:29-25

If we look at the last verse here, verse 25, we are taken back to Isaiah 53, which is one of the ultimate descriptive passages of the “suffering servant”, Jesus, the Shepherd of our souls, by the sacrifice of Himself, the Lamb of God, who heals us from our “sin sickness”, which was and is a fatal disease if we reject the “blood of Jesus” which can cleanse us from all sin; the disease from which we all suffer, and for which Jesus IS the only cure! (I think you would find it most enlightening to read all of Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22—Jesus paid the price for our sin!)

“He is despised and rejected of men;

a man of sorrows,

and acquainted with grief:

and we hid as it were our faces

from him;

he was despised,

and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs,

and carried our sorrows:

yet we did esteem him stricken,

smitten of God,

and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded

for our transgressions,

he was bruised

for our iniquities:

the chastisement of our peace

was upon him;

and with his stripes

we are healed.

6 All we like sheep

have gone astray;

we have turned every one

to his own way;

and the LORD hath laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed,

and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth:

he is brought as a lamb

to the slaughter,

and as a sheep

before her shearers is dumb,

so he openeth not his mouth.”  Isaiah 53:3-7

This suffering servant, Jesus, gave His all so that we can become new creatures and fulfill HIS purposes for our lives.  And oh, how grateful I am for God’s grace and mercy that not only cleanses us from sin but makes us clean and fresh for HIS service.

“If we confess our sins,

he is faithful and just

to forgive us

our sins,

and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9

All because of HIS blood—there truly is power IN HIS blood.

“But if we walk in the light,

as he is in the light,

we have fellowship one with another,

and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son

cleanseth us from all sin.”  1 John 1:7

THIS is how we are able to do “all things through Christ”!  It is how we are equipped to bear that abundant fruit that Jesus spoke of in John 15!  So, what are you doing with that which you have been given?  Will we be examples of faith or reveal a vain faith, as James describes.  And I’ll simply close with two passages from James, and pray that you and I will ponder what God has said, and either get right with God and go forth—whether in being born again by repentance and faith or simply confessing our sin and shortcomings as a child of God and receiving HIS forgiveness and cleansing “from all sin”? Salvation and restoration available!

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren,

let every man be swift to hear,

slow to speak,

slow to wrath:

20 For the wrath of man worketh not

the righteousness of God.

21 Wherefore lay apart

all filthiness

and superfluity of naughtiness,

and receive with meekness

the engrafted word,

dwhich is able to save your souls.

22 But be ye doers

 of the word,

and not

hearers only,

deceiving your own selves.

23 For if any be a hearer of the word,

and not a doer,

he is like unto a man

beholding his natural face in a glass:

 24 For he beholdeth himself,

and goeth his way,

and straightway forgetteth

what manner of man he was.

25 But whoso looketh

into the perfect law of liberty,

and continueth therein,

he being not a forgetful hearer,

but a doer of the work,

this man shall be blessed

in his deed.”  James 1:19-25

And the second important passage from James:

“What doth it profit, my brethren,

though a man say he hath faith,

and have not works?

can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister

be naked,

and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them,

Depart in peace,

be ye warmed

and filled;

notwithstanding ye give them not

those things which are needful

to the body;

what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith,

if it hath not works,

is dead,

being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say,

Thou hast faith,

and I have works:

shew me thy faith

without thy works,

and I will shew thee my faith

by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God;

thou doest well:

the devils also believe,

and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know,

O vain man,

that faith without works

is dead?”  James 2:14-19

May God grant us wisdom to receive HIS truth and assessment of our lives and make the appropriate corrections! (See 2 Timothy 2:15 and 3:16-17).  Let’s make a difference FOR Jesus!!!J

Amen and Amen!!!