Who Are We? | Fuel For The Weekend

Another week is drawing to a close as the weekend is upon us. For many, today kicks off spring break, and marks the final days for others' spring break. I have thought back to the beginning of 2021 and it does not seem like we should be in third month of the year. I think back to goals I made at the beginning of January, and goals I reassessed in February, and now I am not sure how well I am doing with any of the goals made. Have you experienced that too? It's kind of a time to reflect back at progress made and sidetracked, derailed plans. The good news is that we can gather our thoughts, go back to what is most important to us, and start fresh with new goals. It's never too late to get started if you haven't made any goals.

Something I like to think about is God and His plan for my life. I don't have all the answers. Some days I don't feel like I have any answers. I know He does and that gives me peace and comfort in the tough days. It's been a rough season. We had hoped to find a house by now and others are in our same boat: nothing is available, and then once something good hits the market it is quickly snatched up, or it is grossly overpriced. Even when things look like they are not changing, no progress is being made, and even when it looks like things get worse instead of better, God is still good and He still has good plans for our lives.

I like what the Psalmist wrote in chapter eight. He talks about the excellence of God and how in awe he was that God would not just create mankind but He actually thinks about us and cares for us. Isn't that inspiring. Even if we are doing all the right things, waiting as best as we can, and keeping our eyes on Jesus, it is so hard to hold on when the winds beat our vessel, tossing us to and fro. It is in the times of uncertainty and not knowing that I can read this passage and be reminded if God can do all that, He surely can meet my needs and answer my prayers. Let's read it together.

PSALM 8:3-9 (3)When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; (4)What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? (5)For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. (6)Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: (7)All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; (8)The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. (9)O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!

It is the expression of my heart as well. I look at the night sky full of stars and the moon shining in its glory. I see the beauty in the night sky as stars form into amazing constellations and the earth is given light from these created light sources made by the spoken word of God. He breathed and the stars were formed. He named them and hung them in the exact location He wanted them to shine. Who am I that God would crown me with glory and honor? Who am I that He would take the time to think about or plan a glorious journey for me? Who are we that He would not only know our name and have a wonderful plan for our lives, but then He strategically placed us in the place we would shine brightest?

What would cause the majestic LORD and Creator to give us dominion over the beasts in the field and air and sea? What an excellent Savior we have who not only saw that we were lost and undone in our sins, but selflessly laid down His life for us so we could be free and forever live with Him in paradise! What an incredible gift of love and sacrifice that we will never know or experience because Jesus paid it all.

Friends, as we embark on this weekend and whatever that may look like for each of us, let's remember the God who created us is thinking about us and He has great plans for us. My father-in-law will be laid to rest on Monday and we have comfort and peace in knowing that Steve made his heart right with the Lord. He rededicated his heart to the LORD and now as we lay him to rest, we can continue the journey we are on toward Home knowing one day it will be our turn. One day, and no one knows when, it will be our time to step into eternity and if we have surrendered our lives to the Lord Jesus, put our faith and trust in Him, and believe the saving work He did on the cross at Calvary, we will be with our Savior. The Creator, the Savior, the Planner, the Healer, the Comforter, the Joy Giver will welcome us Home. Why wouldn't we want to serve Him? He is so wonderful.

May His name echo through all the earth. You are excellent in every way God Most High. Let's honor Him with all that we do and say this weekend. I am hoping something I shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Gratitude Journal Tutorial | Thankful Thursday

I apologize for the absentee blog posts last week. My father-in-law passed away and it has been a lot to handle and sort through. The funeral will be on Monday and our family appreciates the prayers for wisdom and guidance as my husband has to make a lot of important decisions. Thank you so much!

For today's creatively journaling our faith post, I wanted to make a page with you all for my gratitude journal. I use a mini Happy Planner notes disc bound book for my gratitude journal. I haven't used the journal since last year and so I definitely wanted to get back to that. I choose three things to be grateful for each day and that helps with my mental health so much.

I love the verse in Psalms 9:1 that says, "I will praise Thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all Thy marvellous works." In this season of grief and loss, not just the passing of my father-in-law, but no longer living in Alabama, and not finding a home of our own, ... it's just been a lot and so I enjoy this verse so much. I will praise God with my whole heart. I don't want to hold back anything from Him. I will tell of His marvelous works because He is doing so much. We have been so blessed since being back in Indiana. He is a good, good Father and I am so thankful that He loves us so much and blesses us every single day.

I am going to share the process of how I created my gratitude page today. Here's a look at the finished page:

These mini notebooks are so fun and it just takes a few minutes to decorate the page. The supplies I used include: Paper Mate Flair pens, heart rainbow washi, and colored dots from the office supply section at Walmart. I do not link anything here because I do not want anyone to go buy a bunch of products. The goal is to just write things we are thankful for and use what you have. You can use stickers, draw, color your own boxes or bullet points, use markers or colored pencils. I will share how I created this page. I know many of you wanted a step-by-step process for how I work in this size notebook.

I ran a strip of rainbow heart washi tape along the top and bottom of the page. I like working with the page outside the notebook. It is a favorite feature of the disc bound system. I enjoy taking the pages out to work on and popping back in when I am done.

These colorful dots are so fun to use for bullet points in my gratitude journal. The label circles are so tiny and are the perfect pair for this size notebook. They are already sticky on the back so I can just add them to the page and they are ready to go. If you do not have these labels you can journal without them. You can add dots with an ink pen, colored pencil, or markers. I already had these for a long, long time so they do last if you are only doing three bullets each time. It is very inexpensive in the office supply section at Walmart if you do want to purchase these, but again, it is not necessary to journal your gratitude list.

Colorful pens make journaling fun, but it is not necessary. Many of my pages are written with black ink on the page. If you do want to check these Paper Mate Flair pens I purchased from Walmart, they would be a good purchase because they do not bleed through the pages. I purchased a set of six for just under $6 before tax. The type of pen is not important. It's therapeutic to write what you're thankful for even if you use a number two pencil.

Here is a look at the page in my notebook. If you do not have this notebook, again, use what you have. You can make your own journal book with any paper, notebook, or journal you already have. I only list three things that I am grateful for. I do not add scriptures or additional journaling. You may want to do that. If you don't have a lot of time, this took me less than 10 minutes. You can spend as little or as much time as you want. The point is finding the good in your day and then thanking God who provided every single blessing.

I will share another project next Thursday. If there is anything specific you want to see, leave it in the comments below, or send me an email. I have some fun things planned and hope you enjoy the tutorials each week. I will share a couple of video tutorials on my YouTube channel as well each month. Hope you have a wonderful day. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my Fuel For The Weekend blog post. If you are on spring break this week or next, I hope you are safe and happy and keeping your eyes on Jesus!

I hope something I have said or shared today gives you strength for your journey and light for your way!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

In the Garden | Wednesday Bible Study

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! I love this holiday. Our family tradition is to make cookies, cake, or cupcakes with green frosting and then we talk about what the holiday means. I love everything about Ireland, shamrocks, and rainbows. I don't believe in luck. I know we are blessed. I don't believe in leprechauns or magical creatures. I do believe the rainbow is a sign of God's promise and the real pot of gold is knowing He loves us! I think of three leaf clovers and am reminded of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But today I want us to study a different topic. I want us to study John 20. There's a lot to unpack so let's begin!

John 20:1-2 (1)The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. (2)Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him.

Let's take a look at what has already happened. Jesus has been brutally crucified at Golgotha, The thieves on either side of Jesus had not yet died so the soldiers came and broke their legs. Jesus was dead so they did not break His legs. One soldier took a spear and pierced our Lord's side; blood and water flowed. There was no doubt Jesus was dead. 

One of Jesus's secret disciples, Joseph of Arimathaea had begged Pilate for the body of Jesus and Pilate granted him permission. Nicodemus, another secret disciple of the Lord, brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes and the two men wound the body of Jesus in these spices and linen grave clothes according to the Jewish tradition of burial. 

John 19:41-42 says, "Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand." In this garden was a new grave that no one had ever used before. The grave was nearby so they chose to lay the body of Jesus there.

Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Jesus and other women had gone with spices to the garden tomb that held Jesus' body. They may have gone while it was still dark so they were not seen. This was a very tumultuous time.

Jesus was so young, only 33 years old. He had loved well, taught well, healed well, and forgiven well even on the cross. The Bible tells us Jesus' back looked like an open plowed field and now these women who have suffered shock and grief like none other are going in mourning and deep sadness to anoint the body of Jesus with these special spices but when they got there they were in for a shock!

Pilate had ordered soldiers to place a boulder at the entrance of the tomb. Soldiers stood guard to make sure the tomb was not disturbed. Pilate knew Jesus said in three days He would rise again and they wanted to prevent anything from happening that might cause people to believe in Jesus and lead to a revolt. They hoped that since He was dead things would settle down and people would forget about the things Jesus taught.

There were no soldiers standing guard when the women arrived and the stone was rolled back. They did not see the body of Jesus. What must have been in their minds? Grief, shock, anger, disbelief, fear! Any of those emotions and maybe all of them could have flooded their minds. What have they done with Jesus? Where is He? What is going on? Hadn't they done enough when they crucified Him? Is this some cruel joke? Where is Jesus?

Mary Magdalene ran to Simon Peter and the disciple Jesus loved. She must have felt panic rise in her throat as she told them what she saw and what she did not see. She told the men that someone had taken Jesus's body but she did not know where.

Sometimes in our own lives we think things will be one way, and as we walk in grief, pain, and loss we believe that nothing could feel worse than what we are going through, until we encounter another set of circumstances that leaves us reeling. I can understand the fear and uncertainty that must have filled their thoughts. The confusion and questions that started to form. Who did this? Why? Where is Jesus now? What could be done about it?

John 20:3-10 (3)Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. (4)So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. (5)And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. (6)Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie. (7)And the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. (8)Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. (9)For as yet they knew not the scripture that He must rise again from the dead. (10)Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

The two men run to the grave. They didn't believe Mary. There was no way it could be possible. They saw Jesus die on the cross. They saw the tortured body hanging there and heard His cry to the Father as He gave up His Spirit. They knew He was buried with a stone rolled in front and guards at the entrance. 

Peter lagged a little behind the other disciple but once at the grave he went straight to the place Jesus should be laying. He wasn't there. The grave clothes were in one spot in a bunch but the napkin that would was around Jesus's head was folded neatly in a different place. Who would have taken the time to fold the napkin? If this was the job of a grave robber, why wasn't the linen clothes and the napkin all in a pile together?

The significance of the napkin and grave clothes was steeped in Jewish tradition. According to Citizen Times, the Jewish boys would set up a meal for the master and they would wait, out of sight, for the master to finish eating. If the master left the table the servant would know they could clean up if the napkin was wadded and tossed aside. This meant, "I'm finished." The grave clothes indicated what Jesus had declared on the cross, "It is finished!" (John 19:30)

If the master needed to leave the table but was not done eating, the napkin would be folded and the servant would know not to disturb anything on the table. The folded napkin implied, "I'm coming back!" And so we realize the folded napkin was Jesus telling us that He is coming back!

John 20:11-16 (11)But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, (12)And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. (13)And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him. (14)And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. (15)Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away. (16)Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

To recap, Peter and the other disciple left and Mary stayed behind. She was crying. The grief was more than she could take because she did not know where Jesus was. Sometimes in our grief and pain, we can honestly question where is God. We may wonder are we supposed to suffer alone? The answer is no. Jesus knows how we feel and He is with us in our suffering, offering a way of escape. She stooped down to look in the grave one more time. Sometimes we get so low and we have no hope but we think maybe I need to look again. Maybe He is near!

Mary looked inside the grave, the place of death, the shattered dreams and hopes, and she saw two angels dressed in white. They were not in dark mourning clothes because He was no longer there. One sat at the head and another at the feet. It was to let her know Jesus was resurrected but she didn't see it. 

In her grief and despair, she did not even realize she was speaking to angels. She was so distraught and undone that she could not even be comforted at their presence. They asked her why she was crying. She said it was because someone took her Lord away and she doesn't know where they put Him. She doesn't even ask them if they knew anything about it. Have you ever had such despair and loss that you miss important clues that God is in the midst of your circumstances? Have you been so upset that even those who are there to console you are unrecognizable?

Mary stopped looking in the tomb: the place of death. She stopped looking at the finality of everything she hoped for and believed in. She turned around and saw Jesus, but she did not even know it. When tragedy strikes in our lives, and we have more questions than answers, and we feel lost and hopeless: Jesus is there. He comes to our rescue and if we will turn around we will encounter Jesus.

Jesus asked her the very same thing the angels had. She thought he was the gardener. She is in the garden after all: a place where things bloom, blossom, flourish, and thrive; a place of beauty, hope, and peace. She did not recognize his voice in that moment. Sometimes God will take us into a place of transformation that is so incredible, we do not immediately recognize what we see and hear. 

She feels hope spring into her heart. She doesn't tell Him why she is crying. She has hope and she says if you know where they took Him, please take me to Jesus. There is something about being in the presence of God that you just need to be where Jesus is. You have hope. You don't rehearse your problems. You request something from Him because you have hope that it just may happen.

She must have turned aside looking for Jesus. He says her name: Mary. That is all He has to say to us. He simply says our name and immediately we know! We know the voice of our sweet Shepherd and immediately the problems, worries, doubts, and fears all fade away. Mary knew the gardener was Jesus! 

Rabboni means teacher and she was respecting Him. She could have called Him a thousand different things but she chose to call Him teacher! 

John 20:17-18 (17)Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God. (18)Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her.

Mary Magdalene started to embrace Him, but He could not let her do that yet. He sends her back with a message. She was to go back and tell the others the incredible news that Jesus is alive! It must have been all she could do to not run and cling to Him; so thankful and grateful to see Him again.

John 20:19-23 (19)Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (20)And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. (21)Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father has sent Me, even so send I you. (22)And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost; (23)Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Imagine the mixture of emotions. Relief, gladness, joy, peace, hope all springing up in the hearts of all who saw Him. He enters with a blessing of peace. His sudden presence in the room must have startled them. The door was shut and secure.

Jesus offers proof that He is the same Jesus who took the nails in His hands and feet and the spear pierced side. He was wounded for our transgressions. He spoke peace to them again; the nail scarred hands and pierced side must have reminded them of the cruel way He died just a few days prior. The emotions still so raw, and so He gave them His peace. He then breathed on them and gave them His Spirit. He empowered them to forgive or retain sins. What a special view we have of the Savior. He has been resurrected and now He empowers His disciples to do a special work for Him. Can you imagine the celebration?

Jesus gives us His peace, too. No matter what we are going through, He will speak peace over us and breathe His precious Spirit over us. We have Holy Spirit inside us leading us, guiding us, and comforting us.

John 20:24-29 (24)But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. (25)The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe. (26)And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. (27)Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing. (28)And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God. (29)Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Thomas had not been with the others when Jesus came to them and breathed His Spirit on them. The others told him what they experienced but Thomas did not have the faith to believe it. He remembered the Lord being crucified. 

The circumstances may not match what others are telling you. Maybe you have praying family or friends and they are telling you Jesus can help. Maybe you are reading this blog and I am telling you Jesus is a way-maker, a promise keeper, a hope giver, a healer, a friend that is closer than a brother and it may not feel like that's true. Maybe you struggle with having enough faith to believe God is going to do everything He said He would do. Friend, don't be like doubting Thomas. He said he would doubt unless he was able to have proof he could actually touch and see. He did not believe hear-say; it seemed too outrageous, too impossible. Friend, don't doubt; only believe.

Eight days passed and Thomas had no encounter with Jesus. Day after day he never saw Jesus face to face. He may have replayed the conversation over in his mind. Maybe he hoped they were telling the truth but he just couldn't believe it for himself.

Eight is the number of new beginnings. He gave Thomas a fresh start. Eight days later He revealed Himself to all the disciples and spoke directly to Thomas to feel the wounds in His hands and shove his hand into His side. Thomas was face to face with Jesus and declared My Lord and My God. 

One day all will proclaim My Lord and My God, but not all will enter heaven because they wanted to see it before they believed it. Look what Jesus said to Thomas. He told him to believe and not doubt. He said you believe because you see it, but blessed are those who believe and cannot see. He is talking about us. We cannot see Jesus in the natural right now. We cannot touch His nail scarred hands and feet. We cannot see the holes where the sword pierced His side or the thorns were shoved into His precious head. We can choose to believe anyway.

Maybe things are really bad. You may have lost your job, lost a loved one, had sickness and a bad diagnosis yourself, but Jesus is with you! He loves you. He will help you through the tough seasons. He will carry you through the grief. Maybe you received bad news and feel like it's out of your hands to fix it. Give it to Jesus and He will fix it for you!

John 20:30-31 (30)And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: (31)But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing ye might have life through His name.

What a precious end to this chapter. For us, it is not really the end, but simply the beginning. We read about the events at the empty tomb to remind us that whatever grave markers are in front of us, we still have hope when we have Jesus. We may have lost some things in the past year, but God is walking with us. He sent His only Son Jesus to die for our sins and then raised Him from the dead so you and I can have life through Jesus. 

I know the waiting season can be so long. The winter season is so hard with death, frozen dreams, impossible circumstances, loss, grief, pain, discomfort, and sorrow, but spring is coming! The ground will thaw. Everything the enemy stole from you will be returned in better condition than it was taken. God is a giver and a lover. He is a good, good Father and He cares about us. He tells us to cast our cares on Him because He cares about us. (1 Peter 5:7)

Next month is Resurrection Day! We celebrate the grave could not hold our Savior. Jesus is alive! But let this truth be ours every single day! No power is stronger than the power of God. Is Jesus in your heart? Is your heart His home? Have you called on His name? Have you believed in Him? If you haven't, now is the time!

Are you struggling in your faith? Is the season you are going through hard and long and feels like it never will end? Take hope in knowing Jesus is with you.

He loves you.

He helps you.

He protects you.

He equips you.

He provides for you.

He wants to fix what is broken and all we have to do is ask and believe He will do it.

Genesis 2:8-9 (8)And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden: and there He put the man whom He had formed. (9)And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

It all began in the garden of Eden. Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane before He was arrested. He was buried in a garden near the place He died. Jesus appeared as a gardener after the resurrection. We are still in a beautiful garden, tended to by the Master. He plants us, waters us, makes us grow and thrive, and when we have done everything we needed to do, He gently removes us from this earthly garden and takes us Home.  

I hope something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Should Christians Self-Censor? | Fuel For The Weekend

Hey everyone!

This weekend I want us to think about the topic of censorship. It is a very real occurrence in our world today, especially to those who follow Jesus Christ and believe the Bible is true! For Wednesday's Bible study post, I spoke about censorship and recounted how Stephen was stoned to death for sharing the Gospel. It serves as a reminder that Christians are targeted for censorship. As the world loses their grip on strong morals and values, intolerance grows for God's design on marriage, love, liberty, equality, and the importance of family. If your message reflects the words of Jesus, you will be watched closely, possibly censored or banned from social media platforms that are easily offended by the truth in God's Word. 

For today, I want to discuss self-censoring, times censoring is necessary, and scriptures to encourage and guide us as we think about this topic over the weekend. Hopefully we can break it down in a practical way that we can incorporate in our every day lives. The idea is to glorify God in the words we say and the things we do not say.

What does it mean to self-censor? It is what some refer to as having a "filter." It is not intentionally speaking about things that will offend and upset others. Self-censoring is important because it reflects self-control, a fruit of the Spirit. It is not picking and choosing who will respond well to the Gospel message. It is knowing with whom we speak and their character. Self-censoring does not mean being ashamed of the Gospel, but rather being sensitive to Holy Spirit as He guides us what to say.

Times self-censoring is necessary could be when someone is deliberately baiting you in an effort to make fun of the Gospel message, slander God, and argue over Scriptures. We must not engage in debates that do not create an environment of learning from one another. We must communicate the Gospel message with everyone, but be sensitive to know when to keep silent. We should know why we believe what we do and be able to give an answer when asked, but we must be careful not to allow these conversations to divide us as a body of believers. The Scriptures tell us what we must do, as believers. Let's look together.

ECCLESIASTES 3:1 & 7 (1)To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (7)A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

COLOSSIANS 4:6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

MATTHEW 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again to rend you.

The verse in Matthew may leave you wondering what that could mean. I looked up the Barnes' Notes on Bible Hub. They said, "The meaning of this proverb, then, is, do not offer your doctrine to those violent and abusive people who would growl and curse you; nor to those especially debased and profilgate who would not perceive its value, would trample it down, and would abuse you. 

The word profilgate, according to Merriam-Webster means, "recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources." So the take away is that if we know the character of the person we are speaking to is blatantly against anything that is Holy and will become violently angry and abusive when broaching the subject, it is best to remain silent. Live your life in a way that honors God and that silent witness will speak volumes. If God gives you the unction to speak with that person and share your faith, pray and ask for wisdom and discernment. Pray for God to fill your mouth with what to say and then remain sensitive to Holy Spirit as He guides when to speak and when to be silent.

We do not want to hide our faith or allow those who disagree with us to silence us. We are not to be shamed into only speaking words of faith and truth around other believers. We are called to be salt and light on the earth. We are to live unashamed of our love for Jesus. We also must use wisdom and not create disputes to make others uncomfortable or feel judged. We must not water down the truth of God's Word to compromise. Sin is never okay. We should not brush sin under the rug. The Bible says the wages of sin is death so it is vital that we talk about it, but we must not condemn others. Jesus did not come to condemn and we are to live like He did. We are to follow His pattern and example.

Jesus was not afraid to speak up and correct the religious leaders who thought they knew everything about the Word of God. They knew nothing because when face-to-face with the Word made flesh they rejected Him. Jesus was not embarrassed to clear the temple, overturning tables, and driving out the hustlers with a whip. He was not so meek and mild that He would not set the record straight when the Scriptures were twisted and misquoted. Make no mistake, we are not to be mealy-mouthed Christians who cower at the idea someone may disagree with us, but let's not go looking for fights either. Let's not stir up debates and arguments just to prove we are right and the other person is wrong.

Let's sit with this topic this weekend. Have some discussions about it with your family, friends, small group at church, or zoom calls. Get some dialogue going about how we can share our faith in a way that honors God. Will the world try to shut us up? Of course they will! Is there a time to speak up? Yes! Is there a time to be silent? Yes! Is there a time for boldness and meekness for every believer? Yes. Allow Holy Spirit to teach us discernment and help us grow in our faith as we do our best to live our faith out loud in this dark world.

I hope something I have shared has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens    

 

Stoned To Silence - #Are We Next | Wednesday Bible Study

 

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another mid-week Bible study. Instead of taking on an entire book of the Bible, I want to discuss a hot topic in our world today: Censorship. Christians have been censored since the time of Jesus. We knew that following Jesus would cost us something, many don't realize that commitment to Christ requires giving up everything. Jesus said, "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour." (John 12:25-26)

The multitudes followed Jesus for the miracles He performed and the provision that He gave, and honestly many Christians do the same thing. There is a superficial relationship many have forged so shallow that it's very posture reveals the true heart. Instead of hands raised in complete surrender and adoration to our Lord and Savior Jesus, their hands are extended and open waiting for another blessing to be given. Jeremiah 29:12-13 paints a different expectation of the follower of God. He says, "Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart." There's a requirement of our whole heart in following God. We know that from the commandment Jesus repeated in Mark 12:30, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

There are men and women all across this country and around the globe who are fired up for Jesus! There are people, a remnant, who have not bowed the knee to Big Tech, who have not compromised to gain followers, subscribers, sheep, whatever you want to call them. There are men and women, children, teens, people diverse from one another who seek God daily, who look for His face more than His hands, and who are sold out believers, ready to die for Him if it required it. Make no mistake, God has a Church! He will one day gather all of us and what a glorious day that will be! But until then, we are to go and make disciples, and in so doing, do not expect to make friends with the world. Friends, we will be hated of the world. In John 15:18-19, Jesus said, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." And we have seen so many examples of that recently in censorship of the Christian faith.

We read in the book of Acts in the sixth chapter that out of necessity to ensure the needs were being met of all the people, because the number of disciples continued to multiply, the 12 disciples gathered the multitude of disciples for a meeting. They said it would not be good for the 12 to stop preaching the Word of God to serve food to the poor and the widows. They recognized the importance of the mission and it was not "beneath" them, but they knew there were others who had those gifts that could be utilized in that way, so the 12 disciples could continue to reach more people and the poor and widows could be served as they should be. So they appointed seven men who had a good reputation, full of the Holy Ghost, and wisdom. Stephen was one of the seven chosen for this task.

The Bible says that Stephen was full of faith and power and did great wonders and miracles among the people. He was living what he was speaking and preaching and teaching. When our lives line up with God's Word and what He wants us to do, we are a threat to the enemy of God. When we walk in the gifts and callings God has given us we are a threat to the god of this world, and his name is Lucifer. Stephen is preaching and teaching with signs and wonders following. He has good fruit and it is evident. No one can dispute it, but then a group of Libertines, or Freedmen, got upset. The liberal crowd got offended and began disputing with Stephen and they were not able to resist the wisdom and Spirit that enabled Stephen to teach with such boldness. Since they had no real argument against Stephen, they just disliked what he stood for, they secretly bribed men to lie on Stephen. These false witnesses claimed they heard Stephen blaspheme against Moses and against God. His life was a living, breathing, walking testimony of His commitment to Christ. Of course he was going to be targeted by the religious sect who had no desire to be transformed and changed by the power of Christ.

The group grabbed Stephen and dragged him off to the council where they lied about his character. They lied about his message. They wanted to stop Stephen from speaking things they did not like, they did not agree with, and they did not want to have to think about. The false witnesses were in place, and the bible says, in Acts 6:15 "And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." Pure innocence and yet the high priest continues with this mock trial. Do no think that this was "way back in the Bible days" and that it cannot happen here in American in 2021. You must not be so blind.

I want you to read Acts chapter seven. Read the compelling last words of this man of great faith. Carefully examine the words of Stephen and decide for yourself what he said that was worthy of death. What did he do that you and I, in the free country of America, with liberty of speech and liberty of religion, cannot also do? Have we said some of these same things? Are we pushing back against Cancel Culture? Because censorship of the Christian is real and rampant. It has been going on for a LONG time and it is only getting worse as we are stripped of our rights every single day.

ACTS 7:51-60 (51)Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so did ye. (52)Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: (53)Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. (54)When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. (55)But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. (56)And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and Son of man standing on the right hand of God. (57)Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, (58)And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. (59)And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. (60)And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

 Let's pause for a moment.

A man stood up for God and for Truth, revealed the heart behind the wicked accusers, but the religious customs were more important than the relationship Jesus wants to have with us, so they killed Stephen. They took up big stones and threw them with great force in anger and an adrenaline rush to silence God's messenger. What do you think they will do to us?

What might happen when we stand up for Biblical truth? What could happen to Christians in America when we stand up for the unborn, the disabled, the elderly, the chronically ill? What will happen when we call out Big Tech for dropping the hammer on those speaking truth?

I was censored on YouTube when my video was posted on my channel. I got shadow banned because I offended them when I told my viewers to put their trust in God and trust Him more than a vaccine or a government official. That was the offensive statement: that we should put our faith in God and not man or man-made things. You may think I am over-reacting and that I should not compare that to Stephen. I am not comparing what happened to me with the cruel, inhumane way they murdered precious Stephen. I cannot read that passage without mourning and crying! What a huge cost for someone who did not love his life to the death! That is what it means, friends, to take up your cross daily. Stephen counted the cost. My YouTube channel shadow ban on a video is not the same, but it is evidence that we are going in that same direction.

God sent my family and me to Alabama to live and serve and we did so for 16 months. God called us back to Indiana and during my time in Alabama, God had me praying for the city of Mobile. Day after day, I would drive back and forth to work, around the city on errands, going to and from church and I prayed for the city of Mobile, for deliverance, for salvation, for freedom from addictions and bondage. We get back to Indiana and the other morning I get a text message from a  friend and this is what it said:

Monday, February 22, 8:48 am: "a big revival broke out in mobile yesterday.folks getting babtized in their trucks and masses giving life to the Lord."

A man named Sean Feucht has been going across the country and stirring up revival in the heart of God's people. He has been sharing video clips and testimonials and it's been incredible to see the power of God moving. So many of us have been praying for a move of God and it's sweeping the nation and people are hungry for it. Sean was putting out a worship album and he really believed it was going to be life-changing for many people. He prayed it would turn people's hearts toward God. The company that was going to release the album in just a few days from the moment he announced it chose to ban it! It was denied!!  Just after sharing incredible testimonies of people being healed by the power of God, he announced the excitement of this new release, and then bam! Denied! Saints of God everywhere began to pray. People started sending messages to the company and after being inundated with people's cry for the album to release, they decided to release the album.

So, it's a YouTube video on a channel that has less than 1500 subscribers, and a worship CD. Should we care? Yes! We should care! We should care because it was the cake baker who owned their own business and chose not to bake wedding cakes for weddings that didn't honor the man-and-woman marriage God designed. A business owner can choose who to cater to and who not to. The baker had politely declined to bake the cake for the homosexual couple and even told them of other bakers that would do what they wanted. Instead of leaving the store and finding a bakery that could accommodate them, they sued the baker! A Christian woman worked for a company who does many things, one of which is selling marriage licenses. Her beliefs did not allow her to make the transaction for the same-sex couple. She went to jail! The woman who stood up for what she believed in, God's Word, was thrown in jail!!! Not in the days of Daniel or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This is our lifetime, our modern day times! 

James Daly, president of Focus on the Family, has a wonderful ministry to help families in America grow closer to God. Every episode is helping fathers be more like Christ and strong leaders of their homes, or teaching women how to love well in the midst of insecurities and pressures of society to be and conform more like the world; and resources are available for parenting, financial needs, health concerns, and mental stress. Actively walking out their faith with boldness and love, they were even targeted for a tweet they shared. You can read all about that here. Church wake up, please!! We are being watched and targeted and anything we say or do can and will be held against us!

If we were doing everything sinful, ungodly, and unimaginable, we would be celebrated and rushed to the top of the ladder of success. We would be indulged, never censored, never held accountable. We would be seen as loving and good. The evil ones, according to the world, are the people like you and me who choose to stand up for truth and justice. The Bible told us it would be this way. It should come as no surprise if we are reading the Word of God for ourselves. 

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-7 (1)This know also, that in the last days perilous times will come. (2)For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. (3)Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4)Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God: (5)Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (6)For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, (7)Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Friends, we could literally be reading America's profile today. Money lovers, irreconcilable, reckless, liars, haters of those that are good. We must not fall asleep on this topic. Do not think it's just the way things are nowadays. We cannot conform to this world and remain reconciled to Christ. It will never happen! I'm going to ask you to speak up when you see others getting targeted and bullied by Big Tech. Support ministries and organizations that are sharing God's truth. Keep speaking truth to those around you. Do not let one day go by without sharing God's message of hope, love, and forgiveness with the world. Tell someone. Call a friend, family member, coworker, anybody and tell them that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their lives: a hope and a future, something that will produce good results and great success. Introduce someone to Jesus today. Let's go and be disciples. 

Let me leave you with this familiar scripture, that bears repeating:

ROMANS 12:1-2 (1)I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2)And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

I hope something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens