Psalm 7 | Bible Study Wednesday

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible Study. We are moving through the book of Psalms this year and today we turn our attention to the book of Psalms, chapter seven. This is a Shiggaion of David. According to BibleStudyTools.com, using Easton's Bible Dictionary, shiggaion is, "The word denotes a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion; a song of impassioned imagination accompanied with suitable music; a dithyrambic ode." David composes this particular song under great distress and persecution. If you have not done so, please take a few minutes to read this chapter. It is only 17 verses. We will break down what is being said here and hopefully you will continue the study on your own to cross-reference verses or perhaps do word-mapping.

Verses 1-2 David has been cursed at, rocks flung at him, and ridiculed by a man from the tribe of Benjamin in 2 Samuel chapter 16. This was a time when his son was trying to take the throne away from him. He was in a lot of mental distress and he knew the One he could go to was God. He knew that God always helped him. David knew that even if God did not change David's circumstances, he would still feel better, comforted, and encouraged after going to God in prayer.

Here in the opening two verses, David proclaims he has full confidence and trust in what God can do. He remembers the lions that would like nothing more than to tear the flesh off the sheep he used to tend. He feels like one of the sheep and his enemies are the lions.

Verses 3-5 David is asking God to search him for sin. He asks God to allow his enemies to trample him into the dust if he has done wrong. If he has paid evil back to men that were at peace with him, and he even reminds God that he has shown mercy to those who hated him without a reason. This is David showing God that he wants to be found pleasing in His sight. He wants to be clean before God, but he is willing to suffer the consequences of what he has done.

Verses 6-11 In these verses, taking up a bulk of this chapter, David expresses how God is a just judge and angry with the wicked daily. He asks God to rise up in anger against those who have come against David in this time of stress and chaos. He says God will judge the people, and he even asks God to judge him. David wants God to check his integrity, check his motives, to check his heart. David says God will make the wicked come to an end, but the righteous God looks at people's hearts and intentions. David says he is defended by the God who saves those upright in heart. 

Verses 12-16 David describes what will happen to the wicked. He says they will fall into the very ditch they made to snare someone else. The pit they dug for someone else will be the very pit they fall into when God gets through with the wicked. David said the mischief they thought to do to someone else will come upon their own head. The violence they thought to do to others, David said will return to themselves. Whatever evil they imagined to do unto others will come right back to them.

Verse 17 David ends this psalm with praise. He has petitioned the LORD for what he needs. He has encouraged himself with remembering the character of God. He is satisfied with the way he knows God is going to handle the matter and now it is time to praise Him. Notice David says he will praise the LORD according to His righteousness. David's circumstances have not changed yet, but he is not allowing circumstances to dictate whether he is going to praise God or not. David knows God is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory because He is God and He is good and He is holy. David's last words in this passage is, "I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High."

You may feel surrounded by people who talk about you, lie on you, throw you under the bus, and watch for you to fail. You may feel overwhelmed and in mental distress like David. You may feel like you are outnumbered and alone, but God is on your side! He is fighting for you. He comes against the workers of iniquity and fights for you! He will take care of the matter. Ask Him to search you for sin and if He reveals to you anything at all, put it under the blood. If you have bitterness, ask Him to help you forgive. If you have hate in your heart, ask God to give you love for your enemies and those who wound you. He will do it. And once you have been cleansed by God then begin to praise God and stop thinking about the mess and the problems. Stop worrying about the things they did to you or said about you. It's over. God has taken care of it. He is on the scene working and you can carry on. He is for you and He loves you. That is something to praise God for.

I hope you have learned something new today. I certainly have learned a lot. I am taking away just as much, if not more, than what I am giving today. Trust God to handle these circumstances and do not give up. God is fighting for you and He will deliver you. I hope something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you.

~Bridgett Owens

 

Dangerous Judgment | Fuel For The Weekend

My sister and I were talking on the phone the other day. We live in two different states and we do not see one another very often. She was telling me how much she appreciated being able to pray with me. I was in agreement and told her what a privilege it is to join my faith with hers. It was just a sweet moment where we were just celebrating one another and being thankful to God for the gift of friendship we share as adult women, sisters, moms, and wives. I quoted Ram Dass and said, "We're all just walking each other Home."

Sometimes life is not so sweet. Sometimes we get lost in the mundane of day to day living. We can get caught up in the cares of this life and we do not remember to walk our sisters and brothers home. It might be easier to speak discouraging words or make unkind comments. But this is so dangerous. If we begin to judge one another and pick apart one another, we have lost sight of what God's purpose truly is for us. Romans 15:1 says, "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." Life is really not about you. Life is really not about me. We are pilgrims, passing through this world, and we are instructed to help each other and love each other.

The concept of Judgment Day is not popular. Most of the time pastors avoid talking about being accountable but we touched on this a little bit last week during Fuel For The Weekend. Remember about the Bloody Hands? God has not let me leave this topic yet and He wants me to share more about judgment as we journey through this life in hopes of making it into the next. 

Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought (despise) thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

That is pretty clear to me. Why do we judge one another? Why do we hate one another? Why are we jealous of one another? We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We will stand alone. We will not have a group of friends with us. We will not be standing in line with our family. We will not be in the congregation of our church. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Rich men and women will bow their knee and confess Jesus is Christ. Poor men and women will bow their knee and confess. Oh, they may not do that now in this life, but they will do it later. Every member of the human race will kneel before King Jesus. Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

When we die, we face judgment. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. This is something that is going to happen. We will all stand before God and give an account. Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. When we stand there we are going to answer for some things we have done. Will this be a day we can smile and look into the face of God knowing we lived a life to please Him? Will we be like Paul? 2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing. Or will we be carrying grudges with us, bitterness growing like a cancer, and grudgingly bow the knee and confess Jesus is Lord?

The Bible says we are to give an account of ourselves. We are not going to answer for one another. We cannot make excuses and say we did not have what we needed to serve God. He equips us. We cannot blame others for holding us back. If we must answer for our own words and deeds, then we have enough to keep us busy if we stay focused on our own heart and our own relationship with God. We have no time to tear others down around us. Let's build each other up.

Romans 4:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. Hear me well. We all have an adversary, the devil, who is going to try to block us, stop us, hurt us, and kill us. He is putting stumbling blocks all in the path God has set our feet on. We must not do the same thing to one another. In fact, instead of watching others trip and fall and celebrating their demise, let's stretch out our hand to help. Let's be watching out for one another. "Hey friend, there's a stumbling block, put your foot on it and watch it become a stepping stone. Go up higher brother. Go up higher sister." Let's begin to cheer each other on. Pray for one another. Love one another. We do not want to leave anyone behind.

Romans 4:17-19 For the Kingdom of God is not meat (food) and drink: but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. The Kingdom of God is not what we do, the things we have, the status we obtain. No, it is God's righteousness, the peace that passes all understanding, and the joy unspeakable and full of glory found in the precious Holy Ghost: the third person in the Holy Trinity. When we are going after the righteousness of God, living peaceable with one another, and walking in the joy that no circumstances or bad news can ever take away, we are serving Christ. We are then acceptable to God and approved of men. So we need to follow hard after these things. Let's build each other up.

Friends, it is too dangerous to sit in judgment. That is not our seat to sit in. The judgment seat belongs to Jesus Christ. He is the righteous judge and He has the power to cast judgment. You and I are under His grace. Any good we do is not because we are good, it's because of the power of God at work in our lives. Let's remember who we are and Who we belong to. Time is short and it will not be long before this world is passed away. Start helping everyone you can make it Home.

I hope you think of these things this weekend. Start some conversations with others and tell them what the Bible says about judgment. Judgment belongs to God. We are all in a race but we are competing against ourselves. We need to be better today than yesterday. We do not need to look at our brothers and sisters and compare ourselves to them and become jealous or mean-spirited. We are all in the race toward Home. Let's just celebrate one another and cheer each other on. You will never regret it!

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

~Bridgett Owens

Healing Broken Hearts | Thankful Thursday

 

ISAIAH 63:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me: because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.

Jesus quoted this passage of scripture in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." What a beautiful description of who Jesus is. He was sent to heal the brokenhearted and I can tell you that He is still healing broken hearts today.

I had just come off a fast. I was weak in the flesh but strong in my spirit. I was prepared to give a Word of Knowledge that God had given me for a specific church. I felt as though my chest would burst if I did not get the word out. I was given the word during a time of fasting and consecration to God. But, unfortunately someone misspoke something about me before the service and so I was not allowed to give that message. I was told to wait until later. I cannot tell you how grieved I felt in my soul and how grieved I felt the Holy Spirit had been.

I was confused and hurt because no one asked me if the accusations were true. The person who twisted the information did not do that to hurt me. They did not want to cause strife and division. They apologized and I believe they were sorry it had happened. I forgave them of course, but I was crushed. I did not want to go back to their church. I was so wounded I wanted to just leave. God did not want that for me though. I just kept thinking that my integrity should have made them question what was being said. But God wanted to teach me something in this situation. God said for me not to try to justify myself because He would exonerate me. God loves me and He wants me to keep growing and to keep pushing past obstacles and adversity. I know that He is still healing broken hearts because He did that for me. I was crushed and upset but my dear friend that I cherish reminded me of this:

2 CORINTHIANS 4:7-10 (7)But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power be of God, and not of us. (8)We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; (9)Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (10)Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:16-18 (16)For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. (17)For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (18)While we look not at the things which are seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

My friend really encouraged me with these verses. We can be wounded by friends, family, or anyone. (Zechariah 13:6) So what can I do? God gave me a gift. He allowed me to be hurt so He could teach me some things. He is my helper. He is my healer. He is my source of joy. He is my dearest friend. He is always with me. That does not change! Someone may choose to believe the worst about me, but that is between them and God. Like the Bible says in 2 Corinthians, these light afflictions are working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Sometimes I get so caught up in wanting to please God that when I cannot do what He asked me to do, I feel like God is going to be upset with me. That is a lie from the enemy. The truth is He isn't upset with me. God knows I tried, but it was no use. God reminded me that it is not me they are rejecting, but it is Him. (1 Samuel 8:7)

I was able to pray for those who hurt me and ask God to bless them, encourage them, cause their ministry to grow, and for God's favor on their lives. I still care about them and want God to give them everything He promised them. You see it is not about me. Once I stopped feeling grieved because I could not give the message like God asked me to do, it did not hurt anymore. I know that God's words will not return void. God gave me the opportunity to read the message to my friend and then again to my husband and children, so the word went forth. I was still able to share the message, just not like I thought it would be. That is okay because God showed up in a big way for my friend after I shared that message. We had an opportunity to pray together and what an amazing experience that was to feel God's presence in the room.

If your heart has been broken, you feel sorrow instead of joy, and you feel wounded and rejected, take it to God. He will heal your broken heart. He will send others to you to minister to you. I have had so many words of encouragement spoken over me in the past few days. God is pouring the healing balm of Gilead into the deep recesses of my heart. (Jeremiah 8:22) He stopped the pain and lifted me up out of the pit. (Psalm 40:2) God will do the same for you. He loves His children and He is our Healer.

If you do not know Jesus, Friend, do not keep trying to do life on your own. It is so much better with Jesus. He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother according to Proverbs 18:24. If you believe Jesus is the Son of the Living God, you can call upon Him and be saved. Acts 2:21 says, "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Let this be the best day of your life. Ask Jesus to save you. Repent of your sins. When you recognize you need a Savior, all you have to do is call on Jesus and you will be saved. It is that simple. It takes child-like faith. If you do this, let someone know. Get into a good church with solid Biblical teaching. Read your Bible and if you do not have one, let me know and I will get one for you.

Life is so short. Let's not waste our days feeling sad and rejected. Jesus loves us all and He has not rejected us. We must focus on Jesus and not get caught up in what others say or do. Leave it all in the hands of the Master. God's Word will not return void. It will accomplish what He sent it forth to do. (Isaiah 55:11)

I hope that sharing my story will help someone else. It is hard for me to talk about my personal struggles because I am a private person and do not like to share things like that. I am doing so today to give God all of the praise, honor, and glory for picking me up, dusting me off, and healing my broken heart. This Thankful Thursday I have so much to thank God for. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 6 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible Study. This year we have started studying the book of Psalms. We are working our way through this delightful book in the center of the Bible. It is found in the Old Testament and in it we find psalms written by Moses, David, and Solomon. Chapter six in Psalms is a Psalm of David. It is the first of seven penitential psalms. These penitential psalms were recognized by the ancient church as dealing primarily with sin and forgiveness of sin. If you have not taken the time to read these 10 verses, please take the time to do so. Feel free to take notes, cross-reference verses and study this further on your own. Let's begin.

Verse 1 David opens the prayer up with a plea for mercy. He is requesting God not to reprimand him when the LORD is angry. It has been said that correcting a child when one is angry will cause that child to become bitter and angry, too. If one has an opportunity to cool off, then they can reason with the child and the child will then learn the lesson and hopefully not do it again. David is asking God not to correct him in God's hot displeasure. This is David acknowledging that he had sinned. He is not pleading innocent. He is not making excuses. He just wants God to be gentle with him right now.

The Bible tells us God corrects those He loves. Proverbs 3:12 "For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."

Verse 2 David asks God for mercy. He tells God, "I am weak." Now that David admits to sinning, he can see that he was operating in the flesh and our flesh is always weak. Do you remember when Jesus was talking to Peter? They were in the garden of Gethsemane and Jesus was going to be crucified. It was just a short time before Jesus was arrested. Peter wanted to die with Jesus but now Peter gives in to slumber in the garden when he should have been watching Jesus and praying with Him. In Matthew 26:41, Jesus said, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." We all know that Peter denied Christ three times right after Jesus was arrested. David recognizes his flesh is weak. 

David says his bones are "sore vexed" which literally means his "entire being" were vexed. Hebrews thought such suffering was connected directly with sin. This then would indicate David is begging for mercy because he is asking for forgiveness of sin.

Verse 3 Have you ever wondered how long you would suffer? Did you ever ask God, "How long?" David is sorrowful over the wrong he had done. He feels that separation from God because sin always separates us from our Holy Father. He longs to feel close to God again. It is not just a plea for God's pardon, but he longs to have that fellowship again. David wants God to mend their broken relationship. 

Verse 4 David asks God to return to him. David was a man of worship. He loved God and was devoted to God but that did not give him a pass on sin. He still had to confess it to God and allow God to cleanse him and set him back in right standing. David says "Save me for your loving kindnesses sake." He is calling out God's character now. David is saying in essence, "God I need you to save me. I know you are kind and loving and merciful. Please let me feel Your presence again."

Verse 5 This verse is interesting. David begins to talk about death and dying. Sin always leads to death. Remember in the garden of Eden when God told Adam not to eat the fruit of a specific tree? Genesis 2:15-17, "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." The reason they died the day they ate of it was it immediately separated them from God. Sin always creates a schism between us and God. They did not die immediately upon one bite of the fruit, but they did begin to die because of the separation of sin. Disobedience is a sin and they willfully disobeyed God. They heard what God said and knew what the instructions were, but when they heard another voice that sounded more appealing they went with the decision to do what they wanted to do. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

James 1:15 tells us when sin is finished it brings forth death. David is making a case for his forgiveness. He tells God that when we die we no longer remember God. We are not able to praise God in the grave. We can no longer thank God for what He has done and is doing when we die.  In Psalm 115:17 it reads, "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence." David is basically saying that he wants fellowship again with God, so he can praise and worship God like he had before.

Verse 6 David is not just sorry that he has sinned against God, he is sorrowful. He has been covering his bed with tears. He is exhausted from the groaning and grief he feels. He has been wrestling with this for a while. He is weary. He wants God to be merciful to him and deliver him. Can you feel the wrestling he is going through in the spirit? He wants to be reconnected with God.

Verse 7 David continues to speak of his grief and how it is affecting him. In another Psalm, David shares his heart about how he is feeling. Psalm 31:9 "Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul, and my belly (body)." This grief in verse seven is overtaking his whole being. He does not want to live without God's fellowship.

Verse 8 David begins to speak to the sinners around him. He is telling them to leave him alone. He no longer wants to be a part of what they are doing. Sometimes we have to cut ties with people. Sometimes we have to separate ourselves from workers of iniquity. If we continue to spend time with them and learn their ways, it will not be long before we find ourselves separated from God. 2 Corinthians 6:18-18, "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

Verse 9 David says, "God heard my prayer of repentance and He has forgiven me." He knows God received his prayer. He knows God is listening. He wants us all to be saved and repent from our sinful ways. God wants to save all of us from the destruction of doing whatever we want. Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Just because something is popular or it looks like a lot of people are doing it, does not mean it is Biblical or pleasing to God. We must pray and ask God to help us know what to do and how to do it. Many will find the wide gate and the broad way to hell. The straight gate and narrow path that leads to life is less crowded. Not as many people want to sacrifice anything for God. Not many are willing to stand out or be different in an effort to be closer to God.

Verse 10 Victory at last! David has received God's pardon. He is forgiven. He is cleansed. David prays all his enemies will be ashamed and greatly troubled. He says they will turn around and suddenly feel ashamed. We know the devil is our enemy. When God forgives us in His grace and loving kindness, we know the enemy is angry and has no choice but to turn around and run. He is no match for God and he never will be. James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

The Bible tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," according to 1 John 1:9. We are all imperfect human beings. No one goes through this life without sinning. We read in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." If you have sin in your life, please tell God. He already knows. Just tell Him what you have done and ask Him to forgive you. The Bible promises you will be forgiven and He will put you back in right standing with Him again. He longs to be in relationship with His children. Be like David, and admit you have sinned and ask God to forgive you, and just like God forgave David; He will also forgive you.

I hope you have enjoyed today's Bible study. It is such a blessing to dig deep into the Scriptures and break the Bread with you all. Share today's blog post with someone you think could benefit from today's lesson. Feel free to leave a comment below, or you can email me if you would rather do that. I appreciate all the feedback and kind words you all share with me. Have a blessed day!

~Bridgett Owens

Bloody Hands | Fuel For The Weekend

Your actions affect other people. Do you realize that? You may understand that concept, but do you also understand that your inaction affects other people as well? The Bible tells us that what we say and do will go before us into eternity. The same is true for the things we do not say and do not do; they go before us into eternity. We read in Revelation 20:12, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." 

EZEKIEL 3:17-21 (17)Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. (18)When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. (19)Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, not from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. (20)Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. (21)Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

This is a heavy passage, but we must look at it closely. This is a glimpse into eternity and it shows us that what we do, or don't do, for Christ will have eternal consequences. Let's unpack this a little bit. God is talking to Ezekiel in this passage. This is a message to him about God's plan for his life. He is calling Ezekiel to be a watchman over the people. When the people who do not serve God do evil things, Ezekiel must warn them that they are facing destruction and judgment from God. If that man or woman disregards Ezekiel's words, God says that his hands are clean. If Ezekiel chose not to tell the man or woman, God would require that person's blood at Ezekiel's hands. You see the life is in the blood, according to Leviticus 17:11. So in essence, Ezekiel will have to answer for why he chose to ignore that man's sin and refused to call it out.

In today's world, we are scared to call out sin in others' lives. In fact, we do not like to even discuss sin in most churches. It is offensive. People might not like it and they will stop paying tithes or giving offerings. They may even get so mad they might not come back. So instead of caring about their soul, we are concerned about the congregation numbers and the dollar signs. This is so dangerous. We are not called to be busybodies, like we see in 2 Thessalonians 3:11 and 1 Timothy 5:13. However; we are called to be our brother's keeper in regards to seeing sin in their lives and showing them a better way in Christ Jesus. It is our duty to help one another. We are all God's watchmen. We do not have to be a pastor, evangelist, teacher, or in leadership at all. We are all God's children and He expects His children to love one another and help each other make it Home.

God tells us in today's passage, if we warn those who are in sin, and they do not listen to us, and they continue down the perilous path they are on, we are no longer accountable. In verse 19, God tells Ezekiel that when that person dies in their sins after being warned and not heeding, Ezekiel will have delivered his soul. We read in 1 Timothy 4:16, "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." This is the harvest that is coming. When we are walking upright before God and we are encouraging others to do the same, we are saving them from destruction and God's judgment in the life to come. If they do not adhere to the warning, then we have washed our hands clean from their blood.

Jesus told them the same thing when He was here on the earth. In John 8:21, 24 Jesus said, "I go My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come." And, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins." That is plain language. If anyone does not believe that Jesus Christ is Messiah, Son of the Living God, then they will die in their sin and they will forever be separated from God. This is why it is so important that we tell everyone. It is not up to us if someone will believe us, or accept Jesus. It is up to us to tell them.

Many people are under the assumption, once saved, always saved. This is a dangerous theology. It says very clearly that when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, God will lay a stumbling block before them. He wants us to get tripped up in sin so we can look up to Him and request His love, grace, and mercy. He does not want us to be lost and go to hell. That is not and never has been God's desire for anyone. We know this when we read John 3:16. This verse goes on to say that the righteousness that person once had: the good that he did, the right choices he made, will be forgotten. If no one tells that person to turn back to the cross of Christ and repent, yet they see them in sin and are aware of what they are doing, God will hold them accountable. 

If we see our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they begin dabbling in things they ought not, and they start missing church, and then they stop coming altogether, we must not ignore that. Pick up the phone, go to their home, invite them for coffee or lunch, and share with them in a loving way that they need to make their way back to the Savior. If we do everything we can and we pray and intervene and it falls on deaf ears, and they die in that sinful state, God says we are clean. Nothing will be required at our hands when we face eternity.

Jude says this in verses 21-23, "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." We must wear the markings of Christ proudly and boldly. We cannot be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the Good News and we must share it with everyone. Romans 1:16 reads, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." It is powerful. We must be glad to share this message. Let's find the Holy boldness we need to share these hard truths with others who have gone astray.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul writes these words in chapter 6 verses 18-20, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perserverance and supplication for all saints: And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Pray and ask for the utterance to be given you to open your mouth boldly. It goes against the grain to speak boldly about the things of God; meanwhile, the world has their megaphone in our ears spewing lies and deceitful practices all day and night. We must begin to share the Truth of God's Word with believers and unbelievers and watch out for one another so we can help each other make it Home.

Here in Indiana it is a snowy day from the big snow storm that made it's away across this nation. We are unable to get into the vehicles, the roads are icy, and snow covered. We are not getting out today and we didn't get out yesterday. This weekend promises some fun for our children as they sled and play in the winter wonderland. I know that this message is heavy and important. I believe that is why God chose to give it to me for today's Fuel For The Weekend. Pray about this message. Read these scriptures for yourself. Study them and cross-reference them if you want. You will see the same theme in the Old Testament and the New Testament. We must sound the alarm and wake people up. The world is in a daze. They are sleep-walking into hell because no one is shaking them and telling them they are headed for destruction. It is up to the Church to wake up the world. Let's pray and think on these things this weekend. Ask God to give you opportunities to witness and share your faith with unbelievers and backsliders because God loves them and wants them to be saved.

I hope today's post has been helpful. It has given me a new resolve to speak up in love and gentleness to let others know that there is a better way and His name is Jesus. I hope that something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Snow Thankful | Thankful Thursday

It's a snow day!

I am so thankful that I am not going to work tomorrow, and that Javan is not going to school the rest of the week. I am in need of some rest and this is the perfect opportunity to get some. I am going to snuggle up with my fuzzy blanket and fuzzy socks and look at the snow from my window. I do not enjoy cold weather, ice and snow, but I can appreciate a snow day!

What are some of the things you are thankful for today? Have you been counting your blessings with me each week? My friend bought me a gratitude journal and it is so fun to write about the good things in my life. I have lots of gratitude journals and it is a great way to stay positive and focus on the good.

I thought I would share some things others were thankful for in the Bible.

• Hannah was grateful she was able to conceive after years of infertility.

1 SAMUEL 1:27 For this child I prayed: and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of Him.

• Daniel was thankful God spared his life when king Nebuchadnezzar wanted to kill all the wise men who could not interpret his dream.

         DANIEL 2:20-23 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever;             for wisdom and might are His: And He changeth the times and seasons: He removeth kings,          and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know                 understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: He knoweth what is in the darkness,          and the light dwelleth with Him. I thank Thee, and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers,          Who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired          of Thee: for Thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.

• Jesus was thankful His Father always heard Him.

        JOHN 11:41b-42 Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me. And I knew that Thou                    hearest Me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe            that Thou hast sent Me.

• David wanted to not remain silent about how grateful he was toward God.

        PSALM 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O LORD         my God, I will give thanks unto Thee for ever.

• Paul was thankful God always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus.

        2 CORINTHIANS 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in                Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.

It may seem rather silly to be thankful for a snow day, but I have a really big reason to be grateful for a day of rest. And to God, He is always listening for us to be thankful. We ask so much from Him. We should spend some time just being thankful of all we already have.

God bless you as you count your blessings!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 5 | Bible Study Wednesday

It is time to open our Bibles. We are halfway into this week and sometimes we just need to break a little Bread to strengthen us. Today's passage is another psalm of David. David had a heart of worship long before he wore the king's crown. These psalms show us David's heart as we read the struggles and difficult situations he was in. These psalms also point us to the One who can make all things new and turn everything around for our good. If you haven't read through Psalm 5 yet, I encourage you to do so before we begin today's study.

Verses 1-3 This is another psalm of prayer. The first three verses are talking about God hearing David's prayers. David asks God to listen to his groaning and cries. He addresses God as King and says it is to Him that he will direct his prayers in the morning. Then David says this, "and will look up." That is the key to this whole thing. David is asking in faith because he is going to look up to God for the answers. He is not going to look down and feel bad about the way things are going. He is not going to look around and feel discouraged by others who may seem to have it together. He is going to look up because that is where his help comes from.

Verses 4-6 The next three verses is David talking to God about who God is. David lists these attributes or characteristics of God: 

God does not take pleasure in wickedness.

God does not dwell with evil.

God does not look at the foolish.

God does not love workers of iniquity.

God will destroy those who speak lies.

God loathes bloodthirsty people.

From this list we can have a good idea of what David is coming up against. His life could be endangered. We know it was in danger many times in Scripture. These enemies of David's are characteristics of our enemy. Satan is wicked, evil, foolish, worker of iniquity, father of lies, and always seeking whom he may devour. We could be praying this same prayer against the attacks of our own enemy any day of the week.

Verse 7 This verse David declares what he is going to do in the midst of his troubles. He says he is going to the house of the LORD where His mercy is multiplied and in fear and reverence he will worship God. Sometimes we need to declare who God is and what He stands for and then allow that to remind us God is fighting for us. We can then worship Him knowing the multitude of His mercy!

Verse 8 David requests God do something for him. He says to God, "Lead me!" How often is this is our prayer? God lead us in YOUR righteousness. Our righteousness is as filthy rags according to Isaiah 64:6. We want to be led by God in His righteousness. David said to God, in essence, "Show off in front of my enemies. Show how good and awesome You are and then make Your way straight in front of me." David wants to make sure he doesn't miss the path God is leading him on. We can choose to do things ourselves and walk in our filthy rags and while the enemy looks on, we will fall down, get scuffed up and hurt our witness as followers of Christ. But we can also choose what David chose. We can allow God to lead us in His righteousness on His perfect path. Which will you choose today?

Verses 9 &10 David has a list of characteristics about his enemies. He says this:

They lie.

They are wicked to the core.

Their mouth is an open grave.

They flatter falsely.

The enemy wants to paint a beautiful picture of what life could be like living on your own terms. The trouble with that is it is all smoke and mirrors. It's lies. He is not concerned with our well-being. He does not want us comfortable and happy. He wants to torture us every chance he gets. He wants to play the pipe so we will dance on the broad way toward hell. It is not a party they are going to. It is a place of eternal destruction and torment. We must not listen to the lies, the false flattery, the vanity and pride.

David has a solution in verse 10. He tells God to destroy them. He asks God to let them trip over their own stumbling blocks they set for others. He asks God to cast them out for the multitude of their sins. Remember he just said God has a multitude of mercy, but of the enemy he says they have a multitude of sins. David points out their rebellion, and rebellion is as the spirit of witchcraft, according to 1 Samuel 15:23. We know that is exactly what God is going to do to the wicked. They will all be destroyed.

Verse 11 David asks God for a blessing for the followers of God. He says let us rejoice, shout for joy, and be joyful in God because He defends us and we love Him. God honors that request to this day. We can rejoice and shout for joy. We can be full of joy in God knowing He fights our battles and carries us through every hardship we endure. We love His name. We love everything about Him.

Verse 12 David ends the prayer recounting how good God is. He says, "You will bless the righteous and like a shield you will surround them with favor." What an awesome way to end time alone with God. Have you ever thought about God's favor surrounding you like a shield is because David spoke that prayer? God honored David's prayer. He listened to him and He answered that prayer and it is still being answered generation after generation. What a wonderful God we serve!

I have been so encouraged by today's passage. I sure do love Bible Study Wednesdays and especially going through the Psalms. It gives us a wonderful formula for how we can pray boldly and effectively. These are prayers that God is still answering today. I hope to meet you back here next week to go through another Psalm. Tomorrow we will count our blessings and Friday we will discuss some food for thought to take us through the weekend. I hope something I have shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens