Sam's Hill

I have learned something about Sam’s Hill.  It may sound lame but… its Sam’s Hill and not mine!

Haven’t you ever thought, “Well what in the Sam Hill is going on with … so and so?”

When we find ourselves privy to another’s situation it needs to stay private. It’s their “hill” so to speak. They shared that information with us. We were invited to “their” hill. It isn’t our place to invite others. It’s not our “hill”.

Pray for the situation on the “hill”. Pray for peace. Pray for unity… health. . Whatever information you were given, pray about. But keep it private!

How many, many people have been wounded because we “shared” a prayer request.

Remember, what is said on the hill, stays on the hill and its Sam’s Hill not ours.

Scriptural references: 

Proverbs 11:18 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

Proverbs 26:22 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Blessed Assurance- Back to the Basics

When I was a new Christian the thing I struggled with most was the assurance of my salvation.
I was fearful most of the time.  I knew only that I was saved from hell and would go to heaven when I died. Or at least I hoped, and then I feared, and then I hoped and then I feared. And the vicious cycle continued.

In fact that cycle was so strong that I kept going to the alter at each alter call. And to be honest it didn't hurt me. In fact it helped me. I didn't need to be saved that many times, but I did need the assurance that I was saved.

The assurance didn't come quickly or easily but at the same time it wasn't hard either. All it took was some time, some effort and some prayer. I had a teacher who taught me the importance of memorizing scriptures. And that is a really important thing! *

Here are a couple of the passages that really helped me:

John 10:28-29 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

No one can take you out of God's hand. You are His sheep!

But then... what if I did something? Could I lose my salvation?

I John 1:9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

So if you are "saved", have no worries! Your salvation is secure.You will grow in Christ and people will begin to see changes in your life.*

You will still mess up. We all do, every day! But like it says in I John 1:9 If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

I have heard it said, "If you mess up, 'fess up!" And that is true. Stay in the word and keep your prayer life active!

Be blessed little sheep! God loves you!


*Psalms 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
* Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
*Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

If you still have questions please leave a comment and I will help you in anyway I can!

Sarcasm: A hiding place for anger

There are many words that are connected to sarcasm. I won't exhaust the idea. But there are a few characteristics that I will mention. A) a sharply, ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark B) mocking, contemptuous, or ironic language intended to convey scorn or insult. C) harsh or bitter derision. (Hiding place #1)

A smart alec is defined as :  a person whose sarcastic, wise-cracking or humorous manner is delivered in an offensive, obnoxious or cocky way. (Hiding place #2)

When I was a child I remember at times being called a "smart alec." Usually that kind of behavior was addressed and disciplined immediately, as it was considered rude and disrespectful. Many times we use sarcasm and even think its funny. But I find myself wondering, if it was not okay as a child, why is it okay as adults?  Can you see how sarcasm might hide anger?

 Let's take a look at anger. Anger can be defined as a feeling of annoyance or antagonism as the result of some real or supposed grievance; rage; wrath. And used as a verb: to make one angry; enrage .
So what causes anger?

 Proverbs 15:1 "Says this," A soft word deflects anger but harsh words make tempers flare. Well there it is! Harsh words, and cutting remarks. Isn't that what sarcasm is? They are certainly not and kind words and kind words deflect a anger. 

We  are instructed by Paul in Ephesians 4:13 and again in Colossians to get rid of anger, bitterness and harsh words.

Our words should build up and edify others, not discourage or tear down.*

I want to pay attention to the words I  speak and the words I  hear.

This is my prayer : Psalms 19:14 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer

* Proverbs 18:21 The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
Proverbs 18:19 An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city.
Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.
I Corinthians 13:4-58 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud  

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

 

 

 

Patience

I have often heard it said, "You shouldn't pray for patience or your patience will be tried." I have even had this point of view myself. Even in the book of James  in chapter 1:3  it is said that the trying of your faith works patience. But if we look at the verse just before it James 1:2 we are to count it all joy when we go through trials.  As you go on into James you will find that we are to let patience have its perfect work in us. And if any of us lack in wisdom" let him ask."

So the question remains; Should we pray for patience? . After all an aspect of the fruit of the spirit is patience. Our patience is going to be whether we ask for it or not. So why not ask the Lord for patience?  That is how we over-come. Stand back, whisper a quick prayer; (one of faith), and watch how the Lord will work patience out in you!


*For further study see:
2 Timothy 2:24
Romans 12:12
I Thessalonians 5:14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Sincere Yearning

Have you ever craved something to the point where you felt like you would die without it? Was it water when you were thirsty and there was none to be found? Was it a breath of air when you were under the water too long? Was it food when you have not eaten in a while?

Newborn babies have strong cravings too. They desire their mother's milk. And the mother's milk has absolutely every thing that baby needs. When they are hungry they cry and the cry escalates until they are  fed. It is a cry of desperation. Even though the baby may not understand it, eventually if that need isn't met he will die.

The apostle Paul tells us that we are to desire the pure milk of the word. We can not grow as believers until we desire it and drink it in. He tells us to cry out for it like a baby.  And like a baby we need to be desperate!*

It is so important that we learn the basics of our salvation and commit them to our memory. It is our first line of defense! If Satan can cause us to doubt and we listen to him, we can't grow in Christ.

Do you love Jesus? He is the Word of God.* If you long to grow closer to Jesus, spend time in His word and drink deeply of his milk.

* I Peter 2:2

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby

*John 1:14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Power of the Tongue

When my husband and I were first married we had a pastor who kept a large pair of scissors in plain view.  They were to remind us to "tame" our tongue.

Here is passage that shows the power of the tongue:

James 3:2-5  NLT Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.  We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire
.
  This passage show how the tongue controls the body. What we say is directly related to the path we take. And even a little word can cause a great fire or seriously wound a heart.

Jesus said that a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. (Luke 6:45 NLT)

Did you catch what causes the good or the evil produce? It is what is in the treasury of the heart!

Here are some ways for us to control our tongues:

#1. Pray about it. Ps.19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

#2 Memorize key scriptures  Psalms 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

 

#3. Ask for help in finding key scriptures if you are having trouble. 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,

Freedom From Anger

He that the Son sets free is free indeed!

Even as Christians we struggle daily. We struggle with anger, profanity, over-eating, smoking etc.
And please let me state I do not have a handle on all of this. I am still learning. The thing that I am learning and re-learning is about anger. Anger is a nasty animal!  It is a joy-killer and can truly spread like a poison.

I have  experienced this first hand. You have a hard day and you got really mad at someone. The next thing that happens is you bring it home. You snap at your spouse or kids.  You might even yell at your dog. And unless that anger gets checked, we are apt to have an argument over something that otherwise wouldn't be a big deal,  feelings get hurt and on and on it goes.

But I have also seen this happen. I have been at work or the grocery and yes, at home too. Someone is angry or frustrated. It is written all over their face. But a kind word, and a smile go a long, long way. It can completely change the atmosphere. Proverbs 15:1 Says, "A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare." The last thing we feel like doing is being kind!

 It's tough, but we can do it by the power of the Holy Spirit and the word that is written on our hearts. Remember the fruit of the spirit is.. self-control.* Proverbs 16:32 Tells us that a person who is slow to get angry and is self-controlled is better than some one who conquers a city. It is a powerful thing to be self-controlled. 

 We can allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. How do we do that?
Sometimes its just as easy as a quick, "Lord Help me!" prayer. In fact for me, most of the time it is! But we also need the power of the Word in our hearts. Psalms 119:11  I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Search the scriptures for verses about anger and memorize them. Then the Holy Spirit can bring them to your memory and teach you how to respond.*


Don't get discouraged! We will all mess up!  None of us will get this perfect this side of heaven. Even the Apostle Paul attested to this: Philippians 3:13-14 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

So keep pressing on! And remember He that the Son sets free is free indeed!

*John 14:26

The Importance of Christian Fellowship

Yesterday the topic was "One Sacrifice." We learned that Jesus sacrifice on the cross is the only sacrifice needed for forgiveness of sin and the promise of our heavenly home.
 
Why would Jesus go to such great sacrifice just to save us from hell?  No doubt that is part of it.* But there is something more. God wants us to have fellowship with each other.
 
 Hebrews 10:25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Consider how many people have been self-educated. A  few, but definitely a minority. Most of us were educated in a class room by a teacher and group activities. I know I have been so encouraged by my fellow believer's testimonies or just a kind word and prayer and especially by hearing the word of God taught.
 
Many of us don't go to church because of different reasons. But Jesus is our divine example and ... he went to church: Luke 4:16  When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.

*I John 1:7 If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin.

God loves us and he has graciously given us brothers, and sisters in Christ to help us grow, for encouragement and for us to encourage others. He wants us to have that fellowship. Why would be deny Him who gave His very life, anything He desires?

Prayer:  Father I pray today for those who may not understand how important Christian fellowship is. Make your word real and alive. And I pray also that you would lead those who are searching to a place of worship that is fully equipped in love, truth and fellowship. In your name, Amen.



*John 3:16

One Sacrifice

As believers in Christ Jesus we know that our eternal security rests with Him. Sometimes however, I think we put unnecessary guilt on ourselves. Or rather ,we listen to Satan put us under false guilt by causing us to have unattainable ideas of righteousness.

But we are a work in progress. Ephesians 2:10 bears witness to this. "For we are His workmanship created for good works in Christ Jesus so we can do good things in him.

The following verses in Hebrews chapter ten give us hope that our sins are covered, past, present and future. Jesus knows we are not perfect. In fact if we were, we wouldn't need Him.

Vs.12:

But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

 

Vs. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

 

Vs. 17 Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”

 

Did you catch the key phrases?

 

A single sacrifice

Being made holy

Never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.

 

Remember we only need ONE SACRIFICE; JESUS. So stop beating yourself up!

We are BEING made holy. We aren't there yet and won't be there this side of Heaven.

As we are being made holy,  GOD WILL NOT REMEMBER OUR SINS.

 

Walking it out:

 

Because of these things we can boldly come before God in prayer. And we need to. As believers we don't sit or stand still we walk. And as we walk we pray.  We have prayers of thanks, requests and petitions, and praise. But we also need to pray for forgiveness. Remember we are being made holy. For Jesus it was a once and for all thing, for us it is a process.Take a look:

 

I John 1 vs. 7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

 

Vs. 8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

 

Vs. 9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.   More key phrases: WE WALK  BLOOD OF JESUS CLEASNES CLAIM NO SIN, FOOLING OURSELVES IF WE CONFESS, FORGIVE AND CLEANSE.   We are human and as we walk and grow in Christ we will make mistakes. Then we may not want to come to Jesus because we feel guilty. And we are, but Jesus already knows we will keep making mistakes, for that is how we grow. But we can't let Satan keep us from Jesus and break fellowship with Him by placing us under false guilt.   So remember brothers and sisters, Jesus has already been sacrificed for all of our sins. We are being made holy. If we claim we have no sin we are fooling ourselves. But if we confess our sins we have confidence in Jesus sacrifice that He will forgive and cleanse us, and He will no longer remember our sins and hold them against us!