Holy Spirit =Your ‘Tag-Team’ Partner!!

-But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me- (John 15:26)

Hey Neighbor!

Here’s another ‘Blast from the Past’ for you!!

This one was written in January 2017 and it’s just perfect for those of you who have made New Year’s Resolutions and are currently in a Loosing Battle!

So, My advise to you is this:

TAG-IN The Holy Spirit!!

He Wants to help you win this Fight!!

I Hope this Helps!!…….

***************************************

I’m doing my best to start this year off right, but it has not been any fun. I was ill for several months in the latter part of 2016 and so my Acupuncturists suspected that I may have a wheat/gluten sensitivity and recommended that I modify my diet, by eliminating those food products from my diet for about 30 days and see if I start to feel better.

We’ll, as of Day 4, I am already feeling much better…that is after I eliminated coffee from my diet, AGAIN!!

I bought my husband the cool new Ninja coffee maker for Christmas and I thought I was a regular brewista, for a few days there. I had been making my husband a caffeinated cup and then I made a decaf for myself, but I just wasn’t able to digest it very well, so I made the difficult decision of adding my tasty morning coffee treat to the dreaded Elimination List...along with sugar!!😩

Well, Although my ears still feel full, and they’re still bugging me in the evening, making it difficult to sleep, I haven’t experienced any dizziness or lightheadedness and my blood pressure has been great…120/80 and lower!!

YAY!! Praise God for His Holy Spirit, as He is my most necessary helper, empowering me to get through these difficult days…teaching me what foods are tolerable for me and giving me the willpower to resist those that aren’t.

What are You planning to eliminate from your diet, or lifestyle for a healthier, happier life??

Is it a trigger food…like my delicious coffee or a longstanding habit like smoking, or maybe your goal is to just drop a few pounds…someone might even want to ‘eliminate’ an individual from your life who has been dragging you down…

Well, whatever the case may be, You are definitely going to need the The Holy Spirit to get You through this thing.

Remember He is Our ‘Tag-Team’ Partner in this thing called Life.

He’s there…just outside the ring of Your Soul, with His arms stretched out over the ropes waiting for You to realize that You cannot win this thing all alone.

Can’t you hear him??…cheering you on, and also reminding you that He wants to help!!

He says:

Hey!

Don’t forget Me!!

I’m Your Comforter…ready to bandage you up when life has knocked you around!!

Your counselor…when you need advice!!

Your Helper… cause you can’t do it all by yourself!!

Your Advocate… when you need someone to speak for you!!

Your Intercessor…because I’m praying for You, and seeking Out God’s will for your life!!

Your Strengthener…there to encourage you when your faith falls short!!

Your Standyby…and I’m tired of standing by over here on the other side of this ring!!

Would You Please Tag Me In!!

I Got You and We are definitely going to make it through this thing together!!

Remember,

In the End…We Win!!

Thanks For Stopping By…Until We Meet Again,

God Loves You and So Do I!!

💕Tam

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GO! And SURELY, You Shall Recover ALL!!

-David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God- (1Samuel 30:6)

 Hey Neighbor!

Sometimes We need to take a moment to ponder and meditate on the Awesomeness and Faithfulness of God!!

And as We remember and Reflect on God’s Goodness, We too will find Ourselves, like David, ‘Encouraged in The Lord.’

Here’s David’s Story…

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OH, how David’s faith in God must have been shaken. He was greatly distressed. He was now King Saul’s most wanted enemy!!

You see, Saul viewed David as a threat to his throne and as a potential claimant to the throne- David was to be immediately exterminated.

Saul wanted David- Dead or Alive!!

David had been dejected by the Israelite armies and had now foolishly defected to the Philistine Armies, under King, Achish.

But King Achish’s sons refused to permit David to fight in the battle against his former comrades, fearing that, during the heat of battle, David would have a change of heart, and would return and begin to fight in favor of his first love- Israel!!

And so David was sent away, back to his town of refuge- Ziklag.

Upon his return, David was astounded to find his home and lands had been burned to the ground and all of his possessions had been taken, including his wives and children!!

Verse 30:4 tells Us that David and his men were devastated. They fell to the ground, grieving in bitter sorrow…and they weeped and weeped…until they had no strength left.

Here, We find David in a mental, emotional, and spiritual pit…And just when David believed that all had been lost, except for his Mighty Men, his ‘faithful friends’ in times of trouble- his ‘ride or die comrades’ – They had also turned against David and were now threatening to stone him!!

Why??

Well, David’s men had decided that David was to blame for this devastating tragedy.

After all, it was David’s foolish idea to abandon the wives and the children, leaving them helpless and unprotected in Ziklag, and to go and fight along side Israel’s enemies, on the wrong side of a war.

So David finds himself in a state of confusion, mourning his own loss but also stressed-out, and overwhelmed with fear and guilt for his comrades’ losses.

But David had learned not to count God Out!!

David begins to remember God’s Faithful Feats!!

David remembered that God had given him victory over the nearly 10ft Giant, Goliath!!

David remembered how God had caused him to evade and escape from King Saul’s javelin!!

David remembered that God had given him 600 trustworthy companions to protect him and and to serve with him!!

Unfortunately, It was these same trusted 600 who were now threatening to kill him!!

Now as David was reflecting on How God had always been present and active during his toughest trials – having never forgotten him nor forsaken him- David realized that his sorrow had begun to subside, his head wasn’t hung quite so low…

He also noticed that his soul was no longer so downcast!!

And as David continued to meditate and ponder on God’s marvelous works- He found himself ‘Encouraged in the Lord!’

So David returned to himself with a renewed hope in God!!

David sought the Lord in Prayer, asking Him for guidance and instruction.

And God Answered David!!

God told David to pursue the troop that had burned Ziklag – Reassuring David that He and His comrades would recover absolutely everything!!

God said, Go! And Surely, You Shall Recover All.

-David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray you, bring me the ephod. And Abiathar brought him the ephod. And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them? The Lord answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all-

(1 Samuel 30:7-8)

Take the time this week to Read Through 1 Samuel 27-30 and ‘Encourage Yourself in the Lord.’

Thanks For Stopping By!!

Don’t Forget Tomorrow is Trivia Thursday!!

So until then-

God Loves 💕You and So Do I!!

-Tam

Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
Share The CareBibleStudy Blog with YOUR Family, Friends, Co-Workers, and Your Neighbors – Loving 💕Them As You Love Yourselves!!

The Pit Before the Palace – Part 1

⁃ And they said one to another, See, here comes this dreamer and master of dreams. So come on now, let us kill him and throw his body into some pit; then we will say [to our father], Some wild and ferocious animal has devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams (Gen 37:19)

Hey Neighbor!!

I was reading this morning about Joseph, the ‘master’ of dreams, as he was ‘so called’ and viciously mocked by his ‘green-eyed’ older brothers, who had grown to hate him.

Yes! I did say that Joseph’s brother’s hated him.

Why??

Well here is some family background first, which should help us understand why:

Joseph was the 11th son of 12 boys born into a household filled with jealousy and envy. Their father, Jacob, had 4 different wives… and 2 of those wives (Leah and Rachel) were sisters, who were constantly in strife, competing for their husband’s love, time, and attention, even though Rachel was openly recognized as Jacob’s favorite wife.

Now Jacob still had two 2 more wives, Bilhah and Zilpah- they originally served as handmaids to each of the sisters, but were now given, (in the spirit of competition) to Jacob, as concubines (secondary wives.)

Can you imagine the ongoing arguments inside of their tents??

Drama! Drama!! Drama!!!

Well…it didn’t make things any better after Jacob unashamedly proclaimed Joseph (Rachel’s boy) as his ‘favorite’ son and openly bestowed upon him a coat of many colors!

Now this is when we first learn (from Scripture) that Joseph’s brothers’ jealousy had been building and fermenting in their hearts and had matured into full grown hate! – Scripture tells us that they hated him so much that they would not speak to him- not even so much as to say Good Morning to him- Nor Good Night!!

I would imagine that each time they looked at Joseph wearing this beautiful, colorful coat…feelings of covetousness overcame them and thus they became even more enraged.

Now we know that Joseph did not hide this coat away in some secret drawer, as to calm and/or pacify his brothers’ rage.

And why would he??

Joseph both loved and honored his father, therefore he felt blessed to receive this precious gift and he was happy that his father had chosen to honor him with it – above all of his sons.

I’m sure that Joseph diligently cared for his coat, as this young shepherd had also cared for his fathers’ flock. I’m sure he was dutiful to keep it fresh, and crisp, and spot free. I’m sure that Joseph and his colorful coat were inseparable. In fact, We know that he was wearing his coat on the very day that his hate-filled brothers conspired to take his life.

-When Joseph had come to his brothers, they stripped him of his [distinctive] long garment which he was wearing; Then they took him and cast him into the [well-like] pit which was empty; there was no water in it (Gen 37:23)

Well you may say- what kind of dream did this boy have that would tick his brothers off to such an extreme that they would conspire against him and throw him into a pit??

Well….Here is Joseph’s 1st dream:

-We [brothers] were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright, and behold, your sheaves stood round about my sheaf and bowed down! His brothers said to him, Shall you indeed reign over us? Or are you going to have us as your subjects and dominate us? And they hated him all the more for his dreams and for what he said (Gen 37:7)

At this point, these wicked brothers were burning with anger and hatred. They were just about fed up with Joseph and these dreams, perceiving that Joseph viewed himself as superior to them. They feared this 1st dream was a prediction that Joseph would have dominion over them, and thus they feared that they would eventually become servants to Joseph.

Perhaps they were even more concerned that their much loved little brother, might usurp them chronologically and be given the birthright by Jacob- that is the double portion of their father’s blessing – which is traditionally given to the eldest son- that would be Reuben.

How could the youngest brother reign over the oldest?

How could this one son- reign over the many?

Well God explains why this thing would come to pass in 1Samuel 2:30 in regards to Eli’s two wicked sons- when He says:

-I will honor those who honor Me and I will lightly esteem those who despise Me.

Although the brothers were much offended by Joseph, his coat, and his dreams, God was using all of these these things for stumbling blocks to them, because they had despised their brother and their F(f)ather(s).

God had lightly esteemed Joseph’s older brothers because He knew their hearts to be wicked and He had witnessed their deceitful behavior. They had repeatedly dishonored their earthly father, Jacob and had therefore dishonored their Father in Heaven.

But God also knew Joseph’s heart. And… in Contrast, He had seen Joseph’s faithfulness- in that he was dutiful to his ‘dear old dad’ and all that Jacob possessed- Therefore, God chose to honor Joseph above all of his brothers, by causing Jacob to make this ‘son of his old age,’ a beautiful coat, which represented his future ‘prince-hood.’

Yes! Joseph’s dreams were indeed confirmation of things that were certain to come to pass.

And God had blessed Joseph ‘the dreamer’ with a prophetic peak into the Palace.

Yes! Joseph, the younger would indeed reign over the oldest- in fact, He would receive the birthright instead of Reuben.

Yes! Each of Jacob’s 11 (eleven) sons would indeed bow before the more righteous, (1) one- and they would once again call him ‘master’- in all his splendor!!

After all, God says the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous. And very soon, Joseph will find himself in the Palace – Prince over great abundance, in a wicked land called Egypt.

We will continue this lesson next time and learn about Joseph’s 2nd dream and we will also learn why he would first find himself in the pit.

Along the way, we will gather some more history/background about the nature and character of Jacob’s brothers, who would continue to dishonor their F(f)athers.

Thanks For Stopping By, Neighbor!

Until Next a Time, Remember…

God Loves You and So Do I!!

-Tam

Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
Share The CareBibleStudy Blog with YOUR Family, Friends, Co-Workers and Your Neighbors also –
Loving Them As You Love Yourselves!!

God Has Heard Your Cries and He Has Sent Deliverance!!

-LORD, HOW they are increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are saying of me, There is no help for him in God. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that.

Psalms 3:1-4

 

Hey Neighbor,

The Lord sits high upon his throne and looks low onto the earth at His people. He sees our tears. He’s witness to our suffering and his hands long to remove the heaviness of the world from our failing flesh. He says Look unto me, reach out your hand and take upon my yoke and release the hefty weight of your burdensome load. Cry out to me! Ask me for help! I hold the heart of the king in my hands and I can turn it in your favor or I can crush it, if in his vain, futile rebellion he does not submit.

Remember God always wins and He also causes us to triumph…as one songwriter says…that means He makes Us win!!

Look at the Hebrews that suffered under Pharoah in Egypt…day after day, their baby boys were being mercilessly thrown into the River Nile, but the cries of those weeping mothers had mounted up to the heavens and were heard at the throne of Grace. And God, in His mercy, sent deliverance…In the form of a beautiful baby boy who’s own little life was spared as he floated down the River Nile in a papyrus basket, bound for Pharoah’s household. He was no doubt an answer to the cries of a barren mother, Pharaoh’s daughter. She received him as her own son, in spite of him being a Hebrew child, and he was raised up as a prince in Pharaoh’s house. But as he grew…he could not bear to watch the oppressive treatment of his people, so he rebelled and would not submit to the will of his father, Pharoah, who had enslaved the Hebrews under the burdensome task of resurrecting monuments to celebrate his idolatrous rule and reign in this World. But Our God, The One who rules and reigns on high, once again heard the sound of the groans and cries that had stretched up to heaven although He had already seen firsthand the needless suffering of his ‘special’ people…Those whom he had handpicked and whom He had called ‘His Own.’ He saw how they had been misused and mistreated and forced to serve Pharaoh, who in his own vain imaginations, believed that he was the god over these People. Pharaoh had boldly usurped God’s authority, making himself Lord and King over those who were not ‘his own!’ He had no idea that he was merely a pawn on the Chess Game of God! God was using Pharaoh, hardening his Stone-cold heart as a means to turn the hearts of His Chosen People, Israel, back to Him.

Neighbor, God also holds your heart in his hand…does it beat for Him? Does it thirst for the life-giving blood of Jesus? Is it occupied by the presence of the Holy Spirit?

If Your answers are No!…Then You can change all of that right now!! God Loves You and It is not His will that you should continue to suffer.

God Has Heard Your Cries and He has Sent Deliverance!!

God Gave to You His Only Son, Jesus!!
And Jesus came to Give You Life…and Life More Abundantly!!

You can submit to God’s Will today, by receiving Jesus Christ as Your Personal Savior. There’s no hard work involved…if you will simply believe that Jesus Christ is the Resurrected Son of God. And confess with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord!” and Ask him to be the The King and Lord of Your Life….then instantly, Your heart will beat and circulate the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ into your Soul, as the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your own spirit, insuring that You have received God’s Salvation.

God is Listening…Cry out to Him today and receive Jesus!!

Give Him Your Heart and He will give You Everlasting Life!!

Thanks For Stopping By, Neighbor!
Until Next a Time, Remember…

God Loves You and So Do I!!
-Tam

 

Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
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Loving Them As You Love Yourself!!

God Will Provide the Ram!!

 -Then Abraham looked up and glanced around, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering and an ascending sacrifice instead of his son-

(Genesis 22:13)

 

Hey Neighbor,

God Is So Awesome!!

Look at how He bestows mercy upon Us when We decide to Just believe God and Go-On with Him…

We’ve been reading 1 Samuel Chapter 30 and in verse 11, David’s men ran into a young man, lying in the fields…deathly ill.

Who was he??… Just some Egyptian fellow of no importance…probably just a slave, but David’s men decided to take the young man to David, who instructed them to feed and care for him. Now after this young Man had eaten and had regained his strength, David, concerned about the young man’s welfare inquired about his master.

The young man began to tell David the story of how his master, who was an Amalakite, had abandoned him after he fell sick three days before. He went on to add that his master and his troop had recently attacked and raided several of the Israelite and Philistine camps, including Ziklag, which they had burned.

So Look! This young man was a member of the very same troop that David and his men were seeking out to avenge their families!! I can imagine that at this point…both of David’s ears were tingling…this young man was one of the raiders who had invaded his home and snatched away his wives and children…and now… here David was feeding this wretched fellow and restoring life to his spirit!!

Wow!!

Now, if You know anything about King David, You will know that when an individual comes to David bearing bad news and acknowledging that he had participated in such evil acts against God’s people, David was quick to have one of his men to fall upon that man with the sword…but here we see David practicing restraint…spiritual restraint from the Holy Spirit that was upon him…and he chose to spare this Young man’s life.

David realized that God had strategically placed this young man in the field and he was David’s ram in the thicket. God had provided David with an inside scoop, someone to help him navigate his way to uncover the raiders secret location and to find his family. God had used this young man’s illness and thus his abandonment by his master, to create an enmity between the slave and his Amalakite master, but to also establish an affection for David and his men, who had fed him when he was at death’s doorstep. In his appreciation, the young Egyptian agreed to disclose the location of the raider’s camp to David and lead him directly to the troop.

Now…The Bible tells Us that David was a ‘man after God’s own heart!’ Although David was still distraught over his family, he chose to look past his own pain…and took the time to serve a starving slave…Not realizing that The Lord had miraculously planted this young man in the field to fulfill His promise to David…That he would Recover ALL!!

When David and his men reached the Amalekite camp…there they were…the wicked raiders partying and celebrating because of all the spoil that they had taken. David and his mighty man defeated the Amalekites and regained and reclaimed all that their enemies had stolen . The Lord had given the Amalekites into their hands, just as He had promised and David and his men walked out with ALL that had been stolen…not missing a woman…and not missing a child!!

Look at that…David sowed mercy…by feeding this sick slave…and sparing the life of his young enemy and setting him free from his captivity and therefore…David reaped mercy…God had spared his loved ones lives, freeing them from their captivity, and reuniting his family.

God is Pretty Awesome!!

 -So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide – (Genesis 22:14)

Thanks For Stopping By…Until We Meet Again,
God Loves You and So Do I!!

-Tam
Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
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THE GOOD NEWS HAS COME!!

-We are assured and know that [God being a PARTNER in their labor] ALL things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for GOOD to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.-
(Romans 8:28)

Hey Neighbor,

 

When We read Romans 8:28, We are often ‘Encouraged in the Lord’ by Paul’s writings, but there are other times….trying times…when the enemy is coming against Us with attack upon attack, that We can easily allow a spirit of despair and self-pity to creep in and feed Us a meal of continual doubt and discouragement. We begin to doubt the very thing that We heard God say to Us and satan tries to convince Us that God is no longer on Our side.

We find ourselves walking in unbelief, wondering if God really does have a GOOD plan for Our lives and for Our future, after ALL.

We feel like We are trapped in what seems like an endless period of trials and ALL We can see are calamities and misfortune.

We find Ourselves asking God,
“Why!!” …And asking Him,
“When will I see the GOOD?”

THE GOOD NEWS HAS COME!!

When You accepted Jesus Christ into Your Life, You received The Holy Spirit as Your very own Tag-Team PARTNER against Hell…And He equips You with the ability to discern God’s Word and to Speak it out, BOLDY into Your own life.

So Boldly memorize and meditate on this verse (Romans 8:28)…repeating it over and over…singing it…and yelling it out-loud into the room…praying, fervently that those life-filled words will seep in through your ear canal and flood your mind and penetrate your heart with hope, until You are convinced that God Still Loves You and that He has Never Left You, Nor Forsaken You!

He’s been right there with You, ALL along…in the midst of ALL that You’ve been going through…and God is still Working on Your Side…and He will cause ALL of these things to Work Out…and You Will See The GOOD that He has planned For You!!
Thanks For Stopping By…Until We Meet Again,
God Loves You and So Do I!!

-Tam
Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
Share The CareBibleStudy Blog with YOUR Family, Friends, Co-Workers, and Your Neighbors – Loving Them As You Love Yourself!!

Keep Pressing-On…God is ‘Be-fore’ You!!

-What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?-
(Romans 8:31)

 

Hey Neighbor,

Did You Know that Satan is a Loser??

He’s already a defeated foe!!

Why??

Because God is On Our Side!!

And When He Sent His Beloved Son, Jesus…He died for ALL of Our Sins and He Defeated satan (he gets no capital!), death, hell, and the grave…and Both Your enemies and Mine!!

So that means that when We find ourselves stuck or stagnant because satan…Our Enemy…has planted stumbling blocks on the Road before Us…and he’s roaring loudly…in Our ears…constantly reminding Us that there are mountainous hurdles to climb and the tallest of cedars ahead…attempting to hinder and delay…and trying to convince us to take a detour from Our Road to Spiritual Growth…remember that Jesus was a Carpenter and He has Already Cut-Down Your Enemy!!

And If You let Him…He can remove the MOUNTAINS in Your Life!!

Although the paths ahead may appear to be impassable and the HILLS may seem insurmountable…
Jesus Can Clear Your Way!!

He Will Cut-Down those ever so tall cedars that Have sprouted up, blocking the roads in Your Life…that have temporarily stopped Your forward progression…He will destroy Your enemies and make Your crooked roads straight. In Amos God reminds Us of what He did to Israel’s enemies, The Amorites in Chapter 2 and Verse 9.

-Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath-

This is Our reminder to Keep Pressing-On!!

No matter how long Your enemies have been planting stumbling blocks in Your life…and no matter how tall satan’s hurdles appear to be…and no matter how deep Your strongholds have grown…God says He can De-Fruit and Uproot!!

Oh How I Praise God because He has sent His Beloved Son, Jesus…Our Precious Savior to Clear the Way Be-fore Us!!

And With God ‘Be-Fore’ Us…Who can be Against Us??

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Thanks For Stopping By, Neighbor!

Until Next a Time, Remember…

God Loves You and So Do I!!

-Tam

Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
Share The CareBibleStudy Blog with YOUR Family, Friends, Co-Workers and Your Neighbors –
Loving Them As You Love Yourself!!