Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Psalm 31:18 Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt.
Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
Psalm 101:7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.
Proverbs 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but a moment.
Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
Proverbs 14:25 A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.
Proverbs 19:9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.
Luke 16:10 One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.
Revelations 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
I don’t know anyone who likes to be lied to. It is like a base affront. Trust is built on truthfulness so the instant one finds they have been lied to, it is difficult to ever establish a trusting rapport again. It can happen, but establishing trust takes time. Once someone has lied to another, suspicion remains about almost anything that is said. One remains guarded, watchful and as though waiting for another untruth to be said, shown, or given. One of the most pertinent children’s stories I remember was about Peter and the Wolf. Young Peter thought it would be funny to see all the men from the village come running to protect him from the wolf. However, there was no wolf, so he had frightened, interrupted the men and villagers, and hence they were a bit angry. However, the boy repeated this a few days later. Again, the men came running. Again, there was no wolf, and a few days later a wolf did appear, Peter called out and no one came. I don’t remember if the wolf enjoyed his young boy meal, or if the lad made it up a tree. But the part of the story that did stick with me was playing a “game” and calling for help with no reason to, and then “killing” the need when there might really be a need for help.
Bottom line is, Peter lied, twice, and when he was actually in need, no one believed him and no one came to help him. Trust was destroyed.
It takes a while to build up trust, usually it’s gradual, overtime coming to learn more and more about a person and becoming aware of their dependability, their being straight forward telling you truths, you may not want to hear. For instance, I had a very good friend who was truthful and would say something did not look great, even if she knew I liked it. I always knew I could depend on her being truthful in all things. trust may come about when one promptly pays back money borrowed, it is sharing and phrasing suggestions to not hurt, but to build up and let you see the truth. It may be someone sees your strengths and states those so you can grow from that. But it is truth being spoken, tested, and substantiated.
I had a friend who was a gorgeous woman, but one of those not initially liked or accepted by other women. She sat alone in a corner, where her husband placed her and he would dance with other single women—not to flirt or anything untoward. He and she were great dancers, but he preferred her not to dance with others, and he wanted to ensure all the widows or divorcees were able to dance at least once. Once he danced with the single gals, he would gather his lovely wife and they would dance and basically entertain many of the rest of us, because they did dance well together.
So, during the time she would be sitting alone, I approached her. I will admit, I received questioning and accusing glances from many of the other women, but they all knew I was no threat. They accepted me into the group, confident I was not a woman on the prowl for ‘their’ man, some even respected me. But they did not accept her. She was thin, shapely, had a come-hither walk, a great dancer, and certainly was noticed by men, including these women’s husbands. These other women didn’t trust her because of her looks, her manner (which was a defense mechanism), but they did not even know her. And because of insecurities or whatever they held, had decided to pre-judge her. And probably from my brief description, you can understand that. But they did not initially want to get to know her. They had labeled her stuck up, a tease, after their men, a threat. . .
They had judged without knowing who she was as a person; but on sight only, as an attractive, sexy, aloof woman who made them insecure and stilted in reaching out.
As time went on, I insisted we—her husband, she, and me sit together. Any other friends who wanted to join us, some out of curiosity, some out of friendship with me or her husband could sit at the table and learn who she was. And suddenly, she had women who wanted to include her, be with her, and get to know her better. They had mistrusted her on their own sense of insecurity, doubting their husbands perhaps, or being a judgmental, scornful woman. But this gal became one of my best friends; and there was no dishonesty to her. Sometimes, though rarely, she told me things I didn’t want to hear—truthful, but nonetheless. . . But she always spoke for my betterment, my improvement. It takes a while for me to fully trust, but within a fairly short amount of time, I considered her one of the best gifts God brought to me.
Trust is so tangible and can be so fleeting, so tenuous. It can be destroyed by a piece of gossip, not even a bit of truth, just conjecture being pushed out as a truth. I will check before believing a negative thing about a friend, and not just fully believe. I have been blessed in almost all of my relationships, and at times have been hurt, but when checking the info with the actual source, get the straight story. I could have ended good friendships believing some gossip, conjecture, or downright lies. I try to fully judge for myself. For me, I prefer to make my own decision before I cast someone aside.
Lord, You have put wonderful people in my life, special gifts, and it’s been rare that I have had reason to mistrust, especially after going to them and listening to their story. You have blessed me with rich, loving, and grateful family and friends; and I sincerely thank You. My walk with all of these have caused me to increase my trust, trust my ‘gut’—You and the Holy Spirit—and to be blessed. Thank You for the abundance of gifts You have bestowed on me and ‘mybellaviews.’
How many promises are in the bible do you think? Do you know? I did not. I had to go and look it up. And according to one article, there are 8810 with 7487 being promises by God to mankind. A promise is an assurance that a particular thing is going to happen. God has given us promises, and each person who believes in Him, who chooses to follow Him, can stand on these promises.
God searches our hearts and seeks and invites all. It is our choice to accept or deny the invitation. If we accept, with our whole hearts, we are brought fully into the kingdom of God, our sins are forgiven, and He walks with us each step of our lives. It may not be easy, His word states we will have trials and tribulations, but he will be with us. Always. There may be times when we feel alone, but notice it is us feeling alone, not Him leaving us alone.
Our only burden, duty—blessing—is to accept His invitation and follow Him. Learn of Him, know Him as your best friend, and thank Him for all He is done to save you from the sinful life and eternity in Hell.
We all face eternity. Each of us. The only difference is one faces eternity in hell if you do not heartfully believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, recognize he died for your sins, and repent of your many sins. We are never sin free; never. We are sinners, each and every one of us. But we grow and try to become more like Him, and our hearts are sincere to follow Him. A choice. We follow Him and have eternity and experience many blessings.
We refuse and are spending life in Hell. Yes, it is a real place, and there is much suffering. You cannot change your mind once you have died from this life. The choice is now, before you physically die.
Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus
2. The blood of Jesus will cleanse us from our sins.
Matthew 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
3. Jesus died to give us eternal life.
Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord
John 17:36 Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you oved me before the creation.
John 10:27-28 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me . . . I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, and this life is in his Son. eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
Psalm 49:15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself.
1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
4. God’s presence is in our lives
John 14:23 If a man loves me, he will keep my words and my Father will love hi, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him
5 God will answer our prayers
Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice.
Isaiah 65:24 It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
6. God will gives us Strength
Ephesians 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man.
John 7:17 If any man shall do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
7. God is Truth
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
8. God fill us with Love
Mark 12:33 And to love his with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and will all the soul and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Proverbs 8:17 I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me.
9. Our sins are Forgiven
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more.
1 John 2:12 I write unto you, little children because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
The blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin
Jesus died to give us eternal life
God’s presence is in our lives
God will answer our prayers
God will give us strength
God is truth
God fills us with love
Our sins are forgiven
He will give us rest
He will direct our paths
He will supply all our needs
He will never leave nor forsake us
Our sins will be forgiven
We will be His children
We will have a Comforter, Helper sent to us on Jesus’s ascension
He will answer our prayers
He works things out for our good
You will spend eternity in heaven with Him if you give Him your life and heart
You will become more like Jesus as you follow Him and learn about Him through God’s word
Follow Him and you will have joy.
My Father, thank you for all you have done with the blessings you have given for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Zingers:
Christianity helps us face the music, even when we don’t like the tune.
People cannot change truth, but truth can change people.
If you won’t admit you’ve been wrong, you love yourself more than truth.
Numbers 20:12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.’
1 Samuel 12:15 But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 5 :19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Romans 11:32 For God has shut up all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.
Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others, and hating one another.
Hebrews 2:2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.
Are you always obedient? I am not. Sometimes, I wonder if I heard correctly, if I really am being told to do what I think? Sometimes, I doubt, full heartedly, that I could possibly do what I’m being directed to do. I do a complete Moses or Gideon doubtful dance. ‘You can’t be asking me to do that. I am unworthy, and not at all equipped to do that. I am not so-and-so and just do not have those skills or abilities. I can’t speak well, I’m too shy, and I have no confidence, and, and, and. . . ‘
As a child, about 11-13, I was meeting a friend at one of the schools to see a play, meeting a friend who went to another school and I rarely saw any longer. She had suggested we run downtown after the play for a little while before we went in our separate directions home. When I asked for permission, my mother was firmly telling me no. When I asked why, she had no reason that I accepted—or even now can remember.
Initially, I grudgingly accepted my mother’s edict. I met my friend who was counting on us being able to walk into town and have some time to visit longer. I let myself be talked into going with her. Certainly, I was full of nervous guilt, trepidation, but I went. We had an okay time, I certainly don’t remember it being memorable and when we separated, I was anxious to get home, my mind trying to come up with reasons to be 45 minutes later than she expected. My nerves were fluttering and I was guilt ridden, but I planned to compound that guilt.
My mother drove to the street entrance just as I reached that part of my walk. Her face was full of anger, and she said, “Get in.”
I certainly did, then proceeded to lie. Besides the fact that I did not lie usually, I was not good at it, and my face and other body mechanics would shout my guilt. But I lied or tried to. Of course, my mother knew this.
Her face remained angry, but then also looked sad and disappointed. I stopped. I was shamed, and ashamed.
Punishment was doled out, but the most important thing to me was never wanting to feel that way again. It was awful.
So, I tried to be obedient from then on. I was not perfect, but I did not blatantly disobey if told not to do something. I did not volunteer information if I had done something wrong, but if confronted about an issue, I would tell the truth. As a senior, there were three of us girls who decided to start drinking Schiltz GIQ and some Boone’s Farm Apple Wine. YUCK! It was AWFUL to me. I did not like the feeling of being out of control, so I lost a lot of that evening passed out in my friend’s car.
My father, who always waited for us to get home, did not ask any questions about where I had gone, only who I had been with, which I could honestly answer. I poured some milk (which was my norm when I got home) then proceeded to the bathroom and then saying ‘good night’ I headed to my bedroom. After I said good night, he responded with, “You should probably keep one foot on the floor for the rest of the night.”
Uh-oh, I was in deep trouble. But I had not lied and would not worry about the morning; the damage and disobedience was done and I would own up to it and take my punishment. Punishment never came. My father never said a word, rightfully assuming I would avoid alcohol for a very long time. Which I did; I avoided any alcohol for years.
But, once I found Jesus, I determined to be obedient and the best person I could be, yet, now I can recognize that my hesitation to do new ventures, to delve deeper into my church, and read more and develop a deeper relationship with God. When God urged me to do something and I hesitated or did not do it, this is disobedience. I tried very hard to tell myself it was not disobedience, I was not qualified, I didn’t have time, and on and on and on. But with more reading, studying and getting closer to God, the fact had to be faced. I was being disobedient.
I now need to make some changes because I do not want to be disobedient. That is dishonoring to my Lord and King. Lord, I apologize for all the times I have sinned and been disobedient; forgive me. I pray the Holy Spirit will strengthen me when I am tasked with another opportunity to serve. You have been so patient and loving to me and I thank You for all You have done for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Encouragement
Let Christ first work in you; then he will work through you.
The largest room is room for improvement.
God will give you his best as you give him your best.
What you are is God’s gift to you. What you make of yourself is your gift to God.
How many promises are in the bible do you think? Do you know? I did not. I had to go and look it up. And according to one article, there are 8810 with 7487 being promises by God to mankind. A promise is an assurance that a particular thing is going to happen. God has given us promises, and each person who believes in Him, who chooses to follow Him, can stand on these promises.
God searches our hearts and seeks and invites all. It is our choice to accept or deny the invitation. If we accept, with our whole hearts, we are brought fully into the kingdom of God, our sins are forgiven, and He walks with us each step of our lives. It may not be easy, His word states we will have trials and tribulations, but he will be with us. Always. There may be times when we feel alone, but notice it is us feeling alone, not Him leaving us alone.
Our only burden, duty—blessing—is to accept His invitation and follow Him. Learn of Him, know Him as your best friend, and thank Him for all He is done to save you from the sinful life and eternity in Hell.
We all face eternity. Everyone of us. The only difference is one faces eternity in hell if you do not heartfully believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, recognize he died for our sins, and repent of our many sins. We are never sin free; never. We are sinners. But we grow and try to become more like Him, and our hearts are sincere to follow Him. A choice. We follow Him and have eternity and experience many blessings. We reufse and are spending life in Hell. Yes, it is a real place, and there is much suffering. You cannot change your mind once you have died from this life. The choice is now, before you physically die.
Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus
Matthew 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord
John 17:36 Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you oved me before the creation.
John 10:27-28 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me . . . I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, and this life is in his Son. eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
Psalm 49:15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself.
1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
John 14:23 If a man loves me, he will keep my words and my Father will love hi, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him
Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice.
Isaiah 65:24 It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
Ephesians 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man.
John 7:17 If any man shall do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Mark 12:33 And to love his with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and will all the soul and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Proverbs 8:17 I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me.
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more.
1 John 2:12 I write unto you, little children because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
The blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin
Jesus died to give us eternal life
God’s presence is in our lives
God will answer our prayers
God will give us strength
God is truth
God fills us with love
Our sins are forgiven
He will give us rest
He will direct our paths
He will supply all our needs
He will never leave nor forsake us
Our sins will be forgiven
We will be His children
We will have a Comforter, Helper sent to us on Jesus’s ascension
He will answer our prayers
He works things out for our good
You will spend eternity in heaven with Him if you give Him your life and heart
You will become more like Jesus as you follow Him and learn about Him through God’s word
Follow Him and you will have joy.
My Father, thank you for all you have done with the blessings you have given for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Zingers:
Christianity helps us face the music, even when we don’t like the tune.
People cannot change truth, but truth can change people.
If you won’t admit you’ve been wrong, you love yourself more than truth.
Psalm 126:6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carry sheaves with them.
Matt 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.
Luke 8:11-15 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word form their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. The believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Luke 10:2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
1 Corinthians 3:6-10 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.
2 Corinthians 9:6,10 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. . . . Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
Galatians 6:7-9 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Lately, I have had the opportunity to talk about Jesus to others. I don’t do it well, unless I am with other believers. I find I am stilted, and not confident in my presentation, which has been a lifelong issue for me. I tend to watch for a long while before engaging. I am not ever comfortable initiating a contact other than a smile and a greeting, but not a full conversation. It’s on my prayer list to have the Holy Spirit give me that confidence and ability, as I truly admire those in my life who can freely start that with strangers.
Yet I know it is vital, and potentially lifesaving to tell people of the freedoms and blessings He has given us by His death—on the cross—suffered for OUR sins–none were His–His burial, His resurrection, and His ascension. He frees us from the penalty of death in Hell for eternity and affords us eternal life in heaven instead.
I have so many friends who are brilliant at opening these conversations. They are not pushy, but confidently and with assurance they ask if the other is a believer or knows Jesus. I have always felt my speaking abilities more resembled Moses before he gained his confidence and had to depend on Aaron. I am still depending on others to open the door to these conversations, then I can add how blessed I am. That’s frustrating to me. Anyway, it’s on my prayer list that the Holy Spirit will help me with this.
I know that someone plants a seed by telling of Jesus, His life, His death, His burial, ascension and resurrection. That seed may not initially be broken and nourished in the ground, very soon to sprout, grow and share its abundance. Different seeds take different times to mature and flourish. But there must be seed planters, gardeners who can water, weed, (answer questions that someone might have–a mistaken impression concerning God, Jesus and eternity), give support and love, showing how Christ lived and wants us to live. Show how one can have the assurance of life in heaven after the physical body dies, when all illness will be healed, and we will have a new body and be spending our eternity with God.
The planters and the gardeners are only Christ’s workers. It is God who brings this person to need Him, to reach for Him. Our tasks are to tend and weed, but we are not the redeemers. We can only rejoice when that happens—but it is NOT our accomplishment. We are just field workers.
I find I get frustrated knowing so many in my circle do not believe and are not fully invested. That is scary for me. I love them and without the commitment to Jesus as their Lord and savior, they can die without the assurance of life ever after in heaven.
We all face eternity; it is not death and you turn into just ashes—that is your body, but that is not your soul. It is your soul that has an eternity, and “being a good person” is not good enough in God’s eyes. He wants to love you, bless you and free you from stress and anxieties and give you the assurance that you will have life in heaven if you ask Him to be your savior, and welcome Him into your heart. And He is more than happy and excited to say ‘YES!’ He wants us all, but has given us the ability to choose or not to choose.
He created the world and all in it with a breath. Certainly He is worthy of our love, thankfulness and our attempts at obedience. We are never THERE, we still sin, make mistakes, and have to confess our wrongs, but we have the assurance we are forgiven. But this Creator, created all, including plants, trees, and us, so He is familiar with planting seeds and waiting for the blooming and blossoming and harvest.
I just wish I was better at initiating the conversation. But maybe, as I’m writing this, God is saying, ‘but I know you have the strength of giving compassion, guiding, and walking beside’ rather than jump starting the conversation. But we each have our jobs, paths, strengths, and I know I hesitate starting conversations with anyone new to me.
Anyway, have you wondered if you are a planter or a harvester? I’m good at putting in bulbs, rhizomes, or seeds after the holes are dug, then I can water and care for and appreciate the yield, but am not in introducing. Maybe someday.
Lord, I thank you for all you have blessed me with and can recognize lots of growth, but I still want more—but according to Your will. Thank You for your continued blessing for me and’mybellaviews.’