Sexual Violence

Lord I pray for all of the victims of sexual violence. You have brought me to this chapter in the bible. Glory be to God. I pray for the men and women and children who are caught up in this violent act. I pray for the children who fear those in their own homes. For the women who have to walk the streets when it is dark and not safe. For anyone who is in a bad situation. 2 Samuel 13 2 Samuel 13 Amnon and Tamar  1 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David.  2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.  3 Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 4 He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?”    Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”  5 “Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’”  6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”  7 David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. 9 Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat.    “Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. 11 But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”  12 “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing. 13 What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.” 14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.  15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”  16 “No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.”    But he refused to listen to her. 17 He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her.” 18 So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate[a] robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.  20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman.  21 When King David heard all this, he was furious. 22 And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar. Absalom Kills Amnon  23 Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?”  25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.  26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.”    The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons.  28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.  30 While they were on their way, the report came to David: “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons; not one of them is left.” 31 The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn.  32 But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom’s express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. 33 My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”  34 Meanwhile, Absalom had fled.    Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, “I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill.”[b]  35 Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king’s sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said.”  36 As he finished speaking, the king’s sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly.  37 Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son.  38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. 39 And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon’s death. Footnotes: 2 Samuel 13:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verse 19. 2 Samuel 13:34 Septuagint; Hebrew does not have this sentence.

Truth

Luke 8:16-18 A Lamp on a Stand     16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them." Guide me Lord to the truth today. I thank you God for your blessings and for allowing me to be here another day. I pray that I am able to listen and hear your word speak to my heart and my mind. Let me not hide my talents, whatever they may be. Let my words be true and uplifting. My desire is to reach someone's heart. I pray that I am able to accomplish something today. I don't just seek material gain, I seek a closer relationship with you. Wisdom to know God's will and his word in my life. Thank you God for your blessings. Be blessed today and be a blessing to someone. I love you.

Walking in Love

Lord it is not easy to walk in love all of the time. Sometimes we are our own worse enemies. We can make things a lot harder and more difficult than they need to be. As a Christian, we want to believe that we can love our enemies and we are able to practice self control and restraint in all situations. But enemies and obstacles are real and how we deal with them is real too. Working God's purpose require us to get rid of the fears and frustrations that cloud our minds. The worries that keep us up at night and seem to wake us up in the morning. I ask God to search me and help me to know what opposes his purpose. Remove it from me, empower me to change and move on. Whatever the concerns that are weighing on my mind, I turn them over to God. Micah 5:9 your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies, and all your foes will be destroyed.

False Accusations

Acts 24:12-16 I ask God to give me patience and love for the people around me. Allow me to show love and to be loved. Allow me to speak the truth and to hear the truth with an open and clean heart. let no weapon formed against me or my loved ones prosper. I seek daily to be just and upright in God's eye I pray for healing for my brothers and sisters. Especially for those with a growth or tumor on the neck and head. Specifically on the left side of their body. Lord heal them, allow them to go to the doctor in time. Let the growth be benign. Let no harm come to them. Let your healing powers wash over them. Let them respond early and quickly to any signs of distress. Protect them Lord, heal them Lord. May God bless you today and be a blessing to someone today. I love you.

Trust

Dear Lord, this must really be amazing because I have not had these many obstacles to posting in my journal in a long long time. Now that I am trying to be consistent it's like everything wants to go wrong with the computer. But the devil is a liar. God has placed many spiritual gifts among his people and I had wisdom enough to use my I Pad. I wish I would have thought of it sooner, but I thought of it. Glory be to God. We all have spiritual gifts whether big or small. What can I do to contribute? Where do I fit in? How do you see me being a part of the church, Lord? 1Corinthians12 Lord I speak in Love. I want to please you and my desire is to do your will. Lead me, guide me, show me the way. Be blessed and be a blessing. I love you.

What is Really Important?

What is really important to me? What makes me feel important? Is it Money?  Success? Recognition? The value that Jesus says we must possess is the ability to make ourselves "small". Not our will but God's will. The values of the Kingdom of God will always conflict with the values of the world's approach to wealth and leadership.

Matthew 19:5-10
and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’^[a]? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
 ⁷ “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
 ⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹ I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
 ¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.” ¹¹ Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.



Matthew 19:16-26

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

 ¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”    ¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
 ¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.
   Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’^[a] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”
 ²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
 ²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
 ²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
 ²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
 ²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

God's teachings on divorce and remarriage keep me hopeful and committed. I want God's values to be my values. God has given us free will and I chose to be a servant of God. I will do what ever I have to do to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. I love the Lord and I am willing to wait. I will wait on the Lord forever. What seems difficult and time consuming is necessary. My attitude is that when the time is right for me, God will allow it to happen. I stay dedicated and committed to God.\'s will in my life. I am not anxious or impatient. I am at peace. Make me small and make my desires small so that I may serve you Lord.

Have a Blessed Day and be A Blessing to Someone. I love you.  
 

Character

 Already done and not yet quite here. Already and not yet. I have been changed. But I'm not where I need to be yet. I'm not where I was, but I'm not where I am going. I need to be real. Be truthful and just be as honest as I can be in the situation. They know I need help. I need the resources in order to project the image that they are looking for. They said they would do it so lets see what that will look like tomorrow. I will do my part, let them do theirs. don't hold me accountable when you have set me up to fail. I walk in this situation confident and complete. I will be ready.
Lord today at the store I think I saw what I thought I saw and it does upset me. For all the wrong and right reasons. The stereotypes that make that situation common and the reasons for it in the first place. Lord what are we going to do?  Why did you let me see it? Now what?

Lord let his travels be safe, let nothing delay him and let his evening be calm and peaceful. My prayers go out for him this week. Let every meeting, phone call, e-mail, letter, note or conversation be positive, supportive and uplifting. No negativity at all. There will be nothing but what he ask you for Lord. Here our prayers today and everyday. Hear the prayers of your people and know that we love you and praise your name. Be blessed tonight and be a blessing to someone. I love you.
Ephesians 4:17-32

Instructions for Christian Living

 ¹⁷ So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. ¹⁹ Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.  ²⁰ That, however, is not the way of life you learned ²¹ when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
 ²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”^[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
 ²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.