My Divine Notes

What does it look like to be kind?  Ephesians 4:23 Living Bible Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better. Ephesians 4:23 The Voice to take a fresh breath and to let God renew your attitude and spirit.  The  dictionary  defines kind as  of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person. What does it look like to be kind? This sentence kicked me out of the ballpark.  As soon as the preacher said it, a knife chopped my heart in half. I was wounded because I can wound others well. This year I don’t want to forget the lessons learned during Lent, so  I've  paid close attention to a series of sermons that ask the question: If salvation comes free and we don't earn it, what does God want from me?  This week’s message was supposed to be simple, according to the preacher, but there’s nothing simple when it comes to changing old habits that ...

Matthew 9 Jesus Chooses Matthew 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew. He was sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him. Matthew got up and followed him. 10 Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and “sinners” came. They ate with Jesus and his disciples. 11 The Pharisees saw this. So they asked the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 12 Jesus heard that. So he said, “Those who are healthy don’t need a doctor. Sick people do. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ (Hosea 6:6) I have not come to get those who think they are right with God to follow me. I have come to get sinners to follow me.” I don’t want to forget that Jesus was about relationships with everyone he didn't distinguish between sinners and tax collectors. Andy Stanley compares tax collectors to the people who sell drugs to young kids in our d...

September 9, 2012 Facing a consuming fire, a jealous God – Esh Oklah, El Kanna Isaiah 33:14-15 14 “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?      Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?” 15 Those who walk righteously      and speak what is right, As I go deeper into my relationship with God through Bible study and relationship- building with Him, I am awe struck with God’s holiness especially during our era of “anything goes” theology and spirituality. In my early days, I naively thought I had it all figured out when I rededicated myself to the LORD; then the hat dropped. And, I turned my back on God.   I was even dismayed when I realized that I was upset because he allowed certain things to happen to me. My walk with God has taught me that I need him every hour of every day. None of us is immune to falling into our sinful nature, no matter how pious our titles are before humankind. We, his sinful...

Mark 8:37 Is anything worth more than your soul? As the world crumbles before our eyes, I feel disbelief and sadness. I grew up knowing right from wrong.   I’m not saying that I grew up in the perfect family – indeed – we were far from perfect. But I recall the LORD and the family instilling in us a deep sense of what was right and wrong. My maternal grandmother ultimately turned our lives over to God. But I drifted into sin and acceptance of the status quo even though I had an outwardly very successful looking life. I remember those dark times of sin when my soul was troubled and devastated because I knew better…but sin blinded me with instant gratification in so many areas. Occasionally I’d wonder where God was because the hole in my heart was so deep. I didn’t want to sin, but it was easy, enjoyable and everyone was doing it.     After many years of living in sin’s desperate grip, I found peace, joy and freedom in being loved and accepted by Jesus Chri...

Isaiah 1:18-20 - The Message Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out." This is God's Message: "If your sins are blood-red, they'll be snow-white. If they're red like crimson, they'll be like wool. If you'll willingly obey, you'll feast like kings. But if you're willful and stubborn, you'll die like dogs." That's right. God says so. It’s hard to say I’m sorry when I don’t acknowledge my sins. Perhaps it’s pride that stops many of us from asking for forgiveness from those we offend or hurt. The longer we stay away or keep from making amends, the further away we get from God. When we get away from God, we make excuses, we take further steps into the pit and then we excuse and tolerate our sins and the sins of others. Very soon, sin isn’t sin; it’s just the way the world operates. The sin/guilt cycle begins - we stop reading the Bible, praying or having a close relationship with the Lord. The enemy clouds ...

Sept. 24, 2011 Psalm 101:3a (NLT) I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I like to share my notes and thoughts from sermons that really speak to me. Tonight I listened to a sermon by Pastor Joel Osteen about how important it is to guard our minds. I’ve previously written on this topic because changing what I put in my mind has transformed me and it has taken me to a deeper level in my spiritual walk. Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means perfect, but I know that my choices impact my mind. How many of us have a relationship with God – yet we still live with filth coming from our mouth, heart and eyes? Television, movies, radio, the internet, video and all forms of popular media have the power to influence our mind and behavior. When we sit in front of the television for hours watching violence, it’s no surprise that we become violent people. There’s a generation of young people who have grown up with video games that promote violence in one way or another. It’s ...

July 15, 2011 Psalm 119:94 I am yours. Save me, because I have searched for your guiding principles. God’s guiding principles are many times quite simple yet we make them so complex. In my seasons of sin it’s hard to walk in God’s guiding principles. Instead, it seems like Blanca’s guiding principles kick in and I shift into drive and take off so easily. One thing that I try not to do is remove myself from God’s grasp when I’m not walking in his guiding principles – aka sinning. Instead, I am open about my sin because that helps me work through it. I am not justifying my sin; but I am simply not allowing the evil one to put me over the edge anymore. Many people who have walked away from God feel like he will not forgive them or that they aren’t worthy of coming before him again. Well, I have good news if that’s your situation: God loves you no matter what. You are his. ♥

July 13, 2011 Galatians 5:1 (GW) Christ has freed us so that we may enjoy the benefits of freedom. Therefore, be firm {in this freedom}, and don't become slaves again. It’s easy to let the enemy of our soul keep us in bondage to our sinful ways. Many times I find myself saying that I can’t blame everything on the enemy, but some things I can. Many preachers and teachers don’t talk about “sin” because it’s not politically correct to offend people with the topic. Sin is sin is sin. Sin keeps us bound tightly and unable to live the life that Christ planned for us. It’s like living in the basement because you refuse to climb the stairs to freedom. Once you tell Jesus, “Yes, I want your powerful life,” don’t stop! Your trip of a lifetime has officially begun!   You want to move into the next stage in your relationship with God. If you find yourself unable to break free from the chain around your neck, go get help! Talk to a trusted pastor, counselor or spiritually mature person who ...