Author Archives: Barbara Hayes

Summary

This 7m episode provides the listener the reading of the 2nd chapter of the Book of James where the word favoritism is addressed in the Bible.  The Bible is clear that favoritism is not God’s will for our lives. First, favoritism is incongruent with God’s character: “God does not show favoritism” (Romans 2:11). All are equal before Him. Ephesians 6:9 says, “There is no favoritism with him.” Colossians 3:25 teaches God’s fairness in judgment: “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.” 

This is where we as humans fail because to do not follow through on the teachings of the Word. We are prone to judge individuals by their past, and not their future states Wiersbe’s commentary. We are also prone to judge a person by their appearance rather than what resides in their heart. We are quick on the draw when it comes to passing judgment. 

For instance, as soon as one hears that I am an Elder, their first thought is to take flight, to exit as quickly as possible assuming my conversation will solely be focused on their faith and the church they belong to. First, get to know me before you judge me. I have neither heaven nor hell’s key on my keychain, meaning I can’t pray you in one or drop kick you into the other. 

When we have visitors come into our churches, we tend to judge them on what we see outward rather than what they are inward. We favor them by their dress, color of skin, fashion, and other superficial characteristics which carry more weight than the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  

Oh, goodness and mercy, do not let us find out they have money! We nearly jump out of our pants or heels to cater to the rich because we hope to get something out of them, and we avoid the poor person because they might embarrass us. The doctrine of God’s grace, if we really believe it, forces us to relate to people on the basis of God’s plan and not on the basis of human merit or social status. 

Educated, uneducated, poor, young or old, Christian love does not mean that we must like a person and agree with him or her because of who they are or what they represent. We are supposed to love everyone no matter the status or the color of their skin. Before we attack those who do not have orthodox doctrine, we must be sure that we practice the doctrines we defend.  Our motive should be to glorify God to love one another no matter our status in life. 

I love the way Pastor Dardy used to ask the church, “church do you love me, if you don’t then you better not die!” God is love, and love is an action word that we can’t afford to have absent from our hearts as we prepare to leave earth for hopefully our heavenly home. 

Let’s drop the favoritism and love our brothers and sisters as God loves us. Remember He loves us in spite of, not because of! 

Blessings, Elder Barbara

Wiersbe/GQ

Transcription

Summary

This 9m episode provides a reading from the 3rd chapter of the Book of James, verses 1 – 12 in regards to the untamable tongue of man. The concept of taming the tongue is found in James 3 where God declares, through the apostle James, that “no one can tame the tongue” (James 3:8). The lengthy discussion about the tongue in this chapter is both convicting and illuminating. Among the things this chapter reveals about the tongue: it is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts (verse 5); it is a fire and a world of evil that defiles the whole person (verse 6); it is set on fire by hell (verse 6), and it is an unrestrainable evil and full of deadly poison (verse 7). Is it any wonder, then, that God declares that taming the tongue is impossible?

Both the bit and the rudder must overcome contrary forces. By definition, a bit is a piece of metal or synthetic material that fits in a horse’s mouth The bit must overcome the wild nature of the horse, for it aids in the communication between the horse and its rider.

And the rudder must fight the winds and currents that would drive the ship off its course.

The rudder moves in the direction of lower pressure. As the rudder goes, so goes the stern, and the boat turns.

In the 6th verse Fire is a chemical reaction that converts fuel and oxygen into carbon dioxide and water. The good of Fire is that removes the low-growing underbrush, cleans the forest floor of debris, opens it up to sunlight, and nourishes the soil. Reducing this competition for nutrients allows established trees to grow stronger and healthier.

Fires not only start out small but spread and grow, creating heat; it also defiles, leaving behind a charred mess in their wake.

Fiery words can defile a home, a Sunday school class, a tear down the congregation of a church. The only thing that can wash away that defilement is the blood of Jesus Christ from that charred mess made by a fiery tongue.

Transcription

This episode has been published and can be heard everywhere your podcast is available.

This 5min and 25second episode provides a reading of the beautiful psalm by King David, God’s chosen one. How David celebrated God’s mercy and wondrous deeds for Israel consisted largely of praise and thanksgiving. Under the new covenant, all believers are priests unto God (1 Pet. 2:5, 9) and should offer the spiritual ministry of praise and thanksgiving to God. “By (Christ) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15). The believer’s praise and worship must be both in word and deed and are acceptable to God only as long as he or she is committed to His Word and not conformed to the world (Rom. 12:1-2). 

Let the heart of them rejoice

Our happiness, security, and freedom from anxiety are dependent on our gratitude to God and our perseverance in seeking His face daily (Vv. 8-11). Those who continually call out to the LORD with thanksgiving can have confidence that He will walk by their side and be a present help throughout all of life (Ps. 46:1).

Worship the LORD in the beauty of Holiness. Genuine worship must be done in “holiness” (2 Chr. 20:21). God accepts spiritual and jubilant worship (15:28) only as long as it is accompanied by an inward disposition of reverence and purity, an earnest desire to be near Him, and the fervent commitment to resist all that offends His holy nature.

Stop and Seek the LORD

David felt convicted about his luxurious life while the symbol of God’s covenant with Israel was still housed in a tent. His statement and Nathan’s response illustrate well-intentioned ideas that believers sometimes have before they have taken the time to ask God about carrying them out. As it turned out, David’s plan was acceptable, but God had not chosen him to build the temple. 

We may have great ideas and worthy plans, but God may decide to let others carry them out. If we insist on doing everything that occurs to us, we will run the danger of stepping beyond God’s purpose for us. FL

This 15m episode opens with scripture readings throughout the Bible. Then taken from a short story that takes one’s imagination to one of a child reaching upward to grasp the finger of an adult. The child is represented as the one telling the story and the Adult is the Heavenly Father. An image that is precious to the storyteller as one sharing the pure intimacy of the joy of knowing that his Heavenly Father watches over him and at times in his life, He even reaches down and holds his hand.  

There are times in our lives when all around us seem to fall, this is the time when we as a child of the Highest need to remember we belong to Him, our LORD, and Savior.  The wonder of it all is that the Father is always there to provide for every need. The prophet Isaiah wrote:

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might, He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall. But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.  

Learning how prayer works is part of the natural process of growing in our relationship with the Lord. As we develop an active and continuous connection with God our Father through Jesus Christ His Son by the power of His indwelling Spirit, we discover the heart of prayer.

Prayer is a uniquely human activity; no other beings have the privilege of communicating in such a way with their Maker and Redeemer. But prayer can be intimidating, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the practice or if you’ve been taught to see prayer as a complex, formal, or ritualized activity. 

When we are in need of God, He is there as He said in His Word, He would never leave us nor forsake us. We as His children should place all matters in His hands. Just as our earthly selves, trust in our earthly parents. We should place our hand in the Hand of our God. 

Jesus taught the disciples that, through prayer, they could come to God to meet their daily needs: “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). Our Father takes care of us. We don’t have to worry about what we might need today or in the future; we talk to God about our needs, and we depend on Him as our faithful provider.

Let us remember to stay prayerful knowing that all we have to do is reach up, God got us in His hand.

Blessings,

Elder Barbara

Every Prayer in The Bible; GQ

This 5min episode introduce readings from James chapter 1. The word “temptation” (Gk. peirasmoi) does not refer to enticements to sin, but to trials, persecution, and afflictions or Satan. The believer must meet these trials with joy (Mat. 5:11-12); Rom. 5:3; 1 Pet. 1:6), for they will develop patience (perseverance, endurance). Our faith can only reach full maturity when faced with difficulties and opposition. James calls these trials a “trying of your faith”. Trials are sometimes brought into a believer’s life so that God can test his faith. Scripture nowhere teaches that troubles in life are always an indication that God is displeased with us. They can be a sign that He recognizes our firm commitment to Him (Job 1-2). 

Ye may be perfect: “Perfect” reflects the Biblical idea of perfection, defined as a right relationship with God that bears fruit in a sincere endeavor to love Him with all one’s heart in undivided devotion, obedience, and a blameless life (Deut. 6:5; 18:13; Mat. 22:37).

If any of you lack wisdom, means the spiritual capacity to see and evaluate life and conduct from God’s point of view. It involves making right choices and doing right things according to both the will of God revealed in His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:4-17). We can receive wisdom by drawing near to God and asking for it in faith.

Tempted: No person who sins can evade guilt by throwing the blame on God. God may test us in order to strengthen our faith, but never with the intent of leading us to sin. The nature of God demonstrates that He cannot be a source of temptation.

Drawn away on his own lust: Temptation basically comes from our own inward desires or inclinations (Mat. 15:19). If evil desire is not resisted and purged by the Holy Spirit, it leads to sin and then to spiritual death (Rom. 6:23)

Lay apart all filthiness. The Word of God, either preached or written, cannot effectively take hold of a person’s life if he or she is not separated from moral filth and evil. God commands the believer to set aside all the ungodly filth that permeates an unregenerate and corrupt society and seeks to influence him and his family.  

James says that love for others must be accompanied by a love for God that is expressed in separation from the sinful ways of the world. Love to others must be accompanied by holiness before God or it is not Christian love.  FL

Let’s take a listen to the reading from the book of James chapter 1 in its entirety. 

Blessings,

Elder Barbara

Summary

This 10m episode bears witness to the LIGHT. Much as our words reveal to others our hearts and minds, so Jesus Christ is God’s “Word” to reveal His heart and mind to us. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (14:9). A word is composed of letters, and Jesus Christ is “Alpha and Omega” (Rev. 1:8), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. According to Hebrews 1:1-3, Jesus Christ is God’s last Word to mankind, for He is the climax of divine revelation. 

The verb “were made” is past perfect tense in the Greek, which means “a completed act.” Creation is finished, it is not a process still going on, even though God is certainly at work in His creation (5:17). Creation is not a process; it is a finished product over which God exercises authority. 

Light and darkness are recurring themes in John’s gospel. God is Light (1 John 1:5), while Satan is “the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). People love either the light or the darkness, and this love controls their actions (1 John 3:16-19). Those who believe on Christ are the “sons of light” (John 12:35, 36). Just as the first creation begins with “Let there be light!” so the new creation begins with the entrance of light into the heart of the believer (2 Cor. 4:3-6). The coming of Jesus Christ into the world was the dawning of a new day for sinful man (Luke 1:78,79).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Wiersbe Bible

Transcription

David gave an amazingly accurate description of the suffering the Messiah would endure hundreds of years later. David was obviously enduring some great trial, but through his suffering he, like the Messiah to come, gained victory. Jesus, the Messiah, quote this verse while hanging on the cross (22:1); carrying our burden of sin (Matthew 27:46). It was not a cry of doubt, but an urgent appeal to God.

When others despise us and heap scorn upon us, they treat us as less than human. After much degradation, we, like David, could begin to feel like worms. When we feel the sting of rejection, we must keep in mind the hope and victory that God promises us.

God’s loving concern does not being on the day we are born and conclude on the day we die. It reaches back to those days before we were born, and reaches ahead along the unending path of eternity. Our only sure help comes from a God whose concern for us reaches beyond our earthly existence. When faced with such love, how could anyone reject it?

“For it reaches to the highest mountain, and it flows to the lowest valley, the blood that give us strength from day to day, it will never lose its power!”

Come and join me in an evening prayer.

Elder Barbara

This 9m episode provide you the listener, readings from chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Proverbs the Wisdom of Solomon. One of the most annoying types of people is a know-it-all, a person who has a dogmatic opinion about everything, is closed to anything new, resents discipline, and refuses to learn. Solomon calls this kind of person a fool. Don’t be a know-it-all. Instead, be open to the advice of others, especially those who know you well and can give valuable insight and counsel. Learn how to learn from others. Remember, only God knows it all. 

In this age of information, knowledge is plentiful, but wisdom is scarce. Wisdom means far more than simple knowing a lot. It is a basic attitude that affects every aspect of life. The foundation of knowledge is to fear the LORD – to honor and respect God, to live in awe of His power, and to obey His Word. Faith in God should be the controlling principle for your, understanding of the world, your attitudes, and your actions. Trust in God – He will make you truly wise. 

Our actions speak louder than our words. This is especially true in the home. Children learn values, morals, and priorities by observing how their parents act and react every day. If parents exhibit a deep reverence for and dependence on God, (hopefully) the children will catch these attitudes. Let the see your reverence for God. Teach them right living by giving worship an important place in your family life and by reading the Bible together. 

Sin is enticing because it offers a quick route to prosperity and makes us feel like one of the crowd. But when we go along with others and refuse to listen to the truth, our own appetites become our masters, and we’ll do anything to satisfy them. Sin even when attractive, is deadly. We must learn to make choices, not on the basis of flashy appeal or short-range pleasure, but in view of the long-range effects. Sometimes this means steering clear of people who want to entice us into activities that we know are wrong. We cannot be friendly with sin and expect our lives to remain unaffected. 

Wisdom comes in two ways: it is a God-given gift and also the result of an energetic search. Wisdom’s starting point is God and His revealed Word, the source of “knowledge and understanding” (2:6). In that sense, wisdom is His gift to us. But He gives it only to those who earnestly seek it. But because God’s wisdom is hidden from the rebellious and foolish, it takes effort to find it and use it. The pathway to wisdom is strenuous. When we are on the path, we discover that true wisdom is God’s and that He will guide us and reward our sincere and persistent search. 

https://anchor.fm/barbara375/episodes/THE-PROVERBS-OF-SOLOMON–EMBRACING-WISDOM-e1lbuj6/a-a89044m

This 7min episode provide you the listener a short story concerning election and predestination, where we might use the analogy of a great ship on its way to heaven. The ship (the church which is within you) is chosen by God to be His very own vessel. Christ is the Captain and Pilot of this ship. All who desire to be a part of this elect ship and its Captain can do so through a living faith in Christ, by which they can come on board the ship. As long as one is on the ship, in company with its Captain, he is among the elect. 

If one chooses to abandon the ship at any time, he/she is abandoning not only the ship but the Captain as well. As soon as you step off of the ship he/she ceases to be one of the elect. Remember, God gives us our freedom of will. 

Election is always only in union with the Captain and His ship. Predestination tells us about the ship’s destination and what God has prepared for those remaining on it. God invites everyone to come aboard the elect ship through faith in Jesus Christ. 

This was an invitation that was extended to one and all.  

Jesus said in John 14:2 “I go to prepare a place for you. and If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that were I am, there ye may be also.”

We must prepare to board when He returns, we must have our ticket to board that old ship of Zion. We should want to be in the number of the elect to make our abode with Him. 

Those who truly love Jesus and obey His words will experience the immediate presence and love of the Father and the Son. 

https://anchor.fm/barbara375/episodes/ALL-ABOARD–Dont-miss-this-Ship-e1laqo7

This 13min episode provide you the listener a reading of the story of the woman with the issue of blood found in Mark 5:24–34 and Luke 8:42–48. I read from Mark’s account here because it offers a little more details than that of Luke’s. 

What we know about the woman is, first, she had a bleeding condition, and the issue had continued for twelve years. That’s a very long time. Secondly, she had spent all her money on treatments from many doctors, and nothing had helped; in fact, the blood issue had only grown worse (see Mark 5:25–26). We also know that Jewish Law declared her to be ceremonially unclean due to her bleeding issue (Leviticus 15:25-27). This meant that she would not have been permitted to enter the temple for Jewish religious ceremonies. According to the Law, anything or anyone she touched became unclean as well. The fact that she was in the crowd pressing around Jesus means that each person who bumped into her would have become unclean, too—including Jesus. But, after twelve years of suffering, she was obviously desperate for a miracle. “When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed’” (Mark 5:27–28).

As soon as the woman touches Jesus, her bleeding stops and she knows she’s been healed. In an instant, Jesus does what no doctor in twelve years had been able to. This proves the power of Christ, of course, but it also illustrates an important point about Jesus and the Law. In Leviticus 15:31 God says, “You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.” In the Old Testament, the temple was where God dwelt among the Israelites, but in the New Testament, God dwelt among men in the person of Jesus Christ (see John 1:14). Through Jesus the penalties of the Law are reversed, and the contamination of this world had no effect on Christ. The woman did not make Jesus (God’s dwelling) unclean—He made her clean!

Jesus immediately responds to the woman who touched His clothing and was healed. People were pushing and pressing into Him from all over, yet He stops, turns, and asks, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:30). The disciples were incredulous, but Jesus knew that healing power had gone out of Him. We can’t “steal” a miracle from God. After the woman comes forward and explains herself, Jesus clears up any misconceptions about her healing, saying, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:34). God is moved to action by our faith, even when He’s in the middle of doing something else!

Jesus could have healed the woman and kept on walking to His original destination. Only He and the woman would have known what had taken place. But He didn’t do that. Jesus stopped what He was doing and acknowledged the result of this woman’s faith: her complete and instantaneous healing. 

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