Define Freedom

July 6, 2023July 15, 2023 / The WheatandTares

What is freedom?

Is freedom being able to “do what I want when I want and however I want?”

Is freedom having an absence of confinement and restrictions?

Is freedom being able to speak, work, and live without rules and boundaries?

Truly, in this day and age, freedom seems to be negotiable to the person or parties making those decisions.

However, because we are children of God, our truth doesn’t change with culture nor with man.

Our truth comes from the Word of God; so, when seeking the definition of freedom, we must seek what God tells us is true.

Jesus said, in John 8:36, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Then, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

And in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Christ has given us a clear picture of what freedom is and what He has meant it to be in our lives: true freedom can only be found in the redemption fo Jesus Christ!

So, if you are a child of the King today, YOU ARE FREE!

If you are saved by the Blood of the Lamb, and your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, YOU ARE FREE!!

Let us rejoice in His freedom!

Let us praise Him for the great things He has done!

Let us raise our hands and lift our voices with a grateful heart for the freedom He has brought us both within our spiritual lives and within this country that we live because we are free to worship Him today!

I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.
1 Corinthians 6:12

What is Freedom?

July 4, 2023July 15, 2023 / The WheatandTares

FREEDOM!

What do you think of when you hear the words freedom, liberty, and independence?

What images come to mind when you hear, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?”

For our modern culture, these words do not seem to invoke the same images and thoughts that appeared to be more commonplace among Americans in years prior. As a matter of fact, the other day I googled the words “liberty and justice,” and one of the first entries said, “pledging this means accepting the reality that today there is injustice and fairness in the society,” followed by numerous political views stated pertaining to diversity and inclusion.

These ideals have their place, and I’m not going to get tangled in a political war of words and opinions; however, it’s important to remember that our Constitution’s message and the words of freedom contained within it were not created solely in response to the issues our society faces today. We, as a people, had constructed these words and this declaration so many decades past in order to set the foundation for which our nation stands for freedom. We decided to make these words the very cornerstones for how we should live and respond as a nation.

It’s not a reaction. It is a declaration, a belief system, upon which to build a great nation that will sustain the test of time.

And it is a fragile one. It is one that, if not protected, fought for and defended, can be stolen within a blink of an eye. It is to be cherished, valued and upheld, or it will be taken away by those who work harder to defend their own tyrannical desires.

I love the quote by Ronald Reagan in reference to this concern:

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
President Ronald Reagan, 40th President of USA

As we celebrate this Independence Day in the great country of America, let us ask ourselves what we are doing to protect our freedoms in this country. Let us ask ourselves if we are fighting to value and cherish those freedoms, or are we conforming to the loudest voices amount us who may hate, demean and devalue this great nation.

Let us forever remember that she may have her issues, her difficulties and her need for improvement, but anyone who hates her, I ask you to go to a third world nation and compare. I ask you to travel to the war torn countries around the world and see if you’d prefer their fate.

I ask you to visit the nations who love her and wish they could be like her. Ask them how you should cherish her…

Happy Independence Day!

And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.
Jeremiah 29:7

Be That Person… Or Don’t Be

June 29, 2023June 27, 2023 / The WheatandTares

Be that person who doesn’t care.

Be that person who cares about the right people, but not the others.

Don’t be that person who worries about every one else and their opinion.

Don’t be that person who never knows who your friends are.

Be that person who is comfortable in your own skin.

Be that person who is gracious to others whether they’re comfortable or not.

Don’t be that person who doesn’t realize your ease is another man’s anxiety.

Don’t be that person who is so focused on your own that you can see beyond your nose.

Awareness is vital to success of life.

Recognition is the difference in failure or not.

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12

Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
1 Timothy 3:7

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18

Be Not Afraid

June 27, 2023June 26, 2023 / The WheatandTares

Enough said, but then, there’s more to explain.

Not having fear sounds like a great statement, but when it’s your dream, your sickness, or your child, it’s not always that simple.

Control seems easier and less unpredictable.

Having more faith and less fear seems like a great slogan to follow until it’s you who has to walk out on the water, weather the storm in the (seemingly) rickety boat, or step out on the tightrope of success and hope it holds.

Control seems more comfortable and less unreliable.

Yet, I have found in life experiences that no matter how intuitive I think I am, He always sees better.

I have found in all my days of leading, advising, sharing, no matter how capable I feel, He is always stronger and more able.

Control seems right through our carnal eyes,

But His ways are higher than my ways.

His thoughts are beyond my imagination.

And His love is beyond my recognition.

And so, I will trust Him, and I will follow.

I have found in my life that my heart is safer within His mighty hands than it ever was within my human ones.

And I will walk forward with faith.

I will move toward the goal with my focus on Him.

And even if I’m trembling within, I will trust He’s got this because He loves me beyond reason.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:9

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33

Silent Healing

June 22, 2023June 22, 2023 / The WheatandTares

Sometimes, you just heal in silence.

It’s no one else’s story.

It’s no one else’s business.

You just keep moving forward.

Keep getting stronger.

Keeping succeeding.

Keep healing.

When you come through it, those who saw your wound will be amazed at the lessened scar.

When you survive, those who didn’t begin with you will nod in agreement to your strength.

When you are thriving, you will be rejoicing how far you’ve come and how far you’re ready yet to run.

Let the silence scream.

And heal on.

He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is consideredperceptive.
Proverbs 17:27-28

Be Like Joan

June 21, 2023June 21, 2023 / The WheatandTares

Life is hard.

Surviving can be a struggle.

Take it on like a champ.

You were born for this.

Don’t be afraid.

Don’t hesitate.

Do not fear.

March on.

When you fall, get back up.

When you’re wounded, bandage it.

Shake of the pain and move forward.

You can do this.

You were made for this.

And bonus: when you’ve walked through the fire, and you’ve slain your dragon, there are those following.

And they need your victory.

So, be like Joan. Be not afraid.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2

Grief .. Part 563

June 15, 2023September 21, 2023 / The WheatandTares

The journey of grief seems so long, so treacherous, and so methodical.

If you dwell too much on the journey, you’ll wander along the creek side, lost.

Never stopping for a drink.

The water continues to flow along the path, and it is for your refreshing, your renewal.

For the journey is hard, and it’s not meant for eternity.

Stay alert and remain vigilant in the middle of the walk.

Stay revived and maintain the elements to survive.

Grief is like a thief if you’ll allow him to be.

He will steal days, years, even hours and minutes

He will steal joy and peace, prosperity and comfort.

Don’t let him stay too long, or he will even steal your sanity.

You can’t shut him out; for then, he will only come back with gained force.

But don’t open the gate wide to welcome; for he will consume all territory that is lonely.

Fortify the good within and remain watchful.

Maintain the gates with prayer, steadfastness and faith.

Let him walk through, but swing open the back door with a celebration and fanfare.

For he will always peek through the windows and the trellises, but he cannot set up to abide.

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?” When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore, I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar.
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me. The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
As with a breaking of my bones,
My enemies reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?” Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm 42

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”
1 Samuel 16:1

Grief … Part 495

June 14, 2023September 21, 2023 / The WheatandTares

Grief can be like a bull in the field.

He looks all nice and cozy, chewing his cud, minding his own business.

But don’t get too close, or you’ll feel his horns.

That bull goes about his day, grazing, watching, or just lazing around.

But you get into his sight, and he’s liable to gorge you.

That bull has a family, or maybe he’s a loner.

Leave him alone.

Don’t prod him.

Don’t prick him.

And certainly, don’t pet him.

He’s there to do his thing, and he will come and go as he pleases.

Just keep your eyes on him.

Never let him out of your peripheral view.

For that is when he will sneak up for the kill.

And you’ll be fortunate to survive the pounding.

Let him roam.

And keep your vision clear.

Learn from every encounter but try not to remain.

He will move on down the pasture when it’s time; although, he will always be there.

Just let him roam further and further.

But never let him out of your sight.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
2 Corinthians 3-7

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
2 Corinthians 12:7

Your Tribe

June 6, 2023June 6, 2023 / The WheatandTares

There’s not a whole lot to add to this statement.

Just know your tribe and embrace them.

You may not all be exactly the same,

But if you’re going in the same direction,

And your focus is similar,

And your destination is the same,

You will get there together,

And you’ll be stronger and better for it.

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Philippians 1:1-2