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What does the Book say?

My take on things with some interesting if not unusual perspectives from the Bible that are either not considered, or little known about.

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Deliverance From Bitterness	Feb 20, 2007 11:00 am Mood: cheerful, 518 Views
Deliverance From Bitterness Francis Frangipane There are two conditions of the heart no one can hide: one is when the heart is filled with love and the other when we are infected with bitterness. Either condition can take over our thoughts and both can filter our entire view of life. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must make our highest quest to possess hearts full of God’s love. Indeed, how successful we are at revealing Christ’s love is the true measure of our spirituality. Thus, love cannot long exist as an unexpressed or hidden secret. If love is real, it will be seen in a thousand manifestations reaching to the heart of its beloved. Love, which is in truth passion for oneness, is too powerful to be contained by mere discipline or self-control. Indeed, is not love boldly displayed in its unrequited gifts, and is it not heard in its many encouragements and expressions of concern? Is it not tangible in its unabashed enjoyment of time spent with those it loves? Bitterness, too, cannot be hidden. A bitter soul is not seeking oneness, but justice. It is driven by the unresolved theft of its peace, personhood or possessions. Bitterness is not just a wound seeking healing, it is a prosecuting attorney building a case against the guilty. Because a bitter soul is conjoined to the injustice committed against it, it perpetually is listening to the voice of its heartache and, thus, perpetually wounded by the unforgiven offense. Dear friends, Jesus said He came to give us life in abundance. He said He was anointed and sent to proclaim release to prisoners and freedom to captives (John 10:10; Luke 4:1. If we feel we have been spiritually incarcerated by a bitter experience or an injustice, God is not seeking to condemn us for it, but to save us from it. Even now, His Spirit is reaching to release us from this unbearable burden of the past. How Do We Become Free? In my thirty-seven years of walking with the Lord, there have been times that I have been slandered, defrauded or unfairly attacked. I have had plenty of opportunities to be embittered by injustice. Not every wound was healed instantly nor each injustice swiftly remedied. Jesus said, “By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:19). The Message translation renders this: “Staying with it - that's what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry; you'll be saved.” In the final analysis, being wounded or suffering loss is not the issue - Paul said he “suffered the loss of all things.” The real issue is that we “may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:. Let me also say, I know people whom the Lord simply touched and healed. Yes, often the Lord will simply remedy the offending situation itself, thus bringing healing. Let us make room for the vastness of God’s grace. Indeed, Hebrews 2:18 reveals that since Christ “Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” For no other reason except that He loves us, He will “come to the aid of those” who are embattled. Let us always make room for such grace. At the same time, I have also recognized that God’s highest goal for me is my conformity to Christ. (See Rom. 8:28-29). God heals me so He can conform me to Christ, and sometimes He reverses that process: He conforms me to Christ so He can heal me. In other words, my deliverance came as I appropriated Christ’s love and learned to entrust myself to God even when I was wounded by injustice. Consider this issue of trusting God. Peter tells us, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;” (1 Pet. 2:21-23). Sometimes my healing from wounding and possible bitterness came, not because restitution was made to me by the person who hurt me, but because I learned to entrust myself to God who judges righteously.
	1 comment

Bitterness in the Garden of Our Hearts	Feb 13, 2007 11:39 am Mood: hungry, 631 Views
Bitterness in the Garden of Our Hearts Francis Frangipane "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled" (Heb. 12:15). It is impossible to pass through this world without being struck by injustice or heartache. Unless we process our struggles in Christ, a single wounding of our soul can create a deep bitterness within us, poisoning our very existence. In my thirty-three years of ministry, I have known far too many Christians who have perfected the art of looking polite, while living inwardly with an angry, cynical or resentful spirit. They have swallowed the poison of bitterness and they are dying spiritually because of it. The problem is that, as Christians, we know it is wrong to react with open anger toward people. However, rather than truly forgiving and surrendering that injustice to God, we suppress our anger. Anger is a result of perceived injustice. Suppressed anger always degrades into bitterness, which is, in reality, unfulfilled revenge. Embittered People The Bible not only provides the biographies of heroes of our faith, but it also documents the lives of common people, individuals who experienced the same kind of heartaches as we have. Some overcame wounding or loss and subsequent bitterness, while others became examples to avoid. Consider Naomi from the book of Ruth. A famine in Israel led Naomi's family to migrate to Moab. Without family or friends to support her, as aliens in a foreign land, Naomi then suffered the loss of her husband; his death was followed by the death of her two grown sons. When Naomi returned to Israel with Ruth, her daughter-in-law, she announced to those who knew her, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me" (Ruth 1:20). The name Naomi means "pleasant." We can imagine that when Naomi was dedicated to God as an infant, her parents prayed that her name would forecast her future. Now, however, the very opposite had occurred. Naomi was deeply embittered by her loss, to the extreme of blaming "the Almighty" for dealing "very bitterly" with her. If you have ever listened to a bitter person, there is nothing "pleasant" about them. Yes, we should weep with those who weep, yet a bitter soul is a spirit trapped in a time warp; they live in the memory of their pain. Several years ago I met a woman who had suffered a difficult divorce. I talked with her every six months or so for two years, and each time we talked she said exactly the same things about her ex-husband. She was divorced from her husband, but now married to a bitter spirit that held her captive to her heartache. For Naomi, her bitterness was indirectly focused towards God. She was angry that He allowed hardship in her life. "The Lord has brought me back empty" (Ruth 1:21). My sorrow is God's fault. Contrast her life with that of Job's first encounter with loss (Job 1:1-22). Job lost his family and possessions, yet he bowed and worshiped. "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). How we handle sorrow reveals the depth of our worship of God. When life cuts us, do we bleed bitterness or worship? Job bowed and drew close to God. Naomi withdrew and talked about the Lord with her back to Him. I have dear friends who lost their only son when he was a teenager. In the midst of their heartache, they have become examples to everyone of true worship. Over the years, their pain actually purified and deepened their worship; their suffering made them more compassionate toward the suffering of others (See 2 Cor. 1:3-4). And, I know others who have suffered the sudden loss of a loved one and, within weeks, withdrew from God and became bitter. Adversity does not perfect character; it reveals character. It exposes what is happening inside of us. Poisoned In ancient times mankind experimented with vegetation, seeking to learn which plants were edible and which were poisonous. In his search, he discovered that, generally speaking, if a plant or fruit was sweet, it was usually safe to eat; bitter plants, man discovered, would either sicken or kill. Likewise, the bitter experiences of life, if we ingest them into our spirits, can become a spiritual poison that destroys our thoughts, expectations and attitudes. Such an experience may enter your soul via a relational wound or injustice; it can begin through a major disappointment or loss. However, once bitterness enters the human soul, like ink spreading in a glass of water, it can darken every aspect of our existence. Indeed, not only can bitterness ruin our lives, Hebrews warns that a root of bitterness can "defile many" (Heb. 12:15 NIV). A spiritual root is a hidden, unresolved anger that is buried beneath the surface of our lives. Outwardly, we look "properly Christian" until we begin to discuss someone who hurt us. As we speak, that root "springs up" and it defiles others. If you haven't dealt with your bitterness, beware when you speak to others, lest you defile them with your words; and if you are listening to an embittered person, take heed that the spirit of bitterness is not being transferred to your life as well! Neglect In Genesis we find another bitter soul in Esau, the brother of Jacob. Esau had foolishly bargained away his inheritance when he was young and then lost his father's blessing when he was old. When Esau discovered he had lost both to his brother Jacob, the Bible tells us he "cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry" (Gen. 27:34). To lose something through our laziness or neglect can create bitterness of soul. Additionally, to have someone deceive us and take what was rightfully ours is equally as destructive. I know people who were lazy and did not esteem their education. Today they are bitter employees working for minimum wage. I also know young, unwed mothers who let deceitful boys steal their virginity, which later also embittered them. Even spiritual people can find themselves suffering with bitterness caused by neglect. I know a pastor who was so devoted to his ministry, he consistently neglected his wife. She finally divorced him; cry and plead as he would, he suffered the bitter losses of his wife and the respect of his church. Esau's loss made him very bitter; yet, have we, like Esau, lost the more valuable elements of life because of our neglect? Have others received blessings that were earmarked for us, and has that loss created bitterness within us? May the Lord reveal to us these roots of bitterness that, like time-released poison, are quietly killing us. God desires to return to us our ability to love and laugh again. Next week we will discuss how to uproot bitterness and get truly free. For now, let us sincerely approach the throne of God's grace and ask Him to show us our hearts. Let us ask Him if the garden of our souls is truly free of bitter roots.
	5 Comments

Long way to join a new church

Feb 12, 2007 5:52 am
Mood: ecstatic, 596 Views

Yesterday I met a very impressive couple from South America. They packed up and left everything they knew in their home country just so that they could join our church.
I've been told before that my senior pastor has a world wide ministry, and I sure believe it now!

3 Comments

ANOTHER NEW SCAM	Feb 7, 2007 12:44 am Mood: frustrated, 596 Views
For those of you that remember the scam of someone claiming to be a widow of a rich doctor who wants to donate some large amount of money, we now have another one. This one uses the name Sheila Johnson. Same scam but different name.
	4 Comments

Happy Birthday CaringTeacher	Feb 3, 2007 8:27 pm Mood: happy, 527 Views
Hey folks, we got a birthday girl. Depending which side of the dateline you are on, Sunday Feb. 4th is LeAnn's birthday. Please join me in wishing her a very happy one.
	7 Comments

The Silent Harvest	Jan 30, 2007 1:36 pm Mood: refreshed, 473 Views
The Silent Harvest Francis Frangipane A few years ago, I had a dream in which I found myself inside the mind of a dying man. The man had been in a coma for some time; his family had been praying, but they did not know whether or not he had accepted Christ. All they were sure of is that, throughout his life, he had resisted their efforts to lead him to Christ. In the dream, I became so acutely aware of the man's state of mind that his thoughts, feelings and struggles almost seemed my own. Although his eyes were nearly closed and his vision clouded, he could see his loved ones at his bedside. I watched as he tried to reach toward his family, but outwardly his arm never lifted. Perceiving his thoughts, I heard him speak their names, but no sound whispered through his lips. A loved one holding his hand asked, "If you hear me, squeeze." He heard and pressed his fingers against hers, but no movement was seen; his hand clearly remained limp. He was conscious, he could hear their prayers, he felt the warmth of their kisses on his face, but was perfectly incapable of responding. The pride and isolation that had, throughout his life, stood guard over his heart were gone. A physical catastrophe had overtaken him. Death approached, and he knew he was unprepared for eternity. Submerged beneath his placid exterior, a war had raged for his soul, which the Lord won. Subdued by the relentlessness of God’s love, he was finally at peace. It was during his time in the hospital that he had silently prayed and accepted Christ as his Savior. I was watching his last effort to tell them as life ebbed out of his body. Suddenly, monitoring alarms ripped through the muffled silence of the room. His heart beat one last time and I found myself looking down at the body of a man who had just died. The room was buzzing with nurses, while his family huddled in a corner, grieving. The idea of their loved one dying without receiving Christ was more devastating than the reality of death itself. I stirred and then woke. Yet, just as I left the dream, the Lord spoke to my heart, "Tell them he’s with Me." God is Good Although some time has passed since I first had this dream, I am increasingly aware that many of God’s people carry a deep abiding heartache concerning the death of an unsaved loved one. Obviously, this dream does not apply to all, but there are some for whom this experience is divinely directed. Thus, I submit this to you in a general sense, because the Holy Spirit has assured me He will bear witness to your heart. I have also felt an urgency to pass this dream to you. I am convinced that the Lord has an important work for you. However, the enemy has used this unresolved loss to sow doubt into your soul. Not only are you troubled about your deceased loved one, but you have doubts about God’s love as well as the power of prayer. As a result, your confidence in God has diminished. Yet, it is precisely at this time that you need to stand without doubt for other members of your family. Beloved, though there are many questions about the mysteries of life, we must not let the unknown obscure the face of the known. God is good. We know God loves us because He sent His Son to die for our sins. Indeed, Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). When we look at Christ, we see God, and we know that God cares and He is good. Additionally, some of us have lost loved ones in sudden tragedies, where they seemingly had no time to repent or turn to God. Let me remind you of those who have faced near-death experiences and tell of seeing their “life flash before [their] eyes.” They say that the progressive movement of time almost stopped. I believe that, even in what seemed like a “sudden” death, time itself slowed to a crawl. There apparently was enough time in this altered state to see and ponder one’s life - and to make a decision or even call upon the name of the Lord. In spite of what we do not know about the mysteries of life, one thing remains eternally true: God is our loving Father. He does not desire that any man perish and He will fight to save us, even to the moment of our death. Let us, therefore, cast our burdens upon the Lord, for He genuinely cares for us. And let us again run with endurance the race set before us, for He has promised, “the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the . . . shadow of death, upon them a light dawned” (Matt. 4:16).
	2 Comments

police cut homeless peoples tents, Update 1-23-07

Jan 23, 2007 12:45 am
Mood: hopeful, 438 Views

Tent City Update St. Petersburg Fl.

A couple dozen tents have been donated to replace those ripped up by the St. Petersburg Police last Thursday. The tent city has been re-erected, and is now much larger, as many residents of St. Petersburg who are not homeless, but outraged have set up their own tents in the the city to camp with the homeless in a show of solidarity. Donations of pillows, blankets, towels, and toiletry items have been pouring in since the weekend.

Monday evening Jan 22nd, a memorial service was held in the tent city for the two homeless men murdered last week. One of the officiators was Rev. Bruce Wright, who is Speeritwoman's mentor, and the one who ordained her several years ago.

After coming under fire from state homeless advocates the city's Mayor who originally endorsed the Police raid on the tent city, now says it was not his idea but that of the Deputy Mayor, the Police Chief, and Fire Dept. Chief. He claims the raid was conducted in the interest of safety for the folks camped out, due to concerns of fire safety.

5 Comments

police cut homeless peoples tents, Please pray

Jan 22, 2007 1:42 pm
Mood: shocked, 462 Views

Earlier today I received a phone call from Speeritwoman (Barb). She is currently in St. Petersburg Fl. helping the homeless.
These people are so destitute that they are living in tents on properties owned by local churches. Barb has been there for nearly 3 weeks now.

The city of St. Petersburg is dead set against doing anything to help the homeless situation. They are interested in attracting only tourists and rich retirees to their city, and seem to believe that if they help the homeless that it will only attract more homeless people and vagrants. The city has fact gone out of their way to hinder the homeless from gaining any kind of independence. Their latest action is such an atrocity, that I can not believe this is actually happening here in America, which is supposed to be the land of opportunity.

Last Thursday Jan. 18th, a large contingent of city Police converged on the tent city with box cutter knives and began to rip the tops off of tents to make them unusable.
This incident has been recorded by three different video cameras. Much of it has been aired on National TV, and is now on the internet as well. You can find a 5 minute news clip of this atrocity at...http://bigchurch.com=LABo_J3l3Ys&mode=related&search=

Also over the weekend two of the homeless men in this tent city were murdered, simply because they were homeless. I wish to raise awareness of the appaulling events in St. Petersburg Fl. where our sister Speeritwoman is on the front lines, but I'm more interested in encouraging other believers accross the country to pray about these events.
Pray about them yourselves, share this with others, and lets get other churches praying about this too.

6 Comments

I AM FREE

Jan 18, 2007 11:09 pm
Mood: loved, 401 Views

I Am Free; By Jon Egan 2nd and 3rd verses by Byron Flint (me)

Through You the blind will see, Through You the mute will sing
Through You the dead will rise, Through You all hearts will praise
Through You the darkness flees, Through You my heart screams "I am free"

I am free to run (I am free to run)
I am free to dance (I am free to dance)
I am free to live for You (I am free to live for You)
I am free (I am free)

You are the Righteous One, You're God's begotten son
You are the worthy Lamb, You rule throughout the land
You took my sins from me, You make my heart scream "I am free"

You gave us eternal life, You fill us with Your Light
By Your stripes we were healed, With Your Spirit we are sealed
You did it all for me, You gave me Truth now "I am free"

1 comment

GENERATIONAL CURSES	Jan 17, 2007 1:15 pm Mood: relieved, 412 Views
Pasted here is part of an E-mail I recently sent to someone, after which it occurred to me that this is a good blog subject. Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; This is a spiritual law, and is still in operation today. This is known in spiritual warfare circles as a generational curse. Even when you get saved, if someone up your family tree has offended God, up to four generations back, you are affected too. But Jesus gave us a means to overcome that spiritual law and the judgment that went with it to break a generational curse. Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. The fruit of the Spirit bypasses all spiritual laws, in every category. Generational curses usually have a particular type of reoccurring event that is used to trigger the oppression that goes with it. In my case the trigger was getting blamed for things going wrong that are out of my control. It's roots went back to age 6, when I was frequently made responsible by my dad for the behavior of my younger siblings. Whenever they acted up, I got blamed, and reacted in anger, which created a stronghold that gave Satan legal permission to oppress me, even after I got born again. This curse became the pattern of my whole life. I have always received blame for things that are out of my control, and lashed out in defense or anger over it. I lost job after job because of it. I had trouble growing spiritually because it was difficult for me to accept responsibility for myself since I was always being blamed for other things. It affected my marriage as well. My ex-wife blamed me for everything that went wrong in our lives, which would trigger the oppression that the generational curse would activate. Where I work now, I am a senior operator in my area, and when things go wrong, I am held responsible. Like I said it was a lifetime pattern of being a scapegoat, and I always reacted in defense or anger which would only make it worse. With the help of a fellow member of my church who understood how this works, we were able to use the holy spirit inside each of us to break off the generational curse that had so afflicted my whole life. The generational curse and trigger of unfair blame is gone, and even when it does happen, I no longer become defensive over it.
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