The last day of January—already. These days seem to fly by fast now. Thank the Lord, I made it through holiday and New Year’s celebrations without my 3rd eldest sister, whom we buried in early December. Her absence was noticeable. She was boisterous, funny, and active in my family members’ lives. Her death was another one of those life whammies for my family; we weren’t expecting it. So, my January days were up and down, with a barrage of emotions. We have questions, don’t we, in those unexpected life events? They abruptly change everything and leave us in a state of wonderment. What do you do in such seasons of life?
Merriam-Webster defines a whammy as “a potent force or attack; specifically, a paralyzing or lethal blow.” That’s what my sister’s death was to my family—a lethal blow.
Interestingly, I received an email from Pastor Chuck Swindoll of Insight for Living Ministries. He was beginning a study entitled, The Mystery of God’s Will. “That’s it,” I excitedly thought. “I need this study.” I immediately jumped in and listened to the first video. Boy, was it right on time! The very first session started putting things into perspective regarding my sister. No, God didn’t audibly speak to me about why she died, clarify His reasons, or answer my specific questions. You see, in the Bible, there are just simple precepts and principles by God, or stories in which you may see your situation. Characters in the scriptures have some of the same feelings as you. I was amazed! The study runs until February 18, although you can listen to the videos at your leisure. There are even notes to download where you can discover additional scripture and record your thoughts. Here’s the link, https://insight.org/broadcasts/library.
This is what I do when I’m confused by life. It’s where I run in this age of misinformation, deception, and lies. A lot is being broadcast today. This is also the purpose of my blog: to inspire people to read the Bible and find answers about God, get direction in life, find hope, successfully overcome life’s challenges, and navigate through those life whammies that fall upon all of us at some point. God’s word truly uplifts because its contents are true. Are you searching for some truth, or do you need answers to your dilemma, for your problem? Pick up the Bible and start reading—at any place in it. You’ll see! 😊
Be blessed until next time. 😊
P.S. Prayers for the whammy thrown at the families of the 67 people and military persons killed in the D.C plane crash.
Hello fellow bloggers, subscribers, and friends. I’m sharing another excerpt from my upcoming book, which I hope to publish by January 2025. Check out all three excerpts in August, September, and now, October.
Excerpt:
“We should have knowledge about and reflect upon these blessings that are given to all believers at the moment of our salvation. They come with divine authority from a graceful God. Knowing these should help us form a correct concept about who God is, how He is, and what He does. We’re now enabled to think and act differently, according to God’s kingdom and not this world. Our spiritual and natural self-esteem should bolster. Also, meditating on these blessings will remove doubt and fear as we experience failure, persecution, temptation, and trials. Having this status in God’s kingdom helps us not to shrink back, just as Paul and the saints in Ephesus did not. We should sense such closeness to God, who loves and cares for His children. We should feel wanted by Him.
No one goes through such in-depth detail, planning, and giving of themselves without wanting you to be a part. If you do not feel accepted or worthy, ask God to remove any mental blocks that are prohibiting you from believing these blessings are now for you. You don’t have to work to earn them. Ask Him to cleanse your psyche of any assessments, stereotypes, or opinions applied to your life that came from you and what you did, or family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, the law, the psychiatrist, social worker, preacher, priest, teacher, social media, television, magazines, etc.—whoever.
Let’s close this chapter with one of Paul’s most befitting prayers in Ephesians 1:15-23, asking for the Lord’s help to shift our perspective on who we are now in Christ. We begin with,‘Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us...'”
Hello fellow bloggers, subscribers, and friends. To gain your interest and pique your curiosity, once again, I’m sharing an excerpt from my upcoming book, which I hope to begin the publishing process in December. So, have a look!!
Excerpt:
“Back and forth to church, it was for me, beginning in my mother’s womb (they told me). At age 7 or 8, I recall those walks. Not only did I travel to church each week, but my home was a place where I first learned the Bible. My mother held community Bible clubs there with children in the neighborhood. So, from a baby—at home and in church—I was hearing stories about God and His Son, Jesus Christ. I grew up in it, and it was affecting my life. What I was hearing captured my interest, prompted questions, and spawned further inquiry.
My mother carried the dominant spirituality in our home. My dad was a good guy and a believer, but I believe it was my mom who brought him into a closer relationship with God. On her side is a lineage of ministers dating back to the 1800s, as far as I’ve been able to trace. Her grandfather was Rev. George Winston Porter, founder of the First Baptist Church of Darby, in 1909. His son was my grandfather, Bishop John Winston Porter, who served for about a decade or more as the general overseer of the Congregational Churches of God in Christ, conferred on him by the late Bishop Winans. Many of you are familiar with the gospel recording artists’ family—the Winans—their grandfather. Long before their fame, my grandfather would return from his trips to Detroit, raving about those “singing boys.” My sister and I met them backstage when they first began doing concerts. We introduced ourselves and mentioned who our grandfather was. Excitedly, they remembered him and even began imitating the way he talked. (I wonder if they remember that day meeting us. 😊). However, nothing outweighed my grandfather’s deeply affectionate role as ‘Poppie’ (which we called him) to his thirteen grandchildren born to his son, James Donald Porter, and my mom. Poppie was a unique man and the love of our lives.”
Interested?Want to read more? Please click the blue underlined link here to add your name and email to my author’s list and get notified once the book goes to print.
I’m not in the best place right now–for several reasons. It’s okay sometimes not to know, know what to say, or to have answers. As such, I don’t have many inspirational words this month. Instead, I want to get your feedback, and discover what inspiration you gain from a particular verse of scripture; it’s one of my favorites.
Psalms 103:1-5
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
So, let’s chat. If you’re comfortable, please share your thoughts or any inspiration you received from this verse of scripture. What does it mean to you? What has God said to you through this Bible verse? What has He revealed to us about Himself in it?
Looking forward to reading your comments. Be blessed until next time! 🙂
The Holy Spirit’s Role in Interpreting the Scriptures
The Holy Spirit is probably the most misunderstood and overlooked of the Trinity. However, He performs several essential functions. God introduced Him in Acts 1:8 as One with power who would help the apostles witness for Him. At Pentecost, He came astoundingly as told, and the men spoke in each other’s native languages and miraculously understood each other. In her article, The Unsettling Holy Spirit, Dr. Judy Siker discusses the astonishment the Holy Spirit’s presence created. Instead of an entrance that made the men feel comfortable, the Holy Spirit’s presence shook the place and transformed the entire atmosphere and the men in it (Siker, J., 2004). This is indicative of who the Holy Spirit is. He’s the One who inspired biblical authors of old to record God’s message for humankind. Not only did the Holy Spirit inspire the writing of the Bible, but today he also interprets it for us. As interpreter, the Holy Spirit challenges our presuppositions, manifests God’s truth to us, enables us to understand what God is saying, and then empowers us to live according to it.
The Holy Spirit works in the Church through illumination. We’re able to know emphatically God’s word is divinely inspired. And, He tells us what God means. Can you recall times, if ever, when you read or heard the Bible taught or preached, and suddenly, a light turned on in your mind? No longer did it feel as if you were reading a fairy tale story. A sense of reality hit you like a thunderbolt. “This is true,” you suddenly realized! You had read or heard that scripture passage over and over for years, but you could never quite grasp its full meaning. It didn’t penetrate your spirit. You tried meditating on it, but nothing. This happened to me with the verse, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” found in Philippians 2:13 (KJV). It’s one often quoted or preached in church and discussed among Christian friends. For me, as often as I had read this verse, it never clicked inside me what God meant. Not until one day, while reading it, the Holy Spirit came and illuminated my mind. When the Holy Spirit works in illumination, it’s like He’s turning on a light. Your surprised! Stunned! It’s an OMG moment, where your eyes are instantly opened, and you can see! The Holy Spirit helped me understand how transformation into Christ’s image is a work God does. This scripture means the Lord works in us to even want to do His will and works in us to do it. I was one of those persons on a treadmill walk to successful Christian living (with many peaks and valleys and highs and lows, may I add). I approached my Christian walk the same as I did my job. Be on time, work hard, strive to be good at it, and toil long hours, if necessary, to get the job done. I was going to get this thing right. It was remarkable when the Holy Spirit explained this verse to me. I found so much freedom and relief from the stress I was under trying to live God’s life through my own efforts. Contrary to some popular church teachings and beliefs today, the Christian life is living the life of God–one we know nothing about. We’re humans, with a sin nature, and a proclivity for sin. God knows this about us. It’s why the Holy Spirit must come alongside us and enlighten us in God’s word and work in us a desire to do God’s will and live for His good pleasure. It’s not in my nature to want to do this. This is what our great Father–God, the Holy Spirit–is all about. It’s why, since Pentecost, He has continuously been helping guide believers and non-believers to understand the truth about Himself (John 14:6 NIV).
God, the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—the Trinity. They work in accord and each function in one purpose. Scripture tells how God, the Son–Jesus Christ–always did what pleased the Father (John 8:29 NIV). It makes sense then how it’s only through the Holy Spirit’s work in illumination that we gain a proper understanding of scripture, which helps us become like Christ. He only acts in accord with what is written in God’s word. His interpretation will be consistent in revealing what is written about God’s nature, His ways, and what pleases Him. The Holy Spirit will not alter the written word to appease our lifestyles or desires, to make us feel comfortable, or to make us be right. People do that. At the same time, however, The Holy Spirit does not do all the work for us in interpreting God’s word. “The Lord expects us to use the available Bible tools to discover God’s message” (Duvall & Hays. 2012, pp.229-230). Second Timothy 2:15 (NIV) supports this idea, where it states, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God…”
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” Romans 12:17 tells us. By hearing God’s word, we become convinced about what God has said. Next, it takes root in our hearts and becomes our way of being and thinking. Finally, as we go about our daily life activities and encounter various type situations and people, we then do (or put into practice) what the Holy Spirit has made known to us. How do you know this to be true, you may ask? Well, in John 14:26, when Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure, He told them, “ButtheAdvocate,theHolySpirit,whomtheFatherwill sendinMyname,will teachyouall thingsandwill remind you ofeverythingIhave toldyou.” An advocate speaks up boldly to defend someone’s cause. We can rely on the Holy Spirit to come alongside us in our situations in life to boldly speak for God, reminding us of what He said and strengthening us to carry it out. He’ll be championing us on–assuring us “we can do all things through Christ.” I don’t know about you, but this is inspiring for me to know we have a Holy Spirit who equips and prepares us for all things that pertain to life and godliness.
Put a praise on it with me for Our God, The Holy Spirit!Inspiration by Ellie does not own the rights to this song.
So, in closing, I admonish you today to continue reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word, even when it makes no sense to you at all. Don’t become discouraged or disappointed because you’re not “getting it” and put it down, because you don’t know at which time you’re reading or listening to God’s word, when the Holy Spirit is going to show up to shake your world and change your life by turning the lights on to what God’s message is to you. If anyone is reading this who has never pursued the life of God or read the Bible, you can start today. Try it! Begin reading God’s words in the Bible today and watch! 😊
Be blessed until next time.
References
Duvall, J.S., & Hays, J.D. (2012). Grasping God’s Word. Zondervan. Grand Rapids, MI.
Siker, J. Y. (2004). The Unsettling Holy Spirit. The Living Pulpit (Online), 19.
Inspiration by Ellie 