A foolish thing

Proverbs 29:9 A sage trying to work things out with a fool
   gets only scorn and sarcasm for his trouble.

A sage is someone who is considered to possess wisdom, judgment, and experience.

A person who is wise wants the person who is foolish to learn. The Bible tells us that they will only get scorn and sarcasm for even trying.

SCORN and SARCASM!!  ( doesn't seem fair does it ) That is why BELIEVING the Bible is so important!!

For wanting to help someone, you will get rejection & ignored with contempt and a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark.

 In our human understanding we think it would be kind and even the right thing to do to tell someone who is behaving foolishly that they are not making a wise choice. BUT remember a FOOL is someone who is proven to act or play (with) irresponsibly and is a squanderer of his blessings. This is a person who is careless with what they do have. ( Luke 16:10 If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities.) This is a person who is careless with their trust, love, faith. They tend to make the same mistakes over and over again ...in the same areas over and over again. (haven't we all been there at one time or another)

Have you ever been a fool?? - one who does not learn from their mistakes. I have!! I believe that God has us going around that mountain AGAIN to show us our foolish ways. Choose to learn the lesson.

Have you ever been a fool who blames others for their bad decisions. I have!! I have chosen a decision based on what someone else said instead of searching my heart and spirit  or seeking the Lord for the way to go...and have used the excuse " well so and so said!!"  It's a lame excuse and the blame game only proved I needed to grow up and be responsible.

A fool thinks that getting rebuked for bad behavior is judgmental. Ever been there! I have!! Thinking some sincere person who loves me just want to condemn me and is judgmental ...when the truth is I am SELFISH and want my way.  Check your heart!!

A fool thinks its not them, it is everyone else that is the problem....they forget the common denominator. THEM! I have been here too... it's the PITY POT!! Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I think I'll go eat worms.. whaaaaa!!! GET UP off that pity pot and look at you!! Check yourself...

SO...do yourself a favor and listen to the WORD of God:

Proverbs 14:7
Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.

( it doesn't say be unkind or mean to them, it says GO FROM THEIR PRESENCE!)

I think we could use this verse for ourselves...ever have two voices going off in your head at the same time...The Voice of The Spirit and the voice of Self. LISTEN and when you DO NOT perceive knowledge in that voice of SELF ...RUN to the Lord!!!!!!!!!

 

 If you get this type of reaction (not willing to learn) from another when you are sincerely trying to help them ....move on...someone has their ear and God knows who to send to get the message through. :0) ...don't waste you time driving yourself NUTS! Discern the difference and walk in peace.

PS...IMPORTANT ...don't forget to check your heart too when wanting to correct someone...be determined that you will be one who is of a teachable spirit!!

F and L'er

Starla

Are we only SKIN DEEP?

 Yesterday Tina posted "Stuck in your circumstances" by Beth Moore on the Facebook page ....that was so good!!
Beth said to PRAISE...make your mouth do it whether you feel like it or not....I thought WOW!! ...your heart has to go where you mouth tells it ...PROFOUND isn't it!!? The Bible tells us out of the mouth the heart speaks...and yet we can AFFECT our hearts with our mouth...it is not those things that go in that defile you it is what comes out....SPEAK LIFE and get moving...get unstuck!!!
STUCK!!! That has been a big word around here at F of L. Like God is just opening our eyes to the ways that we are stuck.
Stuck in negativity...
Stuck in habituality...
Stuck in anger...
Stuck in silence....
STUCK!!!!!!!!!!
You been there?
 We can UNSTUCK ourselves using our MOUTHS and ACT!!!  Start talking ...the truth to yourself and to others.
 The other night I was pondering some things I have been reading and a thought went through my head :
 Are you willing to go another skin layer deeper??
 Ever been around someone who is thin skinned....easily offended...
 Ever skinned your knee or shaved off a layer of skin in the shower.....it HURTS, its not COMFORTABLE, and it is sometimes a SCARY thing!
You know that you have gotten to a place where taking it a layer deeper has come in a relationship when PAIN, UNCOMFORTABLE, AND FEAR become factors. You will either stay STUCK and never move into a more intimate place or you will RISK it and take the skinning.
I have one particular relationship where I want something deeper. I come up against that SKIN LAYER (its when you fear to speak the truth, your afraid to be yourself ) That is when you have gone as deep as you can go with someone unless YOU RISK IT! (fear of rejection: what if they don't hear me, what if they don't care, what if.....)
Christ was whipped, had his flesh torn off, was beaten and crucified for us to have a DEEP and REAL MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIP with GOD!
and we wont even risk a scrapped knee to get into a deeper place with people.....
or what we do is instead of taking the scrap on our skin we pull out the shaver and scalp them in anger cause they are FINALLY gonna hear it...We are tired of being silent! am I right?? I know I have been here!!!
I know it is scary ...I am right there with you....I silence myself out of fear more than I care to admit....but I LONG FOR THE REAL....I LONG FOR THE MEANINGFUL...the open ...the honest....the intimacy....for the real me to be HERE and NOW. It is ME who chooses not to speak by giving into the fear and thinking that the consequences of being disagreed with or rejected is too hard to handle.
One step at a time is all GOD is asking for....one day at a time...one moment to moment...
I have made this vow to myself at least a hundred times : I am going to be real, I am going to be who I am, I am not hiding who God made me to be anymore. I will be honest at all times. 
 And I still fall off the bandwagon ....GET UP I tell myself. KEEP MOVING...TRY AGAIN!! ...and I get up again...today I am getting up AGAIN...I fell off again yesterday. I stayed silent when I should have spoken up. IT IS NOT EASY...what is easy is to quit ..and I REFUSE to quit!!
You don't quit either!! GET UP! PRAISE GOD and Keep MOVIN!!!
Tell that heart what you are GOING TO DO...be of good courage. STAND!
Let us not be ONLY SKIN DEEP!
F & L'er
Starla

Rejection

 

If someone avoids rejection, they can never achieve anything in life. In fact, it's just the opposite. The more you get rejected, the more you will succeed and achieve! Being bold, asking, doing, seeking, and taking action invites rejection--but also leads to getting what you want.

A very successful man, when asked what one could do to achieve their goals, said, "Double your failure rate'!" In other words, "do more". Take more risks. Work hand-in-hand with rejection. I wish someone told me this when I was 20 years old and afraid of failure. Never be concerned with rejection and "failure".

The only failure in life is not trying enough. To reach your goals, you must go head first into short-term failures and rejection. I read a book about successful business people which stated the average successful business person "failed" in seven businesses before his/her great success. Don't worry what others think and say--just "Do it".

Ray Lammie's "Thought for Today." To subscribe

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Words of Wisdom

 

"When you give someone a book, you don't give him just paper, ink, and glue. You give him the possibility of a whole new life." -- Christopher Morley, 1890-1957, Novelist, Journalist and Poet

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Index

1. Words of Wisdom

2. On the Lighter Side

3. Your "To Do" List for Tomorrow

4. Heart of Gratitude

5. Rejection

6. How Much Are You Willing to Pay for Money?

7. Is Hate Ever Acceptable?

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1. Words of Wisdom

"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these." -- George Washington Carver

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." -- Bill Cosby

"For bravery none compares with our Lord. He never turned His head from danger, not even when hell's hatred and heaven's justice appeared against Him." -- William Gurnall

"Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion--it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ." -- Billy Graham

"Never let life's hardships disturb you; no one can avoid problems, not even saints or sages." -- Nichiren Daishonen

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." -- Leo Tolstoy

"He whom you would change, you must first love." -- Martin Luther King

MONDAY MOTTO: Do NOT take revenge...

I have had this in my Bible for a long time.  I was going through a very rough time in my life, typed this & printed it off so that I would just give the problems to God, keep my mouth shut & stand on the Truth until God says now is the time to talk, Tina.  It helped me so much and brought such great blessing to my life and relationships. My hope is that this will help somebody as much as it helped me.

God Bless!

 

Do not take revenge my friends.  Romans 12:19

 

There are times when doing nothing demands much greater strength than taking action.

Maintaining composure is often the best evidence of power.

There are times when the only response is a voiceless, confident calmness.

Those who are unjustly accused, and mistreated with out cause, know the tremendous strength that is necessary to keep silent and to leave revenge to God.

 

Men may misjudge your aim,

Think they have cause to blame,

Say, you are wrong'

Keep on your quiet way,

Christ is the Judge, not they

Fear not, be strong.

Streams In The Desert

 

Be determined not to move from what you believe is right.  Do not look for the easy way out.

 

The Apostle Paul said, " None of these things move me."  Acts 20:24

Even when it hurt deeply he stood his ground.

 

 

Daily Prayer

#1031   Daily Prayer

Daily prayer is an ongoing exercise in serenity. When we pray, we have a greater awareness that we are addressing our Father, our King, Creator and Sustainer of the universe. We connect with the consciousness that 'ain ode milvado', that is, nothing else exists besides Him. Our very lives and welfare are totally a gift from the Almighty.

(From Rabbi Pliskin's book, Serenity, p.95)

See Rabbi Pliskin's new book "Life Is Now"

 

Catch the test

I consider myself a pretty serious person, not that I don't know how to relax ...but I think life is to be taken some what seriously. I can not afford to walk about blind to my own failings and faults...if I am alert and watchful I CAN do something about them if they are habits I have gained over time. And if it is something out of my power GOD CAN DO ALL THINGS!!! My job is to pay attention to what is going on...be honest to the best of my ability.

 

It isn't easy being truthful especially if you " think" you will be in some kind of trouble ( disappointing others, hurting someone's feelings, angering people, or non-approval) I recently went through a situation where I fought within myself to just say the truth. My fears of being in trouble where getting the best of me. It took me some time to say the whole truth and nothing but the truth and guess what!!! NOTHING HAPPENED...everything was fine. It was ALL in MY HEAD. ( In all fairness the person I was dealing with has reacted not well to me before...I obviously was living in the past experiences I have had with that person.) I thought I KNEW what was going to happen....so I stalled and sputtered around.

 

It makes me wonder how often does that happen....

 

How often do we sabotage ourselves living in truth because we are either IN FEAR and ASSUMING we know what is going to happen???

 

Back to being serious....

 

I have been drawn to the word TRUTH for sometime...I started posting quotes and whatever else caught my eye with the word TRUTH in it on my Facebook page.....then I got tested on TRUTH and could SEE it happening...I WAS AWARE it was happening. I was DETERMINED to pass the truth ...speak the truth no matter what I thought I was feeling or fearing!!!

 

 

What is catching your eye that you are learning from or need to learn more of???

 

F and L'er

Starla

Denial

Denial

Denial is a powerful tool. Never underestimate its ability to cloud your vision.

Be aware that, for many reasons, we have become experts at using this tool to make reality more tolerable. We have learned well how to stop the pain caused by reality -- not by changing our circumstances, but by pretending our circumstances are something other than what they are.

Do not be too hard on yourself. While one part of you was busy creating at fantasy-reality, the other part went to work on accepting the truth.

Now, it is time to find courage. Face the truth. Let it sink gently in.

When we can do that, we will be moved forward.

God, give me the courage and strength to see clearly. 

Amen!

 

A precious Gem

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

 

 

Every girl wants to find the perfect diamond. No diamond is more precious than the diamonds of the heart found in one called FRIEND. This kind of diamond does many more things other than just shine.

 

FRIEND:

 

never F ails to speak the truth

cares for your R eputation

holds your I ntimate secrets in safety

E ncourages you to be who God created you to be

N ever gives up on you

helps you D iscover your own diamonds inside

 

a friend truly is a precious gem to find!!

 

F and L'er

Starla

A precious Gem

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

 

 

Every girl wants to find the perfect diamond. No diamond is more precious than the diamonds of the heart found in one called FRIEND. This kind of diamond does many more things other than just shine.

 

FRIEND:

 

never F ails to speak the truth

cares for your R eputation

holds your I ntimate secrets in safety

E ncourages you to be who God created you to be

N ever gives up on you

helps you D iscover your own diamonds inside

 

a friend truly is a precious gem to find!!

 

F and L'er

Starla

Hide and Divide

Proverbs 10:10 An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead but an open, face to face meeting results in peace.

So often we avoid eye contact with people if we have an issue with them...and sometimes we do it if we assume what is the issue. We do this because we can feel it in the air that something is off and so we start looking for the answer in our minds....analyzing body language and words, tones and vibes. Couple that with memory of what has been in the past and you are asking for a pot of "guessing".

Assume : to believe sometime to be true with no evidence that it is truth.

But we can see by this verse that if we are avoiding and/or hiding there is going to be trouble ahead. On thinking back in situations in my life the trouble was often what grew out of the assumptions I made that didn't get cleared up. When this happens anger breeds...bitterness gets planted...and misunderstanding springs up the fruit of division. You wont know what the real issue is until you get talking.

It is when we go face to face (which is SCARY) that God says this willingness to be open and to face the situations head on will result in peace. That is a promise to us!! What I have found is that it isn't always the peace I thought it would be. I thought I would have peace with other people and while that has happened...it is PEACE WITHIN that has been the most valuable outcome. It stops renting space in your mind...we stop chewing and reworking the problem over and over because it is OVER!!

(Like when you mix bread with yeast it grows and grows each time you kneed it and leave it. But when you mix it, set it and bake it...when its done it's DONE!)

As Tina's likes to say : CUT THE GRASS AND CALL IT MOWED...

Don't let fear stop you from taking the *seemingly* more difficult move and go talk about the situation. Go face the issues. Say those hard things that are true for you. Be honest about how you feel. Bypass the evasive eyes ...and believe me I know it takes courage and strength to do this... stand up straight and go face to face and find that peace.

Peace within is worth it!!

Remember It's the enemy who gets us to swallow the lie that *peace* comes from avoiding the issue ...when it really only causes division.  (We like to tell ourselves when there are relational issues that don't get cleared up that since we are apart from them and not around them that we have peace cause we don't have to deal with that persons junk. (Just because you separate and isolate when there is an issue doesn't mean you have real peace)

F and L'er

Starla

Monday Motto: Avoid and become annoyed.

Avoid and become annoyed…

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. -Helen Keller

Found this quote very interesting to say the least. So, if what I am thinking & feeling is never revealed by me to anyone it is a temporary inward solution and a continuous problem. That was a big wake up call for me! Sounds to me like Helen Keller is right. In the long run…it is a lot more work and stress to think I have it concealed within me. But really who am I fooling? Me, of course. Others can see, feel and even hear it even if I do not come right out and say it. That leaves room for the devil to do his dirty work. That is when imaginations start to manifest themselves in us and in others. There is the danger. What we assume will eventually consume us. Fear is a dirty culprit here. Either we step out in faith which is courage and be truthful or we decide to hide behind our well decorated walls of self protection. Which ultimately leads to rejection. The very thing we are working so hard to avoid we make friends with instead of ourselves.

Lately I have been purposely and consciously choosing courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is doing it afraid. It is a confidence enhancer and it really works!
I decided to look up the word enhance and it is very enlightening.


Enhance-1. improve: to improve or add to the strength, worth, beauty, or other desirable quality of something



2. increase clarity of image

Being who you really are inside and out. Such a freeing feeling you get when you release who you are to others instead of hiding from yourself and others as well.

2 Corinthians 10: 5-7
5) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6) And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your
7) You are looking only on the surface of things.

So the question is are we going to choose to look at the surface and stay on the merry go round or choose to improve ourselves and our relationship with being who God intended us to be? That requires going deeper.

Proverbs 8:12 The Message Bible
“I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity;
Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.
The choice is ours and ours alone. Free will. Are you willing?

obedience is complete. I'm working on it and it is a work in progress, Amen!


Have a great day!

Tina 

"Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser."

Good Quote:

"Pick and choose carefully what to fight for--but stand up, be counted and fight indeed for those causes that stir your heart." -- Ray Lammie

It is needed!

Stand for what you know is right!

Stand for what your God believes in, Amen!

Do Things Daily That Are Difficult For You To D

This is great advise...to often I think we think within ...in fear...Ohh I cant say that!!!
LET'S PRACTICE SPEAKING THE TRUTH WITHIN US TO THOSE AROUND US.
Each and every day, say or do at least one thing that you find difficult to say or do.

Every time you say something that is difficult for you to say, you build up your self-image: "I am a person who can speak up and say things even thought I find them difficult to say."

Every time you do something difficult, you build up your self-image: "I am a person who can do things even though they are difficult for me to do."

This is a highly empowering self-image booster. This way you will keep saying and doing things that you need to say and do, and you won't be stopped by the thoughts of, "I find it difficult to say or do, so I won't say or do it."
(From Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's book: "Building Your Self-image and the Self-image of Others" (Artscroll) Chapter 63)

P.U.S.H.

When all seems dark  remember P.U.S.H - Pray Until Something Happens - never loose faith!

The rough and smooth places

Everyone has them.....

Places in the soul where you are rough, jagged, pointy, uneven and piercing.

We also have smooth, soft, even and gentle places.

Ever hear that saying " IF I AM MYSELF, WHAT IF THEY DON'T LIKE ME!!"

Did you know that it is the spaces where you breath and allow yourself to shine through that makes you attractive to other people? And while there may be people who don't care for you or your personality type ...it tells you something about them...it speaks of their ability to handle differences, be real with you and be a supporter of your best self.

Most people can smell "fake" a mile away...you may only fudge a little but it is all the same.

Be willing to step out and see if people can handle you. And you will find those who can! They are the ones you want around anyway...right!!??? :0)

Rest...

Give yourself a break...

Be who you are !! ...in all your rough ( angry, bossy, pushy, touchy, intolerant, negative )  and smooth ( calm, humble, obliging, agreeable, tolerant, positive ) places.

PS: if you didn't notice -- on both sides of Rough vs. Smooth --you need both sides!!

Anything taken to extreme can be harmful!!

F and L'er

Starla

Truth

Truth always wins. Doing right is never wrong. Being honest and trustworthy is the way to live. Perhaps a slight twist of the facts might bring a short term gain. A little misrepresentation might bring some short term satisfaction. But in the end truth always wins, so live like a winner.

MONDAY MOTTO: Your Problem

Your problem is NOT that someone said some stuff that made you mad.
Your problem is that you got mad at some stuff someone said.
~excerpted from the message, "The Battles Within"~

BACK-BACK-BACK

"I want you to promise the Lord that, from tonight, you will not think back, look back, or act back!" ~Smith Wigglesworth

THINK BACK -- the Word teaches us to THINK RIGHTLY, STRAIGHT-FORWARDLY, UNCOMPROMISINGLY and BALANCED.

Do not go backward in what you have been taught. Learn from everything.

In the words of Dori from Finding Nemo --JUST KEEP SWIMMING!!!

LOOK BACK -- Our past is just that -- PAST. What we do TODAY is the point. BE in Christ NOW!!

Not who you were ten years ago, or as you were, when you were a kid.

Be who you want to be NOW. All those things brought us up and made us who we are TODAY.

BUT THEY ARE NOT WHO WE ARE!! BE HERE NOW!!

ACT BACK -- Watch those reactions...where are they coming from?

Do they have there roots in old mental tape recordings in the past?

Do you hear in " past echo's " when people speak, assuming what they mean.

Don't react, ASK QUESTIONS and BE INTENTIONAL instead.

F and L'er

Starla