"I turned away from God, but the I was sorry. I kicked myself for my stupidity! I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days."
Jeremiah 31:29
Jeremiah 31:29
My Take Aways
Something Old:
Confess, Repent, Release
Shame is of the enemy, conviction is of the Spirit. When shame creeps into my spirit and thought life ask myself, "Is this obedient and true unto Christ within me?" If yes, then confess, repent, and release. If the answer is no, release the thought into the abyss of forgetfulness.
Something New:
When we confess and repent our sin:
- He will rebuild on the foundation that I call ruined.
- He will restore my heart by writing His instructions on my heart.
- He will remove my shame by not remembering my sin.
If God does not remember by sin, why should I? After I confess, repent, and release my sin removing it from the marrow of by being fill the marrow with the truth of His Word.
16 Comments:
Jacque, A question not relating to the reading. Would you please give me the name of the rehab your son went to? If you want to email me that is fine too. jags@hughes.net Thank you. Anne
I needed that lesson for today! Confess, repent, release, it's gone! I'm so glad he doesn't hold our past junk against us!
I liked the verses that Wendy quoted, that He writes His word on our hearts. That seemed very 'now' to me, that this new covenant must be a Jesus thing. It has been difficult to be reading Jeremiah without even my study Bible for help to sort out what has already happened and what is still to come, although much of it seems applicable to our country and modern times.
I looked up the Tower of Hananel to see if such a place exists now, and didn't really find a definitive answer, but I thought that maybe someone else would be interested in knowing more about it, too, so here's what I found:
ban'-an-el (chanan'el, "El (God) is gracious"; the King James Version Hananeel, ha-nan'e-el): A tower in the walls of Jerusalem adjoining (Nehemiah 3:1; Nehemiah 12:39) the tower of HAMMEAH (which see). The company of Levites coming from the West passed "by the fish gate, and the tower of Hananel, and the tower of Hammeah, even unto the sheep gate" (Nehemiah 12:39). In Jeremiah 31:38 it is foretold "that the city shall be built to Yahweh from the tower of Hananel unto the gate of the corner"-apparently the whole stretch of North wall. In Zechariah 14:10 it says Jerusalem "shall dwell in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananel unto the king's winepresses." These last were probably near Siloam, and the distance "from the tower of Hananel unto the king's winepresses" describes the greatest length of the city from North to South. All the indications point to a tower, close to the tower of Hammeah, near the Northeast corner, a point of the city always requiring special fortification and later the sites successively of the Baris and of the Antonia.
http://bibleatlas.org/tower_of_hananel.htm
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind! I've been on track with my reading but have been missing all of you. It's just not the same without you - I feel out of the loop with my 'cyberfriends' and further away from our reading and a deeper understanding of it. I've missed this!
I do have some answered prayer requests to report. My grandmother does not have cancer as suspected, just some sort of tumor or cyst that will be carefully watched. My friend's mom's breast cancer has not returned, despite another scare since I last talked to her. And Andi, my daughter, just found out who her teacher is for the year, and it's exactly the one we were praying for - someone my husband knows with a good reputation and a seemingly active Christian life. :-) I'm still not thrilled to be ltting her go, but that does make it a bit easier.
I'm leaving for the Triangle this afternoon to go to a Lysa TerKeurst conference with a friend, and I start keeping the baby full time on Monday. School starts the week after that. Time is just flying! Hoping to finish a batch of grape jelly today and to get the house cleaned and then spend some happy time with the kids before I go.
Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!
Something Old: “no sin will be found in Israel or in Judah, for I will forgive the remnant I preserve” (Jer. 50:20). God is His mercy has set us aside to be His own remnant. We are His, and the devil does not like it. He will daily do his best to try and discourage us, by using his sneaky ways to cause our faith to be lessened. When we become discouraged, God can not be glorified through us, and the enemy gets his way. If we are fearful, have doubts, or get frustrated, then God is not being glorified. Like you said Wendy, we immediately take those negative thoughts placed in our minds from the enemy – and make them captive for Christ. We can train our mind to focus on the promises of God that have never failed. Despondency is a sin. James 1:2-4. What does despondency look like? Unhappiness, moping around, desperation, hopelessness, depression, being in a funk. When we feel this way, we need to seek Him in our weakness. Yes, at times like this we have possibly faced a situation that seems impossible. And, at these times, these situations are impossible for us! That is when we go straight to Him. We give Him our burden. We lift it up to Him. We let Him carry it for us. He has given us himself, and He does not expect us to walk alone carrying our burdens. He will walk us through and place other people along our path to encourage us and walk beside us.
Jacque experienced a situation recently through her son, Michael. God placed an “encourager” (thank you, Lord, for sending Patty!) on her path, - this was no coincident, this was all part of his glorious plan. Through her posts we can see God getting the glory through her son. As Jacque humbled herself, and laid it all out to God, He has been guiding her each step of the way. Many people do the opposite – they drift away because of their pride, and they are afraid to reach out for help. This, too is exactly what the enemy would prefer. He does not want us being humble, he wants us feeling proud and acting like we are strong and can do it all ourselves! But, we can’t. We are weak. We need Christ, for through Him, we have His power, His strength, to pull us through.
Something New: I noticed in my NIV notes that Jer. 31:31-34 is the longest sequence of OT verses to be quoted in its completeness in the NT – (Hebrews 8:8-12 & Hebrews 10:16-17.) The new covenant guarantees us that sin will be completely forgiven. All sin. The benefits to us with the New Covenant, is that we can enjoy an intimate relationship with God. Also, God’s laws become in us, apart of as we read His Word over and over, it becomes alive inside us.
Something To Do: To seek to know my Father more today, by reading His Word, studying it, asking Him to investigate my heart, listening for the Spirit to guide my steps, praising the Lord and thanking Him for all the good things He has shown me. Being observant to see possibly who may need some encouragement today!
Sweet Wendy, you were glowing, you did good girl-you must have used your sunscreen! I was expecting a red face this morning…thank you sister for your teaching!
Love ya’ll! Lori
PS Amy, so good to “hear” from you! U have been greatly missed! Love the peak we u give us into your ‘whirlwind’! I totally agree, -reading His Word, is so much better when we don’t do it alone – we share with with each other!
Hi All….Thanks Wendy…Not much time today…Just wanted to quick share this. This verse I just passed over when reading it……..until I went in search of reading the footnotes for today’s reading. I was put in an “Awe” especially with St. Jerome’s commentary.
Jeremiah 31:22: How long will you continue to stray, rebellious daughter? The LORD has created a new thing upon the earth: the woman must encompass the man* with devotion.
Footnote*
Jer 31:22: The woman must encompass the man: the words “with devotion,” not in the Hebrew, are added for the sense. No fully satisfactory explanation has been given this text. Among the more probable are these: (a) Formerly the man (the Lord) encompassed the woman (Israel) with mercy and devotion; now in the spiritual religion of Israel which will follow on the restoration, this order will be reversed. (b) So secure will Israel be after the restoration that women will no longer need the natural protection of their husbands, but even weak women can protect men. ( c ) St. Jerome in his commentary on this verse understood it of Mary’s virginal conception of Christ. “The Lord has created a new thing on earth; without seed of man, without carnal union and conception, ‘a woman will encompass a man’ within her womb….One who, though He will later appear to advance in wisdom and age through the stages of infancy and childhood, yet, while confined for the usual number of months in his mother’s womb, will already be perfect man.”
Mother Mary, Protect Us….
Mary, Mother of God, be our protector against the lies of the evil one and bring our needs to your son who alone can make all things new. Amen.
From: The Bible’s Best Love Stories
By: Allan F. Wright
Have a Great weekend Everybody!!
Draw closer to God,
Rhonda
Wendy, today's lesson was aweosme! thank you for your words and insight. This is what God needed me to hear and process this morning. Glad y'all had fun yesterday!!
GIGS, I'll be praying for you and will check back after supper for more comments and prayer requests.My youngest, Jacob, has the last of his oral surgery this morning. Would appreciate prayers this morning and for heaking this afternoon.
Hugs!
Susan
Jeremiah 31:33....But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day says the Lord. I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.
No stone cold tablets (10 commandments)....but written into our warm, soft hearts. Amen Lord!
Morgen
Release- Wendy, did I ever need to hear this! Thank you.
Today I cling to Jer 31:25 (NIV) 'I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." The Lord knows that the journey He is taking me on often makes me weary in spirit, yet He always gives me the strength to continue, the encouragement. We serve a great God. Thank you FIG for your words shared here, they mean so much, more than what you will ever know.
SAP for this community, for the needs and praising Him for the blessings.
Releasing,
Gaylene
It has always bothered me that punishment was handed down from generation to generation in the Old Testament. Children were punished for their parent’s sins. Then we come to Jeremiah 31:29
The people will NO longer quote this proverb:
The people have eaten sour grapes,
But their children’s mouths pucker at the taste.
With Jesus we have a new covenant. A covenant of grace and mercy, for each of us personally. We have an awesome God.
Lori, I picked up the book you wrote about, Plan B and am enjoying it. It is truly speaking to my situation currently.
Thank you for your prayers. I am not sure what plans God has for me , but I know He is with me. I got my test back and found out my cancer is in my lymph node under my arm also. I am preparing for surgery and would appreciate continued prayer.
FYI: If you feel anything different in your breast and still get a clear mammogram, don’t accept that. My tumor did not show up on a mammogram. Mammograms do not catch everything. Please spread the word.
Linda
What a great passage today. I felt that God was talking to us for the NOW. Prophecy is always for the now and future, and we are the future.
It is time for us rally around Target, by shopping there and letting Target know why to oppose this boycot. God is still in control, but when we can do something to oppose evil, it is important to do it. The reason for the boycot is because Target gave a donation to a canidate, and this canidate opposses gay marriages.
Donna TX
Donna in TX, you never fail to put a smile on my face when you mention your "beloved." I just love how you call him that. It's so...tender. I may try to do that at home if only to see the confused look on my husband's face. :)
Wendy, I love your teaching today. I always have trouble with the "release" portion. I love what Anne Graham Lotz said in The Magnificent Obsession, Ask God to forgive you, but you must, you must forgive yourself. If God has forgiven you, who are you to not forgive yourself? Are you greater, more righteous, or have a higher standard than God?
If we continue to not forgive ourselves we are setting ourselves up as higher than God. (And we all know what happened to the one who did that in Isaiah 14:12-14, right?) Jesus paid for our sins completely on that Cross. Our way to our Father's heart is not "Jesus plus beating myself up continually over something I have done" nor "Jesus plus my good works." There is no other, there is no "plus" - it's just Jesus. He is enough. He is our rest.
Lori, thanks for the daily balm of your encouragement. It was much needed today.
Have a blessed day everyone!
Oh Linda, I’m sorry re: your cancer news. Know we are praying for you. I’m learning more and more as I turn the pages in PLAN B – and feel that this book was placed in your hands for a reason. It is perfect timing.
Just yesterday we read, “For I know the plans I have for you,” (Jer. 29:11) and more so after reading this book, I’m so aware that our surprises in life are completely planned out by God. Nothing comes as a surprise to Him. We don’t know the outcome, but, we can trust that He is all-knowing. God is with you, Linda, and He will not leave you today, or tomorrow! My prayer is that you will gain a deeper and more special and intimate relationship with God, through this suffering. That He will put encouraging people on your path to hold your hand and be there with you through every step. He has already placed you among us: Believer’s all across the nation, lifting you up in prayer! Ladies’ on the front row of your life, witnessing His glory through you! This is something you can’t handle alone, and God does not want you too, either. He wants you clinging to Him. Giving Him your worries, tears, and concerns. He will be there with you all along this journey. And, you will be glorified through Him! Thank you Father for giving us this sister to pray over. Thank you that she is not alone. Be the portion that she so desparately needs. We love you Father with all of our hearts’.
Praying, Lori
When I read Jeremiah 31:16-20 I thought about those of you parents who have shared with us the struggles that your children are having.
16 But now this is what the Lord says: “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,” says the Lord. “Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy.
17 There is hope for your future,” says the Lord. “Your children will come again to their own land.
18 I have heard Israel saying, ‘You disciplined me severely, like a calf that needs training for the yoke. Turn me again to you and restore me, for you alone are the Lord my God.
19 I turned away from God, but then I was sorry. I kicked myself for my stupidity! I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days.’
20 “Is not Israel still my son, my darling child?” says the Lord. “I often have to punish him, but I still love him. That’s why I long for him and surely will have mercy on him.
Verses 18-19 are also for me. I can insert my name where it says Israel.
Lord continue to punish me when it's necessary because I know you correct me because you love me.
Jeremiah 31:29-30 also caught my eye. It's a good thing that we don't have to die for the sins of our parents. We don't have to blame ourselves for what our parents did. It's not our fault. As I write this I'm thinking about how my mother abused me when she caught me doing something she didn't like when I was little. For several months last year I was blaming myself for what she did and even occasionally now I blame myself. What she did was very wrong and I was just a child.
I just wanted to re-post this comment from August 3, I had posted it late and just want to make sure you all know how much I appreciate you! Wasn't sure how many go back to read previous day?
Tina said...
Jenn Renee- Wow, you have brought tears to my eyes, thank you for the beautiful message you posted to Claire’s carepage and here on the comments. Great big hug to you & to Grace&Peace,Jacque,Kate,Kristie,Morgen,Must-Haves,Teeny,SuzyR,Val,Karen,Rhonda,Kelly,RunnerMom,Lori,Jodie,Kristin, You all have touched my heart with your words. And to all who have visited the carepage & included us in your prayers, thank you :)
Extra thanks to Grace&Peace for the posting of our link. My computer is finally fixed, PTL!
Wendy,once again you made Claire’s face light up as we watched the vlog this morning, and she has been talking about it all day!
I have fallen behind on the readings.But,hope to catch up tonight. It is taking me a few days to get rested from She Speaks.
PS-Jenn Renee-I think it is a great idea for you to volunteer at the school. You would be a wonderful inspiration to those children! Go for it! Go in the strength God has given you :)
Lori-Copy & pasted today:) Thanks for the tip!
Love and God Bless you all!
Now for today:
Thank You Wendy for reminding me to realease! We do tend to hang on to STUFF!
Morgen: my Something New is what you posted. Jeremiah 31:33....But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day says the Lord. I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.
My To Do: Remember His instruction written on my heart!I like the visual of God placing instruction deep within...reminds me how deep He is into to me. If that makes sense?
Amy:Happy to hear from you!
Grace&Peace and Lori: Your words are always beautiful to read.
Rhonda & Jennifer Renee: Love the insight you give!
Linda & RunnerMom's Jacob Lifting you in prayer :)
Gaylene: I feel the same way,and cling to Jer 31:25 (NIV) 'I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."
You all have a Blessed day!
Sweet Friends,
I received an e mail from Stephanie- (via Amber)- "Well, she decided to come a little early...Kailyn Lona Smith was born at 7:14 PM tonight (Wed.) and weighs 7 lbs. 3 oz. She is gorgeous and we are so in love!!!" Congratulations Jason and Stephanie, and thank You Father for a healthy beautiful baby!
Lyn in Texas
GIGs, I've been catching up on the vlogs and posts. Went to Help Sarah, but I wound up in the ER on Wed....dehydration. Had not been drinking fluids as I should plus the fluid pill. Received an IV and was released. My youngest son was on business in the area and drove me home on Wed. night. I am still having light-headedness and have stopped the fluid pill and am getting plenty of fluids. Feel much better tonight.
Sarah's report is good. Lymph node was clear, drainage tube removed, and she may not need as much radiation as they had said. Thank you for your prayers.
Dixie, rejoicing over your news and praying for your recovery.
Linda, covering you in prayer and that your doctors have wisdom in their treatment.
Jacque, praying for Michael and his interview. God knows where he needs to work. This situation is equipping you for ministry to others who are facing like situations.
It was great seeing Brandee back.
Congratulations to Stephanie and Jason on the birth of Kailyn. Thanks Lyn for the good news.
Praying for each request and Elizabeth, praise the Lord for your job. Another answered prayer!
I missed you all so much. Will now watch today's vlog. Can hardly wait after reading your posts.
Blessings,
Teeny
Linda, you are in my prayers and praying doctors have wisdom in your treatment.
Post a Comment
Home