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Insights by
Vanetta Stephens
Articles
1.
Sticks and Stones
2.
Pearl of Great Price
STICKS & STONES | By Vanetta Stephens
“Sticks and stones may
break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
This familiar childhood quote was said many times by me,
and probably by you too. So, is this a true statement? Do words hurt?
What I have found in my lifetime is that many of my scraped
knees, sprained joints, and bloody noses have actually healed and are
quite forgotten. However, when something goes wrong, or when I make a
mistake, I find I immediately can hear stinging words of the past replay
in my mind. Literally, in seconds, I can be back in the past at the time
and place where ugly, hurtful words were spoken. Here, once again, they
spill over into my mind and heart, causing pain.
We all have experienced the hurt and wounds of unkind
words. So the truth is, words hurt. That’s the bad news. The really good
news is that there is something we can do about it. We do have a choice.
Romans 12:2, states, “Do not change yourself to be like the people of
this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking….” I have a
choice to learn to think differently from what I have ever thought before.
This is crucial to understand, so that I can take my
Birthrights, bring them into my
Earthlife, so I can experience the
BIRTHLIFE God intended for me to live.
Romans 3:4 says, “God will continue to be true when
every man is a liar.” That means anything I speak, anything I read or
listen to, that says anything different from what God says, is a lie!
We may not be able to control the words of other, but we
have a choice with our own words. Our words have creative power. We can
create order and peace for our lives, or chaos and confusion, which is
destructive. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God said he sets before us two paths
for us to choose. One is life, and the other is death. Proverbs 18:20-21
says that life and death are in the power of the tongue, and that we will
eat the “fruit” of whatever we speak. James 3:6(b), “The tongue is set
on fire by hell, and it starts a fire that influences all of life.”
This is a powerful scripture that reinforces the truth that what we speak
influences everything we do, and everyone we come in contact with.
James is also quick to point out that there is no one who
can tame the tongue (3:8), but that doesn’t mean we should not stop and
consider the things we say. In addition, it would be good to evaluate what
we are listening to, and looking at. They are speaking to us all of the
time.
I am a new creation. Praise God I am NOT what I do, and I
am NOT what I don’t do. I am a child of God, who finds some things easy
and some things difficult. This is why we need each other. I can bring
life and hope to you when you are experiencing difficulties, and you can
bring life and hope to me when I am experiencing these things
.
Letting the Truth that all of us are valued and dearly
loved by our Heavenly Father, in spite of our mistakes or our wrong
willful choices, is the key to walking in victory over every unkind or
hurtful thing that has ever been spoken to us. Since the Creator of the
universe chose to love us, while we were still His enemies, (Romans 5:8),
how can we not love ourselves, nor love others? We truly do have a
choice.
I have been making some new recordings in my mind. Now,
when things don’t go right for me, or I feel like I made a stupid mistake,
I have the new tape that I can choose to pop in, with a new message to
replace the old one. The old one was a lie. The new one is the truth! Now,
I can choose to live without rehearsing my past, and in this way, it’s
like I have a brand new past. It’s as if those ugly things were never
said. But it’s up to me to put in the truth, and it’s up to me to know
the truth, so the truth can indeed set me free.
The next time you hear this rhyme, consider that words may
not break bones, but they do break hearts and hurt people’s lives.
©
Copyright 2008 by Vanetta Stephens. All rights
reserved.
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PEARL OF GREAT PRICE |
By Vanetta Stephens
"The
kingdom of heaven is like a man looking for fine pearls. When he had
found a very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought
it." Matthew 13:45-46.
You
have probably heard many teachings on this great passage. It is referring
to how valuable the Kingdom of God is and how we should be willing to give
up everything for the sake of pursuing the wisdom of God. For a few
minutes, just to BROADEN our thinking, lets think outside the box.
I want to approach this from a little different perspective...
I
would like you to consider for a moment that the man looking for treasure,
or fine pearls, can represent God (or more specifically, Jesus).
God
knew, from before the world was created, that the enemy would tempt the
first man and woman to sin, and that he would succeed. His plan had
already been prepared. There would be an appointed time for God to send
His Son to rescue humanity from the clutches of the enemy.
"For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever
would believe in Him would not perish, but have eternal life." John
3:16.
The
word "so" in this verse means, there is no more. There is
no more love He could show beyond giving His Son to die in our place, so
that we could live. This is extreme love.
Jesus also has this love in Himself. We read in Philippians 2:6-8,
"...who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of
a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point
of death, even death on a cross."
Now,
as we look back to the passage from Matthew, with the verses from John and
Philippians in mind, we can see the picture of God, the Father, and the
Son looking at the "pearl" of great value. I want to encourage you to see
that YOU are that pearl of great value and worth to God. The value of
something is determined by how much someone is willing to pay for it.
You
may be thinking, "Well that's okay for my friend or family member, but
I'm not worthy; I've messed up too badly; I'm filthy; I'm too broken".
I could go on and on, but I believe you get the idea. All of us were
enemies of God. In fact, Romans 5:10, in the New Century Version of the
Bible, states: "While we were God's enemies, He made friends with us
through the death of His Son. Surely, now that we are His friends, He
will save us through His Son's life." This is an incredibly wonderful
verse. Jesus died while we were still hating Him. Dying for a friend shows
great love, but how many of us would die for an enemy? Not many!
I
know it's difficult to think of God loving you, especially when you read
words that are all inclusive like "the world" in John 3:16. Truthfully,
if you were the ONLY one that needed Christ to die for you, He would have
come and done everything He did for the masses, just for you! I am
praying for you to hear what the heart of God is saying to you. You are
HIS Pearl of Great Price. He saw YOU, before you were even born.
Then, Jesus placed so much value in you, that He left heaven. Which means
He chose to leave all He had ever known and experienced, and a truly
perfect world, to come here. And for what? To be humbled and mistreated
in every way imaginable to "buy you back", (that's what redemption
means), from the enemy. He paid the price that you could never pay to
present you to His Father as perfect, blameless and HIGHLY valuable. He
wants you for His very own. He considers everything He paid for you worth
it. He loves you so much that He has done everything, so that nothing
could ever separate you from His love (Romans 8:39).
The
desire of God the Father, and Jesus the Son, is that you see the value
that they have placed in you. No one can love themselves, or any other, if
they don't see the value. To walk in love for others requires you to truly
love, value, and respect yourself. Note that I'm not talking about
rudeness or haughtiness. Rather, it's the true worth and value God has
given you. You are truly free when you embrace that, and allow others to
be how God created them to be. When you know that the Creator of the
Universe loves you perfectly and accepts you AS YOU ARE, how can you not
treat others with that same perspective. This is why it is so important to
understand that you are a PEARL OF GREAT PRICE.
Know
that you are truly worth everything, and loved dearly by God. Then
recognize that God loves everyone with that same love and value. The
outcome will be a deeper relationship with God. Worship and gratitude
will begin to flow from your heart. You will experience a new-found
freedom to be all that God created you to be; truly free to just enjoy
God.
©
Copyright 2007 by Vanetta Stephens. All rights
reserved.
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