All posts by LaTrica Sanders Ministries

Exegesis ~vs~ Eisegsis

September 29, 2025 LaTrica Sanders Ministries Leave a comment

The words Exegesis and Eisegesis both sound the same, BUT their individual prefixes “ex-” and “eis-” give us clues as to what makes them different from each other.

“ex-” means to take out of
“eis-” means into

Exegesis is reading meaning from OUT of the text
meaning…you DISCOVER the meaning of the text.

Eisegesis is reading your own meaning INTO the text
meaning…you DETERMINE the meaning of the text.

KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LUST and LOVE
IS DECIDEDLY A DECISIVE, RESPONSIBLE ATTRIBUTE

* HOW TO AVOID MISHANDLING THE WORD OF GOD *

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If we want to be faithful to the Word of God, we mut reverentially approach it and allow its message to speak to us, by not imposing our preconceived meanings into the text.

To help us, students of the Bible, pupils of God like Samuel who became a pupil of God desiring as a servant to hear and receive more of the Word of God (1 Samuel 3:10) understand and recognize when the Word of God has been Eisegesis (irresponsibly handled) and not Exegesis (responsibly handled)…EACH WEEK…we will provide a side-by-side EXEGESIS versus EISEGESIS analysis of a scripture that is frequently mishandled and taken out of context to avoid irresponsibly mishandling the Word of God our OWN selves.

On the pages of EACH EXEGESIS versus EISEGESIS illustration assessment evaluation examination exploration study depiction and then click the photo to download our Scripture Study Sheet that we curated as a tool to help you take a DEEP DIVE in accurately STUDYING the Word of God to avoid…EISEGESIS…violating scriptures by reading INTO it…your own ideas.

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EXEGESIS is based on responsible handling of the Word of God as the reader seeks to follow scripture authentically to draw true information and meaning OUT OF THE TEXT while allowing God’s Word to speak for itself with authority. In so doing, the reader remains respectful to both its Historical Context and Literary Context; as well as being mindful of cultural settings and linguistical syntax in which the writer lived to avoid coalescing personal beliefs, ideas, and notions. Reading with an EXEGESIS mindset reduces the risk of…Misinterpretation, Misrepresentation, and Misunderstanding…and allows understanding to what the Word of God is really saying. As a result, the reader can proceed to apply it to actualities of our time and situation.

EISEGESIS is an irresponsible skewed mishandling of the Bible that frequently leads to…Misinterpretation, Misrepresentation, and Misunderstanding…of the Word of God with the reader who is ONLY CONCERNED with bending and making the Word of God line up with his/her preconceived beliefs, ideas, and notions while injecting his/her own meaning INTO THE TEXT. The erroneous motivation behind EISEGESIS is for the interpreter to use scripture to fit a counterfeit narrative and viewpoint that supports their predetermined thoughts and opinions in making the Word of God mean what they want it to mean, at the expense of leading people astray and drawing wrong conclusions.

Gentlemen, Him, Uncategorized

Winterize HIM

Image November 16, 2023 LaTrica Sanders Ministries Leave a comment

It’s cold, but his Street Style does not have to be gloom. Winterize HIM in an attire that is both functional and fashionable.

For an ALL AROUND style that goes from the office to an after work gathering this Checked Suit found on Instagram from @el.vino pulls together a masculine Dapper look for Winter.

This Cashmere Wool, Camel Coat will envelope you against the harsh, winter cold. @el.vino from Instagram pulls together this look with a classic, matching Turtle Neck.

This dress for work style found on @mnswrmagazine, styled by @christopherkorey gives you a ready for anything ensemble, for those cold mornings heading out to work to present yourself as “the Closer” as you face the day.

Give your casual Friday look a boost with this Gold Button Pea Coat found on Instagram by @Dapperlydone

Keep warm in this scarf found on customizedbydaniel.tumblr.com, layered around your neck to insulate you as you leave to start your day in style. Yes, it is cold outside, but the sun still shines! So don’t forget to add a fashionable pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes and a pair of well fitted gloves to protect those hands that makes your living.

It’s the weekend and it is time to switch gears and be a little playful with your attire. This faux Shearling fur lined coat found on Pinterest is sure to keep you warm this winter and turn heads to check out your style.

SHOES

Step into life and into winter with an elevated shoe game with this Corthay shoe by Parisian Gentleman.

Winterizing one of the hardest working part of your body is a must, strap up your feet with this pair found on Instagram from @Dapperlydone_shoes.

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Dinner, Healthy Eating, Uncategorized

Bourbon Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon

November 16, 2023 LaTrica Sanders Ministries Leave a comment

Although Salmon is LOADED with HEART HEALTHY benefits, this Bourbon Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon is a HIT in my family! Its delectable and succulent taste is the perfect balance between sweet and savory; in a word……..YUMMILICIOUS!!!

This recipe, of ONLY 7 Ingredients, is healthy and so very easy to make.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes

INGREDIENTS (SERVES: 4)

4 (6-ounces or 0.38-pounds) Salmon Fillets, Skin on, Center Cut
¼-½ Cup Bourbon
½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar (packed)
½ Cup Soy Sauce (use regular or reduced sodium for less salt)
½ Teaspoon Granulated Garlic
½ Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Began by Cleaning and Descaling the Salmon, and set aside for later onto a lightly oiled wire rack that is placed over a baking sheet (since this is raw meat, wash hands to avoid cross contamination).

Now, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, and bring the bourbon, dark brown sugar, soy sauce, granulated garlic, and Dijon mustard to a boil. Cook on a low heat until the mixture is reduced by half. Separate your Bourbon, Brown Sugar mixture into two (2) separate bowls (1 to GLAZE your Salmon with and 1 to SERVE as a dipping sauce or to drizzle extra over the Salmon before it is served.).

Next prepare the salmon. Season it with salt and pepper and place skin side down on the lightly oiled wire rack that is placed over the baking sheet.

Depending on the calibration of your oven, bake the Salmon at 350^o until it is almost done, at this point, remove the Salmon from the oven and turn on the broiler. During this time, generously glaze the tops of the Salmon with the Bourbon, Brown Sugar mixture, and return back into the oven. Broil for about 30 seconds (still depending on the calibration of your oven), and keep checking the Salmon while it is under the broiler to ensure the glaze does not burn, half (½) way through broiling, repeat the glazing process to give your Salmon that Caramelized Glaze.

Serve with your remaining Bourbon, Brown Sugar mixture or drizzle the extra over the Salmon before serving. This dish serves well with a warm vegetable; such as, Roasted Asparagus or Roasted Lemon-Butter and Seasonings Broccoli (use seasonings of your choice….for my family I use garlic, kosher salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, etc).

To your HEALTH,
LaTrica

Faith, Family, Married, Uncategorized

Has Your HAPPILY EVER AFTER…LEFT?

November 16, 2023 LaTrica Sanders Ministries Leave a comment

Is the SPARK FADING or Has the SPARK FADED in your MARRIAGE?

Carisa of Dating Divas walks you through three (3) ways to REIGNITE THAT SPARK AND REKINDLE THE FIRE IN YOUR MARRIAGE as she addresses some pitfalls that can cause the SPARKS to fade in a marriage; for instance, after an argument and the unexpected consequence of a spouse forgetting why he or she fell in love with their spouse. She goes further, by touching on another real issue couples can face at some point-in-time in their marriage that can drive a wedge between husbands and wives……LIFE. In addition, because just about every couple disagrees from time-to-time, Catharine of Dating Divas offers tried-and-true “GO-TO” Tips on HOW TO DEAL WITH DISAGREEMENTS AS A COUPLE when arguments arise and causes disagreements in your marriage.

With STEP 1, Carisa focuses on Learning to Say, “I’m Sorry” and Really Mean It; in so doing, she provides a list of 65 WAYS TO SAY SORRY, in STEP 2, Carisa focuses on Serving Each Other and provides 100 WAYS TO SHOW LOVE TO YOUR SPOUSE, and in STEP 3, Carisa continues to rollout ways to show love to your spouse as she proffers the importance of Making Time for Each Other to Reconnect with DATE NIGHT INTERVENTION to keep you and your spouse on the same page and excited about doing something spontaneously with the one you love to turn that spark into a flame!

Want to make things even more interesting and take it up a notch, Becca of Dating Divas has created 90+ DATE IDEAS: DATE NIGHT BUCKET LIST where you can PRINT OUT FOR FREE A FUN DATE NIGHT LIST and CHALLENGE your spouse TO SEE HOW MANY DATES YOU CAN CHECK OFF BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. Becca offers you two (2) FREE PRINTABLE VERSIONS, the 1^st version is filled out for you too with fun and creative ideas you and your spouse can pick and choose from throughout the year, and the 2^nd version is BLANK so you and your spouse can personalize it with your own ideas and activities. And if you, as husband and wife, are looking for something a little more sexy, check out Michelle of Dating Divas Sexy Bucket List.

with over 115 FREE PRINTABLE sex ideas you and your spouse can check off the list this year

Becca also makes a suggestion to you check out Michelle, of Dating Divas, Steamy Bucket List with 156 FREE PRINTABLE Sizzling Ideas for intimate time with your spouse.

…but, but, let’s not stop there! To motivate you and your spouse to go out and move, Carisa has an awesome bucket list of healthy and active date night ideas with 100 HEALTHY DATE NIGHT IDEAS for you to PRINT OFF FOR FREE and make as a challenge to see how many you and your spouse can check off of the Healthy Date Night Bucket List by the end of the year.

To make this a little more interesting, Carisa suggest you print off a couple of extra Healthy Date Night Ideas for you and a few of your married friends, to get them involved and start a challenge among your married friends to see which couple can check off THE MOST activities by the end of the year.

As you peruse the many creative Bucket List Ideas from Dating Divas, one thing for sure is that implementing any of the activities and ideas suggested, you and your spouse will begin to experience a refreshing dating life without the pressure of trying to think of something to do together as a couple to keep your marriage exciting and exhilarating.

XOXO,
LaTrica

Married, Relationships, Singles, Uncategorized

Are You Struggling With LUST?

November 16, 2023 LaTrica Sanders Ministries Leave a comment

There will always be someone who will not see your worth…..DON’T LET THAT PERSON BE YOU. The relationship that you have with yourself sets the tone for every relationship you will ever have. To that point, if you have not learned how to take care of yourself, then you should not look for a relationship to come with provisos to take care of you.

You deserve the love you keep trying to give to others, but first the most important love you need to receive and is the love the Lord already has for you, and second, the most important relationship goal you need to establish and cultivate is an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

With that being said, it brings to mind how important it is that SINGLES should NEVER COMPROMISE HIS or HERS WORTH and VALUES to fill any angsts of loneliness. Being single can be and should be a beautiful season in your life when you embrace it as an opportunity to vertically grow in the love relationship Christ has designed for you to have with Him, intentionally follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit to cultivate spiritual maturation in the Lord, and purposefully use your season of singleness as a time to become acquainted with the most important person in your life……….YOURSELF!

In so doing, the more you grow in your relationship with the Lord, whether you are single or married, the less of a struggle you will have regarding one very strong issue that constantly comes up as an inquiring matter……DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF LUST.

KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LUST and LOVE
IS DECIDEDLY A DECISIVE, RESPONSIBLE ATTRIBUTE
OF
SELF-RESPECT

SO, WHAT IS LUST?
LUST is always CENTERED on SELF because it seeks only to pleasure oneself. LUST is not only sexually, it can be covetously for the tangibles and intangibles of life such as a career, a relationship, status, and things. Becoming so focused to obtain and acquire things will causes a separation between you and your relationship with the Lord because He is no longer the CENTER of your life….YOU ARE. What is more, because the world will never satisfy you, you will always NEED MORE and WANT MORE because you will NEVER be fulfilled. As you allow LUST to begin to feed your wants and desires, it will also begin to widen the void in your spirit that can ONLY be satisfied by Christ.

LUST can start with one porn magazine that grows into watching porn, LUST can start with buying a few pairs of shoes that grows into an absurd collection of designer shoes, LUST can start with being envious of another person’s position to growing into entertaining thoughts of how to sabotage that person to obtain that person’s position, LUST can start with being jealous of the social standings of someone who is popular in the community to growing into executing plans to ruin that person’s reputation in the community.

SO, WHAT IS LOVE?
LOVE focuses on OTHERS. Showing LOVE towards someone does not necessarily mean being in LOVE with that person. When we love someone, whether platonically or romantically, our purpose and objectives become about pleasing that other person, whether it is helping someone out, serving at the church, putting the grocery cart where it belongs so it does not become a runaway cart in the parking lot, having patience with someone who provides some form of service to you…even if it is slower than you prefer, having empathy towards someone who has to live daily with a challenge in life, having an understanding heart in any given circumstance that includes not jumping to conclusions and not making assumptions, and lastly, but certainly not exhaustively, not needing to have the last word and be a person who is a “RIGHT-FIGHTER.”

When showing LOVE towards someone, you want the best for him or her. You will want to encourage and edify them towards a vertical relationship with Christ; in other words, regardless of the length of time the relationship will be with each individual person, you want to build with them, not tear them down. When you love another person, you are not thinking of what you are going to get out of it, but how God will be glorified in it and through it. If you have pure love, in all things you will want to show the love that Christ has shown to you.

QUESTION:
SO, HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THE STRUGGLE?
ANSWER:
You MUST be……INTENTIONAL.

In order to distinguish BETWEEN the fine-line of LUST and LOVE, you have to be HONEST WITH THE REAL-TIME ANSWERS to the QUESTIONS YOU TELL YOURSELF in GIVEN SITUATIONS:

REMEMBER: 1 Corinthians 10:13 (AMP) “No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].”

SCENARIO: THE THINGS YOU CHOOSE FOR ENTERTAINMENT
When you are watching TV, reading a book, hanging-out, or going to a movie, ask yourself is the choice I am making jeopardizing my relationship with the Lord?

Remember the cliché, “You are known by the company you keep”……..well, it does not necessarily means the people you socialize with, IT ALSO INCLUDES what YOU ALLOW TO KEEP YOU COMPANY. The things you gravitate to for entertainment (people, things, places) absorbs into your soul, spirit, consciousness to influence your perceptions, and if those things are not in line with KINGDOM LIVING, they can negatively counter your gift of discernment. As the enemy knows we all have FREE WILL TO CHOOSE and knows your WEAKNESSES as well; as a result, he is surely in favor of you FREELY choosing those things that TEMPTS YOU that will cause a gulf between you and your relationship with Christ. With this, understand that it is the enemy who is the one who magnifies your proclivities……because it is his way of GETTING YOU to fall and GETTING YOU for himself. It is his way to steal, kill, and destroy your relationship with Christ, and ultimately to destroy you. Nevertheless, the Lord has declared to us all 1 Corinthians 10:13.

1 John 2:16 (AMP) “For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world.”

SCENARIO: COVET
To COVET means to long for, wish for THINGS that BELONGS to someone else…..WHAT IS MORE, to seek TO TAKE by DECEIT, FORCE, or MANIPULATION (which is a form of witchcraft). It is the yearning for something or someone that does not belong to you….their job, their car, their house, their social status, their family, their clothes, their children, their money…….their WHATEVER’S. Coveting is self-serving for it lacks empathy and knows NO BOUNDARIES and knows NO LIMITS.

Remember, LUST is more than just about sex – it can be anything you idolize, anything you worship other than God. In scripture, to covet is considered to be a very grievous transgression, and as the tenth (10^th) commandment it forbids coveting anything that belongs to a neighbor, including his house, his wife, his servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to him (Exodus 20:17). Paul reminded the Ephesians that greed or covetousness is equal to immorality and impurity {Ephesians 5:3 (AMP), “But sexual immorality and all [moral] impurity [indecent, offensive behavior] or greed must not even be hinted at among you, as is proper among saints [for as believers our way of life, whether in public or in private, reflects the validity of our faith].”}

SCENARIO: SEXUALLY
When you look upon the opposite sex, do you allow your mind to wander? In other words, “GO THERE!” Do you rebuke the enemy beforehand? God says in the Gospels that when we LUST it is the same as committing adultery, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who [so much as] looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28 – AMP). God takes this issue very seriously, the question is…….Do you? What is more, to ensure that we are not contributing to a problem, it is ALSO our responsibility to dress appropriately and behave modestly so that we are not UNKNOWINGLY being caustic in stimulating a problem.

YOUR BATTLE STRATEGY:
Your ONLY strategy is to be HONEST with YOURSELF, and STOP RATIONALIZING what is DISOBEDIENT TO GOD. Quenching the thirst of LUST is like pouring a glass of gasoline onto a flame as it ignites and grows into a fire that consumes, and likened to a recovering alcoholic yielding to the LUST of taking a drink of alcohol again……resulting into him or her craving more and more without the will power to walk away. When you allow yourself to indulge in ANY PARTICULAR LUST, it makes you MORE VULNERABLE TO OTHER TEMPTATIONS. However, YIELDING to LUST and BEING EXPOSED to LUST are not the same. If there is a LUSTFUL temptation in your life, the enemy WILL MAKE SURE that you be exposed to it AGAIN (just as he TEMPORARILY left Jesus until a MORE OPPORTUNE TIME (Luke 4:13 – AMP), but by the GRACE OF GOD, through the RESURRECTED POWER OF JESUS CHRIST, and the GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT you can be SET FREE. Once you begin to be honest with yourself and not rationalizing away your weakness, you will be taking VERTICAL STEPS towards aligning yourself to LEAN and RELY on the LORD as in your weakness, His strength is made perfect as 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 tells us, “Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me; but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].”

The Lord, Jesus as One (1) person having two (2) natures (Divine and Human), He is the ultimate example for Kingdom Living; as a result, we, being made in His IMAGE have to be proactive in following His examples to overcome TEMPTATIONS and live victoriously in the areas of TEMPTATIONS (Luke 4 and Matthew 4). In so doing, we are commanded in Galatians 5:16 (KJV) to Walk in the Spirit so that we won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh. To do this, we have to study the WRITTEN Word of God, to cultivate a relationship with the Lord to grow into the revealed knowledge of how to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit TO WALK in the Spirit and TO SPEAK the WRITTEN Word of God as the Lord, and praying continuously about your struggles while seeking Christ in all things FIRST (Matthew 6:33) so He will perform Psalm 138:8 in our lives, “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands” (Psalm 138:8 – KJV). Nevertheless, don’t just PRAY….OBEY!

God puts the responsibility to ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE and not PASSIVELY SPECTATE for obedience on each of us. We are to do WHAT WE CAN, and the Lord will do WHAT WE CANNOT. Which means you are not supposed to continue to go on DISOBEYING as if you can’t help yourself while waiting for some MAGICAL MOMENT OF DELIVERANCE, but you are to do as Hebrews 12:1 (KJV) says, “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” and allow the grace of God that Titus 2:11-12 (KJV) proclaims to become evident in your life, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world…”

Bottom line, when it comes to LUST, it is ALWAYS SELF SEEKING, to please oneself. Essentially, the construct of LUST is to build your own kingdom instead of the Kingdom of God.

Peace and Grace,
LaTrica Sanders

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Finance, Uncategorized

When It Comes To Sticking To A Budget…..CASH RULES!

November 16, 2023 LaTrica Sanders Ministries Leave a comment

The best way to stick to a budget is to pay with cash, and the best way to manage CASH is with a system that has been around for years and that is…..the Envelope System.

I learned about the Envelope System from my Maternal Grandmother, who did not know that what she was doing had a name for it; nonetheless, she budgeted for and managed the money she needed to pay her bills; such as, for the Insurance Man when he came around by putting the money she needed to pay that bill aside in an envelope to make sure that she had the money needed when it came time to pay her insurance. As a result, after seeing how my Grandmother saw what her cash was doing, I embraced, implemented, and executed the same Envelope System regarding budgeting for the different category of bills I could pay with cash, including at times, budgeting for and setting aside money to shop with for household essentials; such as, groceries, clothing, toiletries, eating out, entertainment, etc. (with technology, paying bills with cash is becoming less and less realistic as with BILL PAY availability from the BANK you bank with makes it even more convenient). In so doing, it allowed me to see what my cash was doing AND HOW MUCH I HAD LEFT AFTER EACH TRANSACTION and HOW FAST MY CASH WAS BEING POURED OUT and SUBTRACTED IN REAL TIME.

Understandably, in today’s time, walking around with cash on you is NOT SAFE; however, in today’s time, walking around with a Debit/Credit Card is NOT SAFE either because most of the times, those cards have access TO THE BANK YOU HOLD ALL OF YOUR CASH (THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO SUGGEST: If you frequently use a DEBIT/CREDIT CARD (to pay bills with and/or go out with), it would be in your financial, best interest to have the frequently used card CONNECTED TO AN ACCOUNT you ONLY ADD JUST ENOUGH MONEY TO, TO USE ONLY WHEN GOING OUT and then HAVE A SEPARATE ACCOUNT NOT CONNECTED TO A CARD…..that way, if the CARD you frequently use is LOST, HACKED, or STOLEN…….IT WILL NOT LEAVE YOU VULNERABLE to being COMPLETELY, WIPED OUT FINANCIALLY).

When you go to the store with cash in hand, you know exactly how much you can spend (and possibly lose). What is more, you will stick to your budget because you can ONLY spend what you ONLY in your purse/wallet.

If you still find you’re eating high on the hog at the beginning of the month and scraping by on tuna by the end, make a cash run for groceries every two weeks instead of every month. That way, you’ll have a better picture of how much you can actually afford to spend each week.

Financial guru, Dave Ramsey shares some practical ideas and insight regarding his take on how the Envelope System works and SHOULD BENEFIT YOUR BOTTOM LINE in his BLOG The Envelope System Explained.

Whether you want to give the Envelope System a try or not (with just envelopes you may have at home), within this BLOG article, The Envelope System Explained, Dave Ramsey offers for FREE his 15 page Every Dollar Guide to Budgeting to download and aide you in creating a BUDGET and began to take control your finance……along with a FREE, EASY BUDGETING TOOL (Every Dollar) that allows you to realistically focus on your incoming and outgoing dollars and cents with options to upgrade this very handy budgeting tool.

Peace and Grace,
LaTrica

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Faith, Uncategorized

Mess into a (Mess)age

November 16, 2023 LaTrica Sanders Ministries Leave a comment

WHAT IS GOD’S PURPOSE FOR HUMANITY?

Our purposefulness in creation is to be the vice-regent over God’s creation (Genesis 1:26), “…let man have dominion over [rule over His creation].” We were created by God and for God and UNTIL we understand that, life will NEVER make any sense. As well, we are here to glorify God, created beings to make His praise glorious! To worship God and proclaim His splendor; in addition, to accomplishing His established will for each of us individually and corporately. Obedience to His purpose and plan for our lives is praising Him, submission to His will and way is worshipping Him. In so doing, we discover and walk out daily the reason why we were created as we develop vertically towards spiritual growth, producing fruit in our lives, and rest in His great salvation plan. We achieve this vertical momentum and seeing God make vertical changes in our lives by spending time in God’s Word through consistent connection with Him and His Word.

As well, herein lies the problem as many people struggle with being consistent in reading the Bible. Irrefutably, many people set out with good intentions to read their Bible with a solid understanding that it is God’s guide to salvation; thereby, only achieved by reading the Word of God for spiritually growth. The psalmist wrote, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Nevertheless, because of the freedom to choose, more than often do those well intentions fall by the wayside as insignificant life events and activities, pharaohs, are allowed to rule our time and get in the way. Pharaohs today are considered to be anything (television, work, shopping, activities, greed, jealousy, anger, status, etc.) or anyone (unhealthy relationships, circle of friends, spouse, children, etc.) allowed to control us and get in the way. In biblical terms, it is something we have allowed to master, override, and rule our time with God (Psalm 119:133), or that we trust, fear, or serve (Matthew 6:24). It is this freedom which makes mankind in God’s image the same freedom which manifests itself in separating us from God, as the Fall (Adam and Eve) characterizes. According to this, mankind can, in their freedom, choose to deny or inhibit their spiritual likeness to God. The ability and desire to love one’s self and others, and therefore, God, can become neglected and even suppressed. Endeavoring to bring about the Imago Dei in one’s life can be seen as the pursuit for wholeness, as aligning to in the life of Christ and His teachings through the Holy Spirit.

Reading the Bible is a discipline that can only be developed by a decision to be determinedly persistent. Through the guiding ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Bible instructs us to recognize sin in our lives, our need for salvation, and the best possible life course. Those of us who aim to run the race to win must conduct ourselves temperately (Galatians 5:22-23) meaning the running of the whole of my life is under the authority of God, circumcise our hearts (Deuteronomy 30:6) meaning cutting away from your heart that longing or desiring after the flesh, and buffet ourselves in all things (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) meaning bringing the body, mind, and emotions under control. Overall, we cannot expect someone else to make us do what is right. We must listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and take action ourselves under the authority of God by the resurrected power of Jesus Christ.

So, what is the Imago Dei? Imago Dei means “Image of God” in Latin. In Genesis 1:26-27 we see the first biblical reference to the Imago Dei – “And God said, Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth.” The New Testament continues the same Image of God or Imago Dei theme in Romans 8:29- “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” In this verse the target of Imago Dei is even more defined than in the Genesis account of the Imago Dei. In the Imago Dei of Romans 8:29[1] we see that the image of God is seen in the perfect expression of His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The New Testament deepens this theme in Hebrews 1:3- “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person… .” Jesus IS the fullest expression of the Father that exists. He is the Imago Dei at its’ peak. Imago Dei and Jesus are synonymous. The target of Imago Dei then, is to be conformed to the most complete image of God, the Son of God Himself. The center of the target is being like Him in our heart. Through a process of pivotal transitions, the Father has encoded that we are to be the Imago Dei in the earth as His people. We are to be the Imago Dei in thought, word, action, reaction, purpose, and nature.

At that end, God never intended for His people to live in defeat; He destined us to rule and subdue. To that point, life is a progression of pivotal transitions. Change….transformation comes to each of us every day. You have to change your position to receive the marvelous deposit of God and impartation. Change is a indication, a marker, or a season that you have to make adjustment to your prospect. Missing this crucial moment of resurrection in your life, the change God requires, will result in missing the essences of what God is trying to do in elevating your life. Like Martha in the gospel of John God, He is calling you out of your comfort zone.

~~~~~~~~~

l want you to PRINT 8 words beginning with the words –
“God – can – establish – a”

Next to it, print in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS the word –
“MESSAGE”

Next to it, print in lower case letters –
“from – my”

Lastly, next to that, print in ALL CAPS the first 4 letters
from the word MESSAGE
“MESS”

Silently, to yourself, I want you to read what you just wrote because it is a personal message to you from the Lord.

~~ NOW ~~

READ IT RELEASE IT RECEIVE IT

God – can – establish – a – MESSAGE – from – my – MESS

God can turn your MESS into a MESSAGE!

……but, and there is a BUT ———a very significant but – YOU HAVE GOT TO CHANGE!

Flow with me here –
How many of you work out?

For those of us who do, we know that when you increase your repetition or weights, you feel it the next day. This happens because you have made changes to what you were once comfortable with (your comfort zone)…in doing so you stretch that particular muscle, in essence, you have literally hurt that muscle. In building muscle, there is no way around this, it just has to happen that way. I do not like this part about working out because of the soreness and since I do not want my muscles to make me look masculine, I do not have to go through this adjustment that often, but the by-product of building muscle is that it burns more calories and keeps burning those calories all day long. Now keep following me here – the benefits of making adjustments to your workout routine is to keep pushing you forward to a healthier you, burning calories even while sitting at home studying your Bible and praying to God……….Amen! However, the adjustments——the stretching of the muscle, comes with aches and pains. With change, God, too is trying to stretch you, and like a muscle, it is for your benefit, not detriment. The aches and pains of the process at times hurt and feels uncomfortable, but it just has to happen that way—-it just has to work out that way. He knows what you have done in your yesterdays, and that you are afraid to deal with those issues………You don’t want to face what God is moving you into because you think you are being JUDGED…………..but NO, you are being processed.

God is building truth into your life.

God is calling YOU, Yes YOU, and He is calling you by your name and not your shame.

Shame often accompanies the memories of mistakes in our past. Unlike conviction or guilt, which focus on our feelings about a past event, shame centers on how we feel about ourselves because of our involvement in that event. Shame comes from Satan, whom the Bible calls the “accuser” (Revelation 12:10). Shameful feelings promote self-hatred, condemnation, insecurity, withdrawal and suicide. No matter how horrible your past may be, God wants to set you free from shame.

The enemy does not have power, but he is strategic. He does; however, know the proclivities of man to replay certain negative events and mistakes from their past; as a result, he uses it against them to paralyze forward and vertical spiritual growth. Antagonistically, he calls you by your shame and not your name.

WHAT GOD SAYS:

Write out Isaiah 1:18 below:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DEEPER INSIGHT

Romans 12:2 tells us the secret to change in a Christian’s life is having our minds renewed to line up with God’s Word. In other words, our thoughts must agree with what God says is true about us, about our past and about our future in Him.

Read 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) and fill in the following key words.

“We demolish ____________________ and every____________________ that sets itself up against the ____________________ of God, and we take captive every ________________ to make it obedient to Christ.”

What is it that “sets itself up” to prevent us from knowing God?
Practically speaking, what does that mean? Where is the battle?

APPLICATION

Take the following self-evaluation with regard to shame. Rate each sentence according to the following scale. I feel that way: (1) very often; (2) sometimes; (3) rarely; or (4) never.
_____ 1. I find it difficult to forgive myself for things I’ve done in the past.
_____ 2. I believe God enjoys other people, but it’s hard to believe He enjoys me.
_____ 3. I don’t really like myself very well.
_____ 4. I tend to criticize or critique the things I do and say.
_____ 5. It is hard for me to accept compliments from other people.
_____ 6. It is hard for me to trust people.
_____ 7. I think if people know my past, they will not approve of me.
_____ 8. I often ask God to forgive me multiple times for the same mistake.
_____ 9. I feel “yucky” inside and wish something about me would change.
_____10. When I think about the past, I am overcome with regret.
Now review your responses. What do they reveal about how you feel about yourself?

Read Romans 8:1-2[2] and 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11. According to these verses, what is God’s desire for you?

To condemn you? Yes _____ No _____
To give you life with Him? Yes _____ No _____

Shame is often described as a veil, something that seems to cover our faces so that we hide our hearts from other people and avoid making eye contact with them. We don’t want them to see the “real” us for fear they will reject us just as we have rejected ourselves.
However, God’s Word says that He has accepted all those who call on the name of Jesus (see Acts 2:21). He has forgiven them and has become the “lifter of their heads” (Psalm 3:3). In other words, God wants to set you free in relationships to give and receive love, to be healed and made whole again–regardless of your past.

FOR GROUP STUDY

Sometimes sharing the mistakes of our past can be frightening in a group. However, the Bible says in James 5:16 that we gain freedom from the past by confessing our mistakes to sincere believers. The truth is, we have all done and said things we wish we hadn’t.
Today, take time to share a situation from the past in which you wish you had handled things differently. Then pray for one another as the Spirit leads you. Using the prayer below, pray aloud to forgive yourself for whatever mistakes you made and receive God’s forgiveness by faith. You may even want to symbolically “remove the veil” of shame that accompanied your failure by pulling an imaginary mask from your face. Finally, encourage one another as 1 Thessalonians 5:11 commands us to do.

PRAYER

Father, please forgive me for _____________ (name your failure). By faith, I receive Your complete forgiveness in Jesus Christ. I accept that Your grace is enough to cover ALL that I have ever said or done or will ever do. Jesus’ blood is enough to wash me clean.
I forgive myself for all that I have said or done, or even thought, that was wrong. I renounce those words, thoughts and practices. And I refuse to listen anymore to the accuser, Satan, who would continue to torment me by reminding me of these mistakes. I am forgiven and made new. Help me learn to live as a new creation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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[1] The natural man has no such passion. But in the Christian, the Spirit of God begins to carry out the will of God to make the child of God like the Son of God (Romans 8:29); Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs: Zondervan, 1991), 273.

[2] Our freedom from the law of sin and of death through the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). The key to our freedom from the power of sin is our co-crucifixion with Christ and the indwelling power of the Spirit; Kenneth Boa, Conformed to His Image Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 103.

Bible Study Guide

November 6, 2023 LaTrica Sanders Ministries Leave a comment

Most Bibles are Study Bibles and have an “INTRODUCTION” section at the beginning of each Book of the Bible to garner reliable answers to learn Background information, and whether you have a Bible that does or does not, the following seven (7) websites will be of great use for Bible studying.

Blue Letter Bible, Precept Austin, Grace To You, Bible.org, Sonic Light, Study Light, BIBLE HUB

Each verse in the Bible must be understood in its original HISTORICAL CONTEXT that includes the setting (places and/or events going on at the time, and the situations that prompted the writings) and the ORIGINAL historical audience (recipients); in addition to, its original LITERARY CONTEXT that includes cultural background and natural grammatical use of literal language (the linguistics, their cultural syntax) to help unpack what the Bible writings are saying to the each reader through circumstances at the time so that they, as pupils of the Bible, can perspicuity (clearly) understand the immeasurable teachings of God’s divinely inspired Word so that they can perspicacity (astutely) arrive to the true meaning of what God wants to convey through His supernaturally guided selected authors to whom were prepared by Him (Acts 9:15-16) and supervised by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21) to inscribe His truth (as proclaimed by Danial in the Book of Daniel 12:8-9, by Jeremiah in the Book of Jeremiah 1:4-5, by King David in the Book of 2 Samuel 23:1-3 and by the Apostle Paul in the Book of 1 Corinthians 2:13).

The significance of understanding CONTEXT is without a doubt crucial in learning what the Lord has to say and teach in making VERTICAL progress towards Spiritual FORMATION, MATURATION, and TRANSFORMATION into becoming a New Creature with New Features in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is where you will dive deep and garner valuable insight that is integrally germane to the intended MEANING, PURPOSE, and REASON of the ORIGINAL INSPIRED AUTHOR…THEN, and its importance for effective and correct application…TODAY.

In addition, understanding CONTEXT helps to identify APPLICATIONS from the ORIGINAL historical audience and events of their day, such as, situations and circumstances the ORIGINAL recipients had to deal with, had to battle with…essentially STRONGHOLDS that they had to OVERCOME and WRESTLE with by consistently applying God’s truth to SIMILAR situations and circumstance that mankind has to deal with today. Including, unexpected conflicts that the enemy of the Lord uses as hindrances to work against the knowledge of God and mankind’s dependency on Lord.

More importantly, understanding CONTEXT provides METHODICAL STRATEGIES {plans, tactics, processes, procedures, directions, instructions (dispensations), guidelines, structures} regarding how we are to respond to the Lord about what He is conveying to you and revealing to you, for you to effectively work with the Holy Spirit in beginning His work to perform Hebrews 4:12 Surgery on your SOUL in transforming your heart and your life into becoming a New Creature with New Features in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I like how the Amplified Version develops Hebrews 4:12 as it expounds on “…the full power…” of God with “…making it active, operative, energizing, and effective…” This tells me that when we receive the Word of God by faith, the Holy Spirit begins to effectively and actively OPERATE ON US (do the transforming work in us) by GETTING INTO OUR SOUL and divide the things that are wrong from the things that are right. “…penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and shifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”

This is HOW POWERFUL the Word of God is to our lives and HOW VALUABLE it is in our lives.

The Bible communicates the Word of God in a rich array of LITERARY CONTEXT and FORMS; as a result, in this section, WE PROFFER TO TEACH YOU PRINCIPLES and EQUIP YOU WITH TOOLS as Hebrews 5:12 (NASB) proclaims, “…teach you the elementary principles of the actual words of God…” and move you from Hebrews 5:12 (NASB) “the need for milk” to where this same verse declares where you ought to be, “…by this time you ought to be teachers…” and from where Hebrews 5:13 (NASB) describes “…partakers of only milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant” (the King James says it this way, “a babe in the word of righteousness”). In so doing, you will begin to do ready yourself as Hebrews 5:14 (NASB) declares for “…solid food is for the mature…” (the King James says it this way, “strong meat that belongeth to them that are of full age”).

As the Master Teacher, one of the supreme purposes of Jesus Christ is to directly involve every pupil under His tutelage as He effectively utilizes parables and the strategy of asking questions as teaching tools to set up opportunities to stimulate thought for the LEARNER to go on an EXCAVATING JOURNEY with Him as He facilitate transformation and impart understanding while methodically setting up learning opportunities for all of mankind to coalesce an intimate relationship with Him to make VERTICAL progress towards Spiritual FORMATION and MATURATION by the guidance and teachings of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, opening the door for the power of the Holy Spirit to indirectly equip, guide, and transform your life into a New Creature with New Features in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) towards living a life that SUBMITS and YIELDS faithfully to the precepts of God and operates under the obedience of the Lord to align with the PLAN and PURPOSE God DIVINELY established and ordained for our lives…which is to have WISE…“dominion over the works of thy hands” (Genesis 1:26-28, Genesis 9:2; Psalm 8:5-8). In other words, ASSIGNED to rule over His creation and responsibly partake as caring participants in His sacred plan and NOT BE BAD MANAGERS of that which sovereignly as Psalm 24:1 tells us…BELONGS TO GOD…and ultimately be made fit for the Master’s USE (2 Timothy 2:21).

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Many people GREW UP in church, but they DID NOT GROW UP in Christ

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Being a sincere Disciple of the Lord is the prerequisite of becoming a devoted student of the Word of God who WANTS TO GROW UP IN the GRACE and KNOWLEDGE of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18) and BE FIRMLY ROOTED IN and BUILT UP IN HIM (Colossians 2:7). This pursuit begins by seeking to understand the authority of Scripture in the way the ORIGINAL AUDIENCE would have understood it and in the way, God is conveying His Word to mankind by respecting the ORIGINAL INTENTIONS of each ORIGINAL BIBLICAL AUTHOR and the LITERARY CONTEXT under which each Book of the Bible was written. We begin with what God gave to us to speak to us, which is His very Nature…the WORD “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) which became flesh by His Son Jesus Christ (John 1:14). We do this by looking at the LITERARY CONTEXT found on the pages of the Bible which is a collection of various types of literature and to learn KEY STEPS in approaching

Scripture that is necessary in STUDYING the Word of God that includes Literary Genres (Forms and Styles) and Figurative Language applied and featured in the Bible (such as, Simile, Metaphor, Metonymy, Synecdoche, Personification, Anthropomorphism, Poetry, Apostrophe, Irony, Hyperbole, Euphemism, Litotes, Parables, Allegories, Symbols, Types, Parallelism); essentially HERMENEUTICS in tandem with the Holy Spirit to reveal the wisdom of God’s Word as we find sustenance divinely designed to enrich our whole being into spiritual wholeness to help us DEVELOP and GROW BEYOND JUST BEING A READER OF THE BIBLE, but as a BELIEVER with the desire to grow EXEGETICALLY and THEOLOGICALLY in the knowledge and understanding of the inerrant Word of God as the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to make us more like Jesus in our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors.

The Literary Context section of this Bible Study Guide on the FOLLOWING PAGES, PROVIDES YOU with discovery “tools” for the BIBLICAL EXCAVATING JOURNEY you are studying; therefore, ALLOW the PROMPTS and QUESTIONS to help you DISCOVER the Lord God. In so doing, ENJOY this journey of cultivating a relationship with the Lord and DO NOT ALLOW the enemy of the Lord (Satan) make you feel distressed or anxious, and get you off track of walking with the Lord and being firmly and securely “Rooted and built up in Him” (Colossians 2:7) to facilitate transformation as the Holy Spirit points you to TRUTH…

…to cultivate knowledge, to increase understanding, to provoke self-examination,

to encourage, enlighten and edify His audience, to build intimate relationships,

to inspire listeners, to develop faith, and to aim His pupils towards the truth.

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** PERFECTION is not the goal, PURPOSE IS **

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To that end, while reading each verse, be obedient to the revealing promptings and teachings of the Holy Spirit

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With that said, understand that you ARE NOT required to complete the GUIDE in any type of order; however, as you work through each chapter, DO use the PROMPTS we have prepared on the following pages to STIMULATE THOUGHT towards seeking out knowledge and understanding, as well as writing down any questions you may have (like the meaning of a word or of the text in general) so you can revisit that area(s) to explore further. Pay attention to KEY BIBLICAL TRANSITIONS, such as, the examples below.

KEY BIBLICAL TRANSITIONS
(click inside of each category to download information from our LaTrica Sanders that will be updated monthly)

TRANSITION WORDS (Therefore, But/And, Because, If/Then, Wherefore, for, so, that, nevertheless, behold, however, Likewise, etc.)	LIST (Make a note when the author makes several points in a row; for example, The Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5)
KEY OR REPEATED (Words, Phrases, and Ideas)	ABSOLUTE WORDS (All, Every, Never, Always)
THEME(s): circle, underline, highlight	*CROSS REFERENCES (cf.)*
LESSONS (e.g., Commands, Challenges, Encouragements – “…set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” – 1 Peter 1:13)	COMPARISON/CONTRAST (“And you were dead…But God…made us ALIVE together with Christ” – Ephesians 2)