There’s nothing more hopeful than knowing the true love of God. But to understand God’s love we must love others as we love ourselves, yes, ourselves. It’s not easy to love that reflection in the mirror. We remember the past or the fear of the unknown future as we gaze into our own pain-filled eyes. Our eyes may lie, so we must also know the Word of God which is Jesus.
God’s Word can and will change any attitude we may harbor. We can read the Word. We can be persistent in our search for healing and wholeness. We can believe God loves us because His Word says so, and we can have faith that He wants the best for us no matter how we suffer.
I can say without a doubt that through my suffering I’ve discovered joy, and I hang onto hope every day; every time I take medication, every time I faint in public, or fall in the kitchen and break bones. The Lord sees how we persevere and rejoice in our sufferings. And somewhere, somehow, in the middle of it all, we mature. Reality, true reality, finds our hearts and minds. We come to know we can count on God’s promises in His Word.
God, Jesus, loves us more than the drops in the ocean or sands of the sea. He forgives us as far as the East is from the West. We are God’s children, and He wants the very best for us.
Within all the lessons we learn the Lord takes us to higher and higher levels of glory. So, we can hope for a future that is good and an eternity that is better.
Jesus’ death on the cross was so we can have relationship with Him. He is not unreachable or too far away. In the book of John, chapter 3 verse 16, we see the intention of His death on the cross. John 3:16 ESV – 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Next in verse 17, John 3:17 ESV – 17″ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him,” God’s will is for us to have life. Life with the Godhead, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is real and tangible. He wants us to participate in the affairs of the Kingdom of Heaven through relationship.
In the book of John, chapter 17, in the following verses we see the conversation from Jesus to his Father. It is tender-hearted and insightful to Jesus’ intention about our life with God the Father and Jesus. I am bringing this up because in the next paragraphs we will look at what man thinks is important for relationship with Jesus. Not what the God head had planned before the foundations of the world. Here are some verses out of chapter 17 from the book of John.
John 17:22-26 ESV – 22 “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
These verses are stating the very essence of the heart of God and what Jesus expressed to his Father about us. It states boldly, that he gave us his glory! The glory of God is His manifested goodness for us. He is a good God. I would recommend that you read that entire chapter. In this verse, we learn that, the word of God, (Jesus is the word) sanctifies us. The Truth (the word) are/is factual. It is the real thing. The more we read and take in His word, the more we become like Him and know and understand Him. We also become closer to Him. As we eat the word, just like food to our soul and spirit, it strengthens us and changes us into His very nature. We have a need to shed and have the old man changed. We have the ability to become like our Father.
In the following passage, the verses state how Jesus was calling out the religious men of the day, that they thought that there ways were above and beyond God’s ways. They were clearly only interested tradition of men and not a relationship with Jesus. This exchange is in the following passage in the book of Mark chapter 7 verses 1-9.
Mark 7:1-9 ESV – 1 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” 9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
The Pharisees had made their own religious rules of how people should act or behave instead of relying on the power of the scripture (the word of God) to walk with Jesus. In the next verses, Jesus points out what defiles a person is what comes out of their own hearts. Jesus is all about our hearts. He is not about trying to keep ridiculous rules. Rules that are just performance based behavior. Jesus is more interested in us talking with him and knowing we want to be a part of his family. The Family of God.
I promise you all the religious traditions of the world will only frustrate you and your heart will not be at peace. Jesus is as close as inside of you when you ask him to come into your heart and life. Ask Him, He will make himself real and tangible. He created you. He knows everything about you! There is nothing too big or too small that he doesn’t care about in your life.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12, English Standard Version
A Quick Exegesis
Proverbs 13:12 powerfully states that we need hope in our lives for our hearts to be healthy, but that’s not all it says. We hear the first part of this verse repeated often, but we rarely look at the second part of the scripture, let alone the whole meaning of the verse.
We can look at the Hebrew transliteration and clearly see the author of this verse is talking about a weak or sick heart where “heart” represents our inner man, mind, or will. Let’s take a quick look at all three of these areas. Our inner man can represent our soul as we exist today with its mind, will, and emotions. Our mind containing our emotions takes us to a complicated place of potential positivity and negativity. Emotions are feelings and they are temporary. Emotions are not who we are, they are fleeting within the scope of eternity. Our will represents our free will which God gave humans to make choices for Him or against Him.
The second part of the verse is very straightforward. A desire is a feeling to want something or want something to happen. God places desires in our hearts that support our calling and purpose. We can also create our own desires from our flesh, which can get us into trouble.
The Tree of Life is now more accessible to us because of what Jesus did. We must believe in and trust Jesus to have access to the Tree of Life. The good news is that Holy Spirit came to us, and He teaches us everything we need to know to mature and grow closer to Father God.
Hope Reimagined
In the entirety of Proverbs 13:12, we can see that a person without hope can become desperate and long for a happy life, identity, and purpose. Without a strong identity in Christ as sons and daughters of God, and an understanding of our calling and purpose, we can have a hard time finding meaning in life.
It is without hope one can become depressed, fearful, and even suicidal.
Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation of something happening or trust that a desire will be fulfilled. The thing is, we can trust God. God does what He says He is going to do; He is not a liar. God has made all of us many promises throughout the Bible that we can count on happening. Our Bible is a manual for finding hope, faith, and love.
We need to desire the Word of God, which is Jesus Himself as stated in John 1:1–3 to be set free from negative machinations. Our minds must be on the Word with our faces turned toward God in this season. It’s time to use our righteous and sanctified imaginations to desire the things of God.
I repeat, it is without hope one can become depressed, fearful, and even suicidal.
To have hope, find your calling and your purpose, and walk toward doing them. God will meet you as you walk, and He’ll give you new hope and renewed meaning to live.
Simply Sharon, Open Letter to the Fatherless, Episode 3-A
This is a word, Open Letters to the Fatherless, was given in 2013 that is very relevant still today.
Simply Sharon, Arrows of Truth, Episode 3-B
Transcript for Arrows of Truth
Good morning, this is simply Sharon. Today I have a short word I got this during worship, but often the words I get are either encouragement or what the Lords up to. So during this particular worship service, I actually saw Fire Angels and I saw the River of love pour in. I saw raindrops with water and fire on them. Then I saw Jesus with a torch in his hand, lighting a Wick attached to a rocket, which really I believe has to do with his glory. And then he showed me an X marking the spot. And I believe that’s like the point of contact as far as his glory goes. And then later I saw two Angels, one with music in his hand and the other one with a musical note in his hand and over his head. Then I saw Jesus conducting worship and he’s always happy.
It’s really cool. He’s always having a good time. And then at the end I just got this word. I am raising a voice above all voices, a voice to carry my love to carry my heart, a hearing heart to carry my heart. One that will send shockwaves around the world. Sound carried on arrows to be a direct hit. Arrows that cannot be broken or sent off course they will be a direct hit. A direct shot of truth to quench the lies of the enemy silver and gold they have not. My heart carries will send forth truth to the nations, arrows of Destiny, arrows of love, arrows of truth. None can compare. To the voice of truth that I will shoot for. They will always be a direct hit. To puncture the poisonous lies lies that have long been entrenched.
My voice will shatter the lies that hold my people in bondage. They will be deafening, these ones that carry my arrows of truth, Eros that will shoot the smallest to the largest truth. Unshaken are my truth carriers. My truth carriers will destroy every stronghold lies that we believe and the people believe. This is the season to take down every lie, every falsehood, everything that would draw my people away from my truth. Every lie, every lie. My voice deposited in my cherished ones. Wise will no longer be able to stand in the weight of my presence. My presence will accompany every arrow that shoots forth. My voice will carry the weight of my glory, sharp as a two edged sword. They will not fail what I have sent them to do for my word is alive. It has power over death. It carries life.
So in this word you know the Lord. It’s very clear the Lord is usually really direct, but I’m really excited because we’re on the edge of some great things to happen. And a lot of times in these words he’s actually giving you a really good picture of what to look for. So thank you today for listening and we’ll talk to you next time.
Listen to this powerful word from a mighty Man of God.
Enough. It’s time for the church to rise up as the army they are called to be. It’s time for the army of god to war against the devil. For too long have they been stagnant and divided by a delusional spirit of compromise. We are living in a time where the fights should be taken to the third realm of heaven and we need to realize that spiritual warfare is no holds barred.
It’s time to go back in and take our liberty. You’re complaining about the government. Enough. We are not from here, we’re from God. I am sick and disgusted of the way I am seeing God’s children divided by opinions of no effect. You want to make an opinion matter. See what God says, He will let you have your way and laugh because you are writing your story. And you have placed God in the passenger seat when He should be in the driver seat.
Wake up watchman! I know some people haven’t been able to sleep this season. It’s because it’s your turn on the wall to watch and sound the alarms in your region. God has placed you in specific areas of the world for you to take that land and to slay the principalities of that region. Where are the troublemakers? The ones who always hear from God. And people don’t like what you have to say because you’re in direct download with the father. RISE UP! This is your time to shine.
This year will be the year of signs, miracles and wonders like never before. Repent in this hour and rekindle your fire on the altar before it turns to complete charcoal and receive your new wine skin and new wine. Shed off the old and come in with a banging new vehicle — vroom, vroom! It’s time for your ministries to come forth take it to the highways and byways. Mount up on your eagle and soar to those hurting in this hour. I speak life, life, life, life into you now. I pray that the Holy Spirit as you are reading this will fill your open gaps in your heart from the past or present, whether it’s trauma, depression, suicide, anger, bitterness, resentment, hate, lust, jealousy, sorrow, anything tearing at you.
I pray the Holy Spirit moves mightily now and if you’re a witch or warlock and come across this I pray salvation, and the Holy Spirit finds you, chases you, and hunts you down. I KNOW MY ABBAS BIGGER AND GUESS WHAT? HE LOVES YOU. TURN FROM YOUR WICKED WAYS AND COME-FORTH OUTOF THE SHADOW OF DARKNESS INTO THE LIGHT. Rise up church! love you all. You can do it even if you are alone. God has an army and horses of war on a hill waiting for your next move. Be encouraged, take joy and peace in who you are and be an unstoppable explosion. SHABAM! 🔥🔥💥💥
God is faithful to us even when we are not being faithful to Him. He is constantly working to keep us safe, to guide our ways, and to nurture love in our lives. He is our Champion in every way. He supports and promotes us minute by minute. And He teaches us to be like Him. He carries the majority of our relationship with Him in His fullness and power. We need only lean into Him and He responds immediately.
We can trust Him.
The easiest way to understand, know and believe the trust God has for us and how we can trust Him is to read the Bible. The Word of God is a critical tool and manual for living. And of course, it will build our faith overall. As we understand trust more, we are capable of greater things.
The Word says to take care of the little things in life to be trusted for more in Luke 19:17, TPT which reads, “Splendid! You have done well, my excellent servant. Because you have shown that you can be trusted in this small matter, I now grant you authority to rule over ten fortress cities.” Trust then needs to be developed and increased as we work to mature in Christ Jesus. The best part is that He will show us how.
He is wise and gives wise guidance as we trust in Him, not in our own understanding. Proverbs 3:5–6, TPT says, “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.” We are limited in this human form and need His help and support on a daily basis. We need intimate relationship with Him.
Excerpt from my current book: Hardwired to Trust God: And Exploring Trust for Ourselves & Others.
Sometimes the Lord stops us with a Word of prophecy or knowledge, so we sit down and record. This Word came quickly after some praise and prayer and it’s a passionate plea for our true re-dedication to Jesus and the Kingdom of God in righteousness and holiness.
So, take what you like from the word and leave the rest with the Lord. Be blessed and stay safe.
Song of Songs 1:2 KJV – 2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love [is] better than wine.
Psalm 85:10 KJV – 10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed[H5401] [each other].
In our heart connection with God, the thought here is to also take that love we receive and be connected with love to our spouse and family. The Hebrew word for kiss here means to attach with fidelity, purity and submission. It also means we are mutually connected and joined together with righteousness which brings peace. This word also covers touch.
There is a physical connection with our families and close friends and a spiritual connection with God. The goal of both is intimacy and connection. In the heart connection, we are vulnerable which brings power, strength and pure love. The more vulnerable we are the more risk we take. The risk involves possible rejection and abandonment. This involves our hearts to be open to receive. Today I often find people have a very hard time receiving and believing that people are real and are open to love and be loved.
People are unwilling or do not know how to enter into relationship with God or their personal relationships because of fears. They become isolated and miss out on a very big part of life. They most likely are not connected to God with a real heart connection. This keeps them from having real relationship with others and especially the people closest to them. I realized that fear chokes the life out of love. Anywhere fear is present in life’s path, it prohibits moving forward and growth in love.
God from the very beginning in Genesis, created us for relationship. Genesis is a good book to start reading for foundations of God’s love for us. The whole word of God has to do with relationship in some form or another.
Our heart connection can often get blocked by our emotional realm. I have discovered that it is one of the primary factors in a disconnect or interference for us to receive from God. It colors the lense we see thru to see and interpret what is coming into our heart. This is the enemy’s main tactic is to insert fear and damage our emotions. The emotions actually soften our hearts and ignite the God given power of love that he wants to impart to us.
Our soul realm contains our mind/heart where the information stays when deposited. The next is our emotions which is like the radar or gate that tells our heart what to let in or not let in. The will is the seat of choice.
Identifying with the basic emotions of glad, sad and mad, brings some clarity in defining our heart condition. If we follow the encounters we have with people and what it evokes in us, we can identify what is keeping us from connecting. We may have a lot of work to do on our part in learning how to have relationship and change our behaviors with the help of God, Holy Spirit and Jesus. Reading the word breaks up the hard ground in our hearts and coming into worship. Worship breaks off fear and shame. It clears the atmosphere and breaks off pain. It heals and brings clarity. It gives us wisdom and deposits love into our hearts.
I am going to bring more on this heart connection in this blog. It is so important to Love God and ourselves and our neighbor. If we go down the road of an unattended heart it causes the disconnect from the source of all life. It brings illness, loneliness, heartache (more than necessary), hopelessness, depression, and lack of life-giving moments, days and lifetimes of love.
God loves us more than we can understand.
Luke 15:4 KJV – 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
Matthew 18:12-14 KJV – 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that [sheep], than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
John 10:10-11 KJV – 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Just adding this Podcast recording to our Podcast feed on WordPress…. Wow! There are so many options when setting up a Podcast. It’s a lot of fun! I hope you are enjoying listening as much mush as we enjoy recording.
Just Sharon & Jana 
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