How Can I Be Filled with God’s Love & Mercy?

Bible, Women & Bathrobes Episode 3

In today’s episode we will talk about Matthew 5:6-7 about what it really means to hunger for righteousness and what being filled feels like. We will also discuss how that plays into being merciful since we so often need God’s grace and mercy.

Key Talking Points

·     Sometimes if we have strayed from the gospel path we forget how hungry we are for the things of God.

·     Bonnie shares her story of going to church with her sister after being on a prodigal journey and being filled—how she didn’t even realize how much she was missing.

·     Sometimes in the super-busy times of life we may feel like we are so hungry because we are giving so much because it is a daily challenges to fill that inner well we each have.

·     Ask God daily:

o  What do I need to be filled?

o  What is depleting me or weighing me down that I can let go of?

·     Here is the promise if we let go of those things: that we will be filled with

o  God’s righteousness?

o  God’s truth?

o  With more of His glory?

o  With more Jesus?

·     Sometimes when we’re not sure how to let go of something we can ask God how to do it and then ask Him to help you figure out the next right step—line by line, one baby step at a time.

·     Bonnie shares the concept of a quote she heard one that the first voice you hear when you're praying is God or the spirit. And the second inevitably, is the adversary because he wants us to doubt ourselves.

·     Answers come as thoughts, ideas or good peaceful feelings. Also we can trust that any good thought that you have comes from God because that is what the Bible teaches us.

·     Definition of Mercy: Compassionate treatment of those in distress, especially when it is within one's power to punish or harm them.

·     We all need God’s mercy in our lives because we are constantly making mistakes.

·     Sometimes people may feel others getting mercy (especially in an abusive situation) is not merited, and so they will hang onto that grievance instead of forgiving because they feel it is just. But refusing to forgive only hurts the one who was injured.

·     Other times we forgive others but not ourselves, which is also sad.

Main Takeaways

·     From Bonnie: “If we are seeking Him and we need to be filled, we will be. And it starts with just that little desire. Just that little mustard seed, right? …That if we go to him He promises we will be filled.”

·     From Tiffany, “If you're struggling, if you're having a hard time, if you've walked away from Jesus, and you're just coming back, just take time to read some of the Scriptures and read the blessings that are given to those who come to him. He is so gracious and so kind and so loving and willing to receive us.”

·     From Tamara, “If you're at that point where you're like, I would love to have mercy [or] would love to be filled, [You] have a choice. We can even start with dear God. I want to be filled. Help me to have the desire to hunger and thirst after righteousness or help me have the desire to give mercy because I don't feel like it right now.”

Keywords

#mercy #filledbyGod #forgiveness #bibleverse #hunger #sermononthemount #jesuschrist #answertoprayer

Transcript

Bonnie Randall 0:00 

Good morning! Have you guys ever felt like you were starving? And you were so so hungry? Or have you ever wished for forgiveness--Mercy from someone and they weren't giving it to you? If you've ever wished for those kinds of things, we're going to talk a little bit about them in the Sermon on the Mount today. So join us and see how these principles apply to you.

Tamara Anderson 0:24 

Welcome to Bible, Women & Bathrobes the podcast where faith meets comfort. Join us Tuesday and Thursday morning. As the gals from women warriors of flight and their guests, Dawn bathrobes and dive into the inspiring stories of women in the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ. From Esther's bravery to the Sermon on the Mount. We explore it all with warmth, laughter, sisterhood, and maybe even a few sleepy eyed moments. tune in live or at your leisure as we learn lessons from scripture which empower women today.

Tamara Anderson 1:05 

Welcome to Bible, Women & Bathrobes. I am your host Tamara K. Anderson and joining me are Tiffany Fletcher. Say hi, Tiffany.

Tiffany Fletcher 1:16 

Hi.

Tamara Anderson 1:17 

And Bonnie Randall. Good morning, Bonnie.

Bonnie Randall 1:20 

Good morning, ladies.

Tamara Anderson 1:23 

We are so excited to join you today. And today we are covering the second part of the Sermon on the Mount verse, Matthew chapter five, verses six through nine. And so I thought we would just dive in. Last week we had a great discussion about being poor in spirit and meek some of these words that just we don't use very often and and today, we're gonna start off with verse six, and I'll read it and then we'll kind of dive into what we think the lessons are. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Tiffany, what do you think about that verse as far as being hungry, or something.

Tiffany Fletcher 2:12 

Um, I, when I read that verse, it made me think about-- so yesterday, in our church service, there was someone who talked about how she was coming back to Jesus, you know, coming back to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And she said, she made a really interesting analogy, which I wanted to share. And she said, it's like, being hungry, like not eating for so long that you forget that you're hungry. And then when you come back, you realize exactly how hungry you were when you bring Jesus back into your life. And, and it made me think about this verse and how when we are hungry, sometimes we forget how hungry we are, like, we go fast for a day or two, like we really do forget sometimes, I mean, as we get busy as women, but they Oh, I forgot to eat today, right? Because Because we forget, we set it aside.

Tiffany Fletcher 3:01 

But then when we actually acknowledged it, we recognize just how hungry we are, and how much Jesus Christ fills the hunger, how much he really does feel the things that we're lacking, and, and makes it so that we can feel full and spiritually full in our lives. And, and that's what I think about that. That's, that's kind of I just love that analogy that that is what the gospel does. It fills us up and allows us to recognize that we were hungry in the first place.

Tamara Anderson 3:37 

Yeah. Bonnie, what else? What other thoughts have you had with regards to being hungry?

Bonnie Randall 3:43 

I love that you started off like that with Tiffany. Because it Gosh, that Scripture is so full of emotion to me. And so full of promise and that, I think I shared last time. Yeah, last time when we were talking about Sermon on the Mount, about my prodigal journey a little bit and how I wandered for a while and wanting nothing to do with Jesus. And then my sister helped me come back.

Bonnie Randall 4:18 

And a part of that story that I didn't share was kind of like what your friend shared yesterday, when I did eventually go back to church with with my sister and her family. When we were sitting in, you walk in and she's I can't remember what denomination she is, but doesn't matter. You walk in and there's this worship band playing. And it was beautiful. I love Christian music and I'm a big, I sing and play the piano and just music is a part of my life.

Bonnie Randall 4:58 

And so I walked in, I didn't really know what to expect. But this worship music was playing and it was all about coming unto Jesus, and letting him heal you. And then so I was, I started getting kind of emotional and like, oh gosh, okay. And the spirit started hitting me. And all of a sudden it was like this tidal wave of the Spirit. And I hadn't realized how much I had been missing out on those years. So that I'd kind of been wandering and lost. And just so broken. And then the pastor gets up. And guess what his sermons on?

Tamara Anderson 5:46 

What?

Bonnie Randall 5:48 

The prodigal son. Right, I turned to my sister I'm like, did you tell them I was coming? And she's like, No, I swear, I didn't say anything. And we just sat there soaking up his message of love and mercy, and forgiveness. And how, it doesn't matter what we've done, we can always turn to Him and be forgiven. And then they get up and they start singing another song. And I can't remember what one it was. But it was as if the entire host of heaven came down and wrapped their arms around me. I couldn't even stand. My knees buckled and I fell to the floor, just bawling.

Bonnie Randall 6:36 

And I felt, I felt like what your friend described, I felt filled. And I realized how starving I truly was. In that moment, I needed so much. And thankfully the Savior didn't, didn't disappoint. He came and He filled me with His love and with his in that moment, his righteousness.

Bonnie Randall 7:10 

And for me that scripture when I read it, the first time I actually thought of truth, and how when we are seeking truth, with an earnest heart, and with a sincere heart and with pure intent, we will find truth, whatever that means to us, because so many times, right, we're looking for answers for different things and will be filled with, right what is right. And in that moment, in that story. I was I was filled with His love and knowing without a shadow of a doubt, that there is a God and he does truly love me and I can be forgiven.

Tamara Anderson 8:00 

I love that. As I was pondering this first it kind of took me back to when we were talking last week about feeling a lack, you know, first you kind of have to realize you're missing something before you can go and find that piece that you're missing. And I was thinking about, you know, loved ones that I have who, like Bonnie, you know, wander off a little bit sometimes and, and I don't know that I'd ever really prayed for someone to maybe begin to desire to be filled, or maybe recognize what they're missing or something. Because I think, like in the story of the prodigal son, it it says he came to himself, you know, he had this epiphany, he had this moment where something changed. And, and I think that's, that's what we're hoping for in each of us--that we will have that moment where I am truly starving inside and I need God's Spirit.

Tamara Anderson 9:06 

And, and that can happen to any of us, especially if we're going through a really hard time I've noticed in the in the times in my life when I'm feeling especially drained, you know, raising kids on the autism spectrum, especially when they were super young and I wasn't getting enough sleep and stuff like that. I felt such a hunger inside all the time because I was just constantly giving, giving, giving, giving, giving. And no matter how much I took in it just didn't feel like I was ever fully satisfied. You know what I mean?

Tamara Anderson 9:40 

And I was saying my prayers and going to church and reading my scriptures, you know, verses when I could fit them in and stuff like that. So I was trying to do the right things but it just never felt like enough for several, gosh, probably even a decade there. I would have moments where I felt full, but because so much was being required of me, I think I felt that lack even more.

Tamara Anderson 10:06 

But you know what I think that lack feeling the lack does it turns us to God because we know that on our own, we are weak. You know what I mean? And so we we need him, it's when we're content that we need to be worried, you know, like, oh, all is good, then we're not seeking after Jesus like we should. Does that make sense? Yeah. Anyway, so those were my thoughts on that verse that if we hunger and thirst, and we are constantly seeking, then we will be filled, but it doesn't mean that we're not going to have to seek tomorrow. The next day, you know, it's a, it's a constant process daily of coming to Jesus. And the good news is that difficult things, we get stronger, and we get to the point where we can manage them. So I'm at a better place now. I feel I feel more full. More regularly, which is awesome. So, yeah, Bonnie,

Bonnie Randall 11:06 

I think this scripture alone, we could talk the entire half an hour on

Tamara Anderson 11:12 

Right?

Bonnie Randall 11:13 

Because it is so full. It really is, like, there's so many parallels to being filled with righteousness. And I mean, I have two special needs kids as well. And you do feel depleted. And one of the things that you made me think of and I really like to encourage our listeners is that when you go to Scripture today, or you go to prayer today, I really encourage you to ask Heavenly Father What is it that you need, personally, to be filled? Right? Like, what is it that's depleting you that you can let go of?

Bonnie Randall 12:00 

Because we all have things that are weighing us down, whether that's past grievances, or wounds, or whatever things that can like go that are big like that? Or there could be things that, you know, maybe we need to let go of that are just simple things like, Okay, I could probably stop scrolling Facebook while I'm going to the bathroom. Don't deny it. I know you all do it. Like there's a reason why our phones fall into the toilets. Whatever it is, right? Ask like, what is it that I need to let go of so that I can be filled? Because sometimes we're hanging on to things that's taking up space.

Bonnie Randall 12:48 

And when we let go of those things, right, we unpack the proverbial backpack of rocks, right? Think of that analogy that we're all holding a backpack in their backpack is holding different objects. And some of those are really good. Some of those are scriptures. Some of those are spiritual experiences that we want to hang on to right. But some of those things are rocks that are literally weighing us down. And if we go to him today, as he promises in that very same scripture, if we thirst, we ask, What do I need to let go of? So I can be filled with your righteousness? Or with your truth? With more of your glory? With more of you? What is it, I promise you that you will be filled? Like it says, right?

Bonnie Randall 13:50 

So for what it's worth, if you're feeling that lack that Tamara is talking about, just ask what do I need to let go of? Because I have found in my practice that when I let go of something, immediately, I am given some sort of spiritual insight to move me forward.

Tamara Anderson 14:13 

Yeah, Tiffany.

Tiffany Fletcher 14:16 

I just want to say along with that really quickly, when you're asking, I mean, sometimes we have things that are so hard, we don't know how to let go of it. God will ask, he'll let you know how to like, you know, I don't scroll in the bathroom anymore. Because several years ago, I was like, God, how can I stop this habit? He's like, stop taking your phone in the bathroom. It's that easy. You still think about it, cuz you're like, oh, I don't know. Why do you think about that, but so now like, I don't take my phone into the bathroom. And it's not a problem. You know? And so I think that sometimes we get so stuck in our ways that we don't see a way out because of our perspective. We're not looking from the perspective that we need to And so when we ask God how, like we asked him what, but we also asked him the how, then he's going to show us how and it may be easier than you think. Because sometimes you look at those Goliaths, and you're like, Oh, that is so big, I don't know that I could slay that dragon. But in reality, you really can slay the Giants. You just have to ask God how to do it, and then invite him to help you. And it makes all the difference.

Bonnie Randall 15:25 

And in order to slay the Giant, right, it's like the you don't eat the whole elephant in one goal. It's by by bite. And sometimes the question is, what's my next step? Right, like, very rarely do we do the whole goal, the whole mission. So you will, at one time, like ever write like, Tamara when you are preparing to create women, warriors of light? Did he lay out the whole plan for you know, in one dream or one session of prayer? No, right? He gives us a line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there a little, it's one thing at a time.

Bonnie Randall 16:07 

And with my clients a lot of times, so I do what's called Heart Meditation with my clients. And it's basically prayer, we connect into God, we connect into our truth into our heart space, which is where our connection to God lies. And we never say, give me the whole thing at one time, because usually we're not ready for it. It's we ask, what is my next step? What is the next thing I can do to move forward? And he'll give you just like, like you said, Tiffany, usually a very simple thing.

Bonnie Randall 16:46 

And you made me think, I heard a quote, once that is worth sharing something to be effective. And this is why I say I'm not a scriptorian, because I can't ever call people correctly. But something to the effect of the first voice when you're praying is God is the spirit. And the second inevitably, is the adversary because he wants us to doubt ourselves. So if while you're in the middle of this prayer, this searching for truth and righteousness, if you can be still and get yourself still enough, that first thought that you have is the clue. And usually you want to run with that. And it's going to be something simple.

Bonnie Randall 17:29 

And I'm curious. We're so not going down the right I'm sorry, Tamara, I'm taking you down a rabbit hole.

Tamara Anderson 17:38 

It's okay.

Bonnie Randall 17:38 

But it's worse sometimes, you know, when you're following the spirit, that's what happens. You go on tangents. It is what it is. But I'm curious to know, like, this discussion of how do you feel the spirit? And how are you filled right? Like, how do you know that what you're hearing is true. So each of you, how do you receive from God?

Tamara Anderson 18:06 

I'll go first, I usually hear it just...