Wrath With A Side Order of Fruit – Gospel Study Notes

Notes And Thoughts On The Poem From Yesterday:

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The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb – the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. (Revelation 14:10 & John 1:29)

The idea to put those Revelation 14:10 and John 1:29 together came from this video:

**As a warning, there are some dark images in this video, but for me, they were used properly and it just highlighted the love of God, that because of Jesus, I will be spared God’s wrath.

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Here are the other Scriptures that inspired the poem from yesterday here. I usually put them at the end of the poem, but I had so many thoughts I made a new post for the sake of length. 🙂

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:30-32)

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.’ “ (Rom 12:19)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith… Gal 5:22

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth…) Eph 5:9

And the entirety of Nahum 1 (I’ll just give a link to it Click!) but for the seventh and eighth stanzas, I pretty much took directly from

God is jealous, and the LORD avenges;
The LORD avenges and is furious.
The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies;

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked.

(Nahum 1:2-3)

Who can stand before His indignation?
And who can endure the fierceness of His anger?
His fury is poured out like fire,
And the rocks are thrown down by Him.
(Nahum 1:6)

Interestingly, I didn’t find any Scripture that directly stated that Jesus took The Father’s wrath, as I expected to find. When Jesus said, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”, it is a direct quote from Psalm 22, but I guess I took it as it appeared – that God forsook Jesus. But then… Refreshing Spirit pointed out verse 24, “For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard.” (New King James Version capitalized like that – I’m used to the KJV, so seeing these caps was a shock. XD) This seems to be clear that the Father never turned away from His Son.

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“Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read— ‘because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.’ ” ’ (Second Kings 22:17)

All the places I’ve found in which God forsook someone, the other person forsook Him first. Also, His wrath is toward cities such as Sodom and Gomorrah, which were totally wicked. Jesus never forsook the Father and was never wicked, so He doesn’t meet these criteria.

You are of purer eyes than to behold evil,
And cannot look on wickedness.
Why do You look on those who deal treacherously,
And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours
A person more righteous than he?

The context here is that Habakkuk is wondering why the wicked seem to be prospering (thanks Refreshing Spirit!). This is how the NASB translates the verse:

Your eyes are too pure to approve evil,
And You can not look on wickedness with favor.
Why do You look with favor
On those who deal treacherously?
Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up
Those more righteous than they?

This verse is saying God doesn’t approve of wickedness. Jesus wasn’t wicked. So this can’t really apply to God looking at Jesus on the cross.

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At this point, I am thinking that when Jesus bore the punishment of the sins of the world, wrath was not included.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

…who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (First Peter 2:24 – Thanks T.R. for bringing this verse to my attention.)

And He died in our place. But it doesn’t say He took God’s wrath. Jesus died for us so God won’t become wrathful toward us.

God still has wrath toward the wicked; so all of God’s wrath wasn’t poured out on Jesus. But I am thankful that the Ultimate Sacrifice saves the children from having the Father’s wrath poured on them. ❤

And His children crave the right fruit. The fruit from the Tree of Life. That fruit can’t save, but when Jesus is Savior, the Holy Spirit allows us to crave the right fruit from the right tree and we have the power to overcome temptations through Him.

If you are still reading, thanks for reading through these long notes, and be sure to check out Refreshing Spirit’s part two to her wrath post, here! ❤

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Craving – A Poem

Worldly fruit is at first sweet,
But bitter in the end –
Like Adam and Eve
Discovered in the luscious garden.

The fruit of the wrong tree –
Eating from it is to defy God’s will –
That fruit is bad for me,
Yet I’m tempted to eat of it still.

Fruit of the flesh
Which came from the pit –
Eating it will bring death.
I look at the Fruit of the Spirit…

Against eating this fruit, there is no law
I reach for fruit from the Life-Giving Tree
And feel my heart begin to thaw
My icy heart of stone, melting within me

I am not worthy to approach this tree
The Fruit of the flesh is easier to get
Oh Lord Jesus, only You can help me
Eat of this fruit and not the one from the pit!

Soon the harvest will be ripe,
And the angel will reap
The vine of the Earth – the wicked
Will be crushed beneath His feet!

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
And will not at all acquit the impious –
His fire and brimstone will come and shower
His enemies with His righteous vengeance!

For Who could stand before His indignation?
And who could endure His anger?
His fury will be poured out like flames from heaven,
As He destroys the wicked and sinner.

Oh, I no longer wish to gratify
The sinful nature within me,
I only want to satisfy
My Lord God Almighty!

Whoever believes has life that will never cease
And will be with Him forever as He reigns.
Whoever doesn’t will find no peace
For on them, God’s wrath will remain.

The display of His wrath showcases
That His goodness is perfect and holy;
His wrath is aimed at sinfulness and wicked places –
I can’t begin to comprehend His holiness and glory!

The beautiful Tree of Life
Is the one I desire to crave;
Eating of it causes no strife
I’m satisfied forever and a day!

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This spawned out of a Gospel study with Olivia at Refreshing Spirit. There are 34 parts to this study (this was inspired by part three), and there will be notes and more stories like this whenever we finish a part. The theme for this was The Fall – Sin and the Wrath of God. Scripture references and thoughts // study notes I had while writing this poem will come out in a separate post on Monday morning, for the sake of length. 🙂

Just When I Thought I Would Crumble…

Image Credit: Aimee Vogelsang via Unsplash

The hedge of protection had been removed; suddenly I was vulnerable like Job. The enemy started to beat me until my heart cracked. I cried out to God to patch the cracks, but I received no answer. I trusted in Him, asked for Him to stay with me through it, not knowing His plan; and continued on.

Image Credit: Maxwell Young via Unsplash

Soon, I was under fire. The fiery darts of the enemy pierced me, leaving holes in my soul. I cried out to God to patch the holes, but He did not reply. I wondered if this was His plan or was the enemy trying to have his way? I fought in His name and prayed, but also trusted in Him.

Image Credit: Zoltan Tasi via Unsplash

The voice of the enemy came and tore my mind to shreds, trying to get me to question everything. What is from God? What is not? How do I discern? I study the Bible and ask for His wisdom, and trust in Him.

Image Credit: Aaron Burden via Unsplash

All of the other things coming at me began to affect my strength. I became weak. I asked Him to please protect my spirit from harm. It was weak from my cracked heart, holey soul, shredded forlorn mind, and lack of strength. My faith wanted to remain strong, but it saw its own weakness, and I prayed for Him to help my unbelief.

Image Credit: Kelly Sikkema via Unslpash

Finally, when I thought I would crumble, I heard this: 

“Now that your heart is cracked, My Light can shine through you and reach others. It is not to be kept under a bushel, nor hidden within a heart.”

Image Credit: Steve Halama via Unsplash

“Now that you have been pierced, My Holy Spirit can flow out of your soul much easier. No longer will you have to overflow; I can flow through you freely.”

Image Credit: Tyler Nix via Unsplash

“Now that you are questioning everything, I can use that to help you learn more about Me and draw you closer to Myself. Before, you thought pridefully that you knew much – how you knew some things but did not know them! – but in asking Me for wisdom and reading My Word, your pride is crumbling like the walls of Jericho and you can see what I say and not what people say.”

Image Credit: Me

“Now that your spirit is weak, you may find true strength in Me. For when you are weak, you are actually strong! Before, you relied on yourself, but now you have nothing left and must turn to Me for your source of strength.”

Image Credit: Neil Thomas via Unsplash

“Your humbleness to My plans has made it possible to create an outflow of My love through your damaged heart and soul. You gave them to Me to do what I will with it, and I did. What the enemy meant for evil, I will turn for good. Continue, my faithful servant, loving Me with all of your cracked heart, pierced soul, wondering mind, and weak spirit, and I will be with you every step. The road won’t be easy – you may crack even more, be pierced again, question everything you once believed about Me, and find that you are too weak to serve Me. But that is how I need you so that I can use you. Do you trust Me?”

Image Credit: Quino Al via unsplash

And then, despite the state my heart, soul, mind, and spirit was in, I felt peace.

“I trust You, my Lord.”

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“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.” (Luke 11:33 NKJV)

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37 NKJV)

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble…” James 4:6

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…” Genesis 50:20

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV)

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (Second Corinthians 12:8-9 NKJV)

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This is a little something I wrote a few months ago after praying about a rough patch I was going through. 🙂 I hope it can also bring hope to others. ❤

No Longer Haunted

Every time I think that I’m dead to sin,
It returns as an undead zombie
Threatening to eat me alive from within
Dying to self is not easy…

Making it stay dead is the hardest part of all
It’s like it comes from the pit of hell
A vampire that tries to feed upon my very soul
And leave me an empty shell…

I’m haunted by the self that I know
I am supposed to be dead to
A spirit of the past that shows
Up when I least expect it too

I want to give up this ghost but I can’t let go
Help my unbelief, O LORD, help my unbelief
This filth, this sin, this horror, is all I know
Let me see Your joy instead of the sins’ grief

I want to live, truly live, for You, Savior –
I can’t do that as long as I’m possessed
By this wickedness inside of my core
I want to be in Your favor, I want to be blessed!

I’m made from dirt, I’m made from sod
Wipe me clean, O Lord, make me innocent
Make me Your child, my Sovereign God
Make me white as the snowy mountain’s ascent

This darkness has a hold of my heart
Its grip threatens to crush me
And with its teeth, tear me apart
I can’t escape even though I want to desperately

Only You can help me, O Lord, only You!

It has me in its chains
That bind me and hold me.
“They no longer reign;
Don’t you know you are free?”

What? If I am free then how–
“You have been free since you believed.
It is in your hands now
Will you of these burdens be relieved?”

You purchased my freedom
So rich in kindness and grace
With the blood of Your Son
Our sins, You forgave.

I will let go, Lord, I will.
They can’t hold me
With Your Holy Spirit, fill
Me with Your humility.

Even at my worst,
You loved me when I didn’t love;
And because You loved me first
You waited to let me crawl back to You above.

I’m to come to You; for alone, I can’t do it.
By my lonesome I’m defenseless and weaponless;
But with You, I have the mighty Sword of the Spirit.
I’m done with the dead; I took Your yoke, and found rest.

I look back now and see how far I’ve traveled
I can’t believe it, it can only be Jesus Christ.
From the clutches of Hell, from Sin, unraveled,
All because of His glorious, humble sacrifice.

Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. (Psalm 142:7)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace… (Ephesians 1:3-7)

 

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Hello, WordPress friends! I’m back! I may not get to read blogs again until next week though. If all goes well, we’re moving from dial-up Internet to cable, at which point I will be able to load a blog within a few seconds instead of one every ten minutes. XD (Took about thirty minutes to load my “add new post page” and upload a photo for this post. My awful Internet went from bad to worse which is frustrating, haha.)

There are so many things that I can’t wait to post. I have new photos I’ve taken and new poems I’ve written over the break, and I’ve been nominated for the Liebster Award (Thank you, Celebrate His Love), the Seven Days Seven Photos B&W Challenge (Thank you, Miriam), The Fall Tag, and This is My Genre Tell Me Yours book tag (Thank you Incomplete Thinker – two tags, wow :D)! And if I’m missing any, I’m so sorry; I’m very behind in reading blogs right now; these are the ones I saw. 😅

I hope y’all had a great October! ❤

**Special thanks to Refreshing Spirit who helped me with the “snowy mountain’s ascent” line. 🙂

Stir

In response to the Poetry Six Word Challenge; what a fun challenge! 🙂 If you’d like to join in the fun, just click the link! 😉

Poetry =

Stanzas stir the spirit

The Path

I wrote this one a while ago – another poem with an odd rhyming pattern. 🙂 Have a great weekend, everyone! ♥

Life is a forest; I see no clear trail
I look at my surroundings, I grow pale
I don’t want to do this alone

I am lost, the meaning of confused
The sheep that went astray, bemused
Don’t want to be found and rescued

So I wander aimlessly, held by shadows
Too stubborn to desire escape, spirit too low
But He is there; I am not on my own

The Shepherd takes His staff to lead me
He brings me to green pastures to feed me
He brings me to a fork in the road; I must choose

There is one trail, full of ease
Following it would be a breeze
But it would only be to please us

I scoff at that slothful disgrace
Instead, I turn around to face
Where the path less traveled should be

Don’t want to become lost in here
This path is not always marked, unclear
Which way is the path to Jesus?

I find my way through the wood
I smile, knowing this is good
From that sinful life, I am free

The Bible is my map, He, my Guide
I know He’ll never leave my side
For He is my Savior, my Lord

When I wander, He leads me around
Sometimes lets me face plant the ground
All to bring me back to Him

When I stumble He keeps me from harm
When I fall, He lifts me into His arms
When the enemy comes, He grabs His sword

All we have to do is, in Him, believe
With Him, anything can be achieved
Even when the chances are slim

Psalm 119:104-106: Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.