Nuggets of Truth: Life's Precious Treasure from God's Word

By Jan Owens

Do you want to know who God is? Do you want to know who you are meant to be? Do you have a desire to have a successful and meaningful life? By putting The Word of God into your heart, like seed into good soil that produces a bountiful harvest, you will learn the secrets of living the abundant life. The Nuggets of Truth will help whet your appetite to know about the Living Word. The principles and truth within these pages will give you answers to satisfy the needs of your heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490811314

Jan Owens

Jan Owens resides in Lewisville, Texas. She has five children, fifteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She spent 24 years in full-time Christian work in the field of Christian education as an administrative assistant and conducted workshops. She is an author of the book, Never Give Up, a speaker, and a Bible teacher. She has a DVD entitled “Set Free” with a Study Guide. Jan has recorded three piano CD’s. Because of a powerful encounter with the Lord in her late sixties, the book, website, music and monthly Bible teachings came forth. She has a desire to share the Word of God to help others understand who they are in Christ and what a powerful personal relationship we can have with the Heavenly Father, Jesus the Son and Holy Spirit.

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CHAPTER 1

Rowing, Towing, or

Full Speed Ahead

I was raised in Bremerton, Washington, on the Puget Sound. I never tired of seeing the ferries from Seattle coming into the dock. Bremerton is the home of a naval base, as well. In my childhood, I well remember the thrill of seeing an aircraft carrier, destroyer, and once in a while, the top of a submarine glide into port.

Since I lived by the water, I developed a love for boats—any size or shape. (I must say, being a pampered guest on a cruise ship is a wonderful experience!) There is something special about being in a rowboat in the middle of a lake or bay, watching fluffy clouds on a beautiful day. The air is calm, and there is such a sense of peace as you gaze at the lovely scenery surrounding you.

Occasionally, you could see a tugboat pull its cargo, chugging through the waters. On the other hand, there is nothing like riding full speed ahead in one of those sleek, outboard motorboats.

Reflecting on this, I felt assured there was a biblical application lingering somewhere for a Nuggets of Truth post.

Lessons of Life from the Boats

The Church Boat. Many attend a church regularly, but how many have had a real encounter with the living Savior that resulted in a changed heart and life that reflects the love of Christ within? We are not saved by our efforts or works but only by placing our trust in Jesus.

The Tugboat. In listening to others, as well as teaching the Word, I learn many carry around a cargo of fear, grief, shame, guilt, depression, unbelief, and a host of other constantly negative emotions. These emotions load a person down in such a way they cannot lift their eyes and see that Jesus took it all on the cross, once for all. To enjoy peace and joy in this present world, we must let go of all that unwanted cargo. Surrender it all to the Lord and let Him be your peace.

The Speedboat. Outboards can give us an exhilarating ride, but it is always very temporary. We get back to shore, and the exhilaration quickly vanishes. Like the boat ride, one day we wake up and realize we have been so busy living life in accordance with our own minds, wills, and emotions that we did not take God into consideration on a daily basis. We pause and wonder how we got into such a mess.

The Battleship. There is a time and place to be on one of these ships. Our battle is the Lord’s, and He has given us all the battle gear (see Ephesians 6:10-20). The Word of God is our operating manual. In the Christian realm, we should be like the dedicated navy Seals and other military personnel who are trained and disciplined, ready every day for any assignment to go against the enemy who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy.

The Rowboat. It represents that peace only Jesus can bring. When the storm clouds come, the wise one rows back to shore to a haven of rest, knowing with full assurance that his or her Master is in control of every storm that he or she will encounter. And He will lead us through.

The Ship Zion. (Sounds like a hymn.) One day we will have a permanent home in a New Jerusalem. We will call this ship the place where God lives and is worshipped. Jesus is the perfect, powerful, and holy captain. He is the master builder of the ship as well as of all life. He will never, never get us off course as we follow Him wherever He takes us. The Lord knows the safe harbors from the storms of life. The fellowship aboard this vessel is wonderful and sweet. It is a taste of what heaven will be.

The Ship of New Life. This is our personal ship that sails with the ship of Zion. The best voyage is on this ship because we know how much God loves us, and we understand we are on His mind. On this ship, the atmosphere is filled with love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, faith, and self-control. What a wonderful way to live. Why did Jesus pay such a supreme sacrifice to give us everything? It was because of His love. Do you know the Lord wants to have fellowship with you? What a thought! Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11).

The almighty Creator of the universe desires to commune with us and bless us. He is also a perfect Abba Father (Romans 8:15) who delights in us. When we receive salvation through Jesus, we are given deliverance, healing, and the hope of all His promises. Trust Him with your life. Surrender your all and see how well you sail through this life. Worship God and give praise with thankfulness. A thankful heart settles the storm. God knows the waters we pass through. He is the one who said, Peace be still in the midst of the storm.¹ This is the ship where we belong. Here we will be safe and secure no matter what comes our way.

I want you blessed. As Christians, we must be in the Bible daily. Otherwise, we do not know how to chart our courses. Seek the power of the precious Holy Spirit, who dwells within. Depending on our own minds, wills, and emotions gains no merit. Our own efforts and self-will constantly lead us into choppy waters, where the sailing is rough, insecure, and the future most obscure.

In the troubling waters of today’s society, we should choose our boats very carefully. My dear friend, on which ship do you travel? Do you have full assurance that you have been born again? Perhaps it is time to disembark from one boat and board another.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

(Romans 15:13)

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CHAPTER 2

A Poison and the Antidote

We are to keep our heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). What does it mean to keep our heart? This word, from the Hebrew word nastier¹, means to watch, guard, preserve, guard from dangers, observe, guard with fidelity, be kept close, and be blockaded.

I would like to address a serious issue that affects the status of our hearts: an unforgiving spirit. It is like a dangerous dose of poison. Poison² can be defined as "anything infectious, malignant, or noxious to health; to have a harmful influence on; corrupt."

One of the greatest enemies to a healthy spiritual heart is a root of bitterness stemming from an unforgiving spirit. Many do not understand the dangers and consequences to us mentally, physically, and spiritually when we do not totally forgive others and ourselves. In essence, we grow a hard heart. We might say we forgive on the surface, but we never go deep enough to give total forgiveness to the one who has hurt us. The poison has started to take effect.

If an unforgiving spirit is allowed to stay in the heart, bitterness and resentment will take root and grow to such an extent they eventually eat away at our abilities to forgive. Hurt comes to us by many avenues:

•   when you’ve been hurt and can’t let go of it

•   when trust is broken

•   harsh or hurtful words spoken to you

•   when you were treated unfairly

•   through emotional, mental, or physical abuse

•   preconceived ideas about a situation, when in reality you did not see the whole picture

•   incidents that happened long ago that stay in the mind like barbs

•   unsettled disagreements that fester

•   unfair disadvantage in financial matters

•   lies spoken against you

•   taking up another’s offense

•   bitterness from harm that came from a loved one

•   bitterness against God because of the problems you face

•   misunderstandings

Abuse victims often blame themselves for the wrong done to them. It is a favorite ploy of the Devil to deceive the minds of young children and adults who have suffered such awful offenses. It becomes very difficult for an abused person to forgive themselves or others.

Even in these difficult situations, we are commanded to forgive. Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is oneself. When we allow resentment and bitterness to stay within us, it becomes like a poison that never goes away. An unforgiving spirit is the root cause. Bitterness and resentfulness can manifest in the form of such things as judgments, anger, unbelief, sickness, bitter words, negativity, stress, inferiority, timidity, and a hard heart. The poison must come out or it will infect the entire body.

When a hurting person tries to bury or deny a problem involving resentment and bitterness, it will not stay buried. The poison of anger, inferiority, and guilt is still in the heart. Christians who hold on to such emotions may not understand who they really are and the true nature of a loving God. The nature of God never stops loving.

Listen to the words of the Lord: And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses (Mark 11:25-26). This is clearly a command to forgive. If unheeded, it will bring serious consequences.

Even those who are not Christians gain by totally forgiving, not just on the surface but deep down into the heart. I can think of situations where a child or loved one has been killed because of a terrible incident of abuse or murder, and the perpetrator was put into prison. The trials are long and bring open wounds. There can be a hotbed of hatred and anger. But when loved ones forgive the perpetrator, liberty comes to their souls, whether or not the offender cares to change. When victims refuse to forgive, they create a jail of their own making. When we forgive those who have wronged us, we are set free, even if the perpetrator never asks for our forgiveness. This brings us a wonderful sense of liberation. We are then free to love.

Here is one way to know your heart. If you have an unforgiving spirit toward a person, then you’ll notice that when their name comes before you or an incident involves them, you’ll experience what I call a ping. The ping is an instantaneous feeling of resentment or dislike. You don’t want to reach out and love them. You find it easy to magnify the other person’s faults and bring judgment upon them, while being unaware of the ugliness in your own heart. Each one of us knows when we have not truly forgiven and forgotten. This unresolved hurt causes us to respond angrily or negatively. If the matter is never settled within our soul, there is no peace in this area. We rehearse issues over and over in our minds. Often the resentment spills out at a most unlikely time. Everyone knows who or what is his or her ping.

Picture a little gate to the entrance of your mind. When we harbor any hurt, resentment, an unforgiving spirit, and so on, we have allowed that gate to be opened and the deceptions of the Devil to enter our minds. He loves to mess with our minds. It can be so subtle that we do not realize the source. Satan knows how important it is to God that we forgive others, and he will do his best to add fuel to the fire of hurt and resentments. We then become deceived about our own needs. Everything becomes someone else’s fault.

Why is having an unforgiving spirit such a serious problem? Because there was one who had to die because of it. Jesus bore the brutality of all our sins, and every offense was nailed to the cross. Jesus’ love was and is unconditional, and His mercy abounds. He was the supreme example of forgiving those who reviled Him, hated Him, and treated Him unjustly. His love, proved by Calvary’s cross, provided a way for us to forgive and love others. We are without excuse if we do not forgive.

Good news: Total forgiveness sets us free to enjoy peace, joy, and love. The memory of the hurt may not go away, but it will no longer sting. It does not matter what the other person is, does, or even says, the one who forgives will more easily bounce back from an offense done to him or her when he or she has set the offender free. Yes, the forgiver is totally free. The beauty of it all is that the one who forgives can pray successfully for the one who has been hurtful.

The only way out of the problem of having an unforgiving spirit is for us to repent (release the hurt) and forgive the one who has hurt us. There is no other way.

When we forgive, a spiritual transaction takes place. God blesses those who seek peace and righteousness, and He does it in a marvelous way. When we ask forgiveness for our own sins, He forgives by the power of His blood and puts it behind Him. The Lord will not bring it up again. Satan will try to pollute your mind over and over again with the incident, and your flesh may want revenge, but the Lord never, ever does these things to you. Take authority over the offense and do not allow it to stay in your mind.

If there is an issue, you need to settle it before it is too late. The subtle thing about an unforgiving spirit is that it will infect everyone around the one who is holding on to such feelings. It ruins relationships and affects children as well as the adults in the home.

If we have an