Mary Lindow ~ The Messenger Podcast

By Mary Lindow

THERE’S SO MUCH COMING OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA FROM DIFFERENT KINDS OF PUBLICATIONS!

Strange doctrines, strange practicing of things and mixtures within Christianity that have become strange mixtures of belief in faith systems, and then there’s been a tremendous amount of deception and hiding.

And more often than not, whenever there’s deception in doctrine or the way people are lead, you can usually find that there’s a mishandling of funds.

So, we’re going to discuss some of the things that we need to have in place, in our lives!I need them, in order to be strong in the Lord in the power of his might, but also to walk wisely in this time!

TODAY’S PODCAST IS GOING TO JUST GET RIGHT AT IT SO HERE WE GO!

A seasoned and deep thinking friend and I had a phone conversation last week about what actual accountability and really being authentic looks like.

SO MANY INDIVIDUALS WANT TO "LEAD" AND "BE IN CHARGE",

We can twist our own self treatments and assessments of things, and never really fully grow. Our souls like to have their own way and they fiercely resist honest confrontation and further personal work!

We can become “prickly” and feel that we are not needing perhaps any additional life-course corrections or two! And quite possibly, we can pull ourselves inward and shut out the things that we just don’t want to “unpack” and talk about. We actively avoid any word of warning or concern, even when delivered in gentleness and love.

WHEN THIS TYPE OF “LEAVE ME ALONE” BEHAVIOR OCCURS,

ULTIMATELY, WE REALLY CAN'T "FIX" ANYONE.

These dear mentors and teachers of truth, like the dear women I glean from (whom I trust explicitly to be gracious yet firm with me), are not competitive or overbearing. They just know the reality of what takes place when you choose not to continue to grow upwards and shows it outwards in how we treat others.

What Is REAL Accountability?

Introverts and Extroverts Both Have Ways

WHEN THE DEEPER WORK IN OUR SOUL IS AVOIDED...

SOME INDIVIDUALS CHOOSE TO GROW WHEN THINGS “FEEL BETTER”

BUT THEY ARE STILL IN CONTROL OF HOW FAR THEY CHOOSE TO SURRENDER TO OPTIMUM GROWTH.

And so... we therefore, live in “selective truth” about ourselves.

This causes stalled and dwarfed growth where weeds rapidly entangle the healthy growth we were experiencing, and if not tended to, these weeds and “life controls and cares” choke out fully mature fruit.

Matthew 13:20-23 says,

Don’t run from suffering; embrace it.

Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all.

Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.

What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself?

What could you ever trade your soul for?”

WHEN YOU FIRST GO AGAINST YOUR CONSCIENCE in some area of your life, you feel it. It’s an “unpleasant nagging feeling” that what you did was wrong.

At that point, you will either submit to your conscience, (the conviction of God’s Holy Spirit), and do the right thing, or you will resist your conscience (the conviction of God’s Holy Spirit), and willingly once again, choose to brush it off and choose to go against it.

THAT IS A CRITICAL MISTAKE!

Proverbs 21: 2 says,

BUT THE LORD WEIGHS THE HEART”.

Psalm 36:2 tells us,

to detect or hate their sin."

SELF DECEPTION WILL CONVINCE PEOPLE

YOUR CONSCIENCE ACTS IN A WAY AS YOUR "PROSECUTING ATTORNEY." Whenever you go against what is good, your conscience will accuse you (con-vict you) and seek to convict you of your "crime."

It’s a blessing to sense that corrective conviction! We all need that in our lives!

Oh how hard it is to pay the financial, emotional and investing of time, “price” when it comes to facing our OWN issues! Gazillions of excuses are explained away as why we “just caaan’t” (won’t) take the time right now to be accountable to consistent help for our issues!

IS THIS IRRITATING TO LISTEN TO OR READ MY FRIENDS? Probably!

Without it, we are operating a highly advanced "computer" of the ever pleasure seeking soul/mind, without any firewall and without any protection against destructive behavior.

If this sense of entitlement or special treatment isn’t dealt with honestly and with a humility before God, and a person who cloaks their wickedness with spiritual piety yet expects to be treated “special” and expects that his/her wishes will be complied with, this expectation doesn't allow others to have different opinions, say no, or have needs.

If you refuse to do what they want, you will be threatened, told you aren’t “submissive enough”, blamed, and made to feel guilty for not “fawning over an entitled person’s need for adoration”, putting their needs first, and their excuses!

JESUS WAS CONSTANTLY AWARE OF WHAT WAS IN THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE THAT HE DEALT WITH! He knew when people were willing to hurt him, when people were insincere, when people were manipulating him, and when people were pretending. He is still aware!

PROUD PEOPLE don't think that they have anything to repent about!

BROKEN PEOPLE realize they have need of a continual heart attitude of repentance.

TRULY BROKEN PEOPLE (not just wounded people) continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with God.

HONESTLY ASK GOD IF YOU ARE “STUCK IN LIFE” and continue to repeat cycles of behaviors in relationships.

YOU WILL REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES AND BEHAVIORS

OR

FEEL MINIMIZED AND LESSER IN YOUR LIFE.

REPENTANCE IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL FRIENDS!

DECEPTION AFFECTS SELF-WORTH, OFTEN RESULTING IN SELF-BLAME.

Self-blame and that “stupid feeling” are intensified when we tell others and then hear, “Well, I could have told you that this would happen” or, “I saw a lot of signs, but I knew you wouldn’t listen to me.”

Criticism, admonition, and judgment by others doesn’t help!

DECEPTION ALSO BRINGS FEELINGS OF GRIEF AND ANGER, OFTEN AT THE SAME TIME. People are angry to be deceived, but yet when that “someone” is a person they loved or had a close relationship with, this anger is often wrapped in grief.

We can be angry as a mad bull one second, and crying uncontrollably the next, and then kicking ourselves for crying over the person who caused the deception.

JEREMIAH 9:6 SURE DOES SHOW THE ANGER GOD FEELS OVER DECEIT!!

It says,

in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,” declares the LORD.”

The Bible consistently portrays greed and deceit as sins that lead to spiritual death, divine judgment, and personal destruction. These narratives and teachings serve as a warning and serious reminder of the importance of integrity, honesty, and contentment in the life of a believer.

The Apostle Paul warns against greed and deceit in his letters.

In 1 Timothy 6:10, he writes,

Ephesians 4:25 advises,

OUR REFUGE AND PLACE OF SAFETY ISN’T THE GROUND OR THE HOUSE WE TRY TO BUILD OURSELVES. It’s God Himself.

He doesn’t promise to stop every storm or patch every crack.

Some of us walked into this morning, into this day, carrying anxiety, fear, exhaustion, trying to hold things together on our own.

THE GOSPEL INVITES US TO LAY DOWN OUR BURDENS, NOT BE CRUSHED BY THEM; TO LET GOD BE GOD.

SO AS WE COME TO CONFESSION,

Let’s trust in the One...

LET’S PRAY THIS PRAYER OF CONFESSION TOGETHER.

Father, we confess that when life shakes, our reflex is to grab control.

We try to fix it, to hold it together,

We confess how quickly we trust our plans more than your presence, our effort, more than your grace.

You have said, “Be still, and know that I am God,” but we have been restless and afraid. We’ve tried to be our own refuge instead of resting in You.

So right now, we bring our fear, our striving, and our unbelief into the light.

We confess these sins to You now in the quiet of this moment. Amen!

WELL! I HOPE THAT THIS GAVE YOU SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.

I think it’s something I need to think about as well. Often!

WE GET INTO THESE PLACES WHERE WITHOUT WISDOM we’re just kind of rowing a boat without oars, and then we try to improvise and use our hands and we find out we tire out, we get frustrated, we get overheated, and the passage of time is slow.

I encourage you in this time in the world that even though "hey!"..... People are saying things are getting better, and things are getting smarter, and better things are happening. I’m all for a positive attitude and a good heart and to speak hope to people, but I’m also highly aware of that darkness IS darkness, and the evil is evil, and the goal to take freedoms and joy, and hope, and biblical foundations away from people is a real plan.

It’s an enemy tactic, and other human beings are used to play it out.

IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE THAT IS A HIDDEN DARK THING OR SOMETHING YOU’RE REALLY ASHAMED OF, and you’re afraid that if you tell someone else they’re going to “blabber it”somewhere else, well if it’s a criminal act, you need to go to the police with it, or you need to confess it! (That will help you get free from running and hiding, because eventually most criminals slip up and they slip up to the wrong people!)

Get legal counsel if you need to!

If you’ve been snarky or mean or rude or have pushed away people who have tried to love you and guide you, and for some reason you feel like you’re “the authority in your life on all things”, that tells me you’re prickly because of wounds in the past.

CALL UPON THE LORD!

Relationships are messy!

I ENCOURAGE YOU TODAY TO LET THE LORD WALK THROUGH

THOSE PARTS OF YOUR LIFE THAT YOU WALLED OFF TO OTHERS

OR WALLED OFF TO HIM.

NOW... IF THERE’S BEEN GREAT HARM DONE TO YOU BY OTHERS,

IT’S NOT YOUR JOB TO GO TRY TO BUILD A BRIDGE.

IT’S YOUR JOB TO KEEP YOUR HEART RIGHT AND PRAY FOR THEM AND PRAY THAT THE LORD WILL CAUSE THEM TO HUMBLE THEMSELVES.

AS CHRISTIANS GOD‘S GOAL IS RECONCILIATION.

I BLESS YOU TODAY, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO OUR NEXT PODCAST TOGETHER.

Goodbye for now!

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www.marylindow.podbean.com

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By Mary Lindow

IT’S A STRANGE AND TWISTED WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN!

Many well meaning people try hard to give pep talks, cheery texts and even send emails with profound  topics or inspirational contents all in the hope of giving a bit of relief from the ever increasing “noises” of an uncertain world.

Jesus told us in John 16:33,

“ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. 

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. 

But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

WHAT DO YOU FEAR?

This is not always an easy question to answer right away. Emotions and physical reactions to the question begin to swirl and elevate stress levels when anxiety creeps in. And, fear is a terror that can paralyze anyone if enough of it is allowed to enter our minds. And that is exactly where it first penetrates our peace. In the Mind.

Fear; noun

Fright, fearfulness, horror, alarm, panic, agitation, trepidation, dread, consternation, dismay, distress; anxiety, worry, angst, unease, uneasiness, apprehension, nervousness, foreboding.

That’s quite an explanation of how many ways fear can move and affects us!

WHEN WE FEAR WE MAKE POOR CHOICES

If you are afraid or “fear” being misled by someone, you will limit your intimacy or openness with him or her. Many believers in need of healing emotionally from harsh or indifferent parenting tend to keep deep relationships or friendship at arm’s length in order to maintain a sense of control or privacy for themselves.

This can become a form of “selective hearing or selective listening” if the individual feels that they need to remain aloof and frosty in order to gain the respect or validation that they feel that they need to exist.

The problem with this cycle is that is creates a private  “terror” of not having a solid place of safety with a few dear and treasured people, flawed people… but those willing to also be vulnerable and open.

Psalm 27:1 tells us that,

“The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? 

The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?”

Every situation, location, and relationship of our everyday lives is in some way broken.  As fallen creatures, the best we can ever do in this life is to know how to live in this broken-down house/earth suit, that’s our current address. And, nothing and no one but God himself, in the fullness of his time, can change where we live. 

So as we experience the reality of life in "this house”… 

Sometimes it will leave us confused and overwhelmed.

Sometimes it will leave us hurt and angry. 

Sometimes people will give way to envy because the house or “life” of someone living nearby seems far less broken. 

Sometimes we just get weary of the stress of it all and long for a house in perfect repair.

YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE!

In those moments, those days, those seasons, remember that you are never on your own. The Master Builder has given us a copy of his renovation manual, the Bible. It will help us to understand why things are as broken as they are. It teaches us how to live well even in the midst of the brokenness. And it will explain the only way in which repair can ever happen.

Just never forget that the Designer himself has moved into the house with you. You’ve not been left alone. You can rest assured of his presence and his wisdom. His grace has blessed you with both of these.

However, He must be fully welcomed and invited into all of the “locked and hidden access areas” that others are not often trusted to enter into.

He who offers you such grace and guidance will never ask you to do what you are not fully capable of doing by God’s grace and ever present Spirit.

He will not demand things of you that are beyond your abilities.

Our Lord is tender and kind. He knows who you are and he knows where you’re living. He knows how hard it is to live in your broken-down house because in the flesh he lived here himself.

The Lord invites you to walk away from trying to figure it out on your own and he welcomes you to sit at his feet and learn the simplicities of living; things so full of meaning that you will see your world in a completely new way; things so practical that you will never live the same way again.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, 

but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Philippians 2:3 

TAKE A LOOK IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR FOR ONE MOMENT

Have you recently made decisions about who you will share with on any level such as giving, talking of dreams, sorrows, losses, major life events, and then afterward - pulled back only to run to either another source for additional validation or to agree with your choices or decisions? 

Or, 

Have you reacted to some of the counsel or responses you have received by testing those whom you have shared with by removing your favor, kindness or former warmth from them?

These actions are often made rapidly when we are fearful or fear being wounded, and shift us into a place of survival and self-protection. They can also isolate us from a loving, safe and healthy “corrective course” or direction away from fear and its tentacles.

FINDING THE PLACE OF SAFETY AND ACCEPTANCE

When we step into the hand of God we find the place of acceptance and safety, and an opportunity for service. It’s the place of real authority, as well as of hiddenness. God works patiently with those who are in His hand and also those who keep jumping out of it, attempting to either control their own fears, but instead, often try to control others around them due to being fearful of the choices others make possibly affecting them.

These actions and the need for control can greatly hinder the ability to trust other godly people and above all, to trust the safety of letting God do His job, while we rest in His hand. The more we lie sheltered there, the more surely will He use us down the road. 

And, it will be alongside others who freely share all that they have, without fear. As we learn and as we let go we allow the Father to build a “Safe House” out of our lives in His presence.

May the Lord do for us according to His word.

He said in Isaiah 51:16,

"I have put My words in thy mouth, 

and I have covered thee in the shadow of My hand."

Charles Spurgeon spoke such a beautiful statement,

and I want to share it with you here.

“The shadow of God is not the occasional resort,

but the constant abiding- place, of the saint.

Under His shadow we are to feel that we are at home, 

and then He will make Himself at home to us

by becoming food unto our souls, 

and giving spiritual refreshment to us while we rest.”

NO MORE HOOPS TO JUMP!

When this is learned and treasured, you will then not withhold from or test others with rules or regulations set up to certainly fail them. We ruin great friendships or opportunities when we expect from others total vulnerability and openness and then only give part of what we have and who we are back in return.

Colossians 3:12 tells us,

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, 

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, 

gentleness and patience.”

Perhaps you are waiting on Christ, desiring His company, and while you are thinking these thoughts you are asking, 

“Will He ever direct His full gaze upon me? 

Will He ever speak loving words to me? 

Will He ever let me sit at His feet? 

Will He ever permit me to lean my head upon His shoulder?" 

COME AND STEP BACK INTO THE SHELTER OF HIS HAND.

Though you might shake like a leaf in a strong wind. Come! Sometimes those who come trembling are those who are aware that they are the lowest and the Creator the highest. When we finally admit that our own self-esteem is less than nothing and is a total set up for performance to be valued, then Jesus becomes the “more good and lovely in our eyes”.

Let your humility of heart and your sense of hollowness as a replacement for disqualifying you, be a sweet instrument for leading you to receive more of Christ.

“Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, But humility comes before honor.” 

-Proverbs 18:12 

The emptier I am, the more room there is for the Lord.

The more I lack, the more He will give me.

The more I feel my weakness, the more shall I adore and bless Him when He makes me whole.

You’re never in a better place than when you give up on you and begin to trust in what is certain.The life-shaping wisdom of the One who created you - in the first place.

“After all, every house has a builder,  But the builder of everything is God.”

-Hebrews 3:4

Christian self-worth is the deep, steady assurance that your value comes from God, not from what you do, how you look, or what others think about you. 

It’s about embracing your identity as a beloved child of God, created on purpose and for a purpose. This kind of self-worth is unshakable because it’s rooted in His unchanging truth, not in the shifting opinions or standards of the world.

The Bible reminds us in Psalm 139:14 that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and in Ephesians 2:10 that we are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” 

These verses aren’t just nice words; they are declarations of identity that stand firm no matter what life throws at us. When you live with Christian self-worth, you carry the peace of knowing that your worth is secure, even in moments of failure or uncertainty.

Unlike worldly self-worth, which often rises and falls with success, relationships, or appearance, Christian self-worth is constant. It doesn’t ignore your flaws or struggles, but it frames them in the light of God’s grace. You can acknowledge your weaknesses without letting them define you, because your ultimate identity rests in who God says you are, and He calls you loved, chosen, and enough.

The Lie of “I’m Not Enough” and  Where It Comes From

The belief that “I’m not enough” often starts quietly, weaving itself into our hearts long before we realize it’s there. For some, it begins in childhood, maybe through criticism, neglect, or unrealistic expectations from parents, teachers, or authority figures. Others may have absorbed it from a culture that measures worth by performance, appearance, or possessions. Over time, these experiences plant seeds of self-doubt that can grow into a deep-rooted belief that we are somehow lacking.

Low self-esteem often stems from

the pressure to meet unrealistic standards. 

But God doesn’t call us to perfection; He calls us to growth. 

Philippians 1:6 reassures us that, 

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” 

When we embrace growth as a journey rather than a destination, we free ourselves to make progress without the fear of failure.

Each day, ask God to guide your growth and show you where He wants to refine you.  Be patient with yourself as you work toward your goals, and celebrate even the smallest victories as evidence of His transformative work in your life. 

Surround yourself with reminders of God’s grace, whether through Scripture, worship, or the testimonies of others. 

Over time, you’ll find that letting go of the things that cause a fear of not being good enough, allows you to live with greater peace and confidence.

Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is welcomed 

provided that complete source, Podcast and website information 

for Mary Lindow is included.

Thank You!

Copyright  2026  "THE MESSENGER “ - “The Advocate of Hope”

 Mary Lindow

www.marylindow.com

https://marylindow.podbean.com/

If you would be so kind and assist Mary helping her to meet other administrative needs such as website and podcast costs, 

or 

desire to bless her service in ministry with Spirit-led Love gifts 

or regular support:

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THANK YOU!

By Mary Lindow

I welcome you to today's podcast and look forward to sharing this message with you! 

I told you in my last podcast that had some things on my heart that we're concerning me as well as just observing some of the trajectory of things going on, I guess we could call it “largely in the Body of Christ”, as well as the Lord allowing exposures and allowing things to be brought to light when others choose to not fear and revere the Lord.  When they have no real understanding of how long he gives us before we are allowed to have that brought to light.

In Ecclesiastes 8:5-6 it says,

(This is the key scripture I’m using to address part of this message.)

“Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,

and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.

For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily upon him.”

BEING TESTED, STRETCHED, AND RESTRAINED.

It’s in all of our lives as believers, we face times and settings where there is a feeling of being pulled and tested, stretched and restrained.

Often, during these excruciating events, those who avoid personal character development tend to give unrestrained advice, spiritualized platitudes, and often, trumped up words of “so-called” prophetic inspiration to help us not suffer so much!

As we begin to see the Lord's plan in all of this we also come to understand that if we are not first hearing His voice, His heart, His word in the matters that are straining us, nothing any man or woman says can bring the ultimate light of clarity and release!

WE HAVE WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER, AND FALL.

We all face seasons of change that correspond much like the four seasons we observe yearly.

Nothing is more surprising than to have an interruption of what we anticipate to be what is "normal" for an earthly expectation, in one of those seasons.

When a sudden ice storm blows in unexpected in the late spring and encrusts the tender blooms on fruit trees and garden plants, we are devastated by the loss of not only the blooms, but also the fruit it could have produced. It appears as if there has been a cruel storm, sent to cause crop failure.

UPHEAVAL. LOSS. DISAPPOINTMENT. 

For many listening to or reading this message, you feel as if you have experienced a "Crop failure", perhaps several, and just can’t take one more aching disappointment. 

Many hearts have passed their tender agonies on to me on paper, in emails and through the telephone.

ANGUISH HAS ITS OWN PERFUME

I have also heard the whispers of the voices of darkness try to entice, with wearisome words of worry, paranoia and doubting!

"Give up!" they say! 

“What good is this time of shaking doing?"

"What possible good can come out of believing that there is something occurring that will bring a fresh and healthy  move of God’s goodness, when all seems to have stalled or strained?"

In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul lists the works of the 'flesh' (“sinful nature”).  

In the middle he mentions “idolatry, sorcery” (NKJV) or “idolatry and witchcraft” (NIV).

THE CONTROL CONNECTION!

This is our fallen, rebellious, sinful nature. And if not brutally dealt with - this insidious root can deceive even the Christian believer if he of she is not transparent before God and is in humble, healthy and mature relational accountability to other members in the Body of Christ! 

(Not easy to do…but healthy!)

But real godly accountability must be vulnerable at all times, wise in listening to advice, and not selective about what things WE want to be accountable for or not. 

“Delicatessen Accountability” is not going to bless your life, 

and it will frustrate your family and friends to tears.

HUMILITY HAS NO PROBLEM EXPOSING ITSELF.

It’s a natural outpouring of what is in the heart of a true follower when put under the pressure of the test of exposure.

NOTICE IN THE BOOK OF ACTS THAT SOME BELIEVERS 

OPENLY CONFESSED THEIR SINS TO ONE ANOTHER!

Acts 19:18 says, 

“Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds.”

AND AGAIN IN THE BOOK OF JAMES,

ALL BELIEVERS ARE URGED TO CONFESS THEIR SINS 

HUMBLY TO ONE ANOTHER, AND ALLOW THEM 

TO BE PRAYED FOR AND HEALED OF HIDDEN WRONGDOING!

James 5:16 says,

“Therefore confess your sins to each other,

and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

So! What’s The Definition of ACCOUNTABILITY? 

Accountability - noun

responsibility." 

Liability, answerability

:  the quality or state of being accountable; 

especially,  an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions

THIS NATURE OF THE FLESH OFTEN MANIFESTS ITSELF,

 EVEN IN INFANCY, IN EFFORTS TO CONTROL OTHER PEOPLE! 

We feel secure if we can control others.

Then they do not threaten us! 

They do what WE want!

GOD, ON THE OTHER HAND…

…NEVER SEEKS TO CONTROL US.

He respects the free will He has given to each of us, although He does hold us responsible for how we use that freedom.

THERE ARE THREE WAYS THE DESIRE TO CONTROL OTHERS EXPRESSES ITSELF:

☑ MANIPULATION

☑ INTIMIDATION

☑ DOMINATION

THE GOAL IS DOMINATION!

People who recognize that they are weaker than those they seek to control, tend to manipulate.

Those who feel stronger tend to intimidate. 

But the end purpose is the same: 

TO DOMINATE - 

meaning….

… To control others and get them to do what we want.

MANY FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS PORTRAY THIS.

Husbands intimidate their wives by fits of rage or actual violence.

Wives manipulate their husbands by tears and hurt feelings, and often making them feel guilty for their shortcomings. 

Parents frequently intimidate or manipulate their children. 

But, alternatively, children can become extremely good at manipulating their parents.

ONE MAIN TOOL OF MANIPULATION …

… IS GUILT.

Once we learn to recognize the desire to control others as an evil, manipulative force, we will see it at work in many different areas.

ONCE WE RECOGNIZE THESE DEVICES ARE 

DISGUISES OF REBELLION, WE REALIZE 

THAT IN OUR CONTEMPORARY AND POST MODERN CULTURE

 WE ARE BEING EXPOSED CONTINUALLY TO ITS PRESSURE! 

This sure gives new meaning to Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that says,  “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers”. 

People who are in the habit of using manipulation or intimidation to control others will be taken over by a deceitful spirit masquerading itself in many cloaked forms, often shifting it's present behavior or mask, in order to influence others to THEIR  WAY way of thinking. 

This is still a form of evil. 

After that they will be unable to relate to anyone apart from these tactics.

“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” -Proverbs 28:13

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you,  And did not cover up my wrongdoing.

I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "- And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”  Selah. -Psalm 32:5

EVERY PERSON MUST MEET THE CONDITIONS FOR BEING SET FREE

Psalm 38:18 says

“I confess my wrongdoing;

I am troubled by my sin.”

ON ONE SIDE, THE PERSON EXERCISING CONTROL MUST REPENT AND RENOUNCE HIS OR HER DESIRE TO CONTROL.

ON THE OTHER SIDE, THE PERSON BEING CONTROLLED MUST REPENT OF SUBMITTING TO SUCH CONTROL.

(This does not mean necessarily a separation from the relationship… but a healthy detaching from 'being controlled' as the relationship functions. 

Fear is at work underneath this structure… fear of man…etc.)

FEAR OF MAN. What IS That?

It is obvious that we must fear God rather than man. If we fear man more than God, we will displease God most of the time, because man's ways are usually opposite of God's.

THE WORD "FEAR" MEANS TO "TREMBLE".

The fear of man may be evident by someone being overly fashion-conscious, needing to be noticed for their trendy appearance. Other forms of having the fear of man is being easily embarrassed (even when doing right), being quick to defend ourselves (with lies, if need be), the telling of grandiose or constant lies and deceptions to gain honor from others, by pretending to understand when we don't, by giving compliments which we don't mean, by pretending to agree when we should disagree, by avoiding giving criticisms and warnings even when necessary.

AND, here’s a big one.

Gaslighting or planting suspicious seeds about someone else in order to appear more credible or spiritual to peers. 

Oh the insidious nature of the flesh! 

OBVIOUSLY, A MAN-FEARER WILL NOT ONLY DISPLEASE GOD, 

BUT WILL ALSO ULTIMATELY BE CONSIDERED TOTALLY UNSTABLE AND UNTRUSTWORTHY BY OTHERS - BECAUSE HE OR SHE WILL CHANGE THEIR MIND AS SOON AS THEY FACE SOMEONE ELSE.

In other words, the "honor" that they receive is only a momentary acknowledgement for "convenience" provided by their man-pleasing deed. 

➡️ Man-fearers are "used" and then despised. ⬅️

Besides…

…WHO KNOWS WHEN A "MAN-FEARER" MAY TURN AGAINST YOU, AND "SLAY" YOU, SO THEY CAN OBTAIN HONOR FROM OTHER MEN OR WOMEN?

Look at the way politicians cave in under pressure due to the fear of man and loosing face in front of the “Big MONEY OR INFLUENCER People”!

EVEN if a man-fearer was loved by another, he or she is not loved, but actually his/her “pretended-self” is the "one" that is loved.

WHAT GOOD IS HAVING FEAR OF GOD AT WORK IN OUR LIVES? 

PROVERBS 9: 10 says,

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom"

The word 'fear" means to "reverence".

One who fears God is more concerned about what God thinks than what men think. (ACTS 4:19) 

The result of this fear, this reverence is a single-minded obedience to God's Word, and a single-minded aim to glorify God! 

A GOD-FEARER IS WILLING TO SUFFER SHAME AND PAIN RATHER THAN TO DISOBEY GOD.

(Like Daniel and his friends did. Read DANIEL 3).

THE FEAR OF GOD IS:

THE RESULT OF LOVING HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US!

Fearing Him because He is constantly watching us, 

and 

Expecting from Him alone, all our present and eternal rewards. 

Since man's ways are usually opposite to God's, there will be a continuous struggle in us whether to honor God or man.

The fear of God is pretty evident in many instances by practicing a godly carefulness regarding being "In fashion and trendy ", having a slowness to be embarrassed before men, speaking that will not only compliment but  will also warn (in a gracious and loving manner, Romans 10:18), having a quickness to defend God's honor, and a quickness to admit your own mistakes. Having a cautiousness to accept lavish and public compliments, and having a quickness to give the glory to God in a humble manner.

SOMEONE  WHO FEARS GOD IS STABLE, PREDICTABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY 

He or she will simply obey God's Word and will not change their mind because of man's faces or “undertones of condescension.”

FRIENDS! 

WE MUST STOP JUST "ACTING" SPIRITUAL!

WE MUST "BE" SPIRITUAL.

We must stop concentrating on the outside and start concentrating on the inside.

Management experts say that there is no formula for success but God says:

"Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, 

so that you may flourish in all that you do"

(DEU. 29:9).

In the midst of these strains and attempts to distract comes a clear undeniable "Divine Tension" that pulls and stretches the heart of the humbled believer.

It calls simply, firmly, and does not lack a depth of confidence and direction.

This “Presence” causes a clash with all that seems to be "the way of man" and will not relent.

THE EARTH IS IN TURMOIL!

It doesn't take much to understand that the earth is in upheaval, rivalry, and chaos wherever we look. There is a tangible and penetrating "tension" in the events we are seeing unfold every day. 

Parallel to this explosion of pure evil and lulling to sleep of many, there is a Divine Course being laid out for those who have come to the end of themselves.

ETERNITY IS IN THE SIGHTS OF THOSE LOOKING TO A KINGDOM YET UNSEEN!

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been preparing a bride. 

This is done only through the shaping tools of heavenly choice.

The chisel and hammer have been at times brutal and unflinching, yet when the soft hand of The Almighty begins to apply the oil of polishing, 

He does it with His own hand as well.

He makes it beautiful in His own timing, even though the “Divine Tension” seems as if it might cause us to "snap" under the pressure of His hand, smoothing away the roughness of our thoughts and soul's intentions.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says,

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;

Yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

HEARING, REFINING,  and HEEDING

These three words can be hard to listen to at times. 

The King of all Glory is training those who have been thrust on the altar of fire to hear from Him as one who strains to catch the song of a bird in distant meadow.

It takes the "spiritual ear" and training it to identify even the slightest note or sound, however distant, and to learn to silence the sounds and voices of distraction until the "honing in" on the sound, the glorious sound of peace, finally directs and sustains us with all that we hear.

And then, having drunk deeply of the Voice of the Beloved and Divine Counselor, quickly, without the mental filing way of instructions, or the weighing of how much it might cost, we move and heed His mapping out of plans for this appointed time.

Isaiah speaks so clearly about those who desire to honor God fully and who see the world in need of the telling of the good and beautiful truth of the sacrifice that Jesus was for their redemption.

As I read this passage in closing,

I would encourage you to speak it as if it was your very own words. Speak them before the Lord and own them, take them to heart and allow him to use you more beautifully and purposefully in the days ahead, more than ever before.

Isaiah 61

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,Because the LORD has anointed me

To preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim freedom for the captives

And release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor

And the day of vengeance of our God,

To comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion

To bestow on them a crown of beauty

Instead of ashes,

The oil of gladness

Instead of mourning, 

And a garment of praise Instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

A planting of the LORD

For the display of his splendor.”

Wow! These are such beautiful words! 

I just love reading the words of God and speaking them out loud. 

Speaking these words to remind myself that this is the voice of the ONE who created me, the voice of the Savior who died for me, and the power of the comforter, the Holy Spirit, the advocate. The one who comes alongside to help!

These are the Beloved Ones, and the ones who have loved me and they function in a unit of such glorified deity that I stand in awe that they acknowledge that I am loved and wanted and valuable enough that a life was spilled and spent, that I might have eternity! 

I thank you for listening today and I ask the Holy Spirit to speak these words clearly to you and that you would ponder and let them move deeply within you in these days where there is just so much noise and so many good and “not so good” podcasts to listen to. 

Sometimes  you just feel like you get hooked on listening to certain threads or certain themes, and I have found myself needing to pull back a little bit and just be quiet, just be still!

You know friends, the greatest gift to a believer is peace in the presence of God, and then rest comes from that. 

I encourage you to maybe share this podcast with someone else who needs to hear it!

Good bye for now!

Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is welcomed provided that complete podcast source and website information for Mary Lindow is included.

Thank You!

Copyright  2026

"THE ADVOCATE OF HOPE "

~ Mary Lindow

www.marylindow.com

https://marylindow.podbean.com/

If you would be so kind and assist Mary helping her to meet other administrative needs such as website and podcast costs, 

or 

desire to bless her service in ministry with Spirit-led Love gifts 

or regular support:

Please JOYFULLY send your gift in the form of: 

► Personal Checks ► Business Checks

► Money Orders ► Cashiers Checks

To: 

His Beloved Ministries Inc. 

PO Box 1253

Denver, Colorado 80614

Or feel free to use our send a tax-deductible gift with

Pay Pal   paypal.me/mlindow 

Under the name of - Mary Lindow

His Beloved Ministries Inc. 

ALL gifts are tax-deductible under

His Beloved Ministries 5013c non-profit status.

We are financially accountable

and have been in full compliance since 1985. 

THANK YOU!

By Mary Lindow

SUFFERING AND SORROW ARE A PART OF LIFE

Knowing this, however, doesn’t make it any easier to cope when you find yourself in the midst of the deepest, darkest trials of faith, and mentally anguish and strain.

Don’t you wish Christianity could make you exempt from suffering? That would be great, but as most of us have learned, following our faith doesn’t give us a free ride.

We catch as much trouble as unbelievers—often more.

The difference, of course, is that we can turn to Jesus when things go wrong. Unbelievers might argue that we’re only turning to our imagination, but we know better.

At some time in your life, however, suffering will hit you so hard that you won’t be able to do any of those things, and that dark time will probably visit you more than once.

“Even in darkness, light dawns for the upright,

for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.”

Psalm 112:4

WE ALL WANT THINGS WE DON’T GET.

Maybe it’s a person you’re sure would make a perfect spouse, and the relationship crumbles apart. Maybe it’s a better job or promotion, and you don’t make the cut. Or it might be a goal you poured your time and energy into, and it doesn’t come to pass or others sabotage it all.

It takes real spiritual maturity to stay faithful when things go wrong, but severing our relationship with God punishes us, not him. It’s self-destructive behavior that can put us on the path to a miserable life. The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) teaches us that God always wants us to come back to him.

Whether your problem is discouragement, illness or aging, sometimes all you have left is Jesus.

When you’re angry and bitter, you can still cling to Jesus in the midst of your tears. You can grab onto him and refuse to let go until he brings you through it. You’ll find, to your surprise that he holds on to you even tighter than you hold on to him.

JESUS UNDERSTANDS SORROW

He knows about being hurt. He remembers the terrible moment on the cross when his Father was forced to abandon him, because he was filthy from taking on our sins. Jesus won’t let you go.’

And as you age and start down the path from this life to the next, Jesus will take your hand to guide you. He appreciates all that you have done for him through the years, but what he has always wanted most is your love.

So there you are in the middle of one of life’s train-wrecks-dazed, wounded, wondering what shoe-or bomb-will be dropping next, and up walks Job’s comforters.

We all remember Job from the Bible. A rich, powerful man, a great father and good in every way was Job.

Then, in a series of overlapping upheavals, he lost everything and everybody except his wife-who turned out to be a whole lot less than sympathetic in her changed status.

Battered Job ends up sitting alone on a pile of dirt, scratching his boil-covered body with some broken pottery.

WE CAN IDENTIFY WITH POOR JOB.

Life drags us through some tough times of loss that make us feel every bit like Job. Caught in a vortex of pain, and wondering if we’ll ever make it to safety.

And, boy, do we recognize Job’s so-called friends who showed up to by all accounts offer support and comfort. As they sat with Job in his misery, they took turns playing a self-centered, self-righteous, can-you-top-this game of knowing for certain that every bit of Job ‘s disaster had to be his own fault or a lack of trust in God. They weren’t sure how or why because Job seemed so decent, but deep down, they insisted, he just couldn’t be all he pretended to be.

THIS IS FAMILIAR TERRITORY

You get fired, and friends smirk knowingly when you try to explain the political nature of the event. Your child gets into difficulty-well; you know the kind of comfort you’ll get from friends about that. (It probably started sometime during potty training.)

Yet others try to “help” you with what I call “prayer lecturing.” While praying “for and with you” they let you (and God) know just how lucky you should be to even have running water, had a meal that day and more! Not really comforting in any way, and very very short on compassion.

Yet, from the story, it’s clear that Job was completely innocent. Dreadful things do happen to completely innocent people, good people.

You may never have met anybody like Job, but you’ve met his comforters on more than one occasion. They seem to be everywhere.

WE CAN CHARGE SOME OF IT OFF TO JEALOUSY

Job had everything a person could dream of wanting-and then some-so jealousy was never more than a stone’s throw away. The green-eyed monster is a little more subtle with people living everyday, typical lives, but jealousy doesn’t need much ground to take root and grow with vigor.

WE DON’T WANT TO ADMIT BAD THINGS MAY HAPPEN TO US!

If bad things happen to people who don’t deserve them, they could happen to anybody, including me. If I don’t want bad things to happen to me, (who does?), I have to persuade myself and everybody around me that the victim’s actions caused the problem. If blame can be assigned, then I’ll be safe as long as I’m good.

In other words, if I can claim that the cause of your problem is something you do that I don’t do, then what happened to you can’t happen to me. There is, of course, n

HAVE YOU EVER ASKED YOURSELF "WHY ME?"

And it doesn’t have to be bad; you could be excited from something wonderful. Most often then not I ask myself this after something I am looking forward to goes wrong.

Even at times when something goes wrong I lay awake at night and my thoughts wonder to what previously occurred. I am sure everyone does it at times, wishing for another try or chance.

You may lay awake thinking about your suffering, part of life’s suffering is misery’s shadow persisting/hanging on; not only do you suffer but you have to think about suffering.

I can’t prove this with statistics or find it any book I know of, yet I would say that more people either come to the faith or fall away because of this reason above all; the disturbance of suffering.

YOU SEE GOD USES TIMES OF SUFFERING…

...TO TEACH AND GROW US.

If you allow yourself to recount your sufferings, did you not learn more about faith while suffering then any other time?

“O my Comforter in sorrow,

My heart is faint within me.”

Jeremiah 8:18

Suffering becomes the only way to realize our hollow spiritual self. Pain is unmasked, and every person knows when something is not right when they are hurting. Pain insists upon being attended to.

So when you travel down this line of thought you come to the idea, why do I or someone else suffer when others don’t?

I KNOW SUFFERING IS EXHAUSTING AND PAIN HURTS

That is why it is called pain and suffering. If there were an escape a person of great wisdom and insight would have done it already. Yet Discipleship demands such trials to compel us towards renewal. Read Hebrews 2:10

“God, for whom and through whom everything was made,

chose to bring many children into glory.

And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering,

a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.”

The real question is what to do when life has just punched us a good one, and Job’s comforters show up at our door. Nobody says we have to let them in. And certainly nobody says we have to entertain them. And, most positively, nobody says we have to believe them.

“For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives,

So also through Christ our comfort overflows.”

We can sort out the who’s-to-blame-for-what after we get some solid ground under our feet and a little energy back into our lives.

But we still won’t want Job’s comforters anywhere around us…

...We will want people who care.

"Compassion"

To me not to be kind

No need to pray or preach,

Let us our children teach

Pity and gentleness:

So in the end may we 

Author  of Poem- R.W. Service

Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that complete article, podcast link and website information for Mary Lindow is included. 

www.marylindow.com

www.marylindow.podbean.com

Thank You!

Copyright © "2026" 

"The Advocate of Hope"

Your Gracious Support and Donations Are So Very Helpful And Assist Mary In Publishing Her Teaching Podcasts and Blog Materials.

THANK YOU!

Please go to PAYPAL to donate 

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Donate to the tax deductible ministry name of: 

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United States

By Mary Lindow

I welcome you all to this podcast and it’s going to be a very tender and special podcast. Especially during this time right now where the world is in upheaval and so many things are going on in the church, with so many further exposures of deviant acts, monetary gambling as it were, and just inappropriate and criminal activity, and then it being covered up.

It can be a lot to have to just navigate…

… and of course to process.

We’re going to look at something more precious and tender, which is the fact that the Lord “Sees us”.

He wants you to know he sees YOU individually as his unique and beautiful creation.

So! I want to bring up the subject,

“What Is A Sparrow?”

The scripture talks about that the Heavenly Father even cares about the sparrows even though they’re really pretty common and a little non-descriptive. They’re not bright little birds. They’re just kind of dull in color, kind of a dove gray.

But you know what?

THE SPARROW IS A CLEVER LITTLE BIRD

In Psalm 84 David describes his longing to be with the people of God and in the actual moment that he wrote this, he was a wanderer. He was a fugitive.

He was not able to be in a place where he could have fellowship with God or other people, and this is when he wrote Psalm 84.

It says,

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!

2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Have you ever felt this way or longed for fellowship like David wrote about with the Lord?

His word so clearly expresses what it meant to David.

Then, he remembered one of his bird watching experiences. He remembered how at one time when he was in the house of God, he looked up toward the altar and he noticed some movement. When he looked closer, he found a sparrow building her nest, so he wrote in verse 3:

“Even the sparrow has found a home,

And the swallow a nest for herself,

Where she may have her young—a place near your altar.”

“Lord Almighty, my King and my God!” he said.

“I wish I could be like that sparrow.

I wish I could be like that swallow that is able to build its nest at the very altar of God.”

What David is saying here is, “Can you think of anything better than to have your home in the altar of God in the sanctuary?”

This is something so very precious to me because I am always so tremendously interested in nurturing and loving my family and my grandchildren, that I cannot pass this over.

Did you notice this swallow chose the altar of God to build a nest for her family?  She could have chosen any place to build a nest, but she chose the altar of God.

Yes! The sparrow is a clever bird.

BUILDING YOUR NEST IN THE SANCTUARY OF GOD

I believe that things are put here for a reason and for instruction, so I am going to suggest that if you want your family to be all that God wants it to be, build your nest, (metaphorically speaking), at the altar.

Build your nest in the sanctuary because in the sanctuary, is the answer to every question that you have.

And I hope that you understand that I am not talking about a church building!

I am talking about your fellowship with God.

There must also, always be room in your nest to include those with broken wings, or who have been abandoned or left as orphans.

A SPARROW IS VALUABLE!

One more lovely thing about the sparrow.

The sparrow is a valuable bird.

I am sure that some people might question this statement! But it is a valuable bird, indeed.

Some may say, “But not to man”!  It is Valuable to God though!

I am sure the Lord did some bird watching as he travelled to places with his dear friends, but this particular instance that He records is in the temple.

As He went into the temple one day, He saw a whole bunch of sparrows, (remember that we are talking about a small bird) with their legs tied together, and they were being sold for a sacrifice in the temple.

In Matthew, chapter 10 notice what Jesus has to say about sparrows.

As He looked at those sparrows, He said, in verse 29:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?”

That was the least expensive offering that anybody could make!

If we were to stop there, we would say what we ordinarily say, “What is a sparrow? They are not worth anything at all,”

but the Lord said, in the last part of verse 29:

…And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father knowing about it.

That is how valuable they are.

Not one sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing about it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU SEE A DEAD SPARROW?

Do you just kick it out of the way and go on?  

Often we see someone much like the little dead sparrow, wounded or suffering from the cruelty of others too busy to really care about a “broken wing” or perhaps a broken heart.

So many are busy licking their own wounds and getting on with their own lives, that they are unaware of the “sparrows” that God has placed in their midst. Those who need to be invited into a place of “Sanctuary”!

Do you treat your employees like this or a friend who has been through a season of sorrow or loss?

Do you find yourself simply walking past the Wounded or “dead Sparrow”?

That would be a normal reaction, but evidently when the Lord saw the sparrow that fell, he felt very differently.  

He said,

“MY FATHER KNOWS ABOUT THAT SPARROW…

…And my Father cares about it.”

Then notice what He says:

Matthew 10:30

“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

A SPARROW IS SO IMPORTANT TO GOD,

…that it doesn't fall to the ground without God knowing about it, and you and those whom He has placed around you to radiate truth and hope to, are of more value than many sparrows.

In Matthew, chapter 6, I think that Lord has done some bird watching and might want us to do some as well!

Because…

…He said:

Matthew 6:26-34

26 "Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.

27 You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? Look at how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves.

29 But I tell you that even Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers.

30 I clothe the grass in the field, which is alive today but tomorrow is thrown into the fire. So you can be even surer that I will clothe you. Don’t have so little faith!

31 Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’

32 The people who don’t know God keep trying to get these things, and your Father in heaven knows you need them.

33 Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.

34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

That last part of verse 26….

…It asks such a beautiful and piercing question.

“And do you not know that you are worth much more than the birds?”

Or in another translation is asks,

“Are you not of more value than they? 

In other words, if God cares this much about a sparrow, about a bird, how much more then does He care about you? 

Think about it: 

We are the Crown Jewel of His creation. 

We are made in His image! 

We see what He has made in nature alone and then think,

“Wow, even mankind is elevated above all of that. 

God you really are amazing. 

God you really do love us!” 

If our response is not adoration and praise, we need to check our hearts and see God once again for Who He is. 

A very well spoken and eloquent preacher said one time,

“There is never a sparrow that dies but that God goes to its funeral.”

This really touched my heart and impressed me.

Not a sparrow dies, but that God..

… goes to its funeral.

THE NEXT TIME THAT YOU SEE A SPARROW…

…Remember that God is paying attention to that little sparrow. God is interested in you and He is interested and concerned about me as well!

Remember that God cares about you so much more than even that sparrow, and that He wants to draw you closely into a safe place of Sanctuary with Him!  A place of safety and peace, where you can rest and learn about His love for you, for your family and those dear close friends and perhaps a few lost or weary lonely souls that He has sent to you.

In such vulnerable moments we need to take heart to the words of

2 Chronicles 16:9

It says,

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro (or back and forth) throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

King David tenderly expressed this reality when he wrote,

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye [that means, the pupil or center of your vision]; hide me under the shadow of Your wings.” (Psalm 17:8).

Truly, we need to know we are not alone.

I hope you will never again look at a sparrow in quite the same way. We’re even told in Psalm 84:3-4 that sparrows and swallows find a home and nest at the altars of the Lord, at the tabernacle, at temple of God, and how much more so should we!

Watch a little bird.

And when you do, stay focused for a while.

Yes, focus, and realize that God is looking at you, even more intently in that very same moment.

After all, people are like sparrows in being noticed and cared for by God, yet in an even greater way.

But mark this difference in your observing:

You will move on in a world that doesn’t stop, but God never takes His eyes off of you.

God deeply cares for you as spoken in 1 Peter 5:7.

It says,

“Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him,

For He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].”

It’s All Part of An Amazing Love Story

—of a love affair started by Him and is highlighted by the invitation from God’s Son to “Follow Him.”

This invitation is constant and runs over like a cool glass of water, with an incredible promise to us who, like the sparrow, are not neglected or forgotten.

While the world values power, status, and outward appearance…

… God values the lowly and unseen.

Sparrows were considered little worth in ancient marketplaces, yet Jesus said not one falls without the Father knowing.

This is not a message about birds alone, but about you and me.

If God cares for the sparrow, how much more does He care for you, His beloved child?

In moments when we feel overlooked or forgotten, the image of the sparrow reminds us that God’s eyes never turn away.

He knows your fears.

He sees your needs,

and He is,

Always near.

This truth helps to free us to live without fear and to trust in His daily provision and protection.

I REALLY LIKE THIS SOFT, HONEST AND SIMPLE PRAYER BY ANABELLE THOMPSON WHO IS A MISSIONARY.

Father God, thank You for showing me how deeply You care for every living thing through the sparrow.

Even when I feel small or unnoticed, help me remember that Your eyes are always on me.

Teach me to trust in Your daily care and to rest in the knowledge that I am never forgotten.

Help me to live with faith that sees Your hand in every detail, just as You provide for the birds of the air.

May I always find peace in knowing You are near. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Dear Listener!

The Heavenly Father HAS MUCH TO TELL YOU REGARDING ALL OF THE PLANS THAT HE HAS FOR YOU!

“Settle into the nest…

…And Rest!”

God is waiting to speak and meet with you!

Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is welcomed provided that complete source, podcast and website information for Mary Lindow is included.

Thank You!

Copyright  2026

"THE ADVOCATE OF HOPE "

~ Mary Lindow

www.marylindow.com

PODCAST 

If you would be so kind and assist Mary helping her to meet other administrative needs such as website and podcast costs, 

or 

desire to bless her service in ministry with Spirit-led Love gifts or regular support:

Please JOYFULLY send your gift in the form of: 

► Personal Checks ► Business Checks

► Money Orders ► Cashiers Checks

To: 

His Beloved Ministries Inc. 

PO Box 1253

Denver, Colorado 80614

Or feel free to use our send a tax-deductible gift with

Pay Pal   paypal.me/mlindow 

Under the name of - Mary Lindow

His Beloved Ministries Inc. 

ALL gifts are tax-deductible under

His Beloved Ministries 5013c non-profit status.

We are financially accountable

and have been in full compliance since 1985. 

THANK YOU!'

By Mary Lindow

AS I PREPARE THIS PODCAST OUR HOME HAS THE AROMA OF BANANA BREAD FILLING THE AIR WITH A COZY WARMTH.

He’s been working on a carpentry project for my Christmas present.

AS I SIT HERE, MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE MOVED WITH TENDERNESS FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING over the recent miscarriage of a 22 week old baby, a friend who has had a sudden death of a family member, those friends of mine tending to the sick and fragile, and for the widows I know, who ache for the arms of the one they loved so well for so long.

My heart is saddened by the weariness of knowing single friends of Steve and I are longing for rest and still have hopes of meeting another godly person who might be the one to nurture and live them.

ALL OF THE KINDNESSES AND BEAUTIFUL THINGS OF CHRISTMAS, truly, when wrapped up in compassion, outreach to those who are hurting, personal sacrifice so that others may thrive, and with discernment to know when these things are God nudging you, this is what makes the true value of Christmas shine.

CHRIST CAME TO GIVE.

He came to give all.

But yet, HE came!

WHEN GOD BREATHED THE BREATH OF LIFE

INTO EVERY HUMAN BEING...

...IT WAS HIS BREATH

As long as there is breath in a human, it is the breath of God.

AS I SHARE THIS BRIEF BUT WARM AND HEARTFELT PODCAST WITH YOU, I wanted to share something so profoundly, beautiful and so well spoken. I’ve read over and meditated/ pondered it many times during this Christmas season because there have been disappointments! There have has been betrayals, harsh words, indifference, people pushing you away because they can’t receive the love you offer them.

These are the things Jesus experienced on a regular basis, and yet in his perfection, he continued to pursue the will of God in his life, and eventually, it COST him his life!

THAT LITTLE, WEE BABE IN THE MANGER TROUGH, He was filled with the fullness of God and was God, but chose to walk out in human flesh, incarnate, the life of everyday human beings, in order to prove that he was aware of the suffering and the sorrows of this human life in a fallen world.

AS I SHARE THIS BEAUTIFUL EXPRESSION FROM ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL BY THE NAME OF JESSICA JECKER, (who is an influencer on another social media site), I hope that you will allow it to saturate any part of you that is suffering or that is resisting love, or, is perhaps angry at God, questioning why life is so hard, or where you may have become bitter and hardened to the tenderness that is available to each of us.

LISTEN CLOSELY TO THE CRY OF MALACHI AND WHAT GOD‘S WORD SPOKE. Listen to the words of one pondering the beauty and the fierce sacrifice that Jesus so humbly and willingly yielded to so that we might truly celebrate a Savior.

HERE IT IS:

“This week, I lingered in the final breath of Malachi’s words and I felt the unbearable weight of what followed.

When the prophet finished speaking, heaven did not answer. The echo of his voice faded...and then... nothing.

No burning word.

No prophet rising with fire in his bones.

No “Thus says the Lord” breaking the darkness.

Four hundred years of waiting.

Of longing. Of groaning.

Of hearts lifted toward heaven that seemed sealed shut.

Generation after generation was born into the quiet.

They lived. They died.

And still—no voice.

Until one night. On a dirt floor in a forgotten place...

in a stable that did not look holy...

in the shadows of obscurity and insignificance... a sound was released.

After four hundred years, heaven spoke again—

A cry pierced the silence.

The Word became flesh—and cried.

The Son laid aside His throne and chose a manger.

Heaven’s highest treasure placed in a feeding trough.

He came low. He came meek.

He came breakable.

Wrapped in swaddling cloths, laid where animals ate, born beneath the looming shadow of a cross.

A Lamb born to be slain.

The Hope of a hopeless world breathed His first breath in the dark.

A weary world rejoiced as a young virgin labored and delivered its redemption.

In that manger, the Great I AM made Himself vulnerable.

Touchable.

Killable.

And with one holy cry, the silence was shattered.

The separation was broken. The way was opened.

Then, suddenly, heaven could not remain quiet.

The skies erupted with angelic voices declaring, “Glory to God in the highest!”

Wonderful. Counselor. Mighty God!

He did not enter wrapped in royalty, but in cloths that foretold a burial. The silence was not just broken, it was answered.

Every promise that seemed delayed but not denied. All of it converged in that single cry.

He did not send another sign.

He sent Himself.

And in that stable, eternity took its first shallow breath. Omnipotence learned weakness.

Glory learned humility. Love made itself small.

The cry that shattered the silence would one day be echoed again- not from a manger, but from a cross.

The first cry said, “He has come.”

From swaddling cloths to grave clothes, from a feeding trough to a borrowed tomb, He came to be broken so we could be made whole.

And even now, that sound still reverberates.

It calls the weary. It awakens the forgotten.

It reaches into the places where heaven has felt silent again.

If God could speak through the cry of a baby, He can still break silence in our darkest night.

So behold Him.

Not distant.

Not unmoved.

But Emmanuel.

God.  With. Us."

SUCH TREMENDOUS AND EXPRESSIVE WORDS!

DEAR PERSON, WHO MAY BE LISTENING TO THIS PODCAST OR READING IT IN PRINTED FORM.

Talk to Jesus.

Cry.

Ask Him to show you his love, his true self, his kindness.

His merciful forgiveness.

He’s listening.

LET’S PRAY BEFORE I END THIS PODCAST.

"Heavenly Father,

Help Them To Know That Even When They Feel Alone, Abandoned or Weary That They Are Never Truly Alone Because You Are Always With Them.

Heal the Wounds That the Holidays Have Opened.

Thank You That Jesus Came To Heal the Brokenhearted and to Bind up our Deep Wounds From Life on Planet Earth.

I Trust You To Do That Work in my Life and in the Lives of all Who Are Hurting This Christmas.

Father, This Christmas I Celebrate the Birth of my Savior With a Grateful Heart.

May my Life Be a Living Thank-You Note for the Gift You Gave at Christmas—the Gift of Your Son, my Savior and my King.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS PODCAST!

I know that we are fast approaching that day we celebrate and give gifts and just sit back and enjoy the beauty of the season, but, I know many people suffer during this time and, Jesus is there with you.

He’s understands you’re suffering and he understands where you’re stuck.

I encourage you to not hold onto those things that you want to manage or control or that you think, “This is just the way it’s going to, be it’s always been this way.”

That is fatalistic thinking and it’s really actually ungodly.

It’s an attitude that says, “I will control my destiny, and... I have control over my life because nobody else can help me.”

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SOFTEN, TO TENDERIZE YOUR HEART BEFORE THE LORD IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, and as you listen to Christmas carols and hear the words of “Joy to the World, the Lord Has Come, Let Earth Receive her King and Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room.”

That means it’s up to us to “prepare room” in our hearts to receive what the king has for us.

All the things the King has for us.

Some of it is discipline.

and

Know this, that if we will prepare a room for him to come in and live and dwell, we can enjoy His presence in a greater way with us during this season and into the next year.

I’M GOING TO CLOSE OUT FOR NOW AND I WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR LISTENING!

I want to thank those of you who have been so kind to support and assist me.

WHEN YOU HELP BLESS AND SUPPORT WHAT THE LORD HAS ASKED ME TO DO OFTEN I’M ABLE TO DO A LOT OF PRO BONO WORK because I know there’s a little bit more in that bank account for ministry that I can then draw on.

I thank you again, and I asked that he pours out a blessing upon you in grace and in kindness and in peace for your kindness and grace back to me.

I WISH YOU ALL THE VERY MOST PEACEFUL AND BLESSED AND JOYFUL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SEASON!

I will close this podcast out now and send my love and blessing to each one you!

Merry Christmas!

Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed

As long as the complete message, website and podcast

 information for Mary Lindow is included.

Thank You! Copyright © 2025

" THE MESSENGER "  - "The Advocate of Hope"

 Mary Lindow

www.marylindow.com

PODCAST

If you would be so kind and assist Mary helping her to meet other administrative needs such as website and podcast costs, 

or 

desire to bless her service in ministry with Spirit-led Love gifts or regular support:

Please JOYFULLY send your gift in the form of: 

► Personal Checks ► Business Checks

► Money Orders ► Cashiers Checks

To: 

His Beloved Ministries Inc. 

PO Box 1253

Denver, Colorado 80614

Or feel free to use our send a tax-deductible gift with

Pay Pal   paypal.me/mlindow 

Under the name of - Mary Lindow

His Beloved Ministries Inc. 

ALL gifts are tax-deductible under

His Beloved Ministries 5013c non-profit status.

We are financially accountable

and have been in full compliance since 1985. 

THANK YOU!

👆🏽

Want to  know about what Steve and Mary Lindow

are Involved with in Serving Jesus?

CLICK THE PICTURE!

“God Is Fully With Us In These Strange Days”

By Mary Lindow

Just over 2,000 years ago, Emmanuel, also called the Christ, changed the world. 

In that moment when God became flesh, humanity watched prophecies unfold as hope was born. Jesus, our Emmanuel, provided hope that sin and death wouldn’t always win and mankind wouldn’t always feel so painfully alone. 

What Does Emmanuel Mean in the Bible?

It’s a word written on countless Christmas cards and sung in some of our most-loved carols. 

In Scripture, it first appears in the Old Testament in Isaiah 7:14, which says, 

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; 

The virgin will conceive, and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Emmanuel”.

The Lord Himself will do this, Scripture says. 

In other words, this act, which occurred in the birth of Christ, was God-ordained and God-accomplished. 

This points to grace, which doesn’t come through human effort but rather through relying on God to do what we humans cannot. This was the reason Christ came. 

God GAVE us this child, named Emmanuel,

which literally means, 

“with us is God,” or “God WITH us.” 

He may seem distant. 

It may even seem impossible this year for you to feel hopeful. 

You might have lost your job. 

Or maybe you’re feeling isolated from those you love. 

You may have even grieved the loss of a family member or friend.

Though he may have felt far away to them, 

God was so much closer than his people knew —

gently planning Jesus’ entrance into the world

in the most unexpected way.

Looking around, all you might be able to see right now is darkness. 

If you try to adjust your eyes, blinking into the night, there seems to be no light. 

The weight of sickness, death, injustice and pain perhaps, seem too heavy.

That’s why I love this idea of advent which is practiced only among Christians. 

And yes, it comes from probably a more liturgical view, but has been so embraced and now practice in homes and church gatherings across the world, as families gather to contemplate and to pray and to spend quiet time discussing when Jesus came as a child as the Messiah! 

Emmanuel!!! God WITH Us!

Advent means "coming" or "arrival" and refers to the Christian season that begins four Sundays before Christmas, where focusing on preparation for the celebration of Jesus's birth and his anticipated return is a beautiful thing! It’s definitely better than the commercial glut of constant “buy, buy, buy,” and, the overkill of sappy fantasy Christmas shows, as well as the pressurized giving of gifts to every boss, coworker, friend and pet! 

It’s a time of expectation, reverence and hope for many Christians!

I was reading through a Wycliffe advent devotional last evening, and these words so struck me that I’m going to share them with you trusting that they too, will move your heart to remember that Emmanuel, God …. IS with us! 

No matter what may come

This excerpt of the devotional said,

“As we enter the Advent season, do you feel weary? You’re not alone.

Or maybe you’re just tired. Numb. Ready to pull the covers over your head and try this whole "Christmas cheer" thing again next year. 

Don’t feel guilty. 

Instead, acknowledge the very real darkness of this world and you’ll have eyes to see Advent through the same lens as the people waiting for a Messiah thousands of years ago.

You could even say that being weary and worn out is an acceptable place from which to approach this Advent season. Because Advent exists to remind us that, while darkness surrounds us and troubles exist, the hope of Christmas isn’t far away.

The people of Israel hadn’t heard anything from God about their redeemer. 

God’s chosen people must have cried out to him, asking how long it would be before their hope, their salvation, would arrive! 

It was too dark, and God seemed to be silent. 

Has he felt that way to you this year? Silent?

Though he may have felt far away to them, God was so much closer than his people knew —gently planning Jesus’ entrance into the world in the most unexpected way.

But at the appointed time, Jesus came — God with us in flesh and blood. Born in Bethlehem, carried to Egypt, raised in Nazareth. Son of Man and Son of God. A humble child and a holy King. Worshiped by some, rejected by many. Fully human, yet eternally divine.”

What beautiful and raw honesty in those words in that excerpt from the devotional!

Friends! Any way you look at it, Emmanuel was a living Divine Grace. 

The infinite King, wrapped in the cloth of an infant. 

The holy One, living among the fallen. 

In Him, the impossible became real, not only in prophecy, but in His very presence. 

When God stepped into our world, 

“impossible” lost all meaning.

In Isaiah 42:16 it says,

“And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; 

I will lead them in paths that they have not known: 

I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. 

These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” 

Dear believer! 

The darkness of this world has always tried encroach upon the joy and the hope of God being with his people. 

It hates that we cling to the light, and even though we cannot see or understand, everything fully about the ONE who came and paid the price for us, yet we abandoned our own hearts to him, trusting that he will guide and light our path. It is in this practice that all of hell must bow its knee and tremble for the very fact that Christ is in us and he is the hope of glory. 

Someday we will return to the ONE who created us, but for now, he has come to walk with us, to be with us, and his Holy Spirit is here to correct, to guide, to convict and to advocate for us. 

Let us cry out, “Oh Come! Oh Come Emmanuel! Oh come God! Be with us, in us, and move through us to help others who are trapped in the darkness!”

Let’s take time to pray together about all of this right now.

Lord God,

Our hearts desire the warmth of your love

Help us to be peacemakers this season and to give special love to those

Help us to free our hearts from the prison of anger and hurt.

Only you Lord can bless us,

We thank you for being a God that IS  with us!

Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed

As long as the complete message, website and podcast

 information for Mary Lindow is included.

Thank You! Copyright © 2025

" THE MESSENGER "  - "The Advocate of Hope"

 Mary Lindow

www.marylindow.com

PODCAST

If you would be so kind and assist Mary helping her to meet other administrative needs such as website and podcast costs, 

or 

desire to bless her service in ministry with Spirit-led Love gifts or regular support:

Please JOYFULLY send your gift in the form of: 

► Personal Checks ► Business Checks

► Money Orders ► Cashiers Checks

To: 

His Beloved Ministries Inc. 

PO Box 1253

Denver, Colorado 80614

Or feel free to use our send a tax-deductible gift with

Pay Pal   paypal.me/mlindow 

Under the name of - Mary Lindow

His Beloved Ministries Inc. 

ALL gifts are tax-deductible under

His Beloved Ministries 5013c non-profit status.

We are financially accountable

and have been in full compliance since 1985. 

THANK YOU!

👆🏽

Want to  know about what Steve and Mary Lindow

are Involved with in Serving Jesus?

CLICK THE PICTURE!

By Mary Lindow

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

But with humility comes wisdom.”

-Proverbs 11:2

WHEN THE SOUL GOES THROUGH HUMBLING EXPERIENCES

We all know that there are times when the soul goes through humbling experiences.

Perhaps in the past you had strength, calm, security and confidence, and then all of that suddenly gets stripped and your soul sees itself and it's true state of desperate need. 

If you are alert you will recognize that the Lord is opening our eyes to secret pride. That internal thinking that all of our achievement is of our own doing and not purely a gift from above.

Yes, these times come so it will never occur to us again that we are stronger in spirit than anyone else! If we look up on any other person as weaker, it is only because we have not been taken through the purging fire of God completely. Perhaps this is what's happening to someone we know, and it's no business of ours to preen our feathers of “goodness” while they are being refined and challenged. On the other side of that coin, God wants for us to have an open and humble spirit, realizing that if we were in their position we may not handle the circumstances as well, and might actually do worse!

THIS HUMBLING PROCESS IS IN GOD’S HANDS

It is his way of raising in your heart, a new love for all of mankind.

In the past you may have judged others either for their pride, or for being in personal difficulties. 

Even worse, you may have seen others who are lukewarm or weak in their faith and compared it with your own strong devotion and enthusiasm for God.

God is merciful and he shows us all of our own places of emptiness.

Allowing us to go through humbling experiences is how He knocks this out of the seat of our own “judgment” which is His seat alone! He wants us to keep our eyes on our own response to what we know He wants us to do, so that we remain in a place of simple obedience to Him.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy one understands." -Proverbs 9:10

WE ARE ON A HUMBLE SPIRITUAL ROAD

David stood in the presence of wicked men (Samuel chapter 16:5-6 and 9-10) and there he was wondering why the Lord put up with their evil behavior while he was going through such anguish in his own life!

But he still prayed and said, 

“I will watch my ways so I may not sin with my tongue.

I will keep my mouth shut as if it were tied with ropes, while the sinful are near me.” –Psalm 39:1

When David finally saw how limited and small that his own viewpoint was, he continued to say,

“I remained silent and I wasn't about to open my mouth because you Lord are the one who allowed this!”

This is a humble condition much like David's that the Lord will bring our souls to as we are on this humble, spiritual road, 

He says to you and I that He longs to help you to be submitted to His hand alone, obedient to His voice alone!  We are not to resist Him!

 We are not really serving Him and our brothers and sisters if we've taken the high seat above them.

When the Lord begins to work this way of tenderness in our hearts we must listen to what He says no matter what or WHOM He allows to bring the message through. In the past, arrogance has been the measuring stick where many would only receive teaching and correction, from someone THEY thought was worthy to DARE speak to them! 

Those days are over.

“If you have jealousy in your heart and fight to have many things, do not be proud of it.  Do not lie against the truth." -James 3:14

WE MUST CLEARLY SEE THAT CORRUPTION CAN RAPIDLY OCCUR IN ANY PERSON OR ANY GROUP, ORGANIZED, RELAXED, OR OTHERWISE,when the tendency to think that they have arrived at a new or deeper revelation about something more so than others who perhaps express the Lord's voice differently.

ARROGANCE IS THE ASSUMPTION THAT I, INDIVIDUALLY,

OR SOME GROUP THAT I AM A PART OF, COLLECTIVELY,

IS SOMEHOW SUPERIOR TO SOMEONE ELSE OR

SOME OTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE.

AT THE HEART OF ARROGANCE IS SELF-CENTEREDNESS.

And, self-centeredness is the foundation of human sin. I believe any serious attempt at self-examination by an honest person will reveal that we humans are sinful and flawed beyond measure.

Paul writes, “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand…Wretched man that I am! Who will save me from this body of death?”

WE ARE CONSUMED BY SELF.

And every time we arrogantly place our own needs before others we are enslaved by sin.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

HOW SHOULD WE LIVE INSTEAD OF IN THAT ARROGANT MODE?

WHAT IS THE ANTIDOTE?

How about the words of Jesus? What did he say?

"Everyone who exalts himself (for example, "Aren't I great? Aren't I right? Don't I always have the best opinion?") will be humbled.

But, he who humbles himself (for example, "This is my opinion but it may not be right. I don't have a corner on the market of truth.")

will be exalted."

THE LORD IS NOT SPEEDING UP THE DELIVERY OF ANY "FRESH THING" IN THE EARTH IN ORDER TO GET US TO HIS PURPOSES QUICKLY.

No. He is testing the hearts of men and women everywhere, looking for humility, selflessness, and honor, for those who although not perfect, have also served and pointed the way to salvation for many years previously.

THE LORD IS NOT GOING TO HONOR THE INDIVIDUAL

WHO SHOUTS THAT "CHANGE IS NEEDED"

OR THAT "CHANGE IS COMING" AND THEN

SLASHES AND BURNS ANYTHING

THAT DOESN'T EMBRACE THEIR VERSION OF IT.

THE LORD IS INTERESTED IN THE EVIDENCE OF HUMILITY AND THE EVIDENCE OF GRACE.

These key character issues attract the pure and simple Presence of the Lord. Blessed are the PURE in heart...for they shall see God.

Until the Body of Christ that has been through many difficult and shattering events, rids itself of bitter and venomous words against one another and accepts that each one like sheep have gone astray and turned to what pleased them at the moment, there will be little evidence of much harvest .

THE LOST AND CONFUSED WORLD OUT THERE WATCHES CHRISTIANS TEAR EACH OTHER TO SHREDS DAILY AND WONDERS WHY WE ARE ASKING THEM TO JOIN US!

Remember Christ’s two great commandments—love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself.

SELF-CENTEREDNESS IS THE REVERSAL OF THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. Self-centeredness means to place ourselves first, in effect proclaiming our own form of self-government (not needing or wanting the advice or insight of others), therefore our neighbors become an afterthought, and God becomes simply a convenience to be considered only when it’s helpful to us.

It is evident even in our language that self-centeredness is woven into the fabric of the human experience.

THE ONE TRUE SACRIFICIAL MODEL TOLD US THAT HE WOULD SEND THE VERY SPIRIT OF GOD IN ORDER TO CONVICT ALL PEOPLE OF SIN, TO COMFORT, TO GUIDE, AND TO SET THEM FREE.

 Indeed. The very evidence of a redemptive type of life, is in one who washes the feet of his/her brothers and his/her enemies in an act of cleansing the dirt from the road of life off of the pathway to the Truth.

May we truly hear the sound of the unmistakable heartbeat of a redemptive model rising up in clear resounding purity, personal transparency, and in the covering of the multitude of sins by speaking and meditating only on those things that are noble, just, pure, and of a good report.

AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS NATIONS, THE ANTIDOTE TO ARROGANCE AND SELF-CENTEREDNESS IS A HEAVY DOSE OF HUMILITY. That is; a profound willingness to recognize the value, and respect the dignity of every human life. And, furthermore, a humble heart calls us to seek and serve Christ in ALL persons by giving of ourselves willingly for the welfare of other people.

THE LORD SAYS,

"Do not let a wise man brag about how wise he is. Do not let a strong man boast about how strong he is. Do not let  a rich person brag about how rich he is.

But here is what the one who brags should boast about. He should brag that he has understanding and knows me. I want him to know that I am the Lord.

No matter what I do on earth, I am always kind, fair and right. And I take delight in that," announces the Lord.

JEREMIAH 9:23-24 (New International Reader's Version)

WE MUST HAVE EARS THAT ARE OPEN TO HIS VOICE ALONE

 We can enjoy the extreme value of knowing that we must be under the direction of our matchless Lord. 

Remember that He may use anyone, however unpleasing to the eye, unintelligent, or, not so affluent! When you see they may be able to teach you and direct you on your way, it is because of the attraction and Divine beauty they have in their lives from honoring the Lord.

It’s that they are truly humble, not simply by saying it - but by literally BEING humble.

 HEEDING ANOTHER VOICE OF PROMISE AND PROMOTION?

 The Lord has impressed me to share that some have heeded "another voice", one who would put them up, on the pinnacle of the world and promise them all power and wealth if they but, “just bow down”. The Lord wants you to know, (although I tremble at even delivering this), that many have already bent one knee downward to hopefully obtain a bit of blessing from “both sides.”

Get up and RUN from deception and self-indulgence, blatant lying, and entitlement!

You can be sure that using people or spiritual metaphors or “things” just for what you can get out of them—the typical indicators of idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the Kingdom of Christ.

 You have been taken in and spoiled by religious and deceptive smooth talk. The Lord is furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but who really want nothing to do with Him. You have groped your way through that murk once, but no longer.

You're out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain.

GOD OFTEN MOVES AMONG THE OUTCASTS

 -Isaiah 66:2 says,

“Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD.

These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”  

You've probably never been stuck on a deserted island, but you may know pretty well how it feels.

In a world of bad relationships and superficial relationships and broken relationships, a lot of people know the feeling of being emotionally cast aside, abandoned, and maybe even discarded.

Because of some of what you've been through, you may feel like you're the outcast.

 Your days on that island may be almost over. In fact, it could be that all your failed or frustrating relationships have actually been preparing you to experience the central relationships you were being equipped and prepared for.

Anyone who has ever felt like an emotional outcast needs to hear the fabulous promise of Jesus Christ in this word from the Word of God. 

Jesus says to all those who belong to Him, 

"I will not leave you as orphans. I WILL come to you.” 

-John 14:18

This is the same Savior, who says, 

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” -Hebrews. 13:5

He's the One, who promised, 

"The one that comes to me, I will certainly not cast out."

-John 6:37

AND FROM NOW ON, THAT PROMISE OF JESUS CAN BE ALL ABOUT YOU! "THE ONE THAT COMES TO ME, I WILL CERTAINLY NOT CAST OUT."

THE LORD WOULD SAY THESE WORDS TO YOU AND I 

“You now understand the pain of betrayal, losses so great that you can no longer talk about them.

You have ached in such agonizing despair that at times you have begged me to let you die.

Friends have turned and chosen to see you through blinded eyes of their own making and have refused to help you to find your footing again, thinking they are doing you a service by letting you grovel and weep in painful loss and sorrow.

They have competed for gain to their own egos and have self promoted at the expense of exchanging deeper relationships for ego stroking. 

You have been reduced in the past season to identify with those who were forced to make bricks for Pharaoh without straw.

I too was a man of sorrows and endured the shame in order to be formed, shaped, and made ready for the moment of redemption.

And so shall it be with you.

Redemption from the losses will come to those who choose obedience over pleasure,  serving others over being the served one, and letting go of the dreams of greatness you cling too, no longer using my name or gifts as a calling card.

THE CALL OF THE MOMENT IS THIS! 

“Let the follies of your dim visions fall away”, says the Spirit of God!

“I have a more perfect way that I am forming in you and for you. 

I have caused you to cease from striving, from worrying, and from being anxious. 

You now rest up again my chest, waiting, trusting, wanting only ME.

You have become kinder, a better listener, a more trusted confidant.

I can work well with those attributes. 

Just Watch Me.

I WILL Open the Way of Hope and Shine Light on the pathway for those who have ceased from manipulating the moment.”

SEARED OR FERVENT

 In ~ 1 Timothy 4 it says,

“The spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith

and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

SUCH TEACHINGS COME THROUGH HYPOCRITICAL LIARS, 

WHOSE CONSCIENCES HAVE BEEN SEARED AS WITH A HOT IRON.”

To have a seared or calloused conscience means to cause something to wither.

To make (someone's conscience, heart, or feelings), insensitive.

Without the willingness of heart to fall upon the rock of God’s word, allowing every strength and support of ours to be fully broken, the wicked heart of mankind will continue to allow the searing patterns of indifference and insensitivity to affect their choices and will permeate more and more of the moral and sacred places of society.

I have been impressed to warn believers that the increase of sexual lures and smutty language has begun to pay a toll much larger than they realize. 

WE ARE TO BE MATURE AND SOLEMN 

 Huge numbers of people are being brought to ruin because they are not thinking; thoughtlessly causing hurt or inconvenience to others is the devastation of thousands, and many a precious soul has been shattered through carelessness. 

The Lord is asking you and I to "consider our ways," and return to a walk with The Still Small Voice and begin a familiarity with him yet again. With conviction, it would be the most rewarding relationship you could fall into!

"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober."

-1 Thessalonians 5:8

PRAYER AND THANKFULNESS 

 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

-Colossians 4:2

As I finish these insights, I will share the last  challenging impressions that the Lord clearly impressed me with.

“Each day, upon waking, where does your heart and mind wander to?

 Is it the plans and lists of things you must accomplish for the day?

 Is it the meal you are about to eat? 

Is it worry and the bracing yourself for another grinding day of dealing with the pressures of life?

Return to those early awakening moments where you and I share in the dialog of My plans for you.

Each day you have to live and to give, you have been given the opportunity to impact someone and to do a kindness or act of training for another.

Where has your thankful heart wandered?

Without it, behaviors and moods of bitterness and drudgery will manifest and sour even the brightest flower of hope.

Return to the heart of the issue and clean away the rusty decay of grindstone thinking.

Each day can be a fresh adventure into Kingdom purposes or, a continual repeating of a dreary existence. 

Choose ever so wisely.”

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably,  with reverence and awe.”

~Hebrews 12:28

Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed

As long as the complete message, website and podcast

 information for Mary Lindow is included.

Thank You! Copyright © 2025

" THE MESSENGER " Mary Lindow

www.marylindow.com

PODCAST

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Staying Focused and Integral In A Treacherous & Chaotic World

By Mary Lindow

A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A CRUCIAL PROJECT,

I found my life barraged and pressured by distractions of all kinds. Now, this is not an unusual pattern.

DISTRACTIONS COME TO STEAL OUR PASSION, OUR PURPOSE, GOD’S PROMISES, AND HIS PROVISION.

I have a scripture and a strategy that I use when distractions come to derail my focus now that really helps to keep me on track and focus on what’s in front of me. This can apply to everything from work, house cleaning, Counseling, writing and ministry, right down to sticking with the list for the grocery store, and not adding extra cheese and crackers and other goodies in the shopping basket!

WHEN NEHEMIAH WAS REBUILDING THE WALL, distractions came in the form of men calling out to him, high up on his ladder, to come down to discuss “their” important matters. These men presented concerns and rumors they feared to be truth, and, they were persistent and insistent that he come down and address the matters with them immediately!

Nehemiah responds plainly, 

"I cannot come down, I am doing a great work."

THERE ARE MANY DISTRACTIONS BEING HURLED AT THE BODY OF CHRIST CONSTANTLY.

So what do we do? 

We look those distractions square in the face and we say,

"We cannot come down. We are doing a great work." 

End. Of. Story.

WE HAVE NO TIME FOR DISTRACTIONS. 

THERE'S TOO MUCH ON THE LINE.

There's restoration to be done, broken down walls and broken down people to be filled back up, truth to be told, healing to be performed, love and justice to manifest and so on.

AND WHILE WE ARE DOING THESE ASSIGNED BY THE LORD TASKS,  (because if they’re not assigned by the Lord then we’re basically doing our own thing, not his important work), while we are doing the assigned things from the Lord, we pray. 

And by that I mean, we dialog with God our Father, and praise, and tell Jesus about the gratitude that we have for His life that He poured out for us, and speak back to Him the words He taught us in the 4 New Testament Gospels. And, we also allow the Holy Spirit of God to have access to our hearts, bringing a sweet exposure and conviction where we might need to have our hearts cleaned up and "grown up" further in the way God has mapped out for those He loves so very much.

When we do these things in reverence and determination

as we work, You will find that we do not have time

for distractions. 

WHEN GOD SPEAKS AND WHEN WE FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS, and when the Holy Spirit is busy working in the dry and hard places of our souls, as we do that in our work, every single day, we do not have time for other distractions!  

We. Cannot. Come. Down. 

WE CANNOT TAKE TIME TO BE PULLED INTO CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE WICKED, "weasely", and filled with all kinds of narratives that have nothing to do with what God has and IS doing right now right in front of us in our daily lives.

THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE NOT TO BE INFORMED AND...

...that we are not to be advocates for godly truths. That is part of rebuilding walls that have come down in our society. But getting into non-ending dialogs and basically verbal fights with people who just want to prove a point is literally drawing us into distraction and frustration.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

It’s a Reality and Intense Fight for Good Over Evil! 

Listen ever so closely to these mighty battle strategies against distractions!

Now my beloved ones, 

I have saved these most important truths for last Instructions.

Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-your union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you.

 Put on God’s complete set of armor provided for us, so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser!

Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. 

For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold this dark world in bondage. 

Because of this, you must wear all the armor that God provides so you’re protected as you confront the slanderer, for you are destined for all glorious and godly things and will rise victorious.

- Ephesians 6: 10-13

FRIENDS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST GOOD AND EVIL!

We are doing a great work! 

We are obeying God! 

And, let’s hope that we aren’t doing it with haughtiness or an attitude of being a little better than everyone else in the way that we serve God! No way!

Someone whom God has called to rebuild or to restore and to do every day jobs, understands that the distractions of ego or the distractions of frustration, often create breaks in relationships, breaks in friendships, and it kills the opportunity to have peace with God fully.

SO FRIENDS! 

REFOCUS.

Do not negotiate with distractions. 

Simply move on and put your hands to the great work before you.

Humbly. Purposefully. 

Without an attitude of needing to prove you’re heroic.

WE WORK, WE SERVE, WE LOVE, AND WE FIGHT, with our eyes focused on the One who rides at the forefront of our battles.

He’s there day and night, radiating comfort, wisdom, and grants discernment for every challenging situation that you and I will face.

MY FINAL PRAYER FOR YOU AS I CLOSE OUT TODAY’S PODCAST, is from Hebrews 13:21

“May God Equip You With All You Need For Doing His Will. 

May He Produce In You, Through The Power Of Jesus Christ, 

Every Good Thing That Is Pleasing To Him.

All Glory To Him Forever And Ever!

Amen.”

STAY STEADY ON WARRIORS.  

WE CANNOT COME DOWN TO NEGOTIATE WITH DISTRACTIONS. 

WE HAVE GOD’S WORK TO DO.

Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed provided that complete source, podcast and website information

for Mary Lindow is included.

Thank You Copyright © 2025

"THE MESSENGER"  - "The Advocate of Hope"

~Mary Lindow

www.marylindow.com

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