November 25, 2024

Who Is Your God?

August 17, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory,
for the sake of Your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Our God is in the heavens;
He does all that He pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
O Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
Psalms 115:1-11

As I was reading this passage and the related commentaries, my mind kept circling back to one thought: we all worship something.  Every one has a “god”—a guiding principle, a passion that is master of their life.   As I continued reading, I realized that verses 1-3 and 9-11 reveal a lot about the One True God.   Verses 4-8 illuminate the contrast of idols.  So I created a chart for comparison.

One True God                              idols

Loving & merciful                                           hard & unfeeling
Reigns in Heaven                                            resides on earth
Sovereign, has dominion                            controls nothing
Always has been, is & will be                      man-made
Holy                                                                     dirty from ore dug from earth
Alive & powerful                                             dead
All-seeing                                                           blind
Always hears our prayers                           deaf
All-knowing                                                       dumb
Transforms man into His Image               made in the image of man
Has done everything for us                        can do nothing for us

This passage begins and ends with God.  Ironic, isn’t it?  Verses 1-3 remind us everything is for His glory and not our own.  His mercy is freely given and cannot be earned.  Therefore we boast in Him alone.

Look at these two verses:

You will show loyalty to Jacob and faithful love to Abraham,
as You swore to our fathers from days long ago
Micah 7:20 HCSB

He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for His mercies to them.
Romans 15:9a NLT

God made plans long ago to be faithful and merciful to us. Verses 10–11 sum the passage up by reminding us wherein our strength and protection lie. The Lord is our “help and our shield” if we only will trust Him.

Acts 10:35 (NASB) tells us: “…but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”  And not only are we welcomed but Psalm 147:11 (AMP) says our reverent fear delights Him:  “The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness.”

“God is seeking to make us like Himself” – Chuck Smith

Either we are making a “god” like ourselves and indulging in self-idolatry OR God is transforming us daily into His image.  Our actions reveal our “god.”

What are your actions saying?

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Lord, we just want to thank You for all You have done for us.  We treasure Your faithfulness and mercy towards us.  Show us if we are allowing another “god” to become our passion.  Stop us before it happens.  We boast in You alone.  May our actions and our lives bring You glory.  In Your Holy name we pray, Amen – so be it!

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Freedom

August 12, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

The Lord frees prisoners.
Psalm 146:7b HCSB

Called to Be Free was the title of the sermon at church on Sunday, so this verse jumped out at me as I was reading through Psalm 146. One point the pastor made stuck with me: “You cannot lose your salvation. You CAN give up your freedom.”

John 10:28-30 (HSCB) assures us our salvation is secure:

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever!
No one will snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all.
No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV) confirms we bear His mark:

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth,
the gospel of your salvation.
When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

Now take a look at the following excerpts:
– “captives will be released and prisoners will be freed”  Isaiah 61:1NLT
– “For He has broken the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron apart” Psalm 107:16
– “freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” Luke 4:18NIV

See the theme running through these verses? Freedom, specifically our freedom.

So, since we have been set free, why would we give up that freedom? (Think of the Israelites, set free from Pharaoh, yet clamoring to go back!) When things get hard, we sometimes want to return to “the way it was.” Or maybe it is fear of the unknown. Often we chain ourselves (and others) to rules and standards we have no hope of achieving on our own. We will never live up to God’s standards on our own.

Other times pride and ego stand in the way of our freedom. Or our desires. Or material things. Perhaps we have become complacent and allow the enemy to subtly trip us up. Too many times we blame our “sinful nature.” Yet our sinful nature no longer has any power except what we give it. Before long we are bound up in chains of our own making. When we realize we are once again chained to this world, we try to free ourselves but to no avail.

All our efforts will never be enough to set us free. However, Zechariah 9:12 holds the key:

“Return to the stronghold [place of safety, your fortress] all you prisoners of hope” (a paraphrase)

We need to return to our place of safety (our stronghold, our fortress) when we find ourselves bound by chains—Jesus. Only He can set us free. As John 8:36 (AMP) says:

So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men],
then you are really and unquestionably free.

When Jesus sets us free, we are free indeed. There is no one else who has that power. He is the only place we can find our freedom. The Spirit that marks us as His will always lead us back to the foot of the Cross.

When we truly understand who we are in Christ and what He has done for us, then we realize what we do NOT have to do.

  • We do not have to pretend to be something we aren’t
  • We do not have to live up to impossible standards
  • We do not have to fix ourselves (or anyone else)
  • We do not have to be bound in chains

All we must do is accept His grace

Our freedom isn’t because of anything we have or have not done. Our freedom is solely because of all Christ has done. The pastor summed it up like this:

Jesus + anything = nothing
Jesus + nothing = EVERYTHING
The choice is ours.

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Lord, thank You so much for everything You have done for us and given to us. Let us be aware of anything we chose that might take away our freedom that came at such a great cost. Your Son did not die so we could continue to bind ourselves in worldly chains. He rose that we might have everlasting freedom. You are so good to us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen – so be it!

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Rise Again

August 11, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Go ahead, drive the nails in My hands
Laugh at me where you stand
Go ahead, and say it isn’t Me
The day will come when you will see

‘Cause I’ll rise again
Ain’t no power on earth can tie me down
Yes, I’ll rise again
Death can’t keep Me in the ground

Go ahead, mock My name
My love for you is still the same
Go ahead, and bury Me
But very soon, I will be free

‘Cause I’ll rise again
Ain’t no power on earth can tie Me down
Yes, I’ll rise again
Death can’t keep Me in the ground

Go ahead and say I’m dead and gone
But you will see that you were wrong
Go ahead, try to hide the Son
But all will see that I’m the One!

‘Cause I’ll come again!
Ain’t no power on earth can keep Me back!
Yes, I’ll come again
Come to take My people back

Singer/Songwriter: Dallas Holm

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Last week a couple of  friends and myself felt like the enemy was taking target practice at our marriages.  It wasn’t the first time…and I am quite certain it won’t be the last.  A recent sermon I heard, entitled Called to Be Free, came to mind and I thought about being free from satan’s attacks.  I know we won’t be completely free until we reach Heaven but Jesus has set us free from the chains of this world.  That includes satan and anything he tries to ensnare us in.  The enemy only has what power we give him.

Luke 10:19 (HCSB) puts it this way:

Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions
and over all the power of the enemy; nothing will ever harm you.

We have all authority over the power of the enemy.  Sometimes we forget to use that power.  Even when we do, sometimes we still get knocked for a loop.  It is difficult to keep getting back up when you get knocked down repeatedly.  I read a Scripture that totally changed my whole perspective on this.  Take a look at 2 Corinthians 4:10-11 (AMP):

Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure
to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered,
so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies.
For we who live are constantly [experiencing] being handed over to death
for Jesus’ sake, that the [resurrection] life of Jesus
also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death.

I read this and had a “light bulb” moment.  Because we are believers and followers of Christ, we carry Jesus’ death and Resurrection within us!  The attacks we incur, the battles we fight are where we share in the death of Jesus.  If satan knocks me down, he may have won that battle but Jesus has already won the war.  Every time we rise up from defeat—whether it is perceived or real—we share in the Resurrection and ultimate victory of Jesus.  We can rise again because Jesus has already done it and we carry Him within ourselves.

As I was mediating on all of this, the song “Rise Again” came to mind.  But I was hearing it and singing it in a whole new light.  Since I have a personal relationship with Christ, it doesn’t matter if people laugh at me or mock me. It doesn’t matter if I get knocked down or thrown for a loop. “I will be free….” “…No power on earth can tie me down.”

For me, this revelation was earth-shattering and life-changing.  The storms will be easier to bear, and the attacks easier to survive because I know Jesus has already been there.  He has paved my way in victory and His victory is manifested in me.  Hallelujah!!!!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Call To Praise

August 6, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Psalm 100 AMP
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing!
Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God!
It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]!
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering
and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him,
bless and affectionately praise His name!
For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting,
His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.

Psalm 100 is a psalm of praise.  It calls us to “Make a joyful noise to the Lord.”  We are to “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving” in our hearts and enter into “His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him and praise His name.”  We can praise God anytime, anywhere, publicly or privately, silently or aloud.  Praise is to be offered with gladness, willingly and not grudgingly.  We are to offer it because we want to, and because He is God our Creator and the Lord of All.

You may be thinking “Well that’s all well and good…but you don’t know my story, my circumstances, my life right now.  There isn’t much to be thankful for!”  True, I don’t.  We all have issues.  But, if you are reading this right now, you are still breathing, right?  God holds our breath in His hands.  As Acts 17:25b (AMP) states: “…it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all.”  Praise Him for that.  Since you are reading this, you can still see, right?  Praise Him for that.  And if you are still reading this, your brain stills work, right?  Praise Him for that.

Okay, you get my point.  At this point I am preaching to myself as much as anyone.  So let’s stop focusing on what is wrong and what we DON’T have and, instead, offer up praise to God for what is right and all we DO have.

It may be a challenge for you to praise Him right now.  At times it has been for me.  Think of it as a sacrifice, an offering.  We are no longer required to offer sacrifices to God since Christ became our ultimate Sacrifice.  Hebrews 13:15 (HCSB) puts it like this: “Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.”  Praise reminds us we owe God everything.  If we chose to willingly offer Him praise, even in the most difficult of times, think of how much it pleases God.  And, best of all, it reminds us of the life to come.  As Isaiah 35:10 (HCSB) puts it:

…and the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing,
crowned with unending joy. Joy and gladness will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.

And, oh! what a day that will be!

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Father, thank You for everything.  All we are, all we have, all the blessings You have bestowed upon us.  Let us never take them for granted.  May we always praise Your Holy name with gladness and joy in our hearts—no matter the circumstances. Thank You for all that has been, will be, and is to come.  In the precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen – so be it!

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From The Inside Out

August 2, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv
A thousand times I’ve failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I’m caught in Your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing You praise

My heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out, Lord
Let justice and praise, become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

From the inside out, O my soul cries out
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, O my soul cries out
From the inside out, O my soul cries out
From the inside out, O my soul cries out

Singer-Songwriter: Joel Houston  /  Performed by Hillsong United

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My Bible study lesson today was “Inside Out” by Beth Moore from Children of the Day.  At first I didn’t relate the title to this song.  The lesson is based on 1 Thessalonians 4:9 AMP:

But concerning brotherly love [for all other Christians],
you have no need to have anyone write you,
for you yourselves have been [personally] taught by God to love one another.

Did you catch that last phrase, “…personally taught by God…”? The Thessalonians didn’t need anyone to instruct them on how to love other Christians for they had been PERSONALLY TAUGHT BY GOD!  This thought blew my mind.  It totally captivated my attention.  The Thessalonians had learned to love FROM THE INSIDE OUT!  They learned it straight from God.

And you know what?  We can too!  When we made our decision to surrender to Jesus and follow Him, we literally received the Holy Spirit into our beings.  Look at John 14:26 HCSB:

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—
will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

The Spirit of God resides in us and will teach us all things!  Our learning does not have to be from the outside in. Beth Moore puts it this way:

“God’s Spirit bypasses all formal routes of the learning curve and the lesson comes straight from Him.”

(If that doesn’t excite you, I’m not sure anything will.)

Then this song came to mind and I looked at it in a whole new light.  What if we truly gave God control—complete control?  What if we allowed Him to teach us, to “consume us from the inside out” instead of being stuck in our preconceived ideas?  What if we truly learned to love as the Thessalonians did…”from the inside out?”

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Father God, Thank You so very much for placing Your Spirit within us.  Open us to His teachings.  Teach us, O God, for we cannot learn as much on our own.  My soul cries out to You in praise.  Teach me, O God, from the inside out.  In Your Holy name, we pray, Amen – so be it!

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A Heart Fixed on God

July 28, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Don’t you find it easier to deal with life’s difficulties when your heart and your eyes are fixed on God…and not your current circumstances?  I know I do.  Look at the difference this made in David:

I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
Psalm 57:4 NIV

They prepared a net for my steps; I was despondent. They dug a pit ahead of me, but they fell into it!
Verse 6 HCSB

In these two verses David’s heart is fixed on what is going on round him. Yet, once he turned and fixed his heart on God and began to sing and to praise Him, David’s heart is lifted up.

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident! I will sing and make melody.
Verse 7 AMP

We should follow David’s example!  Ephesians 5:20 (AMP) tells us: “At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”  In the face of trials and tribulations we need to stir ourselves up, rouse ourselves out of our circumstances, and fix our heart on the Lord instead.  Have you ever noticed that when we sing and offer praise to God, our distractions fade and we are refreshed?  Know why that is?  It is because we are reminded of how faithful He is and how great is God’s love. Praising God reminds us that He sends forth His mercy and truth, and then our hearts become confident.

For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in His holy name.
Psalm 33:21 AMP

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord.
Psalm 112:7 AMP

When our hearts are confident in the Lord, we exalt Him even more.  A heart that is fixed on God can completely change our attitude and our outlook, just as it did for David.

As a favorite hymn goes:

“…tune my heart to sing Thy grace…
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it, mount of Thy redeeming love.”

That what I desire, a heart tuned to sing His grace, a heart fixed on Him and Him alone.

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Father God, we come with heartfelt gratitude for Your great love, mercy, and faithfulness. Fix our hearts upon You and tune them to always sing Your praise. In Your Holy name we ask this, Amen – so be it!

 

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Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

July 27, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace.
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it, mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I come,
And I hope by Thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.

Jesus sought me when a stranger wandering from the fold of God.
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.

O to grace, how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Lyrics: Robert Robinson / Tune: ’Nettleton’ Asahel Nettleton,
This arrangement by Mack Wilberg

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Recently I have been struggling with a situation. I keep turning it over and over in my mind, unable to see how it can be resolved. One day last week, while pondering this issue once again, God placed this song in my heart. I kept coming back to the phrase “…tune my heart to sing Thy grace…”.

Finally it clicked.  The light bulb went on.  My responsibility is not to resolve this situation.  My responsibility is to fix my heart on God and praise Him.  He will deal with the rest.  Look at the following verses:

Rejoice in the Lord, O you [uncompromisingly] righteous
[you upright in right standing with God];
for praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright [in heart].
Psalm 33:1 AMP

The righteous one rejoices in the Lord and takes refuge in Him;
all those who are upright in heart will offer praise.
Psalm 64:10 HCSB

So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him
have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory!
so that we who had already put our hope in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory.
Ephesians 1:12 AMP & HCSB

Not once in any of these verses does it say it is up to me to resolve my issues.  Not once!  But it does reiterate over and over again that my purpose is to praise and rejoice in the Lord.  Sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  Yet we all struggle with this, don’t we?  I am prone to wander and to take the burden on myself.  I don’t know about y’all, but I am a “fixer.”  Maybe that stems from being a wife and mother.  But nowhere in the above verses does it say it is my responsibility to fix things. In fact, the following verses indicate that it is not my place to fix anything on my own.

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you;
Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you.
Psalm 55:22a AMP & NLT

Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day,
even the God Who is our salvation!
Psalm 68:19

Doesn’t that lift your spirits and make your heart smile?  God bears our burdens. He is in control.  All we need to do is fix our wandering hearts on Him and sing His praises.  He will handle the rest.

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Sing this verse with me as we make it our heartfelt prayer:

“O to grace, how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.
Seal it for Thy courts above.”

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Over All Things

July 20, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo
As I was reading Psalm 8, I kept going back to verses 5 and 6:

Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority. (NLT)

Who does “them” refer to?  Looking back at verse 4 we see that “them” is mankind, mere mortals.  In other words…us.  Now, read those two verses again, but this time, substitute your name for the word “them.”  Did that just give you chills?  God made us—you and me—only a little lower than Himself.  He crowned us with glory and honor.  God put us in charge of EVERYTHING!  ALL things are under our authority (‘under our feet’ as some versions say).  There is no limit to “all things!”

Ah, Satan is already whispering doubts to you, isn’t he?  He would like nothing better than to convince you this authority, this dominion does not apply to you. But it does. Look at the following verses:

You have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Your hands,
For You have put everything in subjection under his feet.
Now in putting everything in subjection to man, He left nothing outside [of man’s] control.
Hebrews 2:7b-8a (AMP)

For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.”
1 Corinthians 15:27a (NLT)

We were created to have dominion over all things. Not some things but ALL things.  That is why it is such a tragedy when we are held in bondage by things of this world.

This authority was originally given to Adam and we still have the same authority because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. According to Barnes’ Notes on the Bible:

“The language is taken from the act of treading down the enemies in battle…The idea is that of complete and entire subjection.”

That makes us conquerors, right?  Yes!  As Romans 8:37 states “…in all these things we are more than conquerors….”  We have the power to be overwhelmingly victorious!  Think about that for a minute…God’s love for us is so great that He honors us by giving us dominion over ALL things!

Sisters, this is a precious gift we have been given.  One that the enemy does NOT want us to use.  Satan would like nothing more than to keep us oppressed—doubting that we have such authority.  The authority is ours, if we choose to receive it.  When we make that choice to receive that God-given authority, we give the glory and honor back to God.

Such great power.  Such great love.  It makes me ask, as David did, “What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”  Don’t give your God-given authority to the enemy.  Take it back. Then glorify the Lord as we sing, “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your Name in all the earth!”

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Lord, thank You for giving us such great honor and authority.  Teach us to accept the authority and use it in a manner that glorifies You so that the entire world will recognize just how majestic You truly are.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen – so be it!

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I Am

July 18, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv
There’s no space that His love can’t reach
There’s no place where we can’t’ find peace
There’s no end to amazing grace

Take me in with Your arms spread wide
Take me in like an orphan child
Never let go
Never leave my side

I am
Holding on to You
I am
Holding on to You
In the middle of the storm
I am holding on
I am

Love like this
Oh my God to find
I am overwhelmed
With a joy divine
Love like this sets our hearts on fire

This is my resurrection song
This is my hallelujah come
This is why it’s to You I run

There’s no space that His love can’t reach
There’s no place where we can’t find peace
There’s no end to amazing grace

Singer/Songwriter: David Crowder (with Ed Cash)

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

Have you ever felt you would never be at peace?  Have you ever felt like an orphan, all alone in this world?  Yep, me too.  More times than I would like to count.

I can be worse than a dog with a bone. Replaying events and conversations in my head… worrying and fretting.  I am unable to still my mind.     Peace is elusive. These verses reassure me:

Psalm 29:11(HCSB)
The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace.

Psalm 35:27 (NLT)
Great is the Lord, who delights in blessing his servant with peace!

John 14:27 (NLT)
I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.

John 16:33 (NIV)
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

And that is all the reassurance I need.  There is no end to God’s amazing grace.

I posted this song on my FaceBook timeline last week.  It resonates with me.  As this song plays in my head I am reminded that there is no place, there is no space His love cannot reach.

Psalm 86:13(AMP) reaffirms this:
For great is Your mercy and loving-kindness toward me; and You have delivered me
from the depths of Sheol [from the exceeding depths of affliction].

If He can deliver me from my afflictions—from the very depths of Hell—His love can reach whatever mucky pit I am in.  The only place you and I can find love like this is wrapped in God’s arms.  His arms are always open wide just waiting for us to run to Him.  I am overwhelmed with joy.

So I run to Him — daily.  When things are good AND when things aren’t so good.  I hold on to Him tightly, especially during the storms.  He never lets go.  He never leaves my side.

This is my resurrection song
This is my hallelujah come
This is why it’s to You I run

I am holding on to Him. What are you holding onto?

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Plea of an Honest Heart

July 13, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the undefiled
(the upright, truly sincere, and blameless) in the way [of the revealed will of God],
who walk (order their conduct and conversation) in the law of the Lord
(the whole of God’s revealed will).
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are they who keep His testimonies,
and who seek, inquire for and of Him and crave Him with the whole heart.
Yes, they do no unrighteousness [no willful wandering from His precepts];
they walk in His ways.
You have commanded us to keep Your precepts, that we should observe them diligently.
Oh, that my ways were directed and established to observe Your statutes
[hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]!
Psalms 119:1-5 (AMP)

These five verses speak of God’s Holy Word. Every verse mentions “His way,” “the revealed Word of God,” “the law of the Lord,” “His testimonies,” “His precepts,” “Your statutes” and they tell us a lot about ourselves. Look at the first and last verses…notice the contrast?  Verse one speaks of being blameless and undefiled. The last verse is a plea from a desperate heart. We try to keep “His statutes” but, being human, sometimes we fail.

Take a closer look at verses 1 and 3. Verse 1 states that “the undefiled (the upright, truly sincere, and blameless)” are blessed. These people “do no unrighteousness [no willful wandering from His precepts]” according to verse 3. These verses are hard to put into practice. They set the bar high. They convict us.

However, verses 2 and 4 offer a glimmer of hope. If we “seek, inquire for and of Him and crave Him with the whole heart”, if we “keep Your precepts, that we should observe them diligently,” if we strive toward doing and not just hearing, then we honor Him. And, with His help, we succeed.

Ahhhhh…but verse 5. Verse 5 shows us right where we need to be.

“Oh, that my ways were directed and established to observe Your statutes [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]!”

This is a heartfelt prayer from the depths of our soul. It is a yearning for all we desire to be—for all God created us to be.

Do you feel shame when you read verses 1 and 3?  I do. It pricks my conscience when I reflect on my failures and His ultimate act of grace. I have a past strewn with sin, littered with mistakes, and filled with bad choices. Since we are not blameless and undefiled, does that mean we are not blessed?  No.

1 John 4:17 tells us “as He is, so also are we in this world.” Jesus is blameless, undefiled, and perfect and that is how God sees us. God looks past our mistakes and sees our heart. He sees the desires of an honest heart; and our desire for a right relationship with Him.

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father God, we lift our hearts up to You, knowing we are not blameless or undefiled. We are so thankful that through Your mercy and grace You see past our imperfection and into our hearts. Thank You for the gift of Jesus that makes us perfect in Your sight. May we always desire to hear, receive, love, and obey Your revealed will for us. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen – so be it.

 

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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