May 11, 2025

Thankful For the Past

August 5, 2014 by

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Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
Psalm 100:4

Recently, while sitting in my room, I began to do a reflection of my current life—the relationships I have, the job(s), the decisions that need to be made, and the character flaws that need fixing.  I found myself wishing that I could go back in time and deal with the problems of previous times; you know the problems that I now know exactly how to deal with.  In that moment I laughed at myself.  Every season we enter has its benefits and its trials and seasons are constantly changing. What’s important to remember about each season of our lives is to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.”

I was informed that this devotional is the one year anniversary of the Seeking Him devotional blog.  I’m actually very surprised…it doesn’t seem like a year has passed.  Looking back, I can see how I’ve grown and changed.  I can see things in me that are still the same that I would love to change but, overall, I’m moving forward.  And I think this is what God wants us to do—move forward and be thankful while doing so.  I find it difficult to move forward when I am regretting or disappointed about something in the past. When I address the situation and let God shed light on it, I find that I am more capable of thanking Him for the learning experience.  Paul said it like this in Philippians 3:13 and 14,

But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.
I press toward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

We have so much going on around us and so much that we want to accomplish or to make different.  We have lives we want to live and dreams we want to come to pass.  If done correctly, the past is a good place for us to learn how to improve our present and our future.  For this reason I feel we should be thankful to God that we have a past to say that we made it through.  Without a past there is no present.  Nobody’s past is perfect.  There are things in my past that I don’t feel I should have ever had to deal with, but God says, “… if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

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Lord, thank You for where I have been, because I would not be the person I am today without my past. You are an all-knowing God and You guide my future. Thank You for being so amazing!  Amen.

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The Shepherd and His Sheep

August 4, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100:3

Have you ever noticed that you are put in other people’s lives for a reason?  My mother always believed that God put her with my father because she has vision problems and he can see (and now I that I am married can see her point).  My father was put with her because he has hearing loss, and she can hear.  In September they will have been married for 36 years.  Now that is a long time by today’s standards!   As for me and my husband, he lays something down, and I can usually tell him right where it is.  The same goes when I lay something down. My husband knows my moods, and I know his.  We have only been married for a few years, but we are still learning about each other.

I am the good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me,
just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
John 10:14-15

The Lord is our Shepherd.  He created us.  God knew who we were and where we were going before we were even born.  He knows us better than we do ourselves. That is why our prayers are answered the way that they are when we pray.  We may pray for something, but God may not think that an affirmative answer would be beneficial to us.  God then tells us ‘No.’ for our own good because He knows us.

When we accept Christ into our hearts, we begin to know our heavenly Father.  He knew us before we even turned from our sin and returned to Him.  When Christ went to the Cross, He already knew who He was dying for that day.  He knew us before we were even twinkles in our parents’ eyes. God knows who His sheep are even before they walk this Earth.  God had plans for all of eternity even before He created Adam and Eve.  He already knew who we would be.  It is part of our responsibility to know Him better.

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Dear Heavenly Father, You knew us before You wove us together in our mothers’ wombs.  We are Your children, and You know us like parents know their children. Thank You for giving us the gift of eternal life through the gift of Your Holy Son.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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God’s People

August 3, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Know that the Lord is God
It is He who made us and we are His,
we are His people the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100:3

This is spiritual knowledge that He created us.  We did not make ourselves.  We are His. And the people of His pasture.

There are times that we, as Christians, tend to forget who created us by:

  • Doing our own things in our own ways thinking we can do without Him when we cannot
  • Worshipping our jobs, our husbands, our businesses, etc. We tend to praise more the material things without attaching it to the steadfast love of our Creator, the One Who made us.

If God was able to create us, is He not the Author of what we call ‘wisdom?’  He gave us this gift of wisdom, too, for us to be able to add or sum up things for our daily living.  And yet sometimes when we prosper, we forget all of this and start praising ourselves, our husbands, our jobs, etc.  Have we ever thought what would happen if our husbands were to die, and we don’t have jobs and the businesses we work for collapses.  God will still be God…all things will pass but He will still remain.

The Word (in verse 3) is saying that we are the ‘sheep of His pasture.’  We are His very own. G od is our good Shepherd; if we are of His pasture then we can lack nothing.  He is able to take us to the green pastures (Psalm 23), He will lead us beside the still waters.  According to Philippians 4:19, He is able to provide to the sheep (you and I) by His riches in His glory.  What shall we then lack?  Nothing.  We have everything in our God.

He even supplied us salvation through our Savior Jesus. Without the Cross of Calvary we would have been dead by now, I guess.

We are God’s people (Luke 1:17 and Acts 15:14 and also Titus 2:14) who He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do for them what is good.

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Knowing that we are God’s people, shall we pray:
Dear heavenly Father, hallowed be Your name, in all the earth You are known to be a Great God, the great I AM, Mighty Warrior, great in battle.  We worship You for who You are, dear God.  You are a loving Father and to You be the honor and glory!  We feel loved more today for we have been reminded that we are Your very own and that You care for Your very own.  However, Lord, we pray for forgiveness for sometimes we have made You too small in our lives.  May You wash us with hyssop; let us be clean from all iniquities.  Bless us and bless us indeed!  Enlarge our territories, Lord.  Knowing You are there to provide makes us boast in You!  Be glorified!  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

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Be Exalted, O God

August 2, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your mercy and loving-kindness are great, reaching to the heavens,
and Your truth and faithfulness to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Your glory be over all the earth.
Psalms 57:9-11

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As our Ann so succinctly laid out in the devotional she wrote earlier this week …

Why do we exalt Him?

  • He is a great God who created the heavens and the earth. His supremacy is beyond our imagination. He must be glorified.

Be exalted O God above the heavens and let your glory be over all the earth
Psalm 108:5

  • He is Holy.

Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool, He is holy.
Psalm 99:5

  • He is my God in whom I trust. For He is faithful and loves us unconditionally.

You are my God and I will give thanks; You are my God and I will exalt You.
Psalm118:28

  • He has done great things. You know God has done so many great things in our lives. We are alive today because of His grace and mercy and favour, protection. He must be exalted for all this.

Lord, You are my God;
I will exalt You and praise Your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
You have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
Isaiah 25:1

  • He is a God of justice and covered with righteousness. And this righteousness it was imputed in us when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

The Lord is exalted for He dwells on high, He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
Isaiah 33:5

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I pray that as you listen to the following song that your hearts will be drawn to rise up and praise and EXALT our Great God.

May He be exalted above all else in our lives!

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The Condition of the Heart

August 1, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise You, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of You among the peoples.
For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Your glory be over all the earth.
Psalms 57:7-11 NIV

The first two lines of this week’s passage struck me the hardest. It wasn’t about what God was doing for me or about my enemies or the adversities I was facing. It was about me. It was about my heart.

I looked at some other versions of this week’s selection and saw other descriptions of the condition of our heart—the word, steadfast.  Some of these other descriptions were“fixed, ready, confident.” Although they have different definitions they sum up well what we need to possess in order to be able to live out the rest of the passage.

Steadfast
• firmly fixed in place
• not subject to change
• firm in belief, determination, or adherence

Now here in other versions, ‘steadfast’ is translated a little differently:
Fixed (KJV)
• placed or attached in a way that does not move easily
Ready (MSG)
• prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action
• prepared for immediate use
• willingly disposed
• likely to do something indicated
• displayed readily and spontaneously
Confident (NLT)
• having a feeling, belief that you can do something well, succeed at something
∙ having confidence
• showing that you have confidence
• certain that something will happen or that something is true

As with most instructions God gives us, along with the directives He places on our lives, there is one thing we need to make sure of— that our hearts are where they need to be. And that the condition of our hearts allows for the task to be completed. That is an example to others of the love of God and of His influence in our lives.

This week I want to focus on my heart.

I want to focus on what it looks like…to God and to others.

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Dear Heavenly Father,
The condition of our hearts may not be something we look at on a daily basis, it may be something that we take for granted. But Lord, this week I pray that we take a closer look. I pray that we take the steps needed to have our hearts be a reflection of You. I pray that we work towards becoming steadfast, fixed, ready, and confident. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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Wake

July 31, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

I’m ready, God, so ready,
    ready from head to toe,
Ready to sing, ready to raise a tune:
    “Wake up, soul!
Wake up, harp! wake up, lute!
    Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!”

I’m thanking you, God, out loud in the streets,
    singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
    every cloud is a flag to your faithfulness.

Soar high in the skies, O God!
    Cover the whole earth with your glory!

Psalms 57:7-11 (The Message)

David was so thankful!  David grew up relying on God’s great strength and guidance.  Whatever was placed in David’s way, God was there.  All David had to do was to call upon the name of the Lord.

Who is on your speed dial when trouble arises? Most likely it is a trusted friend or a parent. Sometimes it can be a counselor or our pastor. It should be our Lord.  We are human. We have a need to discuss our shortcomings and our fears with each other. A girlfriend and I were discussing our children and our fears for them. She was saying how she was afraid her son was going to make wrong decisions again and was holding on to him so tightly that he was suffocating. I explained to her how she needed to release those fears and give them to God. If we don’t do that, especially if they are older, they will run at the first opportunity they get. She mentioned how, now that her daughter in on her own, she does not worry so much about her. But because her son is still home, she does.

Maturity occurs at different stages for each of us. I did not move out until I was 23. Her daughter moved out at 21 and my son moved out at 22. My step-daughter moved in with us at 25 and has since moved into an apartment with a friend at 27. Life is an adventure that we should embrace and praise Him for. We need to find positives about each stage we and others are at in our lives.

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Father, thank You for Your unconditional love!  I give You praise for what has and what will happen.  Good or bad…You are always there, standing, watching, sending your Holy Spirit to prompt us when we need it.  Give us David’s heart and love he had for You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Exaltation

July 30, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let Thy glory be above all the earth.
Psalm 57:11

God must be exalted.

Why do we exalt Him?

  • He is a great God who created the heavens and the earth. His supremacy is beyond our imagination. He must be glorified.

Be exalted O God above the heavens and let your glory be over all the earth
Psalm 108:5

  • He is Holy.

Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool, He is holy.
Psalm 99:5

  • He is my God in whom I trust. For He is faithful and loves us unconditionally.

You are my God and I will give thanks; You are my God and I will exalt You.
Psalm118:28

  • He has done great things. You know God has done so many great things in our lives. We are alive today because of His grace and mercy and favour, protection. He must be exalted for all this.

And in that day you will say,
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name.
Make known His deeds among the peoples;
Make them remember that His name is exalted.”
Isaiah 12:4

Lord, You are my God;
I will exalt You and praise Your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
You have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
Isaiah 25:1

  • He is a God of justice and covered with righteousness. And this righteousness it was imputed in us when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

The Lord is exalted for He dwells on high, He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
Isaiah 33:5

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Lord God Almighty, we exalt You for You are proved to us to be a Great God.  No one is like You, Lord.  Wonderful, faithful, righteous, glorious, You are!  The Lord that loves unconditionally and Who judges with justice.  We exalt You in everything.  Let us dwell in You…for in You there is no darkness.  We exalt You!  In Jesus’ name, I pray!  Amen.

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The Power of Prayer

July 29, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise You, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of You among the peoples.
For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Your glory be over all the earth.
Psalms 57:7-11

When times are tough, who do you turn to?  Do you cry on someone’s shoulder?  Do you go looking for your own solution?  All of us should have someone who will stand with us when we need them to.  With today’s world crumbling around us, we all are going to need someone to lean our heads on sooner or later.

We have had some health and other issues come up in our home and in our family.  We also have friends who are suffering from health issues, and other issues, as well.  But the first thing we do when these issues appear is to pray and to ask for prayers.  There is power in prayer—healing, reassurance, love, answers, and much much more.  Through prayer, we can offer our brothers and sisters in Christ a shoulder to lean on and the knowledge to know that they are not alone.

Through this power of prayer and love, our hearts are steadfast in God.  We have a solid foundation in which to get up from our struggles and move forward.  Our souls awaken when we talk to God or pray for others.  Through prayer, we praise God and reach out to those who need Him most.  When people know you are praying for them, it makes them feel loved and helps to strengthen their walk their God.

God’s love is for everyone.  He is with us all no matter what we believe.  It is through this love that we will spend eternity with Him.  We will praise and worship Him when we live with Him in Heaven.  What a wonderful promise to exalt and praise through song.

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Dear Heavenly Father:  Thank You for listening to us and being our Rock.  Thank You for Your wonderful love.  We share this love through praise, prayer, and service to others.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Confidence in the Lord

July 27, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident.
No wonder I can sing your praises.
Psalm 57:7

Confidence means:

  • faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way;
  • a feeling or consciousness of one’s power;
  • a quality or state of being certain

God can place some crazy dreams in our hearts and minds.  Those subtle desires that we think are impossible and even stop to wonder “Where did that come from?”  God is amazing.  Therefore, as His followers we really shouldn’t be surprised when He approaches us with some grand plan and wants to use us to make it come to pass.  What an honor!  But how often do we let us get in the way of God’s grand plan?  He says “Soar!” and, yet, we are too afraid to spread our wings.  God pushes us out of our comfort zone.  He wants to show us what He can do when we follow His lead.

What does any of this have to do with the word confidence?  Let me tell you.  The best part of God’s plan is that we can have full confidence that God will do as He says He will.  Philippians 1:6 says,

And I am certain [confident] that God, Who began the good work within you,
will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

So…has God called you to do something grand?  Something that requires your complete confidence in Him and not your own ability?  Do you have the confidence in Him to do it?

Noah did.  In the book of Genesis, we find Noah, the only one who found favor with the Lord during his time.

Noah was a righteous man,
blameless among the people of his time,
and he walked with God.
Genesis 6:9b

Noah walked with God..meaning Noah had a viable relationship with the Lord. Noah knew God and, because Noah spent time with Him and invested in his relationship with the Lord, he was able to have confidence in the Lord. So, when God told Noah to build an ark, Noah was able to build the ark certain that God would do as He said.

How’s your confidence in the Lord?  Enough to walk out on water like Peter? Rebuild the Jerusalem walls like Nehemiah?  Uproot yourself and not know where you’re going like Abraham?  To slay a giant with just a sling and stones like David? To give birth to the Savior of the world like Mary?  To hang on the cross and give your life for all mankind like Jesus?

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Lord, I pray that my confidence in You would grow.  That I would get to know You more intimately, so that when the time comes I won’t hesitate, or look back, but move forward with You.  Thank you for showing Yourself to me.  Amen.

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Through the Praise of Children and Infants

July 26, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Psalm 8
LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Growing up in church, I participated a great deal in children’s programs, and my relationship with God grew and became a source of strength.  But the impact that a child’s faith could have on me changed greatly when I had my own children.  When I saw them praising God, and sharing their faith with their peers…and when I can use the Word of God to help direct their daily journey.  My own journey has a different impact and takes on a different meaning when I look at it through the eyes of my kids.

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers….”  When I look around at the beauty of the world…at the beauty of my family and my home…when I look at the wonderful people around me…I am thankful.  God has created beauty. And He has given us the gift of caring for this beauty.  There are times when my husband or kids ask to borrow something of mine, something that perhaps I treasure, I am not as willing to share as I should be.  I worry that what I lend may be lost or broken. God is not like this.  He created beauty, His most prized possessions, and He placed us in charge.  He gave us the honor of caring for what He created.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for using the innocence of children to silence Your enemies. Their untarnished love and honesty can bring a clarity to situations often that we need. Thank You for the responsibility of raising these children, the responsibility of looking after Your magnificent creations—the beauty all around us. Please help us to care for these creations as You would have us care for them. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, amen.

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