December 24, 2024

Freedom Song

March 11, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Freedom Song
Performed by Mandisa

Praise to the Lord, our chains are gone
Can’t help but sing our freedom song
Praise to the Lord, our chains are gone
Can’t help but sing our freedom….

I am a child from a broken home
Where true love was torn apart
But then I met a Heavenly Father
Who made a home inside my heart

I am a man with the chains of addiction
Dragging me down for way too long
But I came face to face with redemption
And now those chains are gone

Can anybody hear me?
Does anybody know what I’m talking about?
When you’ve been delivered like that
You’ve got to shout it out

Lift your hands up in the air; shout Hallelujah
Lift your hands up in the air…I have been set free

I am a sixteen year old daughter
Lost in the mirror, no self esteem
But God made me in His image
And that makes me a beauty queen

I am a wife and the mother of three
Trading my dreams for a busy life
Searching for my lost identity
And I’m happy to announce that I found it in Christ

Praise to the Lord, my chains are gone
Can’t help but sing our freedom song
Praise to the Lord, my chains are gone
Can’t help but sing our freedom song

 ~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

What does it mean to walk in freedom?  The definition of freedom is: ‘the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.’  Another definition is ‘the quality or state of being free.’

Because of Jesus work on the Cross we can now walk in freedom without hinderance or restraint…because of Jesus my chains are gone; praise God!!!

Because of Jesus you have been set of free of the bondage of your past that ensnared you…what an AWE-inspiring Truth and something for which I am thankful each and every day.  If God never did another thing for me, the fact that I have been saved from a dark past and that I won’t be going be going to Hell is enough for me….  I will never begin to understand the love of the Father and the sacrifice that He made for Me and for YOU!

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed

Galations 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

I Love Ephesians 3:12 In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Because of Jesus we can approach God with freedom and confidence… Hallelujah!!!!)

Psalm 118:5 In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and He answered by setting me free.

Sisters, will you receive the freedom that you have available to you this day?  And choose to walk in the freedom and confidence of who you are in Him?

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Heavenly Father, I can never begin to understand the sacrifice, pain, and suffering that Jesus went through so that I may walk in freedom today.  A simple ‘Thank You’ can never begin to express my thankfulness!  Without Jesus there would be no hope for someone like me.  Thank You that in my anguish I cried out to You and You have set me free!!!  In Jesus name, AMEN!!!

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

CHRISTLife — ThirtyNine: Purposeful

March 6, 2014 by

cl purposeful

We each have the very same purpose that Jesus had when He walked this earth.  His purpose—to love. Our purpose—to love.

• God purposed to love the world by giving His Son.

Jesus was sent to show God’s love, to be God’s love, to give God’s love.  He was the epitome and the manifestation of His Father’s love.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

• Jesus purposed to love by revealing God’s love.

Immediately before He allowed Himself to be arrested, and knowing that He would be interrogated, tortured, crucified, and ultimately give His life, Jesus prayed this prayer.

Father, I desire that they also whom You have entrusted to Me [as Your gift to Me]
may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory,
which You have given Me [Your love gift to Me];
for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
O just and righteous Father, although the world has not known You and has failed
to recognize You and has never acknowledged You, I have known You [continually];
and these men understand and know that You have sent Me.
I have made Your Name known to them and revealed Your character
and Your very Self, and I will continue to make [You] known,
that the love which You have bestowed upon Me may be in them
[felt in their hearts] and that I [Myself] may be in them.
John 17:24-26

• Jesus purposed to love by giving up His life.

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13

• Our purpose is to show God’s love by giving of ourselves.

Jesus taught a great lesson (Luke 10) about love in the parable about the Good Samaritan.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”

Jesus taught His disciples and other followers numerous times about love and the immense importance of it. There is much to glean and learn in Jesus’ lesson.  In this account, He gave a graphic example of what love DID NOT look like…and how love DID look.  And then He said,

“Go and do the same.”
Verse 37

The love that the Samaritan showed for the stranger laying on the side of the road was purposeful…intentional…took effort.  All love should be the same.

• Not only do we have the same purpose……but we have the same ability.  With Christ in our hearts, we can know this love.

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.
God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence
in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
1 John 4:16 and 17

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself
unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him,
he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love;
just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
John 15:4-5, 10-11

I pray that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend
with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-20

Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
1 John 4:11

Each of us is a person with one life of purpose to live along with the choice to love.
By God’s love and grace we have been given the ability to purposefully live out this high calling.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

And NOW here is some encouragement from Kim
along with the final  page for her beautiful inner identity album!

CLiiakim030614

I love how Mrs. Myers writes: “We are not qualified from a human viewpoint, for we lack many longed-for qualities, abilities, talents. Yet from Gods viewpoint we are qualified. God does not call the qualified.”   He qualifies the called…so let your light shine before men so that your Father in Heaven may be glorified.

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Speak Life

March 4, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

  ~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

Some days, life feels perfect…other days it just ain’t workin’
The good, the bad, the right, the wrong—and everything in between

Though it’s crazy, amazing; we can turn a heart with the words we say
Mountains crumble with every syllable…hope can live or die

So speak Life, speak Life; to the deadest darkest night
Speak life, speak Life. When the sun won’t shine and you don’t know why
Look into the eyes of the brokenhearted, watch them come alive
as soon as you speak hope, you speak love, you speak…
You speak Life (oh oh oh oh oh oh) You speak Life (oh oh oh oh oh oh)

Some days the tongue gets twisted; other days my thoughts just fall apart
I do. I don’t. I will. I won’t…it’s like I’m drowning in the deep

Well it’s crazy to imagine—words from our lips as the arms of compassion
Mountains crumble with every syllable…hope can live or die

Lift your head a little higher; spread love like fire
Hope will fall like rain when you speak life with the words you say
Raise your thoughts a little higher, use your words to inspire,
Joy will fall like rain, when you speak life with the things you say.

Some days life feels perfect….

~  Performed by  Toby Mac  ~

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

What are the words you are choosing to speak?  Are they uplifting?  Are they helpful? Words that build someone up instead of tearing someone down??  Our words are powerful and what comes out of our mouths matters….

There are many Scriptures in the Word that show us just how powerful the words we speak are.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Proverbs 18 : 21

This Truth will work for the good or it can work for the reverse; depending on the words we are speaking.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up,
as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
Matthew 15: 18

You can tell the true heart of a person by the words that they speak.

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18

May my tongue be of the wise and not with rash words like a sword. In times of frustration, when we are tempted to speak rash words, this is when we need to dig deep and call upon the help of the Holy Spirit. The kinds of things that God asks us to do are not possible without Him! That is why He tells us that apart from Him we can’t do anything.

I tell you, on the Day of Judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak….
Matthew 12:36

This Scripture is what I call having a ‘healthy fear of the Lord.’  If I know that I will have to give an account of the words that I am speaking, than I am more careful with what is coming out of my mouth…

This next Scripture is one of my favorites on words:

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 16: 24

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Heavenly Father, I ask for myself and anyone reading this that You would empower us by the help of the Holy Spirit to speak life, hope, and healing; and to be a people that lift others up with our words and not a people that tears people down.  I thank You for the help of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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

Take Me In

February 28, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

 ~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

Take me past the outer courts, into the Holy Place
Past the brazen altar, Lord, I long to see Your face
Take me past the crowds of people, and the priests who sing Your praise
I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness, and it’s only found one place

Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take me in by the Blood of the Lamb
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am

~  Songwriter: Dave Browning / Performed by Kutless  ~

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Isn’t that an amazing thought: Through the blood of Jesus and the sacrifice He made for you and for me that we now can enter that Holy place with God.

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the Throne of Grace,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

I love that. Because of the forgiveness, love, grace, and mercy from the Father…we CAN with confidence draw near to the Throne of Grace. For a girl like me with a checkered past that is not only AMAZING but it is something I am so THANKFUL for everyday! One of the many reasons I love God so much!!! He is the God of second chances.

What is it you need a second chance for? Is there something that you think you can’t be forgiven for? Let me assure you there is NOTHING you have done that you can’t be forgiven for. How do I know this? Because I am LIVING PROOF of a changed life through the forgiveness and unconditional love of the Father.

Let me share with you another verse I am oh, so thankful for…

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is His faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Living a redeemed life does not mean I am perfect or have a perfect life. It means that every moment of every hour of every day I NEED Jesus. It means that without Him I can do absolutely nothing.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Heavenly Father, I thank You that because of the blood sacrifice made on behalf of each one of us that we can come boldly with confidence to the Throne of Grace to receive help in our time of need. No matter what mistakes we have made we know and BELIEVE that there is nothing, ABSOLUTELY nothing that cannot be forgiven! I thank You that we can start afresh and receive mercies that are new each morning. Great is Your faithfulness and love…something hard to imagine and yet something I am so thankful for. In Jesus’ name, Amen!!!

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

CHRISTLife — ThirtyFour: Loved

February 27, 2014 by

cl loved

In this is love, not that we loved God,
but that He loved us and sent His Son
to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:10

The KJV substitutes “Herein is love” for the phrase “In this is love” at the beginning of this verse.  Isn’t that a tremendous interpretation?—‘Herein, or, in here’ is love…truly nowhere else!  In God is love…He is love!

In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself,
according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace….
Ephesians 1:5 and 6

“God’s unfailing love for us is an objective fact affirmed over and over in the Scriptures.  It is true whether we believe it or not.  Our doubts do not destroy God’s love, nor does our faith create it.  It originates in the very nature of God, who IS Love, and it flows to us through our union with His beloved Son.” ~ Jerry Bridges

The love of God for you (me, too!) is a fact…an absolute…a given—the Truth.  I can doubt it, if I choose.  I can worry about losing it, if I want.  I can wonder how God could possibly love me, if I want.

OR, I can believe it.

This God, the Great I AM, my ABBA Father, communicates all throughout the Scriptures of His love—

  • steadfast (Psalm 103:11)
  • unfailing (Psalm 147:11)
  • inseparable (Romans 8:38 and 39)
  • faithful (Exodus 34:6)
  • everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3)
  • unconditional (Luke 15)
  • compassionate (Psalm 86:15)
  • merciful (Titus 3:4 and 5)
  • enduring (Psalm 106:1)
  • and more; so much more!

Confess these Truths to yourself, my friend…encourage and strengthen yourself in the Truth of God’s love for you!  Would you, please, do this…Look at yourself in the mirror and remind yourself of the Truth, “God loves me!  He chose me, actually picked me out for Himself to have a relationship with Him.”  (Did you say it out loud?) Read through that list of truths that tell of the love of God…and speak them over yourself.  You are loved by God!

Perhaps you can sing along with the Psalmist David,

…in the morning I will sing of Your love;
for You are my Fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
O my strength, I sing praise to You;
You, O God, are my Fortress, my loving God.
Psalms 59:16 and 17

Perhaps you can sing this beautiful song, too; will you…would you try?   ‘Cause He loves us..oh, how He loves us!!!

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * 

And NOW here is some encouragement from Kim
along with her beautiful inner identity album page for this week!

CLkimiia0227

God’s redeeming love is such a powerful life-changing love…unlike ANYTHING I have ever experienced in my life!  He loved me out of my darkness and redeemed my life.  As Isaiah 54:8 states, “With everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.”  Thank You, Father, for loving me that much….

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Restless

February 25, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

I am the sea on a moonless night calling falling, slipping tides
I am the leaky, dripping pipes; the endless, aching drops of lights
I am the raindrop falling down always longing for the deeper ground
I am the broken, breaking seas even my blood finds ways to bleed
Even the rivers ways to run, even the rain to reach the sun
Even my thirsty streams, even in my dreams

I am restless…I am restless…I am restless
I’m looking for You
I am restless…I run like the ocean to find Your shore
I’m looking for You

I am the thorn stuck in your side, I am the one that you left behind
I am the dried up doubting eyes looking for the well that won’t run dry
Running hard for the other side, the world that I’ve always been denied
Running hard for the infinite with the tears of saints and hypocrites
Oh, blood of black and white and grey; oh, death in life and night in day
One by one by one, we let our rivers run

I can hear You breathing
I can feel You leading
More than just a feeling, more than just a feeling
I can feel You reaching
Pushing through the ceiling
‘Til the final healing
I’m looking for You

Until the sea of glass we meet, at last completed and complete
Where tide and tear and pain subside and laughter drinks them dry

I’ll be waiting
Anticipating
All that I aim for
What I was made for
With every heartbeat
All of my blood bleeds
Running inside me
I’m looking for You, looking for You, looking for You….

~  Performed by SwitchFoot ~

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Restless … that’s how I felt at the age of 22 in my deepest, darkest pit of despair with no hope.  You want to know why?  Because nothing, absolutely nothing, can satisfy the human heart except the One who made it.  Jesus is the ONLY One that can fill those empty places.

Just as Proverbs 13:12 tells us:
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Those who have hope in Him have found a Tree of Life…Jesus is my Hope!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13 ESV

God was searching for me in that dark place and I was searching for Him.  The only One who could satisfy what I was longing for and give me a love unlike anything I had ever known!

A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul
Proverbs 13:19 NIV

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Let me pray for you:
Heavenly Father, I pray for each and every lady reading this who is out there searching…longing for something.  I pray that they would come to the revelation knowledge that the only thing that can satisfy what they are longing for is You. Father, I thank You that You are always longing for us and that You love us so much that You never give up on us even in the darkest of places.  Father, thank You for Your unconditional, redeeming love.  In Jesus’ name, Amen!!!

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

CHRISTLife — TwentyNine: Enlightened

February 20, 2014 by

cl enlightened

♬♪ I wandered so aimless, life filled with sin; I wouldn’t let my dear Savior in ♬♪
Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night ♬♪Praise the Lord, I saw the light

I saw the light, I saw the light! ♬♪No more darkness, no more night
Now I’m so happy, ♬♪ no sorrow in sight! ♬♪Praise the Lord, I saw the light

As much fun as this song is to sing, it is even more so a joyful proclamation of God’s redeeming grace in our lives!  No matter how ‘good’ a life one could possibly lead before accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior…life prior to that IS aimless and filled with sin.  It is only through the accomplishments of Jesus on the Cross as He fulfilled the plan of salvation that Almighty God alone could have put into motion that anyone can ‘see the light!’

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—
and everything that is illuminated becomes a light
Ephesians 5:8-13

Oh, do you not just love the end of that passage? “…Everything that is illuminated becomes a light….” That’s us (you and me)! We have been illuminated…the darkness that filled every part of our heart has been dispelled by the Light of Christ!

When Jesus spoke to His disciples about truly ‘seeing’ and ‘hearing’ He was also including us in that group of people who are blessed!  We have heard the message of salvation and have responded to His call!

But your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear!
For I assure you: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see
yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them.
Matthew 13:16 and 17

May I encourage you to recognize the light that you are!  1 Thessalonians 5:5 tells us that, “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.”  Being we now ARE children of the light, we should fulfill Jesus’ words (Matthew 5:16), “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

We do, for now, live in an evil, dark, perverse world.  But, by God’s grace we have the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Light of the World, living in our hearts.  We have been made new, we have received grace upon grace, we have His power alive within us and we are the children of the Light!  Let your little light shine!

…for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God
without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world,
holding fast to the word of life….
Philippians 2:13-16

 * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

CLiiakim022014

And here are Kim’s thoughts and her beautiful inner identity album page for this week; she writes:

This page really touches my heart as it is my life’s story!!  God turned my darkness into light.  My mess into my message. and just like Isaiah 61 says:

to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

Hallelujah!

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Joy Of The Lord

February 19, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

The joy of the Lord will be my strength
I will not falter, I will not faint
He is my Shepherd, I am not afraid
The joy of the Lord is my strength

The joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord is my strength

The joy of the Lord will be my strength
He will uphold me all of my days
I am surrounded by mercy and grace
And the joy of the Lord is my strength

The joy of the Lord will be my strength
And I will not waiver, walking by faith
He will be strong to deliver me safe
And the joy of the Lord is my strength

~  Singer, Songwriter – Twila Paris  ~

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

♬ ♪  The joy of the Lord will be my strength,  I will not falter I will not faint ♪ ♬…. “But Lord, how can that be?  I don’t like my circumstances!  How can I be joyful in the midst of the toughest of places.”  This is the question I have asked God in some of my most difficult of circumstances.

I have survived a domestically violent first marriage.  I have walked through 2 ½ years of unemployment.  I have had a son in need of healing from a seizure/sleep disorder and you know what I have found?  Even when I don’t like my circumstances, it IS possible to find joy!  However it is ONLY found in God.  And it is NOT based on my circumstances.  It is only found when you have your eyes focused on Him and take them off of your circumstances.

Here are a few things God promises in the midst of difficult times:

WHAT THE ENEMY INTENDED FOR EVIL
GOD WILL TURN IT FOR YOUR GOOD

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those
who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

Isaiah 54:17
…No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

Some of my toughest circumstances are among some of my most powerful testimonies.  God has been faithful in each and every one of them.  Sisters, He is ALWAYS faithful!!!  As long as you have God, you have ALL that you need to get through ANY storm that may come your way.  Will you choose to trust Him in the midst of it?  When you choose Him, this is what He promises:

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7

I am living proof that the peace of God which surpasses ALL understanding is very real!!!  I have experienced it firsthand in the toughest of places.

 * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Heavenly Father, I pray for my sisters reading this and ask that they would choose to take their eyes off their circumstances and instead choose to fix their eyes upon Jesus and “look full in His wonderful face and <then> the things of this world will grow strangely dim.”  And then they can sing just like the song says, Lord,  ‘The joy of the Lord will be my strength and I will not waiver, walking by faith!  He will be strong to deliver me safe and the joy of the Lord is my strength!’  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!!!!

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

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

February 14, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery, In oceans deep my faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name, and keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters, Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are Mine

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

~ HillSongs United /Songwriters: Matt Crocker, Joel Houston, Salomon Lighthelm  ~

This song speaks to my heart so much!  “You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown where my feet may fail and there I find you…in oceans deep my faith will stand….”

“Will your faith stand in the oceans deep?” This is the question I ask myself….  Just like when Jesus called Peter out of the boat.  As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to walk on water.  But the minute he took his eyes off of Jesus, He began to sink.

Let’s go to Mathew 14: 28-33 NLT

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”  “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said.“Why did you doubt me?” When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

It is when we take our eyes off Jesus that we begin to sink into our circumstances and lose our peace.  But when we keep our eyes focused on Jesus the peace that surpasses all understanding in the midst of the hardest places is evident.

And I will call upon Your name and keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me,
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now..
My soul will rest in your embrace….

What a beautiful picture!

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.

Mathew 11:28 NLT

Will you go to Him?  Will you trust Him even in the midst of the toughest places?  We know His plans for us are for good and to give us a hope and a future. We find this Truth in one of my favorite verses:

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD.
They are plans for good and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

My prayer this day for me and for you is this…

Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior… In Jesus’ name AMEN!!!

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

CHRISTLife — TwentyFour: One With Him In Spirit

February 13, 2014 by

cl one with him in spirit

These are big, huge, incredible, awesome TRUE statements Mrs. Myers makes as we read through Chapter 24!  And as incredible as they are, we (you and me!) must hold them in our minds, remembering they are Jesus’ words.  And ask for help in believing them.

I was so encouraged and built up by the Truth regarding God living in me, the Holy Spirit living in me, and, Christ living in me!  Of course, this is not a revelation to me but somehow, someway (hmmm, perhaps the Holy Spirit working as my Helper?) today, these truths came alive for me.  Has that ever happened to you?

Listen to this:

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God lives in them and they in God.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:15 and 16

And this:

And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father!
Galatians 4:6 AMP

And listen to Paul’s joy as he wrote that he was to

…make God’s message fully known—the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:26 and 27

Looking at just these 3 passages, our hearts can be built up in the Truth knowing that God lives in you (me, too!) because you choose to live in love, and that your Father—Abba!—has sent the Holy Spirt to live in your heart, and that the mystery hidden throughout the ages is now made known—it is Christ living in y.o.u., the hope of glory!

In a side note on page 101, Mrs. Myers writes,

“Take God at His word.  Accept it as true that you are indwelt with the fullness of God Himself, that His Spirit has His home within you and you belong to Him….”

I am setting my mind to do this, friends.  And I don’t want to just assent to it…I want to believe it with all of my heart!  Seeking God’s grace and blessing, and the help of the Comforter!  How about you? <3

 * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

And here are Kim’s thoughts and her beautiful inner identity album page for this week; she writes:

“To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with Christ. The Holy Spirit came to glorify Christ. Therefore, if I am filled with the Spirit, I am abiding in Christ. I am walking in the light as He is the light, and the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse and keep on cleansing me from all unrighteousness. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit to guide me on my path in Wisdom’s way.”

CLiiakimweek5

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.
You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:16-17 ESV

Filed Under: CHRISTLife Bible Study Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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