November 26, 2024

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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Majestic Name

July 23, 2014 by

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
You have established strength because of Your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honour.
You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands;
    You have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Majestic – characterized by or possessing majesty; of lofty dignity or imposing aspect; stately; grand.

‘Majestic’ does not seem to totally describe our Lord, does it?  I am not sure there is a word in our English language that would capture the essence of our heavenly Father.  I am sure that is why the name for God is Yahweh. It was once considered to be blasphemous to say ‘Yahweh’ so the original pronunciation was lost.

The God we serve, pray to, and worship is more than words could ever begin to describe.  He is a feeling, a spirit who surrounds us day-by-day, and moment by moment.  We can never know enough or believe enough.  That is why we have been given grace and mercy.  These two things fill the gap where our humanity fails.  Dear ones, God is magnificent. He reigns over all the world, it’s people, and the rest of the galaxies.

This make me feel small and in awe that God would take notice of us.  Especially when He is surrounded by angels.  But God felt a need to create man in His own image.  He created us for companionship—sweet fellowship with Him that would be like none other.

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Father, thank You for caring for us. Thank You for loving us. We will never be able to live up to Jesus’ example, but we do strive to everyday. Sometimes we fail in such a big way…and sometimes we make the right decision.  Forgive us when we miss our target.  Help us to find our way to Your perfection.  Create in us a desire to serve You above all else in our lives.  In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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What Does God Think Of You?

July 22, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
    the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them?

Psalms 8:3 and 4

Have you ever wondered how valuable you really are to the Almighty God?  When you truly understand His Majesty—how extraordinarily phenomenal He is—then fathoming how our God could find us worthy has the potential of being unimaginable.  The beauty of God is He loves us and His word says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins,” (1 John 4:10).  The Bible has much more to say on how important and worthy we are to Him.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “…for we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  We are handiwork…not sloppy work, not an afterthought of work…but His handiwork!  And He has good works for us.  God thought of us, planned our lives and, then, made sure we had purposes.

Matthew 10:30-31 says, “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  God numbered the very hairs on our heads. Each one!  Every single one!  That’s far too detailed to be perceived as unworthy.

Psalms 139:13-16 says, “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”  Worthy, worthy, worthy!  Oh, so very worthy.  Look at such the delicate detail taken on both you and I.  A God of majesty took all His majesty and used it to create us.

The last verse I have to show how important we are to God is Genesis 1:27.  This verse should leave no doubt in your mind that you are important to God.  This verse is at the very beginning of His love letter to us and it says, “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”  In His own image.  Nothing says important like making one like you.

Are you valuable to God?  Do you know your worth in Him?  Do you believe you are worthy in His eyes?  Because you are!

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Lord, help me to see me like You see me. I pray that Your words be louder than those around me and that I never forget who I am to You. Amen.

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Caring Father

July 21, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?
For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,
and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Psalms 8:4-5

This psalm expresses the amazing honor that God has for mankind. It shows that we as humans were purposely created. And God values us. We were created in His own image and He breathed into us making us living souls.

In Genesis 1, God honored us by making us to rule His creation but man failed God. However even when we failed He did not leave it like that. He went ahead to send the One Who was to come and die for us. He gave us His only Son Jesus to die on the Cross. A shameful death but He took it and paid the highest price for us. What a caring Father we have who doesn’t want His children to suffer…He loves us!

We are made as heavenly beings (which in this version it says “angels”). So we are angels here on earth and blessed people whose sins were paid for.

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Father, we thank You for Your care, we appreciate Your love for we know You sincerely and deeply love us. Even though we were yet sinners Christ died for us and paid the price for us. Be glorified in all the earth! How excellent is Your name! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

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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!”

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

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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