December 23, 2024

Take Me Back

April 9, 2014 by
It’s your heart that keeps you running
And it’s your mind that I can’t change
Will you ever be returning
And coming back again, coming back again
Take me back to the place where it started
Take me back to the warmth of the sun
To the place where the rivers meet the ocean
Take me back home
Yeah, that’s where I belong
And have you ever really wondered
As we walk beneath the stars
Will we find the truth, will we discover
It isn’t very far, it’s not so very far

I wonder if I’ve gone too far

Lord, please help me get back home
Where I belong

It’s your heart that keeps you running

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

~  Songwriter: Mac Powell / Performed by Third Day  ~
 *  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  * 
Do you remember the day that your life changed forever?  The day that you gave your whole life to Jesus?  You lay your burdens at His feet that very first day. But what happens from there?  I know…we start slowly picking those burdens back up again, and then some.  We try so hard to be good mothers, good wives, good daughters.  But, ultimately, we must go back to the beginning…lay it all down…and allow Him to take over and help us be like Him.
This song paints such a beautiful scene.  Warm sunshine and rivers meeting oceans and just real peace…makes you really want to go there, right?  I believe this is what Heaven looks like, plus a little gold, maybe.  But here on earth, things get messy and life gets hard and we have to make a conscious effort to look to the Cross and lay all our burdens down.  Every morning we must do that in order to have the life that Jesus died for us to have.  John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  That’s the life Jesus wants for us. And we can’t have that full life when we are burdened with past sins and shame and regret.  Jesus will only love you through it; He will not condemn you.  He will wrap His arms around you and say that you’re forgiven and that you’re loved.  Our biggest mistake sometimes is letting sins build up on top of each other.  Instead of repenting immediately because of fear, we keep repeating the same sins over and over.  Jesus already knows, and He loves you just the same.
As we enter the Easter season, let’s remember that it is because of the Cross that we are free to ask forgiveness for our sins.  It is because of His death that we will live forever in Heaven with Him.  So today, let this song take you back to the day that you were forever His, and He was forever yours.  Enjoy the song!
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Dear Heavenly Father,  You are an awesome, amazing, unconditionally loving and perfect God.  Thank You for Your patience, Your longsuffering and for caring so much about the details of our lives.  Thank You for that day, that we came to know Your Son and started a whole new life, a full life with you.  Thank You for letting us lay it down every day.  We love You and we praise You.  For it’s in Your Son’s precious name we pray, amen.

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

When You Took My Place

April 2, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Lost like a little child, helpless as a baby
Searchin’ desperately to find Someone who could save me

Then along came from out of nowhere
Precious as the light of day
You gave me something no one could take away
When You took my place

Chained like a prisoner from the day I was born
Blamed like a criminal for the things that I’d done

Then along came from out of nowhere
Precious as the light of day
You gave me something no one could take away
When You took my place

 ~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

*  ~  *  ~    ♥ ~  ✞  ~ ♥    ~  *  ~  * 

Have you ever been lost?  If so, then you can appreciate the amazing, indescribable feeling of relief of being found or finding your own way out.  Isn’t it true though, that you can’t truly appreciate the victory until you’ve tasted defeat?   And until you’ve been in the dark, you cannot appreciate the light of a flashlight?  My point is, until life really happens to you, and until you’ve really struggled and been in the valley, you cannot really appreciate climbing out of it and being on the mountain top.

Think back to your darkest hour… Did you feel His arms around you?  Did you know that He is strongest in your weakness?  And at some point, did you think that there is no way you can make it one more day not one more minute?  Then out of the Heavens, He shows up.  He shines His light into our darkness.  He meets us exactly where we are and saves us.  We don’t have to get good enough. We can never be good enough.  You know, we are all sinners and we all come short of His glory.  But because of a loving God Who sent His Son to literally take our place, we have a life that is abundant, a life full of blessings.  All we have to do is ask.  All we have to do is accept His redeeming love and His unending forgiveness.  And we are not to live in the shame of our past.  We have to live that forgiveness.  We have to hold on to His grace.  We have to live out His love for us and love others the way He calls us to.  All because He took our place.

Where are you today?  Are you in the woods somewhere lost and in need of a road map?  Or are you in a valley and need a rope to get up to the mountain?   He is a word away. He says “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  God delivers with a “mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Deuteronomy 5:15).  And then when you are on the other side of the road from your circumstances and God has rescued you and given you the victory, then tell the world that “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God (Psalm 40:3).

If you’re still in the middle of a hard place, then place your hope in Him. He will not leave you in one place too long.

He loves you.

He took your place so that you could live forever with Him in eternity.

And take heart…He overcame the world!

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Love Song

March 28, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

~  Imagine Jesus singing this to you   ♥  ~

I’ve heard it said that a man would climb a mountain
Just to be with the one he loves
How many times has he broken that promise
It has never been done
I’ve never climbed the highest mountain
But I walked the hill of Calvary

Just to be with you, I would do anything
There’s no price I would not pay
Just to be with you, I will give everything
I would give My life away

I’ve heard it said that a man would swim the oceans
Just to be with the one he loves
But all of those dreams are an empty emotion
It can never be done
I’ve never swam the deepest oceans
But I walked upon the raging sea

I know that you don’t understand the fullness of My love
How I died upon the Cross for your sins
And I know that you don’t realize how much that I give you
And I promise, I would do it all again
Just to be with you, I’ve done everything
There’s no price I did not pay
Just to be with you, I gave everything
Yes, I gave my life away

The love of the Father…a love unlike anything I have ever known in my life. The mystery of a love so unconditional, so filled with grace and mercy that He would walk to Calvary and take on the sacrifice and punishment for my sins.  Me—a sinful woman saved by grace.  It is something I cannot begin to fathom or possibly understand, and yet, it is the love of God.The Scripture says in 1 John 1:5-9 KJV

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you,
that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness,
we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I want to walk in the light; don’t you? What does it mean to walk in the light and love of God?

“I must ‘walk in the light as He is in the light…’— not in the light of my own conscience, but in God’s light.  If I will walk there, with nothing held back or hidden, then this amazing truth is revealed to me: ‘. . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth [me] from all sin’ so that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke in me.  On the conscious level it produces a keen, sorrowful knowledge of what sin really is.  The love of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit’s hatred for sin, anything that is not in keeping with God’s holiness.  To ‘walk in the light’ means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the center of the light.”  – Oswald Chambers

Walking in the love of God and receiving that I have been cleansed of ALL sin and then choosing to walk in the light is how we drive out any darkness in our lives.  What an awesome revelation!

God’s perfect love not only casts out fear as it says in 1 John 4:18.  It also drives out sin and darkness in our lives.  Temptations will always be out there.  It is what we CHOOSE to do with it that makes the difference between walking in the light or in darkness.  I have lived my life both ways and I would not go back to living in darkness for NOTHING!!! Freedom in Jesus is sweet!

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Let me pray with you:  Heavenly Father, I thank You for the revelation that walking in Your perfect love drives out not only fear in our lives, but also sin and darkness.  Thank You for a love like I have never known that saved me from the darkest of places.  I pray that anyone reading this would come to know the unconditional love of the Father and just how very much You love them.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen!!!

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

Your Love is Like a River – third day

March 1, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

 ~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

Oh, oh, oh, ooh, oh, oh, oh
Your love is like a river flowing from my heart

When this cruel world tears us apart
Your love is like a river flowing from my heart
When sharpened words have left their scars
Your love is like a river flowing from my heart
And it’s overflowing and showing us all
How deep and how wide is your love

It never stops, it rages on
Your love is like a river flowing from my heart

When I am tired and so afraid
Your love is like a fire that will light my way
When darkness falls and my vision fades
Your love is like a fire that will light my way
And it’s always burning and stirring my soul
To love you and love you much more

It never stops or ever fades
Your love is like a fire that will light my way

Oh, oh, oh, ooh, oh, oh, oh
It’s never gonna stop
Oh, oh, oh, ooh, oh, oh, oh
It’s flowing from my heart

Oh, oh, oh, ooh, oh, oh, oh
It’s never gonna fade
Oh, oh, oh, ooh, oh, oh, oh
Your love will light my way

When all my strength and hope is gone
Your love is like a rock that I am standing on

Oh, oh, oh, ooh, oh, oh, oh
It’s never gonna stop
Oh, oh, oh, ooh, oh, oh, oh
It’s flowing from my heart
Oh, oh, oh, ooh, oh, oh, oh
It’s never gonna fade

Oh, oh, oh, ooh, oh, oh, oh
Your love is like a river flowing from my heart
Your love is like a fire that will light my way
Your love is like a rock that I am standing on
Your love is like a river flowing from my heart

~   Performed by Third Day  ~

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

God said to Moses: ‘Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites.  Order them to get moving. Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea.  Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground.  Meanwhile I’ll make sure the Egyptians keep up their stubborn chase – I’ll use Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots and horsemen, to put my Glory on display so that the Egyptians will realize that I am God.’  The angel of God that had been leading the camp of Israel now shifted and got behind them.  And the Pillar of Cloud that had been in front also shifted to the rear.  The Cloud was now between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel.  The Cloud enshrouded one camp in darkness and flooded the other with light.  The two camps didn’t come near each other all night.  Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and God, with a terrific east wind all night long, made the sea go back.  He made the sea dry ground.  The seawaters split.  The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground with the waters a wall to the right and to the left.

Exodus 14:15-22 (MSG)

I LOVE this song.  The first time I heard it I broke down and wept – hard.  One of those ugly cries that leave you emotionally drained, unable to breathe and a sopping, wet mess.  You see, God knows where to hit you right where you live.  He knows how to speak to the deepest hurt, the deepest disappointment, the deepest fear, the deepest discouragement.  Ever since we decided we were going to build a house, my husband and I both have been in an extremely challenging season.  What would seem to be a joyous occasion (which it is, don’t misunderstand, I am extremely grateful for the home we are building) has also been one of great trial, testing, strain, and obedience.   As we are nearing completion, I am in a fairly constant state of emotional exhaustion.  Satan attacks often with words of doubt fear and worry.   How many times have I prayed for strength, for reassurance, for guidance, for deliverance, for my marriage?  Does the phrase “pray without ceasing” ring any bells?

Then I am reminded of the Israelites.  How God rescued them from the bondage of slavery.  And not only did He rescue them once—He continually placed them in situations that were out of their control—only to rescue them again.  Sisters, this is a hard truth, but also one we need to recognize and own in our lives: sometimes God will lead us into difficult places so that we can learn to trust Him.  Only when I allow Him to take over my situation do I have peace.  When I try to do this on my own I have doubt, fear and worry.  It’s a daily tug of war, ladies—the “I can do it by myself” versus “Ok, God, YOU do it.”

Enter this beautiful song that reminds us that when we are going through our toughest times, God’s love is there.  Period.  His love is everything I need to be whole.  It’s a river that washes away hurts and wounds and soothes us.  It’s the Pillar of Fire that lights our way when we are weary and tired and groping our way around, lost in the dark.  It’s the ROCK that we can stand on when we have nothing left and it feels like the ground beneath our feet has suddenly given way and we are falling, falling….

It’s never gonna stop.

It’s never gonna fade.

His love is like a river.

{{  Thank You, God, for loving us so much and so relentlessly!  }}

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Your Love, Oh Lord

February 1, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

Your love, oh Lord, reaches to the heavens
And Your faithfulness stretches to the skies

And Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean’s tide

And I will lift my voice to worship You, my King
And I will find my strength In the shadow of Your wings

~  Songwriters: Johnny Mac Powell, Sam Anderson, Bradley Avery, David Carr, Mark Lee  ~

~  Performed by Mac Powell and Third Day  ~

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

This week, in the Seeking Him devotional blog, our devotions have centered around God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. Psalms 36:5-10 has been the featured Scripture passage.

Your steadfast love, O Lord extends to the heavens
Your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
Your judgements are like the great deep,
You save humans and animals alike, O LORD.
How precious is Your steadfast love, O GOD!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They feast on the abundance of Your house
and You give them drink from the river of Your delights.
For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light, we see light.
Continue Your love to those who know You,
Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

Throughout the week, our devotional writers have encouraged and reminded us of many things.

  • Cheris voiced her concern that we, those who do know God, will share about His great steadfast love with those who, yet, do not know Him.  “This psalm writer uses vivid imagery to describe God’s great steadfast love. To explain God’s love and faithfulness to the vast degree it is may be difficult, but we can try to do so to others – hoping the Holy Spirit will allow them to hear and receive what’s shared so they see their desperate need for a Savior!”
  • Tina brought our attention to the faithfulness of God, and said in her prayer, “…We want to know You more fully as we begin this new year. Show us places where we can improve and where we can be brave enough to share our hearts with You.”
  • Tonya focused our thoughts on God, Who is the Fountain of Life.  “There is constant light because God is a constant—He is constantly merciful, constantly faithful, constantly righteous, He constantly preserves, and, most of all, He is constantly loving.”
  • Laura reminded us of our Hope as she shared:  “The fountain of youth is really the Fountain of life—an eternal life with God. This eternal life shines like a light to the world through those who have accepted the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, God’s greatest gift to mankind.”
  • Ann reminded us about the awesomeness of God’s steadfast love.  “God’s love is steadfast. You can count on the consistency of God’s love revealed in the beauty of creation, in the gift of God’s love and preeminently in the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are no limits, no lines, no conditions. God loves us to the end…and beyond.”
  • And Ahmee shares today a reminder that God’s love NEVER fails.  “This is what it boils down to: the truth is that God’s Word is Truth. It says His love is unfailing…and so it is.”

Hopefully this song also will help you to express your trust and confidence in God—and His steadfast love that never fails.

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O Holy Night

December 5, 2013 by

gchcarolsbloggraphic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For over 150 years, “O Holy Night” has been performed all over the world.  The history of this song began in the 1800’s in France, when a priest asked a poet named Placide Cappeau wrote a poem for a Christmas mass. He was an unlikely man to write these lyrics—he was a wine merchant who was known for his poetry (not his church attendance). Later he broke with the church all together and joined a socialist movement in France. In a carriage, on the way to mass, he went over the lyrics and fell in love with God all over again. The words, still today have that effect on all who listen. It begins with this:

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviors birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
The thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born.
O night, O Holy Night! O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light a star is sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from out of the Orient land,
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our Friend.

He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His Law is love and His Gospel is peace
Chains He shall break, for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease!
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name!

Christ is The Lord! O, praise His Name forever!
His pow’r and glory ever more proclaim!
His pow’r and glory ever more proclaim!

We see the birth of Jesus, from a heavenly point of view. His birth awakened the world that was dying. “But yonder breaks, a new a glorious morn…” all things new, regardless of what we have done or will do, we have a new morning, a new day with Jesus as our Savior. Hope beyond our wildest imagination was born that day, and a weary world has hope wrapped in swaddling clothes. As Mary embraced Him, we, too, embrace Him, and He comes close to us. Naturally, we fall to our knees as we worship the King. Can you even imagine being there on that night?

“Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His Gospel is peace…” He calls us to love each other as He loves us; a truly impossible task if we aren’t staying in constant contact with Him. And because of this love, “chains He shall break…” and we will be free from any and all afflictions. Addictions, shame, guilt, anything that holds you will shatter at the sound of His Name. “Jesus,” love and freedom and because of the hope we have and freedom He gives, we will forever proclaim to all who will listen. “His power and glory ever more proclaim…” and “With all our hearts we praise His holy name…” and we cannot praise Him enough.

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Let this season be about Him and doing for others. His birth changed this dying world and we will never be the same. Merry Christmas and may He forever be praised!

 

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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