May 5, 2024

Thoughts

September 7, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
Psalms 139:17-18

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Thought

– an idea or opinion produced by thinking or occurring suddenly in the mind

Being in Israel this past summer, I understand more fully sandy, hot and dry.  I think about the areas where Jesus would have walked and what He created—it is so awesome.  There are still things we are processing.  It truly puts life and our efforts into perspective.

When we were in Israel, we traveled to many of the traditional sites, learned a lot of history, and soaked in the Israel that God is still blessing and is causing to bloom.  For it truly is!  The crops are plentiful, the people are thriving, and they are in peace within their country.  There is a military presence in the city of Jerusalem, especially on the Temple Mount, but we never felt threatened or tense.

God is awakening His people to serve Him in new ways.  He is inspiring the scientists to discover new things; the people are creating new techniques and procedures for medical purposes; and all they need to do is be quiet and think.  To ponder the things of their chosen fields. And that is what we need to do—be still and wait on God to speak to us.  As we wait, He will bless us.

David was a great example of waiting and sitting before the Lord.  He would go to a quiet place and meditate on the great love God had shown him and his family.

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”
2 Samuel 7:18

David was wonderful at being humble.  He did not let the fact that he was a king stop him from baring his heart and soul to the One who formed him in his mother’s womb.

As we wait on God to answer our prayers, we may become discouraged thinking, “He does not care about my little issue…” or,  “I have asked way too many times about the same thing….”  Let’s change our thoughts.  Let’s see how they align with Scriptures.  Or how we go about asking God—demanding from Him or thanking Him for all of the great and wonderful things we have before presenting our requests.  God wants us to acknowledge that He is first in our lives (not second, or third, or even fourth).  We need to train ourselves to put Him first in all that we do, all that we think, and all that we are.  Then all else will line up with God’s Word and His will for our lives.

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Father, we come humbly, thanking You for the goodness and mercy You have shown us.  You know our hearts and our needs better than we do.  Help us to learn Your ways and Your will for our lives.  May we pass on your most excellent ways to our children, friends and loved ones as You grant us the favor to do so.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

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Formation

August 31, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

For You formed my inward parts;
You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in Your Book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Psalms 139:13-16

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Imagine—God created you and me when we were in our mother’s wombs.  He knew what trials and victories we would go through.  He just leaves the response…and the outcome…up to us.  But sometimes, it takes us stepping out in faith.  Mark wrote,

All things are possible to him who believes.
Mark 9:23

Do we believe?  Do we have faith?  You may not right now.  You may have to make baby steps to forming your faith in God.

Faith comes through walking out what we believe.  When a decision seems tough and we are not sure what is going on, we must walk it out. We should not hide and hope it goes away.  Ignoring the issue will not help our developing trust that God would not forsake us.

Just as the potter makes vessel of various sizes and shapes, God makes us in the same way.  His Creation begins at conception and He watches as we grow and mature.  As we age physically, God wants us to mature spiritually, believing He wants what is best for us.

Believe on the Lord with all your heart.
God has you in His hands.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Father, thank You for forming and making me.  Thank You for my life and direct me more towards a life with You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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God Sees

August 25, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.
Psalms 139:11 and 12

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We all have that secret sin...you know…the one that, if someone discovers it, we feel they will never love or respect us again.  As believers we can be truly terrified of being found out.  But what if what we thought was a horrific secret wasn’t so bad after all?  What if  all we had to do was confess it to God and ask Him for help us to overcome it?

You see the evil one has a way of playing with our minds.  He makes us think we can’t change.  He makes us think that life is hopeless.  But it is not hopeless.  God created us and He has a vision, a purpose for us.  We need to have the faith to find it, to search for it.

Sometimes we need help along the way.  A person we can work through our thoughts with and verify what we find about ourselves in Scripture.  Always look for a Christian therapist or a friend who has come through similar circumstances.  They will have insights and certain helps for us to help us  walk through our journey to a whole life.

As in the Old Testament when the two prostitutes brought the baby to King Solomon, he used the wisdom God endowed him with to discern the truth (see 1 Kings 3:16-28).  How many of us would have thought to threaten to cut an infant in half to see which mother would beg for the child’s life?

As we struggle with our humanness and our inability to always follow God with our whole heart we must remember—He knows our heart. He knows we want to serve Him and love Him just as He loves us.

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Father, help us work on our trust in You.  Help us to know Your love is unconditional.  Thank You for the opportunity to live for You.  Give us a passion to see past our sins knowing that You have so much more for us.  Let us strive for Your goodness and mercy in all that we do, and to bring the strongholds to You so together we can defeat them.  In Jesus’ name, amen!

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Words

August 18, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

They’ve made me feel like a prisoner
They’ve made me feel set free
They’ve made me feel like a criminal
Made me feel like a king

They’ve lifted my heart
To places I’d never been
And they’ve dragged me down
Back to where I began

Words can build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your heart or
Put it out

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don’t wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

You can heal the heartache
Speak over the fear
(Speak over the fear)
God, Your voice is the only thing
We need to hear
(We need to hear)

Words can build us up
Words can break us down
Start a fire in our hearts or
Put it out

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don’t wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You
(Back to You)

Let the words I say
(Let the words I say)
Be the sound of Your grace
(Sound like Your grace)
I don’t wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

I wanna speak Your love
Not just another noise
Oh, I wanna be Your light
I wanna be Your voice

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don’t wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You
(Back to You)

Let the words I say
(Let the words I say)
Be the sound of Your grace
(Sound like Your grace)
I don’t wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You
(Back to You)

Words can build us up
Words can break us down
Start a fire in our hearts
Or put it out

I don’t wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

Hawk Nelson
Written by Jonathan Steingard,  Matt Hammitt, and Seth Mosley

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

We can use our words to build up or to tear down.  It is our choice.  I am sure we all have heard words that have torn us down in our past.  We often repeat what we hear or what we believe we hear.  God did not give us those words.  

Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will show you what he is like:
he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.
And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house
and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
Luke 6:46-48

When we hear those words that have torn us down repeating in our minds, we need to rebuke them.  We need to repeat the promises God has told us about who we are in Him.

  • We are His adopted sons and daughters
  • We are loved
  • We are cherished
  • We are not beyond His help
  • We do have a hope in God through His Son Jesus

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Father, thank You for the promise of Your Son and for the promise of being Yours.  Help us to see through the lies and deceit constantly echoing in our minds.  Give us the strength to turn the lies to right thinking in You and embracing Your promises.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

Hold Fast

August 17, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there Your hand will guide me,
    Your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalms 139:7-10

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Hold me fast.  Imagine God’s hand sticking firmly to us…no matter where we are, where we go or how far we run; once we are His, God will never leave our side.  And, my friend, this is how God intends all of His relationships to be.

In days of old, where you were born is where you typically stayed.  Perhaps you grew up in a small rural area, were educated there, and you were expected to go to work where your father worked or do the same things your mother did.  Kind of like Paul of Tarsus…Paul was born into the tribe of Benjamin.  The family’s trade was tentmaking so Paul would have to learn from his father, and he had the privilege of being chosen by Gamaliel, a famous rabbi, from whom Paul learned a great many things.

God had plans for Paul.  We may not see what our path is, but God does. Being trained by the best rabbi and becoming a Pharisee, Paul would know how to explain the plan of salvation in easy, simple terms, or be able to speak for hours defended why Jesus is the fulfillment of these scriptures. I mean, who else is God going to tell (as he did to Ananias):

But the Lord said to Ananias,
“Go! This man is my chosen instrument
to proclaim My name to the Gentiles and their kings
and to the people of Israel.
I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”
Acts 9:15-16

Can we be used in this way?  Yes, we can.  All we have to be is willing subjects to go and preach the Word, teach where we can, and spread the good news to all people as God opens those doors.  Who will answer the call?  Pray, seek, learn…and God will use you for His purpose.

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Father, thank You for Your Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit to be written and shared by all who read and are blessed to understand.  For those who hear, let it enter their hearts to stay.  For those who do, laboring in your fields, planting, watering, and harvesting.  You give talents to each of us.  Let us use them to bring Your kingdom home.  Let Your kingdom come, Lord, let it come!  In Jesus’ name,  Amen!!

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His Love Surrounds Us

August 12, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

You hem me in behind and before,
and You lay Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Psalms 139:5 and 6

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You have to admire how David praised God; there is so much we can learn about how we should praise God everyday of our life.

hem:

to surround in a restrictive manner
to confine—usually used with in <hemmed in by enemy troops> (from Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

If we can follow this, we can see how God covered the Israelites in Egypt. He tells Abraham…

Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring
will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there,
and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.”
Genesis 15:13

And then God prepared Moses to come and to take the people out of Egypt. God made sure Moses had the best education and best upbringing available at the time.  Then Moses had to be taken out of that atmosphere to become a man God could use to bring His people out—someone who would be patient and understanding; someone who would become a shepherd.

Next God prepared Joshua to lead the people into the promised land.  He had had years to learn from Moses’ leadership.  Joshua watched how Moses interceded for the Israelites and won God’s favor most of the time.  Joshua learned how to pray to God and wait for His answer. Again, God surrounded His people with love and protection. A hemming in for the people…if only they would see and understand.

How often are we like the Israelites?  There can be a blessing waiting for us to grasp…if only we will let down our defenses and kneel before our God in holy reverence.  God sends angels to watch over us and to protect us everyday.  Can you feel the presence of them?  Yes, sometimes you can: when you are taken out of a near accident, when you witness a child being born, when you wake up every morning.  These are gifts.

Just as we pray for our families, we are to pray and minister to the people who believe.  God sees us.  In public and in private.  He knows our heart. He loves our intentions and can use them for His glory.

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Father, help us take self out of our actions.  Help us to be like the man praying in the temple, the humble one, who said he was a sinner and not worthy to be thought of.  I want to be humble as he was.  Forgive me of my pride and help me to learn to submit to Your will for my life.  Help me to be an example of someone who ministers to the saints.  In Jesus’ name, amen!

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Your Grace Finds Me

August 4, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjvIt’s there in the newborn cry
It’s there in the light of every sunrise
It’s there in the shadows of this light
Your great grace

It’s there on the mountaintop
It’s there in the everyday and the mundane
There in the sorrow and the dancing
Your great grace
Oh, such grace

From the Creation to the Cross
Then from the Cross into eternity
Your grace finds me
Yes, Your grace finds me

It’s there on a wedding day
There in the weeping by the graveside
There in the very breath we breathe
Your great grace

Same for the rich and poor
Same for the saint and for the sinner
Enough for this whole wide world
Your great grace
Oh, such grace

From the creation to the cross
Then from the cross into eternity
Your grace finds me
Yes, Your grace finds me

There in the darkest night of the soul
There in the sweetest songs of victory
Your grace finds me
Yes, Your grace finds me

Your great grace; oh, such grace
Your great grace; oh, such grace

So I’m breathing in Your grace
And I’m breathing out Your praise
I’m breathing in Your grace
Forever I’ll be

Yes, Your grace finds me
Yes, Your grace finds me

Matt Redman
written along with Jonas Myrin

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Aren’t you glad to have God’s grace and mercy?!?  When Jesus came to Earth, He became a living example of God’s goodness.  Jesus came to show us how to live, how to love, and how to care for each other.

Jesus lived among the people.  He did not keep to Himself unless He needed to be refreshed.  Then he would go to a secluded place to be with his Father.  Jesus knew the importance of keeping a relationship with God.  People did not always honor Jesus’ need to be alone; and He would graciously spend time with the people who were so hungry for His guidance.

In so doing, Jesus showed us how to love. He had (and still has!) compassion for those who are lost and hurting.  He healed the sick and lame…He cast out demons…He raised the dead to life…and He fed the hungry. Jesus taught His disciples how to care, and show mercy, and give grace.

By caring for his disciples, Jesus was able to give us examples of how hard- hearted we can be. How many times have we made the same mistake, and then had the area of wrong revealed in such a way it broke our hearts to realize it?  The is the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives to bring us closer to Jesus.  We do not need to be ashamed of what we have done. Rather we need to praise Him, Jesus, for caring and loving us enough to show us our error.

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Let’s pray:  Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy.  Thank You for loving us despite our pride…our need to be first.  I pray You will continue to find me in my weakness and break me until I see You just as You are…not as I make You out to be.  Thank You for humbling me.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

God Loves Our Brokenness

August 3, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Psalms 139:1-3

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

God loves our brokenness. Why? Because it is through our brokenness where He can begin to ‘FIX‘ us. God will

  • F ocus on what is right in us, He will help us build our character to be a reflection of Him
  • I ntends to heal us and will use us as
  • eX amples of His great love and mercy

God will make our sins as if they were not and will use our new life for His glory.  We need to be willing to walk in His ways without fear (Romans 3:21-31).  God will be with us and guide us along His path to righteousness.  Paul tells us that he was ready for the end of his life when he would receive his crown.

…in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day;
and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
2 Timothy 4:8

Paul lived his life for God and knew it would be hard.  He did not falter from his path in order to show and tell people of Jesus’ great love. 

God will heal us from our past wounds, our past experiences. Some of those may be a result of a curse in our family history. Or it could be a result of our own disobedience to one of His commandments. An example would be if we have not honored our parents. We do not have to agree with how they live, or what they do, but we still have to give them honor for who they are in our lives.  Through grace God can restore those relationships to ones of tolerance and acceptance of who our parents are. 

Also, God can use our past to help others to see Him as our Redeemer.  We can know that God will soften our hearts to forgive ourselves and use our lives to win others with similar situations to Him.  We just have to be willing.  We have to allow ourselves to be molded and shaped into what God can use. We will not be perfect; we are human.  But God can use our humanity to reach those who are unsaved.  Just as we have the example of Samson and David, we will be able to reach others with our lives and how God redeemed us from our path of sin and unrighteousness. 

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Father, thank You for loving my brokenness. I ask that You continue to take away my sins and use me for Your glory and to further Your kingdom. Thank You for not tossing me aside as dross and for choosing to use me to tell others of Your great love. Thank You!  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!

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Shelter in God

July 29, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know Your name trust in You,
for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.
Psalms 9:9-10

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

 Shelter  –

1: a structure that covers or protects people or things
2: a place that provides food and protection for people or animals that need assistance
3: a place to live

Refuge  –

1: shelter or protection from danger or trouble
2: a place that provides shelter or protection

How wonderful is our God! He strives to be our Friend, our Provider, and our Refuge.  All we have to do is ask.  We may say that is easier said than done, but trust me, it can be.

For those who have grown up in a normal household, you probably have a healthy reality of what a home should be—calm, peaceful, neat, well-groomed…both inside and out. At least I thought this was so.

Growing up for me was not this way.  I started out pretty okay. My birth parents gave me up for adoption at an early age. My maternal aunt and uncle adopted me. They had just lost a child and knew that my mother was not able to care for me. So they raised me as best they could. I had clothes to wear, food to eat, went to school. But I always felt different.

They were able to have another child, a boy, and we grew up as brother and sister.   Dad set Mom up with a store when we moved to another city.  We lived in an old building with the store in the front and living space in the back.  It was our shelter, our refuge.  I learned life was not always fair. But God always provided a way.  I learned to forgive and know God gives people choices in their actions.  I learned guilt, shame, disgust and dread there. But I also learned about God’s provision. I learned God was always there. Every tear I cried, God cried. Every thing I did wrong, God was there shaking His head. Everything done to me, He cried and cheered when I forgave.

I was saved in a  little country Baptist church and was baptized.  I learned about Jesus and this truth:

For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 KJV

I learned about Lottie Moon and Corrie Ten Boom and about missionaries.  I learned about performing with puppets; I sang in the choir and did 4-H things with school.  But I also learned what it was like to be excluded.  I was not exposed to drugs or went to parties where those things were.  God protected me although I did not always see it.

I had choices to make: I could either live thinking about what had been taken away from me…or I could give them to God and know He would be faithful to restore them back to me.  So I made those choices, everyday, to live (and still do).  I do not always succeed but I do my best.  God is my Shelter and my Refuge.  He is the one I am learning to run to for all things. Not to others, but to God first. If there is someone who can help in my situation, I would pray for God to point me in this person’s direction for help and guidance.

Beginning today, let us have a new attitude. Let us learn from our past. Let us choose to give it all to God.  Let us learn to live the life God has intended for us.  Let us pray for peace in our lives.  Let the Holy Spirit give us what we need to overcome any obstacle which presents itself as a roadblock. We can have happiness; though, at times, we may have to seek it more intentionally.

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Father, send Your Holy Spirit so we can see how Your light, Your provisions, Your grace and mercy is always present in our lives.  Teach us Your ways.  And show us how to be better followers of Jesus and selfless in how we are to walk.  Thank you for Your Word—your instruction manual for our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

Fear of the Lord

July 22, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

How great is Your goodness,
which You have stored up for those who fear You,
which You have wrought for those
who take refuge in You…
Psalm 31:19

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

What is it to ‘fear the Lord’?  Fear normally has a negative connotation to it.  We think of someone who may be ‘paralyzed with fear’.  But this is not what the psalmist is speaking of here.

God gave His people rules and laws when they came out of Egypt.  Why?  Because for over 400 years they were not able to think for themselves.  They had lived and functioned in a pagan land filled with idols and artificial gods.  Those who did remember God’s promises had to really protect themselves from the influence of the pagan culture.

When we study the Old Testament teachings about the Hebrew people, we often think, “Why were they so stubborn?”  Couldn’t they see what they are doing by not obeying Moses and Aaron? Why did Aaron build the golden calf when he knew Moses was on the mountain with God?  The reason?—they were human and did not have the same type of relationship with God as Moses had.  As they continued to walk with Moses they did learn more of God’s character, but still chose not to trust Him. We, today, still have similar choices to make.

As we walk with God and study His Word, we are inviting wisdom and knowledge to come in.  We are saying that we want more than just a casual relationship with God.  We want to become invested in His Will for our lives.  It’s like with your friends—you talk to them and get to know who they are and what their likes and dislikes are.  So when we chose to not to make time for God, we are saying He is not important.

We must strive to cultivate an attitude of respect. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”  The first-century church (shown to us in the Book of Acts) practiced the fear of the Lord.  

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria
had peace and was being built up.
And walking in the fear of the Lord
and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
Acts 9:31

The early Church chose to focus on what was good in their lives and keep up their community by seeking daily to bless others and be God’s best.

We can walk in this way as well.  When we are coming into a state of turmoil, we can choose to walk in God’s goodness by following His Will in our lives.

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let’s pray:  Father, I come humbly before You, thanking You for Your goodness.  Give me a heart to seek after You and Your Word and be a light to others.  Help me not to become distracted and to remain focused on You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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