I don't know what you are going through or experiencing. I know that life has a LOT of things to get caught up in. Some are necessary. Some are not. It takes a delicate balance of both to make it all not weigh or wear you down. Sometimes we just need to sit at the feet of Jesus.
That was me this morning. I was overloaded with good intention but trying to focus on too much at once and in too many directions. I began to just sit at my desk and pray out loud to God. That turned into quiet singing of a few songs and ending with Just As I Am (linked below).
I really appreciated what brother DeMarcus shared on His YouTube channel this morning. I gained more perspective. I knew that His yoke was easy and His burden light. (Matt. 11:28-30) What I had not actualized in my mind was the perspective of pairing the weak with the strong. That just fleshes the Word out a bit more in my understanding. Yes, His burdens are lighter than the burdens of the world - because He is doing the biggest share of the pulling. I feel like I understood it but on a lesser level. I just always thought of it as not having to do it by yourself. You have help, like two horses yoked together. What is falling afresh on me this morning is that one of those horses is like Paul Bunyan and one is more like a runt.
That is the magnitude of the disparity between the two. I am sure even that is disproportionate to the actual difference. Only Jesuswas able to drink from the cup of suffering. (Luke 22:41-44) Only Jesus is worthy to open the scroll in the book of Revelation. (Revelation 5:1-10)
That is who we are yoked to. Wow. Let that really sink in. 🤯
🌺💗 Take heart and be encouraged this morning. Yes, there are things that you are called to do. God has plans for you to prosper you and give you a future with hope. What He is not calling you to is doing it in your own strength, spiraling, spinning and burning out. Be not weary in doing good. (Galatians 6:9) God is for you. The spirit of Jesus, if you are a believer, is within you. He walks beside you, behind you, and goes before you. He abides in you and is eternally yoked to you. Rest in Him and let your burdens be light. ✝💖🛐 Be blessed.
“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 125:2 ESV
God Wants You To Take A Break!! - Devotions with DeMarcus
So often we find ourselves in disappointment, disarray, dysfuntion, or some other "dis."
We look for peace to replace the chaos, noise, and mess that we are feeling in our souls at the time. Or maybe it is none of those things but we just find ourselves disconnected from a feeling of wholeness, feeling incomplete or lacking. It feels like something is missing, so we keep searching for "it." We look for "it" in people around us, in being popular, in hobbies, in buying "stuff" in stores, in so many directions and we can really only find peace in one place.
Peace is not a "thing" to strive for, toward, or to buy. The reason we struggle to find peace sometimes is because it is a person- the person of Jesus Christ.
The book of John gives us great insight into this. In John 14:27, it is written in the words of Jesus,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
He has already given us what we need- a gift of Himself. He said He would never leave us nor forsake us. That means that is is eternally with us, offering us His peace.
Why don't we have it then? Why don't we feel it? If Jesus is continually with us, we should feel it all of the time.
Yes, we should. Then why don't we? He said HE would never leave US. That doesn't mean that WE will never leave HIM. Just like the ancient Israelites, we ebb and flow in our affection and obedience to Him. And Just like He was ever-present with the ancient Israelites, even through a cloud and a pillar, He is with us. Of course, it looks a little different today because the ancient Israelites didn't have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as we have the ability to accept now.
Yet, as a people, we are still fickle and led astray by whims and emotions and tickling of the ears. We have the same God but also the same devil. The devil is using the same old tricks and schemes and we get snared. The reason we get snared is because WE have strayed. We have not held close enough to the presence of Christ. So, like a lost child in a department store, we need to find our way back where we belong. That is in His presence.
"In Your presence, there is fullness of joy." ~ Psalm 16:11
"4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be[a] My disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love. 11 “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." ~ John 15:4-11
I hope you were blessed with this reminder. I know that it was the epiphany that I needed the other day while I was listening to DeMarcus. I heard "Peace is a person" and my brain just stopped listening for a moment because my spirit was testifying to the statement's truth. Below is the whole devotional so you might be blessed. You might hear something else that touches your spirit at the right time. Thank You, Jesus, for everything. 🌹💗🙏
"But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." ~ 1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT)
Have you an area that you know where God is leading you to? He has given you a task to do. Have you done it? If not, why?
I have been asking myself the same question. Why? In fact, this very blog post is staring me in the face months after I started it. Why? I have no good reason for the distraction- not for this long. I sat and stared at it tonight in reverent shame. I felt, in the following moments, similar to Peter when He is crying to Jesus that he (Peter) is a sinful man. I felt unable to lift my eyes to Him. I felt as if He was looking to me for an answer for my action/ inaction. I was uncomfortable. I had no answers, only sorrowful regrets.
You might say, "That's a bit much. It's only a blog post." But it isn't.
God and I have been in this blog idea together for some time now. Except He has shown up faithfully and I have not. It's more than a blog post. It is a matter of obedience. I am reminded of what God said about Saul in 1 Samuel 16:7-8:
7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”
A few different times when I have been indecisive of my next move and feel restless, a friend has asked me, "What was the last thing that God told you to do? Do that."
This blog is one of the "last thing(s) He told [me] to do." It's so much more than a blog. It is a proving ground of faithfulness. So far, I am losing greatly.
I thought originally that this blog was my idea. I thought it was a hobby and that God was allowing it. As such, I have not taken the dedication as seriously as I should have. More and more, I am realizing that this is really God's blog. He has put the desire in my heart and has been waiting for me and He just needs me to put my hands to the proverbial plow.
He has been sending me whispers and prompts here and there along the way about things He wants me to share. Sometimes I have not been able to do it in that moment and have then forgotten. Sometimes I am feeling tired or unable to focus for the loudness of mind. Sometimes I plan to do it but then I get sidetracked and don't. Regardless of the reason, it is wrong. "Delayed obedience is disobedience."
"23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." ~ Romans 3:23-24
"15What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! 16Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone[k] as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to, 18and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness." ~ Romans 6:15-18
I praise God that there is forgiveness for all of our sins, whether we think them great or small, through the redemption of Jesus Christ.
My words of the year are Focused, Faithful, Fruitful, and Free. All of these words go together and pretty much in that order. I began praying for a word in the last couple of months of the year. I heard Focused. I thought that was great. Yet, one by one, the others were added. It is a four-step plan of freedom. God and I are walking them out together throughout this year. Clearly I feel I have a long way to go but, holding His hand, I am confident that we will get there.
This message was laid on my heart quite awhile ago. At the time, the focus was people. In this moment, I am reminded of it for the moments of obedience and for the last line: "The first thing you need to do is just show up."
Here is one more thought about obedience. Do you have anyone that you are having continual issues in getting along with? Have you checked your heart and your deeds? Maybe something undone for God is standing in your way. Prayer is good for getting along but so is obedience.
I hope that you are not experiencing any disobedience. If you are, I pray that you address it today directly. Thank God for all that He has given to you, tell Him you are sorry (if you are), and then commit your ways unto Him. He will direct your steps.
"6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:6-7
I leave with you two songs that are stuck in my head. The first is The Goodness of God, particularly the chorus:
"All my life You have been faithful All my life You have been so so good With every breath that I am able Oh I will sing of the goodness of God"
And this one, Promises by Maverick City, (feat. Joe L. Barnes and Naomi Raine)
"Great is Your faithfulness to me
Great is Your faithfulness to me From the rising sun to the setting same I will praise Your name Great is Your faithfulness to me, oh"
💗 We are to be holy because He is holy. We also need to strive for faithfulness because He is faithful. May God bless you richly and may you stay close in step with His Holy Spirit.
It is so easy sometimes to get caught up in the flood of things that seem important. Maybe they are important for our overall well-being. Maybe they are important for a project or deadline. Maybe they are important to us, personally, for our goals or even just for our quiet time. Yet, nothing is more important that our time with God.
God is the source and center of life itself. If it were not for God, we would not exist. Period. There is no other possibility that we, as we are in this physical state and form of living and breathing could have happened any other way. He is also the author and perfector of our faith. Everything that we have and do stems from Him. He is gracious and He is kind.
He is the King of Kings and He knows us by name. It's not a formal sort of knowing but the most personal there can be. He knows us intimately because He is the one who formed us in our mother's womb. He knew exactly the type of person that He needed to be in this world. He knew exactly what He wanted them to look like- stature, eye and hair color, and how their voice would sound. He designed them perfectly for His purpose. He knew exactly where He would place each one in time and location. He knew who they could impact and be impacted by for His good. Some would be seeming to the world to be missing vital parts of their bodies...feet, legs, sight. Yet, those differences would serve to build a strength of character in those people to not only live their own lives but to encourage and touch so many others by learning to maneuver around their weaknesses, and finding their strength in Him.
God knows our every need and desire. He knows our thoughts before we think them. He watches us while we sleep and waits for us to rise so He can walk with us through our day. Yet, do we think of Him when our eyes open? I think there are quite a lot of us who do, if even just to say thank You for another opportunity to get it right and to continue working to fulfill His purpose for our lives. Then what? Do we continue the conversation and ask what He wants us to do today? Do we spend time in prayer and worship? Or do we determine our own steps for ourselves and for the Kingdom and trudge ahead, trying to make our own path?
When we wake up in the morning, it seems as though we are but one person. Depending on if we have a spouse or others that we live with, there may be no other tangible person in the room as we go about our routines and activities. But God. He is eternally omnipresent. He is right there with us, 24/7. We don't physically see Him but we can feel Him in our spirit and see Him there sometimes, too. He waits for us and longs for us to look for Him, talk to Him, and to lean into Him. He is our heavenly Father. He loves us with an unfailing and everlasting love.
Today, I was doing what seemed plausible to do on my day off. There is a buffet of things that "need" done. I put my hand to the plow first on spiritual things- Bible studies that I am starting to fall behind in. I am also needing to study for one that I will be leading. I zoned in on which focus needed to be a priority. That is fantastic. Except one thing- it wasn't.
While I was pursuing that path, it's almost as if the Holy Spirit Himself tapped me on the shoulder and I was in sudden awareness. I had gotten so busy trying to do things FOR God and not drop the ball of accountability, that I had not included Him in it personally. I had not had my quiet time with Him. You can liken it to having breakfast or coffee with a friend. You sit, you discuss, and you set out plans. Then you put it into motion. Where had I stopped to sit with Him this morning? I had instead, essentially, spoken to Him in passing as I waved and set about my day. Wow. 😦😞
I was immediately humbled. I apologized to Him and went to YouTube to listen to worship music. There was already song up where I left it for "later" (I am the queen of tabs) but "later" had not yet come. I hit play and began to listen. I was spiritually on my face as the words washed over me. They were so true. I apologized to God for not seeking Him in all these things. God created us for communion with Himself. I acknowledged that I need His help every moment of every day. (I am hearing Danny Gokey in this moment singing the chorus of We All Need Jesus. "24/365."
I have had to leave this post and come back and still, the lyrics and message of this song just hit me in my spirit every time I replay it. I will leave it here for you to listen to as well. I pray that it hits your spirit in the same, sweet way- with the realization that He is always infinitely bigger and wiser than we can ever hope to be. His arms are always ready to embrace us to encourage, comfort or to just simply love us. He is always willing, ready, and trying to lead us. We just have to get out of the way first. 💗
🌹Be blessed and spend time with your heavenly Father.
I will also link the Danny Gokey song. It is so important that we try to see others through God's eyes.
I hope that you are having blessed and beautiful day in the LORD! Hurricane Nicole has come and is now hopefully on her way out. Yet, even through the wind and the rains, there is truly none other like Him!
Today is a great time to pause and to pray. It's good to just press into His presence. Let His mercy, grace, and love permeate your hectic and weary soul and saturate your spirit with His peace.
Oh Lord, You're Beautiful- Keith Green
It's good to be busy, lest we be idle and unproductive. Yet, when we stop and assess what our hands and minds have been busy doing, are we being truly fruitful or have we just gone in endless circles? Have we sown seed or gone through motions of it only?
Take some time to just seek the Lord in the garden of your heart. Take some time to just praise Him and give Him thanks for all that He has done, is doing, and will yet do. He is our strong tower. Soak in His presence and surrender all your cares to Him. He will restore your strength, your peace, and your hope. He will give you direction and set you on a straight path. Nobody cares for you more now or ever than the God who created you. Your Heavenly Father knows what you need. Among all of the things that can encompass, the first and biggest is always Him. 💗
🌹God bless you, go with you, and give you peace. 💖
~Scriptures to bless you~
(translation version in parentheses)
Psalm 55:22
Turn your burdens over to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will never let the righteous person stumble. (God's Word (GWT))
Leave your troubles with the LORD, and he will defend you; he never lets honest people be defeated.(Good News Translation (GNT))
1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time,
7 casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].(Amplified)
Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (NLT)
‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’ (AMP)
Do not be afraid--I am with you! I am your God--let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you. (GNT)
Matthew 11:28
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (NASB)
Philippians 4:6-7
6Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. 7Then God's peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus. (GWT)
6Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]. (AMP)
John 16:33
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (NKJV)
"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] (AMP)
Psalm 62:8
"Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah"
(BSB)
Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (NKJV)
John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid." (BSB)
James 1:12
"Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." (AMP)
"Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (CSB)
There is so much going on right now in life. It's hard to keep up and keep track of all the thoughts and things that need done. However, with God's grace and tender loving mercy, it will get done. God is so faithful. I aspire to that. I know I can never be as faithful in this fleshly nature on this earth as He was but I can do better than I have. I am sure that we all can. I just want to leave this song with your for now.
A friend recently quoted her pastor in her podcast, Heels On Water, as having said,
"If you know who you are, then you know what to do."
I agree with that. This song has been on my heart for two days now and it is stirring up action and recognition that was there but fell out of sight and mind, getting buried in the back of my mind somewhere. In the process of finding it again, direction and clarity started to return.
"I'm a child of the Most High God and the Most High God's for me." - Ben Fuller ("Who I Am")
Upon listening to the words of this song fully and reflecting on God's nature, it is clear what I must do to the best of my ability...reflect His excellent image.
No, I am not able to reach perfection. The only one who can truly do that is Jesus and He died a miserable death on the cross to set us free. Perfection ascended back up to Heaven with Him. Yet, we have His Spirit living inside of us. The Holy Spirit will guide us in the ways that we should go and how to conduct ourselves in the paths of righteousness. I hope to expound more tomorrow. For now, I need to get some sleep. I hope that you all rest well when you go to sleep next also.
There is a lot, lot, lot going on here this past few weeks. It is getting late tonight and I have an early morning ahead of me. I have been meaning to come in and leave some posts. It clearly hasn't happened. I told myself it had to happen before I went to sleep tonight. So, I will leave you with some simple thoughts that have been circling around in my brain that have been helping me to handle it all. I will also leave some music to meditate on that will hopefully stir your faith and cause it to rise a little higher within you. 💖🙏
"God is good all the time and all the time God is good."
He didn't bring you this far to drop you.
If He can fling the stars into the sky and keep the universe in perfect distance, rotation, etc and not implode, I am sure that He can handle any of our tiny lives. They are not tiny because thy have no value but tiny in comparison to a galaxy. In terms of a galaxy, we might be the pinpoint of a needle.😉
"He works all things together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)
"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!5Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, butin everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.7And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.9Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you." (Phil. 4:4-9)
Have a blessed evening and sweet sleep. If you are reading this in broad daylight, I hope you have a blessed day and week. ❤
Build A Boat by Colton Dixon
See Me Through It by Brandon Heath
I Got That by Anthony Brown and Group Therapy
This one just crossed my mind and it is beautiful. I love the old hymns.
Life always seems to run at a crazy pace. Sometimes we need to just slow it down a little.
Sometimes it really isn't everything else in our life that is running rapidly out of control but just our own minds. Our thought patterns can feel like a circus monkey or like they are running NASCAR laps. We shouldn't need to constantly fight to hear ourselves think. Clearly, we are at odds a good bit of the time with WHAT to think or how to process everything in the first place.
There are so many voices that are rising up in our minds to be heard- friends, family, coworkers, politicians, social media, etc. I even heard on a YouTube video awhile ago (The Silent To-Do List) how even everyday things talk to us. Dawn, from The Minimal Mom, was talking about the dishes that say "wash me, dry me, put me away" and the clothes that say, "Why haven't you been able to fit in me?", "Why do you make impulse purchases?", etc. I'm not trying to push minimalism (though I can see a few convincing benefits) but she is onto something with how noisy our lives are and again in the other video, discussing the Four Burner Theory, how easy it is to feel tossed around in our thoughts and actions. (I just heard You'll Never Walk Alone in my head because I almost said "tossed and blown." lol "Walk on through the wind. Walk on through the rain, though your dreams be tossed and blown.")
Seriously, though, we are trying to plan ahead but thinking about the past. We are trying to decide what to believe and what we should give priority to. We also spend entirely way too much time worrying about and avoiding things or people. Often we either don't know which end is up or trying to fix what is upside down. We are overwrought by decisions and sometimes that may mean we make none- which only snowballs it all even more.
The devil is also always quick to jump in and have a say, even though he tries to make us believe it is our own thought. "You'll never be able to accomplish that." or "Who is going to listen to YOU??"
Sometimes it is miscommunication or presumption based on circumstance, maybe even through a non-descript text message. We hear, "WHAT did she just say?! Did she called me a LIAR!!" But, in reality, that wasn't what she meant at all and there is a good explanation for whatever it was.
Maybe when we decide to step out in faith toward a positive change or a dream -"You can't make that change, you'll never live up to the hype. You'll only fail."
We need to remember that not every thought that pops into our heads is ours. Be careful who you rent mental space out to. We need to fight these negative and destructive thoughts at every turn. Not every thought is a happy thought, perhaps. Some will inevitably be negative but if it is opposed to the Word of God, it doesn't hold water and should be banished from our minds. Our thoughts become words. Words, especially our own, hold a LOT of weight in our minds. We are with ourselves 24/7. We cannot escape our own thoughts. Yet, the words that should hold the most weight are those of Our Creator and King of Kings. He knows better than anyone what is meant to be and should be accepted. He is not only with us 24/7 but knew us before He knitted us in our mother's womb. (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13-18)
"13You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother.
14I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.
15My bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, when I was being skillfully woven in an underground workshop.
16Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every day [of my life] was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place.
17How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O God! How vast in number they are!
18If I try to count them, there would be more of them than there are grains of sand. When I wake up, I am still with you. "
~ Psalm 139:13-18 (God's Word Translation)
2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ."(Good News Translation)
We need to slow down and hear what God has to say. He was the only one who was there when we were being created. Not only has He designed us but He has thoughts and plans for our lives as well. I am attaching the links for the videos that I referenced above. They are well worth the watch.
I hope you have a beautiful weekend and remember that we were blessed to be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2)
The Silent To-Do List (this is LIFE CHANGING!) - The Minimal Mom
How to finally find balance (& stop feeling behind!) - The Minimal Mom
QUIET (STRIPPED) - LIVE FROM BALLANTYNE - ELEVATION RHYTHM
😐 Everything seems to be on its ear lately. Including us if we let it be.
I have been struggling with this and, again, was brought back to a "life passage" for me. I say this because It is only a few short verses but they go together. They always help to give me insight of how I should respond when life is a little too much. I pray that they are well received and well-timed blessing for you as well. ❤
"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness[b] be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally[c] brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things."
~ Philippians 4:4-8
Also this one:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight."
I was reading the Bible yesterday in Hosea. I was doing a topical scripture writing plan in my journal. I was supposed to write verses 1-3 but I read all 11 and was moved by God's sovereignty and His love. I was disheartened by the sin and carelessness of the people. Sadly, it rang true a bit too much for me that this is how today's society is. I began to pray for our nation even more and asking yet again for God's hand of mercy to be upon us all. I prayed for genuine repentance and genuine compassion and concern for us all to draw near to Him.
Tonight, the song below was on my heart. I felt led to share both. I hope this touches your heart and you listen for His whisper from His Spirit to your spirit. He loves each of us SO, SO much, no matter what we've done. He longs to be with us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hosea 6 Good News Translation (GNT)
The People's Insincere Repentance
6 The people say, “Let's return to the Lord! He has hurt us, but he will be sure to heal us; he has wounded us, but he will bandage our wounds, won't he? 2 In two or three days he will revive us, and we will live in his presence. 3 Let us try to know the Lord. He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth.”
4 But the Lord says, “Israel and Judah, what am I going to do with you? Your love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew, that vanishes early in the day. 5 That is why I have sent my prophets to you with my message of judgment and destruction. What I want from you is plain and clear: 6 I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.
7 “But as soon as they entered the land at Adam,[a] they broke the covenant I had made with them. 8 Gilead is a city full of evil people and murderers. 9 The priests are like a gang of robbers who wait in ambush for someone. Even on the road to the holy place at Shechem they commit murder. And they do all this evil deliberately! 10 I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: my people have defiled themselves by worshiping idols.
11 “And as for you, people of Judah, I have set a time to punish you also for what you are doing."
Footnotes:
Hosea 6:7 Probable text But … at Adam; Hebrew But like Adam."
God's Word Translation says it this way for verses 4-8:
"4 “What should I do with you, Ephraim?
What should I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like fog in the morning.
It disappears as quickly as the morning dew.
5 That is why I cut ⌞you⌟ down by sending the prophets.
I killed you with the words from my mouth.
My judgments shined on you like light.
6 I want your loyalty, not your sacrifices.
I want you to know me, not to give me burnt offerings.
7 “Like Adam, you rejected the promise.[a]
You were unfaithful to me.
8 Gilead is a city filled with troublemakers.
It is stained with bloody footprints."
Footnotes:
6:7 Or “You have walked all over my promise as if it were dirt.”
6:10 “Unclean ” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is not presentable to God."
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We don't need to insult God with false repentance. We need to truly open our hearts and invite Him in. We need His love, His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness. We need His eternal presence. We can't make it through this life well enough without Him and we certainly don't want to do eternity without Him. Blessed peace and grace are found in Him. He longs to walk with us through all of it. Take His hand.
I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday in the Lord! It is raining here in Florida. I just have an overwhelming feeling inside of me to just use today as a chill day. It just feels like one of those days where you just need to grab a big cup of cocoa, like a snowy day, be still, and sit by the fire with your feet tucked under you. It's a good day to just go nowhere and do nothing but relax and just be.
I grew up in the north. We had lots of rainy days or snowy days. I had lots of time (as a kid) to just sit and watch the weather or to reflect and ponder. I miss those days. Now, many years later, I am married and living in a completely different climate. We don't have very much precipitation. We, of course, don't have snow days here but not many rainy ones, either. Our weather is hot, hotter, muggy, or a combination thereof. 😂 A Florida rain lasts about 15 minutes usually around 3:00 or so in the afternoon. It can rain multiple times but usually never more than 30 minutes, unless there's a hurricane.
Today is one of those days that is supposed to be scattered thunderstorms all day long. There's been a continuous gentle rain for a while now. It's got me feeling nostalgic. I heard a really good sermon this morning. Those two things combined just have me feeling chill and wanting to relax and unwind and to just not speak so much just listen for God's voice. However, I know one of the things I heard him say was to blog this. I felt pressed to put this post out. I'm sure it will be a blessing to someone.
So, the sermon that I was listening to today was from Pastor Steven Furtick at Elevation Church. He titled the message "Did I Ask?" It was a really good sermon. I'll link it in this post. I really recommend watching it. There's some really good takeaway to it.
One of my realizations was for all moments, with what little that I can do, I can and should ask God for His opinion and His input more often. Let's be real. We know we should let Him lead. But do we? Too often, we don't. We get in the driver's seat and try to lead our own lives. You know we say things like, "God is my copilot." Is that really true? And if it is true, it shouldn't be. He should be the pilot first and foremost. We should just be his companion. We shouldn't even really be His copilot. He doesn't need one. Okay, true enough, there are things we need to decide how we are going to react and respond and there are times of action but those are the times where we see how much faith and obedience we truly have and how much we have listened to Him prior. We shouldn't even be in the driver's seat. We should always seek him out first and ask Him to lead. The action required by us follows like with Abraham. "Go to a land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1) We should let God be behind the wheel of our lives. But do we? I think most of us, myself included, don't let him take control or lead often enough. I've heard it said before, and it's true, that we don't really ask for God's opinion on a matter before we tell him what we want and then just ask him for his rubber stamp of approval.
Wow. And then we wonder why things turn out the way that they do. We wonder why we hadn't done stuck in a rut. We wonder how we got to this point? We want to know where God is. We want to know why He didn't work things out a different way. Well, how could He? Did we ask Him to be part of the journey? Did we ASK for His opinion? Did we ask him to lead? Did we ask approval BEFORE we took action? Proverbs 3 says,
"1 My son, do not forget my law, but let your
heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life and peace they will
add to you. 3 Let not mercy and Truth forsake you; bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 And so find favor and high esteem in
the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lead not
on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct your paths.7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the lord and depart
from evil. 8It will be a health to your flesh and strength to your bones. 9Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first fruits of all your
increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will
overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the lord,
nor detest his correction; for whom the lord loves he corrects just as a father
the son and whom he delights."
Mostly no. Too often, we don't ask His input on a situation we're facing. We just try to ride the rails and see where they take us we try to make the best decisions from what knowledge and resources we have. Even if mentioned in prayers, we just tend to follow our own insight. To be honest, I'm sure that the Holy Spirit is still trying to lead us even though we don't take time to listen. I'm sure that God is definitely still watching after and keeping things from getting too far out of hand. But how much better would it be if we actually just trusted Him in the first place? How much better would it be if we said, "God I need you. Guide me and direct me in this situation. I don't know what to do. Please show me the steps that I need to take and help me walk it for Your Glory in Jesus name." Sometimes we say that but we still just blindly do what we want.
Today just feels like a day to just kind of let all of that roll off to let all of the crud from rest of the week/ month/ year just be washed away in the rain like showers of blessing. We should just take time to ley all of the negative and chaotic stuff be washed away from us, out of our souls and just reflect on God and His goodness and his mercy and compassion and love- to trust with complete confidence that He knows us. He formed us in our mother's womb and knitted us together. (Psalm 139:13-18) If not for His divine inclination, we wouldn't even be here. So, Who better to drive our lives than our Creator? He has a plan and a purpose for us (Jeremiah 29:11-14). You should always take advice from somebody smarter than yourself rather than someone who is not even as smart as you feel you are. So, the question is, again, why should we be more qualified to lead our lives than God?
I don't know where you are in your walk today. I don't know the specific situations that you're going through and I'm not asking for that information. I'm just suggesting maybe today would be a good day for you and me to just take time to spiritually set with a cup of cocoa with our heels tucked up under us just relax and patiently waiting for God to speak to us and ask questions. Ask Him what his will is for your life right now or in the future. Ask how should you handle this thing that you have going on or the situation with the person... Instead of giving into assuming you know the outcome, make your prayers and petitions known to God and then just quietly and patiently wait for the answers. (Philippians 4:4-7) Maybe He will answer you right away and maybe He won't. But if he doesn't answer you right away, just praise Him in the hallway until He does. Just take time to sit at His feet spiritually and just be grateful. Be grateful for all of the things that He has done and all the love that He has shown you.
If you don't have a history with God like that, ask yourself some questions. Have you actually let God trulyinto your heart - to ALL the places in your heart. Have you given God had a chance and opportunity to show you and shower you with His love? Has He had a chance to lead your life? Have you listened to the prompting of His Spirit or have you kept the door closed?
In all honesty, the door could be closed whether you're a believer or not a believer. Life knocks us down at times. We can be shaken by it. We should be standing on God's word and we should be looking at mirror and seeing His reflection. We are created in His image. We are called to be sons and daughters of God. We are called to be His children. So when we look in the mirror, what should we see? Should we see insecurities, frustration, and impossibilities? If we have accepted salvation through Jesus Christ, we have God's DNA and nothing is impossible with Him. Jesus said in John 15:5,
"I am the vine, and you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
So, if there's any lack in our lives, we will probably trace it back to our time spent with Him. There is no question that He is faithful. The question is: How faithful are WE to HIM?
There's always a reason for everything that we go through. It's either a lesson or a blessing. Some things are meant to stretch and grow us in our faith and our walk with him. Sometimes we are allowed to be stretched so that we can see that He's always there that He always provides. Yet, sometimes things are tough and roads are rocky because we haven't reached out. His grace is sufficient and He is enough. No matter what today, spend some time reflecting and you'll see that He's always right there with you. He wants to be. If you feel like there's only one set of Footprints in the Sand, then He has been carrying you.
May you abide in Him always and He will abide in you, so that you bear much fruit.
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [g]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." ~ Galatians 5:22-23
{Written on Sunday, September 20, 2020 but editing delays caused posting date of Wednesday, September 23, 2020.}
Did I Ask? - Pastor Steven Furtick at Elevation Church
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