Psalm 86:11 Psalm 143:8
Teach me Your way, Yahweh, Let me experience
and I will live by Your truth. Your faithful love in the morning,
Give me an undivided mind for I trust in You.
to fear Your Name. Reveal to me the way I should go
because I long for You.
Let's define some terms according to Strong's Concordance:
Teach - direct, inform, instruct Experience - to hear, listen to, obey
Way - path, journey, direction Faithful love - mercy, kindness, goodness
Undivided - join, unite Trust - be confident, be secure
Mind - inner man, will, heart, soul, understanding Way - journey, road, manner, path
Fear - stand in awe of, respect, honor Long - to desire
It so jazzes me to look up words - lol!
So what do we see? First of all Yahweh in Psalm 86:11 refers to God as Jehovah (the Self-Existing One or Eternal One)! It is often translated as LORD or God. Think about His Name here for a moment; how He describes Himself. Do You recognize the peace and hope that is ours just by knowing His Name??? He exists without any help from anyone or anything! He is and always will be! He is our LORD and our God!! Praise His Name!!!
Do you get it? It is because of Who He Is - His very Name, His very Existence that we can experience His faithful love, trust in Him, live by His Truth, have an undivided mind to fear His Name, to know which way He wants us to go and to even long for Him!!! Wow, He is so very good to us isn't He?!?
He is ALL we need!!!
Yahweh, thank You for being Who You Say You Are! Thank You that You ARE. No one created You and no one controls You. You are completely and utterly in control and fully trustworthy! Thank You that You know all and You see all. You are never caught off guard by anything in the big picture of life all over this world or in the small details in our personal worlds. You are amazing! Thank You for loving us! Thank You for Jesus! Teach us Your ways that we may experience You and all that You provide - love, peace, hope, joy, gentleness, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness, self-control, forgiveness, mercy, grace and so much more. May we recognize just how trustworthy You are and see Your faithfulness in our day by day because You are ALWAYS trustworthy and faithful regardless of what we think we see or know. Forgive us for our tendency to trust in ourselves. Forgive us for making decisions on which direction to take on this journey of life based upon our feelings or own wants. Help us to long for You, to have respect and honor for You in our actions and in our words. Thank You for pouring out Your mercy and grace upon us over and over again without end. There is No One like You, Lord!
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Monday, August 15, 2016
Praying for each of us...
Ephesians 3:16-21
16) I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, (17) and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that You, being rooted and firmly established in love, (18) may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, (19) and to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (20) Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us -- (21) to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Along with the Apostle Paul, I pray this for you and I.
Father God, please grant us, according to Your riches in glory, strength in the very heart of who You have made us to be through Your Spirit. Jesus, I know You dwell in my heart and I pray that for each one who reads this. Father God, may we truly be rooted and firmly established in Your love - may we hunger for Your Word and thirst for Your righteousness to be evident in our daily lives. May each of us truly grasp as well as we can this side of heaven the expansiveness of Your love for us and for those around us. May it be more than a head knowledge, Lord, but a heart-knowing. May it be such that Your love overflows from us to others because we are truly filled with all the fullness that You provide. May we each know that we know that You are able to do above and beyond all that we can think to ask or imagine according to Your power and may we know that it is You that are working in us. Forgive us for falling so often to our pride in thinking that we can handle things on our own. Forgive us for seeking other people and things with more diligence than we seek to know You, Jesus. Please God have Your way in us and receive all the glory from our lives. Thank You for the Truth of Who You are! In Jesus' Mighty Name, I ask it all. Amen.
16) I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, (17) and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that You, being rooted and firmly established in love, (18) may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, (19) and to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (20) Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us -- (21) to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Along with the Apostle Paul, I pray this for you and I.
Father God, please grant us, according to Your riches in glory, strength in the very heart of who You have made us to be through Your Spirit. Jesus, I know You dwell in my heart and I pray that for each one who reads this. Father God, may we truly be rooted and firmly established in Your love - may we hunger for Your Word and thirst for Your righteousness to be evident in our daily lives. May each of us truly grasp as well as we can this side of heaven the expansiveness of Your love for us and for those around us. May it be more than a head knowledge, Lord, but a heart-knowing. May it be such that Your love overflows from us to others because we are truly filled with all the fullness that You provide. May we each know that we know that You are able to do above and beyond all that we can think to ask or imagine according to Your power and may we know that it is You that are working in us. Forgive us for falling so often to our pride in thinking that we can handle things on our own. Forgive us for seeking other people and things with more diligence than we seek to know You, Jesus. Please God have Your way in us and receive all the glory from our lives. Thank You for the Truth of Who You are! In Jesus' Mighty Name, I ask it all. Amen.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
A Student of His Word and Prayer
Wow, what a journey.
Truly it is so much better when I chose to submit to doing it His way. Oh how I look forward to heaven one day when His way is the only way! But for now I am determined to submit to Him and prayerfully I become more obedient than not. I am so thankful that He never leaves me to do it alone and He keeps His Word regardless of what I see or think I know.
Psalm 86 has become particularly meaningful to me as I have mentioned before. I challenge you to read His Word and allow Him to speak to you and in turn speak His Word back to Him. Use His Word as a catalyst for what You need to share with Him. Communicate with Him, do not just speak at God, make sure to truly converse - share and listen. There is nothing like knowing, truly knowing that Your Best Friend is Your Heavenly Father, Your Daddy, Your Healer, Your Comforter and so much more. He is the very best of everything and He wants a personal intimate relationship with you and me! Incredible!! He is so good!!!
As I was praying through Psalm 86 He prompted me to share with You a book. It is called "How To Pray...When You Don't Know What To Say" by Elmer L. Towns. It has been a while since I read it, but He reminded me this morning that I need to continue in the principles that are set out there. It is book written about using the Lord's Prayer as a model for prayer, Matthew 6:9-13. Mr. Towns states, "When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we don't leave anything out -- it's the most complete and comprehensive prayer that was ever given to us." He teaches us how to use the components in prayer not to just repeat the words of the prayer but to make it our own. Priceless.
Do we ever consider becoming a student of prayer and the Word as we do so many other things in life? We put so much energy toward learning - intentionally or even unintentionally - for our jobs, for parenting, to be a good spouse, how to shop more efficiently, our hobbies, etc. But do we put forth that same energy to practice prayer and the application of the Word? I do not; however I want to and I want Him to increase my want to.
Our relationship with Christ is the main thing that matters in this life and EVERYTHING else is to flow from that relationship. And yet we spend less time on this endeavor of walking with Christ (even to the point that we think maybe it isn't all that important) and that the busyness of our lives should take precedence - our social media time, our time taking our kids to one event to the next, education, furthering our careers, even trying to love people in the Name of Jesus. How can we do all of these things when ultimately we end up doing them in our own strength because we are not talking over and taking each part of our lives to our Father? As Christ Followers end up burned out, disillusioned, unimpassioned, weary, disheartened, ineffective, isolated and on and on, thus giving place to the enemy and giving in to his goal to "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10a NIV).
I do not want this. I have lived this. I am still living this in many ways. And yet I cannot measure my effectiveness for Christ. Not my job. I am to continue in His Word and prayer and trust that He "has plans for me that are for good and not for disaster, to give me a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB).
Jesus came that I might have "life and have it to the full" (John 10:10b NIV). And that I will "know the Truth and the Truth will set me free" (John 8:32 HCSB) Remember, Jesus is the Word (John 1:1); therefore He is the Truth and He is the one to set us free. I must know His Word and I must have conversation with Him to truly KNOW it (Him) as Life not just as knowledge.
Yep, a lot to say today! I hope if I say it enough I will truly hear it and walk in it!
Will you consider what I have shared and come alongside me to encourage one another to put more effort into walking this journey of life His Way? Remember, He gave us each other.
Father God, I praise You for being my Daddy. For making the way available to me through Jesus to come directly to You as One who sees me through eyes of grace, who loves me as a daughter and have delight in me. Teach me to pray, Lord. Help me to not only say that I want Your Will but to obediently do Your Will in the moment by moments of my day. Help me to trust You in those moments rather than trust myself or what I can see. Forgive me for so often giving in to my own wants rather than trusting You for what is best. Forgive me for doing more talking than I do listening to You, for trying to figure out the whys and whats in life rather than taking that next step that You reveal. Thank You that You have everything covered, all the time. You are never caught off guard and You know exactly where I am today in every way. You have all those that I love in Your hands as well and once again, I know I can trust You with them as well as myself. Help me to forgive and extend mercy and grace out of the abundance of what You extend to me. Remind me. Forgive me where I forget and where I become self-righteous. Convict me and enable me to repent with godly sorrow, Jesus, in Your strength. I do pray that You will deliver me from the ways that I chose to not walk in Your ways and thus give in to the desires of my flesh. Give me Your mind, Jesus. Teach me to renew my mind and chose to think on what is noble and right and good. Help me to have a thankful heart and to chose to rejoice in You. Restore to me the joy of my salvation and help me to recognize that You, Lord, are my confidence. I fall so far short, but I am so thankful that I cannot fall so far that You let me go. Your faithfulness truly amazes me, Lord. I love You and I ask that You would please help me to live as if I love You, that my life will be way more than words. Please allow me to bring You glory, Lord. Use me however You will. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Truly it is so much better when I chose to submit to doing it His way. Oh how I look forward to heaven one day when His way is the only way! But for now I am determined to submit to Him and prayerfully I become more obedient than not. I am so thankful that He never leaves me to do it alone and He keeps His Word regardless of what I see or think I know.
Psalm 86 has become particularly meaningful to me as I have mentioned before. I challenge you to read His Word and allow Him to speak to you and in turn speak His Word back to Him. Use His Word as a catalyst for what You need to share with Him. Communicate with Him, do not just speak at God, make sure to truly converse - share and listen. There is nothing like knowing, truly knowing that Your Best Friend is Your Heavenly Father, Your Daddy, Your Healer, Your Comforter and so much more. He is the very best of everything and He wants a personal intimate relationship with you and me! Incredible!! He is so good!!!
As I was praying through Psalm 86 He prompted me to share with You a book. It is called "How To Pray...When You Don't Know What To Say" by Elmer L. Towns. It has been a while since I read it, but He reminded me this morning that I need to continue in the principles that are set out there. It is book written about using the Lord's Prayer as a model for prayer, Matthew 6:9-13. Mr. Towns states, "When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we don't leave anything out -- it's the most complete and comprehensive prayer that was ever given to us." He teaches us how to use the components in prayer not to just repeat the words of the prayer but to make it our own. Priceless.
Do we ever consider becoming a student of prayer and the Word as we do so many other things in life? We put so much energy toward learning - intentionally or even unintentionally - for our jobs, for parenting, to be a good spouse, how to shop more efficiently, our hobbies, etc. But do we put forth that same energy to practice prayer and the application of the Word? I do not; however I want to and I want Him to increase my want to.
Our relationship with Christ is the main thing that matters in this life and EVERYTHING else is to flow from that relationship. And yet we spend less time on this endeavor of walking with Christ (even to the point that we think maybe it isn't all that important) and that the busyness of our lives should take precedence - our social media time, our time taking our kids to one event to the next, education, furthering our careers, even trying to love people in the Name of Jesus. How can we do all of these things when ultimately we end up doing them in our own strength because we are not talking over and taking each part of our lives to our Father? As Christ Followers end up burned out, disillusioned, unimpassioned, weary, disheartened, ineffective, isolated and on and on, thus giving place to the enemy and giving in to his goal to "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10a NIV).
I do not want this. I have lived this. I am still living this in many ways. And yet I cannot measure my effectiveness for Christ. Not my job. I am to continue in His Word and prayer and trust that He "has plans for me that are for good and not for disaster, to give me a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB).
Jesus came that I might have "life and have it to the full" (John 10:10b NIV). And that I will "know the Truth and the Truth will set me free" (John 8:32 HCSB) Remember, Jesus is the Word (John 1:1); therefore He is the Truth and He is the one to set us free. I must know His Word and I must have conversation with Him to truly KNOW it (Him) as Life not just as knowledge.
Yep, a lot to say today! I hope if I say it enough I will truly hear it and walk in it!
Will you consider what I have shared and come alongside me to encourage one another to put more effort into walking this journey of life His Way? Remember, He gave us each other.
Father God, I praise You for being my Daddy. For making the way available to me through Jesus to come directly to You as One who sees me through eyes of grace, who loves me as a daughter and have delight in me. Teach me to pray, Lord. Help me to not only say that I want Your Will but to obediently do Your Will in the moment by moments of my day. Help me to trust You in those moments rather than trust myself or what I can see. Forgive me for so often giving in to my own wants rather than trusting You for what is best. Forgive me for doing more talking than I do listening to You, for trying to figure out the whys and whats in life rather than taking that next step that You reveal. Thank You that You have everything covered, all the time. You are never caught off guard and You know exactly where I am today in every way. You have all those that I love in Your hands as well and once again, I know I can trust You with them as well as myself. Help me to forgive and extend mercy and grace out of the abundance of what You extend to me. Remind me. Forgive me where I forget and where I become self-righteous. Convict me and enable me to repent with godly sorrow, Jesus, in Your strength. I do pray that You will deliver me from the ways that I chose to not walk in Your ways and thus give in to the desires of my flesh. Give me Your mind, Jesus. Teach me to renew my mind and chose to think on what is noble and right and good. Help me to have a thankful heart and to chose to rejoice in You. Restore to me the joy of my salvation and help me to recognize that You, Lord, are my confidence. I fall so far short, but I am so thankful that I cannot fall so far that You let me go. Your faithfulness truly amazes me, Lord. I love You and I ask that You would please help me to live as if I love You, that my life will be way more than words. Please allow me to bring You glory, Lord. Use me however You will. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Clothing Choices
Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. Above all, put on love -- the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15 ((HCSB)
As a Christ Follower I am God's chosen one. I am holy because Jesus is holy (Colossians 1:21-22). Because of Jesus I have the strength (Philippians 4:13) to follow His commands. In Colossians 3:12 I am commanded to put on (or clothe myself with - in the NIV) heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Compassion - sympathetic consciousness of other's distress with a desire to alleviate it.
Humility - the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people.
Gentleness - having or showing a kind and quiet nature; not hard or forceful.
Patience - bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint.
I have to ask myself what am I putting on? What am I wearing? I need to make a deliberate choice to clothe myself with these traits as God has commanded me too; otherwise I will likely have on my default clothing of impatience, judgment, unkindness or at least some level of sarcasm and have little love being exhibited in my life. I so easily revert to the old ways (Colossians 3:5, 8) It is a constant battle and process to surrender my life to Christ and walk in His ways rather than my own.
I am so thankful that I do not have to do any of this on my own. Aren't you?
I am told to accept others as well as to forgive them. I can forgive when I remind myself that I have been forgiven much (Matthew 18:21-35). It is not easy but I benefit when I am obedient.
I am commanded that above all I am to put on love - clothe myself in love. How? I am Christ's and He is love (1 John 4:16). I am to love others just as He loves (John 15:12). I need to look for things in others that I can relate to and then I am able to begin to love them at least a bit.
How do I benefit from being deliberate in choosing what I will clothe myself with? His peace controls my heart and then I am able to be thankful. Everything He requires of me is a process and He provides all I need to be obedient. I need to surrender and be willing to be obedient. I need to ask Him for His strength and then rely on Him. He is trustworthy. He will provide.
In each situation I find myself in I have to decide what I will be wearing :) Am I going to show compassion or judgment? Am I going to be kind and gentle or harsh? Am I going to exhibit patience and acceptance or anger and rejection? Am I going to forgive or am I going to be bitter?
Choice after choice. Will I walk this journey He has me on in His way or will I choose my own way? What about you?
Father God, thank You for Your unfailing love for me. Your faithfulness that is great and Your mercies that are new every morning. Thank You for forgiving me and making me Your very own. Please Jesus, through Your strength, help me to choose to clothe myself with love, compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, humility and patience. Thank You, Holy Spirit, that You live within me and You give me the ability to walk in Your ways. Forgive me when I react in ways that are not glorifying to You, particularly with my family. Change me from the inside out. Remind me of the Truth of Your Word throughout my days and help me to hear You and obey. Help me to be thankful more often. Thank You for providing for me more than I can think, ask or imagine. Thank You for saving me and for refusing to leave me in the state I am in. Thank You for the abundance of Your mercy and grace toward me...help me to extend that same mercy and grace to others. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Monday, August 1, 2016
In Season or Out?
Psalm 1:2-3
...his delight is in the LORD's instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and who leaf does not wither...
Delight - great pleasure or satisfaction
Instruction - an order or command
Meditate - to spend time in quiet thought
I am to take great pleasure or have satisfaction in the Lord's order or command (His Word) for me and then I am to spend time in quiet thought (of His Word) day and night. A few things must take place before I can do this. I must be spending time in HIs Word in order to recognize His instruction for me personally. It is not my job to determine what the Lord's instructions are for everyone else, just for myself. Then I am commanded to think on Him and the instruction He has for me at all times.
I will mediate on Your precepts and think about Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word. Psalm 119 15-16
What do I find myself taking pleasure in? What am I consistently thinking about? Are these things lining up with the things I am taught in the Word or am I letting my flesh determine what my mind is engaged in?
In sitting here thinking about the analogy of the tree planted by streams of water and the fact that it bears fruit in season I have been struck by the fact that my job is to meditate and take delight in God's Word and His job is to decide when it is the season for me to bear fruit. I am thinking rather abstractly here... I realize that we are to bear the Fruit of the Spirit all of the time... LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS AND SELF-CONTROL (Galatians 5:22); however, I am referring to bearing fruit in the seasons of life. Just like the change in seasons we face winter, spring, summer and fall in our lives. The timing of the seasons is not up to us. We may spend short or long times in each one or even experience different seasons in different parts of our lives at the same time. For example, the empty nest can be seasons of both winter and spring. Some things have ended and other things are just beginning.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine, you are the branches, he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5
I often spend more time wondering about what I am doing or supposed to be doing rather than meditating on His Word, abiding In Him and then taking action when He instructs me to! I work way too hard trying to bear fruit - to accomplish things or to appear a certain way - when I am to put my energies toward abiding in Jesus, in obeying His commands and trusting Him for the outcome... for the fruit bearing if you will. I am so easily distracted into taking matters into my own hands rather than looking to Him and resting in the fact that He is in control of the seasons in my life. I must abide (remain in) Him in my thoughts and in my actions and quit spending so much time trying to recognize the fruit I am supposed to be bearing fruit. I need to trust Him that He is working and that because I am meditating on His Word and seeking Him then I am bearing fruit according to what He has planned not according what I used to do, or what I think I should be doing.
Whether it is my season to be tilled, planted, watered, pruned, to bear fruit or to be re-planted is not up to me but up to my Father. I have a choice to trust Him whether I am "in season or out".
Father God, I want to do my part in being in Your Word and finding satisfaction there and yet I know I cannot without the strength of Your Holy Spirit. Forgive me for so often getting my priorities mixed up - in spending so much time trying to bear fruit rather than resting in You and trusting You for the outcome. I do want to be that tree that is planted beside streams of living water. I want to trust You for the seasons in my life and stop judging myself so harshly because I think I should be doing something that looks more like what I have always done and realize that I am in Your hands no matter the season and that You are at work in me regardless of what I think I can or cannot see. Please give me ears to hear You as You lead me through Your Word. Give me strength to obey whether I understand or not. And restore to me the delight that can only be found in You. Teach me to abide in You and to meditate on You day and night. Get my attention quickly, Holy Spirit, when I stray and please help me to step out of the way and bring You glory. Change me from the inside out, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Friday, July 22, 2016
An Undivided Mind
PSALM 86:11 (HSCB)
Teach me Your way, LORD, and I will live by Your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear Your Name.
(NIV) Teach me Your way, LORD, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart; that I may fear Your Name.
(NKJV) Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your Name.
(NLT) Teach me Your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart so that I may honor You.
(NIRV) Lord, teach me how You want me to live. Then I will follow Your truth. Give me a heart that doesn't want anything more than to worship You.
(MSG) Train me, God, to walk straight; then I'll follow Your true path. Put me together, one heart and mind; then, undivided, I'll worship in joyful fear.
Yes, Lord! May it be so.
I so struggle with a divided mind. Do you? I find myself going in 50 million directions -- at least in my mind. I jump from one thing to the next as if distraction is an art form!!! And because I have allowed myself to become more and more distracted by this life more often than not anyway, I find that I am weary. You know that weary to the core feeling that never seems to go away? Yep, that's me. Grief, disappointment, disillusionment, anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, and on and on. This is a "gift" of a divided mind. Not much of a gift, huh? Exactly!
Thus this reminder from Psalm 86:11!
Please, LORD, teach me Your way and give me Your strength, Jesus, to live by the TRUTH of Your Word! Remind me of what You have for me and help me to obey. Forgive me for so easily giving in to a divided mind and so quickly forgetting to renew my mind as You command. Thank You for Your faithfulness!! Give me a heart that is pure and does not want anything more than to worship You. Give me a fear, a reverence for Your Name that requires me to reign in my mind and surrender it to You when I go off on tangents that are my own. You want me to have a steadfast mind that is in perfect peace, may I allow You to lead me in such a way that this is more a norm than a rarity. Forgive me, Lord, that in this season of life where i feel like I should "know better" I seem to be more divided than ever. Train me to walk straight and give me the strength to do my part and follow Your path, Your will. Give me one heart and one mind that allows me to worship You. I do not want to give place to the enemy in my mind by receiving his "gift" of distraction (or my own fleshly desire) rather than Your strength to focus. You and I both know, Lord, that I cannot do this alone, nor do You expect me to! Forgive me for so often living the day to day in my own strength rather than in the power that You have for me as Your child! Thank You, that You never ever leave me. You never ever give up on me. You never ever stop loving me, Jesus! May I walk in Your way today, and not fulfill the lust of my flesh.
Father, give each person who reads this a knowing that IF they are a Christ follower (they have confessed their sin and recognized they are lost and in need of Your salvation and they have gone on to accept You, Jesus, as their own personal Lord and Savior) that they are never alone and that You are at work in them to complete what You have begun. You have good for them and a plan that is just for them. May they know what it is to have an undivided mind and a desire to worship You moment by moment in this life. You want them to know how very much You love them - in fact Your love is unfailing, unending! And if someone does not know You as their very own LORD and Savior may they recognize their need of You this very day. Thank You, LORD, that You are at work in us and through us moment by moment and that in Your faithfulness, grace, mercy and forgiveness is peace of mind and heart! May we receive all You have for us. Thank You, Jesus!
Would you consider praying through the entirety of Psalm 86?
Teach me Your way, LORD, and I will live by Your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear Your Name.
(NIV) Teach me Your way, LORD, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart; that I may fear Your Name.
(NKJV) Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your Name.
(NLT) Teach me Your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart so that I may honor You.
(NIRV) Lord, teach me how You want me to live. Then I will follow Your truth. Give me a heart that doesn't want anything more than to worship You.
(MSG) Train me, God, to walk straight; then I'll follow Your true path. Put me together, one heart and mind; then, undivided, I'll worship in joyful fear.
Yes, Lord! May it be so.
I so struggle with a divided mind. Do you? I find myself going in 50 million directions -- at least in my mind. I jump from one thing to the next as if distraction is an art form!!! And because I have allowed myself to become more and more distracted by this life more often than not anyway, I find that I am weary. You know that weary to the core feeling that never seems to go away? Yep, that's me. Grief, disappointment, disillusionment, anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, and on and on. This is a "gift" of a divided mind. Not much of a gift, huh? Exactly!
Thus this reminder from Psalm 86:11!
Please, LORD, teach me Your way and give me Your strength, Jesus, to live by the TRUTH of Your Word! Remind me of what You have for me and help me to obey. Forgive me for so easily giving in to a divided mind and so quickly forgetting to renew my mind as You command. Thank You for Your faithfulness!! Give me a heart that is pure and does not want anything more than to worship You. Give me a fear, a reverence for Your Name that requires me to reign in my mind and surrender it to You when I go off on tangents that are my own. You want me to have a steadfast mind that is in perfect peace, may I allow You to lead me in such a way that this is more a norm than a rarity. Forgive me, Lord, that in this season of life where i feel like I should "know better" I seem to be more divided than ever. Train me to walk straight and give me the strength to do my part and follow Your path, Your will. Give me one heart and one mind that allows me to worship You. I do not want to give place to the enemy in my mind by receiving his "gift" of distraction (or my own fleshly desire) rather than Your strength to focus. You and I both know, Lord, that I cannot do this alone, nor do You expect me to! Forgive me for so often living the day to day in my own strength rather than in the power that You have for me as Your child! Thank You, that You never ever leave me. You never ever give up on me. You never ever stop loving me, Jesus! May I walk in Your way today, and not fulfill the lust of my flesh.
Father, give each person who reads this a knowing that IF they are a Christ follower (they have confessed their sin and recognized they are lost and in need of Your salvation and they have gone on to accept You, Jesus, as their own personal Lord and Savior) that they are never alone and that You are at work in them to complete what You have begun. You have good for them and a plan that is just for them. May they know what it is to have an undivided mind and a desire to worship You moment by moment in this life. You want them to know how very much You love them - in fact Your love is unfailing, unending! And if someone does not know You as their very own LORD and Savior may they recognize their need of You this very day. Thank You, LORD, that You are at work in us and through us moment by moment and that in Your faithfulness, grace, mercy and forgiveness is peace of mind and heart! May we receive all You have for us. Thank You, Jesus!
Would you consider praying through the entirety of Psalm 86?
Thursday, July 21, 2016
As You Have Received...So walk!
1 John 4:6
You are from God, little children, & you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
You and I, as believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, are conquerors in Him. Let that resonate a moment...
Why am I a conqueror? Because Christ is in me by the power of His Holy Spirit and He is a conqueror, period. Too often I make excuses, but I am weak (why yes, yes I am)...Matthew 26:41 & Mark 14:38 "Stay awake and pray, so that you will not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." AND 2 Corinthians 2:10 "I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Again, why? 2 Corinthians 2:9 "But He (Jesus) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me."
My weakness is a given; however it is not to be my focus. I am to look to Him and recognize all I am and all I have because of Who He Is!
My prayer for you and I is what Paul prayed:
Colossians 2:2-3; 6-7
(vs. 2-3) "I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery -- Christ. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him."
(vs. 6-7) "Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude."
If we go on to Colossians 3 we are commanded to "seek what is above", to "set our minds on what is above" - Christ! Verse 3 states, "For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God."
We are also commanded to "put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator." Colossians 3:8-10
All of this and so much more is what makes us More Than Conquerors -- In Christ!!
Too often, almost daily in fact, I live as if I am defeated. I do not want to!!! I want to remember and be reminded often of all that I am in Christ!!! Do you?
How do we live this way consistently? I struggle. You struggle. And we will continue to struggle until that glorious day when we are in heaven; BUT I am saying we struggle less if we remind one another of who we are in Christ. If we pray for one another and let the other know that they are prayed for. We are so isolated. We go about our own business day in and day out without even realizing how little we are apart of community. It takes much effort to be a part -- and yet I believe this is one of the tactics of the enemy - to keep us thinking we are to be busy, self-sufficient and unwilling to share the struggles that we all face daily. Therefore we rarely live out what James 5:16 commands, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect." And beyond the sharing, we are to PRAY for one another, not just share the struggle. The burden is not lifted until we pray, but the enemy convinces us our time is better spent doing than being in prayer. Remember it is Christ who is our righteousness, so we do not have to have it all together to pray for others! I am so thankful!
Father God, You alone have made us more than conquerors through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your provision and the fact that You are all sufficient. Remind us and help us to step out and remind one another that we have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him! God, may we be rooted and established in the faith. May we set our minds on You moment by moment. Our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak, Lord, so please get our attention. Forgive me for living as if I am defeated. Forgive me for focusing more on myself than on You and TRUTH that You have provided all that I need to live victoriously. Thank You, Jesus for forgiving me and making me Yours. Thank You for being faithful all of the time, never wavering in Your love for me and for each of us. Reveal Yourself to us through this day and give us ears to hear You and Your strength, Jesus, to obey. It is because of Jesus I pray, Amen.
You are from God, little children, & you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
You and I, as believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, are conquerors in Him. Let that resonate a moment...
Why am I a conqueror? Because Christ is in me by the power of His Holy Spirit and He is a conqueror, period. Too often I make excuses, but I am weak (why yes, yes I am)...Matthew 26:41 & Mark 14:38 "Stay awake and pray, so that you will not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." AND 2 Corinthians 2:10 "I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Again, why? 2 Corinthians 2:9 "But He (Jesus) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me."
My weakness is a given; however it is not to be my focus. I am to look to Him and recognize all I am and all I have because of Who He Is!
My prayer for you and I is what Paul prayed:
Colossians 2:2-3; 6-7
(vs. 2-3) "I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery -- Christ. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him."
(vs. 6-7) "Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude."
If we go on to Colossians 3 we are commanded to "seek what is above", to "set our minds on what is above" - Christ! Verse 3 states, "For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God."
We are also commanded to "put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator." Colossians 3:8-10
All of this and so much more is what makes us More Than Conquerors -- In Christ!!
Too often, almost daily in fact, I live as if I am defeated. I do not want to!!! I want to remember and be reminded often of all that I am in Christ!!! Do you?
How do we live this way consistently? I struggle. You struggle. And we will continue to struggle until that glorious day when we are in heaven; BUT I am saying we struggle less if we remind one another of who we are in Christ. If we pray for one another and let the other know that they are prayed for. We are so isolated. We go about our own business day in and day out without even realizing how little we are apart of community. It takes much effort to be a part -- and yet I believe this is one of the tactics of the enemy - to keep us thinking we are to be busy, self-sufficient and unwilling to share the struggles that we all face daily. Therefore we rarely live out what James 5:16 commands, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect." And beyond the sharing, we are to PRAY for one another, not just share the struggle. The burden is not lifted until we pray, but the enemy convinces us our time is better spent doing than being in prayer. Remember it is Christ who is our righteousness, so we do not have to have it all together to pray for others! I am so thankful!
Father God, You alone have made us more than conquerors through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your provision and the fact that You are all sufficient. Remind us and help us to step out and remind one another that we have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him! God, may we be rooted and established in the faith. May we set our minds on You moment by moment. Our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak, Lord, so please get our attention. Forgive me for living as if I am defeated. Forgive me for focusing more on myself than on You and TRUTH that You have provided all that I need to live victoriously. Thank You, Jesus for forgiving me and making me Yours. Thank You for being faithful all of the time, never wavering in Your love for me and for each of us. Reveal Yourself to us through this day and give us ears to hear You and Your strength, Jesus, to obey. It is because of Jesus I pray, Amen.
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