Sorry for the huge delay in not writing on this site. I have not gotten on here for quite some time. Hopefully I will get back to posting here as often as I was before!
I was heading home and hearing a song on the radio. It was by Phil Wickham and the song is titled “I Believe.” It made me and I am sure countless others realize again and again their awe of God and what He has done in mine and others lives. But what got me choked up was the part that was the second part of the bridge: “How could I ever walk away from the gospel of Jesus Christ?”
How great is His faithfulness to us in our lives? He knew us before we knew Him (But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -Romans 5:8), He also knows so much about us. In fact He knows everything about us and cares about us (But the very hairs on your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. -Luke 12:7), and He wants us to choose to know Him as well as grow with Him in life (Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. -James 4:8).
Also He knew we would fall into sin but He still wanted us to choose to follow Him eventually. It is why He needed to send His son Jesus Christ who would die for the sins of the world, be buried and be resurrected from the dead.
Living in the power of the holy spirit to lead our lives sounds like a great thing. Being faithful as much as possible is full of so much adventure in this life. It would be different to anyone else to the point one might not label it an “adventure” but living for Him is rewarding, joy-filled, and also if times get tough the chance to really depend on God for all things.
Have you walked away from the church? Have you ever thought about possibly following the Lord Jesus for the first time in your life?
Don’t walk away but listen to His call to know Him and I hope you live a life worthy to God.
I read Psalm 51 before work yesterday. Had very little time to do any deep study or meditating on it before the bus showed up. Guess what we are going over now…?
What does it mean to be “pure?” Does it mean completely untainted by the world? Or is it that one is on a path that they wouldn’t normally be on because they are apart from a direction that is their own sin?
We can only be pure by the blood of Christ. It is His life where He gave it by dying on the cross for our sin that we can be set apart for the will of God.
He died for us, was buried, and rose again so that we can have a relationship with God that couldn’t happen before that time.
After Jesus’ physical life on earth we can know Him but also be restored during our walk with Him. Sometimes we get “dirty” from old habits and the world sticking on us like some gross grit. We feel we might not be worthy to be servants of God. But He loves us so much and wants us to want to stay with Him in relationship He will if we ask bring us back and be refreshed in the spirit.
I feel like daily I need His restoration. I know I’m not alone in that as even if we might not do habitual sin we unintentionally sin too. We need God even if we think we might be “good.” We are not as we need the strength of Christ from the heavenly father every day!
Prayer to be right with God is needed as also is being in tune to knowing God’s will. We must have pure intentions to live a godly life. It is important as we then know what we can do for Him also.
If you learned about King David from the bible you might think he had it all together. But he was a representative for a king who followed God and he fell into bad things, to put it lightly. He did some bad actions! I have already touched on those in a previous entry but will reiterate it here.
While he was supposed to be a man of God leading Israel he went out of his way to peer out on the roof of his house. There he spotted a beautiful woman and desired her. He coveted her so much he sent her husband out to the frontlines in war to ensure he would die so he could then marry her!
God punished him for being so wrong in those actions.
His family then faced a lot of consequences and David for years as if in grief watched as ones he loved saw terrible things because of what he did.
It seems Psalm 51 touches a little on his sin about sending a man out to die (“Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,…” Psalm 51:14). It is in part of that verse.
I don’t think God released Him from that but He was able to keep David in focusing fully on Him. Psalm 51 almost seems like a lamentation, a crying out to be healed.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.Psalm 51:10
It was inspired into being a very catchy hymn that many might know but at its core it is a reflection of God changing the heart of the sinner.
The song goes “Create in me a clean heart, O God/ And renew a right spirit within me.”
Even in our own perils we need God to rescue us and help us. We can be our own enemies. Not just that but actions do have consequences.
We need Christ daily to rescue us from the pits that we put ourselves in. And if we do well enough in keeping our old habits at bay it is as if we are dead to sin and alive in Christ as it says in the book of Romans 6:11.
What could keep that from being so is to hate that sin because it no longer rules us as it did when lived completely in sin. We must live in His way and see that living for God is a blessing and better than when we lived for ourselves.
With the attitude that Paul would beseech with the Ephesians, we must not have hearts that are stuck in what can dishonor God. He said in NIV (New International Version) that that those believers must not even “let” even a “hint of immorality” be a part of their lives. That was because they were deep in the fleshly desires that made them seem more like the world and less like believers who shine the light for Christ.
Do you have a “pure heart?” Do you want one? To live for Him means we must first know that we cannot live any way to get to heaven.
There is no way for man (man or woman) to get to heaven by their own means. That means that we all fall short because of sin. And that also means to fall short of sin means one will go to hell if they die.
But you must know there is a hope. That hope to live to one day to go to heaven is Jesus! Jesus Christ died in our place, He was the perfect “lamb of God” who died for our sin, was sacrificed for the world so that we could one day know Him and live in Heaven forever.
Do you want to know that life? I encourage you then to pray this prayer:
God, I heard that I can have a pure heart if I can know You. But I can’t have that relationship because of my sin. I can’t do that because there is no way of my own effort I can go to heaven. But I know Your Son gave His life, dying for my sin so that I can have that relationship with You. My sin died on that cross because Jesus paid the ultimate price for it. I want to live for You Jesus but to know You God every day so that I can seek Your will in what You want for me. Thank You for the privilege of getting to know You. Thank You for Your son Jesus Christ.
I pray You will be restored to find a church that can be true and You follow Christ and know what God wants for You.
And thank You Lord for knowing what is on my heart and for Jesus who makes hearts pure!
The angel has as of this moment shown up at least six times now. Time to write that group of blog notes soon. Was so encouraging, thank you Lord!
Anyone else getting sick of their sin? (Raises hand) Hello!
It is not just a humbling thing, it makes me think of what Paul has said about it too.
Romans 7:19 sums up well just how frustrating and seemingly hopeless sin feels. It says: For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
It paints a picture of things we might do and over time we will hate it and avoid it though we seem to lose the battle to sins.
I already shared my own sin problem in an earlier month. I had shared about it being one of my biggest regrets in life.
But believe it or not, this is something that can be overcome with the help of the Lord!
We need to realize just what our hearts if we focus on things we shouldn’t are seen to God.
He doesn’t like it. It offends Him! Maybe that will help us to feel convicted about things that we do that we are better off without.
But have hope that Jesus paid for that sin already, long ago. Isn’t that also a great reason to walk away?
We must come to the “cross” in prayer, confess what we did and also ask God to revive our life to Him.
We should praise God that because of the cross and that Jesus died for our sins and rose again showing power even over death we should no longer have those sins in our lives anymore..!
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9 NKJV
To be forgiven by God through Jesus is such a wonderful relief. And to live for His sake is a reason to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit until the day Christ returns. Amen.
I am very mature yet I still have a lot of “growing” to do. Thank You, Lord, for Your patience with me…!
Ever tried to grow something but it took forever?
I don’t think I would do that. I just don’t have the patience. I love that there are many people with “green thumbs,” but to do that would require way too much from me!
People who garden are wonderful. I am amazed when I found out more and more that there are others who do that. Some people will grow tomatoes right outside their windows, or found ways to “scrap” food pieces where they place them into the earth and a new sprout comes forth.
As long as they have the tools and the ability to do so, something will grow…!
But just how can we grow in life…? Is there a way we might not be used to doing?
The bible has two verses that I feel have been laid on my heart today.
The first is from the Old Testament! It is from the prophet Isaiah.
Just what does it take to grow? I know it simple but yet sometimes simple images make a huge impact to the life wanting to follow Him.
Water. Water is a giver of life. Here imagine life where water flows freely like a spring.
Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness. And rivers in the desert.Isaiah 43:19
Water brings life. Did you know water also exists in the desert?
Cacti or “cactuses” that exist in the desert do hold water.
There is another thing about deserts you probably don’t know. Did you know in many arid lands of desert that it can go from extremely hot in the scorching day to very cold at night?
How can that happen? I just wanted to mention that. There are so many things in life to find interesting.
Ooh I just found something:
The temperature in the desert can change drastically from day to night because the air is so dry that heat escapes rapidly at night. Source: earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Even if you feel that God is not doing stuff in your life doesn’t mean He isn’t? Have you responded to the call to know Jesus? We are very impatient creatures but we are important to the call to Christ and we must know what we were made (or “recreated” by the Holy Spirit) to be!
Another verse that is more clear to anyone that wants to simply read His word and also live for God.
This verse is about the knowledge from His Word and growing through His Son.
Here is the verse from the New Testament below:
..but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3: 18
Hmm, so in order to live for Christ, we must also have a personal growth in Him?
How can we all do that? Is there a special way to grow in a way we might not know about?
That was first by the blood of Jesus! He paid the way. It is through the love of the father that it happened. He willed it, we must accept it! Like a gift from a loving friend we must accept the gift of eternal life.
Maybe that is too late for you? Maybe you feel that spiritually you can’t even cry out fo the one who loves You so much…?
I know of spiritual warfare. It is awful and sometimes deadly stuff!
Know that I know Him and I love YOU. I might not know you but I hope I do.
I also know some things that happen if I surrender to the Will of God because it is He that does the changing, not I!
I am like a farmer who spreads the seeds in hopes of one day a spiritual harvest.
Will You follow the ones who know Jesus? I hope so. May God protect you if you so do!
Just follow and you will see amazing changes in your life you did not know could be possible!
Because Christ can make the impossible possible. He makes things that seem impossible happen only if one gives in to His will, and He glorifies Himself so that it is possible! And it is fun to live in Him. Believe me.
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?NKJV
(~Note: Hi. Just saying, but the earlier post was not the “surprise” hahaha. That was something to say just from a few days before. The big surprise will hopefully come sometime soon~)
A judge can sometimes be harsh yet fair. What comes down on what a person “gets” sometimes is upsetting for the one on trial.
That being said, can a person who has been given their sentence have many emotions about the cruel turn out in life? What if the sentence was death!
“No. Somebody please, take this punishment that I righteously deserve!” This can’t be the end… can it?
In life there are many things. There is happiness, joy, peace, but above all else, somehow there is grace and mercy.
Surely that isn’t all there is in life? I probably used to think that was ultimately all there is in life but there is also payment of sin and death as well.
We all have sin. Also someday we will all die.
I have a problem that could kill me. That might be disheartening to somebody but it is true. If I am careful I can get this problem treated and see if I might get better.
What else is there besides people “curing”‘ other people through medicine? There is a lot more than that!
The medicine might not be the help to my body or my “soul” haha. There is so much more to life than helping the physical body get “well” by the power of medical technology.
We need something deeper than anything this world might provide.
That is where the true thing for the soul could come for us. Maybe it’s through the power of prayer. Or maybe it is asking for help in the midst of such a tough strife like a current situation.
What if all a person needed was really in all things, love?
Be just means to let one in on consequences, show what a person has done is wrong, be tough and firm at times, and let the person know the error of their ways.
But to also love mercy makes things a little complicated, doesn’t it?
Maybe those consequences should only go so far? What if you were shown more mercy than what was shown towards that person right now…!
Things get complicated as we face “trials” and times that feel so burdensome yet familiar. But we must not lose hope. We must still pray for so-called “enemies” and see if what you’ve reflected towards them in Christ will one day be the thing they seek because their tough day might be coming soon.
And we must not walk around and tell people “I am perfect” too. That is we must be humble during our walk.
We must not forget everything that happened for us was not because it was anything we did in our lives but that it was because of what Christ has done for us!
We must not give up for our friends, for our people against us, from people who are against what we stand for, and for ourselves in the refreshing blood and mercy from Jesus.
Praise You Lord for giving me the gift of grace, which I did not deserve!
Arise, O Lord; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Psalm 3: 7 NKJV
That phrase in that song that is a psalm (I think I will only touch on part of that verse since we do not need to include that one above, the last of Psalm 3). Salvation belongs to the Lord…
What does that mean…..?
And why was the song “The Battle belongs to the Lord” written, and what does that mean?
I think we just might find this out!
Also Note: I do know the answer just something to grab your attention!
Let’s pick apart the beginning: “Arise O Lord Save me, O my God!”
The writer seems to want to be rescued! From what? Maybe from death but is crying out for the Lord to rescue him from his situation!
A lot of times we need to be rescued. Maybe we cry out to be saved from sin. Maybe we cry out because we think God should rescue us from the peril we put ourselves in…!
But all we know is we need God. We need the Lord.
“For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.“…. hmm
Could this be something physical? I honestly don’t know, haha!
This could be a battle that David actually fought. All I know is God did something in His power and was not much or was little of David.
David had to see what the power of the Lord would do. He had to be weak in order for the Lord’s strength to be strong!
We must not see that strength is of ourselves alone. We must not feel that we are perfect, at least we must know that the “Perfector” in our lives is the only one changing us day to day! To all the glory be to Him and not to us or through us.
And we must know that there is a “battle” every day. But it is nota physical battle (violence), but we must recognize that every day that it is actually a spiritual battle…!
Here is a verse:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” KJV from Ephesians 6:12.
It means that we must not be like our old selves or what we were like before Christ (or to be love and not work in other ways, like to be hateful. “Be Love”).
We should pray for our enemies, not rise up and overpower them, we should be love like the Lord, not be angry and fight people not knowing what is going on, we must hope that the hopes we have will one day open the eyes to people to see His love…!
Because salvation and the battle truly belongs to our God. “Salvation” belongs to the LORD. Amen.
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.Psalm 3:5-6 NKJV
Ever had people get, for complicated reasons, mad at you? Ever realize that those people were because of the result of spiritual warfare?
Over the years it partially gave me a lot of emotions. And one time those emotions were getting way too much and were overwhelming.
When you have people coming after you and you just want to live for God, in a way it is a good thing to have spiritual warfare. It means you’re not sitting at home and doing nothing!
God loves when we have something like Satan rivaling what we are trying to do. He’d rather we be that way than to in our hearts and actions be seen as “lukewarm.” (Revel. 3:15-16)
Just because of that, it is secretly a good thing that God blesses.
I’ve had scary stuff happen as a result of spiritual warfare. About fifteen years ago after stopping taking my meds I took the full dose. I should have weaned myself onto them because after I took them again, hallucinations came back tenfold!
Though I may not have looked frightened I was because there were horrible things happening and I felt I couldn’t even speak to my own mother during them!
I just suffered. Yet though my mother was with me during one, I felt alone in my problem. I somehow, emotionally and as if she weren’t there, felt I was completely alone. And that was so disheartening….!
From then on things just quietly got exponentially worse, it seemed. But through it all I knew God was still there. He still loved me!
He knew what was on my heart. He also knew that I was still kind and caring even while my own church had doubts about my intentions about things.
Satan even wanted a wedge between me and people I loved and cared about too!
So what I am saying believer reader is that in any circumstance we may be facing, there might seem to be thousands that are fighting against us, but if we have the confidence in God through Christ, amazing and wonderful things could happen.
We must trust (Wow, that word hit me again last night talking to a believer!). Not trust in our own circumstances but trust in Christ.
wondermedia 