David asked the Lord to increase his heart’s capacity.  Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

When I bought my mobile there were huge old shrubs in front that housed countless spiders.  I had my landscaper tear them out and create a capacity for something new.

The Lord desires to reveal Himself in new ways through every situation in our lives.  He wants to lead us into the uncharted territory of His preplanned purposes.  He wants us to embrace Him through those changes.  It requires faith and trust.

What debris is cluttering your heart?  Things like bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, lies of the enemy that you have believed, fears, griefs, etc. all decrease our heart’s capacity to be single minded and wholehearted.  Anything we bury becomes debris that diminishes our heart’s capacity to trust.

Buried things keep that part of our heart clogged up with unresolved issues.  They section off our heart into fragments.  Isaiah 61:1 says that He came to heal the brokenhearted.  Those whose spirit was crushed through life’s circumstances.  Hearts that are walled off because of buried emotional pain.

David had another prayer.  Psalm 86:11-12 says, “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.  I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore.”  David was asking the Lord to unite His heart to embrace the Lord’s way.

Here is a prayer for us: Lord, I ask You to clean out my heart.  Create a place for the newness You desire me to walk in.  Increase my capacity to dwell in Your word, and to hide Your truths in my heart.  Truths that will help me remain steadfast in my trials and adverse circumstances.  I want to follow after You with pure desire, and  wholeheartedness that will bring glory to Your name.

 

 

 

This morning in my quiet time I was thinking about how the Lord thinks of me.  He is Ever Present.  He is All Knowing.  Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights is his way.”

I like to picture this verse as the Lord literally placing my feet into each step as I take it.  The second part of the verse is amazing.  He delights in placing my steps, and helping me walk on the paths He has pre-charted.  He always goes before us.  He prepares the way long before we walk it.  Job said that He knows the way that I take.

Psalm 139:14 says, “How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!”  Verse 15 goes onto say that they are more than the sands of the sea.  Imagine with me, taking a handful of sand.  Now, try to count how many grains of sand you are holding.  The Lord’s thoughts are of you, and me, and all of His children individually.  They are constant, consistent, and never distracted.

His thoughts are precious.  He delights in us!  Jeremiah 29:11 says that His thoughts are not evil (negative) but peaceful, and designed to give us a future and a hope.

I wrote Psalm 139:5-6 in my journal.  My friend texted me these verses this morning.  They are from the Passion Translation.  I want to share the wording with you.  “You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, and you understand my every thought before it even enters my mind. You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. You read my heart like an open book and you know all the words I’m about to speak before I even start a sentence! You know every step I will take before my journey even begins.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:2-4‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Verse 6 in the Amplified says, “Your (infinite) knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high above me, I cannot reach it.”  His infinite thoughts about each of us bring Him delight.

The challenge comes.  How much do you think about the Lord?  Is He constantly in your thoughts?  It gives new meaning for me to Proverbs 3:6.  It says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing God’s word.  When we make a faith declaration, we are proclaiming God’s word over our circumstances.  Faith is standing in what is already established for us.

Mark 11:22 says to have faith in God.  Period.  He is our object of faith.  Therefore, His word is our weapon of faith in the face of the impossible.  We bring our state into our standing, through faith declarations.

I’m putting in the parenthesis to underscore what I’m saying.  Ephesians 4:1 says, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk (state) worthy of the calling (standing) with which you were called.”

1 Thessalonians 2:12 says, “That you would walk (state) worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom and glory (standing).”  Verse 13 says, “…you received the word of God…you welcomed it…as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”  The Lord uses His word (standing) to transform our state.

2 Timothy 1:9 says, “Called us with a holy calling…according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began (standing).”

It is all so amazing.  We stand because He died for us.  Titus 3:5 reminds us that it is certainly not because of our works.  Apart from Him, we are nothing and we have nothing.

Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”  Righteousness is conformity to God’s will.  Do you hunger and thirst to walk in the center of His will?

The promise is that we will be filled when we pursue His righteousness.  I love Jeremiah 31:14.  It says, “I will satiate (fill to the full) the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.”

Here is another favorite verse.  Psalm 107:9.  It says, “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”  Psalm 27:13 says, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

The Lord is constantly orchestrating the events in our lives to keep us in His purpose.  Ephesians 1:11 says that He works all things according to the counsel of His will.  Psalm 34:10 Amplified says, “…they who seek (inquire and require) the Lord (by right of their need and on the authority of His Word), none of them shall lack any beneficial thing.”

He orchestrates every aspect of our lives for our benefit.  Joseph is a great example.  Sold as a slave, imprisoned wrongfully, released and set up as second to the Pharaoh.  Psalm 105:15-16 says, “They hurt his feet in fetters, he was laid in irons.  Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.”  After the test came the benefit.  Joseph lived the trial without knowing the outcome.

Joseph encapsulated his trial for his brothers.  Genesis 50:20 says, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

From Joseph’s first dream, to the moment he stood before his brothers, we recognize God’s process to Joseph’s maturity.  Joseph continually chose to conform his thoughts and actions to trust God’s faithfulness.  His faith was severely tested, yet he came forth as gold tried in the fire.  Your trials are God’s plan to culminate it all to your benefit.

Romans 8:28 says that He works all things according to His purpose.  May the Lord use your present circumstances to help you gain a broader perspective.  He IS working things in your life for your benefit that will have eternal fruit.

Orchestrated benefits two days ago: Two folks, who lost everything in the Paradise CA fire, were eating lunch.  He moved to a mobile park in Red Bluff.  She moved into our mobile park.  The restaurant is just outside our north entrance.  If they still lived in Paradise they would not be going to this restaurant.  He led two folks to the Lord, prayed for the owner, and prayed for the waitress.  He is a 97 year old retired preacher.  They lost everything material, but had the joy of watching two folks give their heart to Jesus.

The Lord reminded me of a way satan entraps us that I haven’t thought about in a long time.  Galatians 3:1-2 says, “O foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?  This only I want to learn from you.  Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

Our salvation is by grace through faith.  We maintain our relationship with the Lord by grace through faith.  It is not our works represented through our self-effort.  We don’t ‘earn’ anything because it is all ours at salvation.

Colossians 2:9-10 says, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”  That is our standing in Christ Jesus through His death on the cross.

Think about the cross.  1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  His grace is our empowerment.

Paul finished his course well.  Will you?  2 Timothy 4:7 says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  The enemy of our soul hates our faith.  He will do anything to distract us.  His goal is to destroy our faith.  The Lord uses our trials to purify our faith so that we can finish our course.

Mark 4:19 gives us three ways that choke God’s word so that it becomes unfruitful.  The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things.  We can avoid satan’s hidden snares by intentionally keeping God’s word hidden in our heart.

John 15:4 Amplified says, “Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you.  (Live in Me, and I will live in you.)  Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.”  We maintain our relationship with the Lord through being vitally united with Him.

Verse 5 says that apart from Him we can do nothing.  Abiding in Him is being, not doing.  Abiding is devoid of self-effort.  The Lord graciously defeats our self-effort.  He uses our defeat to redirect us into His way.  He course-corrects us from walking in our self-flesh to walking in the Spirit.

Self-effort is one of satan’s effective tools to pull us off course.  How do we know if we are walking in self-effort?  Words such as these are a dead give-a-way: I can’t, I’ve tried, I’m trying, I try to, I’m failing, etc.  It is not “I…” but grace only.  He will empower us to finish our course.  May you glorify the One who died for you.

Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”  It is essential to remember that we are a work in progress.  Our trials in life are training tools as God works His purposes in us.

Hebrews 12:11 Amplified says, “For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness–in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God).”

Hebrews 13:21 says, “Make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and every.  Amen”

His ‘working’ is His resurrection power enabling us to do His will.  Ephesians 1:19 says, “And what is the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.”  It is speaking of the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead is working in us as well.

Ephesians 3:20 again speaks of His power at work.  “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

Here is the process.  Isaiah 32:17 says, “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.”  The Lord continually works His righteousness into our lives.  I liken it to a potter crafting a vessel on a wheel.  First the potter takes the hard dry clay.  Then begins to work water into it to soften it.  Once is it malleable, it is placed on the wheel.  Through consistent steady pressure it is centered.  Until it is centered it cannot be formed into a vessel.

Our trials ‘center’ us on the Lord.  They bring everything into sharp focus on Him.  Trials help us realize afresh how we are absolutely dependent on Him.  The squeezing, the pressure, and the pain are all part of His work to conform our thoughts, purpose, and actions to His will.

We are complete in Him.  That is our eternal standing that was established at the cross.  He died to set us free eternally.  Romans 5:2 says, “Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Here is another verse on standing.  Ephesians 1:13 says, “In whom you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”  Sealed for eternity.  Nothing, and no one can break that seal.

Our state is our walk with the Lord.  It fluxes, ebbs, and flows according to how receptive we are in His righteous work of centering.  We walk in the flesh, or we walk in the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit encourages us to be steadfast, immoveable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord in 1 Corinthians 15:58.

As we stand in the promises of His word, we are strengthened to resist the temptations to veer off His chosen path into our own pursuits.  I encourage you to stand and to keep standing in the wake of the enemy’s volley of fiery dart temptations.  God’s promises are backed by His character, His attributes, and His power.

This morning I was praying for someone that is really struggling with fears.  The Lord put these words into my mouth: help them to turn their fears into proclamations of faith.  I thought about that and He reminded me of Psalm 56:3.

Psalm 56 was written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.  Verse 3 says, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”  The words, I will turned David’s fearful situation to a proclamation of faith.

There are many Psalms that use the words I will to express desire or determination.  Psalm 146:2 says, “While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

Psalm 145:5 says, “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works.”

Psalm 63:7 says, “Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.”

Here is a chorus from Psalm 63:7-8:  My soul follows hard after Thee.  Early in the morning will I rise up and seek Thee.  And because Thou hast been my help
under the shadow of Thy wing I will rejoice

In the face of our obstacles, whether past, present, or future, we proclaim the Lord.  David said in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Active faith is to be fully convinced in the now of our lives.  Abraham is a great example for us.  Though his body was as good as dead, and Sarah was past child bearing years, he still proclaimed the Lord’s faithfulness.

Romans 4:20-21 says, “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”

Today, I encourage you to face your perceived or real obstacles with proclamations of faith straight from His word.

 

 

 

 

 

 

David wrote Psalm 27:8.  It says, “When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”  The word (seek) in the Strong’s means: to diligently look for, to search earnestly until the object of the search is located.

When I read Song of Solomon 2:14, I think of the Lord.  I read it like this.  “O my Dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see Your face, let me hear Your voice; for Your voice is sweet, and Your face is lovely.”

David was a seeker.  Psalm 63:1 says, “O God, Your are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.”

Years ago I read “Pursuit of God” by A. W. Tozer and it radically changed my quiet time.  I would use his prayer-words at the end of his chapters.  Such as, “I long to long for You; I thirst to be thirsty more; I desire to desire You.”

Psalm 42:1 says, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.”  Making A. W. Tozer’s prayer-words my own, began to develop in me a desire to know the Lord through an intimate communion that could not be rivaled by anything in this world.

Here is a new song the Lord gave me years ago.

Song of the Altar

In the midst of adversity when trouble surrounds me.  I come into Your presence and I build an altar.  I remember how You met me time and time again and I bow in worship.

Nothing can overtake me when I hide in You.  Nothing can overwhelm me when I look to You.  I set my eyes on You and I gaze into Your face.  I bask in the love of Your eyes full of grace. 

No one can comfort me like You O Lord.  I will make Your presence my abiding place as I hide in You from the tempest of this storm.  Yes I’ll hide in You as I bow and worship at Your feet.

May this post encourage your to set your eyes on Him, to spend time in His Presence, and to enter into deep communion with the Lover of your soul.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  His word, “I am with you” means that He is always present.  Every moment of our life He is attentive, aware, constant, and faithful to orchestrate all that pertains to us.

Fear attacks the mind.  When fear attacks we must not give it any credence, or even another thought.  Truth stands now and forever.  When we transfer our fear-thought to one of truth we will stand unshaken.

What the enemy of our soul wants to do is to shake and destroy our faith.  Philippians 4:6 says to be anxious for nothing.  Fear has torment.  Fear torments our minds through the enemy lies that we believed.  Once we believe them they become imbedded in our hearts.

Our heart is our belief center.  Romans 10:10 says that with our heart we believe.  Hebrews 13:9 says, “…For it is good that the heart be established by grace…”  Faith and grace were needed for salvation, and remain essentials in our daily walk with the Lord.  Fear is a spirit that attacks our mind to get to our believing heart.  The enemy’s goal is to shake our faith.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  Vacillating between fear and faith causes us to be double-minded and unstable in all our ways (James 1:6-8).

Perfect peace is maintained through trust.  If we acknowledge fear when it attacks our mind, our brain will alert our body that there is danger.  Our body reacts in fight or flight, even though there is no danger.  Constant fight or flight robs our adrenals, and throws us into fatigue.  It also stops our digestion.  Digestion is not needed when we are fleeing from a real danger.

Here are the words from an old hymn. Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious, in its bright increase; Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.  Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand, Never foe can follow, never traitor stand; Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there. Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love; We may trust Him fully, all for us to do;
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true. Refrain: Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

I’m reading the gospel of John.  As I read yesterday, the Lord showed me something I had not considered before.  Jesus had just miraculously fed the 5,000.  Then He went by Himself to the mountain to get away from the crowd.  His disciples got in a boat and headed across the sea for Capernaum.  A great wind came up.  Then they saw Jesus walking towards them on the water.

They were afraid.  John 6:20-21 says, “But He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’  Then they willingly received Him into the boat…”  Note their openness to Him once they let go of their fear.

Fear creates barriers that inhibit open relationships.  Paul spoke this to the Corinthians.  2 Corinthians 6:11-13. Verse 12 Amplified says, “There is no lack of room for you in (our hearts), but you lack room in your own affection (for us).”

1 John 4:18 says that fear has torment.  Skip over to Matthew 18:34. It is the fruit reaped of the unforgiving servant.  His unforgivness turned him over to the tormentors.  Verse 35 says, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”  Relational fear is a tormentor.

Fear of rejection or of being hurt again causes the heart to withdraw.  It’s a false barrier of self-protection.  We cannot know what another is thinking unless they tell us.

Our thoughts control our brain and our brain controls our body.  If a person is thinking negatively about you, it will be evident in their body language.  It will not be open and receptive.  Consider 1 Timothy 6:11 as your course of action.  It says, “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.”

God gives grace to the humble.  When we humble ourselves He will give us the grace to walk through the situation without taking up an offense.  Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

I have this verse written on a card taped on my cabinet.  Titus 3:2 says, “To speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.”