I have been memorizing Hebrews 6. As I came to verse 12 I had a visual. It says, “That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Back in 1986 we were on a short term mission trip in Costa Rica. I saw my first sloth. We stood there and watched it move imperceptibly. Which would you rather imitate, one who is diligent or one who is sluggish?

Diligence is a character quality of one who is able to endure no matter what the circumstance is. We require diligence with our thoughts. We will not endure successfully if we allow our mind to wander. We have to bring it back to focus on the Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen…” Our circumstances are temporary ~ the Lord remains the same eternally.

Hosea 10:12 says that it is time to break up your fallow ground. “…till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” Our hidden sin blocks intimate communion with the Lord, which is His desire for us. 

I love Psalm 25:14 in the Amplified. It says, “The secret (of the sweet, satisfying companionship) of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its (deep, inner) meaning.”

Proverbs 3:32 Amplified says that the perverse, those who oppose God’s way, are an abomination to Him. Yet, “…His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the (uncompromisingly) righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him).”

Our position in Christ is righteousness. Yet, when we hide sin in our heart, we block the benefits of His righteousness. Psalm 37:23 says that He delights in ordering our steps. We block that experience of His delight when we refuse to acknowledge our sin to Him.

Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” Joshua 1:8 says that as we read God’s word we are to observe to do it. What blocks our communication with the Lord? Hidden sin.

1 John 1:6 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” 1 John 2:4 says, “He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Notice that both of the above verses use the word ‘say’ but the actions display the fallow ground of the heart. Are your words and actions the same? We are called to be diligent stewards over our hearts. When we neglect that call, we bear only weed seeds.

Our goal? 1 John 2:6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

I hope this visual will help you see how every believer stands under His waterfall of grace. Romans 5:2 is our position in Christ. However pride will keep us from experiencing it.

Back in 2017 I created a drawing of a waterfall. The cascade of waters were the words ‘grace.’ I pictured myself standing under His waterfall of grace, allowing His strength to permeate my inner being.

Here is another verse I like to think about that goes along with permeate.. Jeremiah 31:14 says, “I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.” Satiate means to fill to the full.

Psalm 103:5 says, “Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.” I think of this as life-giving words, and nourishing foods ~ both increase vitality.

When we take our last breath in this life, our next breath will be with the Lord. Psalm 17:15 says, “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” Until then, we stand under the constant waterfall of His grace. 

I like to think about Moses. Deuteronomy 34:7 says, “Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.” 

Why does the Lord want us to remain vital and active all the days of our lives? Psalm 92:15 

Amplified says why. “They are living memorials) to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

I accepted the Lord when I was 11. I can wholeheartedly declare that He is Faithful. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Titus 1:2 says that it is impossible for Him to lie.

Isaiah 58:11 says, “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought…” Do you lack vitality? Psalm 107:9 says, “For He satisfies the longing soul…” Breathe in His Presence and be filled with His vitality.

I love to think about how the Lord formed Adam from the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7. He breathed into that form the breath of life. His brain was fully functioning ~ he named the animals he had never seen before.

This is God’s way. Psalm 92:14 Amplified says, “(Growing in grace) they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap (of spiritual vitality) and (rich in the) verdure (of trust, love, and contentment).”

Here is a verse in Job 21:24 Amplified. It says of one who dies in full strength, “His pails are full of milk (his veins are filled with nourishment), and the marrow of his bones is fresh and moist.”

We will live out our fashioned days. Psalm 139:16. How we live them out is in our stewardship. The only things that we can control in our lives are our thoughts. No one, nor any circumstance dictates our thoughts.

Psalm 32:5 Amplified says, “I acknowledge my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord (continually unfolding the past till all is told)—then You (instantly) forgave me the guilt and iniquity of my sin. Selah (pause, and calmly think of that)!”

The wording reminds me of when Hannah poured out her heart before the Lord. Eli the priest thought she was drunk. 1 Samuel 1:16 says, “…for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

Psalm 62:8 says, “…pour out your heart before Him…” Why does the Lord want us to do this when He knows what is in our heart? Pouring out all the emotional pain that we buried, is the pathway to receiving forgiveness and inner healing. 

Ignoring our emotional pain is sin because of what it does to our health. Our bodies belong to the Lord ~ we are only stewards.

I started to memorize Psalm 32. As I worked through verse 3 my mind went back to David’s prayer in Psalm 51. His bones were affected by his unconfessed sin. Read verse 3 carefully and think of your own life. It says, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.”

How healthy are your bones? Here is a verse from a new song called “Rejoicing Bones.” When I thought about my circumstances I became gloomy inside. My heart was getting heavy and my peace destroyed. Then in Your Word You revealed the secret of health. My bones are affected when my heart is in despair.

Verse 4 was the fruit of his unconfessed sin. It says, “For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.” Dry. Barren. No fruit of the Spirit. Hidden sin that we don’t want to face blocks our vitality.