Reconcile ~ Repair ~ Restore
Isaiah 58:11 says, “Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”

A breach was aptly described in Ezekiel:22:30 which says, “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

Strong’s definition for a gap: a break, or breach; especially a gap in a wall. Gaps or breaches in relationships need to be repaired. First though, hearts need to be reconciled before the repair process can begin. The gap begins through an unresolved offense. The gap widens as the offended one refuses to forgive. Continued unforgiveness widens the gap.

Song of Solomon 2:15 says, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” ‘Little foxes’ can be irritations, slights, slander, or gossip. They can also be from resisting the grace of God. Hebrews 12:15 says, “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”

An unresolved issue is hidden sin. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” If you have unanswered prayer I encourage you to examine your heart before the Holy Spirit. Only He knows what is hidden. The bitterness in buried emotional pain feeds into our thought processes, contaminating us and those around us.

Hidden sin breaks our fellowship with the Lord. Confessed sin restores that relationship. 1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Confession brings reconciliation which is the first building block in the process towards restoration. Reconciliation begins to close the gap to repair the breach, and then full restoration can take place. Jesus died to reconcile us to God. When we ‘die’ to what we are harboring in our heart against God or another, His cleansing blood removes the stain of sin, and restores that broken fellowship.

New Paperback available NOW on Amazon. Here is the back cover:

Pride is insidious and devious. It rudely pushes into our conversations and actions. It demands attention. Pride is sin. It often hides in our hearts, yet it can be stirred the minute our goal is blocked. Humility on the other hand is unobtrusive. It is not showy and never calls attention to itself. Humility yields whereas pride demands.

This book is written as the author was reading the book of Luke. The Holy Spirit highlighted verses as she was reading to help define and expose the hidden sin of pride. Pride is a heart issue that blocks intimate communion with the Lord.

Isaiah 58:11 is a great promise and the fruit of verse 10. It says, “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

When we pour out what the Lord has given to sustain us, we become the enactment of 2 Corinthians 1:4 which says, “Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Let me recap Isaiah 58:11: He continually guides us. He is our Satisfier. He is our Stability. He is our Spiritual Hydrator. He cannot fail. Think of Psalm 36:8 which says, “They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.”

Isaiah 12:2-3 says, “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

No matter what our adverse circumstances are, or the impossibilities we face, we can always rejoice in our salvation. As we pour out what sustains us, our heart’s capacity is enlarged to receive more insights to endure with joy. We become a conduit of His grace, mercy, and joy to others.

Isaiah 58:10 Amplified says, “And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.”

What sustains you? What holds you together when everything around you is crumbling? What do you turn to when you feel all alone? How do you reset your course when you feel grumpy?

My answer to all the above is my quiet time with the Lord. What He pours into me I pour out to you in these FB posts. There is nothing on this earth that compares to our intimate communion with the Lord.

I love Psalm 131:2 which says, “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” We quiet our heart before the Lord so we can hear every whispered word He speaks. Here is a new song about our quiet time:

Womb of the Morning
I come to You O Lord in the womb of the morning. To sit and worship You and call upon Your name. You answer me with a sweetness that melts my heart. And opens me to receive Your words. Your words like oil penetrate the places in my heart that were hardened through fear.

You say My child don’t be afraid. I’ve been there all along to shield and protect. Let go of that which you clutch so tight.That I might fulfill the deepest longings of your heart. Don’t let the cares of this life choke out My words. Open your heart to hear the beat of My own heart. I desire oneness with you but I won’t compete with that to which you give yourself. I will but wait until you tire of your own pursuits. And nestle down in My love.

Be still now and quiet your heart before Me. I have so much to share to reveal the depths of My counsel. For in Me is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I have all and hold all. Through the power of My Word. In Me you will lack nothing. Your very sustenance comes through sweet communion. Through intimacy that cannot be broken. Nothing in this earth can compare with My beauty of holiness. In the womb of the morning.

Matthew 7:1-2 is very clear about the fruit from judging others. It says, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

I was thinking about these two verses as I read Isaiah 58 yesterday. Verse 9 says, “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am…” Note the condition as the verse continues…”IF you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness.”

Every word and action is first a thought. When a judgmental thought comes into our mind, we need to pay attention to why. It may be that the Lord is exposing something hidden in our heart!

Romans 2:1 says, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the SAME things.” Romans 14:19 says, “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace, and the things by which one may edify another.” The thought to judge or find fault with another is a fiery dart to destroy a relationship. God’s higher way is to edify.

We are all members of one Body. We are strategically set in His Body to encourage and build one another up with our words. James 3:6 says, “…The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body…” Ephesians 4:29 is God’s higher way. It says to impart grace when you speak.

Titus 3:2 says, “To speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

One final word. The root to a critical spirit is found in verse 16. It says, “….Do not be wise in your own opinion.” We cannot force our fleshly opinion on another. Let us purpose in our heart to build up, encourage, and impart grace to our hearers. There is only One Judge.

1 Chronicles 28:9 Amplified says, “…For the Lord searches all hearts and minds and understands all the wanderings of the thoughts…” Does your mind ever wander? A wandering mind is a futile activity. Futile means: fruitless, empty, unproductive, lacking substance, and worthless.

2 Corinthians 10:5 is a well known verse but we can easily skip over its intent. Verse 4 says that God’s word is mighty for pulling down strongholds. It leads into verse 5 which classifies what strongholds are. They are arguments and thoughts that exalt themselves above the knowledge of God. The end of the verse says to bring every thought captive.

Proverbs 21:22 Amplified says, “A wise man scales the city walls of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.” Strongholds are built on lies that we have believed. Fiery dart-lies that we received and made our own.

Only God’s truth, that is instilled in our heart and walked in daily, will set us free from the lies of the enemy that control our thoughts. I’ll use unforgiveness again as an example. Say that someone hurt you deeply. You allow your mind to wander by replaying that hurt over and over. Each time you replay that hurt, you cause those toxic thoughts to destroy neuro connections in your brain.

If you have someone you have not forgiven, it is time to instill Ephesians 4:30 and Colossians 3:13 into your heart. When you forgive AS you have been forgiven, you will corral the replaying thought and bring down that inner stronghold. The caustic bitterness that seeped into every thought process will stop. As you continue to rehearse God’s way, new neuro connections will be created. Instead of the old stronghold, you will have a new internal heart-stronghold built on truth that will keep you free.

Since our thoughts are rooted in our heart beliefs, we can raise them by fortifying our hearts with truth. God’s word will NEVER return to Him void. Therefore, as we inculcate His word into our heart, our thoughts will be purified AS we are processing them.

It takes diligence and persistence to instill truth that will set us free from wrong beliefs. Isaiah 55:10-11 says, “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth…” I want to stop right here.

Let’s make a spiritual application to verse 10. God’s word seeded into our hearts will cause us to prosper in every aspect of our lives: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As we hide His word in our heart, the lies we have believed will be exposed and challenged. Verse 11 goes on to say that His word, “…shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

God’s word is active in our hearts like yeast in bread dough. It permeates every thought before we think it. The Holy Spirit knows our thoughts, and before we think them He is able to insert His word to direct our thoughts before they become spoken words.

David understood this. Psalm 139:4 Amplified says, “For there is not a word in my tongue (still unuttered), but, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” Psalm 19:14 says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Nahum 2:1 says, “He who scatters has come up before your face…” Think of this as the enemy of your soul. Here is the instruction. “…Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.”

Our thoughts affect and control every aspect of our lives. Every word that comes out of our mouth, and every action was FIRST a thought. Isaiah 55:7 says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” I read this verse yesterday, and probably for the first time in my life, made this application with forgiveness.

Sins against us, or sins we did against others were first unrighteous thoughts. Have you ever thought about that before? Unrighteous thoughts are sin because they are devoid of the Lord. They are rooted in our flesh. We sin because we did not die to our flesh.

Verses 8-9 followed the statement of God’s mercy and pardon. They say, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Psalm 103:11-12 says, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” We are to forgive AS we have been forgiven.

Unforgiveness is a pool of flesh, with negative thoughts that swirl around in a vortex of unrighteousness. Hosea 8:7 says, “They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind…” Galatians 6:8 says, “For he who sows to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption…”

Unforgiveness hardens our heart, and makes it impermeable to God’s word. Impermeable means it doesn’t allow fluid to flow through. God’s word is a living river of truth. It is only the truth that we know and apply to our lives that will set us free.

The first time I typed this it disappeared, so I believe this is an integral message for someone. Isaiah 54:1 says, “Sing, O barren. You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud…” Picture being lost in a desert. There is no water source nor anything that is green or lush. You are thirsty, hungry, and you feel all alone.

I have lived in a physical desert as well as spiritual ones. I remember back to 2002. It was a glorious year in a spiritual pinnacle journey. I had entered a sweet depth of intimacy with the Lord that I had not experienced before. Then He told me that He was taking me into a dormant season. It was hard. I felt lost and longed for the intimacy I had.

I asked my landscape architect friend what happened to a tree during the dormant season. He said: the roots are still very active, gathering food from the soil. Dormancy is the time the soil needs nitrogen which is its immediate food. He just encouraged me to remain, because dormancy brings stability, growth, and beauty in the future.

Isaiah 54:2-3 says to prepare for expansion. One of the ways we can expand the capacity of our hearts is through worship. Worship is like spiritual nitrogen. It is immediate food that causes our spirit man to thrive. Take courage if you are in a spiritually dry season. Your roots are still active. Continue to draw your sustenance from His word. Hide it in your heart, mediate in it, and use it for words in worship.

Isaiah 55 was written to: those who are thirsty, hungry, seeking, and calling out to the Lord. Note that the commence is not money but Himself. Verse 2-3 says, “…Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live…”

Our place of spiritual barrenness is orchestrated by the Lord. When everything dries up, He becomes our source. Barren? Hungry? Thirsty? Lonely? Verse 1 says to ‘come’ three times. He is everything and has everything that we need to spiritually thrive. Open your heart and sing to Him, an audience of One.

The Lord’s dying was proclaimed in Isaiah 53, 700 years before He went to the cross. Verse 4 says, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.” Hebrews 4:15 says that He was tempted in all points as we are. He thoroughly understands our emotional pain because He bore it.

Luke 4:18 Amplified says, “…He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed (who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity).”

Isaiah 54 was written about Israel. Again, we can apply it to our lives. It is a chapter of hope for: those who are barren, fearful, shamed, widowed, forsaken, afflicted, and oppressed. Listen to this promise in verse 10. It says, “For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall NOT depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has mercy on you.”

I love Psalm 145:9 which says, “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” No matter what you have been through, focus on what He has done FOR you. His goodness cannot be measured.

Isaiah 54 ended with this promise. It is like the Lord’s signet ring, pressed into wax with an eternal seal. Verse 17 says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord.”

The word formed is better understood as forged. In the old days the enemy would craftily forge a weapon that would go into the chink in his opponent’s armor and kill him. Remember that the enemy of our soul is crafty, but he WAS defeated at the cross. He uses deception but we are armored with God’s truth that has no chinks!