Continuous Praise

Hebrews 13:15
Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

Blessed Lord Jesus,
O how I love the sweet sound of Your beautiful name! I’m utterly devoted to You because You saved me from hell and total annihilation. Not only that, but You presented me flawless before the glorious throne of my Most High God. You’ve made me indescribably pure, completely blameless, absolutely acceptable and extremely wise. I ought to be struck dead at Your feet, but You’ve put a spring in my step, a song in my heart, a smile on my face and given me a zest for living. The least I can do is continually praise You, even when it’s excruciatingly difficult.

It ought to be a joy and delight to praise Your glorious name forever and ever! Not only when all is well. Not just when I’m perfectly healthy and sound. Not only when my bills are paid and there’s food on the table. But, it is an incredible honor to stand by faith worshipping You during pain and poverty, crisis and confusion, desperation and disaster. In tough times when my heart can sing of Your great love, there is increased peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control as my sorrow turns to sheer joy in Your presence.

Help me to continually focus and determinedly place my faith in You and You alone. I want to give you my unlimited, unrestrained affection! I want to build my faith on strong determined confidence in You, my Blessed Lord Jesus. Focused on You, I won’t be able to fear or doubt. My life will be a lovely hymn of adoration resulting from my perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief in You, my Blessed Lord Jesus whom I love with all my heart. Amen.

Think of the despicable shortfall of faith we exhibit during difficult times. Then, think of what Jesus has done for you. You deserve to die. You deserve eternal suffering. But, He has given you life abundantly. If you’re alive because of Him, ask Him to put a spring in your step, a song in your heart, a smile on your face, and give you a zest for glorious living. Then, you will be a living sacrifice of constant praise.

Praise Him For What He's Done

Psalm 65:4-5
4 Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.
5 You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness
.
My Glorious Father in Heaven,
You are King of my heart and Lord of my life. I’m blessed that You chose me to live in Your royal family! A scruffy ragamuffin, I don’t deserve to live with the Majestic King of Heaven who rules and reigns over the universe. It’s an incredible privilege to be here where I can freely enjoy all of the rich family benefits.

• You forget my past and give me an adventurous new life.
• You graciously pardon my inappropriate behavior, setting me free from guilt, shame and fear of punishment.
• You invite me to indulge in the rich delicacy of Your Word.
• You crown me with love and compassion.
• You wrap me in goodness and eternal beauty.
• You give me the inconceivable opportunity to know You personally and experientially.
• You train me to live like the child of a King.
• Your extravagant love is ever, always and eternally available to me.

O Lord, I’m absolutely astonished and trembling with overwhelming joy. It’s sobering to think that You’ve positioned me in a haughty place that I do not deserve, the heavenly throne room where I can dwell in Your divine presence forever and ever. Filled with extreme gratitude for the awesome things You’ve done, I’ll praise you with my obedience, honor You with my devotion, and glorify You by loving others. You alone are the key to heaven because of Jesus. Amen.

Spend the day pondering all the good things God’s given you. What has He done for you? Make a list of His awesome divine deeds. With a thankful heart, praise Him by your obedience, honor Him with your devotion, and glorify Him by loving others.

Praise Him For Who He Is

Psalm 34:1-3
1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

O Loving Lord,
My heart throbs every time I bless Your beautiful name! In awe of Your splendor and majesty, I inhale joyful praise and puff out sweet, long-lasting adoration. You are the pure air I breathe, O God.

My soul yearns to brag about Your greatness:

• Your holy love is deeper than the massive oceans.
• Your divine wisdom is higher than majestic mountains.
• Your mighty power is stronger than the thrashing waves of the sea.
• Your unending mercy expands to the ends of the earth.
• Your perfect peace is quieter than a whispering summer breeze.
• Your exuberant joy twinkles brighter than the brightest star.
• Your incomparable goodness is exceedingly greater than the fruitful farmlands.
• Your infinite faithfulness is more trustworthy than the dawning of the day.
• Your continuous forgiveness flows like a cool refreshing mountain stream.
• Your wondrous grace is more awesome than the spacious skies.

There is none like You, O Lord. Thank You for giving me a fresh vision of Your holiness. In the light of Your radiant glory, sorrow and suffering diminish, fear and shame disappear, and turmoil and restlessness dissipate, lost in the magnificent celebration of Your beautiful name. With thanksgiving, we bow down and worship You for Who You are. Together we exalt and glorify You because of Your Almighty, All-Powerful, Everlasting name! Amen.

Spend the day gazing of God’s beauty. What do you see? Make a list of His admirable characteristics. With a thankful heart, praise Him for Who He is all day long. Watch your heart lighten beneath praise and adoration.

Turn Around!

Matthew 4:17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

God of Wonders, I marvel at the power of Your Voice. Thank You for opening my spiritual ears to hear the very first word out of Your mouth to believers, "Repent!" I hear You commanding the Church and me to turn around. We’re going in the wrong direction! We don’t listen or pay attention to You, but follow the stubborn inclination of our misguided hearts.

We don’t want to admit the depth from which we’ve fallen. We no longer love You, or our brothers and sisters. We bicker, squabble and argue over insignificant matters when we should be falling on our knees in unity of mind and soul praying for radical change. We use not only our hearts, but our sanctuaries as a front to worship our manmade gods.

Our leaders are feeding us a pack of sugar-coated lies and we swallow them because we don’t open our Bibles and seek the Truth. Afraid we won’t come back if we know the reality of our depravity, we’re not taught to obey Your rules. We’d rather praise and dance than fall on our face in reverent fear of You. The Church You set apart for holy worship has become a place to carry out our outrageous sacrilege. Have mercy on us for desecrating Your Holy House!

Living Lord, I want to experience the fullness of Your presence and power. I admit that I was heading in the wrong direction. Frustrated by lack of results, I gave up praying for change in the Church, but because of the power of Your Word, I just made a U-turn to follow You. Fuel my heart, O Lord, with renewed passion to radically pray for change that will bring You the honor and glory You’re worthy of. Amen.

Whew! God has just stirred up my heart! Do you hear the first words from our Lord’s mouth when He began preaching to His followers? "Repent!" This word is for you and me, friends - not for the unbelievers. We’re going in the wrong direction and need to do an immediate U-turn. I urge you, turn around and follow Jesus before it’s too late – the kingdom of heaven is near.

For additional reading, I recommend Jeremiah 7. It’s a very clear illustration of the condition of the Church today and the results of disobedience.

Weak Warriors

Psalm 78:9-11
9 The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,
turned back on the day of battle;
10 they did not keep God's covenant
and refused to live by his law.
11 They forgot what he had done,
the wonders he had shown them.

O Great & Mighty God,
Your Word is a swift, sharp sword that cuts to the very core of my soul. We, as a church are big cowards like the Ephraimites. You’ve armed us to the hilt for the spiritual battle, yet we’ve fearfully run away. We don’t believe in Your powerful, protective promises. We’ve ditched the indispensable weapons You made just for us.

Even though the Truth is readily available, we refuse to open our Bibles and access it. Because we don’t open our Bibles outside of church, we’re ignorant about Your Sacred Laws. If we don’t know them, how can we obey them? We’re busy making believers and baptizing them, neglecting to teach them to obey Your commands. We can’t instruct what we do not know ourselves. We’re a battalion of reckless rebels marching down a dangerous road.

Forgetting the high price You paid to save us from death and destruction, we’ve conscientiously objected to following You into combat. It’s each man for himself in this skirmish with the wicked world. Prayerless, we’ve abandoned our brothers and sisters, leaving them alone to fight the vicious foe. Self-absorbed, we’ve forgotten to declare the great works You’ve done. Have mercy on us for our lack of faith!

I never again want to withdrawal from the life-or-death fight with the Devil. I don’t want You to associate me with the weak and spineless Ephraimites who lost favor in Your sight.

From this day forward, I’m surrendering my life and my agenda to enlist in Your massive Army of prayer warriors. Equipped with Your Word, I’ll confidently open my mouth and speak in Your almighty power, watching until the enemy retreats. Show me a comrade who needs support today, and I’ll join them in the battle at the altar for the glory of Your victorious name. Amen.

Do you know someone in the midst of a spiritual battle? The enemy is strategically attacking Christ-followers from every vantage point. Who can you join in combat? I urge you, turn around and fight for someone in the name of Jesus. If you have a Bible and a mouth, you’re fully armed and equipped for combat.

Our pastors and spiritual leaders are under siege. The enemy is torturing and punishing missionaries worldwide. Our nation is under fierce attack. Marriages are falling apart. Children are innocent victims. There’s a whole world full of sick and suffering souls standing alone in their struggles. Everywhere there are broken hearts and shattered lives. You don’t have to look far to find someone to stand in the gap and fight with.

Spirit-Led Prayer

Romans 8:26-27
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Most High Priest,
Thank You for making my heart Your home. You know every nook and cranny of it. You understand the challenging circumstances, agonizing problems and incredible pressure I face. When I can’t find the words to say, You translate my inarticulate sighs. Thank You for constantly interceding on my behalf from the temple of my heart.

I’ve made prayer more difficult and cumbersome than it needs to be. All I have to do is keep the temple clean and pay attention to You. With a pure heart, when I open my Bible, You’ll tell me what’s on Your mind, prompting me to pray for specific people and situations. As I spend time in Your presence, pondering Your thoughts, I’ll gain divine wisdom and knowledge far above my feeble, finite thinking. Tuned in to You, I’ll notice the vast needs around me and joyfully bring them to Your throne, trusting You to take care of them.

Thank You for revealing Your thoughts to me, O Lord. Please search my heart and turn it into a beautiful house of prayer for the glory of Your name. Amen.

Is prayer difficult and cumbersome for you? That’s not the way God intended it to be. He’s taken up residence in your heart and made it a house of prayer. Ask Him to show you how to pray His way. It will radically change your heart for prayer.

Passionate Persistent Prayer

Deuteronomy 9: 8-10, 13-14, 17-19
8 … you aroused the LORD's wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you … 9 I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. 10 The LORD gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.

13 And the LORD said to me, "I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! 14 Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven."

17 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes.

18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and so provoking him to anger. 19 I feared the anger and wrath of the LORD, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the LORD listened to me.

O Sovereign Lord,
There’s a striking similarity between ancient Israel and the corrupt, rebellious and unruly world today. Our nation is in terrible shape! The Sacred Laws that You inscribed with Your fingers have been deliberately broken. Your Holy Name has been desecrated. With You out of sight and out of mind, we’ve become a country full of senseless, faithless, heartless, and ruthless fools who expect blessing despite our defiant disobedience.

O Lord, stir up in me a heart like Moses. He knew You intimately; therefore, he knew what was on Your heart and mind. He knew how angry You were over the blatant misconduct of his nation. Twice, he spent 40 days and 40 nights alone in Your holy presence, passionately interceding, fasting, and crying out for You to spare his people from annihilation. He believed with all his heart that You would answer him, and didn’t leave Your presence for any reason until You responded to his urgent appeal.

Lord, I can’t spend 40 minutes fasting and praying, let alone 40 days and 40 nights! Have mercy on me! Radically change my heart, O God. Draw me into the same kind of deep love relationship that Moses had with You. I want to be so enamored with You, that I’ll desire to spend endless hours in Your presence without thinking for one minute about food or drink. Fully possessed by You, I’ll fervently plea to You to spare this nation from complete obliteration. With One heart and One mind, I won’t give up until You answer me. Lord, teach me to diligently pray with enthusiasm and expectation so that Your name will be blessed in my homeland. Amen.

Dr. Henry Blackaby asked, "What kind of praying have we been doing to lead our nation to the mess we’re in?" What changes need to be made in Your life so that God can work through you?

Read Deuteronomy 9 & 10 and ask God to take you to a deeper level with your prayer life. If not you, then who will pray for our nation?

Shriveled Leaves

Isaiah 64:6-7
We all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and made us waste away because of our sins.

O Divine Artist,
The vivid illustrations You paint in Your Word delight my imagination. Over the past several weeks, the dazzling autumn leaves dancing in the brisk fall air have mesmerized me. Their elegant display of rich, stunning colors that seemed so full of life tricked me. Kissed by the warm sun, they quickly withered, weakened and were swept away by a gust of wind. The once stately trees are suddenly lifeless. Dormant, there’s nothing pretty about them.

So it is with my life. I try to elegantly display my wonderful works for a watching world. I’ve wasted endless time and energy trying to impress people. In pursuit of the dreams and desires of my heart, I’ve neglected to seek the plans and purposes of Your heart for me. Like the shriveled autumn leaves that once thrived with abundant life, I’ve fallen from the Tree of Life. Blown away by the compulsion to prove my value, my works have become worthless. Fruitless, there’s nothing striking about me.

If I want to remain vibrant and productive I need to take time be with You daily. Diligently studying Your Word and communicating with You in passionate, persistent, heartfelt prayer You’ll show me what’s on Your heart and mind. When I turn around, face You, and accept the blazing Truth, my soul will dance like the autumn leaves. Devoted to You, my life will have a sacred and inexpressible charm about it that will naturally attract others to Your inexplicable beauty. In my life Lord be glorified because of Jesus. Amen.

Our works will shrivel up like the autumn leaves and be blown away; but our worship will last forever. I urge you to get connected to the Tree of Life by spending time in God’s Word and passionate, persistent, heartfelt prayer. Ask Him to show you the desires of His heart and watch as He reveals His glory. Then, you will be impressed with Him and His work.

Worship Before Work

Revelation 2:2-5
Jesus said:
2 "I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don’t, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches." NLT

O Precious Lord, Who knows all and sees all,
Thank You for speaking directly to my humble heart. Nothing goes unnoticed by Your holy eyes. You see my labor of love and enduring perseverance. You know how hard I try to avoid impropriety. With all my heart, I seek the truth, steering clear of liars. Without complaining, I put up with the harassment of belligerent people. You’re aware that it’s exceedingly difficult to live morally in this corrupt culture where personal choices and alternative lifestyles are not only acceptable, but also tolerated. Graciously, You praise me for doing what’s right in Your eyes.

On the other hand, You also notice that my worship has been deluded by works. My love for You and others has grown cold. In the struggle to maintain sound teaching and moral and doctrinal purity, I’ve taken for granted Who You are. I’ve placed the significance of service above my affection and adoration for You. More concerned with what I do for You than who I am to You, I’ve fallen away from You. My usefulness is diverted and my testimony is tarnished.

Thank You for shining the light of Your Word on my heart. Broken and ashamed, I come back to the Cross. Falling on my knees, I admit how far I’ve backslid in my love relationship with You. Forgive me for spending endless energy on activities while neglecting passionate, prolonged time in prayer and studying Your Word. Lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strength I want to make You my priority again. Consumed with You my joy and zeal will return, allowing me to effectively shine Your light of love on others.

O Lord, that I may love You more today than yesterday and that my light would burn brightly before man for the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

O. Chambers writes in My Utmost for His Highest, October 19: The great enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ today is the idea of practical work that has no basis in the New Testament but comes from the systems of the world. The work insists upon endless energy and activities, but no private life with God. The emphasis is put on the wrong thing … In our Lord’s life there was none of the pressure and the rushing of tremendous activity that we regard so highly today, and a disciple is to be like his Master. The central point of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship with Him, not public usefulness to others.

Have you put work ahead of worship? I challenge you to stop and evaluate what you’re doing. Is your relationship with the Living Lord right? If not, the command is clear, "Turn back to Him again and work as you did at first." If you choose to disobey, the consequence is also clear, "I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches."

What did you do when Jesus first found you?

Pray Like Jesus

Matthew 26: 37-39, 42,
37 He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death … 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."

44 So He … went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. NKJV

O Lord Jesus,
Thank You for teaching me how to pray! Forgive me for my casual, careless prayers. My happy-go-lucky heart would rather be singing praises and dancing than falling on my face in deep sorrowful prayer. I’ve failed to follow You. My prayers have been hasty, shallow and sloppy. I wonder why they go unanswered.

Please lay Your heart over my heart, O God, and teach me to pray. O that my soul would be exceedingly anguished even to the point of death for the things that trouble You. Rather than praying as I drive down the road asking You to bless this person and that person, give me this and give them that, I want to go to the garden alone, far away from the hustle and bustle, where I can experience prayer with You.

In Your presence, I’ll fall on my face. Crying out to You in deep distress, You’ll tell me exactly what’s on Your heart. As I sit still, quietly listening to Your voice, my prayer life will change. I’ll be overcome with grief for the things that grieve You. The intense pain will be unbearable. It’ll be tempting to walk away from the severe problems and pressures you reveal to me, but Lord, with all my heart I want to follow You, even to death. I want to pray like You, Jesus, not my will but Yours be done. Amen.

Have you ever had this heart of God? Have you ever prayed like Jesus? Would you be willing to allow God to take You to a different kind of praying? Turn around and follow Jesus. He’ll teach you how to pray powerful prayers that will make a kingdom difference.

Tempted to Sleep

Matthew 26:38, 40-41, 43-45
38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them … 45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near …"

Precious Jesus,
I am so sorry! You’ve invited me to join You in agonizing prayer, and I have failed you miserably! Surrounded by the sorrow of sin, overwhelmed by the misery of severe suffering, and swallowed up in the sheer terror of impending death, You’ve asked me to keep vigil, but like Peter, I’m drowsy and prone to dozing off. Forgive me, O Lord!

You know the brutal battle that lies ahead for me. Clearly, You warn me to pay attention and pray. Deep agonizing grief from the consequences of poor choices will besiege me. The intense suffering from sickness will be unbearable. The cruel killing of souls and maiming of minds will torment me to the point of overwhelming despair. With all my heart, I want to obey, but the nighttime of the soul seems eternally long. Worn out and restless, I’m tempted to drift from You during difficult times.

I beg You to awaken my spirit to the power of prayer. Teach me to pray, with passionate persistence, prayers that will crush the adversary. The hour is near when You’ll come back, and I don’t want You to find me sleeping again. I want You to be pleasantly surprised when You find me in the garden wrestling over the burdens of Your heart for the glory of Your name. Amen.

O. Chambers writes in My Utmost for His Highest, October 16: "The key to the missionary’s difficult task is in the hand of God, and that key is prayer, not work … the key is in following the Master’s orders – the key is prayer.

The Master has given you the key and ordered you to watch and pray with Him. His intense agonizing prayer in the garden gave Him the strength to face the journey to the cross. If you don’t pay attention and wrestle with Him in prayer, you’ll snap when the stress and strain do come – and it will come. Ask Jesus to teach you to pray powerful prayers that will destroy the enemy.

Beautiful Pots

Isaiah 64:8
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

O Perfect Potter,
You are the most famous artist of all time. I could search the whole wide world and find no one as creative or talented as You.

You have a distinctive technique for sculpting original works of art that are eternally beautiful, valuable and useful. All we have to do is stay soft and pliable in Your skillful hands every day. As we wait quietly throughout the lifelong process, our eyes will turn toward You, our Designer, when we open our Bibles. Meditating on Your sacred Scriptures will form our true character. They’ll expose the rough spots of rebellion that need to be scraped away. They’ll correct our cracks, flaws, and blemishes. They’ll squeeze us and change us into Your perfect image. Through the heat of life we’ll come out of the fiery furnace strengthened with Your power and glazed with Your glory.

With Your Holy Word permanently etched on my heart, it will be radically changed to look like Your heart. Knowing Your heart and mind, I’ll be concerned for the things that burden You.

Lord, I want to be yielded and still in Your dexterous hand where I can be shaped into a pleasantly perfect pot to pour out Your extraordinary love. Please transform my heart and mind today, making me an eternally beautiful, valuable vessel for the praise of Your most creative name. Amen.

Oswald Chambers writes, "Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God … Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing … ‘Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:2) … God is at work bending, breaking, molding and doing exactly as He chooses … We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ … Let Him have His way." –My Utmost For His Highest, October 25.

Do you know what’s on the heart and mind of God? Are you burdened for the things that burden Him? Ask God to lay His heart over yours. Pray repeatedly, the lyrics to this beautiful hymn …

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907.

My Extreme Encounter with God

Following is a testimony of my Extreme Encounter with God experienced at the Mid-west Prayer Conference in Terre Haute, IN from October 26 -28.

God is good! Thank you for your faithful prayers. The Mid-west Prayer Conference was beyond my expectations. I’m ecstatic to tell you that God did a mighty work and gave me a boat load of blessings!

On Thursday morning, in my time alone with God, I read O. Chambers:
Submitting to God’s Purpose – October 25

• Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. … Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing…
  
• God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us …
  
• Once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you "turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . ." (Deuteronomy 28:14). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.
  

That afternoon, as I drove from Cincinnati across the state of Indiana to attend the conference I continually prayed the song, "Have Thine Own Way Lord, Have Thine Own Way! You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after your will, while I am waiting, yielded and still."

That evening, Dr. Blackaby challenged us to know what’s on the heart and mind of God. He asked us if we were burdened for the things that burden God. During the altar call I left my seat, got on my knees in the aisle and again prayed, "Have thine own way Lord, have thine own way" … I asked God to lay his heart over mine and give me a burden for the things that burden him.

Friday morning, Dr. Blackaby taught from Matthew 26 and told us that this is the kind of praying God lays over our hearts. The Son read the heart of the Father. "My soul is sorrowful even unto death."

He challenged us, "Would you be willing to allow God to take you to a different kind of praying?" I wrote in my notebook, "Yes, Lord! Take me there!"

Then he called us to join God in the battle at the altar. God has called us to go with people into battle. Blackaby said, "If God has moved in your heart, you need to move from your seat." I knew that God had moved in my heart, so I got on my feet and moved. I went to the altar, looking for an inconspicuous space in the distance. I knelt down before my Lord and thanked Him for equipping me for the battle. He laid a very heavy burden on my heart for a Prayer Pal reader’s family. And, as I prayed, I began to weep. And, I wept. And, I wept. And, I began trembling and weeping. I suppose this is the closest I’ve ever been to a Gethsemane experience. Before I knew it there was a woman on her knees beside me, with her hands on me, holding me as I wept and prayed for this family. She began praying for restoration for me. She didn’t know what was on my heart. This went on for what seemed like 5 or 10 minutes, maybe longer. I was finally able to tell her it wasn’t my restoration we needed to pray for but the restoration of this family. She prayed over me, with me for the burden on my heart.

I knew that I had a radical encounter with our Most High God. And, I know beyond a shadow of doubt that I am equipped to do battle for Him on behalf of this family.

When the service ended I went to the lobby thinking, "I’ve got to go back to my motel room and wash my face and fix my make up." But, God had other plans.

Life Action Ministries, an organization that does revival crusades, was at the conference. I was part of one of their crusades two years ago to that very day. As a result of their crusade at Manor Church I began writing Prayer Pal. I was compelled to thank them for their ministry and tell them how God used it in my life. As I told them about Prayer Pal, I began crying again. I shared with them how God is using Prayer Pal to minister to extremely broken hearted people. They were awestruck and immediately prayed over my ministry and me. Their hearts were deeply touched.

When the evening session was over, I was compelled to walk up to Dr. Blackaby. I shook his hand and said, "I have to tell you, I’m another life radically changed by Experiencing God. You taught me how to read, reflect and respond to His Word, and today I write a daily devotion called Prayer Pal that God has sent world wide and into the prison. His response was filled with immense warmth and courtesy toward me.

Now, wait ‘til you hear this, dear ones, Dr. Blackaby asked if he could pray for me. Right then and there, he laid his great big hands on me and prayed over my ministry and me! Before I knew it there were hands all over me and I was completely covered by prayers of strangers. And, again I wept and trembled before our Lord. When he was finished, he said, "Beth, you will never be the same again." He knew that I had a direct encounter with the Living God.

During his session on Saturday morning, he reflected on two of the stories that were shared with him the previous night. Mine was one of them. He encouraged us to take time to process our experience with God. The teaching was from Mark 6. The disciples had just witnessed the miraculous feeding of the 5000 when Jesus told them to get in a boat. A storm came up and Jesus walked to them on water. Jesus was about to pass them by (47) because the disciples hadn't taken the time to process the miraculous feeding (52).

Blackaby advised us to take time before Sunday morning to process our experience with God. If we don't understand this encounter, then we won't understand the next one.

He took us back to Gesthemane ... after the agonizing prayer, there was great suffering. He told us to expect to suffer for the commitments we made. So, again, I went forward and thanked God for His mighty presence and committed to obey Him no matter the cost. I was thankful to have a quiet night alone in my hotel room to process all that God had done to me at the conference.

I’ve received more than the boat load of blessings! Thank you for watching and praying with me! May the love in my heart pour out onto your heart. I love you with the love of Jesus!

All glory to God from whom all blessings flow!
Beth

Shepherding Hearts

Dear Reader,
Since I will be out of town, there will be no additional Prayer Pals this week. Feel free to browse through the archives on my blog. May the Lord bless you as you seek Him.

Love,
Prayer Pal

John 14:12 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing."

Matthew 9:35-36
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus, You are the King of Compassion!
If I follow You, I can easily see what You have doing. The problem is I’m prone to wandering! I’m distracted by my own agenda. With my mind focused on finishing my mission, I’m oblivious to the crowd surrounding me. Forgive me for my lack of compassion! Open my eyes to the lost souls entangled in the rush of life. Give me a sensitive soul to stop and set them free. You’re not asking me to sell church. You’re asking me to:

• Teach them by the example of my peaceful lifestyle what it means to know the Shepherd and be sheltered in the safety of His arms.
• Preach the God News by telling them the story of how You rescued me from Satan’s snare and brought me to the safety of the sheepfold.
• Nurse their wounds caused by the disease of despair and sickness of sin.

Please give me a heart like Yours to teach, preach, and heal. Please fill me with fresh faith and Holy Spirit power to notice the harassed and helpless hordes crying for release. I will follow You and do the things I see You doing to bring glory and honor to Your name. Amen.

Ask God to put the name of one lost sheep on your heart and in your mind today. Begin to pray specifically for their release.

Gentle Shepherd

Isaiah 40:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

Good and Gentle Shepherd,
So tenderhearted and compassionate, You certainly love Your sheep! You carefully lead us to the lush mountain pastures in our Bibles where we can graze to our heart’s content on the fertile food of Your Word. Faithfully, You guide us through barren deserts to refreshing streams of Living Water to quench our dry and thirsty souls.

Along the way, You protect us from animalistic humans who threaten to attack our character. Prone to wandering off, we slip into clefts of criticism and condemnation, plunge into ravines of rejection and ridicule, and sink deep into depressions of disgrace and despair. In our times of trouble, You never fail to hear our cry, find us and set us free. Your sheep are Your most prized possession!

Bruised and bloodied from the fall, You meticulously bandage our broken hearts. Scooping us up in Your powerful arms, You hold us close to Your loving heart and carry us to safety. Resting in Your presence, we have nothing to fear. You are bigger than the people, problems and pressure pursuing us.

Thank You dear Shepherd for diligently doing Your job twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, year in and year out. Because of Your hard work I’m alive and well. I know from experience that danger lurks around the bend. It’s crucial that I trust and obey You. Huddled in Your flock, there’s protection, provision, and perfect peace because of Jesus. Amen.

Are you sticking with the Shepherd or have your wandered away from the flock? You are valuable to Him! He wants to take care of you, but you need to follow Him.

If you’ve lost your way and are stuck, cry out to Him. He’ll find you right where you are, pick you up in His strong arms, and carry you close to His heart to the safety of His presence where there’s protection, provision and perfect peace.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 92:1-5
It is good to praise the LORD

and make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning

and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre

and the melody of the harp.
For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;

I sing for joy at the works of your hands.
How great are your works, O LORD,

how profound your thoughts!

O Lord Most High,
It’s a delight and honor to sing of Your wonderful works. In humble adoration, I gratefully thank You for Your ever loving kindness each morning. Your unbelievable mercy has kept me from complete obliteration. Each evening, I fondly remember Your incredible faithfulness. With a cheerful song in my heart, I love to tell of Your excellent greatness! My eyes have seen Your magnificent handiwork!

Merrily, I sing the praises of my drastically changed life. Your marvelous grace has miraculously covered all my past, present and future. Clothed and unashamed, I’m free to come into Your holy presence and worship You. With sheer confidence, I can stand up and assuredly sing with all my heart, "How great is my God!"

Jesus, You mean the world to me! The amazing works of Your hands have made me glad. I’ll sing of Your love forever because of the blessed promise I have in Your gloriously beautiful name. Amen.

It is good to praise the Lord! Bless Him for keeping you from complete obliteration! If you’re alive today, thank Him! It’s only by His amazing grace!

Eternal Word

1 Peter 1: 24-25
"All men are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,

because the breath of the LORD blows on them.

Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of our God stands forever."

Glorious One,
Thank You for the beautiful lessons of autumn. With a gentle breath from heaven the dry, yellowed grasses wave impassively in the chilly fall air. The leaves, while glistening with dazzling colors, begin to crackle and drop from their branches, blowing here and there. The pretty pallet of posies that peeked in my window all summer has long since faded. As I reflect on the sights of the season, I’m reminded that life is short. Like the flowers, fame and fortune will fade. Good health will eventually wilt and wither. Beauty will flee like the falling leaves.

Only Your Word lasts forever. Your perfect promises are the same today as they were yesterday, and will be tomorrow. I’ve got to stop looking to people and possessions for pleasure. They could perish in a heartbeat leaving me disappointed and disillusioned. Instead, I need to focus on the power of Your everlasting promises. They are altogether trustworthy and all that I need to live happily ever after in the beautiful kingdom of heaven. Eternal glory is Yours because of Jesus. Amen.

Take a fresh look at the sights of autumn. Life too is fleeting. How will you spend it?

Photo copyright of Freefoto.com

Clean Heart Living

Psalm 119:9-11
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

Blessed Writer of the Word,
O how I cherish the wisdom recorded in Your Holy Scriptures. It teaches me about Your holy character and divine nature. An amazing documentary on love, it tells the dramatic story of my rescue from deadly peril and endless pain. It reveals that You chose and adopted into Your holy family. I must; therefore, learn to love You and live like a divine child.

It is essential that I open the Book of Life, my Bible, and read it fervently. It will teach me precisely how to live with integrity in a relativistic society that doesn’t take You seriously. The more time I spend studying and applying Your rules for righteous living, the more I’ll become like You. Gradually, my heart will become more sincere and my mind unadulterated.
Out of deep heartfelt devotion, I’ll passionately pursue You. Spending intense time alone with You, my heart will synchronize with Yours. Rather than tirelessly trying to make people happy, pleasing You will be my life ambition.

Daily digging into the sacred Treasure Chest of Your Word, I’ll uncover Your costly commands and precious promises. Gingerly picking each one up, I’ll meticulously study them. Memorizing their fine details, I’ll recognize their great worth during conflict and crisis. Tucked securely in the pocket of my heart, they’ll prevent me from offending You.

O blessed Writer of the Word, thank You for imparting me with wisdom to do Your will, Your way for the glory and honor of Your holy name. Amen.

How can you practice clean-heart living? The Bible says it’s easy as 1-2-3 …

1. Live according to God’s Word.
2. Seek Him with all your heart and obey His commands.
3. Hide His Word in Your heart so that you won’t offend Him.

Listen Carefully

Psalm 85:8-9
8 I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
for he speaks peace to his faithful people.
But let them not return to their foolish ways.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
so our land will be filled with his glory. NLT

Amazing, Loving, Wonderful Lord,
You are beautiful beyond description! You display Your brilliance and glory radiantly in the rich colors of creation. Even though we ignore You, You faithfully bless us with Your prosperous presence each day. You’re right where You’ve always been, doing what You’ve always done, creating spectacular miracle moments from heaven on high.

If we would just look up to You, acknowledge Your greatness, and admit our stupidity, You’d forgive the awful things we’ve done. Lovingly, You’d rescue us from death and destruction. You’d revive our stone-cold hearts with Your precious blood, giving us a fresh new start. Gladly, You’d restore our laughter.

God of Help, I’m concerned for the impotent church that desires to reach lost people with pleasant programs and plans that exclude the Truth. If we want to live in the prosperity of Your presence, we must diligently study Your Holy Word, paying careful attention to what You say when we open our Bibles each day. Listening to You, we’ll know right from wrong, never having to live foolishly again. Accepting and respecting Your authority, love and loyalty will miraculously come together. Goodness will bond with peace and our great land will be inexplicably blessed with everlasting happiness. Our vividly changed lives will spectacularly display Your brilliance and glory because of Jesus. Amen.

Pray for revival in the church, and let it begin with you. Study God’s Word daily so that you will know the Truth and obey it. Choose to live differently, wisely, brilliantly, according to God’s Word so the His glory will shine through you, drawing others to Him like a colorful neon light.

Rejected Law

Romans 1: 32
32They are fully aware of God's death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

Holy God~
Creator of everything~
Your invisible qualities have been clearly seen since the beginning of time. The earth and sky proclaim Your almighty power and divine character. There’s no excuse for not knowing You! You, O God, deserve our praise forever and ever!
Even though we know You perfectly well, we fail to accept and worship You as the One and Only True God. We pretend to know it all, but are really quite stupid. Foolishly, we’ve traded Your prosperous, pristine beauty for worthless, tarnished trash. We’ve shrouded the Truth with wicked lies.

Pornography, homosexuality, and adultery have become acceptable standards. We tolerate the killing of unborn babies, while viciously fighting to save wild animals. We cry out, "God bless America", but we’ve removed You from the classroom, the courtroom and the currency. We deny Your intelligent design, deliberately, spitting in Your face, as we invent new ways to ruin the rich life You intended for us. We’re a nation full of senseless, faithless, heartless, and ruthless fools who expect blessing despite our defiant disobedience.

Something has gone terribly wrong! This isn’t the way You created it to be! Have mercy on us for disrespecting and desecrating your Holy Name, O God. There’s no fear of Your sacred laws or holy judgment. It’s a free for all world. Though Your Word is freely and readily available, it also freely and readily rejected. We’ve rebelled against You, our Creator, and we don’t deserve to live.

I’m thankful that Your Word convicts me of my wrong beliefs and behaviors. I want to relinquish my tarnished treasures in order to live happily in your beautiful, prosperous presence. By Your strength that’s within me, change the desires of my heart and mind. With all due respect, I desperately want to love and obey You, bringing honor to Your almighty power and divine character, Jesus, Creator of everything. Amen.

Will you acknowledge and cry out to God for the sin of our nation today? Will you pray for changed hearts and transformed minds? Will you admit and turn from your own sin?

Holy Law

Romans 7:12-13
12But still, the law itself is holy and right and good.

13But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my doom? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God's good commandment for its own evil purposes.

Righteous King~
Honorable Ruler of Heaven & Earth~
I tremble in fear of Your Highness. Standing in awe of Your holy, right and good law, I praise You with an upright heart. Your spoken Word is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. It’s pure joy to my heart, mind and soul, guaranteeing my rich heritage forever.

Completely righteous, fully trustworthy, and thoroughly tested, Your rules awaken my conscience, warning me of dangers. Satan has set a snare for me. Don’t let me be baited by his perfidious lies and deceptive charm. Distorting the truth, He’ll try to persuade me that You are behind his treacherous shenanigans. He plans to mutilate me and sever my relationship with You.

O Lord, my God, I know that You are forever good. Nothing bad has ever come from You. Please hide Your Word in my heart so that I won’t be seduced by sin. Teach me knowledge and good judgment. I need wisdom to differentiate between fact and fiction so that I’ll choose to do what is honorable, right, and good in tricky situations. Connected to You, fear and shame will never rule over me.

When I’m confused, Your law counsels me. Drowning in a sea of sickness, it’s the life preserver that saves me. Consumed with sorrow and sadness, it comforts me. Weak and weary, Your Word encourages, strengthens and fortifies me. Blinded by the shadow of darkness, Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

I’ll delight in Your laws, meditate on them daily, and try to never neglect them. Use them O Lord, to preserve my life, according to Your love through Jesus I pray. Amen.

God’s laws aren’t meant to restrict us, but protect us. Be thankful for their convicting power because it saves your life!

To grasp the goodness, righteousness and holiness of God’s Word, I encourage you to read the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. Highlight all the ways God’s laws benefit you

Extreme Faithfulness

Recently as I was contemplating current events, not only in my community, but also in the world, the Lord took me to this perfect Word picture describing the world in which we live. The harsh realities are startling.

Zephaniah 3:1-5
1How terrible it will be for rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime. 2It proudly refuses to listen even to the voice of the LORD. No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the LORD or draw near to its God.

3Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims--out for everything they can get. Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey. 4Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain. Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God's laws. 5But the LORD is still there in the city, and he does no wrong. Day by day his justice is more evident, but no one takes notice--the wicked know no shame. NLT

My Forever Faithful King,
You are an amazing word artist. Your illustration of ancient Israel is strikingly similar to our disgusting, corrupt and unruly world today. Violence and crime permeate the whole earth. No place is sacred, clean or safe. Rebellious self-righteous leaders refuse to acknowledge Your Highness. They won’t listen to Your wise counsel. Pompous and proud, they ignore You.

Like rapacious lions waiting to pounce the most vulnerable prey, leaders use their influential positions to pad their pockets while plundering the poor. Judges behave like voracious wolves ready to rip apart Your Sacred Laws like a fresh carcass, leaving barely a trace of Your divinity. Everywhere false prophets are twisting the truth, attempting to capitalize on their sweet sounding lies. It’s difficult to know who to trust. Even our preachers desecrate Your Sanctuary by using Your Holy Word as a weapon to maim and kill souls.

Lord, I just want to cry when I think about the mess we’ve made of Your beautiful land! We accuse You of failing to protect us when bad things happen, but in reality we haven’t heeded Your warnings. Not much has changed since the ancient days.

O Sovereign God, the one thing that makes my soul leap for joy in the midst of the current chaos and confusion is that You’re smack-dab in the middle of it with us. Man hasn’t changed and neither have You. Immersed in modern culture, You’re just as holy, righteous and sovereign as You were in the Beginning. You’ve never made a mistake and You’ve never failed. Consistently, day after day, for thousands of Years, You’ve patiently and lovingly pardoned countless people, saving them from death and destruction. Yet, wicked men and women without conscience or shame persist in evil. O Lord, how much longer will You tolerate us?

Please give me a deeper desire to walk humbly with You. Quiet my raging soul so that I’ll hear Your sweet voice rejoicing when I choose to do what is right in this counter-Christian culture. Until You bring me home, Lord, make me an everlasting witness of Your amazing love and extravagant grace to a wicked watching world because of Jesus. Amen.

If the Holy Spirit opened the eyes of your heart to the harsh realities of the world in which we live, I challenge you to live differently. How will you practice godly living in a counter-Christian culture?

You might want to begin by spending time in the Word daily so that you’ll be able to know and discern the Truth when you hear it.

Extreme Forgiveness

Colossians 3:13-15
13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

Father in Heaven,
As I recollect the tragic events of last week, I wonder at the watching world witnessing the epitome of good and evil. On one hand, we watched, stunned, as a violent madman unleashed his fury by massacring Your innocent children. On the other hand, the whole world observed the miracle of Your amazing love and extravagant grace as heartbroken Amish parents immediately extended forgiveness to the family of Charles Carl Roberts IV, the cold-blooded killer.

I praise You Father for offering me the absolute assurance of Your blessed forgiveness. I acknowledge that apart from You, I too, am capable of any heinous act. I’m thankful that You found me when death was staring me in the face and hell was hard on my heels. I’m ecstatic that You saved me from complete destruction, graciously forgetting every bad choice I’ve ever made. Now I have the responsibility to show others that same kind of mercy.

Forgive me for allowing petty grievances to annoy me. I get hot and bothered by such trivial matters. If I can’t tolerate the small irritants how will I ever be able to display Your brilliant glory during a crisis or catastrophe? Please pardon me for letting little things disturb my peace.

I’m acutely aware that everything I do and say is an everlasting testimony for or against You. People everywhere are watching me, waiting to see my response to difficult people and tricky situations. As I walk and talk with You today, reading my Bible and obeying Your commands, please let Your perfect peace rule my heart. Fill me to overflowing with more of Your exuberant love and marvelous grace so that in the face of trouble or tragedy Your miraculous mercy will supernaturally spill out of me onto someone undeserving. O that I could be as gentle, peaceful, and forgiving as the Amish for the honor of Your glorious name. Amen.

Is there someone you need to forgive? In light of the undeserved forgiveness extended to you by Christ, you would be wise to show the same kind of mercy to those who’ve offended you. Can the watching world see God’s glory displayed in You through your attitudes and actions?

The following awesome testimony was printed in the local newspaper about Roberts’ burial: "About half of the roughly 75 mourners at the small Methodist churchyard bordered by cornfields were Amish. The interment was attended by the families of the Amish children who lost their lives."

Jesus leaves us with this example. Two thousand years ago as He hung on the cross dying a torturous death He cried out: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

Persevering Through Pain

James 5:10-11
10Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

O Great and Powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are Your purposes and mighty are Your deeds. Nothing is beyond Your control including Satan who ruthlessly and relentlessly torments me. You are fully aware of my tremendous distress and difficulties. My troubles do not surprise You. You’re with me always, full of compassion and mercy.

Thank You for Your ancient words, long preserved for my walk in this world. All I have to do is look at Job as an example of patience in the face of suffering. Rather than cursing and abandoning You, he depended and drew strength from You in his anguish. Please use my adversities to strengthen my faith. During difficult days I want to dig my roots deeper into You in order to withstand the storms.

I won’t hide my overwhelming despair. My emotions will show that I am human. Mourning my loss, I’ll continually worship You, Sovereign God, who has authority over everything. Like Job, I want to pass the test, proving that I can love You for who You are and not for what You give. Help me to find happiness and fulfillment in the one reality no one can take from me – Your great love for me.

Please dear Lord, make me a person of patience, faith, and endurance like Job. I long to pray continually and give thanks to You in all my circumstances, recognizing that difficulties will
transform me to be more like Jesus through whom I live and pray. Amen.

If a suddenly strong storm comes up today will you be able to stand firm through it? Will you be able to worship Him in it? I encourage you to dig your roots deeper into Jesus. He will strengthen you to withstand even the strongest storm. Spend time with Him reading your Bible and in prayer.

Read Job, chapters 1 and 2. Let him be an example of faith and endurance through the storms. Then, read Chapter 42, with hope.

Ultimate Test of Faith

Job 1: 6-12
6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"

Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

9 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10 "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."

Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

Most High and Sovereign King,
I know that You rule over the entire universe from Your throne in heaven. All power and might belong to You. Even the Prince of Darkness submits to Your almighty authority. Nothing can happen without your permission. Satan always has to answer to Your Highness. Knowing and believing the truth about your sovereignty makes it easier to obey Your command to rejoice and give thanks in ALL things.

When others mistreat me, I can give thanks. In the midst of misfortune, I can rejoice. Through difficult circumstances You’re building and strengthening my character. If I believe You are who You say You are, God Most High, who rules and overrules everything in heaven and earth, I will trust Your perfect love to see me through difficult tests and tough trials.

Just because I’m walking closely with You doesn’t mean You won’t allow bad things to happen. Many people have superficial faith, believing You when things are going well, but denying You when life gets rough. Adversity destroys superficial faith, but strengthens real faith. Do I really believe You? If I do, I will cling tightly to You. You will be my Life Line. Firmly attached to You with the belt of Truth, I will praise Your heavenly name, and recognize You for who You are and not for what You give.

Knowing that Satan has to ask Your permission to torment me helps me to understand. While You allow him to do so, to test my faith, You also put limits on him. He can take away my family and all my possessions, but He can’t destroy me! I am Yours! Please dear Lord, give me faith to believe so that I can stand firm like Job through the storms of life. Amen.

What do you believe about God? Do you believe He is who He says He is? During difficult circumstances do you cling to the Life Line of God Most High or do You abandon Him? It’s a test of faith.

Live Intentionally

On an ordinary Monday morning 26 innocent children went off to school with their lunch pails, scooters and jump ropes. It was just another Indian Summer day in a quiet, picturesque community of horse-drawn buggies, green pastures, and neat-as-a-pin farms. Parents probably didn’t consider that their gentle, peaceful lifestyle would be forever interrupted that bright Monday morning when an unthinkable tragedy came out of the blue like jetliners on a beautiful September morning five years ago. In the twinkling of an eye, life can be forever changed.

Psalm 39:4-5
4'O Lord, let me know my end and how many days I have to live. Let me know that I do not have long to stay here. 5You have made each of my days as long as a hand is wide. My whole life is nothing in Your eyes. Every man at his best is only a breath. NLV

Heavenly Father~Creator of all living things~
Thank You for the fabulous, fragile gift of life. I will cherish every day as a valuable present from You, my loving Father. Forgive me for tossing miracle moments aside to worry about insignificant incidences. Often I spend more time securing my life on earth, than I do thinking about where I will spend eternity.

Life is short! I don’t have long to stay here. Enlighten my mind to Your Holy Spirit and fill my heart with more grace so that I’ll be ready when You call my loved ones or me home. This is a picture perfect day that You have made. I’ll rejoice and be thankful for it. Living in the blessing of each precious moment, I’ll joyfully love and serve others because today could be my last chance. Please just give me more of Jesus to focus on the most important matters today for Your namesake. Amen.

You just don’t know when your life will be interrupted by a tragic event. It is imperative that you live each day like it’s your last. Don’t miss an opportunity to tell someone you love them. Give someone a hug today. Call a friend. Be a friend. You too, could find your life suddenly shattered.

Prayer For Amish Families

My heart is deeply saddened this week for the families affected by the horrific Amish Schoolhouse tragedy. I live only a few miles from the peaceful countryside where this unspeakable devastation occurred. Today several of the families lay their precious innocent children to rest. Please join with me in praying for these gentle people.

Psalm 23:4
Even 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.

God of Life~
I come to the throne of grace today with an enormously grief-filled heart for the families affected by Monday’s horrific tragedy in the serene farmlands of Pennsylvania. Guide each of their precious souls through the valley of darkness. They are utterly helpless and totally dependent on You, their Good Shepherd, to lead and protect them.

Gentle Shepherd please pick up these crippled lambs. Carry them in Your loving arms. Comfort their crushed spirits with a crimson blanket of peace. Heal their hurts with the priceless blood from Your wounds. Desperate and distraught, You are the Only One who can save them.

Please dear God, reach out and touch these humble, passive souls with Your amazing love. Shine the light of Truth on them so that they can see beyond the darkness of despair to the Golden City where Your glory shines brilliantly. There, their innocent children will live in Your splendid house forever because of Jesus. Amen.

If you wish to express your condolences to the families of the children who were killed or wounded in Monday's tragic shooting, you may send cards or letters to:

Amish Families
C/O The Bart Fire Company
Box 72, Bart, PA 17503 - Fire company officials will deliver the cards to appropriate families.
Amish typically don't carry health insurance for religious reasons. Their medical bills will be astronomical. Donations can be sent to:

Nickel Mines Children's Fund
C/O Coatesville Savings Bank
1082 Georgetown Road
Paradise, PA 17562
or www.coatesvillesavings.com

or Amish Schoolhouse Disaster
C/O Mennonite Disaster Service
1018 Main Street
Akron, PA 17501

Because Charles Roberts committed suicide his wife and three young children under the age of 8, are ineligible for life insurance benefits. Donations for the Roberts family can be sent to:

Roberts Family Fund
C/O Coatesville Savings Bank
1082 Georgetown Road
Paradise, PA 17562
or www.coatesvillesavings.com

Overflowing Love

I Thessalonians 3:12-13, 4:7
12May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

Holy Lord,
I must constantly remind myself that You’re the perfect Model of holiness. You’re more loving and powerful than I can possibly imagine. I marvel at the beautiful new life You’ve given me. It’s Your plan to make me exactly like Your own dear Son. Please enlarge my heart with more of Your love. Strengthen me with Your almighty power so that I’ll be scrupulous and blessed in Your pristine presence.

Full of Your amazing love and great power, my lips that once spewed angry, hateful, filthy language will now sing lovely songs of praise and thanksgiving. My mouth that once deceived will now declare the truth. My tongue that ceaselessly complained will gratefully compliment. My lustful eyes that used to notice attractive people now compassionately see the problems and potential of others. My ears that listened to the pressure of people now tremble at the sound of Your voice. My hands that were once busy building wealth, instead build rich relationships. Please continuously replace my greedy desires with generosity and contentment.

O Lord, let the sweetness of Your excessive love flow out of me onto a hemorrhaging world. Even when my own pain is excruciating, with my eyes focused on Your holiness, I’ll emanate joy. In times of crisis and conflict, peace will exude me. Let my words and actions be a harmonious love song that draws others to Your healing and holy presence. In my life Lord be glorified for Your namesake. Amen.

Look for an opportunity to express God’s love to someone today.

God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Called To Be Holy

1 Peter 1:15-16
15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Blessed King,
Approaching Your divine throne, with overwhelming gratitude I’m captivated by Your holiness! Your presence is pristine and Your power is terrifying. Though You are preeminent and transcendent beyond my understanding, I marvel that You come close to me. Shrouded in Your beautiful love, I’m unable to speak. Your mercy and justice takes my breath away.

The moment I heard Your voice and responded, I was adopted and accepted into Your beloved family. From the billions of people in the world You chose me to be a holy, pure and blameless ambassador, representing Your kingdom to a dark, desperate and hurting world. Out of deep love and gratitude, I’ll respectfully submit to Your authority by obeying Your commands.

Please help me to take time to be holy each day. The more time I spend silently in Your company and actively in Your classroom, the more I’ll become like You. As I peruse my Bible and pray, look deep into my heart. Teach me and test me. Scrutinize the words that flow from my mouth. Examine every one of my thoughts and motives. Show me anything that’s unpleasant to You. Make my heart sweet and mind pure so that others will see You gloriously exhibited in me. In my life Lord be magnified for the praise and honor of Your Holiness. Amen.

God is the Model of all holiness. He is holy in all His ways. If we are to be like Him, we must be holy in all that we do and say. In this life we will never be as holy as He is, but we should strive to be holy because He is holy.

Isn’t it true that we tend to behave like those we associate with? Who are you hanging out with? Who does your behavior and attitude reflect? People will mimic the God whom they worship.

God's Holiness

Isaiah 6:1-8
1In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. 3In a great chorus they sang,

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!"

4The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke.

5Then I said, "My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!"

6Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. 7He touched my lips with it and said, "See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven."

8Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?"
And I said, "Lord, I'll go! Send me." NLT

Holy and Sovereign God,
With all due respect and reverent awe I come into Your divine presence. Silently, I fix my eyes on Your inexplicable, splendor and majesty. High above the cosmic galaxies, beyond the stars and moon, is Your lofty throne. The earth and everything in it is Your footstool. Never ending fabric from Your crimson robe flows supremely through Your royal palace. Jubilant angels harmoniously sing of Your holiness, while the entire world epitomizes Your brilliant glory. I shudder at the view of Your unsurpassed excellence.

Aware of Your magnificent holiness, I fall down in utter fear of You. Ashamedly, I admit that I’ve made many terrible choices and done a lot of awful things. I’m tarnished, broken and unfit to be in Your holy presence; yet, I too have seen and felt Your greatness. With a single merciful touch You blotted out my mistakes, forgot my failures, and removed my shame. Graciously, You asked me to clean up my act and represent Your heavenly kingdom on earth.

Please dear Lord, expand my view of Your dominion. Gasping at Your supremacy daily, I’ll tremble in Your awesome presence, fearing You because You alone are the Lord God Almighty, and You alone are holy, holy, holy. No one else can touch my heart like You do. All glory, honor and praise belong to You, the Sovereign King, who reigns over all the earth from beyond the spectacular spacious skies. Hallelujah! Amen.

When we get a right view of God, we get a right view of ourselves. This helps us to remember that He is big, and people are little. Rather than living our lives to please people, we need to devote our lives to pleasing Him. Do you have a clear view of God’s holiness?

Photo copyright Public Domain, Hubble Telescope visit http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album

My Rock

Reflections from Psalm 62
5 I wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in him.

6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will not be shaken.

7 My salvation and my honor come from God alone.

He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

11 God has spoken plainly,

and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you;

12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you judge all people

according to what they have done. NLT

Almighty God-
My soul silently waits for You. My rest is in You alone. You are my rock and my salvation. Nothing can ever separate me from You! I run to You for shelter and protection. There, I calmly, quietly, patiently wait for the wicked world to pass.

The world is pursuing me, tempting me to join in the pursuit for power, prestige, possessions, and pleasure. Everywhere I turn, there is another demand for my time, talent, and treasure. The Prince of Darkness fully intends to topple me from my lofty and safe haven with You. All around me, people delight in his lies. They try to lure me by speaking persuasive words that sound good, pleasing and delightful, but in their hearts, they are deceitful. Before getting too excited about new attractive ideas, I will carefully examine the things I hear against Your Word. Please fill me with more knowledge and wisdom so that I can determine if I am hearing the Truth.

The temptation to abandon You can sneak up on me as a whisper of doubt. I will overcome the whisper of temptation by pouring out my heart to You. You will help me as I pray and diligently study Your Word. I will be devoted to You because You are strong, loving and dependable. I will love You with all my heart and soul. I will follow and fear You since You are my hope and my salvation. I will do my best to keep Your commands because I long for the promised reward to those who love and obey You. I believe You when You say, "The Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done."

Instead of chasing the world, I am choosing to pursue You, Jesus, the One and Only. Amen.

Who are you chasing the world or the Lord?

God's Handiwork

Psalm 8:3-4
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands

O Lord my God, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! The poet who wrote these verses years ago was properly dazzled by the night sky; however, if he could have looked through the Hubble Telescope for a scant ten minutes he would have undoubtedly fainted in wonderment. Even with our biggest and best telescopes directed at the stars that are billions upon trillions of miles away, we still can’t see the outermost edge of the universe. It’s mind-boggling to consider the cosmos as Your handiwork! I stand in reverent awe of Your enormous creativity.

What is man that You care so much for him? Compared to the cosmic galaxies, man is minuscule. Compared to You, we are nothing. If there is anything more stunning than the sheer scale and splendor of the universe, it’s the revelation that in all of Your greatness, we really do matter. It’s bewildering that You made us in Your image, crowning us with glory and honor. Though we’re nothing in contrast to the magnificent magnitude of creation, we’re extraordinarily valuable because we carry the signature of our Heavenly Designer. Because of our great worth in Your sight, You’ve assigned us the awesome responsibility of taking care of Your wonderful works.

Please dear Lord, give me a deeper understanding of who You are as the Divine Artist of the universe. Balance it with a healthy, humble view of myself as Your valued curator. With an accurate perception, I’ll worship You rather than the works of Your hands. Appropriate insight, will make me more cognizant and appreciative of Your gloriously brilliant works of art. Mindful of Your priceless creation, I’ll protect it, display it, and love it in honor of Your holy and majestic name. O Lord, my Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! Amen.

To respect God’s majesty we must compare ourselves to His greatness. When we look at creation: the cosmic galaxy, mighty mountains, or titanic ocean we feel small. To feel small is a healthy way to get back to the reality that God is big and people are little. Humility, however, means proper respect for God, along with a healthy image of yourself.

God considers us highly valuable. He has chosen us to be the crown of His creation. He has entrusted us with His fine art. How do you treat God’s creation? Use your resources wisely because He holds you accountable for your stewardship.

Photo copyright Public Domain

To view amazing pictures taken with the Hubble Telescope visit http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album

Autumn's Glory

Hebrews 1:3
Christ is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. (ESV)

2 Corinthians 3:18
All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. (MSG)

O Glorious Lord,
Thank You for autumn, the wondrous time of year when You naturally display Your radiant glory. The joyous explosion of color that bursts over the landscape breathes life into my soul. Blazing, multi-colored palettes of fall foliage are a spectacular backdrop for Your jaw-dropping beauty. You are the exact imprint of the stunning vistas that mesmerize me.

As I spend time in Your nature, open the eyes of my heart and enlighten my mind to see the glory of Jesus. Forgive me for the excessive attention I pay to insignificant people and things. Have mercy on me for Christ’s sake. Complete the fascinating design You began in me. Make me a showcase to display the magnificent, splendid, wonderful glory of Your grace.

Shine the light of the Gospel into my heart. Set me ablaze like the fall foliage as I focus clearly on Your glorious face. Transform me into Your brilliant, majestic, beautiful image. My blessed hope is in the day when I'll perfectly radiate Your glory because of Jesus. Amen.

When I ponder autumn’s beauty, I’m acutely aware that it is exceedingly more beautiful than me. I’m deeply moved and humbled. By nature, I do not live beautifully. My heart is too often consumed with concern about my glory rather than God’s. This revelation through God’s gloriously beautiful creation helps me keep things in perspective: God is BIG and beautiful. People are significantly smaller and less attractive.

Creative Power

Psalm 33:8-9
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.

9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

My Creator King,
Your dramatically designed world compels me to stop and wonder at who You are. Praise supernaturally pours from my heart when I recognize that You are the Maker of EVERYTHING. This is Your world and everything in it belongs to You. Your magnificent creative power far surpasses man’s prowess and imagination.

Man can make spectacularly tall buildings, but they’ll never reach the limitless sky. We can send a man to the moon, but no one can go near the sun. Impressive men can rule and reign over nations, but ultimately they will bow before Your Majesty. You, Almighty God, spoke one word, making the whole world for Your plan, purpose and pleasure. It’s inconceivable to even the most intelligent mind.

You speak, crippling a busy city with a hurricane or snow storm. One strong breath from heaven can create winds that slow our supersonic jets, making us late for important destinations. That same burst of air from Your lips can pick up our sturdy homes, turning them into match sticks. At the sound of Your thunderous voice, heavy rains, lightening and hail force the cancellation of our public events. The high seas command the respect of even the best built ocean liners. Your mouth immobilizes the earth.

I thank You Father, for everything and anything that humbles me before the mystery of life. When my heart is laden with fear and anxiety attacks my soul, help me remember that You’re bigger than anyone or anything. Please keep me from the folly of worshipping people and their inanimate objects. You alone are God and I bless Your holy name. Amen.

Today, consider the greatness of God. In awe of His marvelous power, let go of your fear of people, and worship Him alone by trusting Him to take care of you, His treasured creation.

Reflect on the lyrics to this beautiful old hymn:
This Is My Father’ World
(Copyright Public Domain)

1. This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

2. This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.

3. This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!

God's Majesty

Psalm 104:1
O LORD my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

O Lord, You are incredibly awesome! Wrapped in an elegant garment of brilliant light, You’re dressed in golden splendor and sparkling majesty. You stretch out the skies like an unending tent over the entire universe. You send glimmering rays to heaven to glisten on the water. A blazing Holy Spirit Wildfire ignites hearts and souls with Your glory.

As the brisk breeze blows puffy white clouds, You ride them like Your chariots. The winds are Your messenger. Sometimes they quietly whisper, rustling the colorful autumn leaves. Other times they’re a thunderous roar rebuking raging rivers into the ravines.

You are an amazingly sophisticated artist. You’ve wisely designed day and night, land and sea, plants and animals, man and woman, each with a unique purpose for Your pleasure. The earth is full of Your glorious goodness.

How many are Your works O Lord! Your glory endures forever! When I look on the magnificent high, jagged peaks rising abruptly from the flat valley, I am captivated by Your wonderful creativity. Gazing upon spectacular splashing waves suddenly lifting from the deep sea, I am spellbound by Your splendid beauty. Seeing You as You truly are, my only response is to exalt You in the beauty of Your holiness and sing praises to my Creator King. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, all thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea! Amen.

Take a walk through nature and worship God on the ground you walk on. It’s His private property.

Learning to Fear the Lord

Psalm 34: 9, 11
9 Let the LORD's people show him reverence,
for those who honor him will have all they need.

11 Come, my children, and listen to me,
and I will teach you to fear the LORD. NLT

Holy One of Israel,
With all due respect, I come to You, bowing down before Your majesty. Silently, I gaze upon Your mysterious, glorious presence. Approaching Your throne with overwhelming gratitude I‘m certain that You’ll teach me to love and respect You. It's an incredible privilege to sit under Your divine instruction. Please give me a tender heart, a teachable spirit, and a yielded will to learn to properly honor and revere You above every other person or thing that exists.

Admittedly, I’d prefer to learn in a comfortable, pleasant setting, but because of Who You are, I’m willing to attend the classroom of Your choice even if the conditions are rough and harsh. You know the best place to impart wisdom on me. Using the Holy Bible as my textbook, I’ll learn of Your inconceivable love and Your holy anger. I’ll understand that while You’re compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love, You also punish the guilty. Love and justice are both expressions of Your holiness that I need to be familiar with.

O wise and wonderful Teacher, tune my ears to listen amidst all the commotion and confusion going on around me. Help me to remain poised and focused on the importance of each perfectly planned lesson. Empower me to tirelessly study Your Words every day of my life. Write them as notes on my heart so that I’ll remember them through life’s challenging tests. Above all, may I always keep in mind, that You are and have the Only right answer, JESUS. As I grow by grace, in the knowledge of Your holiness, I’ll be eager to do Your will, Your way because I am respectfully Yours. Amen.

Consistent Bible reading is a tough assignment! You may need help with it. Ask someone to pray for you. Get a "study buddy" – a brother or sister you can meet with regularly to share the lessons you’re learning in the classroom of your heart. In doing so, you’ll be praising and honoring your holy God, blessing one another, and inspiring each other to persevere through the difficult tests.

Reverence is much more than sitting quietly in church, it includes doing God’s will His

Life With The King

Leviticus 26:11-13
11I will live among you, and I will not despise you. 12I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt so you would no longer be slaves. I have lifted the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk free with your heads held high.

O Holy One,
I’m still mesmerized by Your greatness! Your power has left me speechless. Your love has taken my breath away. I’m awestruck by Your mercy and justice. Though You are preeminent and transcendent beyond my comprehension, I marvel at Your immanency. I’m flabbergasted that someone with Your prominence and power would leave the Celestial City to live with me.

Did I hear You correctly, Holy God who rules the universe? You will not despise me? You will walk with me? You will be my God? I will belong to You? It’s unfathomable that someone in Your eminent position would accept and adopt a beat up, burned out, unkempt ragamuffin like me. Yet, by Your grace, You invited me to live with You. Bringing me in from the dirty, noisy, sinful streets, You placed me right in the middle of Your royal family with everyone else who doesn’t deserve to be there. That’s amazing!

I cherish the distinguished position You’ve given me. Knowing that I’m loved by the greatest King of all time, I no longer have to hang my head in shame. Walking with poise and dignity, I’ll follow You all of my days because I believe Your precious promises. Jesus, You are my King. Amen.

Do you believe the promises from the mouth of God? They’re His gift to you. Write them on the tablet of your heart and remember them! It is imperative to believe the words of the King more than you believe anything else.

“The gospel is only available to people who know they are unclean.” –Ed Welch, When People are Big and God is Small

Holiness of God

Psalm 77:13
Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?

Isaiah 40:25
To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

Hosea 11:9
I am God, and not man—
the Holy One among you.

Holy God,
There is none like You! You are vastly different and far greater than Your creatures. Who can grasp Your unlimited wisdom? Who can comprehend the depths of Your love? Your love and justice are above my limited understanding; they are holy.

Your exquisite love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens; Your faithfulness to the skies. You sit enthroned above the earth. You stretch out the heavens like a canvas, making a gigantic tent for Your home. Gazing down on us from Your high and lofty view, we must seem like molecular organisms. Yet in Your vastness, nothing gets lost or goes unnoticed. I can’t possibly appreciate Your astronomical loyalty.

Your supreme power is that of the Almighty; it is incomparable. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains – unattainable, majestic, and beautiful. Your justice and mercy are deeper than the ocean – inaccessible, pristine, and titanic. In Your transcendence, You reduce princes to paupers. I admire Your magnificent holiness.

Please dear Lord, expand my view of Your preeminence. Gasping at Your supremacy, I’ll tremble in Your awesome presence, fearing You and You alone because You alone are the Lord God Almighty, and You alone are holy, holy, holy. All glory, honor and praise belong to You, the One Great God, who rules and reigns over all the earth from heaven above. Hallelujah! Amen.

Take some time alone with God today, meditating on His holiness. Read Psalm 36:5-9 and Isaiah 40:22-26.

Married Without Shame

Isaiah 54:4-5
4 "Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more, 5 for your Creator will be your husband. The Lord Almighty is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.

Holy One of Israel,
My Creator and Redeemer,
Lord Almighty,

God of all the earth,

In reverent awe of who You are, I quietly come to You, just as I am – blind, naked, and poor; dirty, unattractive and lame; exhausted, anxious and embarrassed. I’m unfit to appear before the King of kings and Lord of lords. I come by faith, expecting to receive a miracle makeover.

Graciously, You extend Your compassion and mighty hand to touch me and take away my shame. With a stroke of Your greatness You forgive and forget all that I’ve ever done. My grief is gone because my mistakes no longer define me.

Not only do You take away my indignity, You do the utterly inconceivable – You choose to love and marry me despite my past. United with You in holy Oneness, nothing can separate us. I am eternally Yours. As Your cherished friend, You create an atmosphere of security where I can dwell and flourish. Meditating on the loving promises from Your mouth, my Bible, You change my mundane existence into glorious living color. The sweetness of Your transforming love makes my heart flutter.

I’m delighted that I no longer have to be afraid or ashamed. I’ll never again be disappointed or discouraged as long as I trust You, my Bridegroom, more than anyone else. O Holy One, please give me more faith to believe You because You are the only true Lover of My Soul. Amen.

Does shame define you? Do you live in fear of your reputation? If so I encourage you to meditate on the loving promises from the mouth of God. Do you hear what He’s saying to you in these Scriptures?
From the above Scripture, write down His amazing promises; ponder them until they penetrate your heart. They are His precious gift to you.