Lyrics to Carried To The Table :

Wounded and forsaken
I was shattered by the fall
Broken and forgotten
Feeling lost and all alone
Summoned by the King
Into the Master's courts
Lifted by the Savior
And cradled in His arms

I was carried to the table
Seated where I don't belong
Carried to the table
Swept away by His love
And I don't see my brokenness anymore
When I'm seated at the table of the Lord
I'm carried to the table
The table of the Lord

Fighting thoughts of fear
And wondering why He called my name
Am I good enough to share this cup
This world has left me lame
Even in my weakness
The Savior called my name
In His Holy presence
I'm healed and unashamed

You carried me, my God
You carried me

CLICK HERE

Click here too!

My Memory Verse this Week 12-30-13 / Memorize by Saturday 1-4-13

Psalm 119:73-74

New Living Translation (NLT)

73 

You made me; you created me.
    Now give me the sense to follow your commands.
74 May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy,
    for I have put my hope in your word.

Ps 37

Psalm 37[a]

A psalm of David.

1 Don’t worry about the wicked
    or envy those who do wrong.
2 For like grass, they soon fade away.
    Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
    Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
    and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

7 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
    and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
    or fret about their wicked schemes.

8 Stop being angry!
    Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
    it only leads to harm.
9 For the wicked will be destroyed,
    but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

10 Soon the wicked will disappear.
    Though you look for them, they will be gone.
11 The lowly will possess the land
    and will live in peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the godly;
    they snarl at them in defiance.
13 But the Lord just laughs,
    for he sees their day of judgment coming.

14 The wicked draw their swords
    and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
    to slaughter those who do right.
15 But their swords will stab their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.

16 It is better to be godly and have little
    than to be evil and rich.
17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
    but the Lord takes care of the godly.

18 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
    and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
19 They will not be disgraced in hard times;
    even in famine they will have more than enough.

20 But the wicked will die.
    The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—
    they will disappear like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and never repay,
    but the godly are generous givers.
22 Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,
    but those he curses will die.

23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
    for the Lord holds them by the hand.

25 Once I was young, and now I am old.
    Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
    or their children begging for bread.
26 The godly always give generous loans to others,
    and their children are a blessing.

27 Turn from evil and do good,
    and you will live in the land forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
    and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,
    but the children of the wicked will die.
29 The godly will possess the land
    and will live there forever.

30 The godly offer good counsel;
    they teach right from wrong.
31 They have made God’s law their own,
    so they will never slip from his path.

32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
    looking for an excuse to kill them.
33 But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed
    or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

34 Put your hope in the Lord.
    Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
    You will see the wicked destroyed.

35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people
    flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
36 But when I looked again, they were gone!
    Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

37 Look at those who are honest and good,
    for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
38 But the rebellious will be destroyed;
    they have no future.

39 The Lord rescues the godly;
    he is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them,
    rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
    and they find shelter in him.

Ps 146

Psalm 146

¹ Praise the Lord!

Let all that I am praise the Lord.
²  I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

³ Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
⁴ When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
⁵ But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
⁶ He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
⁷ He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
⁸  The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
The Lord loves the godly.
⁹ The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

¹⁰ The Lord will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord!

Ps 145

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise of David.

¹ I will exalt you, my God and King,
and praise your name forever and ever.
² I will praise you every day;
yes, I will praise you forever.
³ Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness.

⁴ Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
let them proclaim your power.
⁵ I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor
and your wonderful miracles.
⁶ Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;
I will proclaim your greatness.
⁷ Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;
they will sing with joy about your righteousness.

⁸ The Lord is merciful and compassionate,

slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

⁹ The Lord is good to everyone.

He showers compassion on all his creation.

¹⁰ All of your works will thank you, Lord,

and your faithful followers will praise you.

¹¹ They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;

they will give examples of your power.

¹² They will tell about your mighty deeds

and about the majesty and glory of your reign.

¹³ For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
You rule throughout all generations.

The Lord always keeps his promises;
he is gracious in all he does.
¹⁴ The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you in hope;
you give them their food as they need it.
¹⁶ When you open your hand,
you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in everything he does;
he is filled with kindness.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to all who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹ He grants the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
²⁰ The Lord protects all those who love him,
but he destroys the wicked.

²¹ I will praise the Lord,
and may everyone on earth bless his holy name
forever and ever.

Maturity

What is Christian Maturity?

By Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

Read I Peter 5!
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (II Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV)
Maturity is realizing that our Lord can and will bring goodness and glory to any situation, as long as He is glorified. That is even through our weakness and failures, through our letdowns and discouragement's, Christ is there loving us and encouraging us. Through blessings and good times we do not become complacent with our blessings, but keep our eyes on Him. Paul knew this first hand and lived it out in his life and ministry, as must we. Whatever our circumstance we need to see that it impales in significance to the eternity we have to come. This world and life is a dress rehearsal, and a mere shadow to what is to come. So let us keep the focus to what is ahead and what we will enjoy for all time that we may not see unless we press on to the goal, and then at the end we will see.
One of the clearest evidences of being a mature Christian is an increased awareness and knowledge for the need to be in Christ, and not to be to ourselves. When we have an increased need that goes beyond our "self-confidence", so that Christ is the focus, and not ourselves. When we are in on our Lord and the Holy Spirit; then our self-confidence becomes rooted and dependent in Christ working through us. So we are not "self driven" but "Christ driven". Thus resulting in our will to be in total surrender to God's will as the driving force for our existence.
To many people feel they are to busy to contemplate their existence, just ask any one and you will be surprised on the answers. Yet God created us for a purpose, but most give little to no credence to it, even Christians. We can not venture into maturity unless we realize the need and the purpose of who we are in Christ.
As mature Christians we will recognize our need for Christ that will bring us beyond our failures and blessings, so we can grow increasingly effective for our Lord and grow in sanctification. That we are focused on the goal of holiness to be the person God created. He created us to be images of Himself, and as images we are to reflect His character, that goes beyond ourselves to the purpose He has. It is not about our needs but His need, its not our purpose but His purpose.
As we grow in Christ we will become aware of our futility and inadequacy as human beings, that we are products of our Fallen Nature that only Christ can regain and redeem. And this frailty will become a strong building with the foundation of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit who gives us extreme provision and realization to be our best for God's glory. We become complete human beings who walk away from our fallen nature into a renewed nature in Christ. As we grow in the progress of our walk with Christ we become more able to stay on the path of that He has for us. So that to open temptations and venture into new paths away from His presence will no longer consume or desires. Instead we are to become convicted to spiritual fulfillment that Christ has for us. Thus, when we walk on the path of God and we are confronted with the enormous assortment of doors, all leading to temptations and desires we will know what to do. All these distractions and sins leading away from His best for us, thus they will not be a temptation, but rather repulsive and ugly as they truly are.

With the power of the Holy Sprit and the conviction of faith in Christ, when we are modeling His image with love; we are maturing. Not what we think His image is, but as reveled in scripture! And the desires and aspirations that once hindered us will be of no bother; we will be able to walk away from them like a racehorse. A racehorse has its blinders on the side of its eyes, so it is always pointing straight ahead, so they're not distracted from leaving the course. We to must keep our eyes focused ahead so we're not distracted away from our Lord. For when we are overcome by our desires and distracted from our purpose, then the diseases of character flaws will infect us like cancer, and consume the body of Christ that end up serving only our whims and the devils purpose. When we stop and open those doors of temptations, even the small doggie doors we will be consumed, and our growth in Christ will stop and the infection of diseases will replace their growth.
There are to many Christians who flat out and deliberately refuse to surrender themselves the Lordship of Christ. Christianity is merely fire insurance from Hell, or some means of social influence or personal desires that do not grow beyond the sinners prayer: Such as the parable of the sower. Our Christian growth in maturity is not self-realization, but rather Christ realization. As we grow we become totally aware of one great fact: there is one God and we are not it. That our confidence in who we are is because of the work Christ has done on our behalf. As we grow our utter dependence is upon our Lord and our confidence is in Him and not ourselves. Because people will always disappoint us, we will even disappoint ourselves, but Christ will not disappoint, but gives us the care, love, and His grace that we do not deserve, that we intern model to others who we think do not deserve it, because this is our mandate and call.
The Mature Christian is rooted and grounded in the spiritual disciplines of the faith, whose drive is there passionate love relationship to the Lordship of Christ. And what flows out of it is the desire to love God"s people, is to lead others with love into maturity, and lead were they have been before, and the people have not been. The leader exhibits the maturity of the Christian life, as the result of their growth and experience in the faith. An effective leader can not be new to the faith, even the Apostle Paul spent three years being discipled by Barnabas, and he received his call and was empowered directly from Christ Himself. I have seen to many immature Christians who go at it by who they are in society, and not who they are in Christ.
A few years ago while on staff at a church, we received a family who came to faith at a crusade, and the father was the founder of a major fast food franchise. So in less than a year he was my boss, and the president, ruling Elder of the congregation. Now he was a great guy, and very successful in business, but he did not know how to run a church. So he instinctually ran it like a business and his policies failed. He did not know how to lead in a church, which is different than in a corporation, even though a lot of the principles are transferable. After several years he did become a good leader, as he matured in the faith. But the church suffered during his learning curve needlessly.
There is no substitute to time spent in the face of our Lord, with a surrendered heart and a learning will. We must be willing to humble no matter who we are or our experience. I had to lean this lesson, a few years back; I went from being on staff at a large and influential church to a small church in a small town. I at first thought before accepting the call that I was to good for it, but God wanted me there to teach me to walk closer to Him, and not walk in the position that I held. So I did, and I experienced humbleness, nobody knew me as the conference speaker or author, or big position in a big church, but just a youth pastor in a small church. But this is where Christ wanted me, and I learned a lot there, preparing me for the road He had for me. And I'm glad I went there because I learned things in a broader context, that I could not have in a large mega church.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. (II Timothy 2:15-16; 22-24 NIV)
This passage is a testimony to the importance of holiness, and to keep ourselves growing in our spiritual lives so that our emotional selves are impacted and grow too. Spiritual maturity will lead into emotional maturity most of the time, unless there is some physiological, or psychological problem, or deep stress that has never been resolved. It is imperative for the Christian to be in control of their emotional health. If the Christian is given to fits of rage or is just overly emotional, they can not set the example that Christ has in our character. We are not to be Vulcan's exhibiting pure logic and no emotions, absolutely not. God created us as emotional beings, but as with anything we must have control of the excess and the potential for rampage.

© 1990 R. J. Krejcir, Into Thy Word Ministries http://www.discipleshiptools.org/

Gifts

My Child,
I have gifted you with a special talent, something only you can do and something only you can use. You may not see what it is or value what it’s worth, but I have created you to use it for the purpose of carving a mark of faith on the hearts of those you love. You can decide to bury this talent. If you do, no one will ever see it and you will miss the purpose of your life. Or you can use the talent to bring attention to yourself, and no lives will ever be changed by what you do. Instead, I ask you to dedicate all that you are and all that you are equipped to do to Me so I can multiply every good and perfect gift I have placed inside of you. The talent I have given you is of value only if it spent on others for My glory, not yours.

Love,
Your God, the Gift-giver

Lord, I repent for not being grateful for how you have made me and the gifts you have given me. Change my heart and make me a grateful and thankful child. :)

Building

I want to repent and stop building my own house, but to build God's with Him.

Haggai 1-2

Caught Up with Taking Care of Your Own Houses

1 On the first day of the sixth month of the second year in the reign of King Darius of Persia, God’s Message was delivered by the prophet Haggai to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak:
² A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: “The people procrastinate. They say this isn’t the right time to rebuild my Temple, the Temple of God.”
^3-4 Shortly after that, God said more and Haggai spoke it: “How is it that it’s the ‘right time’ for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, God’s Temple, is in ruins?”
^5-6 And then a little later, God-of-the-Angel-Armies spoke out again:

“Take a good, hard look at your life.
Think it over.
You have spent a lot of money,
but you haven’t much to show for it.
You keep filling your plates,
but you never get filled up.
You keep drinking and drinking and drinking,
but you’re always thirsty.
You put on layer after layer of clothes,
but you can’t get warm.
And the people who work for you,
what are they getting out of it?
Not much—
a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that’s what.

⁷ That’s why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said:

“Take a good, hard look at your life.
Think it over.”

^8-9 Then God said:

“Here’s what I want you to do:
Climb into the hills and cut some timber.
Bring it down and rebuild the Temple.
Do it just for me. Honor me.
You’ve had great ambitions for yourselves,
but nothing has come of it.
The little you have brought to my Temple
I’ve blown away—there was nothing to it.

^9-11 “And why?” (This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, remember.) “Because while you’ve run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins. That’s why. Because of your stinginess. And so I’ve given you a dry summer and a skimpy crop. I’ve matched your tight-fisted stinginess by decreeing a season of drought, drying up fields and hills, withering gardens and orchards, stunting vegetables and fruit. Nothing—not man or woman, not animal or crop—is going to thrive.”
¹² Then the governor, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak, and all the people with them listened, really listened, to the voice of their God. When God sent the prophet Haggai to them, they paid attention to him. In listening to Haggai, they honored God.
¹³ Then Haggai, God’s messenger, preached God’s Message to the people: “I am with you!” God’s Word.
^14-15 This is how God got Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the people moving—got them working on the Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. This happened on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.

This Temple Will End Up Better Than It Started Out

2 ^1-3 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Word ofGod came through the prophet Haggai: “Tell Governor Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak and all the people: ‘Is there anyone here who saw the Temple the way it used to be, all glorious? And what do you see now? Not much, right?
^4-5 “‘So get to work, Zerubbabel!’—God is speaking.
“‘Get to work, Joshua son of Jehozadak—high priest!’
“‘Get to work, all you people!’—God is speaking.
“‘Yes, get to work! For I am with you.’ The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is speaking! ‘Put into action the word I covenanted with you when you left Egypt. I’m living and breathing among you right now. Don’t be timid. Don’t hold back.’
^6-7 “This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies said: ‘Before you know it, I will shake up sky and earth, ocean and fields. And I’ll shake down all the godless nations. They’ll bring bushels of wealth and I will fill this Temple with splendor.’ God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.

⁸ ‘I own the silver,
I own the gold.’
Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

⁹ “‘This Temple is going to end up far better than it started out, a glorious beginning but an even more glorious finish: a place in which I will hand out wholeness and holiness.’ Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.”
^10-12 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (again, this was in the second year of Darius), God’s Message came to Haggai: “God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaks: Consult the priests for a ruling. If someone carries a piece of sacred meat in his pocket, meat that is set apart for sacrifice on the altar, and the pocket touches a loaf of bread, a dish of stew, a bottle of wine or oil, or any other food, will these foods be made holy by such contact?”
The priests said, “No.”
¹³ Then Haggai said, “How about someone who is contaminated by touching a corpse—if that person touches one of these foods, will it be contaminated?”
The priests said, “Yes, it will be contaminated.”
¹⁴ Then Haggai said, “‘So, this people is contaminated. Their nation is contaminated. Everything they do is contaminated. Whatever they do for me is contaminated.’ God says so.
^15-17 “‘Think back. Before you set out to lay the first foundation stones for the rebuilding of my Temple, how did it go with you? Isn’t it true that your foot-dragging, halfhearted efforts at rebuilding the Temple of God were reflected in a sluggish, halfway return on your crops—half the grain you were used to getting, half the wine? I hit you with drought and blight and hail. Everything you were doing got hit. But it didn’t seem to faze you. You continued to ignore me.’ God’s Decree.
^18-19 “‘Now think ahead from this same date—this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Think ahead from when the Temple rebuilding was launched. Has anything in your fields—vine, fig tree, pomegranate, olive tree—failed to flourish? From now on you can count on a blessing.’”
^20-21 God’s Message came a second time to Haggai on that most memorable day, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month: “Speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah:
^21-23 “‘I am about to shake up everything, to turn everything upside down and start over from top to bottom—overthrow governments, destroy foreign powers, dismantle the world of weapons and armaments, throw armies into confusion, so that they end up killing one another. And on that day’”—this is God’s Message—“‘I will take you, O Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, as my personal servant and I will set you as a signet ring, the sign of my sovereign presence and authority. I’ve looked over the field and chosen you for this work.’” The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

He KNOWS ME.

Psalm 139

A David Psalm

139 ^1-6 God, investigate my life;
get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
then up ahead and you’re there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can’t take it all in!

^7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings
to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute—
you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

^13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.

^17-22 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them—
any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
And you murderers—out of here!—
all the men and women who belittle you, God,
infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
See how I hate those who hate you, God,
see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Your enemies are my enemies!

^23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Schedule

I realized the root of my frustrations is that fact that I haven't been believing that heaven is worth it, that I haven't been trusting God.  That God is a good Dad.  That He wants me to not worry about this life, but do exactly what He asks me to do here, now, so that I can spend eternity in glory.  That things on the other side are better, wonderful,....WORTH IT.  He has my best interest in mind, I don't have to try and control my schedule, He knows the best one.  He knows what job I should have, how I should spend Tuesday nights, what prayer slots to attend, what women I should hang out with.  He knows it all, I can stop trying to figure it all out.  I can....

SURRENDER.

Hahaha, wow, what a wonderful thought. I want to encourage you all, if you have been challenged by schedule changes, or sacrifices, or feeling like there is no way to balance all that we have on our plates, just ask the Lord.  He will help you out, He will make things clear.  Surrender.  Quit thinking you have a better plan, something more manageable or fair.  Surrender.  Repent for trying to make a plan for your life,  He gave you life, His plan is better, TRUST Him, He is faithful, He won't let you down. 

I repent that I haven't believed that He is a good Dad and that I CAN trust Him.  I don't want changes in "my routine" to frustrate me any longer.  I want to live this life according to His plan, and BELIEVE that what is to come IS worth it. I want to trust my Father, no matter how difficult, but I can only do this with you guys.  I will need your help to keep on trusting. (From Shy)

Good Reminder of the Lord's Perspective of Money

(This is the day of our extravagant open house)


Habbakuk 2

⁴ “Look at that man, bloated by self-importance—
full of himself but soul-empty.
But the person in right standing before God
through loyal and steady believing
is fully alive, really alive.

^5-6 “Note well: Money deceives.
The arrogant rich don’t last.
They are more hungry for wealth
than the grave is for cadavers.
Like death, they always want more,
but the ‘more’ they get is dead bodies.
They are cemeteries filled with dead nations,
graveyards filled with corpses.
Don’t give people like this a second thought.
Soon the whole world will be taunting them:

^6-8 “‘Who do you think you are—
getting rich by stealing and extortion?
How long do you think
you can get away with this?’
Indeed, how long before your victims wake up,
stand up and make you the victim?
You’ve plundered nation after nation.
Now you’ll get a taste of your own medicine.
All the survivors are out to plunder you,
a payback for all your murders and massacres.

^9-11 “Who do you think you are—
recklessly grabbing and looting,
Living it up, acting like king of the mountain,
acting above it all, above trials and troubles?
You’ve engineered the ruin of your own house.
In ruining others you’ve ruined yourself.
You’ve undermined your foundations,
rotted out your own soul.
The bricks of your house will speak up and accuse you.
The woodwork will step forward with evidence.

^12-14 “Who do you think you are—
building a town by murder, a city with crime?
Don’t you know that God-of-the-Angel-Armies
makes sure nothing comes of that but ashes,
Makes sure the harder you work
at that kind of thing, the less you are?
Meanwhile the earth fills up
with awareness of God’s glory
as the waters cover the sea.

^15-17 “Who do you think you are—
inviting your neighbors to your drunken parties,
Giving them too much to drink,
roping them into your sexual orgies?
You thought you were having the time of your life.
Wrong! It’s a time of disgrace.
All the time you were drinking,
you were drinking from the cup of God’s wrath.
You’ll wake up holding your throbbing head, hung over—
hung over from Lebanon violence,
Hung over from animal massacres,
hung over from murder and mayhem,
From multiple violations
of place and people.

^18-19 “What’s the use of a carved god
so skillfully carved by its sculptor?
What good is a fancy cast god
when all it tells is lies?
What sense does it make to be a pious god-maker
who makes gods that can’t even talk?
Who do you think you are—
saying to a stick of wood, ‘Wake up,’
Or to a dumb stone, ‘Get up’?
Can they teach you anything about anything?
There’s nothing to them but surface.
There’s nothing on the inside.

²⁰ “But oh! God is in his holy Temple!
Quiet everyone—a holy silence. Listen!”

Abide

Idea

Start rewriting what the Lord tells me in this blog. Also He wants me to study submission, so I could use this for study notes

Devotional

God's Letter to You

I believe if The Lord was going to write you a personal letter about battles this life brings it may read like this....

My Daughter,

I have chosen you to bear much fruit with your life, but apart from Me you will be powerless and unproductive. No matter how much you love others and want to see them grow, that will not happen apart from Me. My Son is your lifeline and your vine. You are My beautiful branch, and if you will stay connected to Me, My Spirit will flow through you in ways that will bring amazing growth to you and to My Kingdom. Fruit that is seeded by My Holy Spirit will bring a great harvest. When I am the vinedresser, the fruit is sweet and a reflection of all I am in you. There is nothing more delightful than a fruitful life, so stay connected to My vine. Then watch the beautiful fruit that grows from your faithfulness to Me, as well as the fruit that bursts forth in the hearts of those you watered with My Word.

Love,
Your God and Vinedresser

Light in your Eyes

This was playing the CVS when I went in this morning and I was reminded HOW MUCH the Lord knows and loves me. He knows that I love Sheryl Crowe's music and he sees and knows me like no one else can. I am so thankful that He knows me and wants to talk to me. Lord help me to desire to talk to you above anyone else.

Light in your Eyes

Talk to the one who understands
Talk to the one who gave you
All the light in your eyes
All the light in your eyes

No use pretendin'
You never existed
'Till you saw the light, yeah

You're just beginning
You haven't missed it, it's all ahead of you,
And you know what to do 

[Chorus]

Here comes the world and,
She is beautifully mysterious
She's got it all and you say,
Give it to me

Nobody's happy
That's not the world I knew inside
Where everybody hides

[Chorus]

You gotta talk to the one who loves you
Talk to the one who understands
Talk to the one who gave you 
All the light in your eyes
All the light in your eyes

Yeah, thank you, thank you
Yeah, everything great and small
Yeah, thank you, thank you 
For the light in your eyes 

Something is happenin'
Everything's different,
But everything is fine, yeah

And this is the good stuff, 
And yesterday is only what you leave behind
It's only in your mind 

[Chorus]
You gotta talk to the one who made you
Talk to the one who understands

Truth

"Hold onto the truth that I love you. Hold onto the fact that I will NEVER leave you. Hold onto my word that is always true. Hold onto the promise that I am the friend that sticks closer than a brother. Hold onto the fact that I know every thought in your head and why you think it and what to do about it. I am not confused or befuddled by your problems. They are not overwhelming to me. They are not "too much" for me to handle. I have handled worse, Kristina. Hold onto my promise that you are NOT in this alone. You will never be in this battle alone. I am so PROUD of you for not giving into self pity and just sitting in it. It is much harder to fight it. You looked outside of yourself and looked to others. You gave and gave til you had nothing left. My darling, my precious sweetheart, REST IN ME. I have many great things in store for you. Sometimes you have to come to the end of yourself to reach the beginning of recognizing my provision in your utter weakness. This gospel is not one for the strong. It is for those who realize that their dependance holds the key to the greatest power that is available. Hold onto me. My darling, I have never let go of you. You fight me, but I will still hold you. I will still hold you. I am still loving you. You are precious to me and I will shout and shout and shout until all the lies swirling around your being are silenced and only love remains. Rest in my Love. Hold onto my Truth. I will not give you more than you can handle. We are a team and My Team always wins. Be assured that you are well taken care of. Goodnight darling. I sing over you."

The Purpose of His Will

The Purpose of his Will - that we might be for the Praise of His Glory

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
eph 1:11-12

"Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing you praise

Your light will shine when all else fades, never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise become my embrace
To love you from the inside out"

Truth vs. Lies

"You'll never be good enough!" My enemy chants,
"You're my chosen one." My Love says with one glance.

"You can't do this, you are crazy!"
"My ways are not your ways, my sweet little daisy."

"You don't have the strength, You can't make it through!"
"Your heart is resilient, I would know - I MADE YOU."

"You think you will make it? Ha. See and you'll fail."
"My strength in your weakness will surely prevail."

"Don't dream anymore, get realistic. Be real."
"Behave like my daughter, you are marked by my seal."

"He won't come through - take control, it's right!"
"Those who act like little children -- Precious in my sight."

"Don't believe Him - Look at what it might cost you!"
"No where will I lead where I won't carry you through."

What is God looking for?

What God Is Looking For

^{Micah 6:3-5}

^3-5 “Dear people, how have I done you wrong?
Have I burdened you, worn you out? Answer!
I delivered you from a bad life in Egypt;
I paid a good price to get you out of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you—
and Aaron and Miriam to boot!
Remember what Balak king of Moab tried to pull,
and how Balaam son of Beor turned the tables on him.
Remember all those stories about Shittim and Gilgal.
Keep all God’s salvation stories fresh and present.”

How can I stand up before God
and show proper respect to the high God?
Should I bring an armload of offerings
topped off with yearling calves?
Would God be impressed with thousands of rams,
with buckets and barrels of olive oil?
Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child,
my precious baby, to cancel my sin?

⁸ But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.

Micah 7:14-17

^14-17 Shepherd, O God, your people with your staff,
your dear and precious flock.
Uniquely yours in a grove of trees,
centered in lotus land.
Let them graze in lush Bashan
as in the old days in green Gilead.
Reproduce the miracle-wonders
of our exodus from Egypt.
And the godless nations: Put them in their place—
humiliated in their arrogance, speechless and clueless.
Make them slink like snakes, crawl like cockroaches,
come out of their holes from under their rocks
And face our God.
Fill them with holy fear and trembling.

^18-20 Where is the god who can compare with you—
wiping the slate clean of guilt,
Turning a blind eye, a deaf ear,
to the past sins of your purged and precious people?
You don’t nurse your anger and don’t stay angry long,
for mercy is your specialty. That’s what you love most.
And compassion is on its way to us.
You’ll stamp out our wrongdoing.
You’ll sink our sins
to the bottom of the ocean.
You’ll stay true to your word to Father Jacob
and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham—
Everything you promised our ancestors
from a long time ago.

Revelation 7

The Servants of God

7 Immediately I saw Four Angels standing at the four corners of earth, standing steady with a firm grip on the four winds so no wind would blow on earth or sea, not even rustle a tree.

^2-3 Then I saw another Angel rising from where the sun rose, carrying the seal of the Living God. He thundered to the Four Angels assigned the task of hurting earth and sea, “Don’t hurt the earth! Don’t hurt the sea! Don’t so much as hurt a tree until I’ve sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads!”

^4-8 I heard the count of those who were sealed: 144,000! They were sealed out of every Tribe of Israel: 12,000 sealed from Judah, 12,000 from Reuben, 12,000 from Gad, 12,000 from Asher, 12,000 from Naphtali, 12,000 from Manasseh, 12,000 from Simeon, 12,000 from Levi, 12,000 from Issachar, 12,000 from Zebulun, 12,000 from Joseph, 12,000 sealed from Benjamin.

^9-12 I looked again. I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there—all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb and heartily singing:

Salvation to our God on his Throne!
Salvation to the Lamb!

All who were standing around the Throne—Angels, Elders, Animals—fell on their faces before the Throne and worshiped God, singing:

Oh, Yes!
The blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving,
The honor and power and strength,
To our God forever and ever and ever!
Oh, Yes!

^13-14 Just then one of the Elders addressed me: “Who are these dressed in white robes, and where did they come from?” Taken aback, I said, “O Sir, I have no idea—but you must know.”

^14-17 Then he told me, “These are those who come from the great tribulation, and they’ve washed their robes, scrubbed them clean in the blood of the Lamb. That’s why they’re standing before God’s Throne. They serve him day and night in his Temple. The One on the Throne will pitch his tent there for them: no more hunger, no more thirst, no more scorching heat. The Lamb on the Throne will shepherd them, will lead them to spring waters of Life. And God will wipe every last tear from their eyes.”

Ps 135

^13-18 God, your name is eternal,
God, you’ll never be out-of-date.
God stands up for his people,
God holds the hands of his people.
The gods of the godless nations are mere trinkets,
made for quick sale in the markets:
Chiseled mouths that can’t talk,
painted eyes that can’t see,
Carved ears that can’t hear—
dead wood! cold metal!
Those who make and trust them
become like them.

^19-21 Family of Israel, bless God!
Family of Aaron, bless God!
Family of Levi, bless God!
You who fear God, bless God!
Oh, blessed be God of Zion,
First Citizen of Jerusalem!
Hallelujah!

Proverbs 30:5-6

^5-6 The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true;
he protects everyone who runs to him for help.
So don’t second-guess him;
he might take you to task and show up your lies.”

Every word of God proves true.
    He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
⁶ Do not add to his words,
    or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.