I realize that God so many times I am guilty of (as I am sure many people are too) of putting you in some box. Maybe the box says "This problem is too big for You God!" Maybe box #2 says "God, You can't forgive me, I sinned and that sin is too big or too bad!" Maybe there is a third box that says "I don't need You God for this problem." How sad, are you not by my side for all things?
Hebrews 11:33 tells me that you will never forsake me, not will you ever leave me. Psalms 23 talks about how you will go through the valley with me, that you are my shepherd. John 10:7 says You are the door, the gate, and that You will protect me. Anyone or any thing that wants to get to me has to go through You. You further go on to tell me that You want to give me life, that You came to give me life.
How then can I sit back and not think that You are by my side? The funny thing is, in John 10 You tell me that the Father holds me in His hand and nothing, no one, can snatch me out of it. You love me, You care for me, You protect me. When I fall, you catch me, when I call out to You, You answer. You are by my side!
Father, forgive me for the times when I sit back and forget about these simple truths. Forgive me for picking the wrong box. You are a God who is bigger than any problem, a God who cares for all the details of my life, You are a God who forgives and restores (1John 1:9). Thank You for that because Father, I am so awful. I am a wretched human being who deserves Hell for my sin, yet, You look at me and see Your Son. It was His work on the cross that allowed me to have His righteousness put on. I am clothed in it! I thank you for the imagery in Zechariah about how You demanded that Joshua be stripped of His filthy clothes and new robes put on. I thank You for the parable of the prodigal son and how the father ran down to greet his son. I thank You for running to me and after me!
I thank You for our new small group and the beginnings of our new church! May we reach out and touch the lives of those who live around us. May we be an example to those who need to know Christ. I also ask you to be with my little brother. I love him so very much and I would rather be in Hell for him. He has a good heart, he is loyal, smart and loving. Work in His heart and bring him to You. Love on him, break him, bring him to his knees in total need for you. I thank you for our talk today and the fact that we could just chat as brothers. I am excited to see him for Christmas, I long for his friendship in person. I long to work out at the gym with him and to be idiots together. Don't forget him, for my sake and Your glory. Amen.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Anxious Thoughts
Lord, You know my thoughts are quite anxious today! I haven't felt stressed, I know there is a lot on my mind though; the future. This will be a tight month coming up, time-wise and financially. Lord, you know we have to take the dogs to the Vets for their yearly updates, property taxes, and Miranda's hair styling stuff. We know we have You, and we trust You but today it hits home hard. Our tub is cracked and we need to replace it. Mark quoted us $600 that we just don't right now. My wife is in tears, I am trying to comfort her, but Lord this is hard.
You have brought us through unemployment, hardships, moving down here, etc. It's not that I am scared or worried, You have taught me not to, but Lord it just seems like we had that step ahead finally and now, we are brought down to our knees.
Psalms 92:1-2 "It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and your faithfulness by night."
Knowing that verse, my heart will sing praises and know that this day may have started off rough but we have You to hope in. We have You to take our anxious thoughts to - Psalms 94:19 "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul!" I will allow myself to be delighted in You! I leave these thoughts in Your hands and I cherish our time together this morning! May I bring your joy and honor today with all that I do! May I abstain from sin and delight in the fact that You are a Holy God!!
Be with the 3 people on my Core card and Father bring them to a loving relationship with Your Son Jesus. May they find salvation in Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Lord bring them to a point of brokenness, where they see that the only way out of their problem is You, even if it simply means that the recognizing the need for a Savior to avoid Hell. Allow me the opportunities to be a witness to Your greatness! Allow me to be a monument to the testimony of how awesome You are.
Thank You for listening to me Lord and thank You for all that You do, have done and will do! Thank You for the CROSS, for salvation, for my house, my wife, my family, my dogs, my job, and even the opportunity to blog my prayers to You! May my heart always be spoken for by Your loving voice.
You have brought us through unemployment, hardships, moving down here, etc. It's not that I am scared or worried, You have taught me not to, but Lord it just seems like we had that step ahead finally and now, we are brought down to our knees.
Psalms 92:1-2 "It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and your faithfulness by night."
Knowing that verse, my heart will sing praises and know that this day may have started off rough but we have You to hope in. We have You to take our anxious thoughts to - Psalms 94:19 "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul!" I will allow myself to be delighted in You! I leave these thoughts in Your hands and I cherish our time together this morning! May I bring your joy and honor today with all that I do! May I abstain from sin and delight in the fact that You are a Holy God!!
Be with the 3 people on my Core card and Father bring them to a loving relationship with Your Son Jesus. May they find salvation in Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Lord bring them to a point of brokenness, where they see that the only way out of their problem is You, even if it simply means that the recognizing the need for a Savior to avoid Hell. Allow me the opportunities to be a witness to Your greatness! Allow me to be a monument to the testimony of how awesome You are.
Thank You for listening to me Lord and thank You for all that You do, have done and will do! Thank You for the CROSS, for salvation, for my house, my wife, my family, my dogs, my job, and even the opportunity to blog my prayers to You! May my heart always be spoken for by Your loving voice.
Monday, July 26, 2010
The 1st
It has been many years since I blogged and in many ways I regret that. After talking with my good friend Paul, who has been a great encouragement in my blogging, I realized I needed to start again. I felt the need laid on my heart by the Holy Spirit as a means of extending my prayer time as well as my "marinating" of what I have recently read in the Bible. I thank Paul, Chris (accountability partner) and Christ for this new blog.
I realized that lately my walk has slid a little. I got a new car and though I am grateful for it, it has no CD player in it. I have been stuck listening to the radio and not my CD's. I miss my Fireflight, Flyleaf, Third Day, Matt Redman and the likes...it has killed me. However, I have finally found HIS radio, and though it comes in with a fair amount of static, I have toughed it out. Funny how something as little as music can affect your attitude and thought life.
Two songs lately that have really captured my heart, maybe some of it is owed to Michael Farrow, our Worship pastor, and Zac Harris, one of the most awesome teenagers in the world. Needtobreath "The Outsiders" and David Crowder "Oh How He Loves" have been excellant to my prayerful heart. I love Grooveshark! To hear in my head all day long those lyrics, to have them written on my heart as a reminder that Christ loves me, though I am far from worthy of it.
Finally, for today, I have been reading through the minor prophets in the OT and I am just amazed at how much God cared for Israel. He was fed up with their adulterous behavior as they always turned and ran to idols and sin! Yet God disciplined them but promised to restore them. He promised that those He sent in to capture them and overtake them would be judged for their actions against Israel. How awesome, God would punish those who hurt His covenant people. I think of the applications in my life, that though I may sin and stumble, God is there to discipline me, with love, but those who may rise against me during that time, God will punish, and judge them for their actions against His child. It's like what Paul writes in Romans, "if God is for us, who then can be against us?"
I thank you Father for all your love and care, for all that You do and have done and will do. You are the great I AM and I am not. You love me, oh how you love me, and for no reason. I am a sinner, you are holy, yet you are jealous for me, always wanting my heart and affections. I turn away from you for some "whore," some "idol" and yet you chase after me. You come after the one that is lost, leaving those 99 behind, though I may stray often. I am not good, I will never be good, but you are good, great in fact and I praise Your name for that! Thank you Abba Father!!
I realized that lately my walk has slid a little. I got a new car and though I am grateful for it, it has no CD player in it. I have been stuck listening to the radio and not my CD's. I miss my Fireflight, Flyleaf, Third Day, Matt Redman and the likes...it has killed me. However, I have finally found HIS radio, and though it comes in with a fair amount of static, I have toughed it out. Funny how something as little as music can affect your attitude and thought life.
Two songs lately that have really captured my heart, maybe some of it is owed to Michael Farrow, our Worship pastor, and Zac Harris, one of the most awesome teenagers in the world. Needtobreath "The Outsiders" and David Crowder "Oh How He Loves" have been excellant to my prayerful heart. I love Grooveshark! To hear in my head all day long those lyrics, to have them written on my heart as a reminder that Christ loves me, though I am far from worthy of it.
Finally, for today, I have been reading through the minor prophets in the OT and I am just amazed at how much God cared for Israel. He was fed up with their adulterous behavior as they always turned and ran to idols and sin! Yet God disciplined them but promised to restore them. He promised that those He sent in to capture them and overtake them would be judged for their actions against Israel. How awesome, God would punish those who hurt His covenant people. I think of the applications in my life, that though I may sin and stumble, God is there to discipline me, with love, but those who may rise against me during that time, God will punish, and judge them for their actions against His child. It's like what Paul writes in Romans, "if God is for us, who then can be against us?"
I thank you Father for all your love and care, for all that You do and have done and will do. You are the great I AM and I am not. You love me, oh how you love me, and for no reason. I am a sinner, you are holy, yet you are jealous for me, always wanting my heart and affections. I turn away from you for some "whore," some "idol" and yet you chase after me. You come after the one that is lost, leaving those 99 behind, though I may stray often. I am not good, I will never be good, but you are good, great in fact and I praise Your name for that! Thank you Abba Father!!
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