The Power of a Day

     One of my favorite things to do is watch the sunrise. My window faces east, so as I get ready for the day I get to watch the sunrise.

(Taken by my Daddy at the beach this last summer)

    There is such a stillness about the morning. Little ones are still in bed, you receive his new mercies, and as you take in the beauty of the sunrise, your ears are open and ready to hear the words of God.

"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

Psalm 5:3

     It is usually in the morning when the Lord lays a song on my heart.

"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."

Psalm 92:1-3

     There is this song that my Dad and I used to always sing (and still remind each other of) in the morning. These are the words:

     This is the day! This is the day! That the LORD has made! That the LORD has made! I will REJOICE! I will REJOICE! And be glad IN it. And be glad IN it. This is the day that the LORD has made! I will REJOICE and be glad in it! This is the day! This is the day that the LORD has made!

     As you probably noticed, this song is from Psalm 118:24

"This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

     With the sunrise, you are given a gift: A new day.

    When I went to the "FLOOD" conference this last September, one of the men who taught has a seven year old daughter. He said that one night he was tucking her in to bed and she said "Today is the best day ever." He asked her why. Her answer was "Because Jesus lives in my heart." We call some days bad and some days good and sometimes we say that we had the best day ever or the worst day ever. But what makes a good day? Maybe unexpected kindness, good grades, free time, joy, love from the ones we hold dearest to our hearts. What makes a bad day? Bad grades, a snooty remark, pain, overwhelming work...The list could go on and on. But is that seeing with our physical eyes, or our spiritual eyes?...What makes the best day ever? Jesus in my heart. Such a simple statement, but that simple statement has a very extraordinary meaning. So, if Jesus lives in your heart, shouldn't every day be the best day ever? But what about the bad grades, or the snooty remark, or the pain you are feeling in your heart? Well, then my question to you (and myself) is are you living from Jesus in your heart? Not living from your heart because the heart is deceptive above all things (see Jeremiah 17:9). If you live from your heart you will have the worst day ever....let me tell ya. But what if you lived every day from Jesus in your heart? To do that, you have to give him the steering wheel. That means you have to crucify your flesh, which is nothing easy. But it is always, every single time you do it, so very worth it. So, what would the results be if you lived every day from Jesus in your heart? Well, the answer to the snooty remark would be better:

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

Proverbs 15:1

     That overwhelming work might not be so overwhelming because you serve Jehovah Shalom, the God of Peace. In fact, you can even choose to enjoy that work:

"So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?"

Ecclesiastes 3:22 (emphasis added)

     And for your emotional pain, or perhaps physical pain. Joy. It may see impossible but...

"For with God nothing will be impossible."

Luke 1:37

"...for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Nehemiah 8:10 (B)

     These are just a few examples, and they are very simple. I personally think you have the best day ever when you live from Jesus in you.You get to see God working with his power in your weaknesses, his joy overcoming your pain, his hand and words guiding you, and SO much more! So, why don't you try it? Why don't we try it. Try it for one week and see what happens. I am sure you will find it turning into weeks, then months, then years, and then the rest of your life. Why let a day go by wasted? Every day is a gift, and every day is the best day ever. Why shouldn't it be? He made it, and he made you in it.

     There is something in every day he doesn't want us to miss: HIM.

     Come be the rhythm of our hearts today Jesus, be our eyes when we can't see. Fill us. Show us your wisdom, your truth. Guide us. Be our vision. We trust in you.

a moment to reflect...

It is November, the month of turkey, chilly weather, and Christmas shopping. At the end of the month we get out our thankful lists, maybe add a few items, and then put them back at the bottom of our dresser drawer until next year. It is the month of colorful leaves and warm scarves. It is an excuse to go to Starbucks more often with a friend and hang out. Knitting needles are taken back out and we are motivated to read more. It is all fun, but let me take you back to the second sentence: At the end of the month we get out our thankful lists, maybe add a few items, and then put them back at the bottom of our dresser drawer until next year. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, a time to eat good food and get together with friends and family. But is this the only time we give thanks? Let me say that again: Is Thanksgiving the only time we give thanks? Mostly. While churches and revivalists are focused on the "big" things in Christianity, many things are lost through the gaps. Why? Because people don't read the bible for themselves. It is very sad actually. When a girl receives a love letter, she reads it over and over and over again. It is still very special every time. She knows it by heart before very much time has passed. And then we have the world, so desperate for love, so broken, so hurting, and God has written this love letter to us, and we never even look to see who it is addressed to. God used Paul to write a big section of the NewTestament, Paul was really big on thanksgiving. David, the Psalm writer, was a worshiper. He wrote many many Psalms about thanksgiving and praise. These are two men of the bible, they knew what strength there is in thanksgiving. They had lived it. To name a few: thanksgiving renews your mind. It speaks truth to the lies of the enemy. Where there is thanksgiving, there cannot be resentment. To be truly thankful is to be satisfied. There was a girl who could have everything in the whole world except for one thing, and she wan't satisfied. That girl was Eve. And look at what happened out of her response to her dissatisfaction. You think we would have gotten it by now! Thankfulness, true thankfulness is humble and not selfish and prideful. Out of that humble heart we give.

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive!"

So, if thanksgiving reaps so many good things, why do we only do it once a year, and even then, not fully? Let me change that: If thanksgiving reaps so many good things, why do you only do it once a year?...

"Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Philippians 4:6

"Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always."
Psalm 105:1-4

"Praise the LORD
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."
Psalm 106:1

I encourage to to take a few minutes to reflect on thanksgiving, I encourage you to go and read other scriptures about it yourself, and then talk to the Lord about it.

He is good!

True Satisfaction

We live in a world and culture that embraces things that try to fill a void inside that longs for something.  No matter what we try that this world has to offer, we are not satisfied. We always want more of "this" or "that." A common thing to say is, "If I only had that I would be happy." Then the next day when we get the "thing" we find that if only we could get that other thing we could really be truly happy. This pattern goes on in a downward spiral from there. When will our world be satisfied?  When will this madness of accumulating stuff stop?  When will people awaken from their deathly sleep and see truth?  I fear the answer may be never if the ones who have seen the light will not stop and live by God's Word. What is true satisfaction?  What is true happiness?  When will the void inside the hearts of men and women be filled to the full?

1. sat·is·fy  

   /ˈsatisˌfī/
   

   Verb Meet the expectations, needs, or desires of (someone). Fulfill (a desire or need).

   Synonyms gratify - please - content - fulfill - fulfill - meet

 There is only one who can satisfy. Only one who can really bring true joy. And that satisfaction and joy is found in trials and hardships. It seems like a contradiction...but is it? Mediocrity is ruling the thoughts and actions of America's heart, and because of this we are not satisfied. True love is found when it saves you when you are in the deepest pain and hardship. True joy is found when it is discovered when tears are running down your face. True satisfaction is found in God when you have nothing left to give. There is a God, the true God who is just waiting to capture your heart and bring you into the biggest love story that ever was, ever is, and ever will be. He is waiting to satisfy your heart. He is waiting to fill that empty void inside of you. He is waiting, he is knocking, he is trying to get your attention, but he won't force you to except his love. How will you respond?...

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."
- John Piper

The Cost

                                                 by Rend Collective Experiment

I'm saying yes to You

And no to my desires

I'll leave myself behind

And follow You

I'll walk the narrow road

'cause it leads me to You

I'll fall but grace 

Will pick me up again

I've counted up the cost

Oh I've counted up the cost

Yes I've counted up the cost

And You are worth it

I do not need safety

As much as I need You

You're dangerous

But Lord You're beautiful

I'll chase You through the pain

I'll carry my cross

'cause real love

Is not afraid to bleed

Jesus 

Take my all

Take my everything

I've counted up the cost

And You're worth everything

I wrote this in my diary on January 13, 2013...

                                                                               ...the rain is pouring. I'm learning to dance in it. When the sun goes down, I'm learning to follow the star-- the brightest one, Jesus. So I'll put on my rain boots on and walk through the mud. And when the storm tries to overtake me, I'll choose to stand. When the rain soaks me through I'll dance, for I have a fire burning within me that keeps me warm. When doubt comes, I will cast all fear away, for I have nothing to be afraid of, for I know the truth and the truth will set you free! The rain is pouring, but I am safe, for the one who saves has me in His hands.                                             

Deeper

Today I was reading over blog posts that I wrote from years ago. And as I was reading, I noticed several things.

1. My spelling is much improved (or at least I hope!)
2. God is faithful.
3. God was (and is) working.
4. Things that were on my heart then, are still on my heart now.

I have been thinking about so many things lately. I have been praying about so many things.

Sometimes is seems as if I take 3 steps forward, and 2 steps back.

Its so confusing. Its so hard. Its frustrating!

But He is still holding His hand out to me. No matter how many mistakes I make, He still wants me. He still loves me. His mercies are new every morning! And when I don't want to get out of bed in the mornings I have to remember that His mercies are new for me today, and His grace is sufficient for me.

I don't have the answers, but I am searching for them. I don't have the perfect guide book or the perfect manual for my life. Sometimes I don't understand. But the thing is that I don't have to understand. I don't have to have the answers. Because I serve the one who has all the answers, and has all the understanding in the world! And even when He chooses not to give me the answers, He gives me what I need, and that is enough.

Living in this world we will want answers. Being human, we will want to understand. But there is something deeper than being just a person, and something deeper than living temporary. There is something deeper in the answers that we cannot even pretend to understand. There is something deeper than this world.

(click on the links below to go to some previous posts that are still on my heart today)

Set Free!

Its No Coincidence, Its Just Jesus...

Faithfully

This Life Is A Journey

I want to expand more on this post so there will be more coming later, but for now have a very blessed evening!

Letters To Jesus

   When I was 6 or 7 years old I used to write Jesus letters all the time. I had this "secret cupboard" that NO ONE was allowed to look in. I would write "Jesus I love you," and put it in my secret cupboard. Then I would shut my eyes tight and pray for an angel to come and take the letter and give it to Jesus...

   That was about 6 years ago. Though an angel never physical took it out of my secret cupboard and gave it to Jesus, I know Jesus read every word of my letter. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a letter to Jesus. I hadn't done it in a long time. I literally sat down with paper and a pen and wrote a letter to Jesus. It felt sooooo good. Instead of asking for God to send an angel to come and take away the letter and give it to Jesus, I just gave my letter to Jesus in my heart. And I know he read ever word of that letter.

   Though this may seem strange, it helps a lot. There are different ways to pray to God. Usually I pray to him in my heart, or out loud. But this praying to him; writing him a letter, helps in so many ways. I encourage you to do it. Sit down a quiet spot, get a piece of paper and a pen, and just write. Then give your letter to Jesus. He reads every word, and I promise, he will answer.

Experiencing HIS Love

Jesus, nailed onto a cross, all for me...

   Recently, the Lord has been speaking to me of how much he loves me. Just how much. How wide, how deep, how high his love really is.

   The bible says a lot about love. First of all, it is the most important instruction. To love the Lord your God... and the second one is to love your neighbor as yourself.
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
 1 Corinthians 13:13
The greatest is love. Plain and clear, love is the greatest.
"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."
1 John 4:9
God sent his son to this painful and broken world, to die on the cross, all for me. All for love.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever"
Psalm 136:1
His love is not temporary, it endures forever. No matter what we may say or do, it doesn't matter, His love endures forever.
So really, how deep is His love? How wide is it really? I get overwhelmed by just one touch of his love. I don't think any one can really fathom how much God really does love him.
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end"
Ecclesiastes 3:11
"It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end."
John 13:1
I love this verse. He loved them to the end. To the very end. Same goes for us, He will love us to the end.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8
While we were still sinners, he loved us. He died for us.
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
1 Peter 2:9
He chose us. Do you think that He would choose us if He didn't love us?
"We love because he first loved us."
1 John 4:19
He loved us first.

   These are just a few scriptural examples of God's love. There are so many, and they are all true!

   So, do you really know how much God loves you? If you don't know, God loves you very much. He loved you so much that he gave His only son just for you. If you have felt God's love, there is more. His love is higher than the sky and deeper than the ocean. Whether you are a Christian or not, God's love is for you. The evil one wants to steal that love, don't let him. There is an amazing love, and it's name is Jesus. The only hope of this world is his love. He has offered it, but do you receive it? He offers freely. We live in a dark and broken world, and there is only one love that can restore all the brokenness. He is the only light that can pierce through the darkness.

   As we prepare to celebrate the baby boy who came into the world, died on the cross and rose again, dwell on his love. It is so deep, so high, so wide. Once you experience His love you are never the same. It is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. You won't want to miss out. And I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Isaiah 55

"Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of the peoples. 

 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.

 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

 ^"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
 As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
 Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed.”

He will come to us like rain...

"Let us acknowledge the Lord;

let us press on to acknowledge him.

As surely as the sun rises,

he will appear;

he will come to us like the winter rains,

like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Hosea 6:3

 



This is a such a powerful verse. This verse has a promise tied into it. It starts out by saying that we should acknowledge the Lord. That command brings a verse to mind...

 

"My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"

Your face, Lord. I will seek."

Psalm 27:8

 

It says "Seek HIS face!" Seek HIM who is worthy of all the praise and glory and honor! Hosea 6:3 promises that if we seek Him, If we press into Him, He will come.

 

Do you ever feel like you can't get into God's presence? Do you ever feel like you just can't fully get into that place with Him? It has for sure happened to me before. But then the verse in Hosea comes to mind. Lord! You promised that if I press into you that you would come! But are we really whole-heartedly pressing FULLY into HIM? Or is there still sin standing in the way? We are all sinners. Every single one of us is a sinner. We are not perfect, and we won't be. We can try as hard as we want, its not going to happen. Because we are useless without Jesus. We are nothing, with out Jesus, but with Him-- all things are made possible! Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us to get rid of EVERYTHING that hinders. EVERYTHING. How can we do that? I just finished saying that we are all sinners. We cannot do it on our own, but God made a way. Through His son. When Jesus died on the cross He took all our sin upon Himself. He knew every single sin we would ever commit, but He loved us in spite of all that yucky, yucky, horrible sin. He forgave us. US! Sinners. No where near perfect. All we have to do is humble our selves, repent, and receive that forgiveness.

 

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

James 4:10

 

Humbling yourself, giving that pride to the Lord, is never easy. But He promises that when we do humble our selves, He will lift us up! Isn't that amazing! But if we choose not to humble ourselves something comes in between us and God. That sin. It is like a dam on a mighty river. That river is God, that dam is the sin. Every time we sin we add another rock to that dam. But when we humble ourselves that dam tumbles down and allows God's mighty river-- His power to flow.

 

So this is what we have so far:

1. Press into Him
2. Humble your selves and repent from any sin
 

Now time for number 3. Wait. Sometimes when we pray, God doesn't answer immediately. Sometimes when we ask for Him to move it doesn't happen automatically. Sometimes we just need to wait. Just to be still and know that He is God. Waiting is NEVER easy. Especially for me. I hate waiting. I want it now.

 

     3. Wait for the Lord

 

Obedience is the next step. Sometimes when I ask the Lord for something, He answers with a command. Let's say I ask the Lord to show me a miracle. If He tells me to go pray for a person, and I don't do it, how can I expect to see that miracle happen? I have to obey.

 

    4. Obey

 

Then we have to have faith.

 

"Have faith in God" Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Mark 11:22-24

 

I love how this verse is so specific. It starts out with telling us to have faith, and what that faith can do for us. And then it points out that we should not doubt! It even says where we should keep doubt out-- in our hearts.

 

    5. Have faith

 

Then receive is next! Experience His "rain!"

 

    6. Receive (experience the "rain!")

 

Then we need to worship. After The Lord moves, we always need to praise Him. Not just because the bible tells us to, but because we are thankful, and we want to show God how much we love Him and how excited we are about that thing He just did!

 

"Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song."

Psalm 95:2

 

     7.Worship

 

Then after that.... hunger. Hunger for more. By the way, you won't have to "make" yourself hungry. Once you see it, you will want it. Once you receive more, the more is not enough! Once you experience the fullness of His spirit and His power, you will NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER be the same again!

 

1. Press into Him
2. Humble your selves and repent from any sin
3. Wait for the Lord
4. Obey
5. Have faith
6. Receive (experience the "rain!")
7. Worship
8. Hunger for MORE

That promise that I mentioned at the beginning of this post is that God always gives that rain. No matter what, He will come like rain. All we have to do, is ask...

He will come like the rain! He will pour down on us! We WILL experience a spiritual rain like never before. We will receive that rain and it will effect us in a mighty, mighty way! We will drink up that water like a dry field. He will come, He will rain!



He will come to us like rain...

 

 

...and you know what comes after the rain...

 

 

...the rainbow 

(a reminder that God ALWAYS keeps His promises!)

                

This is an amazing song! The Lord has truly used it to minister to my heart! Hope he uses it to minister to you as well!...

You Know Me

Hit the ground running...

  We are all going through something. We are all going through different seasons. The Lord brings us through all different seasons. Our faith is tested, but Jesus never lets go. No matter how many mistakes we make. No matter what we are going through, he is always faithful. Something that is so beautiful about Christianity is that Jesus never disappoints. I mean, really, think about it. When has Jesus ever broken His promises to you? My answer is never. Not once. Now, He never ever said that is would be easy. He never said we wouldn't have troubles. He actually said we would go through trails. But He promises that HE is worth it! This season I am going through is well... how do I explain it... bittersweet. It has been such a time of seeing. Seeing His miracles, seeing His promises come true, seeing Him work. It has been a time of hearing. Hearing His voice speak, hearing direction from Him. Then also we have had small trials. Just little things here and there that the enemy tries to distract us with. Also maybe a few big blows here and there. But The Lord has promised- this is a season of Joy! After a bigger blow the Lord has shown me something. The main verse that He has shown me this is Hebrews 12:1-2. It is talking about throwing off everything that hinders, and just running the race Christ has for you. He started to put this verse on my heart a couple of months ago, but it is now starting to take shape. God spoke through a really close friend of mine in a mighty way. We were just talking about the situations that we personally have been going through. Basically what she said was this: "Don't look back, just run." We may go through hard things, but God is always there. Helping us, loving us, encouraging us. He is crying the same tears that we are crying. His heart hurts for the same things our does. Why? Because we are His children. But one of the specific things was, we don't need to sit in the ashes. Because God will bring beauty from the ashes we don't have to worry. But we also can't just mope around. Feeling sorry for our selves. No. We have to get up and run the race he has for us. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. But how can he perfect it if we are just sitting around? No. He gives us a hug and then sets us back on our feet and says "RUN!" Then Satin likes to put something on the side of the road. Something shiny, something that will get our attention. But NO! Keep RUNNING! He says "Don't look back. I hold your past in my hands, but I also hold your future. RUN!" He is showing us all this amazing stuff! We have to keep running towards that stuff. Not looking at the distractions the enemy puts in place. No. Look straight ahead. I will set my face like flint towards HIM! (Isaiah 50:7) We won't look back like Lot's wife and be turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26) (YIKES!) NO! We will throw off everything that hinders. EVERYTHING! Not just some things here and there, EVERYTHING! And we will run the race Christ has for us...

   "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"
Hebrews 12:1-2

We will hold unswervingly to HIM! Because HE is faithful...

  "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
Hebrews 10:23

 God tells us to live by faith. Who do you see living by faith?... not many people, right. As we see all along in the bible the Israelites did not obey God very much. They had disbelief, they didn't live by faith, but they lived with fear. What did that result in? If they didn't believe, they didn't see, because they believed by their sight. For example take the promise land. So many had disbelief, and what was the result? Their generation did not get in the promise land. God still promised it to their people, and he still gave it to them, but he gave it to the next generation because of the disobedience and disbelief of that generation. But what if we did live by faith? What would happen then...

I will step forward and receive the promise!

I will hit the ground running. Running towards HIM and HIS promises. Never looking back.

Don't look back, just run!

I sit here, thinking. Thinking about my life, what has been going on and such. And what can I share with you all? Recently our church has had a church wide fast. After fasting we have been just getting filled up. Visions, words. Praises to Him. Just completely to overflowing! And then the enemy attacks. Suddenly. All at once. Leaving you stunned. The lion waits for its prey, and then it pounces at just the right moments. Tears and more tears. But what the enemy doesn't want to admit it that God works EVERYTHING for good. God never said there wouldn't be times of pain, He never said it would be easy. He just said said that HE would be worth it. HE is worth all our pain, and all our tears, and all our suffering. He never lets go. He will NEVER let the righteous fall! He is crying with me. He feels the pain in His heart, even more than I feel the pain in mine. But then, He has whispered to me that this is a season of JOY. I will not let the enemy steal my joy. For the JOY of the LORD is my STRENGTH! And my one goal is to please my Savior. I will WORSHIP Him! I will LOVE Him! Even when the enemy attacks, He is still right here with me and I will praise my Savior!



You know that feeling you have when you want something? Like a craving for a certain food, or a wanting to do some thing particular right that second? It's like it is not possible to wait another second longer for the "thing" you want. It's ridiculous. But, have you ever had a craving, a want, a yearning for Jesus? Have you ever had a fire burning inside of you to be with the King of kings, and Lord of lords? You can't wait another second longer. You have to be with him. Hold for a second. Compare the two. Which one have you honestly felt more? I would sadly have to say the first one. I have felt a wanting more often for a "thing" than for Jesus. It is just our human nature. I want to have a yearning for Jesus, more than I do the things this world has to offer. I don't just want to go to a conference and get fired up for God just on that weekend. No, I don't want it to be once in a while, I want it to be every.single.second. of every.single.day. That is how it needs to be. That is how I want it to be. Every morning I get out my bible, and journal for my time with the Lord. I usually read a chapter out of the bible, meditate on it, ask the Lord to show me something through it. The Lord shows me songs, verses, and more. But I am not satisfied with that, and I shouldn't be satisfied with that. I want more. I am growing in my relationship with the Lord daily. He has taken me so far, and he is taking me further. I think that each time you step out of your comfort zone in obedience to the Lord, he takes another step towards you. James 4:8 says:

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

Instead of just spending my normal 30 mins in the mornings with the Lord, and asking him for help during the day (which is good, he has showed me a lot for me to get to that point), I want to grow even more in the Lord. I want to experience a life radically lived with Jesus. I don't want a little of Jesus, I don't want to get room temperated with him, I don't want to even be just almost all the way with him, I want to be all the way, and more. I want to be radically changed. I have been changed. The Lord has taken me a long way from when I first began. But I want even more. We shouldn't be satisfied with just a little of Jesus. Even if we encounter something amazing with Jesus, we should always yearn for more. We should thirst for it, we should hunger for Jesus. Once you see him move, you won't be satisfied with seeing it just once. You will want to see it again, and again and again. My heart yearns. Even though we might be going through difficult seasons, and its hard to focus on anything except the present situation you are in, it is the perfect time to seek God more. Always ask for more. Always yearn for more. Always hunger for more.

One bite of chocolate won't do is the same as one encounter with the Holy Spirit won't do. (Though chocolate is good and all, I prefer Jesus)

When I worship God, I want to worship him with my whole self. Not just raising my hands and singing. But jumping, and praising, and shouting to Jesus.

 

David danced with all his might.

Not just a little humming and raising his hands a little. He praised God with all his might. All of it. Not just one tiny bit, not half, not even almost whole. He danced with every.single.ounce. of his whole.entire.being.

 

Ruth didn't just follow her mother in law to the corner of the street. She didn't even just take her to Jerusalem and then go back home. She fought and strove. She trusted God. Even when all the odds were against her. She didn't just give up.

 

Peter walked on water, just so he could go to Jesus on the water. He believed with all of his self that Jesus wouldn't let him fall. He didn't have the courage to go on the waves, he had to give up all of his self, and trust Jesus. When his faith faltered, Jesus caught him, and said, "Do not be afraid!" He did the impossible, only because he gave all of him self and trusted Jesus.

 

   Moses ran away from so much, he doubted to much, he was afraid. But God came down and made him new. He did the impossible through this man. Just because Moses had a little faith. Just as small as a mustard seed, but it was enough, and God grew it.

 

   Rahab had a yearning, a thirst a hunger so deep. She hardly had any evidence that God was real. But she chose to believe. She chose to trust God, and he did not disappoint her.

 

   All these people were normal, ordinary people. Nothing amazing about them. They had faults, struggles, impossible situations. But they all had a yearning. They all started with a little faith in God, and he grew it. But do you think that God just grew it, or that they allowed God to grow it? They had to have had a little more faith at a time. God met them where they were. Their yearnings grew, and so they took a step towards that yearning. The yearning was strong enough that they took a step towards it.

 

I want my yearning to be real. I want it to be true. God has taken me so far, but I want him to take me further. But I have to take a step towards it. Nothing will happen if I don't do anything about it. I want even more of a yearning for God than I have ever had before. I want a burning for the Lord that no one can put out. This is from my heart, truly. It is in my heart, now it is fixing to turn into an action.

Set a fire down in my soul, that I can't contain that I can't control. I want more of you God.