Steadfast, Beloved

Week 12 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 When we read about the Children of Israel, we sometimes laugh to ourselves their unfaithfulness and doubt, as if we have never reacted in fear. There will be seasons of walking through the wilderness it seems like. From the outside we can see His love and mercy upon them, but putting yourself in their shoes is uncertainty. All along God was taking them on a journey through righteousness, but the process doesn’t have to take fourth years. When we call upon His name, He will be near to us. In His presence is perfect peace and understanding and trust. Why do Christians find themselves in seasons of wilderness? We have all devised a plan in our own hearts. It’s in our fleshly nature to rebel, to leave our first love. His only desire is for us to return to Him. He did not die in vain, but to restore fellowship. I need to repent daily for

Week 11 “So rend your heart and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; An He relents from doing harm.” Joel 2:13 God is great in power and strength, but He is also good. In our language there seems to be a contrast between the two words great and good. That one is better than the other. If God is never changing and He is both of these, then there can be no fault in His character. A God like this is only worthy of all our praise and adoration. Why then, do I still find myself only giving God half of my heart, half of my praise, and half expectant prayers. My desire is for more of His heart, but my unwillingness to give mine has come between fully receiving what God has for me. Many times I find myself in frustration because of this pattern of wanting change and it not coming to pass. If all I can see in my life right now is God’s heart, then I must learn to be content in His timing.  Application

Week 10 Jeremiah 20:9 But if I say, "I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name," Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it. There have been many conversations about if the Word of God still speaks. Many are skeptical and believe what they want to hear. Some will claim that God’s audible voice is not true, or that the Bible doesn’t apply to us today. I can proclaim that the voice of God still speaks, and speaks to every believer individually. Some hear through music, prayer, or the word. The voice of the Lord is powerful and when He speaks we almost can’t hold it in. We are meant to be proclaimers of truth and testimony. I know in my life that, when God speaks, He can use that word to impact another’s life as well. But often times I find myself falling into complacency and not impacted by the word of God. I can just read and really understand what I just read. But then ther

Week 9 Psalm 145:19 “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.“ In the wilderness, we hear many times when the children of Israel cried out to God and He heard them and He remembered them. This has caused me to rethink my prayer think. When I pray, what am I praying for and how will it further the kingdom of God? This is an area of my life I have tried to bring down to a science that it has often taken the feeling and compassion out of prayer. If only I could say the right thing then surely God will answer my prayers! There is no right or wrong way when speaking to Lord. Jesus was a simple and humble man and made connection to the common man. I don’t have to pretend to be more experienced to ask for God’s presence in my life and the life of others. He will do that anyways. He has placed eternity in our hearts; naturally we long for another world. So my desire is to see His kingdom continue building in our hearts and His s

Week 8 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. As I woke up, one of my first thoughts was of complaining and pleading to the Lord. In my doubt I expected another day of frustration in class. For my students to mock me and not listen or desire to be there. I have a student very precious to my heart. She comes in everyday 30 minutes early to help set up the class and play. Normally every conversation starts with ‘good morning’ and ‘how are you’? Most times I just expect “good” as an answer. How broken I am when I hear that the morning was not good. That they had to come to class with a busted lip. Floored. I can recall my young years in going through that hardship. It effects much more than the physical but scars the heart. In these times it’s hard to see how God actually cares and loves for us. But I remember specific times when God was made real to me. In was in the moments I felt held. When someone showed they lo