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A Verse for the Day... (that you've heard 100 times...)


In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
(Proverbs 3:6

God desires to be acknowledged in ALL your ways—every seemingly silly, apparently trivial detail of your life!

ALSO! This verse doesn’t read, “and He shall direct thy paTH" … It’s “and he shall direct thy pathS" – He’s going to direct me and you over and over and over and over and over and over again, every single time we come to Him, acknowledge Him, for direction!!!
Praise the LORD and Thank GOD for the promise and provision of his guidance!!!

Trust: A Matter of the Heart


Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

I need and am supposed to trust in the Lord with all my HEART ♥. Not all my MIND! While, yes, it is a good thing to have, a “head knowledge” is NOT ENOUGH!!

It’s not!
It’s a matter of the heart! ♥♥

Finding Favor (Part 2)


 Yesterday, we looked at Proverbs 3:3-4 in reference to how we ‘find favor’ in God’s sight. But let us look at these verses again! J

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3-4) 

Not only does this verse promise favor with God if we apply verse 3, but it actually tells us that we SHALT find favor in the sight of man!!!!
While this verse says you SHALL “find favor in the sight of…man”, it doesn’t say what type of “man”—lol.
Ever notice how your church family can be all warm, supportive, and encouraging when you do something for Jesus, or something you believe God has called you to do? But over that same decision, others can be rude, cold, unsupportive and standoffish?? Obviously you haven “found favor” with that second group! J lol. But most likely, when this verse says you’ll gain favor in the sight of men, it’s speaking of Godly men and women (People whose good opinion is actually worth having because of their walk with GOD) (***what is your opinion about this?? I’m curious to know??*** J) And, occasionally, even thought unsaved people may oppose and disagree with you for a certain decision, they WILL RESPECT you for making and standing by it!!
(ALSO! What is your Biblical ‘opinion’ about this verse’s principal? I’m curious to know! J If you feel like sharing your thoughts, simple leave them as a comment below! J)

BUT!
My/your/our ultimate goal should NOT BE to find favor in the sight of any man or woman—Godly or not!!! Our main objective needs to be to find favor in GOD’S sight by keeping His Word’s not anyone else’s! No one else’s respect or recognition should matter!!!


However, Not only do we find favor in the sight of God and man if we “let not mercy and truth forsake us, bind them about our necks and write them upon the tables of our hearts” (verse 3), BUT! We will find GOOD UNDERSTANDING in the sight of God and man!!! Not sure if that means that we will be “greatly understood”, but I imagine not lol. (Again, your thoughts please!!! J) Probably refers to possessing good, Godly wisdom (or possessing good, Godly knowledge and then having the discernment and know-how to apply that knowledge which equals wisdom!) how to serve and obey God, and how to relate to others. Even more amazing, is the fact that it will not simply be “understanding” that we will obtain—but GOOD understanding!! As James tells us, if we only take a moment to ask God for wisdom—He WILL give it to us… liberally!!!!! (YAY!!!!! JJJ) (James 1:5) And guess what?! That’s another promise!!! J
So perhaps, before you continue with your day, you may take a moment to pray and ask God for wisdom to attain favor with Him and man—to endow you with the wisdom to obey Him and relate in a Godly way to others you deal with today! 

Finding Favor (Part One)


“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”  (Proverbs 3:3-4)

{found via Google Images}

If you and I, as young ladies, obey the advice laid out in verse 3, I will find FAVOR with God and Man. This is an actual promise from the Lord!

With Christmas so rapidly approaching, surely we've heard Gabrielle’s famous proclamation to Mary quoted at least once! Mary, at a young age, had not let mercy and truth forsake her. She had “bound them about her neck”. She had “written them upon the table of her heart.” Then, out of nowhere, an angel brings her the astonishing news that she of all women is honored with the privilege of carrying, giving birth to, and rearing the Messiah! After she voices her humble “why me!?” Gabrielle informs her that she had “found favor with God.”
Not by doing any huge extra-Godly act—but by a lifetime of humble, faithful obedience.
Sometimes, in trying to please other people and finding it impossible, we may subconsciously decide God is impossible to please as well. L
But thanks to the Biblical account of Mary we (you!) may rest assured, dear sister that just as Mary did it is possible to obtain favor with God!!!
AND! Before you even begin to even set up that ‘spiritual gymnastics routine’ to obtain that favor with God, let me stop you… (And stop myself as well). While we should strive to attain favor with God, there are no phenomenal, nearly impossible feats we must first accomplish in order to do this! (Ever notice that the SILENCE in the Scripture in reference to a detailed description of Mary or her spiritual “accomplishments”?? Maybe God left it that way for a reason!)
Perhaps the best way to “find favor with God” is by daily simple and humble obedience to God’s mercy and truth as written in His Word—not any type of ‘performance’ we must do before we can be ‘excepted’ or ‘a good Christian’.
So today, focus on that, dear sister. God loves you for who you are in and by Him—not because of what you do!!!!!

Encouraging Devotions


In verse 18 of 2nd Samuel chapter 7, David poses the question of “who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?”

You see, the Lord had just finished lavishing David and his household with manifold blessings, (what we now call the ‘Davidic Covenant’) in 2 Samuel chapter 7 verses 5 though 16. At the end of this huge speech from the LORD, relayed to him through Nathan the prophet, David was absolutely DUMBFOUNDED. The Bible tells us that he (David) “…went…in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?” He continues in verse 19: “And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? And what can David say more unto thee? For thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.” {Emphasis mine}

As you can tell, David was absolutely blown away and excruciatingly humbled at the promise the Lord had just made to him—and rightly so!

As I read this passage during my devotions last week, this really ‘hit home’ with me. you see, I may not know everything about/ have all the answers for either one of the questions David poses to the Lord in verse 18. But! I do know enough to know that neither David, nor the people of his household and family, were “perfect, little Godly, never-do-anything-wrong people!!!!!

Seriously! I mean, David himself committed adultery with Bathsheba and then ordered the death of her husband; David’s son Absalom committed incest in the sight of all Jerusalem!!!!—With his father’s concubines; David’s son Amnon committed heinous adultery with his own sister; and Michal, David’s (first!) wife (did you catch that? That means David had several wives, which isn’t right either!!!) was super disrespectful to and haughty towards her husband; and I’m sure I could come up with more instances if I put my mind to it. But, for one thing, these examples (surely!) give you the general idea; and for another thing, this are intensely wicked actions!

At this point in David’s story, only one of these things (okay, two, if you count the multiplicity of wives David already had going) has taken place, so David wasn’t aware of them when the Lord made him this incredible promise. Yet! David was still aware of his sinful state before a Holy God and extremely humbled at God’s special blessing upon ‘him and his’.

Funny thing, though, is what David brings to our attention in verse 20—“…for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.”

David wasn’t omniscient. He didn’t even know the horrendous sins he and his family would commit against God in the future that would warrant such feelings of unworthiness.

But God is omniscient. And God did know all this already.
He knew David inside and out, backwards and forwards! He knew all the sins of David’s past, and all the sins of his future! (Including the incident with Bathsheba!) And yet He loved David and held him special to His heart! Even with His infinite knowledge of David’s sin, He made David this promise! And David’s family (who was very much included in the blessing) sinned as well! (Michal, Amnon, Absalom…even Solomon, later in his life!!!) His family more closely resembled Jacob’s soap opera –like family than many may care to admit!!!!! YET!!! God proactively chose to bless David and his family!!!!!

Why?

Because He knew one more thing… that David was a man after His own heart. He knew David wasn’t perfect. But He knew that David strove to please Him in everything. And when David messed up (and he certainly did!!!) he picked himself up, brushed himself off, and by the grace of God, kept pressing on! (Proverbs 24:16) (Philippians 3:14) God was also gracious, and remembered that David was merely a man—made of flesh and blood. (Psalms 103:14)

This was a great source of encouragement to me. I tend to think of God in a very negative way. As my Pastor put it from the pulpit Sunday night, {I} “wait for his wrath” rather than “living in His goodness”. Yes, God is a God of judgment and justice (as Hayley DiMarco puts in it her book A God Girl, God “…isn’t a big teddy bear just waiting passively around for your next hug; {H}e is a powerful and perfect God who won’t tolerate sin in your life. And that knowledge a lot of the time becomes our sole focus. That’s why BALANCE is so important… You have to be willing to agree with God that sin isn’t good for you… and then you have to accept the love that {H}e freely gives when you turn to {H}im.”[1] Our God is also a God of LOVE! (1 John 4:8) So often we (I!) as young ladies miss this, and don’t dwell in the grace and goodness and love of our precious Savior, who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).

Is this the way you see Him dear sister? Do you dwell in what you just know is His impending or present punishment for some wrong you’ve done? Do you find that you are actually afraid of God, more than you are in love with Him?

O sister! I’ve been there! (Pft! I am there!) And that’s why David’s story was such an encouragement to me!
If God could know the end of David’s life from the beginning (which He did), know all the sinful things that David and his family would ever do (which He did) and yet still promise to secure David’s line as the ruling Jewish line, and promise him also, that His (wonderful, amazing!) mercy should NOT depart away from David’s descendants, even though it had departed from Saul—don’t you think that the Lord loves you deeply, and will “preserve you whithersoever you go” (2 Samuel 8:6&14), even though you sin against Him? Even though you don’t deserve it?

He remembers your frame! He knows that you are frail and fleshly! And for some crazy-wonderful reason,
                                                HE LOVES YOU ANYWAY!!!!!
If you take anything from this post, please, dear sister! Know that Jesus loves you! Think of how he blessed a sinful man like David, when you feel discouraged later on! Remember it, perhaps read it, then press on for Jesus, aiming, like David did, to be a young woman after God’s own heart!!!!!



[1] A God Girl, Hayley DiMarco, Page 143. Emphasis and capitalization of Christ’s pronouns, mine J

Musings from Michal


Last Monday the Lord used a rather unfamiliar and infamous woman of the Old Testament to teach me a lesson on my own femininity. As I wrote in my devotional journal (as so often happens) my mind went to ‘blog-post mode’, and ever since it’s been in the back of my mind, on my ‘to-do list’, to rewrite and post on here. By God’s grace, here it goes!!! J Let’s do our devotions together! :-)
(Please begin by asking the Lord to speak to your heart and make you ‘speak-to-able’! :-) ♥)

1 Samuel 19:11-17 
Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain. So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped. And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.  And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him. And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster. And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped?”

As David’s wife, Michal now had a perfect opportunity to shine the truthful and very best possible light on her husband, flesh of her flesh.
Yet to the person with whom it would actually cause the very most damage (her father Saul, David’s self-proclaimed enemy—(1 Samuel 19:17)) she told a lie and said that David had threatened to kill her had she not aided him in escaping from her father.

“And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?”

First of all, we know enough of David’s character at this point to be able to safely assume that he would do no such thing as to threaten to kill his very wife!
But secondly, we know that this is a lie because the Bible tells us what went on before Saul and his men came on the scene, and no threats were involved. So, clearly—and sadly—Michal lied. :-(

Michal had the perfect opportunity to soften her father’s heart toward her innocent husband (as her own brother Jonathan did early on in this very same chapter!!!) by reminding her father of all the good and right things David had done by God’s grace and how the Lord had clearly used David time and time again to aid Saul’s kingdom! But instead, Michal drops the ball and tells a lie—one that instead of building up her husband in the eyes of her father tore him down—one that no doubt only cemented in Saul’s mind the self-consuming mantra “David must die!”

Most of us probably know what it’s like to hear someone close to us tear down another person who is dear to our hearts. Perhaps you have heard parents disagree with each other in front of you and your siblings, or had one parent disagree with the other in his or her absence. And surely we’ve all had friends (or should we say “acquaintances”!? J) tear down our other friends (AKA GOSSIP) when they are conveniently not aroundL. We know what it’s like to hear people tear each other down with unkind words.
We know what that’s like. I know what it’s like to hear someone gossip about another (out of pure or selfish spite) and I know how it’s done—I’ve done it before, and sadly because I am a fleshly human shall surely do it again :-(
But this is so wrong.
(I’m not telling you anything you don’t know! :-( )
And what about the way I tear down others at church in front of my younger siblings??? :-( Or (worse yet! :( ) how about how I tear down one sibling (‘s behavior) to another?!? :-( :-( :-( OUCH!
Now, of course, we need to be extremely careful because, even though the world likes to misquote Scripture to make it sound otherwise, we are, as Christians, to exercise righteous judgment, (as opposed to biased, or ‘judgmental’ judgment :D). The judgment we pass may be righteous, just, and even necessary judgment! (See Matthew 7:1-6, James 2:12-13 (and Psalms 37:30?), for more in-depth study on Godly judgment!) So before we open our mouths ‘against’ another sibling or church member or friend, I need to pray for wisdom and righteous, Godly judgment and think ‘is this TRUE, NECESSARY, and/or KIND?’! And if it passes those three tests and is backed up by a prayer for God’s guidance, we may safely proceed.

We don’t normally think of Michal as someone we can learn anything from, because she doesn’t set a positive example; but we can learn from her mistakes and use her not-so-good example to help us make good decisions! :D
What we can learn from Michal in the passage is, in a BROAD SENSE, to speak of others in the BEST POSSIBLE LIGHT. I would say especially fellow believers to non- and other fellow believers alike. But, even more personally, and as Daughters at home (if that happens to be how the Lord has led you! :D) and definitely as Future Wives, we, as young ladies, need to learn to speak of our husbands (to everyone—our friends, our children, our parents…) in the best possible light. How can we learn to speak well of our husbands while we are still unmarried, one may ask?  While we are still unmarried and in our father’s house, we need to practice this by speaking of our fathers (and our mothers) in the best possible light! To speak to your friends, extended family, and your younger brothers and sisters with respect to your parents and their decisions, whether or not you agree with them. Not to speak derogative things about them to others (complain that you can’t go over to so-and-so’s house; gripe over the fact that dad doesn't like how low the neckline is, or how mom wouldn't let you buy that tight skirt…etc…) , but to promote their attributes—the good things they do—when given the chance! (Which means we need to be on the look out for those attributes!
We need to see the good in others! Don’t just always see and focus on the bad!!!)
Also, we can learn to speak to (and of) our siblings (as if they were our future children!!!) about other family members and church family in the best possible light and/or with Godly, righteous judgment!


May we, by God’s grace, seek to see and praise the good in others—not to zero in on and publicize the bad! 

The Effect of a Godly Mommy Upon an Entire Nation


  "And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favor both with the LORD, and also with men."
1 Samuel 2:26

If Samuel gained favor in the sight of “men” as well as God, that means that he lived such a Godly life—even for one so young—that people took notice. It would only stand to reason that these “men” or other people with whom Samuel and his Godly lifestyle gained favor with knew Samuel's “background” story—his ‘history’, as it were. How he had come to live there, and to “minister” unto Eli the priest and to those that came to worship, and ultimately, minister unto the Lord. This means that
A.)   They would know of Hannah’s answered prayer for a son (see 1 Samuel 1: 5b and 6b) which means that God would have been glorified again and again through each retelling of Hannah’s past suffering. And
B.)   They would have known all about her FAITHFULNESS to the God who answered her prayers for a son!
So, not only was Samuel a Godly testimony, but his mother was one as well, through the way she had been obedient to God and raised her son!!! (Because of and by the child she had raised/trained!!!)
Being a wife and “stay at home mom” is not a sacrifice (although it includes them, definitely!) It is a high calling!!! Even though Hannah was simply being obedient and on fire for God in an unobtrusive, not ‘out there’ way, she had a great impact on the entire nation of Israel because of the son she raised and dedicated to the Lord! She was an example through the Godly children she sent out of the home She Stayed IN!
There are so many lies out there aimed at young women concerning this—mostly that staying home as a wife, mommy, daughter, whatever!, is a stifling, boring, drudgery and waste of a woman’s (God given) amazing abilities and brilliance. Nothing could be farther from the truth! As young women, we can have the greatest impact in our homes and through the sphere of the home! J Hannah had no idea what an impact she would have on an entire nation simply by being a Godly mommy!!!
Who knows what impact you may have there as well!?

Abiding In Love {Loving Others}




“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
John 15:10-12


In verse 10, Jesus wants us to A.) Abide in Him (verse 7) and B.) Continue (keep going) in His love. Then He tells us how to Abide-in-Him and Continue-in-His-Love! “If we keep His commandments, we shall ABIDE in His LOVE!!!” ‘Just as He (has) kept His Father’s commandments and abide in His love’ as our Ultimate Example!!! BUT! What are His commandments? What is His commandment? Jesus includes the answer to that as well as we shall see in verse 12! But I am getting ahead of myself! J

Another principle we can draw from verse 10 as well, is that Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything that A.) He hasn’t already done (Hebrews 5:14) or B.) that is impossible! Difficult, surely; but doable by God’s grace and through the power of His Holy Spirit! ♥

In verse 11, Jesus tells us that He has told us all these things (according to a Bible commentary I read, “these things” refers to chapter 14, as well as us being fruitful in, by, through, and for Him) because He knows that living for him, abiding in Him, His Words abiding in us, and our being obedient and in constant communion with Him, brings (fullness of) JOY to the Believer’s life! Our lives!!! JJJJ

Then, finally, in verse 12, Jesus gives us His commandment He desires us to obey in verse 10; the commandment that the keeping of brings ability to ‘abide in Him’ and enables us to ‘continue in His love’. The commandment is that we…

Love one another (or, applied personally, love others) as Christ has loved (& continues to love) you and I!!!

That’s a pretty BIG love!!!
But, by the grace and power of God, it is not an impossible one!

Another Comforter


{Image obtained through Google Images}

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
John 14:16  

~~ANOTHER Comforter~~ implying that, in Him, there already had been and was One! But, because He would soon be crucified, rise again, and ascend into Heaven; because He was leaving them {His disciples} He was supplying the need (Phil 4:19) of His own (John 13:1-- which totally applies to you, by the way! You're one of 'His own' and He desperately loves you!) by not leaving them comfortless (John 14:18). Instead, Jesus was supplying them with another Source of Comfort in the presence of His Holy Spirit!

Your struggles, as insignificant as they may seem to others-- or, perhaps you even think they are insignificant to God! :-( -- those struggles ARE important to God!~~ YOU are important to God! You are His child! His Daughter!
He "tellest your wanderings"~(Psalms 56:8a)
He stores EVERY TEAR you shed (even the 'secret' ones) in a bottle~ (Psalms 56:8b)
{Anyone envision a shelf of multiple bottles there? lol}
He is intimately acquainted with:
 every thought you have (Psalms 139:2) (Psalms 139:23-24) (Jeremiah 17:10) (1 Samuel 16:7)
Every struggle you face (Psalms 34:17-19)
Every trial you go through! (1 Peter 1:7) (1 Peter 4:12)
He knows! (Job 23:10)
He cares! (1 Peter 5:7)
He knows how you feel. (Hebrews 2:17-18)
He has been there (believe it or not! J) (Hebrews 4:15)

 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

Like Jesus’ own sister may have physically done in the loving and everlasting arms of her Big Brother, you can, as His daughter, rest in the arms of your Father♥♥

Take time to do this today! If you haven’t, SHUT THIS COMPUTER OFF and grab your Bible, and go spend some quiet time with Jesus!
You won’t regret it! J

Devotional thoughts from Psalms (#5)

"The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant."
Psalm 25:14 


Fearing God (Psalm 25:12)leads to Him “showing” me (us) His covenant, which, if I (we) keep along with His testimonies (according to Psalm 25:10) all His paths “are mercy and truth”

Devotional Thoughts from Psalms 71:20-21


Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
Psalms 71:20-21


"When I am tempted to remember how close I once was to Jesus~ how much time I used to spend in prayer~ how many hours I’d spend in His Word~ how close We seemed to be~ and feel as though I can never be that close to Him again, remember this verse!
There wasn't a doubt in David’s mind but God would revive his spirit/ heart! ♥ There shouldn’t be a doubt in mine either! Not a single one!"

When YOU dear sister, begin to remember how close you once were to Jesus~ how you’ve allowed that relationship to wane, allowed circumstances to come between you~ when you remember how much time you used to spend pouring your heart out to your Savior~ when you think of how many hours you’d spend in His Word, growing more and more excited at what He was showing you~ when you remember all these things, and begin to become discouraged, believing the LIE that you can never get that relationship with the Lover of your soul back to where it once was, feeling as though you can never be that close to Jesus again, REMEMBER THIS VERSE! Read it, quote it aloud~ over and over! There was not a single doubt in the Psalmists mind or heart that God would once again revive him! (At least not at this time lol) He had seen God do it before!!! (see Psalms 85:5) So take heart! Don’t loose it! J Read, remember, quote, dwell and meditate on this verse, and remember, He who has shown you (or allowed you like Job) to see great and sore trouble WILL QUICKEN YOU AGAIN and WILL BRING YOU UP FROM THE DEPTHS! It is only a matter of time! A matter of time in which He wants you to trust, hope, and rest in Him (Psalm 71:1,5) (Psalm 37:7a)

So, hang in there, Princess Warrior! You are so totally not alone (others are going through the same thing) and you are totally not forsaken (God has not left you nor is He leaving you alone during this “mess”!)!

Devotional Thoughts from Psalms 36


Just some questions I came up with and things to apply to myself and my walk with Jesus while reading my Bible today. Was thinking "blogpost" while doing so... hence the post :)
Psalms 36:1-4
What does my behavior say to the Lost? What does it say to other Believers? Can they tell that there is a ‘fear of the LORD’ in my life—‘before my eyes’, in the words of the psalmist? Is there actually a fear of the LORD in my life, before mine eyes, to be observed by the Lost and other Christians?
Do I flatter myself in my own eyes? Life myself up in my own esteem? Until my iniquity (my choosing to do what I want, when I want to, because I want to…) is found of others to be a hateful thing? A disgusting lifestyle?
Are the words of my mouth iniquity? Are they words that I wish to say, or are they words that Christ would say and have me say? Are the words that issue forth from my mouth deceitful? Have I ‘left off’, have a said ‘Forget it!’ to being wise and seeking wisdom? Have I given up on being good?
What do I ‘devise’ upon my bed? What do I dream about, meditate on? Do I devise to do good (Proverbs 14:22) and dream of my Beloved, (Psalm 63:6) my Maker? Have I set myself on a way that is not good, or on a way that is good? Do I hate evil, or has some of it become acceptable in my sight—good even?

By God’s good grace…

  1. Fear Him
  2. Set Him before mine eyes
  3. Humble myself under the mighty had of God and He will exalt me in due time
  4. Do not iniquity
  5. Speak not iniquity
  6. Speak the truth
  7. Seek after—pursue—wisdom
  8. Strive to do good!
  9. Devise to do good to others the following day, plan out a Godly and Christ honoring and family oriented day, every night upon my bed
  10. Meditate on all the good God has done for me that day every night in bed
  11. Set myself (and allow myself to be set) on/in a way that is good
  12. Hate and abhor evil!
What about you? What did you read today!? :):):) <3

Devotional Thoughts from Psalms (#4)

 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
Psalms 25:12

God, please give me Your grace and enable me therewith to fear You, in the right way~~ not a fear of a scary God, but a reverential fear of love, honor, respect, and 1st place in my life, in Jesus’ Name! For it is the man (or woman! J) that feareth You whom You teach in the way that You choose for them!!!
Let us seek to fear and be taught by our Loving God today!

Devotional Thoughts from Psalms (#3)

For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
Psalms 25:11
 
 “For His sake!”
Not for ours!!
Not to ease my conscience or make me look better but to enhance His reputation to the struggling Christian and to the Lost!!!

Devotional Thoughts from Psalms (#2)

 
Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Psalms 25:8-10
 
Only because God is GOOD and UPRIGHT will He teach you and I, sinners saved by grace, in the/His WAY! By the grace of God, be MEEK!~ for it is the meek He teaches His way (see Psalm 25:7a)
 
What is meekness? Some have defined it not as weakness, but quiet strength. Others have defined it as greatness/power UNDER CONTROL (the Control being God’s!) (Also see Psalm 25:8-9)
 
THEN! All these “His paths” (in Psalms 25:4) we need to and should desire Him to teach us, are MERCY and TRUTH unto those who/ such as keep His covenant and His testimonies (or, in other words, those who obey Him and the commands laid out for them in His Word!)

So let us, by His grace, and with truly pure motives, and for HIS glory, strive to have meek and quiet spirits today! Obey the Lord and His commandment! And He WILL teach you and guide you in His way!!

Devotional Thoughts from Psalms (#1)

 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.
Psalms 25:7
 
Remember me for THY goodness' sake:
Because my ONLY “goodness”, is His goodness working IN and THROUGH me!

Confiding...in our FATHERS????? ;-)


“Honor thy father and thy mother…”

(Exodus 20:12) 

 

Sounds simple enough, right?
:)
Any of you that have parents (which better include all of you!! ;-) know that statement is not always true. We know we need to, and should, honor and obey our parents, but as fleshly, sinful human beings, honor, submission, and obedience are not things that always come easily for us.

But I’d like to focus on the relationship between you (as a young woman) and your father, for the next few moments. :-)
I am currently in the process of reading a book about the Biblical design for fathers and daughters and just how far our society at large and even we as Christians have strayed from the multitudes of examples laid out for us in Scripture.
The book and its authoresses strongly advocate returning to this model laid out for us in Scripture, which is something that the Lord has actually been bringing to pass in my own life over the course of the last few years (right before and ever since my graduation from home school—programmed/ Christian high-school). I’m not perfect, and neither is my Daddy (although he is quite wonderful! :-) ), and I understand that while many young ladies and their (your) fathers (and mothers) will agree with me on the general principle concerning this issue, we each have a personalized way that we go about it, based on the way that the Lord is teaching us, leading us, and revealing to us through His Word. J I also realize, that through no fault of your own, not all of you have great relationships with your fathers—and some, quite honestly, may have harsh or hateful fathers. L

So, I am not here to tell you that what you are doing is wrong, or to tell you how great I am because I am doing what I believe to be right. Neither am I here to riddle those who suffer from any type of fatherly mistreatment or neglect with guilt. Rather, I just want to share with you a recent blessing I have received from going “out of my comfort zone” to confide in my father… and what joy, comfort, and relief I was blessed with as a result.
A couple days ago, I was reading in this book, and came across a very significant portion. The question is posed
What kind of attitude does God want me to have toward my father?”
Of course, several answers are briefly discussed (this is a very encompassing topic J for one to cover in depth lol), and some of it is very cut and dry and Biblical (Exodus 20:12) (Ephesians 6:1) even (Ephesians 5:33). But the one paragraph that really caught my attention was this:
Confiding in our fathers (and, of course, our mothers) is another way we can show them honor. When we let our fathers know our heartsour struggles, our weaknesses, our hopes and dreams—it encourages them to pay closer attention to the instruction and guidance they give us. Our fathers can better protect us if they know our weaknesses and struggles and can better lead us when they know what direction we want to be going.” [1]

I could already attest from personal experience that more than one of these statements was and is true, but God was about to use it and the fatherly protection he has placed over my life, yet again, to strengthen and encourage me.
There was (oh and still is LLL) a certain sin that I am struggling with right now. It is one of those ones that is not obvious to anybody, but I certainly know it is there, and it was bothering me. I felt awful. I remembered having read this paragraph the next morning when I again found myself struggling in this area. (Funny how the Lord works things out all in perfect timing—just when you need it—isn’t it? J)
So I confided to my daddy what I was (am) struggling with. I could not do it verbally, so I wrote him a note a little before he left for work and would not let him read it in my presence lol. So he finished getting ready and left for work, while I went downstairs to my room, laid down on my bed, and struggled with guilt, discouragement, and a seeming inability to pray. L I could not take not knowing what he thought, so I texted him, asking if he’d read it and if he had any advice to offer.
No reply.
Not a comforting response!!!!! Lol J
So again lol I sent him a text…
This time, his answer came—
In the form of a 5 page reply
♥♥
And the words of encouragement and counsel he had to offer, by the grace of God, brought me to tears of relief.

By God’s grace, my dad was able to give me sound instruction and wise counsel exactly for the struggle I was and am facing. (Proverbs 1:8) (Proverbs 4:1) (Proverbs 13:1) (Proverbs 15:32-33) (Proverbs 19:20 & 27) (Proverbs 24:6) (2 Timothy 3:16)
But my daddy would never have been able to give that advice (neither would I have been able to receive itL) if I had not first opened my heart voluntarily to him. He never would have known, he would not be praying for me concerning this, and I would have received no instruction if I had kept this part of me to myself.
The same is true of you, dear sister. I am not perfect. Neither have I arrived because I did this.
I simply hope to encourage you to do the same! If there is something you are struggling with, need advice/counsel concerning, perhaps an unfulfilled dream, or a burden the Lord has laid on your heart that you are having a hard time bringing to reality, I encourage you, dear sister! First, take it to your Heavenly Father, and then (prayerfully, if need beJ) take it in a humble, submissive manner, to your earthly father. Open your heart to him in the same way that you would to your Savior. It will not be as easy. I could not bring myself to confide in Daddy out loud, so I wrote him a note, and gave it to himJ. But the results were equally amazing.
The blessings you can receive, by God’s grace, by being ‘vulnerable’ to your father far outweigh the ‘security’ you will experience if you do not. You may never know what blessings (in your walk with Christ and your father) if you do not!!
Just as you, Lord willingly, share your heart with your Savior, and just as you will one day give your heart to your Husband, share your inner thoughts, dreams, and struggles NOW with the man the Lord has in place at this very moment as the authority in your life.
It will not be easy…
But, dear sister, it is so WORTH IT!!!






[1] So Much More, page 39; emphasis mine J