As I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my friends to keep
Give them peace and joy tonight
And sweet dreams till the morning light
When wake they all from their rest
I pray the Lord, help them do their best
Give them strength to do what’s right
Help them lean on Your great might
And when the day draws to an end
I’ll pray for you again, my friends.
God bless you! I love you all – whether I know your name or not, God loves you, and because He does, I do, too!
This song was going through my head:
“Look what the Lord has done!
Look what the Lord has done!
He healed my body! He touched my mind!
He saved me just in time!
I’m gonna praise His Name!
He’s every day the same!
I’m gonna praise Him!
I’m gonna praise Him!
Look what the Lord has done!”
No matter what’s going on – good, bad, ugly, whatever – God is good! I’m so very thankful for a God that is in control, that can see the past, present, and future, and has promised to always work out things for good (Romans 8:28)!
Life is like a jigsaw puzzle – we can only see the one little piece that applies to us, and maybe the pieces immediately surrounding us – but God can see the big picture, and He alone knows what the end product is supposed to look like. What an incredible Lord and Savior!
I’ve made so many mistakes, I can’t begin to count them
I don’t know sometimes why I do the things I do
Or why I don’t do the things I want to
The apostle Paul struggle with that, too
I remember times that I did things. . . things that I’m so very not proud of
Things I wish were nothing more than a nightmare
Even if they wouldn’t seem that bad to anyone else, they were that bad to me
And I wish, oh how I wish, that I could go back and redo everything
Restart my life, with a better sense of right and wrong
With the memory of what I’ve been through, so I’ll know how to live
Have the chance to do something the right way, without having to learn the hard way
But life is funny; it doesn’t bow to our will
I would that it did
Life is linear, from our point of view
And we can’t go back and change it
It’s there, forever
All those mistakes, those things I don’t like about myself
I can’t erase them
.
.
.
But, I know Someone Who can
I know a Man that has the power to cover my mistakes, my sins, and wash them away
Those stains on my life
They don’t have to have power over me
Not if I give my life to Him
To Jesus
‘Cuz He has this really awesome way about Him
He likes to wipe the slate clean
Doesn’t mean the mistakes haven’t happened
But it does mean, that if we ask Him to,
He forgets them
He covers them with His perfect blood, and washes us as white as snow
The new kind of snow, pure, no blemishes
So in a way, we do have the ability to go back and make better decisions
But instead, we go forward and make better decisions
Better yet, it’s not a one-time offer
He’s faithful to me, to us
He forgives us, over and over again
Mistakes? What mistakes?
He has made me new.
Everyone struggles with sin. Everyone desires forgiveness. Isn’t it awesome that God gives us forgiveness? I’m thankful.
I am no different than anyone else. I struggle with sin. I struggle with my temper, with my attitude, with so many other things. Every day, I have to apologize to God for my sins. In order to feel like I can overcome them, I have to confess my sins to God, as many as I can. King David went even further than that – he asked God to save him from his “secret sins” – the ones he committed that he didn’t even realize he’d done.
“Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.”
Psalms 19:12
As I was getting ready to write this post and reading over the verses I wanted to use, I realized that David also asked God to keep him from other sins:
“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent of the great transgression.”
Psalms 19:13
Presumptuous sins… what might those be? Assumption, perhaps. What could be more presumptuous than that? But I think it goes deeper than that. So, I looked it up. According to BlueLetterBible.org, in this verse, the original word is zed, and it’s literal translation is:
blueletterbible.org
So presumptuous sins refers to arrogance, coupled with insolence and impiety. This got me thinking: how have I been arrogant in my walk with God? I tried to be really and truly honest with myself, and I was very sobered by the realization that I am extremely arrogant with God. I have the tendency to assume (there’s that presumption again) that something is or is not from God. I have the habit of deciding that, if I don’t feel forgiven for a sin, it’s because God didn’t forgive me yet, when in actuality, He forgave me the moment I asked; I simply hadn’t forgiven my self (I John 1:9).
Wow.
I’m pretty arrogant, aren’t I? I take upon myself the power to decide when and if a sin has been or will be forgiven, even though I can ‘t forgive anyone – least of all myself – of any sins. This is a problem.
So how to overcome arrogance like that? By remembering that Someone perfect had to die for my sins, I am reminded that I am far from perfect, far from knowing the future, far from the power that decides life or death. Only God holds that power, and as talked about in a recent church service, I don’t want to take over God’s job! The message was actually about vengeance and bitterness, and how God said that vengeance is His and He will repay (Romans 12:9). When we take over the job of getting back at someone, we are taking over God’s job. We are saying that we are on the same level as God, since we can do His job. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but putting himself on the same level as God is what got Lucifer kicked out of Heaven. Yeah. Don’t want to do that. But as I write this, I’m struck with the idea that I have been getting revenge on myself for my sins, by constantly beating myself up over them instead of making every conscious effort not to commit them again. I’m talking about some specific sins that I struggle with – temper issues, attitude, apathy, some others. And when I realize that I’ve committed a sin again, I get angry with myself. I ask God to forgive me, sure, but then I tell myself that I’m such a horrible person for committing the same sins again that there is no way I can be forgiven and to just give up. Way to play Job’s friends and wife, right?
So, instead of giving up, I should stop giving myself power and authority that I don’t have. I need to remember that God is sovereign, and He will forgive me if I simply ask. That doesn’t mean I should commit sins with the intention of asking forgiveness, however; this kind of behavior sorrows God, maybe even angers Him. Woah. Do NOT want to anger God, or sorrow Him, or anything else.
A recent Sunday School lesson for the class I teach covered what repentance is. I told the kids, “Repentance doesn’t mean you say you’re sorry, do the sin again, say you’re sorry, do the sin again, and so on. It means you say you’re sorry, and lean on God for the strength to resist committing that sin again.” Conviction! Practice what ya teach, teacher :).
All in all, it’s easy to sin. But, thank the Lord, it’s also easy to find forgiveness for those sins, and even easier to ask God for help. That’s not to say that you will never commit those sins again, or that you will have no problem resisting the temptation to sin; but rather, that if you rely on God as your strength, you can and will stand against all sorts of temptation.
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
I Chronicles 10:13
Remember the saying, “Practice makes perfect”? Well, it applies here, as well. The more you resist sin, the easier it gets to resist sin. Pray daily for the strength to resist and for the courage to take the straight and narrow path in each situation. Spend time daily in the Word, finding and reading – and memorizing – verses that will help you in your walk with God. That whole, “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee” and “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” thing, ya know (Psalms 119:11, Psalms 119:105). A little illumination is good, but the more, the better, right?
Here’s the really, truly, incredibly awesome part – God has promised that he will break the bonds of sin – and therefore, the punishment for them – from off of us!
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:2
I have a secret. Want to hear it? Okay, here it is… I’m in love!
I’m actually feeling giddy! I’ve had crushes before, but they were more being in love with the idea of being in love. THIS is the real thing! AHHH I’m so happy!
I feel like singing that song, “I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love with a wonderful man!”
Just wait until I tell you about my sweetheart – SUCH a special guy!
ALL DAY I’ve been thinking about the love we share ♥. He really understands me, like no one ever has! He’s my BEST FRIEND. He and I spend a lot of time talking together, and just a lot of time together in general. I wish it were more time :(. It could be, I suppose. He is available to me whenever I make the time – an UNBELIEVABLY great person, wouldn’t you say?!
Songs of Solomon was a book in the Bible I never had very much reason to pay close attention to before. Now, I see how it is truly describing the way I feel! I won’t put all the verses here – you should look them up yourself! – but I will tell you that Songs of Solomon 2:16 is perfectly describing our relationship. “My beloved is mine, and I am his:…” *sigh*
It’s crazy – if you’ve ever been in love, you can probably identify with how I’m feeling. The more time we spend together, the more time I want us to spend together! He gives me everything possible – everything I could ever ask for! Although, if something isn’t good for me, I won’t get it. My sweetie wants to take care of me and protect me from dangers I don’t realize are there. I’m SO blessed!
You might know my sweetie. His name might be familiar to you.
So, here goes… I’m in love with…
Jesus.
“Jesus – Lover of my soul! Jesus – I will never let You go! You carried me from the miry clay! You set my feet upon the Rock, and now I know… I love You! I need You! Though the world may fall, I’ll never let You go! My Savior! My closest Friend! I will worship You, until the very end!”
Humor aside – I’m totally serious. Sitting in church today, I felt such a giddy feeling – my Jesus loves me. ME! The one who has let Him down time and again. The one who sometimes struggles to keep my attitude where it should be. The one who is really pretty selfish, when it all comes down to it. Me?! I don’t know how, or why, He loves me, only that He does. The best part is, that love will never die. Love between a man and woman might cool or disappear entirely; but the love that Jesus has for me will never change. Though I grieve Him, He still loves me. He is my Bridegroom, and I am His bride. Like any relationship, this one takes work; that’s my job, however, since Jesus is always there when I need Him. For our relationship to succeed, I need to spend more time going through the instruction manual (like I would for a new appliance). I’m talking about the Bible, of course! 🙂 Also, as any happy couple knows, communication is key. I have to talk to Him, let Him know what I’m thinking and how I’m feeling. I also need to let Him know what He means to me, and what I think of Him. That’s easy – I think He’s awesome!!!
I don’t want our relationship to suffer, so I’m going to put more work into it than I ever have before. My biggest responsibility to make this relationship better than it has ever been is actually pretty easy; I just need to praise Him, for everything.
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord.” Psalms 106:48
“Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” Psalms 111:1
“Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandments.” Psalms 112:1
“O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise Him, all ye people.” Psalms 117:1
“Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Name of the Lord; praise him, o ye servants of the Lord.” Psalms 135:1
“Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with the stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” Psalms 150:1-6
I love You, Jesus, Lover of my soul!
“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.” Psalms 104:33-34
I wanted to come on here and just share with you the peace and joy I’ve been feeling the past several days. God is awesome! I’ve been stressed out about a few things, and have been worrying them over and over in my head. The other night, that song “He’s Been Faithful” just kept taking that stuff’s place. Made me think about how little I must trust God to be worrying. It’s a sin to worry, really – as long as we do our best, God will take care of the rest, right? And if we continually worry about things, it’s akin to saying that God’s not big enough to handle it. Which, of course, is crazy, since He’s totally big enough to handle anything that comes our way. God is always faithful to us; we need to be faithful to Him. It’s not a one-way street, after all; it’s not God giving, giving, giving to us while we simply take. We’re supposed to give our all to God. That means trusting in Him, and having faith that He will see us through.
Of course, we can’t just sit back and say, “Okay, God, since You’re the Almighty and all, I’ll just let You provide the money for my bills to be paid while I sit at home and do whatever I want to do. And spend every dime I can.” Nope. We have to actually get out there and do our best to provide for ourselves and our families and, whatever is not included in the fruits of our labor, God will supply. He’s pretty awesome like that, too; I have a personal testimony to prove it! I was coming home from work one day a few years ago, trying to pay all my bills, working two jobs and still not having enough. My cupboards were pretty close to empty, my gas tank was just about on fumes, it was a week till my next paycheck, and I had bills coming due. Told God on my way home that night that I knew He would see me through. I got home, got the mail out of the box. Went inside and looked through it. Bill… junk mail… bill… bill… more junk mail… something from the mortgage company? Hmm… Opened it and – it was a check from the mortgage company for the amount that I had gone over in my escrow account! Not only could I pay for food, gas, and some bills, but there was a little left over to do something nice for me. I know that God will provide my needs, cuz He’s done it before! The great thing is, the need doesn’t have to be a financial one for God to provide it. Remembrance of facts learned on tests, patience when dealing with children, understanding when talking to a coworker or boss – whatever the need might be, God is faithful to give you what you need if you just ask Him, then allow Him to take control. He’ll come through for you – He always does!
It all comes down to faith; He’s faithful, and we need to exercise faith.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
Finals week, this and next week… everyone is studying… Lord, please help us all to remember everything we’ve been working all semester to cram into our brains! Give us the “critical thinking” skills to be able to figure out an answer if we can’t remember the fact. Above all, help us to remember that we do all for Your glory!
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31
So, it was a bit of a crazy day on Wednesday. Had a paper that is a HUGE part of my grade due for class. Opened my laptop while at work to polish and print it out, and discovered… it was gone. Had to COMPLETELY retype the entire paper, with only about 1 1/2 hours to do it (mind you, this was a minimum 5 pg paper, but needed 8 or more pages to be done right). Deep breath, remember Philippians 4:13. Start typing. Long story short, got the rewrite done and got to class with literally 10 seconds to spare – my teacher was headed towards the door to close it.
Honestly? Would not have been able to do it without the Lord’s help.
And as I was thinking about what to write tonight – more than just about my paper, I mean – I realized that Philippians 4:13 works in more ways then we probably think about on a daily basis.
For instance – I couldn’t get up in the morning if God didn’t help me. I coudn’t breathe without His breath in me. My heart wouldn’t beat if He hadn’t made me with a brain to regulate that all-important function. I would struggle to walk, talk, eat, read, and so, SO many other things.
I can’t do anything without God, since He created me.
But, with God, I CAN DO EVERYTHING.
That’s not to say I’m about to run out and try to pick cars up. Cuz there is a thing called “tempting God,” and we’re not supposed to do it (see Deuteronmy 6:16). But if I needed to pick up a car, He would help me do it. Or get a paper rewrite that should take at least 5 hours complete in 1 1/2 instead – well, yeah, He’ll help me with that, too. After all, I’m His child; He wants me to succeed. And when I make mistakes (like not backing up to another source), He doesn’t hold it against me. I’m so thankful for that!
Whatever task you might be facing – work, school, family, church, or anything else related – God can and will help you accomplish it, if it’s within His will for your life (remember, He doesn’t want you to walk down a path that will cause you grief).
Thank You, Lord, for loving me enough to overlook my mistakes, my attitude problems, laziness/apathy, selfishness, and all the other bad character traits I know I have. I’m so grateful that You have made, are making, and will make a way for me, every time. Please help me to remember how much You love me when I get frustrated at the slow driver causing me to be late for something, and realize I should have put down the book or got off the internet sooner so I could leave sooner, or when I am in danger of losing my patience with an unruly child, or when I get all stressed out and forget to thank You for keeping me busy. I want to please You, Lord, in everything I do. Thank You for helping me with everything I’ve attempted – nursing school, teaching, furthering my education, buying a house, and SO many more things throughout the course of my life. You demonstrated that the impossible was possible for You, when You died on the cross and forgave me of my sins. All things are possible with You, God; and You will give me the strength to bear any trial that comes my way. Thanks, God. I love You! ♥
“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Chasing After Jesus 