Psalm 32:8 Divine Direction

Psalms 32:8

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalms‬ ‭32:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What a precious promise we have in the Lord, that when we come to Him in prayer, confess our sin(s), not only will he hide us and protect us ( in previous verses 6-7) but he instructs and guides us the BEST path we need to take. And this is not one and done. As we are before Him, He continues to guide and counsel us in the process and watched over us.

Lord, thank you for guiding and teaching us to adjust our sails so that we are following the best and right path for our lives. Your Word continues to be a light to our path in every dark place. Thank you for always being right there with us in the process, counseling us and watching over us. You are indeed a Good Father! Thank you Lord!

Psalms 32:1-2 Have JOY today!

Ps 32:1-2

Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!” Psalms‬ ‭32:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is great joy in having our transgressions/disobedience forgiven – our sin is put out of sight or covered. They are not only covered but removed! Ps 103: 12 says “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” We are blessed indeed!


Ps 32:2 continues that the blessing and joy is not only because we have been forgiven, but the Lord also removes the guilt and shame associated with our sin/ transgression AND we can live our lives in complete honesty and transparency- free of deceit! Our records are wiped clean. That sounds a lot like freedom to me!

I am reminded of when you have been given an expensive parking or camera ticket and you are driving around fearful or dreading another one. But when that ticket has been paid or has been thrown out, you are not only elated that it is gone, you move about with greater freedom because it’s no longer hanging over your head.

Lord, I thank You for the joy You bring in forgiving my transgressions and covering and delivering me from sin! Thank You also for the joy and blessing of wiping our records free from the guilt of sin and allowing us to live without deceit, in complete honesty! We declare victory over every intrusive thought that tries to make us relive the guilt and shame associated with the transgression. We are forgiven, Hallelujah! Help us walk boldly and freely in victory in Jesus name.

Stagger Not at the Promises

Romans 4:20-21

Morning Mediation: Stagger Not at the Promises of God- Fully Persuaded!

I was praying with my sister this morning and Romans 4:20 popped in my mind. I love this King James Version (KJV) in the photo which is what I memorized long ago. I am putting the entire passage (New Living Translation) for full context! What a promise we have in God.

“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Romans‬ ‭4:18-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.4.18-24.NLT

fullypersuaded #staggerNot

Morning meditation: Galatians 5:25 Keep in Step!

Galatians 5:25

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Throughout Galatians 5, we really learn the freedom and liberty that walking/ living in the Spirit brings. We can be free from unruly emotions, bad habits and other outside challenges that seek to distract or derail us from the abundant life that God wants for us.

This verse says that since you are living by the Spirit, keep in step with the Spirit or follow the Holy Spirit’s leading. The visual I received was of a dance partners in ballroom dancing /hand dancing, which requires a lead partner who, with a nudge from their hand at the back, determines the direction, pace and flow of the dance. There must be close proximity and lots of practice to understand what the nudges mean to keep in step with the lead partner. But as we see in those dance competitions, the results are flawless, seamless and extraordinary execution. I love dance!

Sometimes we may want to lead or not move at all, and that can get us out of alignment with the flow of the Spirit. I took ballroom dance lessons with my son for a program he was in, and it took a lot of practice to learn the steps and to follow his lead. Even when we messed up because I followed him it wasn’t too bad because we were in alignment.

God wants us to keep close to Him, allow His Spirit to lead us, match our pace to His because His timing is always perfect, His direction sure and His execution is flawless! #KeepinStep #HolySpirit #LiveintheSpirit

Psalm 92:8 The Most High

Psalm 92:8

But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭92:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Several versions say You, O Lord are On High forever. The lord Most High is one of the names of God, Elyon in Hebrew.

This middle verse directs our attention back to God who is above all. He dwells and reigns in the highest, in all His majesty and splendor. He reigns on High forever even as other rise and fall. Glory to God! Glory to God in the Highest!

Lord we exalt You and praise Your name! You alone are worthy of our worship and praise! You are our Eternal Lord, from everlasting to everlasting. Be glorified. #TheMostHigh #Elyon #BeExalted

21 Days of Grace – Day 21

Revelation 22:21

Revelation 22:21
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.

So very fitting that I conclude this 21 days of Grace series with the final verse of the Bible which emphasizes Jesus’s desire for His grace be with US, Gods people. This is the heart of God toward us, this is His desire – that His empowering, amazing grace and favor be with each of us always. He is waiting on us to receive it. And that is great news!

Thanks you all who walked with me on this grace journey. I hope we return to these verses again and again, hide them in ours heart, so that we can truly walk in Gods abundant grace so that we can be His vessel of grace to others. God bless you! #Grace #favor #GodwithUs #21Days

21 Days of Grace -Day 19

Ephesians 1:6-7

Ephesians 1:6-7 NLT
So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

Stop whatever you are doing right now for a praise break! God has poured out His Glorious GRACE on us who belong to Jesus. We should all live in a constant state of gratitude toward God for all He does for us. A little grace goes a long way, but time and time again we see that God lavishes His grace on us and it is glorious ( full of His glory).

Verse 7 continues extol the very nature of God, His rich KINDNESS and GRACE and the very high price He paid for us to “belong to His dear Son”, His beloved. He purchased our freedom with the the blood of His beloved Son and forgave our sins. How can we be bitter, knowing that God loves us so much and has given us so much. Since we belong to Jesus we must be the conduits of that same Kindness and Grace that God lavishly pours out on us. Help us Lord, to be those vessels of glorious grace to a world that desperately needs Your touch in Jesus name.

#Grace #Kindness #redemption #Forgiveness #21DaysofGrace

21 Days of Grace – Day 10

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.

It is God’s grace alone that saves us. Earlier in this passage, we are told that it is His great love for us, even when we were dead in sin, that He made us alive in Christ. It is His gift to us. We can’t earn it, we just have to receive this grace BY FAITH. In this passage, Paul also recognizes man’s natural tendency to brag about our performance and he shut it down.

God’s abundant grace and gift of salvation are free to all who have faith in Christ and receive it! Ephesians 2:10 then says ““For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God then empowers us to do the work which in turn glorifies Him.

Let there be Light

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:3-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

My previous post mentions that “Let it Shine” is my theme for 2018. God dropped this little nugget as I restarted my Bible reading in Gen1 and I had to share it! This is just the tip of the iceberg for me and I plan to study it out. If you have insights please also share!

—–

When we first read this scripture Gen 1:3 we are tempted to think of the light as the sun and moon. Especially when it says God called the light Day and the darkness Night. But in Gen 1:14-19 we see that the sun, moon and stars are not created until the 4th day!

““Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” Genesis‬ ‭1:14-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

So then what was that Light that God created from the darkness, that preceded the Sun, moon and stars? James 4:6 tells us that God made this light to shine in our hearts so we could the glory of God that is seen in Jesus!

As glorious as the sun, moon and stars are – especially as they reveal themselves to us every morning and evening- they are not as splendid as God’s first created light that reveals the glory of God that is seen IN Jesus.

Let that sink in….

The very first thing that God created, Light, He makes to shine in our hearts for the purpose of knowing the Glory of God.

This original first light precedes and goes beyond the physical, natural lights that we see via God’s creation of the sun, moon and stars. It precedes the foundation of the world! As one commentary noted “Light was created first and attached to the sun and luminaries on Day4 Thus the sun is merely an obedient light-bearer and its magnificence is only understood in relation to its Creator.”

Jesus is the source of that light, THE creative force, that allows us to supernaturally know the Glory of God. Wow! Wow! Wow!

Remember when Moses asked God to see His glory? God tells Moses that he cannot “see” His face, His glory and live.

“And he said, “Please, show me Your glory. .., But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”” Exodus‬ ‭33:18, 20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God instructs Moses to stand by a rock and when He (His glory) passes by God hides him in the cleft of the rock, covers him with His hand and then takes His hand away and allows Moses to see His back but not His face. Moses was completely transformed physically and spiritually by this encounter with just the backside of God’s glory!

Jesus is the light of the world. When we receive Him, God makes this transformative light shine in our hearts and as we allow it to shine through us, it transforms others. This is that creative power that sparked creation itself.

My 2018 prayer today is to connect with Jesus more intimately so that I don’t hinder the flow of His light to shine through me. Lord, Help me to align my thoughts, actions, plans etc with Yours so that I am that conduit and vessel of that light. Thank you for clarity of purpose and creative ability and resulting actions to execute your will in its various manifestations that give praise and glory to Your name! In Jesus name!