God Is Our Refuge

“Trust in Him at all times…Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8 (NASB)

God wants us to trust Him enough to pour out our hearts to Him – all our thoughts and feelings, joys, concerns, and fears. He is our refuge ~ our safe haven, our sanctuary, the One to whom we can come and trust with our hearts.

What keeps you from trusting in God always?

Challenge: Spend 5 minutes writing down the areas of your life in which you are not completely trusting God. Also write down all the areas in which you ARE completely trusting God. Ask God to show you how to trust Him more today with the things you struggle to trust Him with. Thank God that He cares about all the details of your life and what is in your heart.

"The Beauty in a Broken Heart"

“With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:10-11 (NKJV)


I was filled with guilt as I realized a decision I made recently, with the best of intentions, had actually caused more harm than good. Feeling frustrated and disappointed that I wasn’t measuring up to God’s standards, I came across today’s key verse.

Right away, I knew that the Lord had led me to this verse. Everyone makes mistakes; we’re human, and we’re going to disappoint one another and ourselves.

My biggest mistake was not focusing on God and His Truth.

When I fail to do that, too often I follow the sinful desires of my heart rather than patiently listen for and follow God’s instruction.

Are you struggling today to forgive yourself for the mistakes you make in your everyday life? Have you ever let a bad decision cause you to doubt the work God is doing in your life and believe you have no redeeming value in His eyes?

It is in these times when we are fully aware of our own human weakness and the ways in which we fall short of His glory. We know how much we need God’s Truth imprinted on and locked in our hearts.

I love the truth in the words to this worship song: “Lord I come to you, let my heart be changed and renewed, flowing from the grace that I've found in You, and Lord I've come to know, the weaknesses I see in me, will be stripped away, by the power of Your love.”

Will you join me today in purposing to put our faith in God’s promises instead of believing and letting those lies sink into our hearts? When I acknowledged my own sinful nature and opened my heart and life to God again, in that moment He showed up and changed my life all over again.

Let us see the Bible, not simply as words written in a book but as something meant to be lived. Today, when we spend time with our Savior, we can trust that the same God who speaks so wonderfully and clearly in the Bible speaks to us in our lives today.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your unchanging and constant Truth revealed to us in your Holy Word. Forgive me when I act selfishly and do not turn to You for help and direction. Lord, I ask You into my heart to renew and strengthen me. Please give me the wisdom and the courage to, not only read Your Word but to keep it in my heart and to live it each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
GO DEEPER:

Ponder: “He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:3 (NKJV)

Apply: Read Psalm 119 today and make a list of some of the amazing ways God's Word can help us every day.

Each time you sit down to read your Bible, ask God specifically to help you understand, process and apply what you're learning.

Read:
Teen Devotional Bible

Listen: “Power of Your Love” by Hillsong

Share: What is your favorite verse from Psalm 119?

The Joy of Connection

Earlier this morning I was enjoying chatting on the internet with a friend who lives many miles away and it occurred to me how much of a blessing technology is in the pursuit of staying connected in our relationships. Today, we have cell phones, text messaging, the internet, and web cams to help connect us.  However, I have learned over the years that in order for friendships to remain strong and vibrant, they need more than a gadget.  They need to be appreciated.

In this day and age with all the new communication tools, it should be much simpler than in days past to stay in touch, but that doesn’t always seem to be the case. Though today's tools can bridge the gap of distance and allow us to remain directly connected with people, it takes more than the technology available to make it happen. It is all too easy to let a relationship quietly drift away simply because we don’t make the effort or take the time to foster it. When we don’t show that we value the relationship before we know it, it is gone.

As important as it is to cultivate our bond with the people God has blessed us with, it is even more essential to strengthen our connection with the One who gifts us with those relationships. I read very thought provoking devotional a few weeks ago that really got me searching my heart. It asked how connected I am with the Lord. While reading it, I questioned myself as to what I am doing to strengthen that connection. I read the Bible, I worship and I pray. But do I truly appreciate the availability of prayer? Do I come before God with a thankful heart that truly values the privilege it is to come before Him? Not always. That revelation caused me to pause. Being connected to God through prayer is a joy and a gift of immeasurable value...but so often, that gift is taken for granted.

In the days of the Old Covenant, leading up to Christ’s crucifixion, only the High Priest was allowed to pass through the curtain that separated the people from the Most Holy Place in the Jerusalem’s Temple. Once a year, the High Priest entered that sacred place to offer sacrifices before the Lord as atonement for the people’s sin. “But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance”(Hebrews 9:7).

When Christ offered Himself as the final sacrifice for our sins the curtain was torn and a new covenant was made. At the moment of Christ’s death, the barrier between God and humanity was split in two enabling all people to approach God directly through our Eternal High Priest – Jesus Christ. “It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When He had said this, He breathed his last” (Luke 23:44-46).

How precious is the gift of prayer when we understand the measures our Savior went to allow us direct access to Him! Not only did Christ’s sacrifice on the cross pay for our sins, it also tore down the barrier between us. No longer are we separated!  God invites us into the Most Holy Place where we can continually share in sweet communion with Him. There is no longer a divide in our communication. We are linked through the One who gave His all for us.

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water”(Hebrews 10:19-22).

Praise God for the Gift of prayer! I am so thankful God desires this connection with me...and with all of us! As we move forward, let us always appreciate the great privilege and joy it is to come before Him! As we remember the lengths to which Christ went to connect us, let us continually pray with thankfulness, rejoicing in the Lord.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

Needed: Household Items

Anything really. We need toasters, blenders, plates, sheets, furniture, Chairs, book cases, fridge,ETC. Its for a intern house anything you can give will be much appreciated. Drop off in Fresno or Clovis area. Email Kendieroo@yahoo.com if you have anything or you need to ask any questions.

God's Love Letter to You

It’s hard to understand how God really feels about us and what He wants to say to us especially when we don’t have a stellar relationship with our earthly father.


Whether this describes you or not, God has something special He wants to say to you. Read this letter from God, straight from the Bible and especially for YOU.


My Beloved Daughter,


I am so proud of you. Just thinking about you makes me sing (Zephaniah 3:17). You are the apple of my eye, my daughter in whom I have found great delight (Psalms 17:8, 149:4, Song of Solomon 4:10). Even in your struggles, you look to me. You have not broken your covenant of love with me, and I am so pleased with you. Though you do not see, you believe; though you do not always hear, you listen and obey. Yes, you are yet imperfect. Sometimes you fall down, but I love you in your struggles. Your weaknesses are beautiful, because it is from that place of repentance that you realize how much you need me (2 Corinthians 12:10, Song of Solomon 1:5).


You are beautiful, my darling, unique, one of a kind (Song of Solomon 1:15, 6:9). How lovely are the works of my hands (Isaiah 64:8)! Who is there to say that my creation is not beautiful (Is 45:9)? I created your inmost being; I knit you together in your mother’s womb (Ps 139:13). See, before I established the foundations of the Earth, I knew you. Before I parted the oceans, I was waiting for you, peering through the lattices of time: Let me hear your voice! (Song of Solomon 8:13). Your voice is like the choicest perfume, like sweet honey to my lips (Song of Solomon 4:11). Do not be afraid (Isaiah 41:10).


Dark are you, but lovely (Song of Solomon 1:5). I have chosen you among you companions, I called you by name, and you are mine (Psalm 45:7, Song of Solomon 2:16). Nothing can separate you from my love (Romans 8:38-39). I am here for YOU, every day, every moment. There is nothing I would not do for YOU, because I have already given you the greatest gift of all, my Son (John 3:16). Here I am, laying before you a banqueting table of my riches (Song of Solomon 2:4). Take, and be filled! Do not be satisfied with the mediocre life that the world has to offer (Song of Solomon 2:4). Only in me can you find the abundant life you are searching for (I Timothy 6:19, John 10:10).


“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). Be still and listen. Turn off every distraction. In the secret place you shall find me (Psalm 91:1-2). In the temple of your spirit, I have built my resting place (1 Corinthians 6:19). Many search for me, but do not find me, because they fear the cost of my friendship (Luke 9:23). They do not know that true love is not measured on the scales of emotion, but of quiet devotion (John 14:15). So, draw near to me, and I will draw near to you (James 4:8). Even when you do not feel me, I am there. I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). Rejoice, then, rejoice! Give thanks to me and praise me name! (Psalm 100:4). For “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3, NIV). My love for you remains as steady as the rising sun (Psalm 103:17). It never changes, because you are my child, my creation, and I am well pleased with you (Hebrews 13:8).


Love,
Your Heavenly Dad

Composed by Emily Watkins.


© 2010 by Emily Watkins. All rights reserved.

Just STOP!

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10 (NASB)
 

Do you ever find yourself striving constantly for something but never attaining it? Maybe you’re striving to be better at something or to do more or to get ahead. However, the harder you try to accomplish that thing, the worse off the situation seems to get. You get frustrated, angry, and want to quit.

Sometimes we need to just STOP.

To stop. To cease striving, as Psalm 46 says. The dictionary defines striving as this: “to exert oneself vigorously; to make strenuous efforts toward any goal.” The definition itself makes me tired! Striving is like reaching for something but never fully attaining it. We’re not content with what we have so we reach for something else to make us happy.

The problem is when we strive for things that aren’t part of God’s plan for us, we’re never going to be truly happy. When we try harder and harder to accomplish something that it gets further and further away from us. Henry David Thoreau said, “Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.” When we quit striving for happiness and decide to trust in God’s plan, then we find true happiness.

Psalm 46:10 shows us that when we stop striving and remember that God is God, He will be exalted, or honored, in and through our lives. Isn’t that awesome?! People will see God shining through our lives even more when we’re not striving against Him.

Many times in my life I’ve strived for something … perfect grades, a boyfriend, to please others, peace at all costs in relationships. I was really striving for love, acceptance, and worth.

I was striving for these things because I thought they would fill the hole in my heart. However, striving for all these things only caused me stress and anxiety that God did not intend for me to have. God wanted me to know He loved me, He accepted me, and I was worthy in His eyes.

What are you striving for that’s leaving you frustrated, angry, stressed and unfulfilled? God does not intend for you to carry those burdens. Stop striving. Rest in God’s care. Know that He is God; He is in control, He will give you His very best, and you can trust Him completely.

GO DEEPER:

Ponder: Psalm 127:1-2, “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” (NLT)

Apply: Write down all the things you are working to accomplish in your life. Ask yourself why you want to accomplish these things. Does your reasoning line up with what God thinks and says in His Word?

Read: Jesus Calling: Seeking Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young

Share: What is something in your life that you want to stop striving for?