Archive | April 2014

Can You Hear?

Apr30

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. — John 15:15

Those who have accepted His gift of salvation, by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, have been set free, no longer slaves. Jesus calls us His friend. Friend is defined as a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty; an intimate*. An intimate. How many friends do you have that are intimate friends?

An intimate friendship is a close personal relationship. In a close intimate relationship Jesus shares with us all things He has heard from the Father. Jesus says, “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.”« So if Jesus is speaking, who is listening? Are you?

If we are not participating in the relationship we are not hearing what Jesus has to share. If we give Him 5-10 minutes a day we are not hearing everything He has to share. How much time do you share with your spouse or your best friend in a day? When you are sharing do you do all the talking? How much listening do you do?

Let us evaluate our relationship with Jesus. He gave His all for us. We really need to practice prayer everyday. An intimate time one on one with Him, talking and listening. He has so much to share with us. Are we willing to spend time with Jesus and be transformed into all He wants us to be? Take time to know Him intimately.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

* dictionary.reference.com/World English Dictionary
« John 8:26

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Dry And Weary Land

Apr29

[ The Thirsting Soul Satisfied in God. ] [ A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. ] O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. — Psalm 63:1

Have you been there? In a dry and weary land? I know I have. Unexplained weariness, trouble focusing, no motivation. The day, week, month just seem dry. No real explanation. The presence of God seems distant although you know better than that.

Why do you know better? Because you believe in the Word of God that tells you so. Refreshment comes when you remind yourself that “God, You are my God”. Then surrender to the thirst of the soul and yearning of the flesh to be restored to fellowship with the Almighty God. Seek Him earnestly and He will be found and you will be satisfied.

Hallelujah, praise to the King!!!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

I Choose

Apr27

15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. — Psalm 34:15-22

The Lord sees, hears, listens and delivers the righteous. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth,* especially the brokenhearted, whom He heals And binds up their wounds.«

Our Redeemer and Savior redeems His servant and saves the crushed in spirit. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.»

The face of the Lord is against evil doers and their evil will slay the wicked. Condemned are those who hate the righteous.

I choose to have the face of God shine upon me by seeking Him and His glory. I choose to follow and be blessed by His grace and I choose to worship my Jesus in church tomorrow where My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; And my soul, which You have redeemed.^

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

* Psalm 145:18
« Psalm 147:3
» Psalm 37:40
^ Psalm 71:23

Who Desires Life?

Apr26

Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. — Psalm 34:12-14

If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. — James 1:26 (NLT)

What we say is a testimony to all who are in earshot of our words. Do we walk what we talk? Do we speak as to glorify God or do we speak evil and deceit? Do our words exalt our Lord or bring shame upon the Him?

Allow Jesus, our role model, our example “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;” (1 Peter 2:22) transform you into a person who is an example to others drawing them to Jesus.

Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. — Hebrews 12:14

Fear of the Lord

Apr25

O fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. — Psalm 34:9-11

O fear the Lord – “worship Him and make conscience of your duty to Him in everything, not fear and shun Him but fear and seek Him”.* Fear the Lord, you His saints – people of God^; believers^; godly ones«.

We, His children, in seeking our Lord find all we want. He fulfills every desire we have in Him. Not the desires of our sinful flesh but the desires that come from our personal walk with Jesus. We are satisfied because our hearts seek the heart of God, truly being what we want.

The Word promises that those who seek the Lord will not be in want of any good thing. He does not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly. How do we walk uprightly? By fearfully seeking Him and keeping His commandments. Remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

The Lord gives grace and glory and His praise endures forever.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. –Psalm 84:1
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever. — Psalm 11:10

*Matthew Henry Commentary
^Dictionary of Bible Themes – saints
«Psalm 31:23

Have You Tasted?

Apr24

O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! — Psalm 34:8

Have you tasted? Imagine an extraordinary gourmet food that excites the palate of whoever eats of it. It leaves every taster wanting more. To the sweet tooth it satisfies, the meat lover is pleased, the connoisseur is enthused and so on.

O taste and see that God is good. He meets us where we are, giving us what we need. All of us carry different types of baggage but the Lord still satisfies. We are each different and unique but He is good to all who come and take refuge in Him.

Come and taste for the Lord is good. His law, testimony, precepts and commandment (Word of God) along with His judgments are more desirable than gold. They are sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

The only thing stopping you from tasting is you. Won’t you come taste and see that the Lord is good? Come and taste.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. — Psalm 19:10

Seek? That Easy?

Apr23

I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them. — Psalm 34:4-7

Wow! Is it really that easy? It must be. God mentions many times in His Word to seek Him and He can and will be found. His desire is for us to seek. AND when we do, O, the treasures we receive.

The Lord is with us and will not forsake us when we seek Him. Jesus answers and delivers us from all our fears. When we look to Him His radiance shows in our faces — we are not ashamed. Cry to the Lord and He hears and saves us out of our troubles, rescuing us by the encampment of angels around us.

So we have a friend who listens to us and answers also; takes our troubles, delivers us from fear, takes our shame away and will not forsake us. Why do we not seek Him, Jesus Christ?

Surrender and “seek the Lord and His strength. Seek the Lord continually.” — Psalm 105:4

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

And rescues them.the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. — 2 Chronicles 15:2b
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. — Psalm 9:10
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. — Matthew 7:7

Practice The Walk

Apr22

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. — Psalm 34:1-3

How’s your walk with Jesus? Do you bless Him, thank Him in everything and praise Him at all times? This is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. We are not perfect but that is not an excuse for not continually trying to do His will. When my heart is focused on blessing, thanking and praising God, I find my heart boasts of Him. It comes easily.

Practicing this kind of walk with the Lord opens doors of communication with those Jesus is calling to Him. He opens the eyes of the lost who humbly approach the throne seeking His salvation. Our walk with Jesus is so important to living an effective life of soul winning. When souls are introduced to Jesus He is magnified and we rejoice and exalt His name together.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

Afflicted And Needy

Apr21

Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me; For I am afflicted and needy. Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You. Be gracious to me, O Lord, For to You I cry all day long. Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. — Psalm 86:1-5

Have you ever been troubled greatly, afflicted? Afflicted so much that you are needy, in need of practical or emotional support? I’m sure you have. Who do you turn to?

I’ve been there. Wanting so much to be godly as I cry out. Lord, is there a hidden motive in my request for help in my distress? Am I being selfish, stubborn, greedy, angry, or desiring pity? My first request is to ask for forgiveness if there is any deceptive way in me. Lord, You are good and ready to forgive.

As I humbly pour out my heart to You, my Lord, I seek Your grace and salvation as I trust in You. Hear my supplication, O God. In my need, O God, I lift up my soul asking You in Your lovingkindness, to those who call upon You, make my soul glad.

All I can say is that my God is faithful. He loves me and hears my prayers. After such an ordeal He affirms His love and faithfulness by sending me to this scripture. He reminds me that He loves me and listens to my prayers, He is gracious and forgives my sin, and then He reminds me of His faithfulness when He restores my soul.

Distressed? Troubled? Take it to Jesus.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Afflict: to distress with mental or byodily pain; trouble greatly or grievously
Needy: in need of practical or emotional support;

“afflict.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 20 Apr. 2014. .

(“needy.” Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 20 Apr. 2014. <Dictionary.com)