Revealing the Heart

Mercies On the way home tonight I was listening to a song on the radio.  Once in awhile a song really speaks to me as if it is the Lord himself sitting right next to me.  It has been a day of tears and disappointment, not much unlike many other days that have past.  This particular song is by Laura Story, called Blessing - Mercies in disguise.   It was as if this song had soft hands that held my own soul.  I don't know about you, but my main dialog in prayer is praying for those I love and care about.  I pray for blessings and I also pray for peace.  I pray for comfort for my family and others; along with protection while they sleep.  One by one the list goes on, as we pray for healing, for prosperity, for the might hand of God to ease our suffering!  It was at this moment I knew there was another kindred heart out there, similar to mine.  A heart that still cares; but the need so vast only an almighty could conquer the desp...

Peaceful It's time for peace, silence in the mind, in the heart and most of all in the soul.  Let those annoying voices halt by the power of your Holy name! You know those nagging little voices who tell you, you aren't good enough!   God you crush the enemy underneath my feet, whom shall I fear.  Yes, I do know who goes before me.  Yes, the God of angel armies!  Can you picture it!  An army filled with wings of white! Only you can deliver me, you have victory in your hand!  Nothing formed against me shall stand.  You do hold the entire world in your hand.  You, Lord are so faithful!!!  I hold each promise in my hand as I raise them to praise your name!  Yes, the one who is eternal, He is so a friend of mine!! Oh, Savoir, you plead my cause, you right my wrongs, you break my chains, you overcome, you gave your life, to give me mine....you tell me I am FREE!  Help me to hold your words, and lift me up!  Your...

Hold on.... Doubt and fear, Lord let me feel your foundation, your corner stone, it cannot be moved!  Let me stand strong on the spirit of truth that doesn't deteriorate.  Let me believe, God the Father, your son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that has given us LIFE!  We believe He is coming again!  The gates of hell will not prevail and the power of God will excel!  Sing it out...Jesus loves me, he loves me!  He is for me!  He loves me!  He is for me!  Some days we need to just hold on to that verse, you know the verse that echos His love for you!  Come broken-hearted, earth has no sorrow that Heaven can't heal.  Lay down your burdens, and your shame, left up your face! Lay down your hurt, come as you are.  There is hope for the hopeless, earth has no sorrow that Heaven can't heal! "Come as you are" John 3:16&17 He was not here to condemn us, but to LOVE US!  I see the work of His hands, Lor...

Stuck in Stinkin Thinkin?  The picture above is not mine, but it reminds me of God's old fashion love!  It's amazing how mankind whispers cruelty, gossips, destroys character, walks around discriminating,  deprecating, depreciating, isolating, forming clicks.  If you don't hold their agenda, they ignore you, look pass you, like you don't exist.  Or, you receive a cold hard stare as you don't comply with their expectations!  And then they shake their head and wonder why the suicide rate is so high! I would like to say that my heart hasn't felt this way.  I have shunned and have been shunned, more than once in life.  God boldly says that if you don't love your brother, the love of the Father is not in you.  OUCH!!  I have had folks tell me they really didn't know who God is, or questioned his existence?  Heart Homework:  John 4:7-8  Well, I can surely tell you what God isn't, just by my own heart ba...

Joy in the Garden Running around looking for Joy, and all I find is more work to be done.  Slow down and soak in the serenity, the peace, the tranquility (this is what it is like to totally leave it at the feet of Jesus)!  This is REAL Joy! I changed out my format for today.  I know the title is "revealing the heart;" but we can also find the heart of God in the garden!  Not only his heart, but his hand in every beautiful thing that surrounds us.  Breathing in the fragrance of the Holy Spirit!   I was reading Ann Voskamp's blog today and the words resonate with my soul.  She was talking about procrastination.  With me, I often focus on the things I love to do; but somehow those things that weigh on the soul creep in and they require attention, you know, like cleaning the house, or washing the clothes, maybe grocery shopping, the list is long and sometimes tedious!  Even your passions and talents can become tiresome! Those thing...

A burst of JOY!  How many times do we cry out Abba, Father!  When there isn't enough money in the month to get by, or you loss a dear friend's friendship?  Or a family member has a crisis, or you struggle with health issues, stress from work and even death.  I could go on and on with a list of woes.  Life is HARD and FEAR feels SO real!  Yet when I read God's word, it says something totally different.  Do I really have the courage to believe the truth? This is what it says in Romans - "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to FEAR; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, "Abba, Father!  God tells us that no matter what we go through here on earth, there is no comparison of what the glory that will be revealed in us. He also tells us that nothing can separate us from His Love.   He tells us that the hope that is seen is...

Pursuit of Joy!  The journey starts with a single step as it becomes the pursuit of Joy! There are so many distractions in this world and things that can rob us of our joy.  One of the things that David did while he was camping in the wilderness was to eat God's word.  Jesus said we cannot live by bread alone; but by every word that comes out of the mouth of the Lord.   Thou David was the apple of God's eye; there was a time in His life that he was shunned by others and mocked.  Isolation drains our soul of joy!  Isolation from God (spirit of love) can soon completely deplete the soul and before you realize it; it is dead!   In Jeremiah 15:16 David's conversation with the Lord was "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.   I found a poem and wanted to revise it to reflect that our soul really cannot live a fruitful...

Is your greatest gift, your biggest problem?  Do we try to  strive for  perfection with the works of the flesh!  Religion will give us rules and regulations but it does not give us a "renewed mind and a new heart."   Do you have a spiritual burn out?  Maybe it would be better to let God take the reigns of our heart? How much does he want us to let go and let Him?  (The law will muzzle you but an intimate relationship with God will set you FREE!)  What the Law kills, the spirit will make alive! Don't let the law minister death to you; but allow the spirit of God to give you LIFE!  To give you JOY!  Apart from God we can do nothing! John 15:5 Have you heard the story of the Prodigal son?. There was a man that had two sons.  As the boys grew, the younger son decided he wanted to leave,  He decided that it was time for him to explore the world because he just wasn't satisfied at home!  So, he asked his ...

Joy in the Garden! My body may be here on earth; but my soul is in the garden with Him!  I am running after his heart, running after His heart until my soul is on fire!  Lord I am longing for your ways!  I remember running when I was younger and laughing and playing tag as a child.  He chose me - so now I am running after Him. Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: sing forth the honor of His name:  I am running after your heart Lord!  Lord let me return to you again, yes, right here in the garden.  Let me feel your hem, let me hold your hand.  Lord I am longing for your ways!   Psalms 66:3  Say unto God, How magnificent art thou in thy works!  Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.  Oh, Lord how I love you! Oh, the precious moments we spend together!   Oh God, thou art GREAT in thy Holy places: You give me strength and power!  Blessed is your name Yah...

Set my heart on fire!  Sitting outside at night with the stars miraculously scattered above and the fire blazing is almost mesmerizing!  Relaxing, a time to reflect.  What does it take Lord to set my heart on fire for your blazing LOVE? What does it take to make it real, like the heat that permeates the coldness of the air, and causes the  melting of the frozen soul? The closer you come to the blaze, the warmer you become.  As you fuel the fire, it reaches toward the Heavens with twinkling, sparks of light, and crisp crackling sounds penetrating the quietness and calm of that still night.   Once the fire is burning in the soul, how do you keep it burning?  Stir it up with a branch.  God's word is used as a branch to stir the soul, to prick the conscience of the mind.  To keep it ignited - "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good, and acceptab...

Expecting JOY Wrap your heart with Joy!  Wrap it with God's promises!  And when the sea has pounding waves, and the storm roars around you, strap yourself down with the word of God!  Our battle often feels like pounding waves and a storm that roars.  (our infirmities, our anxieties, our worries, our trials - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8)  Have you heard a lion roar, is he chasing you today?  God speaks through it all and says "be strong and put on the armor of God, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and hold firmly to the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God !  Be bold!   Because.......................the VICTORY is yours!  Did you hear me?  The VICTORY is yours!  Leviticus 26:8 "And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enem...

Do you ever just need for someone to give you the most beautiful flower in the garden.  Yes, one of those days where you "feel" a shortage of joy.  He whispers in my ear, you are not alone.  You are not the only one that has cried out and longs for a heart that not only seeks joy, but is filled with it!   I was reading in Psalms about David, so dear to God's heart.  He cries out, save me, Oh God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.  Do you ever feel like you are drowning in sorrow, or anxiety, or worry.  David said, "I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.  I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.  He talks about those who hate him and want to destroy him are more than the hairs on his head!  Such sorrow!  He looks around for comfort, and there is none.  His heart is filled with heaviness!  Even thro...

Pain of Rejection  Separate who you are as a person from your opinion.  If someone rejects your opinion, are they rejecting who you are?  If you have experienced rejection in the past you can easily form a root of rejection.  A root of rejection can grow into great pain and can often fog our focus on who we really are in Christ!  We do not have to live with the pain of rejection.  You have heard this before "hurting people, can hurt other people."   Ephesians 1:4-5 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.  Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved! Do you see the JOY?  Can you feel the JOY.....it's all about seeing and believing the TRUTH!  You have been chosen...

I am so glad that I can reveal the heart of God!  And report back to say, it is breathtaking, beautiful! Just getting off of work after working 12 hours, and my body and mind are tired.  I am so thankful that our God does not slumber!  Psalms 121 - Heart Homework   Today it is all about "Expecting Joy"  Through thick and thin God is on our side!  Romans 8:31 - If God be for us, who can be against us?  John 16:24 - Just ask, and it shall be given to you, your JOY will be filled!  Tonight I need to ask for sweet rest and tomorrow a new day in Him.   God bless you as you seek  and expect His JOY! 

Just one more truth - We are more than conquerors through him that loved us!  Just one more promise of JOY!  It is Christ who intercedes for us.  Can anything keep us from His love?  He says NO!   Tribulation? - NO! Distress? - NO!  Persecution? - NO!  Famine? - NO!  Nakedness? - NO!  Peril? - NO!  Sword? - NO!  Absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus!  Heart Homework!  Romans 8: 37 - 39  Rub this on your heart, you have power through Christ ( Ephesians 1:19 & Romans 8:37 ) There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God!  This gives us the expectation of JOY!  The truth of JOY!  The presence of JOY!  Living out our faith and believing!  As a christian, we didn't beat the world through Christ by just one point !  God has given us victory (More than conquerors!)  Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in th...

Day 4 - Abundant Joy is Good News! Can we give God control?  Can we allow His promises to become our reality? As we approach and live out each day in this new year, how do you want to handle it?  God does give us a choice!  We often half celebrate partial victories and talk to those around us about our agonizing defeats.  I don't know about you, but I don't think I want to continue to live like Hagar did in the Bible.  She was slaved by sin.  I want to live with the freedom of Sarah, when God promised her a child in her old age.  She was filled with joy and laughter of God's miracle!  How long has it been since you were filled with joy and laughter? Can we walk on the water, can we experience real freedom?  Can we let go and let God take control of our body, our mind, and most of all, our heart?  I am always trying to fix things myself, it makes me fatigued, stressed and depressed.   Let my mind be expectant of God's p...

Day 3 - Revealing the Heart  Can we let truth speak louder than our feelings?  The longer we speak, read and live truth, our feelings will need to agree!  While reading my devotional today in (Ephesians 3:12) it talks about having courage and confidence in Christ.  The word used in the text was unreserved.   I wanted to look up the definition.  And as I read it, it created this boldness in my heart while I read the words out loud. You may want to try doing this yourself.   It started with unconditional, unqualified (no qualification required) without reservation, unlimited, categorical, unequivocal, unambiguous, absolute, complete, thorough, wholehearted, full, total and undivided.  This is God's love, his love is complete and unlimited.  There is only one way to interpret it, clear and concise.  It goes on to say in ( Ephesians 3:17) by faith we are rooted and grounded in Christ's love!  We often distance ourselves fr...

Day 2 You might think there is a magic formula in obtaining "Joy".  Relationship and resolution to have a closer relationship with the one who provides joy, it is a simple formula, but few take it.  Psalm 33:22 "Let your loving kindness, O Lord, be upon us, according, as we have hope in You."   As we claim every promise that God has given us as our own, it deposits one more gem of joy in our heart.  As we take this journey of joy together, be patient as He shows us victory in every circumstance, no matter how it looks to us on the outside of our heart.  He can give us peace from within. Keep your focus on the beauty of His creative and magnificent hand.  And before long, you will feel Him holding your hand.  "We wait for the Lord.  he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts find joy.  In his holy name we trust."   Psalm 33:20-21 The heart of gratitude!  1.) Thank you for sharing the Garden ...