Good reminders from yesterday's message.

Highlights I heard today.

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

I don't know why I haven't posted this song before as I think it's a rather good one. :)

Some verses from Proverbs 28

I read this this morning and it blessed, encouraged and challenged me. Am I confessing and forsaking sin? Am I walking blamelessly and wisely and not trusting in my own heart?

Believing: Directing the Heart's attention to Jesus. Today's Renewed Day by Day Tozer devotional.

"Believing: Directing the Heart's attention to Jesus.
And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! John 1:36

The Hebrew epistle instructs us to run life's race "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith,"
for faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God!
Believing, actually is directing the heart's attention to Jesus. It is lifting the mind to "behold the Lamb of God," and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives. Distractions may hinder, but once the heart is committed to Him, after each brief excursion away from Him the attention will return again and rest upon Him like a wandering bird coming back to its window.
I would emphasize this one committal, this one great volitional act which establishes the heart's intention to gaze forever upon Jesus. God takes this intention for our choice and makes what allowances He must for the thousand distractions which beset us in this evil world.
Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus.
When we lift our inward eyes to gaze upon God we are sure to meet friendly eyes gazing back at us, for it is written that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the earth. The sweet language of experience is, "Thou God seest me." When the eyes of the soul looking out meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on earth!"

I especially loved that phrase, "Faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God!"

And while we're on the topic of feelings...

Hmmm... I think maybe the Lord is trying to tell me something... 3 or 4 times in 3 or 4 days, I've been reminded about not going by feelings. I love the Rutherford and Macduff quotes! Here's the Streams in the Desert devotional for 10th March.

"The just shall live by faith." (Heb. 10:38).

Seemings and feelings are often substituted for faith. Pleasurable emotions and deep satisfying experiences are part of the Christian life, but they are not all of it. Trials, conflicts, battles and testings lie along the way, and are not to be counted as misfortunes, but rather as part of our necessary discipline.

In all these varying experiences we are to reckon on Christ as dwelling in the heart, regardless of our feelings if we are walking obediently before Him. Here is where many get into trouble; they try to walk by feeling rather than faith.

One of the saints tells us that it seemed as though God had withdrawn Himself from her. His mercy seemed clean gone. For six weeks her desolation lasted, and then the Heavenly Lover seemed to say:
"Catherine, thou hast looked for Me without in the world of sense, but all the while I have been within waiting for thee; meet Me in the inner chamber of thy spirit, for I am there."

Distinguish between the fact of God's presence, and the emotion of the fact. It is a happy thing when the soul seems desolate and deserted, if our faith can say, "I see Thee not. I feel Thee not, but Thou art certainly and graciously here, where I am as I am." Say it again and again: "Thou art here: though the bush does not seem to burn with fire, it does burn. I will take the shoes from off my feet, for the place on which I stand is holy ground." --London Christian

"Believe God's word and power more than you believe your own feelings and experiences. Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the Rock which ebbs and flows, but your sea." --Samuel Rutherford

"Keep your eye steadily fixed on the infinite grandeur of Christ's finished work and righteousness. Look to Jesus and believe, look to Jesus and live!" Nay, more; as you look to him, hoist your sails and buffet manfully the sea of life. Do not remain in the haven of distrust, or sleeping on your shadows in inactive repose, or suffering your frames and feelings to pitch and toss on one another like vessels idly moored in a harbor. The religious life is not a brooding over emotions, grazing the keel of faith in the shallows, or dragging the anchor of hope through the oozy tide mud as if afraid of encountering the healthy breeze. Away! With your canvas spread to the gale, trusting in Him, who rules the raging of the waters. The safety of the tinted bird is to be on the wing. If its haunt be near the ground--if it fly low--it exposes itself to the fowler's net or snare. If we remain grovelling on the low ground of feeling and emotion, we shall find ourselves entangled in a thousand meshes of doubt and despondency, temptation and unbelief. "But surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of THAT WHICH HATH A WING" (marginal reading Prov. 1:17). Hope thou in God. --J. R. Macduff

When I cannot enjoy the faith of assurance, I live by the faith of adherence. Matthew Henry

A little old poem by Corrie Ten Boom

A poem or hymn attributed to Martin Luther

I came across this today and thought it was rather good.
I'd read the first verse before, but not the other two.


“Feelings come and feelings go,
And feelings are deceiving;
My warrant is the Word of God--
Naught else is worth believing.

Though all my heart should feel condemned
For want of some sweet token,
There is One greater than my heart
Whose Word cannot be broken.

I'll trust in God's unchanging Word
Till soul and body sever,
For, though all things shall pass away,
HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!”


― Martin Luther

A quote from Spurgeon, a quote from Tozer and Psalm 86:5

Excerpt from Streams in the Desert for 8th February, & something I've been thinking about recently

"Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear. Rather look at them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He has kept you hitherto; do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms.

Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations. —Frances de Sales

“The Lord is my shepherd.”

Not was, not may be, nor will be. “The Lord is my shepherd,” is on Sunday, is on Monday, and is through every day of the week; is in January, is in December, and every month of the year; is at home, and is in China; is in peace, and, is in war; in abundance, and in penury. —J. Hudson Taylor"




The other day, I was feeling somewhat unsettled so I went through a few Scriptures to remind myself :
"When tempted to be anxious, remember this:
"You are my hiding place, You shall preserve me from trouble." Psalm 32:8

"The Angel of the LORD (pre-incarnate Jesus Himself!!!!) encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them." Psalm 34:7

"Do not fret because of evildoers." Psalm 37:1

"Rest in the LORD." Psalm 37:4

"Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust." Psalm 40:4

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is." Jeremiah 17:7

"Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD... the LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." Exodus 14:13+14

"Blessed be the LORD because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him." Psalm 28:6+7

"Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, I will praise His Word, In God, I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?" Psalm 56:3+4

and these Scriptures strengthened me. Hope you're blessed and encouraged too.

February 5th Streams in the Desert by Mrs C. Cowman.

So, it's a day early, but I loved this poem.
" Ye shall not go out with haste (Isaiah 52:12).
I do not believe that we have begun to understand the marvellous power there is in stillness. We are in such a hurry--we must be doing--so that we are in danger of not giving God a chance to work. You may depend upon it, God never says to us, "Stand still," or "Sit still," or "Be still," unless He is going to do something. This is our trouble in regard to our Christian life; we want to do something to be Christians when we need to let Him work in us.
Do you know how still you have to be when your likeness is being taken? Now God has one eternal purpose concerning us, and that is that we should be like His Son; and in order that this may be so, we must be passive. We hear so much about activity, may be we need to know what it is to be quiet.
--Crumbs
Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!
Nor deem these days--these waiting days--as ill!
The One who loves thee best, who plans thy way,
Hath not forgotten thy great need today!
And, if He waits, 'tis sure He waits to prove
To thee, His tender child, His heart's deep love.

Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!
Thou longest much to know thy dear Lord's will!
While anxious thoughts would almost steal their way
Corrodingly within, because of His delay
Persuade thyself in simple faith to rest
That He, who knows and loves, will do the best.

Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!
Nor move one step, not even one, until
His way hath opened. Then, ah then, how sweet!
How glad thy heart, and then how swift thy feet
Thy inner being then, ah then, how strong!
And waiting days not counted then too long.

Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!
What higher service could'st thou for Him fill?
'Tis hard! ah yes! But choicest things must cost!
For lack of losing all how much is lost!
'Tis hard, 'tis true! But then--He giveth grace
To count the hardest spot the sweetest place.
--J. D. Smith"

"Renewed Day by Day" entry for January 27th.

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness; neither shall evil dwell with thee” (Psalm 5:1, 4)

Among Christians of all ages and of varying shades of doctrinal emphasis there has been fairly full agreement on one thing: they all believed that it was important that the Christian with serious spiritual aspirations should learn to meditate long and often on God!

Let a Christian insist upon rising above the poor average of current religious experience and he will soon come up against the need to know God Himself as the ultimate goal of all Christian doctrine.

Let him seek to explore the sacred wonders of the Triune Godhead and he will discover that sustained and intelligently directed meditation of the Person of God is imperative. To know God well he must think on Him unceasingly. Nothing that man has discovered about himself or God has revealed any shortcut to pure spirituality. It is still free, but tremendously costly!

Of course, this presupposes at least a fair amount of sound theological knowledge. To seek God apart from His own self-disclosure in the inspired Scriptures is not only futile but dangerous. There must be also a  knowledge of and complete trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Redeemer.

Christ is not one of many ways to approach God, not is He the best of several ways; He is the only way, “the way, the truth and the life.”

To believe otherwise is to be something less than a Christian!

~A. W. Tozer~


There's a challenge! "Think on God unceasingly." It may be costly, but it leads to eternal life.
"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."(John 17:3)
Knowing God must surely lead to the highest degree of blessedness.
" that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection..."  Philippians 3:10

How well do you know God?

Excerpt from 23rd January's Streams in the Desert devotional

Streams in the Desert for 23rd January
Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? (Psalms 10:1)

God is "a very present help in trouble." But He permits trouble to pursue us, as though He were indifferent to its overwhelming pressure, that we may be brought to the end of ourselves, and led to discover the treasure of darkness, the unmeasurable gains of tribulation.
We may be sure that He who permits the suffering is with us in it. It may be that we shall see Him only when the trial is passing; but we must dare to believe that He never leaves the crucible. Our eyes are holden; and we cannot behold Him whom our soul loveth. It is dark--the bandages blind us so that we cannot see the form of our High Priest; but He is there, deeply touched. Let us not rely on feeling, but on faith in His unswerving fidelity; and though we see Him not, let us talk to Him. Directly we begin to speak to Jesus, as being literally present, though His presence is veiled, there comes an answering voice which shows that He is in the shadow, keeping watch upon His own. Your Father is as near when you journey through the dark tunnel as when under the open heaven!
--Daily Devotional Commentary


The phrase "His unswerving fidelity" was what really caught my attention. Yes, our God is unswervingly faithful. Aren't you glad about that!?

I found today's Streams in the Desert particularly lovely, so here it is.

He putteth forth his own sheep (John 10:4).

Oh, this is bitter work for Him and us -- bitter for us to go, but equally bitter for Him to cause us pain; yet it must be done. It would not be conducive to our true welfare to stay always in one happy and comfortable lot. He therefore puts us forth. The fold is deserted, that the sheep may wander over the bracing mountain slope. The labourers must be thrust out into the harvest, else the golden grain would spoil.

Take heart! it could not be better to stay when He determines otherwise; and if the loving hand of our Lord puts us forth, it must be well. On, in His name, to green pastures and still waters and mountain heights! He goeth before thee. Whatever awaits us is encountered first by Him. Faith's eye can always discern His majestic presence in front; and when that cannot be seen, it is dangerous to move forward. Bind this comfort to your heart, that the Saviour has tried for Himself all the experiences through which He asks you to pass; and He would not ask you to pass through them unless He was sure that they were not too difficult for your feet, or too trying for your strength.

This is the Blessed Life -- not anxious to see far in front, nor careful about the next step, not eager to choose the path, nor weighted with the heavy responsibilities of the future, but quietly following behind the Shepherd, one step at a time.

Dark is the sky! and veiled the unknown morrow
Dark is life's way, for night is not yet o'er;
The longed-for glimpse I may not meanwhile borrow;
But, this I know, HE GOETH ON BEFORE.

Dangers are nigh! and fears my mind are shaking;
Heart seems to dread what life may hold in store;
But I am His--He knows the way I'm taking,
More blessed still--HE GOETH ON BEFORE.

Doubts cast their weird, unwelcome shadows o'er me,
Doubts that life's best--life's choicest things are o'er;
What but His Word can strengthen, can restore me,
And this blest fact; that still HE GOES BEFORE.

HE GOES BEFORE! Be this my consolation!
He goes before! On this my heart would dwell!
He goes before! This guarantees salvation!
HE GOES BEFORE! And therefore all is well. 
--J. D. Smith

The Oriental shepherd was always ahead of his sheep. He was down in front. Any attack upon them had to take him into account. Now God is down in front. He is in the tomorrows. It is tomorrow that fills men with dread. God is there already. All the tomorrows of our life have to pass Him before they can get to us.
--F. B. M.

God is in every tomorrow,
Therefore I live for today,
Certain of finding at sunrise,
Guidance and strength for the way;
Power for each moment of weakness,
Hope for each moment of pain,
Comfort for every sorrow,
Sunshine and joy after rain.

found here:

 http://www.christianity.com/devotionals/streams-in-the-desert/streams-in-the-desert-january-14th.html

Yield not to temptation; a hymn and some stories about it.

The other day I was introduced to this challenging and encouraging hymn which was written by Horatio Richmond Palmer in 1868.

Mr. Palmer said, ”This song was an inspiration. I was at work on the dry subject of ' Theory' when the complete idea flashed upon me, and I laid aside the theoretical work and hurriedly penned both words and music as fast as I could write them. I submitted them to the criticism of a friend afterward, and some changes were made in the third stanza, but the first two are exactly as they came to me. The music was first written in A flat; but I soon saw that B flat was better, and for many years it has appeared in that key. I am reverently thankful it has been a power for good."

A friend contributes this incident: ”Twenty years ago, when the State prison at Sing Sing, New York, had women as well as men within its walls, a lady used to visit the women's department. Every Sunday afternoon the inmates were permitted to come out and sit in the corridor to hear her talk, and to sing hymns with her. One day some of the women rebelled against an order of the matron, and a terrible scene followed. Screams, threats, ribaldry and profanity filled the air. It was said, by those who knew, that an uprising among the women prisoners was worse and more difficult to quell than one among the men. The matron hastily sent to the men's department for help. Suddenly a voice rose clear and strong above the tumult, singing a favourite song of the prisoners,


'Yield not to temptation,
For yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you
Some other to win.
Fight manfully onward,
Dark passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus,
He'll carry you through.' There was a lull; then one after another joined in the sacred song; and presently, with one accord, all formed into line and marched quietly to their cells."

A minister who at the time was laboring there, writes me that when Dr. Somerville, of Scotland, and Mr. Varley, of England, were in New Zealand, in the 1870’s, in connection with Young Men's Christian Association work, many young men found strength for life's temptations in the first lines of this hymn, which was sung at every meeting for months.

“Some twenty-four years ago, ”writes James A. Watson, of Blackburn, England,” the Presbyterian church of England was preparing to issue a new book of praise, ' The Church Praise,' now in use. I was asked to send in a suitable list of hymns for the young. Among the number I sent ' Yield not to temptation,' but to my regret, when I got a draft copy of the proposed hymn-book, that hymn was not in it. Three or four Sundays afterward I was requested by the teacher of the infant class in the St. George's School, where I have been superintendent for over forty years, to visit a dying boy. I found him unconscious. All that his widowed mother could tell me about him was that he had kept saying: 'He'll carry me through.' When I asked her if she knew what he meant, she told me that she did not. She did not attend church or school. I told her that it was the chorus of a hymn, and pointed out how the good Shepherd was carrying her little boy through the valley; how he was gathering her lamb in his loving arms. I also told her that the Saviour would carry her through her trouble, would comfort, strengthen and keep her, and at last bring her to the happy land where death-divided ones will meet to part no more. I was so much impressed by the incident that I wrote to the convener of the hymn-book committee, and pleaded for the insertion of the hymn in the new book. The committee put it in, and for twenty-three years the young people of our Presbyterian church have been able to sing it when wanted, all through the comfort it had been to a little dying boy, the only son of a widow, on a back street of Blackburn."

Found here:  http://breadsite.org/hymnstories/yieldnottotemptation.htm


Rest of the hymn:

1. • Refrain:
     Ask the Saviour to help you,
     Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;
     He is willing to aid you,
     He will carry you through.
2. Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
   God’s name hold in reverence, nor take it in vain;
   Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true;
   Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.
3. To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown,
   Through faith we will conquer, though often cast down;
   He who is our Saviour, our strength will renew;
   Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.