A prayer and a reminder.

"Lord Jesus, I have found Thee; be found of me to an unutterable degree of joyous satisfaction."
           C.H. Spurgeon

"in the first waking moment of the day... swing the door of your heart wide open... let God in... and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God."
            Oswald Chambers


Amen!

Tozer devotional

I came across this last night, and thought it was well worth sharing.

"GOD'S HIGHEST WILL

Let us consider three simple things reinforced in the Word of God for those who would discern God's highest will. First, be willing to put away known sin! Second, separate yourself from all of the attractions of the world, the flesh and the devil! Finally, offer yourself to your God and Saviour in believing faith! God has never yet turned away an honest, sincere person who has come to know the eternal value of the atonement and the peace that is promised through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The only person who will never be cleansed and made whole is the one who insists he or she needs no remedy. The person who comes in faith to God and confesses, "I am unclean; I am sin-sick; I am blind," will find mercy and righteousness and life. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Saviour, the Cleanser. He is the Purifier, the Healer. He is the Sight-giver and the Life-giver. He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life!"

Found at https://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer?id=173

"Let us go on to know Him and to love Him more dearly; not for His gifts and benefits but for the pure joy of His presence. Thus we will fulfil the purpose for which He created us and redeemed us!"
Found at https://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer?id=175

God is a refuge for us.

How great is it that our God knows just what we need as and when we need it.

This verse went round my head today and it made me pause and think.

How amazing that God told us to pour out our hearts before Him!

God tells us He is waiting for us to commune with Him.

He already knows what is in our hearts but He knows it's good for us to be able to come and tell Him.

He is in control and He will shelter us if we will run to Him.

I needed that encouragement today. 

The Forbidden Chapter in the Tanakh

https://youtu.be/cGz9BVJ_k6s


Well, I found this very interesting. I don't know whether or not you will...

Faith's Checkbook for yesterday and today.

I didn't read yesterday's entry till today but both seemed very appropriate for me at the moment.

July 12

Whom, When, How to Deliver

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. (2 Peter 2:9)

The godly are tempted and tried. That is not true faith which is never put to the test. But the godly are delivered out of their trials, and that not by chance, nor by secondary agencies, but by the Lord Himself. He personally undertakes the office of delivering those who trust Him. God loves the godly or godlike, and He makes a point of knowing where they are and how they fare.
Sometimes their way seems to be a labyrinth, and they cannot imagine how they are to escape from threatening danger. What they do not know, their Lord knows. He knows whom to deliver, and when to deliver, and how to deliver. He delivers in the way which is most beneficial to the godly, most crushing to the tempter, and most glorifying to Himself. We may leave the "how" with the Lord and be content to rejoice in the fact that He will, in some way or other, bring His own people through all the dangers, trials, and temptations for this mortal life to His own right hand in glory.
This day it is not for me to pry into my Lord's secrets but patiently to wait His time, knowing this, that though I know nothing, my heavenly Father knows.

July 13

Implicit Trust

For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 39:18)

Behold the protecting power of trust in God. The great men of Jerusalem fell by the sword, but poor Ebed-melech was secure, for his confidence was in Jehovah. Where else should a man trust but in his Maker? We are foolish when we prefer the creature to the Creator. Oh, that we could in all things live by faith, then should we be delivered in all time of danger! No one ever did trust in the Lord in vain, and no one ever shall.
The Lord saith, "I will surely deliver thee," Mark the divine "surely." Whatever else may be uncertain, God's care of believers is sure. God Himself is the guardian of the gracious, Under His sacred wing there is safety even when every danger is abroad. Can we accept this promise as sure? Then in our present emergency we shall find that it stands fast. We hope to be delivered because we have friends, or because we are prudent, or because we can see hopeful signs; but none of these things are one-half so good as God's simple "because thou hast put thy trust in me." Dear reader, try this way, and, trying it, you will keep to it all your life. It is as sweet as it is sure.

Found here: http://www.spurgeon.org/fcb/fcb-bod.htm

I hope you're as blessed by this as I've been. :)

Excerpt from today's "My Utmost for His Highest" devotional

"You have no business trying to find out where God is leading— the only thing God will explain to you is Himself."
http://utmost.org/

This struck me as an interesting concept. Are we willing to surrender our desire to know what's going to happen next, and just trust our Father who works all things for the good of those who love Him?

Misha Goetz video "For You are good."

Well, I really like this video.
Hope you enjoy it too. :)

Yes, it's another quote from "the Old Helmet"

"The effect of our following Christ in this way will be, that we shall bear testimony to the world that He is our King, and what sort of a King He is. We shall proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. We shall have the invisible army of angels for our fellow-servants and co-workers; and we shall be passing on with the whole redeemed world to the day of full triumph and final restoration; when Christ will come to be glorified in His saints and to be admired in them that believe- because our testimony among you was believed. But now our business is to give the testimony."

Today's excerpt from "In Green Pastures" by J R Miller D.D.

June 10

Power of the Tongue

The tongue's power of blessing is simply incalculable. It can impart valuable knowledge, making others wiser. It can utter kindly words, which will comfort sorrow or cheer despondency. It can breathe thoughts which will arouse, inspire, and quicken heedless souls, and even call up dead souls to life. It can sing songs which will live forever in blessed influence and ministry. Such power we should consecrate to God, and hold ever pure for him. The lips which speak God's name in prayer and Christian song, and that utter vows of fidelity to Christ, should never defile themselves with any forms of corrupt speech. They should be kept only for Christ.

(found here: http://gracegems.org/Miller/in_green_pastures2.htm)

Quite a challenge isn't it! (Especially when you take it a step further like Jesus does when He judges the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, not just our words!!!)

More quotes from "The Old Helmet" (volume 2)

I'm really enjoying Susan Warner's books. Here are some more quotes, this time from volume 2 of "The Old Helmet".

"I saw how Jesus loves sinners. I saw I had nothing to do but to give myself to Him, and He would do everything. I see how sins are forgiven through His blood; and I trust in it, and I am sure mine are; and I feel as if I had begun a new life."

"I had been trying and thinking to make myself good first. I thought I was unworthy and unfit to be Christ's servant; but now I see I can be nothing but unworthy, and only He can make me fit for anything; so I give all up, and I feel that He will do all for me. I am so happy! I was so blind before!"

"The way to keep that joy and to know more of it, is to take every succeeding step in the Christian life exactly as you took the first one; in self renunciation, in entire dependence. As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. It is a simple and humble way, the way along which the heavenly light shines. Do everything for Christ - do everything in His strength; and you will soon know that the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. Blessed be His name! He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might He increaseth strength."


Hope you enjoy them as much as I am doing.

Some quotes from Susan Warner's book, "The Old Helmet"

"You know yourself an offender before the Lord—and you want the sense of forgiveness in your heart. You know yourself inclined to be an offender again—and you want the renewing grace of God to make your heart clean, and set it free from the power of sin. Then you want also something to make you happy; and the love of Jesus alone can do that."

"Jesus said, 'If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.' There is all fulness in him. Go to him for light—go to him for strength—go to him for forgiveness, for healing, for sanctification. 'Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.'"

"Hear it now. The Lord Jesus is not far off—as you think—he is very near; he can hear the faintest whisper of a petition that you send to him. It is his message I bring you today—

a message to you. I am his servant, and he has given me this charge for you to-day—to tell you that he loves you—that he has given his life for yours—and that he calls (your name here) * to give him your heart, and then to give him your life, in all the obedience his service may require."

"Then you can understand now, that when one can say, joyfully, 'I know that my Redeemer liveth';—when he is no vague abstraction, but felt to be a Redeemer;—when one can say assuredly, he is my Redeemer; I know he has bought back my soul from sin and from the punishment of sin, which is death; I feel I am forgiven; and I know he liveth—my Redeemer—and according to his promise lives to deliver me from every evil and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom;—do you see, now, that one who can say this has on his head the covering of an infinite protection—an infinite shelter from both danger and fear?—a helmet, placed on his head by his Lord's own hand, and of such heavenly temper that no blows can break through it."

*slight abridgement from the book.

Encouraging quote about our Faithful God.

I found this quote also from Peter Marshall's book very encouraging.
"I know that the promises of God are true, for they have been fulfilled in my life, time and time again. Jesus still teaches and guides and protects and heals and comforts, and still wins our complete trust and our love."

Amen! Yes, it's so good to remember that He is so faithful.

An interesting challenge

I've been reading Peter Marshall's book, "Mr. Jones, meet the Master" and it's proved quite interesting.
Here's a quote (pg. 153)
" The world has enough women who know how to be smart. It needs women who are willing to be simple.
The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave.
The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure.
We need women, and men too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct."

I don't know if you'd agree, but I found it challenging.

Grange over Sands

We had a lovely ride out yesterday, up to Grange over Sands. We walked around the ornamental gardens and I couldn't resist posting these pictures.

Romans 6 "Reckoning the old man dead" by Don McClure.

Listening to another Don McClure sermon from a while ago.
Great stuff.

Check it out here:
http://calvary-chapel-streaming.s3.amazonaws.com/teaching/guestspeakers/donmcclure/G42524.mp3
(sorry, no video for this one.)