Matters Of The HEART(MAY/JUN)

This page is dedicated to an area that goes much deeper than our garments - our heart!
I Samuel 16:7 says,  "...the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

June 2010 Devotional

TO TRUST

I Samuel 22:2-4,31;Psalm 18:2&3,30   " And he said: 'The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The god of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.' ... As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him."

Job 13:15a  " Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."

Psalm 2:11&12  " Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. "

Psalm 4:3-8  " But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the LORD will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD. There are many who say, 'Who will show us any good?' LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, more than the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety. "

Psalm 9:9&10  " The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. "

Psalm 20:7  " Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. "
 
Psalm 25:2  " O my God, I trust in You; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me. "

Psalm 146:3  " Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. "

Proverbs 3:5&6  " Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path. "

Isaiah 31:1  " Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD! "

Nahum 1:7  " The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. "

I Timothy 4:10  " For to this end both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. "

I Timothy 6:17  " Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. "


     TRUST - What a loaded word. Not only is it important whom or what we trust in, but whom or what we don't trust in. Scripture time and time again tells us we definitely can AND should trust in the LORD. He tells us how important it is to trust Him and not other things or people. Without faith (a type of trust) it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).
     Trust in general can be a hard thing to do. Especially if trust has been broken, or if we live in fear. That is why it is so important to KNOW that we can trust God. We can trust Him with all of our needs (body, soul AND spirit) and all of our wants (our hopes & dreams, likes & dislikes). The hard part for me is to trust Him when He doesn't do things the way, in the time frame, with the people or at the place I was thinking of. Its hard to trust Him sometimes with our wants, when He has something better (that we most likely have not even thought of) for us. We get so stuck on how we think things should pan out, that we often "throw down the shield of faith(trust)" and leave ourselves open for disappointment. Which of course breeds resentment and then discontentment.
     The words of that age old song written by John H. Sammis is really true: Trust and obey, for there's no other way; To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. 
     We have to trust Him to know what's best for us. We have to trust Him that He knows what He's doing or where He's leading us. We have to trust that what He is commanding us to do or not to do is right and what he wants. We have to trust that whether He answers our prayers with yes, no or wait, its what is best for us. Easier said than done, right? Good News: Practice makes perfect, He's very patient.

HAVE AN "I'M FULLY TRUSTING MY LORD" FILLED DAY !!!!!!!!!!!

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May 2010 Devotional

TO SING

I Chronicles 16:8-10  " Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name;make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! "

I Chronicles 20:21&22  " And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: 'Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever.' Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LOED set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. "

Psalm 7:17  " I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. "

Psalm 9:2  " I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. "

Pslam 13:6  " I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me. "

Psalm 27:6  " And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifice of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD. "

Psalm 47:5-8  " God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. "

Psalm 57:7  " My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. "

Isaiah 49:13  " Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His afflicted. "

Zephaniah 3:17  " The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. "

Acts 16:25&26  " But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. "
  
I Corinthians 14:15  " What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. "

     I have finally believed what I have heard for many years being taught. And that is: singing is great spiritual warfare. Singing in the easy times AND in the rough times is great therapy as well as a great way to usher in deliverance. My encouragement is simple: This month sing and sing loud. Sing in the car, sing in the kitchen, sing in the shower, sing at work, school and the grocery store. Sing a known song or make up your own words. Sing the praises of God and sing His Word. A variation of February's devotional is to sing Psalm 23. Sing it with a known tune or make up your own. And don't forget to put someone's name in it. 
     Singing when things are going good and you definately feel like rejoicing and singing is good. But, like the examples in the I Chronicles 20 & Acts 16 passages, singing is also needed when things are not going so great. I actually have a personal testimony about singing to "open the prison gates". About a year and a half ago, my husband had a bad reaction to some medication and started to have some crazy thinking going on. He decided to have himself admitted to the mental section of the hospital. The way he was treated was not helpful at all, in fact it made things worse for him. So after just a few hours he requested to be released, which was his prerogative since he was self admitted. Of course that didn't sit well with the hospital staff/doctors and they proceeded to give him the run around. Especially since it was now the evening/night shift and they were acting like they were going to force the issue of waiting until the day shift staff/doctors came in.  Both he and I knew he would be better off at home and that we would need to pursue help in a different way. I was at home waiting for the call to come pick him up and as time when by, I knew I needed to pray. I eventually used the Acts 16 passage as my example and started to sing asking the LORD to open these "prison doors". I later found out my husband was doing the same thing at the hospital. And, he was home by 3 AM. 
     Sing - it works !!!


HAVE A "I'M GOING TO SING MY WAY THROUGH BOTH JOYS AND SORROWS!" FILLED DAY !!!!!!!!!!!