The Psalmist Heart

When reading through the Psalms you realize that David is very transparent about his feelings. At time like in Psalm 22 he begins by asking God "Why have you left me, why have you forgotten me?" Doesn't it feel like that sometimes when the Lord is silent? But what is great is I can flip back a page or two and David is praising the Lord for delivering him because the Lord delights in David. And I can flip forward a few pages and David tells me how the Lord is his Shepard who makes him lie down in green pastures and restores his soul. This book of the bible is a reflection of mans heart, struggle, prayer and worship. It's not always good, like our lives... but can't you flip the pages back a few and see where God has blessed you and delivered you because he loves and delights in you. In the same way we will be blessed in the future pages of our life too. It's not always going to be dry, dryness is a season. Seasons help us grow and give us strength. I love the verse I have highlighted in this picture because even in David's cry that the Lord may have forgotten him he is still acknowledging that he is the Lords and he always has been!

On your path...

Happy Monday! I am reading in Psalm 17 and I just love the way David prays to the Lord. Throughout my life I am always praying Lord keep me on your path. I pray that because there is so much that can cause us to stray from the narrow road and also because I want to stay the course God has planned for me and not my own course. Look how David prays this here, I just love the way he says it "Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip."

Lord keep us on your path today and as David prays let us be the apple of your eye and hide us under the shadow of your wings! Amen!

The Lord before me!!!

Reading in Psalm 16 this morning. I love how David says "I have set the Lord ALWAYS before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." David shows his deep commitment to the Lord here, his eyes are always fixed on God and regardless of worldly troubles the Lord is at his right hand so he will not be moved or shaken! 

Think about who else might be at your right hand. If you are in battle the soldier protecting his comrade was at his right hand; God is our protector! In court the lawyer who represents the defense of another is at his right hand; God is our defender! In Heaven Jesus sits at the right hand of God, God is our savior! To be the one at the right hand is a place of authority  and dignity. David was not speaking from the flesh here he was speaking from the spirit because our flesh resist putting God first but our spirit gravitates toward him always. David address the flesh next saying his flesh will also rest in hope. 

Beautiful, so the lesson I see is when we put the Lord first nothing can move us for God is at our side, defending, protecting and ruling over us. When we follow this spiritual action our flesh will follow naturally with hope!!!

It Is Finished...

Eggs are boiling, husband is resting, kids are playing :) I am studying some with my Strong's Concordance. Did you know in the verse John 19:30 When Jesus says "It is finished." The Greek translation for finished also means to discharge a debt and to accomplish! 

It was not only Finished that day but our debt was discharged and Gods work was certainly accomplished!!! Eyes looking to the resurrection now!

Honor Thy Mother & Father

Jesus, son of man, on the cross in his final hours is what I am reading about today. The account is in John, the last gospel.

Back to the  of Jesus, I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure if I were in his position I would only be thinking of my pain and suffering but here in this passage look what Jesus says. His mother and other women were gathered there and he looked on his mother and the disciple that he loved and he said to his mother "Woman, behold your son" and to the disciple he said "behold your mother". In his final moments he wanted to be sure his mother was cared for, that she had a "son". At this point his mother was most likely a widow and Jesus was living the word out in his death bed honoring his mother.  Beautiful! 

Honor and love your parental figures today in what ever form they met be, and if they are gone bless their soul. Be a son or daughter to someone who needs one. Maybe a neighbor who lives alone maybe a relative who has no children. Reach out to those who cared for you or show care for someone who has no one to care for them...

RadicallyHIS,

Melissa

Share It!

Are you someone who shares your faith? It's sometimes difficult to boldly speak to others. This story of the Samaritan woman in John 4 can encourage you.

The woman met Jesus near a well where he told her about the Living Water that only He can give. A water that keeps us from thirsting no more and that becomes a fountain of water in us springing up in to everlasting life. The woman said give me this water so I may thirst no more! 

She then went her way into the city and told the men of a man who told her all the things that she ever did. 

The scripture tells us this MANY beloved in Jesus because of the word of the woman who testified!

Friends this woman simply shared her experience with Jesus and MANY came to know Him through one woman. She did not fret over saying the right thing at the right time she was just honest about who Jesus was to her THEN these men came seeking Jesus themselves and believed even more from their own experience. 

If you have been thinking about sharing your faith take the worry out of it, we plant the seed He makes it grow. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide your words! I have never regretted a moment where I felt urged to share and I shared. I have only regretted the urges I ignored knowing that the Lord could have done a great work had I been brave...

The Pressures On!

What do you do when the pressure is on? Do you retreat? Do you become inverted? Do you battle it out? Sometimes in life the pressure feels really thick, like you could choke on it.

I saw this amazing sermon last night with one of my besties. It was titled "I'm better under pressure" Peps this sermon was FANTASTIC! Look up Elevation Church, go to Sermon Archive and watch! It was a message I really needed to hear based on 2 Corinthians 1:8-11.

Gods people are better under pressure! I mean think about it, so many people from the bible that were not equipped to be heroes of their day faced the pressure through faith in God and were better because of it! I am reading in Exodus right now so Moses definitely comes to mind but what about Shadrach, Mashach and Abednego? King Nebuchadnezzar was ready to burn these boys alive because they wouldn't bow down and worship him. They walked into the fire FIRM in their FAITH, God was either going to save them or they were going to die for their beliefs. Now that is some pressure! And they came out of that fire with out one hair burned on their body! They were better for the pressure they endured!

It's not about where the pressure comes from, what's happening around you is really about what God's doing inside you! When the pressure is on the Powers coming! If your under pressure right now I urge you to read this chapter in 2 Corinthians and watch this sermon. It certainly filled me up!!! The link is below...

Radically HIS,
Melissa

I'm Better Under Pressure from +Elevation Church
Sermon I'm Better Under Pressure

From my Journaling Bible...