How Much Does H Have of You?

What a beautiful morning we are having here.... definitely summertime in the South with the heat and humidity. I have been doing my quiet time outside several mornings a week and oh the blessings! To hear the birds singing (I imagine they are praising the one who created them and who cares for them)... to hear the quiet sounds of a morning as it wakes up... to see the green grass and the trees full and lush.... the vibrancy of the flowers blooming... to catch wafts of the fragrance of various plants... and the breeze... we rarely how much of a breeze in the summer here but it seems each time I sit outside God sends me breezes... sometimes very soft subtle ones and at other times ones strong enough to make the leaves in the trees shiver. At church yesterday we had a guest speaker and he was talking about God breathing on us and our breathing in God.... as I was thinking about that earlier, the weather outside went from the stillness of a summer morning to a strong breeze that blew on my face and made me feel as if the Lord was blowing life into my nostrils as He did Adam. It was a lovely time!

Our speaker yesterday posed an interesting thought.... If you are a believer... a Christ-follower... then you have the Holy Spirit in you... all of Him... He doesn't hold back this part from some folks and that part from others.. you get 100% of the Spirit.. but here comes the question.. How much of YOU does the Holy Spirit have? God doesn't snatch ... He doesn't force us to surrender... to yield... He gives us a choice. So today, how much of the You does He have? I can tell you that He doesn't have all of me... I say I surrender all... but my heart sends out tentacles that wrap around certain things and hang on for dear life. It is tough letting go! The key... I think.. is not looking beyond today. Don't think of having to let go forever. Just take it one day at a time... maybe even one hour at a time... one minute! And as much as you can be specific... say "Lord, I surrender me to you... my kids... my husband... our finances... this person's health... this child's rebellion... his salvation... her deliverance... etc." and also ask Him to show you what you are holding on to.. what you need to let go of and surrender to Him. And then be ready to hear His reply and act on it!

Week.... Weak...

A friend recently shared that she saw a sign that said something like "One week without God makes one weak." Cute play on words and very true statement. We need God... we need to meet with Him.. daily.. sometimes hourly, depending on our current circumstance. We need to meet with other believers for fellowship, encouragement, support, and accountability. We need to be in the Word daily and be putting it in us for those moments when we don't have Bible readily available (which is often when the enemy strikes).

If you have been away from God whether for a week or many, many weeks, the great news is He is right there ready to welcome you back with open arms. He wants to spend time with you... all it takes is your willingness to give up some personal time (computer, television, reading, sports, gaming, etc.) to spend with Him. It might be tough at first, but each day it gets easier and easier. I encourage you to spend time in the Word and in Prayer daily... meeting with God. And I encourage you to be connected to and involved with a local church for fellowship. I spent some time away from church. I did not realize how much I was missing until I allowed God to draw me back into a fellowship. We need that....Believers are not meant to fly solo!

Give God your weakness and your week! He will do amazing things with them!

Walking Through the Psalms

Years ago, a wonderful Titus 2 woman in my life told me about something she did in her quiet time. She had learned about this in a Bible study she took. She read through the Psalms in 30 days and along the way she noted things she learned about God... His attributes, character, names. I loved the idea, so I decided to take my own walk through the Psalms. I kept a notebook and would write out verses and then what I learned about God. It was a wonderful adventure..... one I recommend to anyone who wants to know God better... I still have the notebook and have pulled it out over the years.

Recently our pastor mentioned that he was doing this....going through the Psalms... noting what he learns about God. I have been doing some hit and miss (mostly miss) in my quiet time and so this morning the Psalms came to mind again.. I decided to take a walk again....

So today I read through Psalms 1 - 3... read them out loud... more than once... found some exciting things and God led me to other verses that connect... I love seeing the connections in the Word!

Here are the things I noted in my journal.....

Ps 1 verse 6... God watches over the way of the righteous.... Thank you Lord that I am made righteous through the blood of Jesus! (2 Cor 5:21 God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.)... God watches over my way....

Ps 2 v 12 tells us that we are blessed when we take refuge in God... Deut 33:27 says The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying "Destroy him!" .... Thank You, Father, for going before me... driving out my enemy.... You do this as You watch over my way... You are my refuge!

Ps 3 v 3 But you are a shield around me, O Lord, You bestow glory on me and lift up my head... I love this verse... I never have to walk around with my head hung in shame... or scared to look up into the face of God... HE lifts up my head...

Ps 3 also shows an active tense God.... the Lord answers me (v 4) .... sustains me (v. 5).... delivers me (v 8)....

Thank You, Abba Father, for being an active God... a participating Father.. present in my life, not an absentee! I thank You for the righteousness I have in Jesus and for the blessings that it brings... help me to walk in a way which is worthy of Your righteousness.

Thank You for being my refuge... that safe harbor needed in a storm... for hearing my cries.. my ranting and rambling,.. and answering me with Your truth.

Thank You for being my sustainer and delivered.. my shield... the one who lifts up my head. May I walk in the knowledge of these truths today.