Purify My Heart

Jesus said:
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Luke 22:31-32 NASB

The Secret Place of Your Presence

Oh, how great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men.

You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

Psalm 31:19-20

The Garden

When our family moved from Georgia to Indiana in 1990, we really missed our family back home, and all the familiar places and people that were "Georgia".

We missed hometown southern hospitality, like running into the local "Quick Stop" for bread and milk. The owner would always ask, "How's your Mama and Daddy?" He would give the kids bubble gum and me a free rain bonnet to protect my "do".

However, we soon learned to love the people and places here. Across from our house was our new church. There was a prayer garden with a little chapel, and a swing suspended from the big oak tree. Cameron, Caleb, and I spent many evenings strolling through the prayer garden, kneeling in the chapel, or just a-swingin'!

At Christmas, the garden twinkled with thousands of white lights. In Spring, it was bursting with the color of forsythia. July meant dozens of American flags flapping in the breeze. Autumn's red leaves carpeted walkways lined with gold chrysanthemums.

I believe God had me in mind when that garden was created (and a lot of other folks, as well). There I prayed through many of life's major changes, happy and sad.

As the three of us sat in that swing, Cameron would always ask me to sing, "I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear the Son of God discloses. And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own, and the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known."

It is good to know that at any time, any place or circumstance, I can sit in God's "prayer garden", and there I will always hear His voice.

SENT

Our Lord Jesus prayed for us in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before his death:

Make them holy by your truth;
teach them your word, which is truth.
Just as you sent me into the world,
I am sending them into the world.
John 17:17-18 NLT

Supernatural Grace

Here is a portion of an article Sandie Freed wrote for Elijah List:

Precious Believer,

I know how much bondage there is in feeling as if you are continually "missing the mark." Performance-oriented people experience difficulty resting in God, which is linked to God's grace. I spent many years believing that God was disappointed if I didn't quite measure up to His standards. I also was deceived into believing that God's blessings were linked to how well I performed – as if His blessings were dependent upon my "good behavior" or "religious performance." This false belief set me up for even more failure and disappointment. It becomes cyclical.

If we are ashamed, there is no confidence to boldly run to Him for grace and empowerment to transform. Wow! Let me rephrase that so that you understand this. Shame and guilt robs us of our confidence to run boldly into God's arms – in fact, it causes us to run away from Him!

God knows we will never be perfect. He does not desire perfection due to our own strength for that would be "deserved favor." Remember now, grace is undeserved favor. The Lord desires for us to know that He is daily perfecting us through His divine grace. To believe that "it is up to us and our own ability to become transformed" is to believe that "the finished work at the Cross was not effective".

Jesus Himself was perfect and, therefore, we are blessed and empowered to live holy through Him.

Words of Jesus

And this is eternal life,
that they may know You,
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

John 17:3 NKJ

The Lily of the Valley

I was thinking that some of you may not be familiar with this old hymn that we grew up singing in church in Georgia. This song was the inspiration for my blog title.

I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.

In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay;
He tells me every care on Him to roll.
He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

by William Hays and Charles Fry

Oasis

Dear Heart,

Through your many activities I AM always with you. Yes, you feel disconnected from Me when there are so many things to juggle and so many things demanding your attention. I have already gone before you to make your paths smooth. Listen for My voice through your circumstances. Hold onto the good, take heed to the negative as warnings, and let My Presence walk with you.

I have given you the stopping places within each day as a much needed oasis. As you learn to lay down your strivings and rest in My peace, you will melt in assurance that, yes, I am indeed God and have indeed gone before you and prepared your path. Then you will learn to be carried as you walk through these days.

You may feel that you do not see clearly, yet that is the life I have chosen for you, that you walk by faith and not by sight. I have placed My heart beat deep inside of you and you know and hear Me in ways unknown to the natural man.

You do hear Me, My love. You really do. It is not for men to validate you, but for My place alone as you draw near to Me and learn to relax in Me. Rest now and drink. Lay everything else down and just drink of Me.

Ps 23:2-3 NKJV
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters . He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

This was written by Sandy Warner

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name,
from age to age the same,
and He must win the battle.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Martin Luther, 1529

The Prophet Isaiah wrote:

For this is what the LORD said to me:
As a lion or young lion growls over its prey
when a band of shepherds is called out against it,
and is not terrified by their shouting
or subdued by their noise,
so the LORD of Hosts will come down
to fight on Mount Zion
and on its hill.
Isaiah 31:4 HCSB

Nature Walk

Field and forest

Vale and mountain

Flowery meadow

Flashing sea

Chanting bird

Flowing fountain

Call us to rejoice in Thee

Henry J. van Dyke

Enough

As I was praying and reading this morning the hymn, "My faith has found a resting place", came to mind. One of the verses reads:

Enough for me that Jesus saves
This ends my fear and doubt
A sinful soul I came to Him
He'll never cast me out

I need no other argument
I need no other plea
It is enough that Jesus died
And that He died for me
Eliza Hewitt, 1891

Then I thought of this recent worship song:
All of You is more than ENOUGH
for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than ENOUGH
Chris Tomlin

Jesus' disciples once asked Him, "Where will anyone be able to find ENOUGH bread here in this desolate place to satisfy all these people?" Mark 8:4 We remember how that situation turned out!

The devotional passage I was reading then said,
"The most important thing we will learn in our Christian walk is that Jesus is ENOUGH."

Prayer for Israel

Every day we see threats against Israel and Jews all over the world, as well as Christians. When we read the book of Revelation, we know that Jesus will rule from Jerusalem in the millenial reign. In the meantime, I believe it is my duty as a follower of Christ to pray for Israel and for many in that region to quickly turn to Jesus Messiah, our only Hope.

In the midst of turmoil, the Lord is patiently waiting for millions who will turn to Him.

Be patient then brothers and sisters until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You, too, be patient and stand firm because the Lord's coming is near. James 5:7-8 NIV

Blessed

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3 NKJ

There Is a River

Jesus said

If anyone thirsts,
let him come to Me and drink.
He who believes in Me,
as the Scripture has said,
out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit,
whom those believing in Him would receive

John 7:37-39a

There is a river
That flows from deep within
There is a fountain
That frees the soul from sin
Come to this water
There is a vast supply
There is a river
That never shall run dry

Max and David Sapp

Mighty God

The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,
yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
Psalm 93:4 KJV

While the ocean is vast and powerful, it is still comforting to listen to the constant breaking of the waves on the shore. Sitting at the edge of the water makes my worries seem small and puts the greatness of God in perspective.

Answer to Life's Greatest Question

Many people did believe in him [Jesus], however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.
John 12:42-43 NLT

I was listening to a woman talking about how we judge Peter, Jesus' disciple, because, when he was questioned, he denied knowing Christ three times on the night before Jesus was crucified. We wonder if we would have denied Him. Her question was, "Would we have even followed Jesus at all, or would we have been like some of the Pharisees, bowing to tradition and the praise of man, rather than listening to God?"

Thank God for one of the Pharisees, NICODEMUS, who came to Jesus, even if it was in the middle of the night. Because of his sincere questions, we have the answer to LIFE"S GREATEST QUESTION in Jesus' own words.

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind SON OF GOD when introduced to him.

John 3:16-18 The Message