Ch. 751 - Seasons of Testing

"Let the winds blow...
Awake, awake oh north wind...
Come oh winds of testing,
come winds of refreshing..."

Oh Lord God... work on me.
Refine me.
Test me.
Do what You will.
For I know that what You do to and for me is good.
... Not to mention necessary.


' "This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.' " '
[Zechariah 13:9]

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Click here to revisit Chapter 343.

Ch. 750 - Call On His Name

A present-day vision of Heaven... Thank You, Lord God, for this beautiful realization. So simple. Wondrous.

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"There's no other name."

JESUS.

Such power.
Magnificence.

Overwhelming, O God, is Your presence. But oh, how thankful I am for it. I pray for a new constant in my life, Lord God. A constant... of Your presence... joy... stability... self-discipline... anything that is of You, and You alone.

I want You.
I need You.

A true desire.

A new hunger and thirst.
I can only be satiated by You.
Fill me like never before.

"Wake me up."

I want to do things with You, not merely for You. I yearn, oh how I yearn, for You.

"I sit here at Your feet,
I find my rest in You.
I sit here at Your feet,
I take great delight in You."

Lord God, only You satisfy.


'I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips. '
[Psalm 34:1]

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Click here to revisit Chapter 336.

Ch. 749 - Glory Leads to Praise

I am frustrated.

...

To fully worship God with all that we have... oh, the beauty... to not hold back, to be free. Such desire. For "the dwelling place of God - it is with man." We have access to Him. Why worship Him as He is far away, as if we have to wait for Him to come to us?


' "And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it." '
[Isaiah 40:5]

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Click here to revisit Chapter 327.

Ch. 748 - He is Law

Psalm 119:161-176...

'Great peace have they who love your
law,
and nothing can make them
stumble.'
[Verse 165]

'I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you.'
[Verse 168]

'May my lips overflow with praise...
May my tongue sing of your word...'
[Verses 171a, 172a]

'I long for your salvation, O Lord...'
[Verse 174a]

Jesus said that He came not t abolish the law, but to fulfill it. In my mind, He is [the] Law. By loving Him, Law, we have "great peace". We have peace in Him and through Him, for He is Peace, just as He is Law. He is also, then, our Delight, and we long for Him and the salvation He brings... that we may be in His presence for all eternity. My lips overflow and my tongue sings, indeed! For He is the righteous Teacher. And I obey Him because I love Him. And as verse 168 says, all my ways are known to Him. There is nothing I could say or do that would be unknown. There is no point in not submitting to Him.

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Click here to revisit Chapter 323.

Ch. 747 - Nothing Besides YOU

'... And earth has nothing I desire
besides you.'
[Psalm 73:25b]

... What a truth! Or at least, it should be a truth to us... do we truly desire "nothing" but God? Even if it was [truth], we would still be separated from Him, because we are not fully in His presence at all times here in this place. So our desire would never seem to be fulfilled. So in a way, it is good that we have these... distractions... to "desire". They will satisfy us - albeit in a meaningless fashion - until That which we should truly desire above all else can be fully appreciated in His entirety.

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Click here to revisit Chapter 303.

Ch. 746 - 'Awake, my soul!'

Note: 'For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.'

'My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.'
[Psalm 57:7-8]

These are beautiful verses - lyrics, really, for they are part of a song written by David. I love that he says his heart is steadfast. To me, steadfast means strong... true, loyal... it represents a perseverance... something that holds. I think David believes God has helped him in such a way that his heart has become steadfast - it was likely that it simply couldn't be helped. And he is thankful for this, which is why he desires to sing and make music before the Lord His God. Now, it is one thing to merely sing... but it is another to sing with your soul. To sing with feeling, emotion. I imagine that David is saying, "Awake, my soul!" because he wants to present to the Lord a song from his very soul. I can almost feel my own heart pound as I wait in anticipation for a new song of joy and thankfulness... of deliverance... to rise up from within me, spilling out into the cave - without hesitation, without reluctance. And I can almost hear the song bounce off the walls and ceiling, making it sound as if a multitude of sonorous voices are giving praise to the God of David, for He loves and saves. The song continues through the night, indeed awakening the dawn... Continuous praise: a sweet and pleasing aroma to the Lord.

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Click here to revisit Chapter 281.

Ch. 745 - Lifted

Lord God, I thank You for this day. I thank You for sorrow, that it makes me feel... alive. It reminds me that Your Son knows what we, as finite beings, go through each day. And it brings me gladness to know that He is sympathetic and compassionate towards Your children. But even so, I ask that You would remind me to continuously turn to You in all things... prayer, confusion, sorrow, joy... and that I would be all the more glad that I have You to turn to. Because people do fail. People do let others down. But You, O God, do not fail, or let Your children down. You are sovereign and loving. You are glad and swift to help us up when we fall. And for this, I thank You.

Lord God, You are ever near. Right by my side. Ready. Attentive. Quick to listen, quick to wrap Your arms around me. Do I deserve these things? No... But You have bought me for a price. And I am worthy in Your sight. Praise is due You, Lord God! "I am Yours, You are mine... and we'll be together forever!" Thank You for truths that You give me to hold onto. They speak of Your greatness and holiness. There is none like You. Hallelujah, hallelujah!

Lord God, hear me. Hear my words. Hear my thoughts. Hear the songs of my spirit and soul. Give me a desire to focus on what truly matters. Help me to love others, and all the more love You. For You are good, always. Refresh me, Lord God. Break me down, rend my heart. Strip me of anything and everything that keeps me from You. Fill me up, then, so that I may know You more and be near to You. And then, O God, pour me out unto others, that they may experience Your Holy Spirit. For only You can truly fill them up, but You can use me to give them a taste... a touch. That is what I desire. Be it through joy inexpressible, encouragement, a prophetic word, a simple prayer, or some other manifestation... I want others to know and love You and Your Spirit. Lord God, You are gracious and merciful. I pray that I would be able to strengthen myself in regards to these qualities, in becoming more like Your Son.

It's in His name, always... let it be so.

Ch. 744 - Bridegroom Thoughts

These concise thoughts are the result of reading a report written by a young man named Blaise Foret. I think he's a student at IHOPU, but I could be wrong... Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about what was said in the paper and through my own reading... and I want to just get my thoughts down.

Jesus is the Bridegroom.
A husband's love for his wife surpasses his love for his children.
Or, at least it should.

Jesus coming as the Church's Bridegroom... mere language... or truth?

[Ephesians 5:22-33]

Christ: His Church
Husbands: Wives
<------------------->
One body...
Mutuality in love...

Mystery: Christ and the Church
--> Communication
--> Emotions [like fire]

Engagement... it creates a longing, a yearning... a deep desire.
[A yearning from and of the Holy Spirit...]

Our desire for the return of Christ, for the marriage to the Bridegroom, will be a "real impartation of hunger that comes from the Holy Spirit..."

[Luke 18:7-8]

A perfect marriage.
Faithful in all facets.

His presence will bring peace and rest.

The cry: "Come!"

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Click here to revisit Chapter 271.

Ch. 743 - By and Through...

Luke 1:35
Jesus was born of the Spirit.

Luke 3:22
Jesus was baptized by the Spirit.

Luke 4:1
Jesus was filled and led by the Spirit.

Acts 10:38
Jesus did miracles through the Spirit.

Hebrews 9:14
Jesus offered himself to death through the Spirit.

Romans 8:11
Jesus rose from the dead by the Spirit.

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Click here to revisit Chapter 255.

Ch. 742 - An Invitation

Oh, to overcome these things day after day...
Battle.
Struggle.

Apathy.
Decreasing... slowly.

Very... slowly...

But I have been given a portion of joy, albeit small.
And I am holding onto it, practically for life.

"Come to My secret, quiet place."
'But I already have, Lord God. I'm in a secret, quiet place, aren't I?'
... "No... you haven't. Come to My secret, quiet place, and step up to My table."

Who would refuse?
He loves me.


'He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.'
[Song of Songs 2:4]

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Click here to revisit Chapter 239.

Ch. 741- Hear My Prayer

'My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do
not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.'
[Psalm 22:1-3]

Alone.
No answer.
O God, lift your daughter up.

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Click here to revisit Chapter 226.

Ch. 740 - None but Him

'Who can say, "I have kept my heart
pure;
I am clean and without sin"?'
[Proverb 20:9]

As sad as it may be, I do believe that no one can - or will ever be able to - say this. It is something that we can and should strive for, of course. But when it comes down to it, no one is entirely pure-hearted. There is no one who can say they are clean and without sin. That is, no one but our Lord, Jesus Christ. And that gives me a hope beyond all concern and doubt and worry and fear... because I know that while I may not be able to answer the proverb's question in the affirmative on my behalf, Someone can and He has taken my sin away.

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Click here to revisit Chapter 221.

Ch. 739 - A New Conviction

One week... much needed time off from blogging in order to figure things out for the beginning of the schoolyear... which I'm totally stoked for. It's going to be a great semester, for sure, and hopefully its greatness will carry over to the spring semester.

Anyway.

If something were to happen that would result in my not being able to go to school for the remainder of the year, I would be okay with that. If I learn nothing else than what I learned yesterday in a single class, I would be okay with that, too. Don't get me wrong... I do want to learn more. But it's as if I feel that what I speak of is truly sufficient to satisfy my desire to learn and grow. It has provided me with something that I know I can personally work on in my life and help others realize and work on as well.

This is a big deal.
Two sentences.
Conviction.
"The truth hurts."
... What a statement.
To be honest, I felt like I was punched in the stomach.
I could practically feel God twisting my heart in His hands.

But this is good.
This is very good.


'My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.'
[Psalm 38:4]

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Click here to revisit Chapter 216.