Psalm 7:3-5 – “O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong  in my hands, ⁴ if I have repaid my friend^[b] with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, ⁵ let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. “

As I read this passage, it became a challenging prayer.  I have discovered that there are times when the Holy Spirit causes us to look deep inside our hearts.   His purpose is not to punish or cause fear but for healing and advancement in the Kingdom.

The Prayer of Psalm 7 is arresting.   The Psalmist prays that “if” he has done any injustice and taken advantage of anyone, God would allow His enemies to trample his life to the ground.   Wow!   He even said, “And lay my glory in the dust.”

How many can or would pray a prayer like that?   Let me be destroyed if I’ve wronged anyone anytime and had evil thoughts or done bad.   That is a prayer from a heart, not of pride but purity.

Then, in verses 8-9, he asks for a vindication.   But only according to his righteousness and integrity.   How much vindication would we receive if it were based on our persistent righteousness and integrity?  I am limping and weeping, saying, “Lord, help me get there.”

In verse 9b, he brings a revelation that we need to keep in the forefront of our minds. “For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.”

John’s prayer in 3rd John 2 comes to mind, “Prosper and be in health JUST AS your soul prospers.”

• Purity of heart grows out of total surrender to God. 
• Purity of heart grows out of knowing God. 
• Purity of heart grows out of unshakable confidence in God. 

If we know God, if we are fully surrendered to God, and believe Him to be everything He claims to be, we can relax and never take offense or feel the need to defend ourselves or retaliate.   We know that He is our shield. (Psalm 7:10).

Lord, I pray the prayer of David in Psalm 51:10-13 for me and everyone.  Give me a perfectly clean heart, a renewed and refreshed spirit, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the joy of the Lord, and a willing spirit of obedience.   Purges all dross from my heart and make me pure.

I pray for each of you to have perfect peace today and every day and to have the abiding presence of the LORD at all times.  I pray for unsurpassed victory for you!

Have a great day as God transforms you into the person He desires!

Psalm 11:1-3 – “In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string     to shoot in the dark at the  upright in heart; ³ if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” ESV

As I read, prayed, and pondered, I was momentarily overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness.    I said momentarily.   I thought it strange that hopelessness would grip me out of the blue.  I quickly examined my heart and read Psalm 11, and it dissipated.  “In the LORD, I take refuge… 3. IF the foundations are destroyed,  what can the righteous do?”

Hopelessness is present in this world and has crept into the church.  Fatalism grips more hearts than would seem possible.   The foundations appear in shambles, and the world is in chaos and confusion.

The Holy Spirit nudged my heart with the question, “Do you trust Me?”  I wanted to immediately say yes, but I hesitated because I sensed there was more coming.   He impressed upon me the confusion of the present world and how people are gripped by deception and despair.   Hopelessness fills many hearts even when they try to spin it as the only concern. 

I sensed He was saying, “You know to trust God, yet when hopelessness gains ground, fear overcomes your confidence.   If trusting Me is the only hope, even in hopelessness, WHY NOT KEEP STANDING ON THE WORD?  What do you have to lose by trusting Me if all appears hopeless?” 

That challenged my heart.    If God is my only Hope in the midst of a hopeless situation is to Trust God, then Why Not Stand and Trust Him?  If there is no way I can fix it, why not stand on God’s Promises? 

Psalm 11:4-5 – “The LORD is in His Holy Temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven.  His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.  5.  The LORD tests the righteous AND the wicked…”

God sees, and Hope is in and flows from God, even if things seem hopeless. Remember Paul’s words of encouragement to the Galatians: “Do not become weary in doing what is right. In God’s perfect time, He will cause your harvest to ripen. He will turn your hopelessness into hope if you refuse to give up.”

If you can’t fix it, why not let Him take control?   Why should we worry or fret?  God has never failed yet!

Hopelessness is a human condition of mind.   Hope is God’s answer!  So, let Hope rise in your heart and mind.  He can, we cannot, so why not just keep standing on His Word?  What do you have to lose?

Have a great day, and resolve to live your life Trusting God in all things and at all times!

Luke 18:35-43 – “Now it happened that as Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. ³⁶ Now, hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. ³⁷ They reported to him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” ³⁸ And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ And those who went ahead were rebuking him so that he would be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁰ And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him, and when he came near, He questioned him, ⁴¹ “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” ⁴² And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” ⁴³ Immediately, he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God.  And when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.”

In my reading today, some seemingly small and insignificant things erupted in my consciousness. In Luke 18:41, when Jesus was approaching Jericho, the blind man began crying out to him. The entourage tried to silence him, deeming his outcry disorderly. But he refused to be silent.

Jesus called for him to be brought to Him and asked the question of the ages.  The Lord asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?”  I believe that Jesus is, has, and will ask that of us.   We must stop our self-focus and frustration long enough to quietly stand before Him and let Him speak to us.   What Do We Want Him to Do For Us? What Do We Really Want?

When was the last time, in crisis or calm, that you answered that question?  James said that we do not have it because we do not ask. 

• Sometimes, we feel unworthy and fail to answer the question honestly.  
• Sometimes, we feel that what we truly desire is too much or inappropriate to ask.
• Sometimes, we are too prideful to admit our neediness.   After all, a good Christian would be stronger, less needy, more capable, etc., right?   That is Wrong!

We must never forget that God’s power and willingness to do for us flow out of His love and awareness of our inability.   Remember, everybody needs help from time to time.  We always need God, and sometimes, our inappropriate self-degradation hinders us from the ability to receive from Him.  The devil imprisons us in our flawed self-abasement.

Here is something I hope we get deep in our spirits.  He does not ask, “What Do You Want Me To Do For You?” because we are deserving super saints but because He loves us.

Therefore, today, Answer the Question.  “What Do You Want Jesus To Do For You?”  Answer it with the awareness that it is a genuine question, not rhetorical.   Tell Him what you want, not just what you need or think you need.  He cares about the desires of your heart, too!

Keep looking up and expecting the LORD to return and to be Lord of All for you!

Psalm 36:1 – “Transgression declares to the ungodly within his heart; There is no dread of God before his eyes.  ² For it flatters him in his eyes. For one to discover his iniquity and hate it.  ³ The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to consider to do good. ⁴ He devises wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil.”

The account of Jesus before Pilate reminded me of the power of persistent words.  In Luke 23:23b, we read, “…and their voices began to prevail.”   Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but the voices of the crowd began to prevail.   He consented to their wishes and sentenced Jesus to death.

Psalm 36:1-4 opens this for understanding.   “Transgression declares or speaks to the ungodly within his heart.”   The desire of the flesh talks to us.  It flatters us in our own eyes.  (Psalm 36:3).

Psalm 36:9 – “For with Thee is the fountain of life; In Thy Light we see Light.”

If we do not allow the Light of God to bring us into awareness of the danger of carnal thinking, we will allow that darkness to propel us into a false sense of standing with God.   Transgression speaks to the heart, justifying our unwholesome thoughts, words, and deeds.

I’m not trying to suggest that performance makes us acceptable to God, but it may be evidence that we are listening to the wrong voice. If that voice prevails, we will succumb to the desires of the flesh.

John 3 powerfully reminds us of our need to be “Born Again.” If we are born again, that means the Old Self is dead, and a New Self is alive.

God has promised life (not just being alive but Having His Life). 

I desire and pray that we enter His Life and silence the voices of the flesh.   In that condition, we will have Peace and Power with God and impact others for Him. 

I pray that the LORD will help us become who we are in Him!  I am asking God to guard our hearts, minds, and lips and purge from us ALL ungodliness, no matter how hidden or suppressed.  I desire to be pure in my heart; in that condition, I can give others what I have within me!

I pray for God’s light to bring us into the fullness of The Light!  I desire to see and want you to see His Fullness so that the Perfect Peace of God will fill your heart at times.

Blessings and Peace are my prayers for today!

Psalm 46:10 – “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. “

As I was reading, praying, and meditating on the Word, that verse captured my attention. Let it soak in: “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth. “

He began his declaration in verse 1 – “God IS our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  Then, in verse 2, “Therefore, we Will Not Fear, though…”     Though?  Yes, although Everything crumbles around us, there will be No Fear!

Psalm 46:4 – “There is a river whose streams make glad the City of God.”

Sadly, too much of the time, we strive to do rather than rest to receive.  We attempt to earn God’s favor.   We seem to think it is not God unless we struggle to be or produce.

• God said, “You Cease Striving.” 
• Moses said, “You stand still and watch God do it.” 
• Jesus said, “You come to Me, take My yoke, learn My heart, and watch what I do.  It is not Struggle; it is Trust.”

Psalm 49:5-9 powerfully speaks to this.  Why should we fear and fret in times of difficulty or adversity?  God is our hope, so we should cease trying to produce what He has done.

The key is in Psalm 51:1-4; 7-13; 17.

• God washes us completely.
• God cleanses us thoroughly.
• God makes us painfully aware of our errors.
• God makes us know the root of sin.

The plea of these passages is for purification.  That involves purging, which will be emotionally painful.  It strips of pride and produces humility.

• Clean hearts, see and hear God.
• Renewed spirits cling to God.
• The presence of God produces peace.
• The Holy Spirit radically transforms and empowers.

All that opens the floodgates of Joy Unspeakable and causes us to die to ourselves and willingly surrender Everything to Him.  In that condition, we lose our ambition in the flesh (not our motivation, but our carnal ambition), and His Kingdom becomes our purpose.   We lose our carnal life and save our spiritual life.

As long as we try to do it on our own, He will stand out of the way and let us.  When we give up and let Him take over, He Does!

My prayer is, “Lord, break us so that You can make us.  Strip us so that You can fill us.  Open the eyes of our hearts so we can see and be free!”

Today is designed as God’s Day of victory; receive it.   Cease striving and let God be God.

Have a wonderful day Resting in Jesus and Receiving His Fullness!