He Knows Us Well

O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. Psalm 139:1-2

When we leaf through the many psalms David wrote, we see how personal and intimate they are. He knew his God and God knew him. It is no different here. David understood as he penned these words that the Lord knew him.

The Lord had searched him and search here references searching the earth by boring or digging for water or metal. God isn’t looking for something. He examines the thoughts and feelings of our hearts. He knows us better than any family, friend, or acquaintance as they can’t see our heart.

But God can.

Our soul is transparent to His piercing glance and He sees the sin that dwells in our hearts. We can hide it from others but not God.  Psalm 44:21 Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart?

The Puritan A.W Pink says this. “The natural man cannot endure the thought of being thoroughly searched by God. The last thing he desires is to pass beneath the all-seeing eye of His maker and Judge, so that his every thought and desire, his most secret imagination and motives stands exposed before Him.”

We our observed by God whether we sit down or rise up. Our simple tasks, our most needful movements are noted. When we cling to pride, the Lord sees it. When anger or bitterness gets comfortable in our heart, He sees it. When we are sad and lonely, our great God sees it all.  This is a truth to remember, if we are sitting down to think or rising up to act, we are still seen, known, and read by our Lord.

So, because of this He understands our thoughts from afar, and He understands our thoughts of Him. He won’t misjudge or wrongly interpret us; our inner thoughts our perfectly understood by His impartial mind.

On one hand, it should restrain us from sin and when we do sin, we should repent. Our soul is transparent before the living God every minute and hour of the day. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord see the heart. On the other hand, God sees us, puny us, and knows us. We need to mediate on the truths that come our way. This is a beautiful contrast between the observer and the observed. The Lord and us. This is an intimate connection that exists, and therein lies our hope.

The Lord isn’t far away from us. We can boldly go the throne of grace with confidence. He hears our prayers, cries, joys, and sorrows. He is the one that will comfort our soul and hold our hand. 

Because He is faithful. 

Run With Endurance

We have a race set before us that is taking us to Christ. On the way home, there are smooth paths, bumpy one, dark days, sunny days, sin that hinders are race, etc.

Every day we have a choice to either obey the Lord or disobey. Every day we must deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow Him. Every day we must fix our eyes on Christ the authour and perfecter of our faith. It isn’t easy and that is why we have the Lord. We need Him every moment of every day.

Patience is the key to running this race. We have a race to run, a race of service and a race of sufferings, a course of active and passive obedience. So, we must run with patience and perseverance. We need patience to deal with trials and disappointments. Faith and patience are the conquering graces we must cultivate always. 

We must lay aside every encumbrance and sin that so easily entangles us. Get rid of those sins that hinder the race. We have an example in Christ and when we let sin remain subdued, it will hinder us from running the race, as it takes from us every motive for running, and gives power to every discouragement. We need to fix our eyes on Christ when we are weary, faint, or joyful.

Isn’t that the point. We can’t do anything without the Lord and when we take our eyes off Him (His word) we sink so to speak. We need to fix our hearts and thoughts on Him and His ways.

He is our great example and He is our great encouragement; we must look to Him for direction, for assistance, and for acceptance, on all our sufferings. Consider Him. Mediate on Him. When we compare our suffering to Christ’s, it exceeds our own. His patience excels our own and He is the perfect pattern for us to follow.

He will give us the comfort we need. When you are going through something difficult, and the word says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” We have to ask, “Lord, teach me how to do that?” And He will. He is never going to leave us because He is always and will always hold our hand as we run this race home.

Ladies, when you are weary fix your eyes on Christ. Call out to Him for help. Seek a friend that will pray and encourage you. We don’t have to run it alone. We have our Saviour and He has provided saints that love the Lord and they will carry the load with us. We have a great and faithful God who will provide for us.

Therefore, since we have so great a could of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. 

Hebrews 12:1-2

Worry Strangles Our Joy

I love and hate Psalm 139:23-24. I love it because I need God to search my heart and pull out the weeds that take root there. I hate it because it is hard to see the sin He has found. The sin I try to hide. The sin I try to ignore. The sin I try to justify.

He searches the secrets of my heart not that He may  know what is there but that I may know and see the swarms of microscopic sins that are minute but mighty in their ability to destroy my soul. To destroy my joy. To destroy my relationship with my first love: Christ.

One of those sins is worry.

I worry about what may happen and my wanders down a path it shouldn’t go down. A friend said it well. “God doesn’t give grace for imaginary trials.”

Amen. He isn’t giving me grace for something I made up in my head.  And it is dumb for me to think that He would. Worry distresses the mind and wearies the soul. Worry is debilitating. Worry strangles the joy. It becomes a fixed habit. A sort of drug we can’t live without.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25

Yes, there will be trials in our lives and we can cling to worry or anxiety instead of Christ. We can let our minds go down a dark road until we have lost our way. We can let it suck the life out of us until it depresses us, discourages us, and weakens us.

The peace of Christ needs to rule in our hearts not our sins. The truth of His word has to dominate our lives daily. When we trust God, it gives us confidence, not in ourselves, but the one who redeemed us from the pit. Trust whispers in our ears that there is no cause for worry because the Lord will take care of everything.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:5-8

We all have hidden sins that the Lord needs to yank out. It can be painful and difficult to see but we need to explore the deep recesses of our hearts. It takes courage to do this and ask God to show us our blind spots and to show us our pride. We need to be courageous and ask the Lord to search our hearts, so we can become more like our Saviour. Each day should show us our need for the Lord. Each day should show us that we can’t boast in anything we do but we need to boast in the Lord. Each day should bring us to our knees in awe, praise, gratitude, and confession.

We can’t let our sin dwell in our minds or hearts. Instead, we must put on Christ and make no provisions for flesh in regards to its lust. Romans 13:14

This isn’t easy but it must be done and the Lord is faithful to help us.

How?

We need to make it a habit to be in the word. We need to plant our face and hands into His word so He can teach through the pages or scripture how to walk humbly and confidently with Him. May we let the word of Christ richly dwell within our souls. 

This is a great quote from Charles Spurgeon.

"We do not stand or fall according to our personal merit; but because Jesus lives we live, because Jesus is accepted we are accepted, because Jesus is beloved we are beloved: in a word, our standing is not based upon merit, but upon mercy; not upon our changeable character, but upon the immutable mercy of God."

The Best Words

I want to write.

I want to write words that speak loudly and whisper in your ear.

I want to write words that make you think

long after your eyes have left the pages.

But your mind is still there, lingering, wondering.

I want to write so your heart aches or

brings a smile to your face.

I want to write to encourage you if you’re holding on by a

thread.

Or if you only need a gentle nudge.

I want to write so a tear glides down your flushed cheek.

I want to write to make you laugh aloud

and

you

don’t

care

who hears you.

I want to write words that make you scream

at a character or makes you whisper in your

heart,

“I’m rooting for you.”

I want to write words that you fall in love with at

every page.

I want to write.

But

my

words

aren’t  the best.

Another has words better than mine.

I borrow His words but He doesn’t borrow mine.

His words are

the way

the truth

and the life.

His sheep hear His words.

His words restore the soul and are sharper

than

any two-edged sword.

His words comfort. His words will never leave you.

Nor forsake you.

His words disciple you.

His words conform you into

His

image.

His words are beautiful.

His words endure forever. They are

timeless.

His words should be your first thought when you wake

and your last when you sleep.

His words are calling you.

His word is unchanging.

But His word will

change

you.

I want His words to consume me like a blanket.

I want His words to pin me down like a dagger.

His words are the best.

I want His words to penetrate the depths of my heart.

I want His word to change, convict, and comfort me.

I want His words to search me

and root out the

sin.

I can’t live without His words.

I need His words.

I adore His words.

Because they bring me joy.

I want to protect His words from thieves.

His words strengthen our faith in Him.

His words should make us long for heaven.

His words will bring you to your knees in repentance.

His words will harden a heart.

His words will take a heart of stone and turn it into a heart of

flesh.

His words expose the soul of sinful man.

You can’t hide from His words.

You can’t run from His words

His words will wipe your tears.

His words will make you worry less

pray more

worship more

 and repent quickly.

His words are faithful

His words cannot lie.

You can trust His words.

Because He is the

Word.

You need His words.

His words make you submit,

trust,

and obey.

His words bring life to those who believe.

His words bring death to those who don’t.

Don’t reject His words.

His words will make you less fearful.

His words are better than anything

this

life

has

to

offer.

His words will not bow to an

anyone or anything.

But every knee will bow down

to Him.

And His words bring you to the foot of the

cross.

Because

His words are the best.

Ladonna

Psalm 63:1-4: My Soul Thirsts For You

Our family had the opportunity to go to Europe this summer. We had the chance to visit relatives in Scotland. I love this picture of the countryside and if you look really, really close you can see the sheep. Or at least I think they're sheep. They could be goats. :)

I can say this is a place where I can find some rest. It is quiet, tranquil and a great place to write and think without the noise of life. But I know my soul can't find rest here.

And David knew he could only find rest in the Creator. This psalm was probably written when he was fleeing from his son Absalom in the wilderness of Judah. He knew God was the only true and living God, the author and end of all things, the Governor and Judge or men and angels and the sole object of his worship. His allegiance was to his Redeemer.

I am amazed how David could write this when his son wanted him dead. Why didn't he say, "Lord, get me out of this situation." "Lord, this is horrible."

But those aren't the words he penned. He wrote something that convicts my soul. "My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for you."

Wait! His son was trying to kill him, he was in the wilderness, and he was probably cold and hungry. But David's soul thirsted for God. It thirsted for His Creator. He had an insatiable longing for Jehovah. And he knew only God could satisfy the craving of a soul. The poet was in a weary place with a weary heart and this made the presence of God even more desirable to him.

He knew God's lovingkindness was better than this temporal life and he praised God with joyful lips.There wasn't a complaint or a grumble coming out of his mouth. If I was cold, hungry, and a fugitive I would probably complain and whine, which makes me sad. I want to long for the Lord like David. I want His word to clothe me like a cloak since God is clothed in splendor and majesty.

David was in continual danger and fear held him and gave him some wearisome nights but he comforted himself with the thoughts of God. And I. And we need to do the same. We need to saturate ourselves with His word. We need to memorize and mediate on the word. His word is our strength and will comfort our weary souls as it did for David.

I think the trials draw us closer to Christ. It reminds us that the best place to sit is at the foot of the cross. It reminds us that only God can restore our souls. It reminds us to cling to Him and remember He is our joy and praise.

Charles Spurgeon said this.
"To dwell with God is better than life and its best; life at ease, in a palace, in health, in honour, in wealth, in pleasures; yea, a thousand lives are not equal to the eternal life which abides in Jehovah's smile."

David didn't long for food or to get out of this situation. His soul thirsted for God. He longed for more of God and not the things of the world.

Yes, we should go to Him in prayer. Yes, it is okay to say, "I'm scared." And the Lord will give us comfort.

But we need to take our eyes off the world and fix them on His word. May we desire this more and more as we walk with our Saviour. May the truth of scripture knit its way into our hearts. And may we remember that Christ is better than anything so we will praise Him.

Be a Good Friend to Your Husband

Our women's bible study had a wedding shower for a lady in our group. And the leader of the study asked us to give her some wisdom.

When she had said this, the first thing that came to my mind was be a good friend. But what does that look like? There were things going through my mind and I came up with ten. 

1. Pray for him
Pray that your man will be a man after God's own heart. He will grow and fruit will bear in his life.

2. Let him know you will walk through fire with him
Sometimes things will get hard in your marriage and difficult decisions will be made. If he knows you support him, it will encourage him to press forward.

3. Let him know he is Superman
In year one or two of marriage, we will have sweet things to say. But, at times, we can forget to encourage him because we are busy or we have a honey do list for him that is endless. We need to take the time to remind them that they our are superheros.

4. Encourage him
Let him know how much you love and our proud of him. Those words can go a long way for a man. We need to be women that build our houses up and not tear them down because our words can make or break our spouses. Our words need to be seasoned with grace.

5. Let him lead, and let him fall
This is a hard one because, if you're like me, you like to control things. However, our pastor said it well. "Ladies, you got to let us lead, and you have to let us fall." Ouch! That's not what I want to hear until a friend told me about her parents. Her dad wanted to start a business and her mother thought it was a bad idea. Finally, she let him do it and they ended up losing everything. But my friend told me her dad wouldn't be the humble man he is today if that hadn't happened.

Yes, we should confront sin but we also have to remember God is in control and we have to let the Lord work in their hearts in His time and His way. We are not the Holy Spirit.

6. You're not his momma, mummy, mom, mum, ma
You're his wife, lover, and friend.

7. Intimacy
I think sex is important to a man. And there are some wives that love it and others that don't. If it is something you don't love, I would encourage you to ask the Lord for help. I was taught it was nasty and horrible and that mindset transferred  to my marriage. Thankfully, the Lord helped me through my wrong view and allowed me to show intimacy to my husband. As a reminder though, we need to teach our spouses that timing is everything. :)

8. Hold hands
I love when I see older couples holding hands and loving each other. It is such a sweet moment and very encouraging to my own heart. As younger women, we need to do the same even when we may be upset with him. It may be hard but it speaks volumes.

9. Be quick to forgive and quick to ask forgiveness
This can be hard one but we really want to clothe ourselves in humility. And learn to walk humbly with the Saviour because pride will kill a friendship.

10. Pray
Keep praying for him. Pray that he will do things for you and the family because those are good things to pray for. However, the most important thing is to pray that his heart is inclined to Christ. That Christ is and will be his first love. Byron and Robin Yawn said this in their book What Every Woman Wishes Her Father Had Told Her:

"In a mysterious way, consistent with the rest of  Christianity, she does not need him to pay more attention to her, but to Christ more desperately. This prayerful desire honors God, demonstrates respect for her husband, and keeps the focus off of self. But reciprocally, an increased devotion to the risen Lord in him results in an increased devotion to her."

I'm sure I'm repeating what many of you already know. But I know I need to remind myself about this on a daily basis. I love and adore my husband and I want him to know it all the time through my actions and speech.

May we pray for our spouses faithfully and may we saturate ourselves in the word daily. And let us watch as the Lord changes not only our husbands but us into the image of our sweet Saviour.

Fall Favourites

This is where I would love to be. With a pencil in my hand and notebook so I could write. There is something special about fall. The cool air, the smell of the leaves, the scent of warm cider, and the autumn spices that linger in a coffee shop.

I love this season but living in southern California you don’t get that fally feel. Instead, it’s in the nineties and the palm trees don’t seem to take on the same beauty as maple leaves changing. But you can find some places where the leaves are raining down golden colours that make my heart happy.

So here are some of my favourite (Yes, I’m a Canadian exiled to California J)  things about fall:

·         Soft scarves

·         Apple cider with whipped cream on top.

·         Running

·         Banana Bread

·         I hate coffee so I’ll take the candy. I prefer Gummy Bears but I guess that isn’t a fall thing.

·         When it is cool outside, I love the scent of the leaves and rain.

·         Canadian and American Thanksgiving.

·         It’s hot here. 

And as I always remind myself the best place to be is at the foot of the cross.