Teach me to give You Thanks LORD!

In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Fellow Believers in Yeshua, the Lamb of God, who is living Truth, worthy of all praise and thanksgiving,

This verse is likely one you memorized as a child if you were blessed to be raised in the faith. I ask you to read it again slowly and meditatively. Separate each word as you speak it aloud and pause. Hear what you are saying. What questions pop to the surface? Knowing this Truth why do we mutely treat it as though it were designed to be shelved along side a good book we plan to read some day? Are we not to eat His word, digesting it so it becomes part of us? 

The first word is: 'In'... not beside, or following or previously to... but 'in'.  Like swimming. Not beside the water or near the water or on the dock but in for the swim. Wet with Truth that oozes out of our pores, drenching us and refreshing those around us. His word is to become sinews and muscle and movement and energy.  'Everything'. Not some things, or what we would chose or that which tickles our fancy or suits us at the moment, but the painful, trying, prickly, disappointing losses, all we would avoid like a snake bite. 'Give'. A choice of our wills. A surrender. To willingly give. Whether we feel like praising or not. 'Thanks'. Choosing to be thankful even if you do not feel like it. Not so easy for a society that commonly operates at this fleshly level. 'For'... because it is 'God's will for you'. Followed by the expository phrase 'in Christ Jesus'. Do we really need any more reason than that we are "in" Christ and it is our Savior's will for us? He who purchased us with His own blood lived these very words. Let's eavesdrop in the garden of Gethsemane: 

Jesus knelt down and began to pray saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Luke 22:411

I have questions... what is to be foundation for my gratefulness? Am i to be grateful because others are worse off than me and i feel guilty? Their pain is greater, their loss is larger, their struggle paralyzing? Am i to be filled with gratefulness because i have a lot of stuff? Have you heard someone say, "I am so thankful after seeing video of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan and the deadly tornado in Southern United States." This is dysfunctional thinking. 'I am thankful it wasn't me' is not a reflection of the grateful spirit i am commanded to exercise daily; irregardless of my circumstances. Such things can open my eyes to see how blessed i am to be given abundant provision for my need and i should give thanks... it is part of the 'everything'. But the reason is not found in the rubble or in the blessings. It is found in Christ Jesus. Period. Who I am 'in' Christ Jesus gives me everything needed to shout, to sing, to dance in praise to my Heavenly King, my Fountain of Living Water... my Abba.

I am encouraged to go beyond 'birth' Truths and move on to 'growth' Truths. Calvary is the secret of it all. It is what He did there that counts, and what  He did becomes a force in my life when i appropriate it by faith. This is the starting point at which all Godly living must take its rise. MJS

O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving-kindness is everlasting.  1 Chronicles 16:34

As we daily take up our cross, denying ourselves and follow Him we will be thankful. Because as we count ourselves dead to sin, the flesh and the world, we will experience Christ living through us. We cannot come to Him and find acceptance for anything we have done in our strength, our flesh. He can only accept that which is from His Son. Not even our thanksgiving is acceptable unless it is the fruit of His life in and through us. Hear me dear ones! Most of the church spends their energy trying to please God without a clue they are living by there own efforts. Finally the insidious failure overwhelms and they fall on their face before Him. They must learn to died to self (Romans 6-7) applying the Truth that they are crucified with Him.  Hear me. Our best is not acceptable to Him. Only the perfect Lamb of God can bring that which is acceptable to a Holy God. It is the divine way. Trust Him to live through you. We need to humble our self and admit our failure to be grateful is because we have built a foundation on a temporary footing rather than the unchanging victorious, Holy  Son of God. 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. II Cor 4:18

Hear these scriptures and ask: 'Why should I give thanks to the  LORD?' What do they tell us? Believing truth will produce a thankful spirit in us, glorifying the Lord.

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High. Psalm 7:17

O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving-kindness is everlasting. 1 Chronicles 16:34

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

Unchanging One, You who hold my every breath, You who are never surprised by my failure to be grateful, You are the fountain of Living Water supplying my every need... You have placed me in Christ and I am in awe of You...  i bow, i worship. You are so beautiful. Give me understanding as i read Your word and create a ravenous hunger for You. Change me! Cleanse me from all my fleshly-efforts to please You; teaching me to rest in the power of Your Holy Spirit, that i might please You today, O Lord, You know i long to please you always. By Your Spirit enable me to give thanks in everything, not for everything, but You are worthy to be praised always and forever. I can give thanks that You redeem everything and turn it to serve Your purposes...  there is no God but You! Blessed be the Name of Adoni. amen 

You are loved immeasurably.... give thanks to Him!

az

Wounding His Heart of Love

All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.  The Lord remembers us and will bless us. Psalm 115:11-12


Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Our week may hold things we would never choose of our own accord. Things we would give a thumbs down before they could invade uninvited. Our time on earth is like that. Truly nothing happens on earth without God's permission. All that comes our way must first pass through our Saviors nail-scarred hands to fulfill His purposes in us. We do not always welcome His will or love it and In the middle of a nettlesome trial we find ourselves grumbling or our mind racing with fear. If we love God's will, we will embrace it with thanksgiving turning the evil and the good into treasures! He alone redeems our sorrows and loses and the  things which are too hard for us, the things that hurt too much.... the things we cannot walk into let alone face, but for His Presence  and His strength. Are we not far more likely sidetracked trying to figure out His will and why He allowed certain things to wound us deeply? 


What prerogative inspires questioning God's motives? We are out of kilter when we go beyond asking 'why' to accuse Him of not caring, not being Love itself; all because we lack faith to trust Him. We who have trusted Him for salvation needs move on to trust Him daily. The disciples were crossing the sea and the Master was asleep when the tempest threatened to drown them. How could the Master sleep? It was not because He was exhausted, but because He was unafraid, He knew the end from the beginning. The disciples were, as we are, fearful. And from an earthly perspective things were out of control.  Hear the accusation in their words in Mark 4:37-38: 

And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"

Feel the cutting words... How deeply we wound our Savior when we accuse Him of indifference or weakness or of acting in any way which would contradict who He is. God is Love and cannot act outside of Who He is. Ever. Period.

Things are often not as they appear. The crucifixion did not appear to have love attached to it or be the fuse of Hope and forgiveness for a world, paying a sin-debt no one outside of Christ Jesus could pay. We see icons of 'love' in our society, the heart being the most common. I see the Cross as thee greatest symbol of Love ever. In the Good Friday service as I was meditating on this and giving thanks for who He is and what He did for me. My heart was filled with gratitude for life, in particular my sons. I wept as i thanked Him for sparing my son's life the day before. "Thank you for sparing my son's life, Abba." then in the holy instant following my words, in the quiet God disclosed Himself in contrast and my heart cried out,  "Oh Father, thank You for not sparing Your Son's life.. but giving Him to die for me."  It is hard to even remember this moment without tearing up. 

My son, an avid bicyclist, was out riding (Austin, TX) when a bee stung him in the face. He was near a park and headed to a bench. Sitting, head in hands a few people ask if he was ok and in his confusion He said he was... but he felt worse and his next conscious moment was two hours later. He called a friend while puking his insides out. He was experiencing anaphylactic shock.  Face, throat, tongue swelling etc. Why did my son live through what should have killed him? God spared my son's life to accomplish His purposes. God is good and His purposes beyond understanding. But the Truth is: God is good even if my son would have died. He is good always, there is nothing but goodness in Him! Aren't You ready to dance to such a sweet, unchanging Truth we could never invent? We do not have to fear the future He is already there. We do not have to fear the past.... He will redeem all things.

He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.  Psalm 92:15

This truth is such comfort and urges me to get on my face in thanksgiving.

O God, what do I see on every side, but your will that is being accomplished? Let it also be accomplished in me, Let me love it; let it make everything sweet. Let me bring my own will down to nothing. O God, may you be blessed in everything. Accomplish your will, Lord. It is yours to will and mine to give myself over completely. F.F.


Great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD Almighty,  great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Jer 32:18b-19


 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Romans 8:32


Abba, my precious One, You who hold every breath, every future moment and redeem all things for Your will and purposes, I exalt You. Holy. Holy. Holy. Majestic One, Knower of every word before it is on my tongue, there is no God but You. The treasure of Your grace and Your living Word are the only True riches.  You alone lift me above all that would pull me down. You fill my heart with faith to trust You. Thank You. Although in this world You have promised us tribulations, You have overcome the world and have provided all I need to be abundantly satisfied in Christ Jesus. Oh That I would trust You for this and walk in faith and not wound You with my words of unbelief and fear. Change me! I lift my eyes to thee my beautiful Jesus and in your Name I lay this prayer before the throne. amen 


Have a blessed week dear ones,
az

Thank You for the Scars!

So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. Eph 1:6-7

When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed Jesus to the cross. Luke 23:33

I have been crucified with Christ... Gal 2:20

My Sisters who know Christ as Savior,

How very precious you are to Him who is the Passover Lamb. As believers we rejoice in the Truth of His death to satisfy God's anger over our sin. Only a perfect sacrifice would be accepted by Jehovah. Yeshua, was the perfect Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. He became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him! Hallelujah. 

A scar. Each human naturally carries their scar from birth.  The testimony of the scar is an uncompromising reminder that we were utterly vulnerable and dependent on another's life. Someone carried us, nurtured us and gave us life.  Nurture flowed through the umbilical chord sustaining life in us. Our belly-button, or navel if you prefer, is the scar marking where I was separated and my life began. Life being a gift.

 Spiritually, life begins at the Cross, a scar on the landscape of history, reflecting man's worst evil perpetrated on the sinless, perfect Son of God, reminding us He carried all our sin, died in our place to give us life. Out of His death and resurrection came our forgiveness and cleansing and new Life; as all our sin was placed on Him on the Cross (not 'a' Cross but the cross). The Cross the lifeline between a Holy God and us, my sisters! His blood the payment, the embryonic fluid protecting us, keeping us! The Cross our symbol. Every human bears their physical scar as a testimony of life given. His cross reminds us of our utter dependence on this new life in Christ Jesus because of our daily ongoing need! 

Every humble and devoted believer in Jesus Christ must have his own periods of wonder and amazement at the mystery of godliness- the willingness of the Son of Man to take our place in judgement so that the people of God could be cleansed and spiritual people. A.W.T.

Though many believers rejoice over Christ's dying for them, few are affected by the fact He arose for them! There will be a constant struggle and failure unless we grasp this liberating Truth. I think of it like this: Christ removed every barrier which separated me from God: my guilt, my sin, (Romans 6:7) the law, Also He dealt our enemies a deadly blow- the world, the flesh and the devil. What He did there is what counts eternally! Because of this we are no longer in bondage through fear (we are free from the curse) and can boldly approach the throne of Grace. (Heb 4:15-16)  Our heart is free to study Him, to behold Him. I have to stop and sing praise to Him and worship, then shout: Hallelujah!

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Gal 3:13

Let us enter into all that which being united to Christ as our Life means. Let us rejoice in all that was accomplished for us on Calvary. L.L.L.

So many whose lips God lovingly created and were shouting 'Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest' as He entered Jerusalem on a colt, but were soon crying “Crucify Him, crucify Him”! How fickle the human heart! O that God would give us undivided hearts, grateful and overflowing in thankfulness for all His death and life provided. The over flow of our hearts will be Worship. 

Savior, Lamb of God, You, who hung between heaven and earth, suspended in humility.... I bow. I am on my face before You. Who You are terrifies me and draws me near. Your precious blood is power. Fill my heart with faith to trust You fully and daily deny myself and take up my cross and follow You as I choose (with my will) to reckon myself dead to sin and alive to You. Inner peace exists not in my flesh, but in my will... trusting You to take me through hardships specifically designed to conform me to the image of the Lord Jesus. I rejoice in your faithfulness. In You I find strength to rejoice when I would so easily grumble and feel it my right to be upset over things. I want to please You. Thank You for acepting me. I pray in the most Holy Name of Jesus, amen.

Crucified with Christ, risen with Christ! Hallelujah, I rejoice

az

The Music of Suffering

 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. I Peter 5:10


God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear Psalm 46:1-2a


Love you my Sisters who Jesus calls by name, 


Platitudes. Pain uninvited. Burdens that linger as unwelcome as a stray dog who claims your yard as his own. Physical pain readily exposes the emptiness of pat answers, clearing our vision and unstopping our ears.


History has borne out the truth that those who God uses greatly He has allowed to be hurt deeply. We would change this truth if we could! Eternal things, wrought by His Spirit through His servants, correspond to the wine press, the grapes crushed under foot in agony of spirit. Have you not found that anything worthwhile in your life, worth sharing to help others, has been birthed from suffering? Through which you have come to know the heart of the One who allowed it and who loves you beyond  your ability to fathom. You walk in a faith-trust today which is the direct result of suffering and have proved your Father absolutely faithful. Though unaware at the time, you were being transformed and your faith strengthened! 


"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus... Heb 12:2 


"However great our suffering, his was far greater." RA


Suffering is a dance partner i did not request or have opportunity to refuse. A simple arthroscopic surgery on my knee (torn meniscuses) has brought an unwelcome dance partner. We move in a slow jerky, out of step waltz. I am unable to kneel and i 'sit' a lot with an ice-wrap the size of a cantaloupe around my knee. No driving so far or  running or elliptical and dancing while i cook is off my 'to do' list. A week of intense pain before the surgery, preceded by 2 months of moderate pain, was wearing, yet only a precursor to this past month of daily pain. Questions raced through my mind... what do people do who have intense pain, deep loss or serious health issues? What if i were Japanese and had physical and crippling emotional pain... day after day? Unable to take any meds for pain, not even ibuprofen or arnica. Zip. I have the blessing of ice packs for which i am very grateful. My prayer is 'LORD, do not let me miss anything You have for me". Along with reminding myself whining and self-pity are not fruits of the Spirit nor acceptable 'sin'.


The essential consideration is that our Father be glorified in all His dealings with and for us. MJS


And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; II Cor 9:8


This is a power verse! Let it fill your heart and mind. Make it personal. Why not memorize it and tuck it into your arsenal? God makes no mistake and has put you into a specific crucible to burn up what He sees needs to go. All to accomplish his will creating the likeness of Christ Jesus in you. What an opportunity to trust Him. Many think victory is having their circumstances righted. No!  Such thinking is but a spirit of entitlement. Who are we to dictate to an all-wise, Creator God, what we see as the right thing! Does God need our help? This would be humorous if it were not so sad. Common arrogance from our sinful flesh. God is God and we are not.  Hold still under His hand. Choosing to 'trust God' is a choice of our 'will' and requires dying to self. We are welcome to 'ask' Him for what we would like from a heart tuned to welcome His answer whether or not it is what we desire. He will make you more than a conquerer and lift you up to deeper dependence on Him. Rejoice that you are in Christ. Stop dwelling on the 'why' and ask 'what do You want to teach me Lord?'


I bow, before You who turned toward the Cross. Toward suffering... for me. I am in awe of who You are sweet Jesus. You are Lord of all, my God, my Constant, my Purpose, my Sanity, my Life-Breath and Keeper of my heart, Provider and Truth Teller. You who love me without condition or for any reason i can understand have made a way for me to know You more and more intimately. Your Word says what ever suffering You allow has great  purpose. (Jer 32:19) Thank You for being a God who redeems my sorrows and sufferings to benefit me, giving me hope and Your name glory. Let me share you with someone who needs to know these Truths about You so they may be set free to live Truth in Christ. I love you so imperfectly tho my heart wants to love You well. I pray this in Jesus precious name, Him whose hands and heart were never in conflict, amen.


hugs and prayers to all my sisters, (following is one of my favorite poems)
az

Set to the Music of Spheres

Pain is a partner I did not request;

This is a dance I did not ask to join;

whirled in a waltz when I would stop and rest.

Jolted and jerked, I ache in bone and loin.

Pain strives to hold me close in his embrace;

If I resist and try to pull away 

His grasp grows tighter; 

closer comes his face; 

hotter his breath. 

If he is here to stay 

Then must I learn to dance this painful dance,

Move to its rhythm, keeping my lagging feet

In time with his. Thus have I a chance

To work with pain, and so my pain defeat.

Pain is my partner. If I dance with pain

Then may this wedlock be not loss but gain. 


Madeleine L’Engle

Our Deliverer Brings Life

God is to us a God of deliverances  Psalm 68:20

Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD!

         For He has delivered the soul of the needy one

         From the hand of evildoers. Jer 20: 13

Greetings to those who Love our Savior,

Stress, sickness, pain, decisions, surgery, loss, dependence on others..... adjectives such as these describe a part of our life here on earth and cause me to raise my voice in thanksgiving that I am not home yet! I remember my daughter singing with a friend one summer, "this world is not my home I'm just a passin' through my treasures are laid up some where beyond the blue". But while here all of us will experience sorrow and trusting Him we will not miss the benefits. 

 "God has one Son without sin, but not without sorrow." AS

My precious LORD knows the struggle i face and loves me enough to allow circumstances to work life-lessons in me. My Father is ever watchful over me, whether or not i sense His care. He disciplines and prunes me to create the likeness of His Son Jesus in me. Suffering creates a 'need' which propels me to seek Jesus with all my heart, leaning hard into Him. My toughest sorrow is that of lost loved ones in my family.

We all know what it is to have loved ones who either do not know Christ or those who at one time received Him and are choosing to live in sin. This suffering may seem endless as we wait on God, He alone knows whether they have an personal relationship with Him. Do you ever feel like you have 'run out' of ways to pray for them? My third child has chosen to rebel and turn to embrace a sinful life style for over 25 yrs, producing frequent crises. As i prayed scripture for her, "Deliver her from evil men and women who do not have faith. Deliver her from all that is too strong for her." I saw the word deliver in a new way.  Right in the middle of the word deliver is the word evil (written backwards).

 The Son of God came to Deliver us from satan and evil and rescue us drawing us to Himself that we might live. I then looked and saw the word live right in the middle of the word 'deliver'. Christ shed His blood that we might triumph over evil and live! The Cross has forever sealed His victory over satan and evil. His arm is not shortened that it cannot save. All praise to Him who became sin for us, who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (II Cor 5:21)  That is a WOW and I am dancing!

If we had been there on the day He was crucified and saw Him beaten beyond recognition and all that He suffered for us, would we ever question His love for us? Believing He is Love would we think His love not enough? Or that His love made wrong choices when He allowed our suffering? I thought of how He experienced losses, rejection, gossip and slander, misunderstanding, great temptation and was murdered. He knows what it is to live on earth. He is all-wise and loves perfectly.  

We cannot do good to others without tasting affliction; it is the price we pay for being able to sympathize. A helper must first be a sufferer that we might comfort those with the comfort we have received from God. The school of suffering graduates rare scholars.

"Well, it is but a little while and He will appear to answer all inquiries and to wipe away all tears. I would not wish, then, to be of those who had none to wipe away, would you?" -J.H.T

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. II Cor 1:4

Almighty One, who is my Deliverer, Majestic One who whispers Your love to my heart, I bow in awe of Your power and mercy, for these do not clash but open the door to Truth of who You are. You know exactly what to allow in my life to work a teachable spirit in me. I fight You when I should surrender and run from You rather than turn towards You! You never weary of me... or force my will, but patiently wait for me to come. You are all the riches I will ever want or need. I pray for each woman who comes to draw near. Lift her up. Hold her. Carry her. Keep her. Deliver her that she might live in all You have provided for her. Give her courage this day to keep on doing what pleases You. Fill her with a hunger to be in Your word and feed on Your Truth. Blessed be Your Holy Name Awesome One. I love you

My sisters I pray for each one of you,

az

Draw Near to the King

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you  James 4:8
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good  Psalm 73:28


My Sister's who have been placed in Christ, I greet you in His precious Name.


James 4:7 has been bumping around in my heart and mind. Reading a scripture, especially a familiar one, often i do not hear what i am reading. Until i carry it next to my heart in meditation it remains quiet, unlike those verses which invariably jump out and speak instantly. The riches are embedded in the meditation of His living word and come forth as we seek for them as for treasure. Time spent pursuing God in His word brings great reward. He will disclose Himself to me as I pursue Him. Hear this from John 14:21 and ask yourself: "Do I love Him?" Time in His word is an integral part of loving Jesus.

He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him. John 14:21

 “God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.”
  Submit yourselves, then, to God.  James 4:6b-7a



To draw near i must first humble myself and submit to Jesus and repent of sin to clear my ears. As i pray bringing requests to Him, I draw near in faith, believing God is good, all-wise, perfect and holy. I am believing He answers from His infinite store of wisdom and perfection. God pours out His grace on me as i humble myself admitting i am guilty of sin and need forgiveness. Grace is not without great cost. Jesus death at Calvary fulfilled God's standard paying my debt in full that I may draw near to Him so He will draw near to me. God who spoke galaxies into being and sustains the universe by His word, desires to draw near to me? How can this be?


Too many think lightly of sin, and therefore think lightly of the Savior. CS


...give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11b


Establish Your word to Your servant,
         As that which produces reverence for You. Psalm 119:38


There was a young woman who was praying about and struggling with some things in her life. I ask her what God had said to her about it. She stared blankly. Finally she said,' I haven't heard Him say anything.' I ask her if she was in God's word. She replied 'occasionally'. It is impossible to hear Him speak to our hearts if we spend more time talking to Christians about our problems than time with 
God in His word and prayer. Am i willing to pay the cost to pursue Christ? Am i willing to stand strong in His word? Satan's desires to wean you from God's word allowing him to wedge his foot in the door weakening your faith. Good intentions will never taxi you into God's Presence. Taste and see the Lord is Good. We do not have to work to spend time with one we love... cry out to Him for a hunger and pray for an undivided heart. ( Let Him expose any idols that have misplaced Him and repent. He will renew your heart as you surrender yourself into His hands. You are not your own you are bought with a price.

My  son (daughter), if you will receive my words

         And treasure my commandments within you, 

   Make your ear attentive to wisdom,

         Incline your heart to understanding;  

    If you seek her as silver

         And search for her as for hidden treasures; 

    Then you...  discover the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-2, 4-5

Read the opening verse again. On the surface familiar words... down deep unfamiliar. Questions? Yes! It says, when i draw near, He draws near to me, is this not an invitation to me, His beloved, to spend time with Him? Am i finding His nearness my good? Am i hearing the love in His voice as He opens His arms to me? (These are not just words, but living, probing, searing, exposing, inviting words of Omnipotent God inviting me to come) What is 'near'? Is it praying? reading His Word? Or is it possible to draw near in mundane practical ways?  in serving others?  How do i draw near? What are the results of drawing near? Can I draw near and not worship? (Never!) When i sense His nearness do i act on it and let your love enfold me? Is there a condition to drawing near? Can i know God's attributes unless I am in His word? What do i lose by not drawing near?


 God is for me. He desires always to lift me up, draw me near. Bless and encourage me. I bow.


Abba, Daddy, Keeper of the stars, breath Giver, Lover of my soul, Holy is your name. You who draw near as I draw near to You! I draw near to worship, to drink in Your beauty and just be near You. When i sense Your nearness Lord i am chagrined and find You terrify me. I long for You to hide me near your heart for i am silenced by Your greatness. Reverence for you consumes me. I am inadequate to respond to You who are Almighty and cannot be measured. Your glory would consume this clay vessel!
Teach me to open myself to Your Spirit's filling, as i count myself dead to sin and alive in Christ. I long to know you intimately. You are my strength and Refuge. I pray You will establish my sisters in Your word  producing reverence for You. You love them immeasurably and long for them to draw near. Quicken their spirits to respond to You with courage and faith. I give You praise in the Name of Jesus, amen




Drawn to Him who is Majestic in Holiness and loves perfectly,


az