Psalm 145: A Psalm of Praise

Psalm 145:7, 13-19, 21:

They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made. The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.


The LORD is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made. The LORD is near to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.

My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and ever.

Shamelessly Needy

I don't know where I would be without Him. I heard this song today, and it just brought me back to a place of recalling everything God has done in my life. I am overwhelmed. Disgusted by my shortcomings, but humbled by His rescuing, by His redemption.

On most days, I would like to think that I'm pretty independent, that I am not a woman one would label "needy." There is however one area of my life where I absolutely want to claim complete dependence and utter neediness. Hear this loud and clear: I want to be shamelessly needy after my God. I want to have more of Him, and less of me ... because in my flesh, I am nothing but a mess.

I Need You to Love Me, Barlow Girl
Why? Why are You still here with me? Didn't You see what I've done?
In my shame I want to run, and hide myself
But it's here I see the truth, I don't deserve You

But I need You to love me
I won't keep my heart from You this time
And I'll stop this pretending that I can, somehow deserve what I already have
I need You to love me

I have wasted so much time, pushing You away from me
I just never saw how You could cherish me
Cause You're a God who has all things, and still You want me

But I need You to love me
I won't keep my heart from You this time
And I'll stop this pretending that I can, somehow deserve what I already have
I need You to love me

Your love makes me forget what I have been
Your love makes me see who I really am
Your love makes me forget what I have been

Calling Sin what it is

I am reading a new book. Not completely done with it yet, so wouldn't typically recommend it until I'm finished reading, but I like what I'm getting from the text.

In You Were Made for More, by Pastor Jim Cymbala, he says:

If I have a sinful area in my life and I won't let it go, I cannot appeal with any amount of faith for God to help me in another area of my life. God's special love for us as his sons and daughters includes his chastening us when we fall into a pattern of disobedience. This results in a loss of peace, not to mention a loss of power for the next battle.

Long ago in the fourth century, a teacher and prolific hymn writer known as Ephrem the Syrian observed with great wisdom, 'He who will not serve the Lord alone must be the slave of many masters.' To reject God's requirements does not set us free to enjoy our independence. It instead plunges us into ever more complicated bondages.

God lovingly calls us to obedience. He never gives up. The fact of his holiness cannot be compromised. When we disobey him, we hurt ourselves and we break communication with him. Only when this is restored can we realize his blessing on our efforts (Cymbala, You Were Meant for More, 51).

Praise the Lord for a precisely bold word! I need those more often.

A New Thing

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19

What "new thing" is God attempting to do in your life? Are you resisting the change, afraid to let go of what you used to know, or are you trusting God for all that is ahead? There is no allowance in this passage of Scripture for wavering in and out of the past. God's Word is incredibly clear on this issue. He says that we must forget the past! Don't ignore it, push it to the back of your memory, then allow it to resurface every once in a while. Forget it!

Praying that we can take this command from Scripture literally today, focusing on all that God is presently working on in our lives.

Baby Emily Jane

One of my best friends is in labor right now. She is like an older sister to me, so I feel especially connected to this particular delivery. Michele arrived at the hospital this morning at 7:00 for an induction. This baby girl has been long awaited for. Little does she know that she has 2 big brothers who are dying to get their hands on her. To show her their secret hiding spot, her pretty pink bathroom, and most of all, to update her on all the new trailor hitches and tonka trucks she has been missing out on throughout the past 5 years. Something tells me that I am pretty sure she will have a few things to teach them, as well. And praise the Lord for this new addition, because that home needed some pink, if I do say so myself. That girly mama needs someone to support her cause, to advocate the necessity of the color pink and some sparkle around that brand new farmhouse. The camoflauge has reached it's limit, I do believe (unless of course, it's pink camo we're talking about). Baby Emily Jane is already so very blessed.

Psalm 139:13-16:

"For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."

The Maker and Creator of the universe is the same One who forms the inmost, or deepest, aspect of who we are as individuals. Such knowledge is too wonderful and lofty for me to attain! (Psalm 139:6).

Our God knits us together - He places in us all of our hopes, dreams, ambitions. He forms us with individual and unique personalities, likes, and dislikes. He creates each one of us with individual talents and gifts, suited for our particular generation. The above passage states that all of the days of our lives were ordained, or appointed, before they even happened into existence. He is just so ... detailed. It's totally beyond my comprehension.

Father God, Bless this baby girl. Create in her an undivided heart at a very young age, that she may fear Your Name (Psalm 86:11). Your hands made and formed Emily Jane. We are trusting You to give her understanding to learn Your commands (Psalm 119:73).

Meditate on the specificity of your God today. You are here for a purpose - He has an intricate design for your individual life. Ask Him to reveal to You what that plan looks like, to fill you in on the details. After all, He owns the blueprint.

Anxiously Awaiting,
Heather

Spoken like a true believer.

And I quote: "Heather [Actually, it says Hether] sings at the church. It is a very special [speshell] gift. She was born to do that and she likes that and Jesus gave her that talent [tallent]."

The profound words of a 6 years old. I let her write in my journal during church service this morning. This is the little note I received in return. How the Lord uses innocent little children to speak words of wisdom and blessing over our lives. You know I kissed that little one's face off.

So sweet ... and I just had to share it with you all.

Choosing our Words Carefully

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29)

I believe the Lord intends to bring us to a place as women, where we are genuinely concerned about what He thinks about our words, how we respond to certain conversations, how we react in times of conflict. When you think about it, it's really amazing how much influence we have over each other. Which can most definitely be a wonderful thing, because we have the ability to bless others through our words. I can say something to a friend that can make or break her day.

I have been prayerful over this for a few reasons. I have received some very godly wisdom over the years. I have also received some very ungodly, unsolicited advice over the years. To the point that I will very rarely comment on certain types of situations that friends of mine may be experiencing because I know how it feels to be discouraged in those specific areas. I have also however, spoken out of turn more times that I can count and undoubtedly said some things that have crushed the spirits of my precious friends.

The Message version reads: "Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift."

What can we do to become more purposeful and encouraging in our speech?

We can be more intentional in our meditations. Matthew 15:18 reads, "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'" Let's begin our day praying the following prayer: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).

We can be more aware of our motivations. Psalm 139:23-24 reads, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me..." Sometimes we just like to hear ourselves talk. The Word of God changes people's circumstances - we don't. Every once in a while we need to check ourselves to see where our motivations lie, being sure they are pure before God. Simple things like, "Lord, should I lend my advice to this person? If so, what do YOU want me to say?" or "God, I know how I want to respond to that person's comment, but how do YOU want me to respond?"

"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." (Proverbs 31:26)

She has no clue.

So, I'm sitting at my favorite little coffee shop ... in my favorite little spot ... and I just had to tell y'all that ...

I'm glad I'm not 16 anymore! I'm sitting here watching this group of high-schoolers. There is a girl who just moved seats so that someone else could sit down, and instead of pulling up one of the 12 free chairs around, she decided to relocate to this boy's lap. It's pretty much grossing me out. He's getting way too much of a thrill out of it ... but you know, is acting like he couldn't be phased by it. Obviously it happens all the time to him. Ha. Oh, and she has no clue as to how she is making his night, possibly his whole sophomore year.

Ok, back to work. Seriously. This is distracting. I have my cute little leopard-print journal out (that I bought from Hobby Lobby, of course) and I am beginning some research for the upcoming women's retreat for The Creek Church! It's going to be the last weekend of February, so mark your calendars!

Encouragement ... in Pink!

My sweet Mother put these beautiful pink roses together for me the other day. She is the busiest and most talented woman I know, and still made time to put a bouquet of flowers together for little me. She meant them as a token of encouragement. I recently did something that was a bit out of my comfort zone - yet something I knew God was very specifically calling me to do.

Mom, thank you for being such an incredible mentor and friend in my life. You are so in love with Jesus, and I have caught that flame. Thank you for sharing your faith walk with me. Thank you for spurring me on to believe God for bigger things. And thank you for my beautiful pink roses! Love you.

My New Favorite!

Alright so first thing's first ... Have y'all ever been to Hobby Lobby??! It's just about the cutest place I've ever been, and most definitely is one of my favorite new shopping stops. Well, sort of. The closest Hobby Lobby is in Asheboro, which is like 1 hour from my house. Oh, who cares! So it definitely won't be a frequent stop of mine, but when I'm in the mood for a little retreat, I know where I'll be going! And get this ... there's a Chick-Fil-A basically right next door. What could be better?!

Well, let me just tell you what can be better! The fact that the following is Hobby Lobby's statement of purpose:

In order to effectively serve our owners, employees, and customers the Board of Directors is committed to:

*Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.
*Offering our customers an exceptional selection and value.
*Serving our employees and their families by establishing a work environment and company policies that build character, strengthen individuals, and nurture families.
*Providing a return on the owners' investment, sharing the Lord's blessings with our employees, and investing in our community.

We believe that it is by God's grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured. He has been faithful in the past, we trust Him for our future.

http://www.hobbylobby.com/our_company/our_company.cfm?page=1

AMEN for Hobby Lobby! Seriously, y'all need to check this place out. Sort of like Homegoods, except imagine cheaper and cuter. Oh, and holiday decor GALORE!

The climax of my recent happening upon this adorable store (other than having the opportunity to shop there with my friend Melissa), was when I spotted this item below:

Philippians 4:18 is a verse that I have pondered over many times. One that has stirred conviction upon my heart, my attitude, my thoughts. In full context, this Scripture reads: "Finally, brothers [sisters], whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things" (Philippians 4:18).

In this passage, Paul is pleading with believers to love one another, to live in harmony with each other, ultimately so that their lives would win the respect of unbelievers. Also, so that their relationships would glorify God. We are challenged by this Scripture to abide by a higher standard. To abide by God's divine standard of holiness.

True. We are challenged to meditate upon truth, God's Truth. Noble. A commentary that I read this afternoon said, "Believers are to meditate on whatever is worthy of awe and adoration" (MacArthur). I love that. Right. Meaning "being in accordance with what is just, good, or proper; conforming to facts or truth." Pure. Undefiled. Morally clean. Free from corruption. Lovely. Delightful. Believers are to focus on whatever is kind or gracious. Admirable. The highest esteem. Focus on the things of excellence. Excellent or Praiseworthy. Worthy of praise. Superior.

This is not about a list of rules. This is about loving God, girls. Loving God more than ourselves. What is found in God is truer than anything this world has to offer. When we meditate on truth, nobility, rightness, purity, loveliness, things that are admirable and excellent - we are blessed. Our heart is focused on the things of God. We want to be right in our relationships, in our friendships, with other believers and with non-believers, because it glorifies God.

So, in closing ... Be urged this day to be mindful of the things you are thinking about. I am so challenged by this. You know why? Because I so want to love people God's way. And for some crazy reason, I believe this starts by meditating on the things of God on a daily basis - by training myself to abide by God's divine standard of holiness. Because I not only desire my actions and my words to honor my God - I desire my mind to bring Him praise. I don't want to waste time thinking about trash. I want to spend my time thinking about the things of God.

This is a hard one for us, women. Praise be to the God who can MAKE IT HAPPEN!

I love loving Jesus with you. Now ... go to Hobby Lobby! (And get you some Chick-Fil-A, too!)

May we have Your attention?

"Yet give attention to Your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying in Your presence this day." (1 Kings 8:28)

I have been so overwhelmed by God's acute attention to detail lately. The fact that the God of the highest heavens, is in-tune to what is going on in our personal lives, is just too much for me to handle at the moment.

I love the verse noted above. I pray that God will focus His Masterful mind upon your need today - whatever that need may be. That He would concentrate on the prayer of your heart, on this very day. I love that we serve a God who has the power to act authoritatively. He is skillful and successful in all He does. May we trust Him for big things today. He knows no boundaries. Why should we?

Father, Thank You for paying attention to us. We specifically ask that the prayers of our hearts would be heard by You today. Thank You God, for challenging and spurring us on in our faith to trust You for big things. Thank You for being a "take control" kind of God. We trust You with our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.