Peace?

I wrote this back in august while on vacation at the beach.  Thought now was a good time to post it.  enjoy!


There's just something about the sounds of the ocean that will soothe a weary soul. Things have been crazy busy at work. Normally I am pretty easy going. But lately I haven't been. Guess it's the stress of this life getting the better of me. Today while sitting on the beach God has reminded me that no matter how busy things get that he still has things well in hand.   To those reading this I don't know where you are today, but remember that no matter how tough things seem, our creator has everything even the smallest detail In the palm of his hands.

“God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake, Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, GOD -of-Angel-Armies protects us.

River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city, this sacred haunt of the Most High. God lives here, the streets are safe, God at your service from crack of dawn. Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten, but Earth does anything he says.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, GOD -of-Angel-Armies protects us. Attention, all! See the marvels of GOD! He plants flowers and trees all over the earth, Bans war from pole to pole, breaks all the weapons across his knee. “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, GOD -of-Angel-Armies protects us.”

Psalm 46:1-11 MSG

http://bible.com/97/psa.46.1-11.msg

Third Day - Offering

Worship!

Below are lyrics to a song by william mcdowell.  The first time i heard it i was working 2 1/2 hours away from home on a commercial construction site while listening to pandora.  Generally construction sites are not the place where you would expect god to speak but he did that day.  The song moved me so much i had to find a quiet spot on the site i could just be still and worship my king.  He is worthy of all our worship, My question for you today is who or what are you worshiping?!

 William McDowell - I give myself away

I Give Myself Away Lyrics

Chorus:

I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me
I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me
(Repeat Above)

Verse 1:
Here I am
Here I stand
Lord, my life is in your hands
Lord, I'm longing to see
Your desires revealed in me

Chorus:

I give myself away
I give myself away
So you can use me
I give myself away
I give myself away
So you can use me

Verse 2:
Take my heart
Take my life
As a living sacrifice
All my dreams, all my plans
Lord I place them in your hands

Chorus:
I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me
I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me

Chorus:
I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me
I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me

Verse 3:
My life is not my own
To you I belong
I give myself, I give myself to you
My life is not my own
To you I belong
I give myself, I give myself to you
My life is not my own
to you I belong
I give myself, I give myself to you
(Repeat Above)

My life is not my own
To you I belong
I give myself, I give myself to you

(Chorus: Here I am to worship)
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that
You're my God
Your altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
(Repeat)

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that
You're my God
Your altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

(Repeat)

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that
You're my God
Your altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

Verse 4:
My life is not my own
To you I belong
I give myself I give myself to you
(Repeat)

Read more: William Mcdowell - I Give Myself Away Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

what are you seeking?

1The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

2for he founded it on the seas

and established it on the waters.

3Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy place?

4The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not trust in an idol

or swear by a false god.

psalm 24:1-4 niv

Who will ascend to the mountain of the lord?  I say lord let me ascend and worship, let me sing an endless hallelujah to the KING!  The world and all in it Belong to the king almighty, let us fall on our face and really seek him.  Dont seek him half heartedly!  Seek him with your whole heart.  Let us approach his holy mountain Clean and Pure!  I only have one question, what are you seeking?  I for one seek my king and his presence!

Reflecting God - shhh what do you hear?

Psalm 46:1-11

“Shh, what do you hear?” It was one of my first hunting lessons. We crouched low beside an old fencerow. I sat still and listened. A light wind clattered the dry leaves that clung to the branches. A squirrel chattered in her nest. Overhead a red-tailed hawk cried. Trying to shift my position earned me the whispered rebuke, “Shh, listen!” I froze, and in the distance, a twig broke. Two deer saw us just as we saw them. They sprang over a tumbled tree and were gone.

“Shh, what do you hear?” “Mountains falling into the heart of the sea, waters roaring and foaming,” the Sons of Korah sang. Along with the sounds of restless, writhing nature, they heard the turmoil of manmade strife, “Nations are in an uproar, kingdoms fall” (v. 6). Above all, an insistent voice invited the hearers, “Be still, and know that I am God” (v. 10).

Above the din of our daily strife our Lord still calls, “Be still, and know that I am God.” What do you hear?

Get up and go.

When will we really be the hands and feet of jesus?  We are blessed beyond words in our freedom to worship when we chose. Has this made us lazy?  Believers all over the world look after one another as one body. In our freedom we struggle to help ourselves much less help others. Believers in other parts of the world endure physical, mental, and emotional for years even decades and all the while leaning on jesus for their daily strength. We sometimes seem to struggle getting out of our own comfort zone. 

“Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

Romans 13:8-14 NLT

http://bible.com/116/rom.13.8-14.nlt

I am challenged to get out of my own comfort zone and let God lead me being his hands and feet. Who will join me?  @wmhke on Twitter 

Reflecting God - The God Who Redeems

Exodus 5:22—6:9

At the time of the Exodus, the Israelites had been in Egypt for 400 years. As immigrants, they were treated harshly and forced to build cities for their oppressors. For generations they groaned under the yoke of Egyptian injustice. In response to their desperate need, God revealed to Moses that He had not forgotten His covenant to be their God. He then liberated Israel from their slavery and led them to the Promised Land.

While slavery is officially illegal worldwide, there are an estimated 20-30 million slaves in bondage today.

Billions are also in bondage to the guilt and consequences of sin. There is good news, however! The same God who liberated His people centuries ago sent Jesus “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners” (Luke 4:18). As Paul wrote, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).

Author: Steve Walsh

Circumstances vs Joy

All degres of joy reside in the heart.  How can a christian be full of happiness (if happiness depends on the things that happen) when he is in a world where the devil is doing his best to twist souls away from god, where people are tortured physically, where some are downtrodden and do not get a chance?  It would be the outcome of the most miserable selfishness to be happy under such conditions.  But a joyful heart is never an insult, and joy is never touched by external conditions. 

- Oswald Chambers -

How often am i joyful?
What is the ratio of joy to happiness in my life?
How often do i allow circumstances to determine my mood?

hillsong - lifeline