My closed off heart

As I sat here thinking of what to talk about tonight, I became sorrowful in my spirit. Why do you ask? Well simply because I have closed the Lord out of certain parts of my heart.

"I love the Lord with all of my heart", really? Well...all of my heart I will share with Him. After having a friend over today I had to admit that there are still parts of my heart I close off to the Lord. So often I have said, "Lord, come, search me and know me, cleanse me, mold me, shape me, form me, make me into the person you want me to be." But then, when it hurts too much or I feel ashamed, I take back the deed to my heart. I shut him out of the very places I need him to come and do the work that only He can do.

So I sit here, tears in my eyes, sorrow in my soul and a renewed willingness to say, "Lord, here I am - do with me as you will." Take all of my heart, my mind and my soul - let no part be hidden from you, I am trusting you with all of me. "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:12 NIV)

There is much that needs to be done in my heart; pain and memories that only you Jesus can take and use for your purpose. I pray that in your strength I am able to release what I have been holding onto so that I may walk in the purpose and identity that your Word says is mine. The old is gone the new has come, I am a new creation in Christ Jesus - the author and perfecter of faith!

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Thank you for letting me share my heart with you and with God. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1Jo 1:9(ESV

Quotes - Faith & Hope

Today I wanted to share some favorite quotes on Faith and Hope. These are quotes that have touched my heart and I hope will touch yours.

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FAITH:
"Prayer is the key to Heaven, but faith unlocks the door."
-- Anonymous

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
--St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Nine requisites for contented living: Health enough to make work a pleasure. Wealth enough to support your needs. Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them. Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished. Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor. Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others. Faith enough to make real the things of God. Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.
--Mother Teresa

Faith... is the art of holding on to things your reason once accepted, despite your changing moods.
--C. S. Lewis

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HOPE:
Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again
--Sarah Ban Breathnach Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.
-- Anonymous

Love comes to those who still hope even though they've been disappointed, to those who still believe even though they've been betrayed, to those who still love even though they've been hurt before.
-- Anyonymous

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Scripture Memorization Verse:
1Corinthians 13:13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;but the greatest of these is love.

A Close Walk with the Lord

A close walk with the Lord is an important part of a believer's life... the following are specific verses God chose to put into the bible to encourage you to do just that...

Psa 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

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He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. -Isaiah 2:3

I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice. -Proverbs 8:20

May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his way s and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. -1 Kings 8:58

Your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth. -Psalm 26:3

Walk in the way of understanding. -Proverbs 9:6

He who walk is upright fears the Lord. -Proversbs 14:2

The way of the Lord is right; the righteous walk in them. -Hosea 14:9

He whose walk is blameless is kept safe. -Proverbs 28:18

Let us walk in the light of the Lord. -Isaiah 2:5

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, sayin, "This is the way; walk in it." - Isaiah 30:21

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Usually at this point I would end with a Memorization Verse, however, this post full of verses so I encourage you to memorize them all.

Spiritual Deafness

The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. 1 Corinthians 2:14

Some people suffer from a strange hearing disorder-they can hear sounds but can't understand words. They have no trouble hearing a bird sing or a watch tick, but words are as unintelligible as if they were a foreign language. The source of the problem is not in the ears. It stems from an injury to the brain.

There is also a spiritual deafness that affects many people. Because of a sinful heart, those without faith in Christ can read the Bible and hear the teachings of God's Word, but its spiritual message is foolishness to them (1 Corinthians 2:14).

That explains why some people can appreciate the Bible as literature, as reliable history, and as a source of high moral standards, but they fail to understand its spiritual message. They don't grasp the significance of what it says about Christ-His death on the cross for our sins, His resurrection, and His ministry of intercession for us in heaven today. These truths make no sense to them.

As you read the Bible, do you "hear" what it says? If not, ask the Lord to open your understanding to what it says about Jesus. Put your trust in Him as your personal Savior and experience a spiritual birth. That's the cure for spiritual deafness. -Richard De Haan

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We cannot understand God's truth
Until we know the Lord;
It's when our
heart is home to Him
We understand His Word. -Anon.

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The key to understanding the written Word is knowing the Living Word.

Scripture Memorization Verse:
1 Corinthians 2:14But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God,which God decreed before the ages for our glory. ESV

Who you are... in Christ

I praise you, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:14

These days we are getting bombarded with messages contrary to God's view of us and who he says we are. It is so very important as Christians that we have a sound understanding of what our Heavenly Father thinks about us. Why you ask? Because the enemy is seeking to steal, kill and destroy all of us and we will come under attack in this world, more and more each day as we slip farther away from the principles outlined in the Bible.

Our sense of self was formed with input from various sources; family, teachers, friends, co-workers, bosses, husband/wife, TV, books/magazines, advertisements, games, music, etc. The list is quite long and sadly many of the messages were not in-line with what God's word says about you. As a result of these wrong messages, you may be walking around so confused and insecure that the slightest comment can be taken to heart and crush your spirits...just what the enemy wants.

So, what can we do about it? Plenty! God has peppered the entire Bible with awesome messages about you and your identity as He sees you. The following is just a small sampling of what you will find in the word, memorize them, write them down and take them into your heart. Each and every day ask God to search you for anything that is not true and ask Him to remove it from our thoughts and replace it with His truth.

WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT YOU:
Precious---Isaiah 43:4 ... you are precious in my eyes
God's Workmanship---Ephesians 2:10 ... we are his workmanship,
Forgiveness---Ephesians 1:7 ... the forgiveness of our trespasses
New Creation---2 Corinthians 5:17 ... if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation
Loved---Galations 2:20...who loved me and gave himself for me
Blameless---Colossians 1:22 ...to present you holy and blameless
Free---Romans 8:2...set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death