♪House of The Holy One ♪

 Saturday, January 30, 2021 (6:53 a.m.)

♪You have called I have come to the House of the Holy One You are God I will run into You♪

Those were the words, along with the music I woke up with this morning. Thank You Father. Thank You for the relative ease with which I found the lyrics. Thank You that I do get to come to You. And smile while I’m at it.

♪Only You deserve The praises of the earth Words are not enough To sing of all You’re worth♪ Isn’t that the Truth Lord!

And just as quickly, without even thinking, I’m singing ♪Words♪ by The BeeGees. Father God, I am asking You to come in and direct our time together.

Yes Lord. Make me aware of all You have for me this day. I keep getting glimpses. The little glimmers of hope and joy. Every single time I pay attention to my own smiling I realize there’s something positive behind it. Thank You Father.

I turn to Your Word. Reading in John. Of healings. Hope. Life. Truth. Love. Doubt. Disappointment. Shame. And learning to depend on the Holy Spirit. Mmm. Yes Lord. Tell me more.

And You do!

The Life Recovery Bible “insights CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT” references John 14:15-18 and 15:26-27. Right here is where I get to confess, “Oh yeah. I fell back to depending on myself. Trusting in my own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Oh most Dear and Blessed God. Thank You. Praise You! I am NOT in this day alone. You have truly provided for our every need. Keep teaching me Lord.

The more I read, the greater my excitement grows. Various translations use words that describe Your provisions in even greater detail. Words. Yes ♪Words♪ Father!

When I allow You to speak [and sing] to me I become truly AGOG with You all over again.

Choosing to hear Your Voice over the BeeGees I can’t help but ♪Smile an everlasting smile A smile that brings me near to You♪ (my own rewording here).

♪The world has lost it’s glory Let’s start a brand new story Now My love, right now There’ll be no other time And I can show you how, My love Talk in everlasting words And dedicate them all to Me And I will give you all My life I’m here if you should call to Me♪

It’s so true Lord. You ARE here! How I thank and praise You.

(9:41 a.m.)

With all this said and the whole rest of the day in front of me, Father I am asking You to lead and guide me exactly as You would me proceed. Taking care of whatever business You deem as necessary.

I love You. I need You. And I want to be aware of every single encounter I have with You and Your Holy Spirit this day.

♪You have called I have come To the house of the Holy One You are God I will run into You♪ Praise You Father. Do all You know is best. Emboldening and empowering me as only You are able.

♪Jesus You forgave my sin Now I freely enter in…♪ Thank You. Praise You. Use me. Amen.

(537 words ~ 9:54 a.m.)

genuine, heartfelt thanks

 Friday, January 29, 2021 (5:35 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You. How I love coming before You with genuine, heartfelt thanks. You are good. Holy. Always deserving of our thanks and praise.

I, on the other hand, am fickle. Far too often led by my emotions. Looking to You once again I’m asking for the guidance and direction in accepting myself exactly as I am. Loving, trusting and following You every single step of the way.

You have provided for our every single need. You know what is best. And I thank You Lord for who and all You are.

Turning to Psalm 92 this morning I’m thrilled to be reminded, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening” (v. 1-2).

Father, I confess to so easily being led by my emotions. And even here You speak to me.

Illustrated Bible Handbook. Faith and Feelings tells of “free and open expression of emotions.” Thank You Father. Praise You Lord.

I read here of “positive” and “negative” feelings and the fact that “human frailty guarantees we will each be subject to the whole range of pleasant and unpleasant emotions.” My heart settles as I consider Your Truth. And again I say, “Thank You Father. Praise You Lord!”

Continuing in this Theology in Brief I take such joy in being reminded that it’s “through relationship with God we can move from fear to trust, from alienation to comfort, from envy and jealousy to joy.” And just when I think I’ve read enough, there’s more!

“Many of the psalms actually trace the process by which feelings are transformed and brought into harmony with reality.” This is Truth on which I depend Lord.

Your Word and promises free us to pour our thoughts and feelings out to You. Trusting You to align us with Your will and Your way.

Lord God, I am asking You to use me as You know is best. I’ve fallen back into studying myself harshly. This section tells us “we are never to judge the strength or validity of our faith by our feelings. Instead we are to let God shape our feelings as we relate to Him.”

Continuing to the end of this paragraph I am again reminded, “We cannot completely change our own feelings simply by willing them to be different. But as we focus on who God is, and the meaning of our relationship with Him, God will graciously work in our emotional life as well as in our understanding, and shape us to His image.”

With that being said Lord, I confess to having heard myself say of another just the other day, “I wish I could be more like her. What would it be like to be that joyful?” The countering thought came immediately. “Why not just be happy being yourself?” Yeah. What would that be like?

Just be happy being me. Do all You must blessed God. You have provided us riches and blessings beyond compare. I want to utilize and truly appreciate them exactly as You have designed. Praise You Father. Genuinely. Heartily.

I love You Lord. I thank You. And I ask You to continue Your work in, with, by, through and for me. Making me all You would have me be. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(572 words ~ 9:19 a.m.)

abiding

 Thursday, January 28, 2021 (6:36 a.m.)

Blessed Holy God,

Thank You! Praise You. Bless You.

You’ve allowed me to struggle. Question. Doubt. Whine. Moan. Groan. And finally rejoice.

Yes! Truly, wholeheartedly REJOICE in You.

Thank You Father.

(7:26 a.m.)

Being able to trust You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength allows me to truly rest in Your perfect peace. Do I always recognize it for what it is? Not hardly. Do I argue with, even shun You on occasion? Sadly, yes.

All these emotions of mine and You never waver. Not in Your Truth, faithfulness, forgiveness or provision. You are always good.

John 15:4

Reliance

 Wednesday, January 27, 2021 (6:42 a.m.)

Holy God,

Expectations. Disappointment. Plans. Annoyance. Highs. Lows. Hopes go up. Only to be dashed. Where do I go with my thinking Lord? To Your Word, of course.

Thank You Lord. Thank You that I get to come to You. Regardless.

Yep. We get to rely fully on You.

Father, how I thank You for the long way I get to come around to thanking and praising You.

(8:05 a.m.)

Talk about taking the long way around. Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping. ♪I get knocked down, but I get up again…♪ It seems like such a cycle. Yet here I am taking heart at The Life Recovery Bible’s comment for Proverbs 22:17-19.

“Here Solomon repeated one of his favorite themes in Proverbs: Trust in the Lord. He alone is the source of perfect love and truth. It is only by surrendering to Him that we can experience true love and discover how our life should be lived.”

Which immediately has me singing ♪Trust and Obey, for there’s no better way To be happy in Jesus, But trust and obey♪ 

Right on the heels of that, while reading The Passion Translation’s wording, I started singing ♪Jesus Christ my living hope♪ Father how I ask You to continuously remind me that You are indeed my Living Hope!

“For I’m releasing these words to you this day, yes, even to you, so that your living hope will be found in God alone, for He is the only one who is always true” (TPT).

(9:54 a.m.)

Reading and thinking of hope I turn to Psalm 42. Taking comfort in The Life Recovery Bible's devotional titled simply “Hope” I am again encouraged as I contemplate the second sentence. “We may struggle with conflicting emotions, teetering between the extremes of depression and hope.”

Isn’t that exactly how we began this morning?

The ending paragraph of this reading spells it out plainly enough. “Look how the psalmist improved his conscious contact with God. He talked to himself, commanding his emotions to ‘hope in God!’ He repeated ‘I will praise Him again,’ even though he didn’t feel like it at the time. In the dark times he sang songs, thought about God’s steadfast love, and prayed. We can do these things, too.”

Seems like the perfect time to continue Tubthumping. ♪He sings the songs that remind him of the good times He sings the songs that remind him of the better times… I get knocked down, but I get up again You’re never gonna keep me down♪

It doesn’t mean I’m pretending to be happy when I’m not. I can take every single smile on either my face, my heart or my soul as a glimpse. Another glimpse of Your goodness. As I wait to truly be agog with You again!

Thank You Father. For Your Son. Your Truth. Your promises. I love You. I need You. I want You. And I ask You, in Your Son’s most precious name to be my Reliance this day. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(465 words ~ 10:13 a.m.)

not yet

 Tuesday, January 26, 2021 (6:49 a.m.)

Holy God,

I’m here. Looking to You Lord. Not yet asking. Hmmm…

That seems to be my favorite phrase of late. “Not yet.”

I continue asking myself if I’m just being stubborn. Using words like brattish. Childish.

How I thank You that I get to wrestle with my thoughts. And wonders. One moment digging my heels into the ground. And the next? Almost ready to say, “Yes Lord.”

Father God, I am truly aware of the blessings You provide us. You are good. And holy. And way more than enough. Yet… I want more.

And there it is. I want more. More blessings. More time. More freedom. While the Truth is, I’m not yet managing well all that You have provided.

So here I am. Stuck in this seemingly endless cycle of whining and complaining. Wanting desperately to be grateful and not yet willing to surrender my own ideas of what being blessed by You looks like.

That is precisely why I’m reading Hebrews 4. When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith (The Message). Promised Rest for God’s People (The Life Recovery Bible). The Faith-Rest Life (The Passion Translation).

This is where my stony heart starts to thaw. A partial smile begins both inwardly and outwardly. Father, I do know You to be good! Fair. And just.

Thank You for allowing me the struggle of believing. And doubting. Trusting. And questioning. Running full speed toward You, only to abruptly stop. Not yet willing to throw caution to the wind and openly praise and worship as You so rightly deserve.

Father God, I do believe. You. Your Word. Your promises. Am I yet willing to drop my guard? I’m getting there. Continuing to work toward trusting, believing, thanking and praising.

Like right now. Reading of myself in The Life Recovery Bible’s comments for this chapter of Truth. “4:1-3 God is always ready, willing and able to fulfill His promises of freedom and rest. Only one thing stops Him - our unbelief or lack of faith.”

See? There I am! “… Recovery is hard, painful work at times. When the going seems the hardest, we must consciously fix our mind on God’s promises. Faith in Christ, not in our own efforts, is the only way to true recovery.”

And therein lies the rub! I keep wanting to look good to others. Continue Your work in making me want to live this day for You.

You provide everything we need. Illustrated Bible Handbook ends “Rest Today; 4:1-12… Jesus does give personal guidance to each believer. If we are to experience the blessings of the Christian life, we need to be obedient to God’s promptings whenever we recognize His voice, believing that there is no problem we face which He cannot solve - and no uncertainty for which He does not have the answer.”

I do believe This Father. And here is another smile.

Prepare me to wholeheartedly counter every single “Not yet” of my heart and mind with Hebrews 4:7 quoting of David’s Psalm 95:7-8. “Today when you hear Him calling, do not harden your hearts against Him.” Also stated as, “Don’t be stubborn.”

Let me stand firmly on Your Truth. Beginning here with verse six. “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker, for He is our God. We are the people He watches over, the sheep under His care.”

Do all You must. I keep saying this to You. Do I mean it? Yes! I trust You to do all You must. In, with, by, through and for us. Making us into the people You would have us be. Loving. Kind. Honest. Open. Willing. Forgiving. Hopeful. Trusting. Believing. Yours.

Oh yes Father. Make us Yours! This I pray in Your Son’s most holy name. I love You. I need You. I want You. I thank You. And praise You. “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20b).

(665 words - 8:49 a.m.)

I want to

 Monday, January 25, 2021 (8:09 a.m.)

Holy God,

Good morning. Thank You! I love You. I was an intentional brat yesterday. Or was I really?

I had choices. Praise You? No. Attend a worship service? No again. Sulk, pull away, hold back, avoid? Yes to all of the above.

BUT!!! I was honest. I didn’t give You lip service. I struggled. I hid. I didn’t come before You because I should. I’m here now because I want to be. Is that how You would have it Lord?

Holy, Holy God, how deeply and truly I thank You. I get to wrestle and brawl within myself. Wonder. Think deep thoughts. And bring them all to the Truth of Your Word.

Blessed God, You blow me away! Turning to Hebrews 12 I am once again encouraged. The last section of verse one tells me to “run with endurance the race that God has set before us.” Father I confess to becoming frustrated and falling away.

Reading this chapter we are reminded not to squander Your grace. Holy God, I confess to doing that too. I run on the thought that You will always be here so I can just take my time. Thank You for sending me back to Your Truth.

The Revised Geneva Translation tells us in verse 14 to “Pursue peace and holiness with all, without which no one shall see the Lord.” Tall order God. Other versions say: try, strive, work at. This tells me I’m not alone in my efforts.

Continuing in The Passion Translation I’m warned, “watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s grace. And make sure no one lives with a root of bitterness sprouting within them which will only cause trouble and poison the hearts of many.”

Dearest Father, how I thank You for bringing me back to wanting to know and follow You and Your Word. A footnote takes me to Psalm 34:14 where another comment teaches on the word shalom.

For years I’ve been learning “This word means much more than peace. It means wholeness, wellness, well-being…” This is where Your teaching begins again.

The continuing list adds all the more to an ever expanding understanding “safe, happy, friendly, favor, completeness, to make peace, peace offering, secure, to prosper, to be victorious, to be content, tranquil, quiet, and restful.”

One word encompassing all that. And the teaching doesn’t stop there.

“The noun shalom is derived from the verbal root shalam, which means ‘to restore,’ in the sense of replacing or providing what is needed in order to make someone or something whole and complete. So shalom is used to describe those of us who have been provided all that is needed to be whole and complete and break off all authority that would attempt to bind us to chaos.”

This is where I come to ask You Lord to empower me in being able to follow Your command on my life. “Keep turning your back on every sin, and make ‘peace’ [shalom] your life motto. Practice being at peace with everyone.” Again and again I say it’s a tall order God.

I can’t possibly do any of all You ask without the strength of YOUR mighty power (Ephesians 6:10). I need You to do it all in, with, by, through and for me. I don’t stand a chance trying to do it on my own.

I love You. I thank You. And I ask You Lord, I want to be all You want of me. Use me as You know is best. Amen.

(606 words ~ 10:38 a.m.)

another shot

 Saturday, January 23, 2021 (6:26 a.m.)

Holy God,

Waking up easily enough. Thank You Lord.

Thank You for every opportunity You have for me today. Another shot at being all You would have me be. What a humbling thought. All You would have me be. Hmmm…

Yes. Hmmm…

What would I look like if I were all You created me to be?

Loving. Kind. Patient. Never jealous or envious. Never boastful or proud, never haughty [arrogant, snobbish] or selfish or rude. Not demanding my own way. Not being irritable or touchy. Not holding grudges and keeping no record of having been wronged. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 The Living Bible).

I stop here because I struggle greatly with verse five. I confess to wanting my own way; being irritable and resentful.

Lord God, I read the various translations and see myself so clearly. Rageful. Bearing grudges. 

Thank You for drawing me into Your Word. Shining Your bright light on my darkness. All these different ways of saying, “Love does not do things that are not nice. Love does not think just of itself. Love does not get angry. Love holds no wrong feelings in the heart” (v. 5 Worldwide English).

Again and again I say “Thank You Father.” Thank You for teaching me. Thank You for forgiving me. Thank You for leading us and guiding us. Thank You for Your Word of Truth which gives us hope.

I get to read of David’s trust in You when facing Goliath. He knew that he knew that he knew that the battle is Yours (1 Samuel 17:47). Thank You for His faith Father. And his example.

Reading Your Truth according to Peter (1 Peter 4:8) I am finding such hope and affirmation.

(9:53 a.m.)

And may I say again, “Thank You Father!” Thank You that this letter was written to hurting people “to show us how to live well in a shattered and hopeless world” (THE BOTTOM LINE The Life Recovery Bible).

This from Illustrated Bible Handbook “The Truly Moral Life; 4:7-11. Peter has argued that morality is choosing to do the will of God. What kind of life is God’s will for us? With our minds cleared of confusion and armed with self-control, we are to choose to love each other deeply (8)…”

Here in Expanded Bible, “Most importantly, love each other deeply [earnestly], because love will cause people to forgive each other for many sins [covers a multitude of sins; Prov.10:12; Luke 7:46-47].” Do all You must that I will choose to learn to love as You designed.

I say I love You yet here I am asking for another shot at loving You better. It is only in YOUR strength and power that this can be achieved. It’s up to me to choose to surrender all to You. My wants. My needs. Everything. Yes. Do all You must Blessed God. Praise You. I love You. Amen.

(499 words ~ 10:13 a.m.)

I don't know how

 Friday, January 22, 2021 (5:38 a.m.)

Holy God,

(5:59 a.m.)

I’m confessing to You right now, I don’t know how to help. Others. Myself. Or even how to give.

We had the opportunity yesterday. But we refused. Not because we didn’t want to. Nor that we didn’t care. But that we’ve been burned before. And didn’t want to risk it.

Father God, You know what You would have us do. Give. ♪Freely, freely you have received Freely, freely give Go in my name and because you believe, Others will know that I live♪

Again I say, I don’t know how. Truly Father, I don’t know how to help and give and love freely. With no strings attached.

Reading numerous versions of Matthew 10:8, I thank You for reminding me that YOU are the source of all we have been given.

Easy-to-Read Version, “…I give you these powers freely, so help others freely.”

International Children’s Bible says the same. Inserting “other people” for “others.”

The Passion Translation tells us, “Freely you have received the power of the kingdom, so freely release it to others.”

Thank You Father. All that we have comes from You. Teach me that I will use all You have provided to Your good and Your glory. In Your name. And Your power!

I love You. I truly long to give as You would have me give. Freely. Without pay. No strings. Train me as only You are able. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(254 words ~ 7:26 a.m.)

more than enough

 Thursday, January 21, 2021 (5:44 a.m.)

Holy God,

Hi. I’m here. Physically. Waiting for my heart and soul and mind to show up.

There’s an overall negative vibe coming from me. A really bad attitude. Not grateful like I want to be. So I’m sitting still. Waiting for it to happen. Because I know it will.

“Be still

And here’s the smile! Thank You God. Oh, look! There’s the thank You. Genuine. Unforced. Authentic. Yes. Thank You God.

Thank You that You are good. Thank You that You call us to You. Thank You for all that You are. And all that You provide.

Psalm 46:10. No. Not just verse 10. Starting at the beginning. “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”

Oh, but look at how The Passion Translation says it. “God, You’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in time of trouble - more than enough and always available whenever I need You.” How awesome is that?

As I read through the verses and the accompanying footnotes, I find this for verse 4. “The plural ‘dwelling places’ points to believers today. Each believer is now the holy dwelling place of God. God’s river flows into us and through us.”

And here/hear the faint strains of Psalty the Singing Songbook begin. ♪He lives within the praises of His people, He loves to hear us call upon His name. So set your mind on Him, And let your praise begin, And the glory of the Lord will fill this place. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord♪

Yes, yes, oh yes! According to the notation for 1 Kings 8:10-16 “It is always time to praise the Lord. Wherever you are, whatever You’re doing, praise Him!”

I confess Father. Many times that direction is much harder to follow than others. Never does it disappoint.

Every time I put myself in Your care, You provide. In the most unexpected ways. Whether it’s a necessary song or a new way of reading an ancient verse, Your Word is alive. Full of living power (Hebrews 4:12).

And again it speaks deep into my heart. The Life Recovery Bible’s comment for “4:12-13 During hard times [like when my mind takes me where I do not want to go] our faith tends to dwindle; we may grow angry and harden our heart to the truth about ourself [SO often!]. The antidote to this problem is the living Word of God, which has power to penetrate even the deepest denial [oh, Amen! And thank You, Lord!].”

What is especially cool for me is that when I read of others having experienced the same or similar self doubt and recriminations, I know I am not alone. Or the oddity I sometimes allow myself to believe I am.

“This is good news for those of us struggling to overcome a dysfunctional lifestyle and having a tendency to distort reality. [Here comes another ‘Amen!’…] God knows everything about us, even the things we try to hide from ourself [and that is exactly why I confess my own bad attitudes to You! Thank You Father]. We can count on Him, through His Word, to expose the problems and needs we will face in recovery.”

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Thank You that I can come to You exactly as I am. Irritated. Feeling slighted. And You right my thinking. Putting it back on You. Where it so perfectly and rightly belongs.

Again a comment in The Life Recovery Bible (Psalm 46:7-11) speaks volumes to me. “God, the commander of the heavenly armies, is here among us. If we put our life in His hands, we can rest, confident that He will protect us. He knows our weaknesses and can strengthen us in the needed areas, helping us to overcome attacks we face each day. Our enemies may be strong, but God is more powerful than anything that might assail us.”

Indeed, Dearest Dad, You are far more than enough! Thank You. Praise You. Use me. Exactly as You alone know is best. I love You. Amen.

(696 words ~ 6:47 a.m.)