psalms

I am thankful. Thankful for a God who is the same yesterday, today and will be tomorrow. I stand in awe. He has my whole heart. I am the apple of His eye and He has hidden me under His wings. He has clothed me with gladness. In Him is the fountain of life. He instructs me and teaches me. He is my Shepherd. He hears my voice when I call out. Even if I am led astray, He is still there. And leads me back to the path of life. The path that is narrow and that few will find. He is full of compassion. He picked me up out of the miry clay and set my feet upon the rock. He redeemed me. He defends me. My flesh and my heart fail, but He is my strength & my shield. He comforts me on every side. He is just. He broke my chains. He heals and restores my soul. He has tried my mind and knows my heart. My hope is in Him. He has crowned me with glory and honor when I don’t deserve it. In His presence is fullness of joy & at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. His lovingkindness is better than life. He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. I will look up. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in His sight. He is my light. Give unto the Lord the GLORY DUE TO HIS NAME.

hello conviction.

“…The desire of our soul is for Your name…”

Isaiah 26:8

“But His Word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back and I could not.”

Jeremiah 20:9

Arise. Awaken. Rise Up.  Go.

These are the words that the Lord has screamed in my face throughout scripture over the last month. For the past few hours today, I have been sitting in my bed, eyes glued to my computer and heart tugged as I am filled with straight up truth from the live streaming of the Passion Conference in Atlanta. I haven’t felt this much conviction in a long time. I became fully aware that I have been proven guilty of laziness, complacency, leaning on my own strength, controlling my life my way, wanting to play it safe and consciously letting opportunities pass right by me that could have been used for His Glory. Romans 7:24 begins with, “Oh wretched man that I am!” That is me. I am wretched. I am filthy. I am a sinner. But that’s not where this verse ends. It concludes with “Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Although I am wretched, I am free and made whole again through the blood that was shed when Jesus was nailed to that cross. I don’t deserve it, I don’t understand it, but I am thankful. Thankful that I have a God that loves me enough to take the punishment I deserve. I am made pure, holy and blameless in His sight. What I love most about Jesus is that he came as a human and lived as we do. He experienced all that we experience. Betrayal. Humiliation. Suffering. Our Creator SUFFERED for wretched people like us. Do you know any other "god" that’s done that? I don’t. 

What I have been thankfully reminded of today is that this TRUTH is urgent. This Good News is URGENT. There are souls at stake. Your soul is at stake. Your children’s souls and your children’s childrens souls are at stake. I need to get my butt off the couch, lay aside my wants, my fears, my desires and pursue Him and His people. He doesn’t say that as His followers we are to be comfortable and secure. He has a purpose for everyone and if we aren’t going out bringing this truth to lost people and making disciples of all nations, then we are just being disobedient. I admit that I have been disobedient. But, it is my prayer that the Lord would push me, and every single one of you, and give us boldness to do His will. Satan comes to seek, kill and destroy and I pray that we don’t let him. I pray that the desire of our soul IS for His name and His Word is so shut up in our bones that we just can’t hold it in.

This is my challenge for myself and for you this year:

Find darkness and go.