O precious, precious Jesus! May Thy Word remain ever precious to our hearts!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Heart God Revives by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Proud people focus on the failures of others.
Broken people are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need.
Proud people have a critical, fault-finding spirit; they look at everyone else’s faults with a microscope but their own with a telescope.
Broken people are compassionate; they can forgive much because they know how much they have been forgiven.
Proud people are self-righteous; they look down on others.
Broken people esteem all others better than themselves.
Proud people have an independent, self-sufficient spirit.
Broken people have a dependent spirit; they recognize their need for others.
Proud people have to prove that they are right.
Broken people are willing to yield the right to be right.
Proud people claim rights; they have a demanding spirit.
Broken people yield their rights; they have a meek spirit.
Proud people are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation.
Broken people are self-denying.
Proud people desire to be served.
Broken people are motivated to serve others.
Proud people desire to be a success.
Broken people are motivated to be faithful and to make others a success.
Proud people desire self-advancement.
Broken people desire to promote others.
Proud people have a drive to be recognized and appreciated.
Broken people have a sense of their own unworthiness; they are thrilled that God would use them at all.
Proud people are wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked.
Broken people are eager for others to get the credit; they rejoice when others are lifted up.
Proud people have a subconscious feeling, “This ministry/church is privileged to have me and my gifts”; they think of what they can do for God.
Broken people’s heart attitude is, “I don’t deserve to have a part in any ministry”; they know that they have nothing to offer God except the life of Jesus flowing through their broken lives.
Proud people feel confident in how much they know.
Broken people are humbled by how very much they have to learn.
Proud people are self-conscious.
Broken people are not concerned with self at all.
Proud people keep others at arms’ length.
Broken people are willing to risk getting close to others and to take risks of loving intimately.
Proud people are quick to blame others.
Broken people accept personal responsibility and can see where they are wrong in a situation.
Proud people are unapproachable or defensive when criticized.
Broken people receive criticism with a humble, open spirit.
Proud people are concerned with being respectable, with what others think; they work to protect their own image and reputation.
Broken people are concerned with being real; what matters to them is not what others think but what God knows; they are willing to die to their own reputation.
Proud people find it difficult to share their spiritual need with others.
Broken people are willing to be open and transparent with others as God directs.
Proud people want to be sure that no one finds out when they have sinned; their instinct is to cover up.
Broken people, once broken, don’t care who knows or who finds out; they are willing to be exposed because they have nothing to lose.
Proud people have a hard time saying, “I was wrong; will you please forgive me?”
Broken people are quick to admit failure and to seek forgiveness when necessary.
Proud people tend to deal in generalities when confessing sin.
Broken people are able to acknowledge specifics when confessing their sin.
Proud people are concerned about the consequences of their sin.
Broken people are grieved over the cause, the root of their sin.
Proud people are remorseful over their sin, sorry that they got found out or caught.
Broken people are truly, genuinely repentant over their sin, evidenced in the fact that they forsake that sin.
Proud people wait for the other to come and ask forgiveness when there is a misunderstanding or conflict in a relationship.
Broken people take the initiative to be reconciled when there is misunderstanding or conflict in relationships; they race to the cross; they see if they can get there first, no matter how wrong the other may have been.
Proud people compare themselves with others and feel worthy of honor.
Broken people compare themselves to the holiness of God and feel a desperate need for His mercy.
Proud people are blind to their true heart condition.
Broken people walk in the light.
Proud people don’t think they have anything to repent of.
Broken people realize they have need of a continual heart attitude of repentance.
Proud people don’t think they need revival, but they are sure that everyone else does.
Broken people continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with God and for a fresh filling of His Holy Spirit.
© Revive Our Hearts. Used with permission. www.TrueWoman.com
Broken people are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need.
Proud people have a critical, fault-finding spirit; they look at everyone else’s faults with a microscope but their own with a telescope.
Broken people are compassionate; they can forgive much because they know how much they have been forgiven.
Proud people are self-righteous; they look down on others.
Broken people esteem all others better than themselves.
Proud people have an independent, self-sufficient spirit.
Broken people have a dependent spirit; they recognize their need for others.
Proud people have to prove that they are right.
Broken people are willing to yield the right to be right.
Proud people claim rights; they have a demanding spirit.
Broken people yield their rights; they have a meek spirit.
Proud people are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation.
Broken people are self-denying.
Proud people desire to be served.
Broken people are motivated to serve others.
Proud people desire to be a success.
Broken people are motivated to be faithful and to make others a success.
Proud people desire self-advancement.
Broken people desire to promote others.
Proud people have a drive to be recognized and appreciated.
Broken people have a sense of their own unworthiness; they are thrilled that God would use them at all.
Proud people are wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked.
Broken people are eager for others to get the credit; they rejoice when others are lifted up.
Proud people have a subconscious feeling, “This ministry/church is privileged to have me and my gifts”; they think of what they can do for God.
Broken people’s heart attitude is, “I don’t deserve to have a part in any ministry”; they know that they have nothing to offer God except the life of Jesus flowing through their broken lives.
Proud people feel confident in how much they know.
Broken people are humbled by how very much they have to learn.
Proud people are self-conscious.
Broken people are not concerned with self at all.
Proud people keep others at arms’ length.
Broken people are willing to risk getting close to others and to take risks of loving intimately.
Proud people are quick to blame others.
Broken people accept personal responsibility and can see where they are wrong in a situation.
Proud people are unapproachable or defensive when criticized.
Broken people receive criticism with a humble, open spirit.
Proud people are concerned with being respectable, with what others think; they work to protect their own image and reputation.
Broken people are concerned with being real; what matters to them is not what others think but what God knows; they are willing to die to their own reputation.
Proud people find it difficult to share their spiritual need with others.
Broken people are willing to be open and transparent with others as God directs.
Proud people want to be sure that no one finds out when they have sinned; their instinct is to cover up.
Broken people, once broken, don’t care who knows or who finds out; they are willing to be exposed because they have nothing to lose.
Proud people have a hard time saying, “I was wrong; will you please forgive me?”
Broken people are quick to admit failure and to seek forgiveness when necessary.
Proud people tend to deal in generalities when confessing sin.
Broken people are able to acknowledge specifics when confessing their sin.
Proud people are concerned about the consequences of their sin.
Broken people are grieved over the cause, the root of their sin.
Proud people are remorseful over their sin, sorry that they got found out or caught.
Broken people are truly, genuinely repentant over their sin, evidenced in the fact that they forsake that sin.
Proud people wait for the other to come and ask forgiveness when there is a misunderstanding or conflict in a relationship.
Broken people take the initiative to be reconciled when there is misunderstanding or conflict in relationships; they race to the cross; they see if they can get there first, no matter how wrong the other may have been.
Proud people compare themselves with others and feel worthy of honor.
Broken people compare themselves to the holiness of God and feel a desperate need for His mercy.
Proud people are blind to their true heart condition.
Broken people walk in the light.
Proud people don’t think they have anything to repent of.
Broken people realize they have need of a continual heart attitude of repentance.
Proud people don’t think they need revival, but they are sure that everyone else does.
Broken people continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with God and for a fresh filling of His Holy Spirit.
© Revive Our Hearts. Used with permission. www.TrueWoman.com
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Increasing in the Knowledge of God...
"The Child (Jesus) continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him...And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." Luke 2:40 & 52
As we reflect upon the humility of Christ becoming man, a sinless man, and humbling Himself, I discover encouragement for my own walk with God. Colossians 1:10 says we are to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God..." Just as Jesus "increased in wisdom" though He was God Himself, we, too, must increase in our knowledge of God. But we are not alone in this. We have the promise of Colossians 1:11-14. We are "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Be encouraged! We are "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might", being redeemed by His precious blood!
As we reflect upon the humility of Christ becoming man, a sinless man, and humbling Himself, I discover encouragement for my own walk with God. Colossians 1:10 says we are to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God..." Just as Jesus "increased in wisdom" though He was God Himself, we, too, must increase in our knowledge of God. But we are not alone in this. We have the promise of Colossians 1:11-14. We are "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Be encouraged! We are "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might", being redeemed by His precious blood!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Jesus Died for Me
My God when I approach Your throne
And all Your glory see
This is my stay and this alone
That Jesus died for me
How can a soul condemned to die
Escape your just decree?
A vile unworthy wretch am I
But Jesus died for me
What glorious love, redeeming love
That bore my shame on Calvary
I will forever sing His praise
Because I owe Him everything
Weighed down with sin’s oppressive chain
Oh how can I get free?
No peace can all my efforts gain
But Jesus died for me
One day I’ll look upon Your face
And this will be my plea
“Save me by Your almighty grace
For Jesus died for me”
Original lyrics by William Hiley Bathburst
Additional lyrics by Steve and Vikki Cook
Copyright 2006 Before the Throne Music.
And all Your glory see
This is my stay and this alone
That Jesus died for me
How can a soul condemned to die
Escape your just decree?
A vile unworthy wretch am I
But Jesus died for me
What glorious love, redeeming love
That bore my shame on Calvary
I will forever sing His praise
Because I owe Him everything
Weighed down with sin’s oppressive chain
Oh how can I get free?
No peace can all my efforts gain
But Jesus died for me
One day I’ll look upon Your face
And this will be my plea
“Save me by Your almighty grace
For Jesus died for me”
Original lyrics by William Hiley Bathburst
Additional lyrics by Steve and Vikki Cook
Copyright 2006 Before the Throne Music.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Beware...
“False religion is the most heinous of all sins because it is a violation of the great commandment to love the Lord your God, the true One, with all your heart soul mind and strength. False religion that borrows His name, that creates a false god, but borrows the name of Christ, but creates a false Christ is the worst kind of blasphemy...I think preachers like this who preach this stuff hate the true God! I really believe that. I believe they hate the true God, and they are afraid to death that somebody might find out who He really is. That He is the God of absolute sovereignty, that He is the God of absolute knowledge, He is the God of perfect wisdom, He is the God of perfect holiness, He is in perfect control of everything, absolutely sovereign over everything. That kind of God terrifies these kinds of people. And He is a God who is concerned about fulfilling things on a spiritual level whether you ever receive anything on a temporal level. I think they have hatred for the true God. They hide the true God from the eyes of their followers, and they put in His place an idol of their own making with the same God.” – John MacArthur
"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." - 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." - 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Jesus!
"Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood - and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father - to Him be glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
"Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
" 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, ' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'"
~ Revelation 1:4-8
"Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
" 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, ' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'"
~ Revelation 1:4-8
Fellowship of the Unashamed
“I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed, the die has been cast, I have
stepped over the line, the decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ. I
won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed,
my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low
living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed
visions, worldly talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits, or
popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or
rewarded, I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, live by prayer
and labor by power.
My face is set, my gate is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is
rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot
be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity,
negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in
the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let go, or slow up until I have
preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Jesus
Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until He comes; give till I drop; preach till
everyone knows; and work till he stops me. And when he comes for His own, he
will have no problem recognizing me, because my banner will have been clear.”
- Rwandan Man's Confession
O God, help me to live this way. Help me to understand that without You, I am nothing and with You I am everything. You are what makes me whole. You are my identity, my reason to live, my exceeding joy! When I sin and disobey You, I feel distant from You. Thank You for promising me that You never leave me and for provinding me redemption through repentance. Thank You for Your living Words in John 15:10-11 which say, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love...these things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
I ask that you burn onto the fabric of my soul the image of the Cross and of your resurrected Son, that I might run through this world with a torch and a flame that burns for you. Let me be hated, lied about, spat upon, critizied, deserted, mocked, cheated, slandered about, without fame, without money, without reason to boast so that Your name would be high, Your glory revered, Your love unescapable, and Your name exalted and known throughout all the world. Would You make me bold, unashamed, and unmoved. Would You kindle the fire of my heart so it may blaze for You.
Thank You for the Cross. Thank You for bearing the weight of my sin upon Your self that I might see your face. Thank Your for pursuing me with a relentless love. Give me Your love to pursue others with the Gospel that they might be saved and that You might be glorified.
O God, You are coming quickly! You will judge this earth in righteousness because You are just and sure.
O God, revive our hearts! Bring persecution to our nations that will separate the sheep from the goats within the body of professing believers in churches throughout our countries. Give Your people hearts that ask, seek, and knock, NOT for material things but for Your righteousness! Stop us from pursuing the things that gratify our flesh and make us seek Your face! Give Your Church a vision for Your coming Kingdom!
O God, make us faithful; make me faithful. Make me humble.
Make me like Jesus.
stepped over the line, the decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ. I
won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed,
my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low
living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed
visions, worldly talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits, or
popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or
rewarded, I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, live by prayer
and labor by power.
My face is set, my gate is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is
rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot
be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity,
negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in
the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let go, or slow up until I have
preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Jesus
Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until He comes; give till I drop; preach till
everyone knows; and work till he stops me. And when he comes for His own, he
will have no problem recognizing me, because my banner will have been clear.”
- Rwandan Man's Confession
O God, help me to live this way. Help me to understand that without You, I am nothing and with You I am everything. You are what makes me whole. You are my identity, my reason to live, my exceeding joy! When I sin and disobey You, I feel distant from You. Thank You for promising me that You never leave me and for provinding me redemption through repentance. Thank You for Your living Words in John 15:10-11 which say, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love...these things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
I ask that you burn onto the fabric of my soul the image of the Cross and of your resurrected Son, that I might run through this world with a torch and a flame that burns for you. Let me be hated, lied about, spat upon, critizied, deserted, mocked, cheated, slandered about, without fame, without money, without reason to boast so that Your name would be high, Your glory revered, Your love unescapable, and Your name exalted and known throughout all the world. Would You make me bold, unashamed, and unmoved. Would You kindle the fire of my heart so it may blaze for You.
Thank You for the Cross. Thank You for bearing the weight of my sin upon Your self that I might see your face. Thank Your for pursuing me with a relentless love. Give me Your love to pursue others with the Gospel that they might be saved and that You might be glorified.
O God, You are coming quickly! You will judge this earth in righteousness because You are just and sure.
O God, revive our hearts! Bring persecution to our nations that will separate the sheep from the goats within the body of professing believers in churches throughout our countries. Give Your people hearts that ask, seek, and knock, NOT for material things but for Your righteousness! Stop us from pursuing the things that gratify our flesh and make us seek Your face! Give Your Church a vision for Your coming Kingdom!
O God, make us faithful; make me faithful. Make me humble.
Make me like Jesus.
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