The Joys of Knowing God

Hello Dear Ones,

  How are you doing this week? I hope you have joy in your heart about many things, especially when you think about how much Jesus loves and adores you. How was your thanksgiving? Did you spend it with your family, and friends? Did you have to work over the holiday, or maybe you were alone? Just remember that even if you feel alone, you are never alone, Jesus is always with you to comfort you.

  The Lord’s deepest desire is for everyone to know Him. Not just know of Him from His Word, but to truly know Him. There are many things Jesus would like to do in each person’s life who has trusted Him for salvation; but until that person takes the time each day to be with Him, they will not know what that is. Seek His face and call His Name with a heart of humble surrender. Jesus will answer you, and you will know His will for your life. You will walk with Him daily as your guide, your shield, and your salvation.

  Many put their hope and faith in Jesus for salvation; but there is so much more that He wants to do in our lives than to have us just wait for heaven. Jesus wants to personally teach us and train us to serve His purpose while we are still here on earth.

  Jesus desires for His children to seek His face. He loves all forms of worship, like reading His Word, prayer, playing an instrument, singing songs of worship, telling Him throughout the day “I love You”, and talking to Him. When we do these things out of love for Jesus, He will meet us there as we worship Him with a pure and humble heart.

  As we learn to hear His voice and seek His will in all things, we will then be able to accomplish great things for His kingdom. In any relationship, when two people get to know each other they come to love each other. When we learn how much Jesus loves us, our love for Him will certainly grow and He will become first in our lives and in our thoughts. So, take the time with Jesus each day. Better yet spend time with Him all day, and He will meet you there. He will teach you His will and that will becomes the desire of your heart. He knows your heart better than you do and what His perfect will for you is. Come and walk with Jesus, your God and Creator, today and everyday.

  All of David’s life he knew God in an intimate way. The Lord’s servant David called upon God to help him make right decisions and to live a life that honored Him. In doing this David became a respected leader and eventually the second king of Israel. Because of his faithfulness, he was able to know God’s will for his life; and David praised God and worshipped Him for all the ways He blessed him.

  It has almost been a year since I have been seeking the face of God on a regular basis. It started by journaling my thoughts to God. Then I would hear His thoughts toward me and I would write them down. It is a wonderful thing to know the One who created you and the purposes He has created you for. As my confidence and trust in our relationship has grown, I am able to seek His will throughout the day. The important thing I am still learning to practice, is to remember to seek Him all day about everything, not just for big important decisions. Jesus loves it when I let Him be involved in even the smallest details of my live. In this way, He becomes my Guide, my Shield of protection, as well as my Salvation.

  “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you… May He give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed… Now I know the Lord saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand.” Psalm 20:1, 4 & 6

  “So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts… Hebrews 3:7

  “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:17-19

  “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”Ephesians 3:17-19

  The fullness of our faith is truly known when we walk daily with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The mundane will become the glorious life Jesus had planned for us from the beginning. Will you decide to walk with Jesus everyday? I do. I can’t imagine my life without Him. I know there are days it is hard to sense His presence and comfort, but I don’t give up hope in those moments. I turn to His Word and know that He is speaking directly to my heart. The Psalms have served me well in encouraging me when I needed to know how much I am loved and cared for by Jesus. No matter what we are going through, Jesus is always there to love and comfort our hearts back to joy in Him.

We will now begin reading Psalm 21 – 25 for two weeks.

Blessings,

Patricia Terrell

 

Draw Near to God

Hello Dearest Friends,

  How are you doing this week? I hope you are doing well and there is much peace in your heart. At times it can be hard to have this peace in our hearts, but with Jesus there is always hope that He will bring us peace even in our darkest times. Walk in His love and peace daily, He is able to give all you need when you seek Him.

  Jesus is the, I AM, the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel. All those who draw near to Him will be comforted, protected, delivered, and strengthened. Those who seek refuge in Jesus will receive blessings worthy of a child of God. His heart aches for those who refuse to draw near to Him, and seek Him for all their needs. Draw near to Jesus and He will rescue you!

  When we choose to daily turn to Jesus by drawing near to Him all day in prayer, our love for Him will increase. As our relationship with Jesus grows, we become more aware that He is always with us patiently waiting for us to seek Him for each of our needs. The benefits we receive by drawing near to Jesus are numerous. He desires to strengthen us in our faith and trust in Him, to provide every need we have. He is faithful to comfort us and lead us in loving ways. If we are in a situation in life that leaves us hopeless, He will deliver us and protect us. Those who put their faith in Jesus as their Savior are God’s children. When we draw close to God, these benefits and much more are lavished upon us.

  God desires all people to draw near to Him with humble hearts in repentance. Then they will know the love God has for them. Unfortunately, many choose to turn from God and choose to follow other gods that can only bring a moment of comfort. They seek comfort and protection from people and things that can never truly deliver. Draw near to God and He will rescue you from whatever binds you.

  Psalm 16 and 18 are a wonderful example of what life can be like when we seek God for all we need. The blessings God has given David are truly inspiring and should encourage us to draw near to our Father in heaven and seek Him to provide for our needs.

  There are many ways we can draw near to God. The one thing they all have in common, is that we are worshipping Him as we are drawing near to Him. One of the ways I love to draw near to God is to listen to Christian songs that have lyrics that speak to my heart about God. Then as I am drawing near to God, I am also singing to Him. There are many times He encourages me, or gives me words of encouragement for someone else while I am singing to Him. When I am angry or afraid I know I can also ask Jesus for help to calm me down, then I can seek His will for the situation. I know I can always count on Jesus to be there for me, by faith I call to Him and seek His perfect will for me.

  “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be like oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:1-3

  “Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge. I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing’…I will praise the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:1-2 & 7-8

  “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the strength of my salvation, my   stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3

  Jesus greatly desires to be a part of our every moment. He is always present for His children. The problem is that we are often pulled away from Him by the things of this world. Be faithful as He is faithful and draw near to Him, He is patiently waiting.

  We will be reading Psalm 16-20 for one more week.

Blessings,

Patricia Terrell

Faithfully Follow Jesus in Good and Bad Times

Hello Dear Friends,

  How are you doing this week? I hope you are drawing nearer to Jesus each day and seeking His love and guidance for your life. I understand this may seem hard to fit into a busy schedule, or just hard to remember to do. Stick with it. Jesus is always there listening and working in your life in response to your faithfulness to seek Him.

  God desires all of His children to faithfully follow Him whether they are experiencing great joy in their lives, or extreme difficulties. No matter the situation God’s children need to always follow Jesus and trust Him for of all their needs. In this way, God’s children will walk with Him daily in the security of His protection and love.

  One of the most important things about being a follower of Jesus Christ is loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we love Jesus this much, then everything in this world including our own will, becomes less important in comparison to Him. Daily, we continually give everything over to Him so that we may live for Him, and we will grow in our relationship with Him. As we grow, we receive from God the ability to faithfully follow Jesus during the good times, because we can’t stop thinking about Him and His love. When we are going through trials we can remain at peace and rest in His loving arms, because we trust that He is working out everything for our good, because we love Him. As we walk with Jesus daily, our hearts will become more and more alive as we realize how much God truly loves each of us. In this, our hearts are secure in His faithful love and protection over us.

  There are many faithful servants of God in the Bible. In order for God to use them according to His will, they had to give over to God their will to do things their own way; and decide to follow where God led them. When they did this, they were not promised a life of prosperity or ease. They were not guaranteed that they would not suffer many difficulties in their service to God for His glory. What they did receive was God, Himself, daily leading them and helping them as they needed. No matter what they went through they knew that God was watching over them and walking with them. Even when the prophets complained in their writings how they felt all alone, they knew that they were not alone, they were crying out to God, their father in heaven. God desires us to cry out to Him as they did. He is always listening to the voices of His children, and He brings peace and love in the midst of our fears and troubles.

  I have been a believer for nine years now, and in that time I have done my best to follow Jesus as He has prompted me to do things for Him. Over the past year I have grown in my love, obedience, and trust in Him. But only in the past few weeks have I truly begun to die to self, so that Jesus may live through me. This happened one day when I was led by Jesus to close my eyes and look around. As I looked at my life and everything and everyone in it, I realized that I love Jesus more than any of this. As I learned more and more about His love for me, Jesus taught me that I can love Him in return by loving and serving others according to His will. This brought such joy to my heart. So now I, daily give Jesus my self, and He is faithful to give me opportunities to love others as He loves me. The peace and calm this gives me is like nothing else. Jesus is one of a kind and perfect in every way. I hope all who follow Jesus have a chance to learn about and experience His personal love for them. This will keep each of us at rest in Him in any situation of fear or anxiety we may find ourselves in. With the love of Christ, we can overcome any obstacle, because nothing is impossible for God.

  “No one has seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. We know that we live in Him and He is us, because he has given us His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in Him and He in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us… There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…1John 4:12-18

  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

  “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25

  Staying close to Jesus during good times and bad times will guarantee that your relationship with Him will be strong. You will become strong in Him, no matter what happens. 

  We will begin reading Psalm 16-20 for two weeks.

Blessings,

Patricia Terrell

The Proud and Humble Heart before God

Hello Dear Faithful Ones,

  How are you doing this week? I hope you are experiencing the peace of God, as you walk daily with Him in His will. My heart longs for all God’s children to desire God’s will for their life. I hope this is your desire too and that you are seeking God daily for His will for you. There is nothing more important and rewarding in life than this.

  Today, we are going to talk about the heart of the proud and the heart of the humble, based on Psalm 11-15. The love of God is able to forgive any sin made by both the humble and the proud. The difference is, the proud heart has a much harder time seeking God’s forgiveness because they depend on their own abilities and strengths. The humble know and understand that they are weak, so they seek God for forgiveness; and ask Him to provide them with the ability to accomplish what they need to do, and the strength to endure all hardships. The proud will grow weary because he depends on his own strength. The humble will continue on because he is completely dependant on his creator to supply him with what he needs.

  God loves both the humble and the proud. The problem is the person who is proud has developed a hard heart towards the things of God. They are not seeking God, or listening for His guidance on a daily basis. God greatly desires to draw this person to repentance through any way possible. But it is up to the person, whether believer or non-believer, to respond to God’s love for them. The proud heart is content to strive on its own making things happen as they see best, not realizing that God has a wonderful purpose and plan for them. This greatly grieves God’s heart, but God is a gentleman and He created us with free will. He will graciously allow us to follow whoever or whatever we choose. God will wait patiently for us to respond to His love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

  The person with a humble heart is a delight to God. Their heart is soft and supple, like clay in His hands. The humble heart responds humbly to any sin they do and repents and seeks God’s forgiveness almost instantly. They respond eagerly to the love of God and greatly desire His will for their lives. Their lives are filled with blessings and guidance from God, and close relationships that will last for all eternity because they are a gift from God. The life of the humble person is held in the palm of God’s hand and all their ways are directed by Him. God is able to use this person to bless many others as He has gifted them.

  The Psalmist David was a man with a humble heart before God. No matter how lonely, desperate, or afraid he became during his long battle to escape king Saul’s men, he still humbly sought God for all his needs for protection, food, emotional security, and much more. David knew he could completely trust and depend on God for all he needed. He waited for God to accomplish His will for his life, to be king of Israel. David’s writings in the Psalms that were written almost 3,000 years ago still bless all who read them.

  There is no greater joy or desire in my life than to know and walk in the will and purposes God has for me. As I slowly learn more about God and develop the gifts He has given me, I am reminded about a time in grade school when I had to write reports on different subjects. I would look up the subject in the encyclopedia. I then read about it and wrote my report. I was unable to write what I had learned in my own words. I ended up copying what I had read. Don’t worry my step-mom wouldn’t let me turn it in, but you can see the weakness I had for writing as a child. This gift is not something that I have been developing since childhood. I share this story to show that God has called me to write for Him. Even though I have no college degree or professional training as a writer, I can show that God’s strength and provision has made me able to write, for His glory. I have heard many other stories about similar instances in regard to the lives of those who God calls to serve Him in a way they are known to be weak.

  The person who has a proud heart will eventually grow tired or frustrated with their life. This can show up in many negative ways in their life. The purpose this person was created for has not been made use of as God ordained from the beginning. The person who is humble in all their ways is willing to follow any path God leads them on. The work that God calls them to do may be hard, but with God all things are possible. When they are weak, this is when God makes them strong, and they will bring glory to God, not themselves, in all they do. In God’s strength they are able to accomplish their task because they are seeking God and He faithfully provides all they need to do His will. This is the awesome thing about walking in the will of God. When God calls us to do something small or large, it will succeed, because with God nothing is impossible when we do it in His strength, not our own.

  “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

  “For to be sure, He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve you.” 2 Corinthians 13:4

  “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19

  It is a great desire of mine that you receive from God, strength in your weakness through humble hearts toward Him. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

We will continue reading Psalm 11-15 for one more week.

Blessings,

Patricia