Psalm 63:1-5 NASB
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.
When I was a child, I was abused by my earthly father, but that only drew me close to my heavenly Father. Jesus became my best friend and my strength and comfort, particularly in times of sadness and pain. God was and still is the love of my life. He is my hope, my joy and my song.
But, the closer that I drew to God, the more I faced opposition from other human beings, but that, as well, only drew me to call on God even more, and to draw me near to him. I desired my Lord greatly, and I feasted on His Word, and my heart’s desire was to obey him in all things. But, that only brought more opposition into my life, and coming from within the church and from family members, and not just from people out in the world.
I wish that I could say that was my full testimony, that I remained steadfast in my relationship with the Lord despite all opposition, but it isn’t. As most of you probably know by now, years ago I was led down the wrong path by my husband, and we both entered into a time of moral depravity together for a period of several years. (Our testimonies are on the internet.)
But, the Lord was not finished with me, and so he pulled me up out of that pit, and he restored me back to a right relationship with him. Praise His Name! All glory to God!
The Lord then turned my life around and he put me on a path which is even stronger in my relationship with him than ever before, and fully determined to walk daily in purity, holiness, righteousness, honesty and faithfulness. And, that is the road I have been on since that time, all glory to God. Great things He has done!
But, because of where I have been and what I have done in the past, and because of God’s grace to me, I am all the more appreciative of God’s grace which rescues us out of our pits we fall into. I am appreciative of his loving patience towards me, too, and that he waited on me to return to him, and then he brought me back into wonderful fellowship with him. And, so I do seek him earnestly, and I do thirst for him, and “in a dry and weary land where there is no water,” too.
For, so many people who profess the name of Jesus have fallen by the wayside and they have gone after the things of this world, and the lusts of their flesh, and they have adopted a false grace gospel in order to appease their consciences, too. So much of today’s church has gone the way of the world and they have diluted the gospel, too, to appeal to human flesh, and so they coddle people in their sins instead of leading them to full repentance and changed lives by the power of the Spirit of God.
And, thus, many pastors, teachers and church goers are caught up in sinful addictions, adultery, inappropriate content, and idolatry. And, the mood of the church is reflected by this, too.
So, if you are one who stands up for what is right, and who teaches moral purity, and who stands on the Word of Truth, and honors God with your life, you are like in a desert because there are not many people joining in with you, but there are many who will oppose you.
Psalm 63:6-8 NASB
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches,
For You have been my help,
And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.
I can now, with full confidence, state that this describes my relationship with the Lord. All glory to God! The Lord talks to me all throughout the day and night, and I am in continual communication with him, as well. He is on my mind when I awake in the morning, and he is on my mind and heart when I go to bed at night, too. And, nearly every morning he wakens me with a song in my mind which is to go with my quiet time with him in his Word.
And, yes, the Lord has been my help. Amen! He helped me yesterday via the prayers of my brothers and sisters in Christ to remain awake so that I could write my devotion, as I had been struggling for days to stay awake, and he is helping me today to stay awake, too, all glory to God. Amen!
But, it isn’t just things like that which he helps me with, but he helps me to remain strong in my faith and to persevere when my husband has and perhaps still is floundering, and when he has and perhaps still is living in adultery against me, his wife. My Lord then heals my wounded heart, and he gives me the strength to keep loving, to keep forgiving, and to keep hoping that one day things will change for the better.
For, when my husband and others forsake me, the Lord holds me fast to him, and he does not let me go. He holds me tenderly in his arms of love and he assures me of his love and his watch and care over my life. He ministers to my spirit when I feel rejected and cast aside because of my walk of faith in Jesus Christ, too. And, I do cling to my Lord, especially during those times of loneliness and when I am feeling betrayed.
Psalm 63:9-11 NASB
But those who seek my life to destroy it,
Will go into the depths of the earth.
They will be delivered over to the power of the sword;
They will be a prey for foxes.
But the king will rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him will glory,
For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.
My husband has sought my life to destroy it most all of our marriage, by his own adulteries and lies and by him pushing me to join in with him in his depravity, for a time, until I said a final “No” to him, that I would no longer go there. And, then his anger burned against me, and then he tried to destroy me in other ways through trickery, manipulations, play acting, false accusations, outbursts of anger, and snide and cutting remarks, etc., intended to hurt me and to cause me harm. (He has given testimony of these actions towards me on his blog on the internet.)
But, the Lord has been my support through it all, and he is carrying me and guiding me in the way he would have me to go. But, I know, too, that I am not alone in this. For, inappropriate content and/or lust addiction is epidemic in our society and even inside the church of today. So many men, even “Christian” men are addicted or are regular participants in the use of inappropriate content or extramarital affairs (romantic or sexual), or private chats with someone of interest behind the backs of their spouses, or they are involved with sex-texting, etc.
They are going after broken cisterns which do not hold water, and they are using “spare parts” along with their broken relationships rather than fixing the relationships. And, they are hiding what they are doing in secret, thinking that no one knows, and that no one will find out, for they are very good at hiding and covering their tracks. But, God sees, and their actions are not hidden from him, none of ours are, and one day their evil deeds will be exposed for what they are, and their lies and deceptions will be stopped.
But, we, who are on the receiving end of the lies, the manipulations, the adulteries, and the like (whether male or female), must forgive those who have hurt us, who have betrayed us, turned against us and have lied to us. And, we must love them and pray for them and do good to them and hope that they will one day turn their lives over to Jesus Christ and they will make him truly Lord of their lives. We pray that they will forsake their evil ways and that they will now walk in truth and in victory over darkness, instead of opening the door to darkness to reign in their lives.
For, if they continue down their dark paths, and they continue to live in adultery and to practice what is immoral, and then to cover it with lies, even lies against their spouses, judgment awaits them on the other end, not eternal life with God, as they have hoped. So, don’t be fooled. God cannot be mocked. We will all reap what we sow. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap corruption. But, if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will then reap eternal life (Gal. 6:7-8; cf. Gal. 5:19-21; Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Rom. 6:1-23; et al.).
Give Them All to Jesus
Phil Johnson / Bob Benson Sr. 1975
Give them all, give them all,
Give them all to Jesus -
Shattered dreams, wounded hearts, and broken toys.
Give them all, give them all,
Give them all to Jesus,
And He will turn your sorrows into joy.
Sunday, October 7, 2018 – Lord Jesus, help us all to walk with you in purity, in holiness, in godliness, in integrity and in faithfulness to you and to our spouses, and to love others with your love and to follow you in obedience.
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.
When I was a child, I was abused by my earthly father, but that only drew me close to my heavenly Father. Jesus became my best friend and my strength and comfort, particularly in times of sadness and pain. God was and still is the love of my life. He is my hope, my joy and my song.
But, the closer that I drew to God, the more I faced opposition from other human beings, but that, as well, only drew me to call on God even more, and to draw me near to him. I desired my Lord greatly, and I feasted on His Word, and my heart’s desire was to obey him in all things. But, that only brought more opposition into my life, and coming from within the church and from family members, and not just from people out in the world.
I wish that I could say that was my full testimony, that I remained steadfast in my relationship with the Lord despite all opposition, but it isn’t. As most of you probably know by now, years ago I was led down the wrong path by my husband, and we both entered into a time of moral depravity together for a period of several years. (Our testimonies are on the internet.)
But, the Lord was not finished with me, and so he pulled me up out of that pit, and he restored me back to a right relationship with him. Praise His Name! All glory to God!
The Lord then turned my life around and he put me on a path which is even stronger in my relationship with him than ever before, and fully determined to walk daily in purity, holiness, righteousness, honesty and faithfulness. And, that is the road I have been on since that time, all glory to God. Great things He has done!
But, because of where I have been and what I have done in the past, and because of God’s grace to me, I am all the more appreciative of God’s grace which rescues us out of our pits we fall into. I am appreciative of his loving patience towards me, too, and that he waited on me to return to him, and then he brought me back into wonderful fellowship with him. And, so I do seek him earnestly, and I do thirst for him, and “in a dry and weary land where there is no water,” too.
For, so many people who profess the name of Jesus have fallen by the wayside and they have gone after the things of this world, and the lusts of their flesh, and they have adopted a false grace gospel in order to appease their consciences, too. So much of today’s church has gone the way of the world and they have diluted the gospel, too, to appeal to human flesh, and so they coddle people in their sins instead of leading them to full repentance and changed lives by the power of the Spirit of God.
And, thus, many pastors, teachers and church goers are caught up in sinful addictions, adultery, inappropriate content, and idolatry. And, the mood of the church is reflected by this, too.
So, if you are one who stands up for what is right, and who teaches moral purity, and who stands on the Word of Truth, and honors God with your life, you are like in a desert because there are not many people joining in with you, but there are many who will oppose you.
Psalm 63:6-8 NASB
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches,
For You have been my help,
And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.
I can now, with full confidence, state that this describes my relationship with the Lord. All glory to God! The Lord talks to me all throughout the day and night, and I am in continual communication with him, as well. He is on my mind when I awake in the morning, and he is on my mind and heart when I go to bed at night, too. And, nearly every morning he wakens me with a song in my mind which is to go with my quiet time with him in his Word.
And, yes, the Lord has been my help. Amen! He helped me yesterday via the prayers of my brothers and sisters in Christ to remain awake so that I could write my devotion, as I had been struggling for days to stay awake, and he is helping me today to stay awake, too, all glory to God. Amen!
But, it isn’t just things like that which he helps me with, but he helps me to remain strong in my faith and to persevere when my husband has and perhaps still is floundering, and when he has and perhaps still is living in adultery against me, his wife. My Lord then heals my wounded heart, and he gives me the strength to keep loving, to keep forgiving, and to keep hoping that one day things will change for the better.
For, when my husband and others forsake me, the Lord holds me fast to him, and he does not let me go. He holds me tenderly in his arms of love and he assures me of his love and his watch and care over my life. He ministers to my spirit when I feel rejected and cast aside because of my walk of faith in Jesus Christ, too. And, I do cling to my Lord, especially during those times of loneliness and when I am feeling betrayed.
Psalm 63:9-11 NASB
But those who seek my life to destroy it,
Will go into the depths of the earth.
They will be delivered over to the power of the sword;
They will be a prey for foxes.
But the king will rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him will glory,
For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.
My husband has sought my life to destroy it most all of our marriage, by his own adulteries and lies and by him pushing me to join in with him in his depravity, for a time, until I said a final “No” to him, that I would no longer go there. And, then his anger burned against me, and then he tried to destroy me in other ways through trickery, manipulations, play acting, false accusations, outbursts of anger, and snide and cutting remarks, etc., intended to hurt me and to cause me harm. (He has given testimony of these actions towards me on his blog on the internet.)
But, the Lord has been my support through it all, and he is carrying me and guiding me in the way he would have me to go. But, I know, too, that I am not alone in this. For, inappropriate content and/or lust addiction is epidemic in our society and even inside the church of today. So many men, even “Christian” men are addicted or are regular participants in the use of inappropriate content or extramarital affairs (romantic or sexual), or private chats with someone of interest behind the backs of their spouses, or they are involved with sex-texting, etc.
They are going after broken cisterns which do not hold water, and they are using “spare parts” along with their broken relationships rather than fixing the relationships. And, they are hiding what they are doing in secret, thinking that no one knows, and that no one will find out, for they are very good at hiding and covering their tracks. But, God sees, and their actions are not hidden from him, none of ours are, and one day their evil deeds will be exposed for what they are, and their lies and deceptions will be stopped.
But, we, who are on the receiving end of the lies, the manipulations, the adulteries, and the like (whether male or female), must forgive those who have hurt us, who have betrayed us, turned against us and have lied to us. And, we must love them and pray for them and do good to them and hope that they will one day turn their lives over to Jesus Christ and they will make him truly Lord of their lives. We pray that they will forsake their evil ways and that they will now walk in truth and in victory over darkness, instead of opening the door to darkness to reign in their lives.
For, if they continue down their dark paths, and they continue to live in adultery and to practice what is immoral, and then to cover it with lies, even lies against their spouses, judgment awaits them on the other end, not eternal life with God, as they have hoped. So, don’t be fooled. God cannot be mocked. We will all reap what we sow. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap corruption. But, if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will then reap eternal life (Gal. 6:7-8; cf. Gal. 5:19-21; Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Rom. 6:1-23; et al.).
Give Them All to Jesus
Phil Johnson / Bob Benson Sr. 1975
Give them all, give them all,
Give them all to Jesus -
Shattered dreams, wounded hearts, and broken toys.
Give them all, give them all,
Give them all to Jesus,
And He will turn your sorrows into joy.
Sunday, October 7, 2018 – Lord Jesus, help us all to walk with you in purity, in holiness, in godliness, in integrity and in faithfulness to you and to our spouses, and to love others with your love and to follow you in obedience.
