A Heart For Jesus

I stumbled upon this picture on Pinterest, and it speaks volumes about my emotions at times. The enemy surrounds me, whispering lies and taunting me relentlessly. I feel his breath on my neck, and fear grips me, paralyzing me from movement. The battle within me rages on, and I yearn for it to end. Exhaustion and weariness weigh heavily on my soul. The enemy’s relentless attacks repeat the same lies over and over: “unwanted,” “not needed,” “unnecessary,” “not good enough,” “failure.” But amidst this darkness, a glimmer of hope emerges. In the background, Jesus approaches me, not walking but running towards me, ready to lend a hand. Scriptures like Psalm 27:2-3 come to mind: “When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besieges me, my heart will not fear; though war breaks out against me, even then I will be confident.” Why can I find confidence in the midst of darkness? Because The Lord is my light and my salvat...

  “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5(ESV) Oh, how I adore Psalm 103! It has always been a source of encouragement for me. Whenever I feel discouraged, like giving up or walking away, this Psalm lifts me up, reminds me of God’s unwavering love and faithfulness, and strengthens me to persevere. In this Psalm, David addresses his own soul. Perhaps he was facing a difficult time, like when Saul sought to kill him or when Absalom attempted to seize the kingdom. The Bible doesn’t explicitly state this, but regardless, David was encouraging himself, reminding himself of God’s numerous blessings. I can do the same. What blessings do I need to remember? He forgi...

  Some lessons we can learn from the Kings of Israel I find it interesting that during the time of the Kings there were more bad kings than good! In fact, in my research, after the split in the 12 tribes of Israel, the northern kingdom had NONE and the southern kingdom known as Judah, only had 8! So, to keep this short I’m only focusing on a few from the Kingdom of Judah One of the “bad” kings was King Ahaz, look what 2Chronicles 28:22 says, “In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord.” This verse stood out to me because in his time of trouble, Ahaz became even more UNfaithful! Instead of looking to the Lord, he turned to idols, false gods for help. And his situation only grew worse. Made me think, who or what    do I turn to in times of trouble? Who do I look to for help when distressed? In my past I have looked to someone or something else to solve my struggles, which only became worse,    but thanks be to God I am steadily learni...

  James 1:27, “…to keep oneself from being unspotted from the world?” This verse really stood out for me, what does it mean to keep myself “from being unspotted from the world?” In Romans 12:2 Paul tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  ‭‭ I can tend to be easily influenced by others for either good or bad. Too easily have I done what I thought would win friends or make me likable. Too easily have I done what I thought would make me acceptable in their eyes to my own detriment. I tended towards being a follower, didn’t want to seem different, wanted to fit in. Instead of being myself I’d do my best to say or do what I thought others wanted so I would win their approval. Such a trap, life as a people pleaser is a no win battle and for me is a form of idolatry because I’m more concerned about pleasing people than pleasing God!...

  “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”  Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬ ‭‭  So much truth! “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”! The words we choose have the ability to wound or heal. They can encourage or criticize, build up or tear down. They leave scars that we can carry for years.  Jesus was mocked; slapped; spit on; laughed at; called insane But He didn’t retaliate; didn’t defend Himself. He remained silent. In those moments when He was silent did He pray for them? Did He give them over to His Father? Did He forgive them? Did He love them in the midst of the persecution? What about me? Why is it so hard for me to forgive hurtful words? To want others to feel the pain they have caused me? To lash out at them; defend myself. To treat them the way they have treated me. I love this verse from 2Samuel 16:12(ESV) “It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with...