Wow,
How time flies.
You can have all the motivation in the world in some seasons,
And then life happens.
It can hit you like a ton of bricks.
It can surprise you with excitement.
But as we all know,
Life ebbs and flows,
And there's no stopping it.
There's no manipulating it.
Life will continue to roll over us like the waves of the ocean.
You can either fight it,
Or you can go with the flow.
Today I want us to just relax and take in the Word of God.
Let it soak into your body.
Let it change the pathways of your mind.
You know these words.
They've been spoken over you.
They're deep within you.
But maybe,
Just maybe,
Life has become what's nearsighted to you right now.
And maybe you've lost focus of what really,
Truly,
Deeply matters,
Which is your relationship with Jesus,
Your relationship with God the Father.
But He has not let you go.
He is still holding you close,
And He is still speaking these words over you.
So just surrender and allow yourself to listen.
And remember,
These words were inspired by the Lord of our universe,
And He is speaking them to you right now.
He cares that much about you,
That He wants you to hear these words,
And He spoke them for you to know at this time in your life.
So embrace it and allow Him to minister to you.
Allow yourself to just be and rest and experience the grace that just makes absolutely no sense.
Whether you feel distant from Him and you've run away,
Or you feel like you're on top of the world running up a mountain with Him,
Either way,
Wherever you are,
He is near,
And He has promised to seal you and save you until the day that He returns.
So there is nothing that you can do to escape His great love for you.
Just remember that and soak in this love that I am just a vessel to share with you.
I'm going to be reading out of the Message Version,
And I just love the way that it has been written and the way that it flows,
And I hope that it will just bring you happiness and joy in your spirit today.
And I think that the joy that we experience from knowing God is so much deeper and more rich than the joy that stems from the surface level things of this world.
So I pray that these verses,
Even though they may not be touchy-feely or easy to hear,
That they would bring you a joy and a deep longing and desire for God that is so just beautiful for you today.
And I honestly just opened my Bible and I just felt like the Lord was leading me to these words,
And I know that they are meant for you to hear.
Psalm 17.
Listen while I build my case,
God,
The most honest prayer you'll ever hear.
Show the world I'm innocent.
In your heart you know I am.
Go ahead,
Examine me from inside out.
Surprise me in the middle of the night.
You'll find I'm just what I say I am.
My words don't run loose.
I'm not trying to get my way.
In the world's way,
I'm trying to get your way,
Your words way.
I'm staying on your trail.
I'm putting one foot in front of the other.
I'm not giving up.
I call to you,
God,
Because I'm sure of an answer.
So answer,
Bend your ear,
Listen sharp,
Paint grace graffiti on the fences,
Take in your frightened children who are running from the neighborhood bullies straight to you.
Please,
Lord,
Keep your eyes on me.
Hide me under your cool wing feathers from the wicked who are out to get me from mortal enemies closing in.
Their hearts are hard as nails.
Their mouths blast hot air.
They are after me,
Nipping my heels,
Determined to bring me down.
Lions ready to rip me apart.
Young lions poised to pounce up.
God,
Beard them,
Break them by your sword.
Free me from their clutches.
Barehanded.
God,
Break these mortals,
These flat earth people who can't think beyond today.
When I get up,
I'll see your full stature and live heaven on earth.
Psalm 18.
I love you,
God.
You make me strong.
God is my bedrock under my feet.
The castle in which I live my rescuing night.
My God,
The high crag where I run for dear life,
Hiding behind the boulders,
Safe in the granite hideout.
I sing to God the praise lofty and find myself safe and saved.
I find myself just crying out to God right now and I'm kind of deviating from reading because I don't know if you've just felt bullied or if you're scared that there's so much going on in the world today that is out of your control.
So many different genders and different kinds of sex and just really confusing theories and ideas going on.
And I don't know if you're scared like me,
But if you are,
It's okay.
We can,
We can trust that God has a plan and he will be glorified and he will stand strong.
And he is a God that honors those who are following him and that are listening to him and that are not falling into the way of the world and just succumbing to whatever is blowing them about to and fro,
Like the wind that disappears in one moment.
So I just want to encourage you if you've felt scared for your children,
If you felt scared for your friends or your family,
You're not alone.
I'm scared too,
But you know,
We have a God that tells us not to fear and to trust in him and he will set our path straight and he will make a way where there is no way.
And I just pray that for you right now,
Whatever you're dealing with,
Whether it's temptation,
Whether it's that you feel like you're honoring him,
But you're scared for those around you.
I just pray that a freshness would fall upon you,
That Jesus's steadiness would comfort you,
That the word that he has written was not written in vain.
It was written for a reason.
And those who believe will be rewarded and they will be honored.
And I just want to encourage you today,
Brother and sister in Christ,
Don't give up.
Don't stop believing.
We can struggle,
But let's take those struggles to the Lord.
And I just want to leave you today,
Not in a place of fear,
But in a place of victory,
Because he has already conquered this season of life.
He's already conquered this generation.
He's already conquered the things that seem so big and so new and so scary to us,
But he is over it all and he sees it all and he is not turning his eye to this.
He can see everything and he is a just and a righteous and a wrathful God.
And we can trust because he does not lie.
So let's take heart today,
Knowing that he is fighting battles that we can't see and he will not let go of us.
And I just want to affirm you that he will not let go of you.
Continue to try to open your Bible,
Continue to try to connect with him and just hear from him and just ask him today,
Lord,
What do you have for me?
What specifically do you have for me?
And just wait and see what he shows you.
I know he will because he answers prayer and he listens.
So let's ask him to answer us because we're not praying for our flesh.
We're praying for our spirit.
So Lord,
Encourage our spirit today and show us more of you and align us more with you in Jesus name.
Amen.
