Salvation requires our obedience
Salvation comes with a price.
What Does The Lord Require Of You?
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Tag Archives: walking with God
Footsteps In The Sand
I love how God cares for me.
I recently experienced a great disappointment in my life. I gave it to the Lord repeatedly, but while it was still fresh, I struggled to not hold onto it. I decided to give myself a day away, so I drove to a beautiful place along the California coast that draws people from all over the world. I sat on the rocks and watched the waves and listened to harbor seals bark to each other for a long time. I talked to God and told Him how sad I was and asked Him to take care of the situation for me. It was a beautiful setting and easy to see the hand of God all over the place so I did find peace.
As I walked back to my car along a sandy path worn by thousands of people, I suddenly noticed a shoe print that got my attention. Rather than the typical ridged tennis shoe footprint, this one had a clearly defined heart right in the middle of the shoe, right in the middle of the path. It was such a clear print that who ever owned the shoe must have been only a few minutes ahead of me on the path. I started looking for more prints and began following this trail of hearts.
Then God spoke very clearly to me – I have gone before you and made a way through My love. It was such a powerful message that I choked up. I know He will work all things together for my good, because He told me so. How amazing of God to speak to me in a way that perfectly heals my heart. He is so good.
Where God Is Holy
His presence makes you holy.
What does holiness mean to you? Blessed, sacred, without sin, the essence of God Himself. A look through the Psalms on what is holy reveals a surprising result:
Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion. Ps 2:6
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. Ps 5:7
He will answer from His holy heaven. Ps 20:6
Or who may stand in His holy place? Ps 24:3
When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. Ps 28:2
God sits on His holy throne. Ps 47:8
In the city of our God, in His holy mountain. Ps 48:1
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in His holy habitation. Ps 68:5
And He brought them to His holy boarder. Ps 78:54
His foundation is in the holy mountains. Ps 87:1
Over half of the references to holiness in the Psalms refer to a place. God makes a place holy just by His presence. The presence of God sanctifies, purifies, blesses. And when you receive Jesus and Savior and Lord, you receive Him into your heart and life. You are made holy because He is in you. You carry the holiness of God to the grocery story, the gas station, the backyard. Mediate on what holiness really means, then feel the power of it inside you. It is the power to heal, to restore, and and to bless. You’ve been given everything.
Familiarity Kills
Get off the beaten path.
I noticed recently that the shortcut I take across my lawn to get to the mailbox is starting to make a path in the grass. It’s not a good thing for the lawn. Now I have to consciously walk next to the direct way to the mailbox or walk around the driveway to keep the lawn alive. Continue reading
Walking With God
Walking with Emmanuel
The Bible says that there were two men who walked with God – Enoch and Noah. Enoch was so close to God that God took him. He just loved this man so much that He wanted him in heaven. Continue reading
Being Perfect Is A Good Thing
Being perfect is not what you think.
We sure know how to beat ourselves up if everything we do isn’t perfect. Other people seem to be able to (insert everything you’ve failed at), why can’t I? Continue reading
Yeah, You Can Be Holy
Holiness is a decision.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. (ICor 13:12) We’re not even aware of how our vision, our perception of life, is tainted by sin. We see through the lenses we were born with, so it takes imagination to even consider what it looks like without them.
Our clarity of vision corresponds to the amount of holiness in our lives. Like standing next to a fire, we feel more warmth when we are closer to it. But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy for I am holy.(1Pet 1:15-16) The pursuit of holiness is a decision. Our thoughts, our actions, our entertainment all reflect our desire for holiness. It’s so important that we pay attention to this. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. (Heb 12:14)
Holiness in your life doesn’t mean that you become sanctimonious. It means that you want the Holy Spirit to affect your thoughts. You want His desires to be your desires.
Holiness is the opposite of sin. An atmosphere void of sin is full of beauty. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. (Ps 29:2) As you pursue holiness, you start to see beauty where others cannot. The lenses over your eyes start to sharpen so you begin to see things as God does. He told us to be holy so it must mean that we can be, but not by our own ability. The blood of Jesus makes us holy, if we want it.