Tag: Psalms

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Learning To Lament: The Example Of David

Some situations require us to lament. To lament is also known as grieving with passion. God hurts when we hurt and our hearts should grieve when we sin against him.

David was a prime example of this. In fact, most of the Psalms he wrote were laments. Another example of this you can study in 2 Samuel 11 & 12.

David sinned against God through adultery, drunkenness, and murder. His response when confronted with the weight of his sin was to acknowledge it. As David acknowledged what He had done and the consequences that would follow because of it, he lamented. He weeped on the floor and did not move  and refused to eat.
After David’s son had passed away, he then changed his clothes and went to the house of the Lord to Worship.

God doesn’t expect us to not grieve or mourn. In fact, he desires us to invite Him into the places that hurt the most. He does not stand in a corner while we weep but mourns with us. He bandages up the wounds of the brokenhearted.

Come before Him today with your laments. Grieve with him and welcome in the great comforter in the midst of suffering. There will soon be a day where it will be time to rejoice and dance. But there is also a biblical season of weeping and mourning.

••Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the Lord ’s house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate.  His servants asked him, “Why have you done this? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food.”  He answered, “While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let him live.’  But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I’ll go to him, but he will never return to me.”
2 Samuel 12:20‭-‬23 CSB

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God Has Written Today. (Devotional)

My day started much earlier than expected and I am not usually a morning person. Usually I get up around 8am but am not fully functioning till at least 10 or 11am. Just ask my husband. I didn’t anticipate to be up so early and have very important things to attend to, so I stayed up pretty late. God knew I would need some extra time today to do all he has called me to do. Like the quiet time I so desperately needed this morning to be able to write this post, the dishes in the sink, the homework I have procrastinating on, and the doctor’s appointment I have later.

You may be reading this thinking, man my morning did not go as planned. Or maybe you are reading this anticipating the events of the day, like a doctor appointment, a job interview, or a test for school. Wherever you are at this morning, I want you to rest in this profound truth.

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.” -Psalm 139:16 AMPC

Even before your mother knew you were in your womb, God had his attention on you. He has today planned that all plays into the eternal purposes he has for your life that cannot be stopped. He knew I would need to wake up at 4am to answer my phone because a friend needed help. He knew that we would have a miscarriage in March. God knows what you and I will face today. After all, today is a day HE has made (Psalm 118:24). I am not sure what today hold’s for you. But I know that God is not surprised at what today holds.

Be at rest. God has written your day today.

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The Dangers Of People Pleasing-Living In A World That Wants You To Fit In When God Has Called You To Stand Out

As a Child of God, you will never be able to please the world and the Lord at the same time. You will go through trials and tribulations and people will mock you and ask you “where is your God”. People will be used by the devil (remember, our fight is not against flesh and blood) to keep your fire dim so you will become just warm enough to be spit out of the Father’s mouth and him declare he never knew you. These are things that I wish I was taught, but I believe it is exactly what he wants me to make you aware of. Our enemy is prowling around like a lion, ready to pounce on his next prey. We must be aware of his schemes and deceptions that have been the same since the very beginning of time.

As a people pleaser, the very first sentence probably made you shriek. I was once a people pleaser and without my heart being in check with the Holy Spirit it would be an easy trap to fall back into. But people are just that, people. What we want to be after is the heart of God. For a while I listened to a lie from someone that I trusted whom I thought honored and lived for God. He told me I was “too zealous”. At that time I was living a life that I wanted to please man rather than God. I feared what other people thought. What I did not know was that the purpose of the enemy’s lie through this person was to dim my fire so much that I would become complacent and start to regress back to a place where when I was met with that Father, he would say he never knew me.

The truth is, God want his children to be completely and utterly SOLD OUT for him! The Kingdom of God does not operate as the world operates so do not be surprised if your faith seems out of this world. That is because it is! God wants his children to be zealous. To be zealous means to burn with emotion, being red hot, spirit filled to serve the Lord. As I was warned to not be “ too zealous”, I am here to speak the truth in love. Be aware of not being zealous enough. Be aware of the schemes of the devil to try and put out the fire and love for God that consumes you. What he does not want you to know is that it is contagious and can set the world on fire for God!

Me listening to man’s opinion rather than the heart of God is where I went wrong. This seems so obvious to say but there is a reason why I must speak of it now. I was completely unaware of how the devil was using this person to plant seeds of doubt and mislead me. I have since this incident forgiven the person who spoke this and pray for him every single day. We must hear the heart of the Father louder than what the world is speaking. Some examples in scripture of how people pleasing can be so damaging can be found in the Psalms and life of King David.

“Because of my love for you, Lord,

I have been mocked, cursed, and disgraced.

Even my own brothers, those of my family,

act as though they don’t want anything to do with me.

My love for you has my heart on fire!

My passion consumes me for your house!

Nothing will turn me away,

even though I endure all the insults of those who insult you.

When they see me seeking for more of you with weeping and fasting,

they all just scoff and scorn at my passion.

When I humble myself with sorrow over my sin,

it gives them a reason to mock me even more.

The leaders, the influential ones—how they scorn my passion for you!

I’ve become the talk of the town, the theme of drunkards’ songs.

But I keep calling out to you, Yahweh!

I know you will bend down to listen to me,

for now is the season of favor.

Because of your faithful love for me,

your answer to my prayer will be my sure salvation.”

 -Psalms 69:8-13 TPT

The people closest to David, his family, and the most influential leaders were mocking him for his ‘zeal’. If David listened to man rather than God, where would we be now in history? If Noah never built the ark because he listened to others more than God, would we even exist? David continued to call out to God and lived a life that is now known generations later. What other people think reflects their heart. We will not be held responsible for what other people spoke to us. But, we will be held accountable on the motive of our hearts. Our perfect example, Jesus Christ flipped over tables because zeal for his Father’s house consumed him (see John 2:17). You can see that if we listen to man and do things based on people pleasing rather than being obedient to God, history could be a lot different than what it is now. Losing the fear of man is essential to fulfilling the purposes that God has had for you since the beginning of time.

My question for you today, I want you to prayerfully ask Holy Spirit.

What is your heart’s motive?

This blog is called Let Love Be My Motive because I want God’s children to rise up with the sole motive of loving God with all their heart, mind, and strength and loving others because we will be known by our love.

I write about people pleasing today because I have dealt with the ramifications of choosing what looks good in the eyes of man rather than what may look silly to man but is obedient to God. God wants us to drop the agenda of man, including ourselves and run with zeal, being sold out and passionately pursuing the purposes he has had for us since the beginning of time.

Will you join me in turning away from complacency and the fear of man, and turn in the right direction by boldly pursuing God with all your heart? Will you Let Love Be Your Motive?

More Scripture To Meditate On:

  • “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.So then, because you are lukewarm, and neithercold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.Because you say,‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel youto buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; andwhite garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.As many as I love, I rebuke andchasten.Therefore bezealous and repent.Behold,I stand at the door and knock.If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.To him who overcomesI will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” -Revelation 3:15-22 NKJV
  • Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. –Deuteronomy 6:4-7 NKJV
  • For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. -Galatians 1:10 CSB
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Open Heart.

For those of you who are going through suffering and it seems to be sorrow upon sorrow, I first want to say that you are not alone. We have been taken through the valley and it has tested our foundation of faith, our roots, and have pruned off what is not fruitful in the eyes of eternity. As I write this, my heart is troubled. But I do know one thing, the Word of God will never fail.

It is so important what we intentionally feed ourselves. This is especially true through times of suffering. Many times we often want to blame ourselves, others, or even God for the hand we have been dealt. Sometimes it seems like we have been given a pretty crappy hand. We see across the board of churches that seem to preach the prosperity message but leave out the book of Job. When we look, we see in the bible many people who went through deep times of grief where they shaved their heads, were covered in ashes, and tore their sackcloth. Why are we, as the church, so quiet about the process?

I have always been told that I “share too much”, “too open”, and “not everyone needs to know that”. But, the more I press into God, the more I hear Holy Spirit say he desires us to share what is truly going in our hearts. Not just with him, but with those who are relentlessly chasing after God. He has shown me that the church is a living organism, we need one another. The gifts the Holy Spirit has given you, the trials you have been through, and the testimony you have to share may be exactly what I need in this season. What you have been through or age going through right now could be the very thing to encourage me to get me through. Are you willing to share?

There are two things that Holy Spirit has led me to do today through this post. The first thing is to let you know that you are not alone in your suffering. To encourage you to share what you are going through with boldness and without shame, dropping the fear of what other people may think. When we do this, we have the opportunity to get the support we really need. When we put up walls, it may feel like we can keep hurt and rejection out. In reality those walls keep love and healing out too. God uses people to display his love. Just as he wants to use you, he wants to use others to help you.

Last but certainly not least, I want to leave things off by giving you what is essential as food and water, the Word of God. I want to share with you a couple scriptures that I have been holding onto and declaring in hopes that you can hold onto some of them and seek out God and the promises he is speaking to you.

What I Have Been Meditating On:

  • To all who mourn in Israel,
  •     he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
  • a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
  •     festive praise instead of despair.
  • In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
  •     that the Lord has planted for his own glory. -Isaiah 61:3 NLT
  • Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? -Romans 8:32 NLT
  • Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
  • Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
  • Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
  • There is no want to those who fear Him.
  • The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
  • But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. -Psalms 34:8:10 NKJV
  • If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there;
  • if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath. -Psalms 34:18 MSG
  • Psalm 34 (THE WHOLE THING)
  • Whenever trouble strikes, I will keep crying out to you,
  • for I know your help is on the way. -Psalms 86:7 TPT
  • May the thought of this cause you to jump for joy, even though lately you’ve had to put up with the grief of many trials. But these only reveal the sterling core of your faith, which is far more valuable than gold that perishes, for even gold is refined by fire. Your authentic faith will result in even more praise, glory, and honor when Jesus the Anointed One is revealed. -1 Peter 1:6-7
  • As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. -James 5:10-11 NRSV
  • The Book Of Job
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Step By Step-Walking Through “It”

Today is a day where I feel that the walls are slowly collapsing all around me. The world around me seems to keep on going at warp speed while my pace is as slow as a turtle. The important thing is that I am still moving. I continue to walk through this season.

Where are you at today? Where is your focus?

I want to encourage you to not look at other people’s paces. I want you to focus on where God is taking you, one step at a time. It is okay to live step by step if you are focused on your perfect guide. What is important is that you continue and walk through, not giving up as the rocks around you begin to crumble. It is easy to get distracted, when it seems like your world is falling apart. This growing process never seems to be quiet or easy. It’s is messy and strenuous. But what if you needed those rocks that seemed to be destroying your world to crumble to make a path over the river that you didn’t know was ahead? Trust your perfect guide.

I don’t have the answers and God has not answered my ‘why’ question. What he has shown me and taught me is that I only see the here and now, while he knows the whole story of redemption. So, today I choose to say, thy will be done. God then reminds me yet again that he is with me as my perfect guide.
We may not ever know all the answers, but I do know that all we need is found in HIM.

May we both not lean on what we feel or even see, but trust in the one that see’s the big picture. The one who is pure love and is working everything out for our good. May we lay down our doubts and fear and run to our refuge during this storm and rely upon his guidance to carry us through.

Scripture To Meditate On:

  • Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. –Psalm 23:4 NLT
  • And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. -Colossians 2:6-7 NLT
  • Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. -Psalm 61:1-2 NKJV
  • When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. -Isaiah 43:2 NKJV
  • Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. -Colossians 3:2 NKJV