Friday
A song I wrote (devo style)
I hope you get to hear this song. I think it is one of the best I have written (not meaning to brag). It is the most heartfelt.
All I need is you
All I need is you. All I need is you. You give me peace when my heart is blue. All that I need is you.
All I want is you. All I want is you. Lord, You give me strength and comfort too. All that I need is you.
All I hope for is you. All I hope for is you. That you give me joy and love so true. All that I hope for is you.
(repeat first verse)
All I need is you
All I need is you. All I need is you. You give me peace when my heart is blue. All that I need is you.
All I want is you. All I want is you. Lord, You give me strength and comfort too. All that I need is you.
All I hope for is you. All I hope for is you. That you give me joy and love so true. All that I hope for is you.
(repeat first verse)
Wednesday
My heart, in verse
All from the book of Psalms:
"But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head high." "Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!" (3: 3,7)
"You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and decievers." "My enemies cannot speak one truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in thier own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they rebel against you." (5: 6, 9-10)
"I am worn out from sobbing. Every night tears drench my bed; my pillow is wet from weeping. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies." (6:6,7)
Chapters 10, 12
"Bend down and listen as I pray." "Guard me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings." (17:6,8)
"My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? Why do you remain so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy." "Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;" "My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me." (22:1-3, 11,12,14)
"O Lord, you are my rock of safety. Please help me; don't refues to answer me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die." "Praise the Lord! For he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." (28:1,6,7)
"They repay me with evil for the good I do. I am sick with despair. Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I even fasted and prayed for them, " (35:12,13)
"Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God to restrain them. In thier blind conceit they cannot see how wicked they really are. Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do what is good. They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their course of action is never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil." (36:1-4)
"Please, Lord, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me." "As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord is thinking about me right now. You are my helper and my savior. Do not delay, O my God." (40:13,17)
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him? Day and night, I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, 'where is this God of yours?' My heart is breaking, as I remember how it used to be." (42:1-4)
" O God, take up my cause! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars." (43:1)
"All day long you plot destruction. Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor; you're an expert at telling lies. You love evil more than good, and lies more than truth. You love to say things that harm others, you liar!" (52:2-4)
"Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles." "Fear and trouble overwhelm me. I can't stop shaking. Oh, how I wish I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness. How quickly I would escape-far away from the wild storm of hatred." "It is not an enemy who taunts me-I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me-I could have hidden from them. Instead it is you-my equal, my companion and close friend. What good fellowship we enjoyed, as we walked together to the house of God." (55:2, 5-8,12-14)
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." (56:8)
"Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire. I can't find a foothold to stand on. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched and dry. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me." "You know the insults I endure-the humiliation and disgrace. You have seen all my enemies and know what they have said. Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair." (69:1-3,19,20)
"But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head high." "Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!" (3: 3,7)
"You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and decievers." "My enemies cannot speak one truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in thier own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they rebel against you." (5: 6, 9-10)
"I am worn out from sobbing. Every night tears drench my bed; my pillow is wet from weeping. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies." (6:6,7)
Chapters 10, 12
"Bend down and listen as I pray." "Guard me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings." (17:6,8)
"My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? Why do you remain so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy." "Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;" "My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me." (22:1-3, 11,12,14)
"O Lord, you are my rock of safety. Please help me; don't refues to answer me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die." "Praise the Lord! For he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." (28:1,6,7)
"They repay me with evil for the good I do. I am sick with despair. Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I even fasted and prayed for them, " (35:12,13)
"Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God to restrain them. In thier blind conceit they cannot see how wicked they really are. Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do what is good. They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their course of action is never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil." (36:1-4)
"Please, Lord, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me." "As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord is thinking about me right now. You are my helper and my savior. Do not delay, O my God." (40:13,17)
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him? Day and night, I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, 'where is this God of yours?' My heart is breaking, as I remember how it used to be." (42:1-4)
" O God, take up my cause! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars." (43:1)
"All day long you plot destruction. Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor; you're an expert at telling lies. You love evil more than good, and lies more than truth. You love to say things that harm others, you liar!" (52:2-4)
"Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles." "Fear and trouble overwhelm me. I can't stop shaking. Oh, how I wish I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness. How quickly I would escape-far away from the wild storm of hatred." "It is not an enemy who taunts me-I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me-I could have hidden from them. Instead it is you-my equal, my companion and close friend. What good fellowship we enjoyed, as we walked together to the house of God." (55:2, 5-8,12-14)
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." (56:8)
"Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire. I can't find a foothold to stand on. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched and dry. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me." "You know the insults I endure-the humiliation and disgrace. You have seen all my enemies and know what they have said. Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair." (69:1-3,19,20)
Monday
Why do we do it?
Why do we sin? Why are we so wicked? What is it that satan says to us that convinces us that it's okay? I have seen so many friendships ruined over a lie or gossip or being self-centered. I have seen marriages break up over a broken promise. How does this happen? How do we, as Christians, tell ourselves that this is acceptable behavior? Folks, satan really is the ruler of this world, and we have to remember that while we are living in this world, it is not only our job to get as many people to Heaven with us as possible, but to battle satan on his turf. It breaks my heart that it is so easy for us (and I do say "us") to lie to each other. Unkind words can tear people down, and when we focus on ourselves we can easily alienate people, but I truly believe that lies are what destroy us. Satan is the father of lies, and he truly knows how to use them. We lie to ourselves, believing that what we do only affects us. We lie to each other-why? Because satan has hold of us, convincing us that this little lie will not hurt, but I say NO MORE! Let's start telling the truth. If we do not lie to ourselves, we will face our sin head on, and satan will not be our ruler. If we do not lie to each other, so many relationships will be spared. Remember-satan may be the ruler of this world, but God is the ruler of everything. Remember who truly is our master and savior. Thank God for Grace. Thank God that even though we are wicked, and we will still sin that God is an almighty and forgiving God. Thank God that we all still have a place in His kingdom. Please take this to heart.
