The Best Kind of Wall to Have

I scanned through photos this morning, looking for a blog topic, and came across this one from my time in Israel. It's a picture of the Golden Gate taken from the Mount of Olives.

This gate is the only one on the eastern side of the city. It's also sometimes called the Mercy Gate. It's the gate through which Jesus is thought to have arrived on Palm Sunday and through which He is expected to arrive on His second coming.

The purpose of the gate was to allow access to the walled city. The walls, of course, were built to keep invaders and enemies out. Today, as I pondered those walls, I realized that some of the worst enemies of the city were likely inside the walls already.

Scripture tells us that kings, priests, and people alike strayed far from God. They replaced a relationship with the Most High God with a form of religion that left their hearts cold and distant. Every man (and woman) did whatever they wanted to do, whatever seemed right to them. 

When God decreed judgment on the nation because of their sin, it was as good as done. There was no military might that could keep the invaders out. There were no walls strong enough to keep the people safe within. 

Eventually, invaders entered the city of Jerusalem and carried the people into captivity. They were able to enter because of the sin in the hearts of God's people, not because of a problem with the walls.

The people of God in ancient times were no different from us today. They did whatever they wanted. They wrapped their action in "God-talk" in an attempt to cover their sin, but God saw their hearts. He knew exactly what mattered to them. He knew their desires, their hurts, and the things they used to ease their pain. Just as He does today.

It wasn't city walls that gave the greatest protection to God's people. It was God Himself. Disaster came when He removed that protection in response to their sin. 

What the people didn't quite understand was that the wall they needed most was the one around their hearts. They needed the wall that kept sin out. 

We, too, are in desperate need of the walls-of-diligence that keeps sin out of our hearts.

Today, let's stop for a moment and consider the spiritual walls of our heart. Are we careful about the things that enter and take up residence there, or have we flung the gates wide to allow anything the world offers inside? 

The best walls aren't made from brick or block or wood. The walls that offer the most protection are the walls that guard our hearts and keep sin out. Let's be sure those walls are in good repair. If it won't please God, let's choose not to let it take up residence in our heart. 

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." 

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Very Dumb Wise Man  (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-very-dumb-wise-man.html)
And here's the link to the Snake Story: Sam The Snake Handler and Our Big Adventure 
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/sam-snake-handler-and-big-adventure.html)
#guardyourheart #faithlife #Jesus

The Way God Met My Need

One of my morning Psalms today contained words that spoke to me and reminded me of my grandmother.

"One generation shall praise Thy works to another, 

and shall declare Thy mighty acts. 

Psalm 144:3 nasb

Parents and grandparents are to tell their children and grandchildren about all the sweet things God does for them every day. As we do, we will train them to see God at work around them. That presumes, of course, that we can see God at work around us.

The Psalm continued with these words:

And men shall speak of the power of Thy awesome acts;

And I will tell of Thy greatness. 

Psalm 144:6 nasb

With those words in mind, I'm going to share one of those sweet things God did for me yesterday.

There has been so much going on in my life lately that I have hardly known which way to turn. I won't list it all, but I have a crazy number of projects underway. I've been swamped. And very nearly overwhelmed.

My church is having a four-day Thirst Revival this week. I hate to admit it, but I didn't really want to go to the revival. I was worn out and I needed a break, not another meeting. Or so I thought.

I left church yesterday morning as tired as I went, and wondered if I would get revived or not.

You may not do this, but, last afternoon, I struggled with whether or not to go back to church. The fear that I might miss a mighty move of God was the reason I finally decided I should go. 

I prayed that God would begin His revival with me. "I don't want to pass time in a pew. Do something, Lord."

He did.

Last night, the preacher talked about idols in our lives. He asked us to write down the idol we needed to give up, take it to the altar, and leave it there. 

What was so unusual was that he talked about idols, but I thought he talked about the burdens that were weighing me down. I had some questions for the Lord about a few issues in my life, and the preacher answered every one of them. When he got to the "write down the idol" section, I heard him say to write down my burdens, take them to the altar, and leave them there. 

So I did.

It was only after I got home that I realized I had heard a different sermon than he had preached. It was the very sermon I needed to hear.

Here's what was so surprising. At the very moment (at the exact time) that I was at the altar, giving my concern to the Lord, an email landed in my inbox. When I got home, I found the email and read words that encouraged me to press on. They validated my efforts. "In case you've wondered..." it said. 

Those words were exactly what I needed to hear in regard to the issues I'd taken to the altar, as were the preacher's words. Any one of those things might have happened separately, but only God put all those things together at once.

It reminded me of a verse from Luke. I love the way The Message puts it.

"There was a lot more of this - words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them." (Luke 3:18 MSG)

The words I heard last evening gave me strength and put heart in me, and I'm grateful for them. I saw the orchestration of God, in both words and timing, and it, too, strengthened me.

That orchestration of those words yesterday was one of those works of God we are supposed to tell others about. God saw my need and He met it. Exactly as I needed it met. It was like cool refreshment on a hot summer day.

When I share that little incident, I am praising God's works and declaring His mighty acts, telling of His greatness, speaking of the power of His awesome deeds.

We don't serve a God of paper on print, merely a story in a book. We serve a God who is intimately involved in all our days. Let's rejoice in His goodness and share the news with all who will listen.

What about you? What have you seen God do in the last few days? 

Don't just soak His goodness up like a sponge. Be a sieve. Allow the goodness of God to pass through you to those around you as you share the news of all He's done.

Praise His holy name.
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Sweetness of Snuggling  (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-sweetness-of-snuggling.html) 

#PraiseHim #MondayMeditation #faithlife

What God Requires

Moses' sermon to the Israelites started with a review of all the wonderful things they had seen God do on their forty-year journey from Egypt. In Deuteronomy 10, he finally gets to the "and now". 

Moses' "and now" is the point of everything. It's the reason God brought them out of the Egypt, refined them through the years in the wilderness, and helped them take the Promised Land. 

God had rescued them, protected them, provided for for them and He wanted something in return. 

Sometimes I forget that. Relationships require "give and take" and our relationship with God does, too. One of the nice things about our relationship with God is that He tells us what He expects. We don't have to wonder. We don't have to guess. 

We know what God wants from us because He has told us. If we don't get it right, it's because we choose not to do so.

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord's commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?" Deuteronomy 10:12-13 nasb

Moses asked a question. What does God require other than this? The answer was simple. Nothing. 

The response God requires is an active response. Fear. Walk. Love. Serve. Keep. Attending a church service once a week will not be enough. It is an active, personal response, and it permeates every fiber of our being, every moment of our lives.

If we have a holy fear (or deep respect) for God and love Him with all our heart and soul, we will walk in His ways, serve Him without reservation, and obey His commands.

Moses knew it would be hard for his people, so he gave a one-sentence secret for perfect response.

"Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more." Deuteronomy 10:16 nasb

Cut away all the excess in our hearts, all the desires and idols in our lives, and stop stiffening ourselves against the Lord and His ways. 

Let go of what we want (and the things that keep us from loving God with our whole heart) and embrace what God wants.

It's simpler than we realize, and infinitely better than life on our own, without God. 

Today, let's soften our stiff necks and invite our Lord to look at our hearts. Let's allow Him to find that which needs to be cut away, and do what must be done. Circumcise our hearts. Cut away that which displeases Him. 

What does God require? Hearts filled with respect and love for Him and a demonstration of that respect and love by the way we live our lives. 

Let's love and live in such a way that the world knows the goodness of God by knowing us.

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Be sure to check the updated Prayer List 

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In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links:  The King with the Plan That Wasn't God's, Numbers Don't Lie: The Price of Rebellion, Numbers Don't Lie: The Grumble-Free Zone, The Broken Wing That Was Not: The Killdeer and Jesus, Faith and Hope: We Do Not Wait Alone, God Uses Everything, Even Manwich, The Angel-Talk: Fear Not, How Will We Respond to God: Fear or Faith?, The Infinite Pi and the One Who Created It

#whatgodrequires #loveandlive #faithlife #linesfromleanna #leannahollis