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Posts Tagged ‘renewed’

A before E

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 9, 2025| 2 Comments »

One thing my walk with the Lord has taught me is that I have free will – a choice. There are times I’d prefer to have Him gather me up into His arms and carry me safely through the minefields in my life while I bury my face into His chest. But more often than not, He guides me step by step, teaching me new lessons along the way.

My thought process for the past several difficult years has been to “choose joy.” It is not an emotion but a conscious decision to alter my thought patterns toward the positive side. To replace fear with faith and trepidation with trust.

But I am human. I am flawed, and my emotions can trip me up. That is when the door to my heart can open, just a crack, which can allow the Liar to whisper into it.

In Psalm 22, which is often considered a prophetic account of Jesus’ suffering on the cross when he said, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), it starts out by revealing the suffering and pain. Then, the mood shifts…

“But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me” (verse 19).

When I read this recently, it was as if cold water splashed my chest. I realized that when I cannot alter my feelings on my own, I need to ALTAR them. Take them to God. Lay them at His feet. If I give them to Him, the devil cannot interfere. And what’s more, God will use them to His glory to change my perspective, teach me a lesson, or slowly heal the wound. Maybe all three.

Choosing to ALTAR instead of alter, places the A before the E – the Almighty before emotions.

Another psalm, part of what is recited in the Morning Prayer, is from Psalm 51… “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Give me the joy of Your saving help again and sustain me” (verses 10,12). I am now praying this daily at the start of my morning devotions.

I have slowly come to realize that I cannot obtain uncircumstantial peace alone. I am in need of a Savior…daily, hourly, moment by moment, who will teach me His ways, and mold my heart, mind, and spirit to His.

Jesus told His disciples not only that He was leaving them peace, but His peace. Not the fleeting emotional peace the world offers. His eternal one that rises above situations and emotions (See John 14:27).

I do not yet exist in that constant, unwavering peace, but I am getting better at achieving it, with God’s help. I cannot rely on my own strength or understanding, and definitely not on my emotions.

WHATEVER YOU FACE TODAY, ALTAR IT. It just may begin to alter you.

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I found GOD In Church

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on April 20, 2015| 1 Comment »

church-building-clipart-FaithChurchYou may scrunch you eyebrows at the title. But, let’s be honest with each other. How often do you go to worship out of obedience, but during the service your mind wanders? You just are not connecting that day. You don’t “feel” the Holy Spirit moving. Your body is perched in the pew and your money is in the collection plate, but that’s about it.

This past Sunday, our rector broke tradition. He admitted he’d hit a dead end in writing his sermon and at the twelfth hour, God intervened. He heard the holy whisper in his soul, “Don’t tell them about me, they know that. Help them experience ME.”  Obediently, with a cracking voice and tears welling in his eyes, he stepped away from the pulpit and spoke the Truth God had planted in his heart, mind and soul.

Praying hands_He interrupted the normal flow of the service and asked us all to bend a knee and pray for a renewed experience of God–dwelling in us, equipping us, comforting us, and strengthening us with His Spirit so we could bring others to Him and stand together united in Christ, for each other and beside each other. Then we stayed on our knees and confessed our sins.

As we knelt, tears warmed my eyes. I felt a surge of gentle power flowing through each soul and into me. For a brief moment, we were one in Christ. One voice, one request, one humbled desire.

Of course, this is how it should always be in worship. However,our churches are filled with humans. We are all on different paths of  the faith-walk. We all have sins lurking on the edges of our souls. We all have hurts, grudges, prejudices and preferences. You know, those things Satan loves to utilize in order to separate us. Often times it is more than pews which divide us into sections.

But on Sunday, in one church who is renting space in a strip center in southwest Fort Worth as we grow our congregation, Christ’s glory filled the place as we spontaneously prayed in obedience. Our strength was renewed and we soared. It is what our congregation needed–it is what we all need.

Don’t be fooled, dear friends. We in the U.S.A and Canada are not cushioned from the evil persecution that is flooding the Coptic nations. Just because we have “In God We Trust” on our coins or sing “God Save the Queen” doesn’t mean we have an invisible wall to stop the tsunami of hatred from crashing across our land. The first waves are already lapping at our shores.

Let us all bend a knee, often and united together  and pray to renew our experience of what it is like to be true children of God, washed by the blood of the Lamb, and bolstered by His Holy Spirit. Let’s no longer think about God, but truly dwell in Him. For He alone is our strength, our comfort and our hope.

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