dying moments

Are there some things that we need to leave at the foot of the Cross? Things that we need to die to? Things that need to be circumcised from our hearts and removed from our lives forever?

Do we possess attitudes or actions that we know aren't pleasing to our Father, but we are holding on to them for dear life? Do we have a death grip on some things that we need to release into the loving hands of our Lord?

I don't know about you, but I desperately want to break free of any tie that is binding me. I want to live a life unhindered by anything that threatens to hold me captive. I desire for sin to be purged from my life so I can begin to bear much fruit and bring glory and honor to Jesus. 

As I journey through His precious Word, my eyes are opened wider each day to my sin. I see the deep need in my own life for much pruning and purging as He reveals those areas that are unholy, unrighteous and ungodly. I know that He desires to replace those areas with holiness, righteousness and godliness. He wants my heart to be made clean through the mighty cleansing power of His Word.

"Now ye are clean through the Word which

I have spoken unto you"

(John 15:3)

The sweet, powerful, holy Word of God cleanses us and makes us whole. It restores that which is broken. It reconciles that which is torn asunder. It makes all things new.

We all need this cleansing power in our lives. If we search deep within ourselves, down into the hidden things, we will find things that need to be taken to the foot of the Cross. If we look deep into the places that we don't like to dwell, we will find things that need to be laid down forever. 

We need to determine and purpose in our hearts that we will die to self. Seek His will and His way. Seek His face in all things. Search our hearts and gather together all those wrong actions and attitudes. All those things that bind and hinder us. Anything unholy, unrighteous and unclean. And lay them down at the precious, sacrificial feet of our Savior.

It's overwhelming to know that He can take those things that are unlovely and make them beautiful.  He can take our worst and make it His best. He is gracious and merciful. He is kind and gentle. He loves and cares. Comforts and heals. Covers and protects. He renews and restores.

On my face.....broken.

At His feet....repentant.

Leaving behind sin and destructive behavior.

Then I arise and walk in the beauty of His holiness and hear His sweet voice whisper, "my precious child, go and sin no more".

Yes, Lord. 

"For I will be merciful to their

unrighteousness, and their sins and their 

iniquities will I remember no more"

(Hebrews 8:12)

do we behold Him?

"And the WORD was made flesh, and

dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 

full of grace and truth"

(John 1:14)

As I read this passage a few weeks ago, the word 'beheld' just pierced deep into my spirit. I've read that scripture many times but when I read it that day, it just did something to me. It literally took my breath away as I began to contemplate the impact of beholding. Of beholding HIM.

In this passage, 'behold' comes from the Greek word theaomai which means:

1. to view attentively

2. a sense of wondering regard

3. a more earnest contemplation than the ordinary verb 'to see'

Do I behold my God and His glory in this manner? Do I have a strong sense of wonder when I get a glimpse of my Lord and Savior? Do I truly understand who He is?

I truly desire to grasp the full magnitude of the glory of God. I want to behold Him, to look upon Him with reverence. To gaze upon His countenance with earnest contemplation. I desire to stand in awe of who He is. I long to be filled with awestruck wonder at the very mention of His Name and be filled with sheer amazement of His power and strength. I want to behold the beauty of His manifest presence. When I read the Word, I want to sense His presence and behold His glory in every written word.  

Oh, Lord, I fall on my knees before you in confession and repentance for not giving you the reverence that you deserve at all times. May I never pick up your Word casually. May I always grasp the holiness of who You are and strive to receive an elevated glimpse of your glory. You are worthy of all honor and all glory and all praise. I will worship you with all that I am and all that I have.

He is Lord and King. He is Jehovah. He is YHWH. He is Ha-shem.

I will behold Him with expectation. The very mention of His name will fill me with wonder. I will make Him my first priority in Worship. Praise. Honor.

I will behold my King. 

Homemade laundry detergent

About a month ago, I decided to start making my own laundry detergent. I had seen several recipes on line and so I began researching them and finally decided on a combination of a couple of them. What I came out with is just amazing. My clothes have never felt cleaner or smelled cleaner. It is so easy to do so I thought that I would share it with y'all. 

I purchased all the ingredients for around  $10.00 at Wal-Mart. I've made 4 gallons of it so far and still have enough left to make at least that many more. I think each 2 gallon batch is costing me about $1.75 which is unbelievably cheap!

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Here is a very easy recipe for making your own dishwasher detergent as well. It is very inexpensive and my dishes have never been so shiny! It leaves no spots or residue. Just mix all the ingredients together and shake well!

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"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just

to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse

us from all unrighteousness"

(1 John 1:9)

do we react to our Source?

I love the truth of His Word that when we are children of the Most High God, our spirit will bear witness with the Holy Spirit. Our spirits will react with the Spirit of the Lord in sweet harmony when we are walking in His ways and seeking His face.

I was listening to a teaching tape by Beth Moore yesterday and she was comparing this to the way the strings on a stringed instrument react to the other strings that are on the same frequency. If you play a strong middle 'C' on a piano, you can see and hear the other 'C' strings  vibrate in reaction to the note that was initially played. Not only does the 'C' react, but the other notes on the 'C' scale react as well. All the notes that are on that same frequency begin trembling in reaction to the source of that first tone that was played. It is amazing. It is such a profound truth that it just nearly blew me away.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our spirits should bear witness to that fact. Our spirits should tremble in reaction to the resonance of the Spirits calling. If we are in harmony with the Spirit of God, there should be a direct reaction in us to the work of the Holy Spirit around us. If God is working in us, then our spirits will bear witness to that.

My prayer is to be on the same frequency as the Lord. He is my source. He is where I draw my strength from. He is where I obtain my ability to breathe and live. I want my life to be a sweet and harmonizing song to Him. To be on the same musical scale as the Holy Spirit.  I desire for my spirit to tremble in reaction to my Source.

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to know His heart

My heart longs for a closer relationship with my Savior. The deepest yearning of my soul is to know the heart of God. I am seeking much more than just knowledge. I am seeking to abide in Him. To be continually aware of His Presence. To live in constant fellowship with Him. I want to know Him more.

In my quest for an ever increasing relationship with God, I realize that in order for this to happen, I also need to be seeking a much higher level of holiness in my life. I need clean hands. I need a pure heart. I need to search those hidden places in my heart and allow God to cleanse them, circumcise them and replace them with Truth.

"Truth is knowing God's heart as it was revealed in Christ,

and it is knowing our own hearts in the light of God's grace."

(Francis Frangipane)

The Holy Spirit has been asking me some questions that are sometimes hard to answer because they are causing me to take a very deep look at some things in my life that I know aren't pleasing to God. 

Do I value Christ above all else?

Do I long for holiness?

Am I taking the necessary steps in my life to live a sanctified lifestyle?

I know that the first step to achieving all of this is humility. If I am to ascend to the higher places with God, I must humble myself before Him. The depths of my depravity should drive me to my knees in desperation. Desperate for a cleansing of my spirit. A reckoning in my soul. Desperate for a filling of the Holy Spirit.

When I fall on my face before Him, truly seeking revelation, He will open my eyes to those things in my life that are unholy. Impure. Unlovely. He will open my eyes to those things that need to be dealt with and disposed of.

When my desire for more of Him exceeds my desire for anything else I will begin to see the unfolding of His grace in my life like never before. Then and only then, will I begin to attain the Holiness that I so desire.  The Holiness that He so desires for me.

When my desperation causes me to fall humbly on my face before Him, I will see myself for who I am. In desperation I will seek His mercy and His grace. Then I will see myself for who He says I am. Cleansed. Forgiven. Redeemed. His.

As I begin to replace those sinful things in my life with Holiness, I will begin to find Him like never before. He will begin to reveal Himself to me mightily in my daily walk. His manifest Presence will overwhelm me and I will continue to seek Him with all of my heart. Seeking More Truth. More Holiness. More Jesus. Much more.. I desire to be all that I can be for Him.  Seeking and finding the abundant and spirit-filled life that Christ desires for me to have. I want to know Him.
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