Are you desperate for God?  Have your trials left you withered up, starved for love, and feeling all alone?  Do you wonder if God is mad at you?  Call out to God in your desperation!  He will regard and not despise your prayer.  There is hope in the saving Name of Jesus!  God’s answers are on the way!

     Psalm 102 in the Bible describes the prayer of an afflicted man when he was overwhelmed and poured out his complaint before the LORD.  Verses 1-13 say:

     “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.  Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.  For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.  My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.  By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.  I am like a pelican of the wilderness:  I am like an owl of the desert.  I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.  Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.  For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping.  Because of Thine indignation, and Thy wrath: for Thou has lifted me up, and cast me down.  My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.  But Thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and Thy remembrace unto all generations.  Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time is come. (King James Version)

Are you desperate for God?  Pour out your heartaches and complaints to the LORD respectfully.  He sees and knows everything you are feeling anyway, but He wants to hear your voice because it is sweet to Him.  Song of Solomon 2:14 says, “O my dove, that are in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.”  Your face is a welcome, beautiful sight to the Lord!  Hebrews 4:16 says, ‘Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.  This psalmist above was in time of need.  He pleaded with God not to hide His face from him when he was in trouble.  He begged God to incline His ear to him and to answer speedily when he called.  You can pray the same to God when you come in the Name of His only begotten Son, Jesus.

     Like this psalmist, do you feel like your days are consumed like smoke?  That your bones are burned up as a firepit or fireplace?  Is your heart smitten and withered like grass so you forget to eat?  Are you groaning and feel spiritually emaciated or anorexic in heart?  Are you feeling all alone like a pelican of the wilderness, an owl of the desert, or a sparrow alone upon the housetop?  Are your angry enemies persecuting you all day long?  Are you in mourning constantly, as in eating ashes like bread?  Are you mingling your beverages with weeping?  Do you feel like God is disciplining you with painful circumstances?  Do you feel like the sun is setting on your once-happy life?  Do you feel withered like grass?  Are you desperate for God?  My friend, there is still hope!  God is always there for you!  Come to Him with a humble, repentant heart!  He will arise and have mercy, not only on Zion, Jerusalem, but He will also have compassion on you!  His favor is upon you when you yield your life to Him and believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross about 2,000 years ago to pay the penalty for your wrongdoings and those of every human.

     In verses 16-20 of the same chapter, Psalm 102, we read this wonderful news:

     When the LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory.  He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.  This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.  For He hath looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death….

Are you desperate for God?  Zion is another word for Jerusalem.  God will bless and build up Jerusalem.  This promise is for all of God’s people, whether or not you are a Jew.  He will hear your prayer when you feel destitute!  He will not despise your prayer!  This promise is for you, generations after this was written.  You will praise the Lord for all He has done for you!  He will come to help you!  He sees you from heaven, and truly He is everywhere, too.  He sees the suffering on earth, your suffering.  He hears your groans when you feel a prisoner to circumstances.  In some way, He will deliver you when you feel doomed to death!

     Verses 24-28 of the same chapter Psalm 102 say:

     I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: Thy years are throughout all generations.  Of old Thou has laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.  They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed.  But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end.  The children of Thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before Thee.

Are you desperate for God?  God will have mercy on you.  He is always there for you.  He never sleeps.  He never leaves you unread.  He is never too busy to hear your cry.  He created the earth and the universe.  They will perish one day before He creates new ones, but He Himself will endure.  God will never change from being Love.  We are told “…for God is love” in 1 John 4:8.  Our loving God will help His children who cry out to Him every time!  He will help your children, too!

     Are you desperate for God?  Psalm 103 has many very encouraging promises for those who put their trust in God through His Son Jesus.  Verses 1-14 say:

     Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.  He made know His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel.  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger for ever.  He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.  Like as a father pitieth His children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him.  For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.

We can bless God with our praises, even before our answers come.  We certainly need to praise and thank Him when the answers do come.  Let us not forget all of God’s benefits.  That can be easy to do in the midst of a painful trial; but reminding ourselves of God’s goodness and thanking Him for being who He is will uplift us!  What are the benefits of His goodness?  We see in this passage that He forgives all our iniquities, or wrongdoings!  God does not want to bash you with a club for your faults and mistakes!  He wants you to come to Him for forgiveness!  He will remove your sins as far as the east is from the west, infinitely gone!

     Are you desperate for God?  He promises in this passage to heal all your diseases!  This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible!  He has healed so many of my diseases, such as partial deafness and severe acute laryngitis!  You may pray and pray and wait on God.  Time may pass, and symptoms may increase.  But if you are God’s child, the time will come, either on this earth or in heaven, when your diseases will all be healed!  Hallelujah!

     God redeems your life from destruction!  He crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.  Oh, that sounds so good!  How wonderful to be held in the arms of Jesus in your heart!  How wonderful it will be one day to be with Him bodily!!!  I can hardly wait!!!  God gives us good things to eat, renewing our youth like the eagle’s.  Eagles shed their feathers and emerge fresh and new with new feathers.  God has been renewing my youth like the eagle’s with healthy food, supplements, good water, and exercise.  More importantly, He renews our youth like the eagle’s in our hearts, giving us strength to continue running our races to win His approval and the reward of ruling in His kingdom with Him when He splits the eastern sky and returns to rule.  Best of all will be being with God the Father and Jesus Christ in person in heaven!!!

     Are you desperate for God?  Oppressed by the devil and people?  God will execute righteousness and judgment on your behalf and deliver you!  Get close to God like Moses who knew God’s ways.  Don’t be just like children of Israel who only knew His acts.  Because of Jesus’ shed blood on the cross, the way into the holiest place in heaven has been made available to you!  The veil in the heavenly Temple separating us from God is rent!  Hebrews 10:19-22 enjoins us,

     Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water….

     Are you desperate for God?  Psalm 103 above tells us that the LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  He is not quick-tempered and ready to explode in anger at you.  We are in the age of grace.  He will forgive you if you ask, no matter how bad your past or present is.  There is no sin too great or too horrible for Him to forgive.  The debt to God for every sin that ever was or will be committed was all paid by Jesus on the cross!  Thank God that Jesus came back alive; and His resurrection from the dead, never to die again, is also the guarantee of the forgiveness of your, sins when you ask God!  God pities you like a father if you fear, or respect, Him.  He remembers our frame, our weak human bodies that are made of the dust of the ground like our ancestor, Adam.  God remembers that we are made of dust.

     Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  Some people think they are good enough on their own to go to heaven.  They think they deserve heaven and don’t need fixing.  We see here in Romans 3:23 that all of us have sinned.  We fall short of the glory of God.  None of us can go to heaven by trying to be good enough.  Thank God for our Savior Jesus Christ who is good enough for us.  If we trust in Him for forgiveness for our sins, He will surely save us and take us to heaven!  He will come into our hearts with His love, become our righteousness, and prepare us to enjoy heaven with Him!  He will help us with our problems on earth as well and give us these many blessings we discussed!

     Are you desperate for God?  John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  God the Father and Jesus, also God, love you so much!!!  More than anyone!  Go to Him for salvation and for help with life’s struggles.  He is always there for you!  Don’t wait for your death bed to pray to Him.  That opportunity may not come.  You could die instantly before you have that chance.  Talk to Him reverently and honestly.

     Are you desperate for God?  If you have never given your heart and life to Jesus, you can pray this prayer or something similar:  “Dear Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me about 2,000 years ago.  Please forgive me for the wrongs I have done.  Come into my heart, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit.  Make me more like You.  Help me live for You, and take me to heaven.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”  If you just prayed that for the first time, please let me know below.  You can also send me this and other comments and prayer requests on my Contact page.

     Are you desperate for God?  God bless you!  Here is my favorite poem I wrote.  You can find it in my poetry booklet Journey To The Promised Land, Poem #22, on my website.  I will reprint it here for you.  Even though I shared it in a recent blog, I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to share it again today.  After the poem, you will find two encouraging songs.  Peace be to you in Jesus’ Name!  Help is on the way!

22.  With Me To Be One

 My Lord, I am hurting and dying inside

I’m craving Your comfort, to in You abide

I feel anorexic in heart and in soul

I need You to feed me, restore me to whole

My bones I can see while they cleave to my skin

I’m starving for love, and I’m wasting within

My bowels are clinging to dust of the earth

The hunger pains raging because of this dearth

I’m parched to the core, my tongue sticks to its roof

While others don’t notice, and friends stand aloof

I’m crippled with sorrow and pierced by neglect

And wilted with longing, by loneliness wrecked

I’m desp’rate for You, Lord, I need You today

To nurture my heart, take this anguish away

Please feed me and fill me and quench all my thirst

I come to You empty and place You as first

And then I discover Your presence is near

You know all my agony, see every tear

Your heart, too, was broken and pierced through with grief

You know more than any how to bring relief

Your being was famished; Your tongue was, too, dried

So bitterly lonely, with anguish You cried

You, Shepherd, were stricken, and all Your sheep fled

By stripes of rejection and nails of hate bled

They stripped off Your clothing and gambled to win

While You hung there watching and paid for their sin

Your priests stood there mocking, increasing Your pain

Not knowing their Passover Lamb was being slain

The thieves also taunted and railed at You, too

Though they justly punished, but innocent You

For thirst they gave vinegar, sponge on a stick

Insulting, impersonal, mocking, a trick

You cried to Your Father, but He looked away

To punish You, Lamb, for us sheep gone astray

Your day turned to night; and the sky grew black, too

How could it rejoice with the death You went through?

The veil of the temple by God torn in two

Your body the curtain that tore also, too

You “Father, My spirit receive” loudly cried

And then with this precious plea, willing died

My Lord, I am speechless, know not what to say

To thank You for suffering for me that day

My speech is too shallow, my heart is too small

To fathom Your love and to take in it all

My sorrows, afflictions, sins, hunger, and loss,

My death—all You took when You died on the cross

Was not just for others, but specially for me

That day when You suffered and died on a tree

To have me forever, to have as Your wife

To heal me and love me, to be all my life

My sorrows are small when I think of Your pain

Though through them discernment of Your love I gain

You want me, a cripple, to You matters not

Could never be diff’rent, Your cripple You bought

My heartaches, paralysis—staging for Love

As You draw me closer and take me above

My heart’s deepest longings You placed inside me

Because it delights You to satiate me

You never are selfish, You’re lowly in heart

It thrills You Your tenderness to me…impart

I never could earn You, Your worth has no end

Could only adore You and love You, my Friend

Could never repay You, and wouldn’t dare try

Can only surrender and hungrily cry

I need You, dear Jesus, I want You so much

I long for Your tenderness, ache for Your touch

I’m bitterly homesick and so lovesick, too

I’m pining to have You, at last to see You

Then sweetly You show me my hunger for Thee

But palely reflects all Your longing for me

The reason I’m hungering for You, the Son:

You deeply are longing with me to be one

I love this encouraging song from Tauren Wells called “Trenches”:

This is an encouraging song by Toby Mac, “Help Is On The Way”:

     Who is in control of your life?  Is it you?  Someone else?  The devil?  Or is it God?

     Our natural tendency is to want to control our lives.  We tend to think we know better how to run our lives than God.  Maybe we have issues of trust, feeling scared to surrender to God.  If we fully surrendered to God, would He be good?  Would He have our best interest in mind?  Yes, He is so very good, the best!  Yes, He does have our best interest in mind!  Maybe we feel angry when God doesn’t do things our way.  I recently wrote a blog article about that called, “Are You Angry at God?”  (See link below.)  What I feel compelled to address today is the issue of pride.  Sometimes we want control of our lives because we are proud and think we know better than God.  Sometimes we have an overinflated opinion of ourselves.

     I wrote a blog called, “God Will Help You Overcome Selfish Pride.”  [See link below.]  In this blog I addressed the issue of comparing ourselves with others.  Today, I am addressing the aspect of our pride towards God.

    Who is in control of your life?  God wants us to have a healthy self-esteem based on His love.  He values us at the price of the blood and life of Jesus!  There is no other greater price that He could pay to purchase us to Himself as His people!  Those who believe in Jesus’ death on the cross about 2,000 years ago for the punishment of the wrongs we have committed and believe in His ascension from the dead to sit beside the Heavenly Father on His throne can be forgiven and go to heaven when we leave this life by death or rapture!  (You can learn more about this in my last blog, “Who Is Jesus Christ?” and by reading the pamphlet on the Home Page of my website, second paragraph.  [See links below.])  You are so very valuable to God!

     However, God does not want us to think more highly about ourselves than we should.  He does not want us to think we are so strong that we don’t need Him.  We are warned by the apostle Paul in Romans 12:3 in the Bible (King James Version):  “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”  The context of this passage is explaining that we who are Christians in the Body of Christ, the Church of Jesus Christ, each have our roles and need one another.  However, we also learn from this verse not to think we are self-sufficient and don’t need God.  It behooves us to ask God for a humble heart.

     Who is in control of your life?  God loves everybody and wants us to love (not necessarily like in this world) everyone.  We are told in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  We talked about that verse last week in my blog article, “Who Is Jesus Christ?”.  On the other hand, we learn from Proverbs 8:13 that God hates our pride.  It has been often said, “God hates the sin, not the sinner.”  I believe the Bible supports this idea.  We are instructed in Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil:  pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I [God] hate.”  Let us ask God for the fear of the Lord, which is to hate evil, defined as pride, arrogancy, the evil way, and the froward mouth.  All of these things God hates!  Strong’s Concordance defines froward  (#6617) as “…to twine, i.e. (lit. [literally]) to struggle or (fig.) be (morally) tortuous:–(shew self) froward, shew self unsavoury, wrestle.”  [See Bibliography below.]  In the United States, we might say that a froward mouth is a sassy, smart [sarcastic], caustic [attacking] mouth.  God dislikes these!  Most of us do, I think!  God is our Creator.  His hatred of pride is reason enough for us to hate it, too, and to want to be rid of it.  It stinks to God.  I don’t know about you, but I want to smell good spiritually to God!  Do you?

     James 4:6 tells us, “But He [God] giveth more grace.  Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”  God resists proud people, but gives grace, His kindness and enabling, to those who acknowledge their need for Him.  God helps the humble.  We can certainly ask God to take away any pride we have, and He will certainly do that.  We may likely find ourselves put through trials to help us learn to depend on God and not ourselves.

     Who is in control of your life?  James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”  There is spiritual beauty in asking God for help.  God loves to help us when we humble ourselves before Him, and He will lift us up!  He will lift us up out of guilt and sinful habits!  He will lift us up to His uplifting, truthful thoughts!  He will lift us up to a better self-esteem based on His love!  He will lift us up out of sorrow, depression, and emotional or physical pain (in His perfect timing)!  He will lift us up out of painful circumstances as we wait on Him!

     Who is in control of your life?  We looked at one verse in Proverbs above.  The book of Proverbs in the Bible offers us much additional advice to ask God for a humble spirit.  As Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.”  God will share His wisdom and wonderful ideas with us when we humble ourselves before Him!  We are told in Proverbs 13:10, “Only by pride cometh contention; but with the well-advised is wisdom.”  We can see here that pride causes arguments!  But those who receive instruction become wise!  Proverbs 16:5 informs us, “Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”  Well, that right there certainly motivates me to humble myself before God!  God considers the proud in heart an abomination to Him!  Even if proud people ban together to support one another, He will punish the proud who don’t repent!

     Proverbs 16:18 warns us, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”  Ooh!  Has that happened to you?  God has had to humble me many, many times!  He is still humbling me!  You can read my autobiography and learn more about God’s lessons to me in humility.  [See link below.]  Proverbs 16:19 goes on to say, “Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”  It is better to be humble with other humble people than to share ill-gotten rewards with the proud!  Proverbs 21:4 informs us, “An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.”  God doesn’t want us to have a high look, or stick our noses up in the air, thinking we are superior.  He does not want our hearts to be proud and haughty.  He does not want us to be wicked people who “plow” sinful plots to reap harmful deeds!  This is all sin, which separates us from God!  Let us repent of any of this right this moment and get into a right relationship with our loving God!

     Who is in control of your life?  In Proverbs 21:24, we discover that, “Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.”  Ooh!  Let us pray not to be this proud and haughty scorner who shoots words like poisonous arrows  to wound people with his/her proud wrath and deception.  These kinds of verbal arrows are inspired by the devil!  Few people want to be around this kind of person!  God, most importantly, does not delight in such a heart until he/shey repents!  Proverbs 29:23 cautions us, “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.”  God will bring us low if we persist in pride; but if we are humble in spirit, He will honor us; and we will retain honor!  Being honored by God and retaining honor sounds really good to me!  How about you?

     Who is in control of your life?  The book of Psalms in the Bible also offers us warnings against pride.  Psalm 12:3-4 gives us this sober warning, “The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.  Who have said, With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?”  Let us repent if this verse describes us!  Jesus will forgive us!  Psalm 40:4 says, “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”  Psalm 119:21 tells us, “Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.”  Has God rebuked you before?  He has rebuked me!  I am grateful for His correction, and I sure want to stay on His good side!  Psalm 138:6 instructs us, “Though the LORD be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knoweth afar off.”  God and Jesus are our life!  I do not want them to know me from afar off!  I want them to be really close to me!  Do you feel the same way?

     Here are some more verses about pride in the Bible.  Isaiah 2:12 says, “For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low….”  Verse 17 of that same chapter adds, “And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.”  We can escape Jesus’ judgment on our pride if we repent of our pride and surrender to Him!  He is waiting with open arms to receive us, including you!

     Who is in control of your life?  We learn about King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, in Daniel 5:20, “But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.”  His sensibilities were stripped from him, and he lived in the wilderness like a wild animal!  When he came to his senses seven years later, he praised God!  Then his throne and kingdom were restored to him!  If we persist in pride, God may humble us like He did Nebuchadnezzar!  –Although not necessarily as drastically!  When we repent of our pride and praise God, God will restore to us the blessings He took away temporarily or give us something better!

     You can read all about Nebuchadnezzar’s story in Daniel chapters 3-4.  If you don’t have a Bible, you can read English versions online at https://biblegateway.com.  Just go to that website, type in Daniel 3 in the search bar and read it; then type Daniel 4 and read that.

     First Corinthians 13:4 (New King James Version) describes love to us:  “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up.”  Puffed up is another way of saying proud.  God wants us to humble our hearts before Him to receive His amazing love!  If we ask Him, He will take out our stony hearts and give us hearts of flesh, which means tender hearts!  Ezekiel 36:26 gives us the wonderful news, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

     Who is in control of your life?  Philippians 2:3 directs us, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”  Self-will is just strife and vainglory, boasting in the flesh.  Let us esteem each other better than ourselves.  Especially, let us esteem God the highest above ourselves.  We are not God and never will be!  Isaiah 45:5-8 (New International Version) sets the record straight:

     Ezekiel 28:12-19 tells us about the fall of the king of Tyre.  We believe it also depicts the fall of Satan, the devil.  The reason the devil was kicked out of heaven was because of pride.  You can read this in English on biblegateway.com if you do not have a Bible.

     Who is in control of your life?  Jesus tells us in Luke 14:11, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”  Matthew 23:12 quotes Jesus’ statement like this:  “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”  Sounds like the humble being lifted up, doesn’t it?  It sounds like many verses above about God blessing the humble and humbling the proud, too.

     As you can see, there are many verses in the Bible about pride.  There are many verses I did not mention because of time.  You can look up the word pride if you have a Strong’s Concordance of the Bible to study more verses on pride.

     Who is in control of your life?  I found an article called “Bible Verses About Pride” on a website called https://biblestudytools.com.  I thought the article to be very helpful on the subject of pride.  Here is a quote from that article:

     Pride can blind us to our own faults, make us resistant to correction, and create a false sense of self-sufficiency.  It often leads to other sins, such as envy, anger, and dishonesty as we strive to maintain an image of superiority.  Embracing humility allows us to align with God’s will and experience His grace more freely.  By letting go of pride, we open ourselves to growth, healing, and deeper relationships with God and others.  Memorize these Bible verses about pride as you seek to cultivate a spirit of humility, acknowledging our need for God and remaining teachable and open to His guidance.

Thank you, biblestudytools.com for that helpful paragraph!  It is true and good advice!

     Who is in control of your life?  The Bible mentions one reason people get proud:  how much money they have.  First Timothy 6:17 advises us this:  “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.”  Let those of us who have riches pray that money will not make us proud.  Let the rich not trust in these riches which can vanish quickly and will be left behind when we die or are raptured.  Rather, let us trust in the living God.  He is the One who gives us richly all things to enjoy!  When we put too much trust and security in someone or something other than the Lord, we can be plagued with insecurity about losing him, her, or it.  When we surrender all we have to God, relationships and money, then we can find the peace that only He can give us!  When we give Him control, we know He will care for us!  Those of us who don’t have much money can also find peace and security in God when we trust Him with the little we have, knowing He will provide what else we need!  He may even bless us with some of our wants in this life!

     We read in 1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father, but is from the world.”  Let us ask God our Heavenly Father for victory over the lust of the flesh that makes us want to commit evil acts; the lust of the eyes that tempts us to covet what does not belong to us; and the pride of life, the thought that we are better than God or others!  Galatians 6:3 tells us, “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”  We are nothing without God.  Even with God, we utterly need Him!

     Who is in control of your life?  We learn of a church in Revelation 3 that describes many people in this day.  Jesus says in verses 14-22:

     And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:  I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Who is in control of your life?  If it is Jesus, then you may very well be a “hot” Christian Jesus described above!  However, if any of us think we can serve God on our own, or worse, don’t think we need Him, we may be cold or lukewarm.  Coffee and tea drinkers know how appetizing a hot cup of liquid can be.  Lukewarm coffee or tea isn’t appetizing.  Those Christians who are lukewarm in their love for Jesus will be spewed out of Jesus mouth.  Could that mean they won’t be able to hear the Holy Spirit granting them wisdom?  I’m not sure.  But I know I don’t want to be one of those lukewarm Christians!  Pray with me that we will be hot Christians, fervently in love with Jesus and serving Him with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength!

     In Matthew 22:35-40, we hear a story about Jesus and His words.  They are:

     Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our minds is the first and great commandment.  The second commandment is similar, to love our neighbors (everyone else) as ourselves.

     Who is in control of your life?  The truth is that when we try to maintain control of our lives, we open ourselves up to being controlled by Satan, the devil!  Jesus told us in John 10:9-11, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Jesus is the door into the Presence of God and heaven!  If we believe in Him, which is entering Him, the door, then we will be saved!  We can go in His Presence and out to minister and work, with safety and provision!  He calls Himself the good Shepherd in that passage.  He will provide for us like a shepherd leading a sheep to wildflowers, grass, oats, and corn for sustenance!  The thief, the devil and those under his influence, only come to us to steal from us, to kill us, and to destroy us.  Jesus has come to us in the form of the perfect Man who is God so that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly!  Jesus is the good Shepherd.  He gave His life on the cross about 2,000 years ago for the sheep, for Israel, for you, for me, and for every person in the whole world, dead or living!  If we hold onto control of our lives, we will actually find ourselves tricked and plundered by the devil and demons!  Go to Jesus and find love, shelter, protection, and food for your thirsty heart, soul, and body!  He will accept us, even if we have had proud hearts!

     In closing, let me leave you with this verse God specifically laid on my heart to share with you all.  It is Psalm 32:9:  “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.”  Let us not be like a stubborn horse or mule without understanding, who must be controlled with a bit and bridle, or else they will not approach the owner.  God is our owner!  He created us!  Let us obey Him!  Let us give God, including Jesus, control of the “wheel” of our lives!  We can trust Him and His love!  He is the best!  In the words of Carrie Underwood’s song, “Jesus Take the Wheel!”  [See link below.]

     Let me know how I can pray for you as you struggle to let God have control of your life!  Pray for me, too!  We all struggle with this one at times!

Here is my Home Page where you can find Charlie’s gospel tract, “You are SO Loved!”  It is the link in the second paragraph.

Home – Bride Of Jesus Ministry

Below is the link to my blog, “God Will Help You Over Selfish Pride”:

Here is a link to my blog “Are You Angry at God?”:

This is a link to my blog “Who Is Jesus Christ?”

Here is a link to my autobiography:

A Little Person With A Big Testimony: My Autobiography – Bride Of Jesus Ministry

Word definition taken from:  Strong, James, S.T.D., L.L.D.  Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible.  Royal Publishers, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee 37203.

Listen to Carrie Underwood’s delightful song, “Jesus Take The Wheel”!  This is for all you modern country music fans and anyone else.  I once heard a third grader sing this song at my children’s elementary school Talent Show.  That young girl “brought the house down” with her heart-felt and powerful singing!  I love how she witnessed about Jesus in a public school!  I believe Carrie Underwood’s video will touch your heart, too!

     Who is Jesus Christ?  Is he just a man who lived and died a long time ago?  Just a prophet?  A false prophet?  A crutch for weak people?  A hoax?  Or is He the Savior that people claim He is?

Jesus Offers Us Everlasting Life!

     The Bible tells us who Jesus Christ is.  John 3:16 in the Bible is perhaps the most famous verse about Him:  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (King James Version).

The Heavenly Father, God, loves you and me and every human who ever existed or will exist so, so much that He gave His only begotten Son (only born to the Father), Jesus Christ, to live on this earth and die on a cross and shed His blood for the forgiveness of each human.  His birth as a human is why Christians celebrate Christmas.  Jesus Christ died on a cross about 2,000 years ago at the hands of angry, jealous Jewish leaders through the means of the Roman government.  Then Jesus came back to life three days later and lives forever at the right hand of God!  Those who believe in Him as the Savior of the world from the wrath of God and their Savior will not perish in the lake of fire, which is God’s punishment for the unrepentant wicked, but will have everlasting life!  They will be allowed to go to heaven in spite of their wrongdoings (sins) and mistakes that they made!  In spite of the wrongs you have done, you can be made right with God through the blood of His Son, Jesus, and go to His heavenly home called heaven and live with Him forever after this life!  Just ask Him right now to forgive and save you, and give Him your life.  He will forgive you and fill you with His love!  He will help you with all your needs and problems on earth, as well!  What incredible truth!!!  What an amazing Jesus!!!

Jesus Is God

     Who is Jesus Christ?  The same book says of Jesus Christ in John 1:1-14:

     In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.  In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.  He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.  But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:  which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  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.

Jesus Christ is the Word of God and is revealed to us through all the pages of the Bible.  He was with the Heavenly Father God in the beginning even before He became incarnated as a man.  Jesus is also God.  (The Holy Spirit is God, too.)  All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing was made.  In Him was and is life!  His life is the light of men.  The light of the truth about Jesus is shining into this spiritually dark world.    The word “comprehended” is the Greek Word katelaven, according to The Zondervan Parallel New Testament in Greek and English, page 265.  Katelaven means to “take down.”  The darkness in this world will not take down Jesus Christ’s life and light!

     John the Baptist, we are told in John 1:6-8 above came to bear witness, or testify, about Jesus as the Light of God.  Jesus is the true Light which lights every man or woman that comes into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made by Him yet didn’t know Him.  He came to His own Jewish people, and they did not receive Him as a nation.  However, as many as did receive Him, from Israel and from any nation of the world, to them Jesus gave power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe on His Name.  When we become believers in Jesus, we are born, not of blood lineage; nor of the will of our flesh, the carnal nature; nor of our own human wills, but of God.  Jesus was made a flesh and blood human being like us, only He was and is perfect and sinless!  He lived on our planet and knows all about our struggles and responsibilities.  Jesus’ disciples who saw Him on earth beheld His glory!  Those who surrender their hearts to Jesus will one day behold His glory in heaven, as well!  Jesus is full of grace and truth!  He is gracious and patient!  He will give you the grace, the enabling, to follow and obey Him!

My Testimony

     Who is Jesus Christ?  Let me tell you who Jesus is to me.  He has been my Father when I didn’t grow up with mine.  He has been my Best Friend even in the years when I had none.  He has been my Savior when I was making a mess of my life.  He forgave me for all my wrongs (sins) and lifted off of me the heavy burden of guilt and shame.  He washed me and made me new, giving me a new heart to please Him.  He gives me peace, so my mind doesn’t swirl with confusion.  He gives me great joy after my heart has been sad.  He has healed every broken heart I have ever had by showing me He understands my pain as His heart has been broken, too.  He has delivered me from my many fears after my pastor told me I was the most insecure person he had ever met.  He gave me loving boldness and stopped me from being in bondage as a people pleaser.  He has healed my body many times, including from partial deafness, laryngitis when I couldn’t talk for months, hypothyroidism, headaches, dairy allergy, high triglycerides, and other such ailments.  He stood by me when my close friend betrayed me.  He has given me a wonderful husband when I was lonely.  He gave me to bear four wonderful children when I thought I couldn’t have any.  God has met every financial need even when we so often didn’t know how we would eat next week!  Always our commission checks were higher than we thought or sooner than we had expected, or someone gave us a gift or an inheritance!  The Heavenly Father and Jesus have been so faithful!!!  Praise His Name!!!  I could go on and on!!!  As Kelly Willard’s song “Extraordinary Man” [link below] says about Jesus, He has been my Father, my Mother, my Comforter, my Guide, my loving and tender Savior, my Advocate, and my very best Friend!  He has shown me His unconditional love over and over every day!

What Do You Need from Jesus?
 

What do you need from Jesus?  Do you need tender mercies and unconditional love?  Do you need to be forgiven from your shameful past and delivered from guilt and shame?  Do you need deliverance from addictions and sinful behaviors?  Do you need a healthy self-esteem?  Do you need a father?  Do you need a best friend?  Do you need help with your problems?  Do you need a cleansed heart?  Do you need peace, wisdom, and direction?  Do you need your broken heart to be healed and filled with joy?  Do you need deliverance from fears and/or evil spirits?  Do you need healing and strength in your body and soul?  Do you need a godly husband or wife?  Do you want children?  Do you need money?  Do you need food?  All these things Jesus will give you according to God’s perfect will, if you surrender to Him and put your trust in Him!

     Who is Jesus Christ?  Psalm 103:1-14 (New King James Version) tells us the fabulous news about our Heavenly Father God and Jesus:

     Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.  He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.  He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.  He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.  For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.  As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him.  For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

What a wonderful Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus we have and can know!!!

How to Know Jesus and Be Saved from the Wrath of God

     Who Is Jesus Christ?  Romans 10:8-10 says,

     But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved:  for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Talk/Pray to Jesus and tell Him you believe that He is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead.  Ask Him to forgive you for the wrongs you have done and invite Him to come live in your heart.  No matter how bad your past may be, the Heavenly Father and Jesus will forgive you!  Jesus promises in John 6:37, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

Here is a sample prayer that you can pray right now:

     “Dear Jesus, I believe that You died on a cross for me about 2,000 years ago and that the Heavenly Father raised You back up from the dead.  Please forgive me for the wrongs I have done.  Wash my heart clean in Your blood, and be the Lord of my life.  Please take me to heaven, and help me to live for You.  Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I may serve You.  Thank you for saving me.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

  Meet your Best Friend Ever Forever!!!  If you just prayed that prayer or a similar one, welcome to the family of God!!!  All of heaven is rejoicing over you!!!  Pray, or talk, to Jesus daily with reverence and honesty.  Join a Bible-believing church that will help you get closer to the Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  Get a Bible and read it every day to discover more about God’s love for you and how to please Him.  I might suggest you start with the book of John to learn more about Jesus and His great love for you.  The books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke also will teach you about Jesus while He was on earth.  Live for Jesus by obeying His commandments in the Bible, especially the ones in the New Testament portion of the Bible.  Tell others about Jesus Christ so they can be forgiven by Him, discover His wonderful love, and go to heaven, too!  You can subscribe to my devotional blogs, such as this one, by filling out the subscribe form on the Home (main) page of my website.  I invite you, as well, to explore my website to grow in your newfound relationship with Jesus!  Here is the link:

Home – Bride Of Jesus Ministry

     If you would like to learn more about Jesus Christ, His wonderful love for you, and how to become a Christian, read this pamphlet that my husband, Charlie, wrote.  This can also be found on my Home page on my website.

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:887511fb-20a0-4fb1-922f-0006b4d18608

     If you just prayed to receive Jesus into your heart to save you from the wrath of God, please send me an email on the contact form found on the Contact page on my website.  I would love to pray for you and hear your story!  Click the link below to take you to this page.

Contact – Bride Of Jesus Ministry

     If you would like to discover more about what Jesus has done for me, you can read my autobiography here:

A Little Person With A Big Testimony: My Autobiography – Bride Of Jesus Ministry

     Here is Kelly Willard’s wonderful and beautiful song about Jesus Christ called “Extraordinary Man”:

     Are you irritated?  Are things just not going your way, and you are frustrated about it?  The car won’t start.  Taxes and groceries are higher than you thought.  Your friend didn’t reply to your phone call or text.  Your computer stalled again.  You are stuck in traffic.  Your husband or wife or children are doing annoying things.  The list of irritations and vexations goes on daily.  You cannot live in this world without feeling irritated.

Jesus Got Irritated, Too, and Probably Still Does!

     My friends, you are not alone!  Even Jesus Christ, when He lived on earth as a sinless man, got irritated!  He is “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever” according to Hebrews 13:8 (King James Version).  So, He must still get irritated, even being glorified in heaven!

     To be irritated itself is not sinful.  When Jesus was on earth, He was transfigured into a preview of His glory on a mountaintop for His closest disciples Peter, James, and John to see!  (Wow, wish we were invited!  But we will see glorified Jesus one day in heaven!)  After such glory, He descended into the valley and found a situation where His other disciples could not cast out a demon from a boy.  His exasperated reply in Matthew 17:17 (New American Standard Bible) was, “And Jesus answered and said, you unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I put up with you?  Bring him here to Me.”  Some of you may feel uncomfortable with Jesus saying such a thing.  I find great encouragement from this verse when I am exasperated and frustrated with people and circumstances!  Jesus understands how I feel!  Jesus understands how you feel!  Do you ever feel like you are on a mountaintop with God experiencing His glory alone or in church; and then right after that, Boom!  Some irritating circumstance faces you!  Jesus understands your feelings of irritation!

     When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, about to agonize over His impending death on the cross, He pleaded with His closest three disciples, Peter, James, and John, to pray with Him and went a little way away from them.  After wrestling in prayer with the Father’s will for Him to go to the cross, probably His biggest struggle yet on earth, He went back to them.  Matthew 26:40 (King James Version) reports what He found.  “And He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?”  His closest disciples weren’t praying with Him in such a great hour of His need!  They were sleeping for sorrow!  Jesus had to wake them up and gently rebuke them!  Here is another example of Jesus’ feeling irritated.

We Can Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace to Help with Irritations!

     Are you irritated?  Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us the amazing news, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold our profession.  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  As we like to say in the United States, Jesus has “been there and done that.”  He understands you completely and has compassion!  He has been irritated like you and me, and He is the perfect qualified High Priest at the throne of grace in heaven to help you!  We can come boldly in prayer to Him at His throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need!  His throne of grace is available for any need we have, not just irritation!  Hallelujah!

     You may find you are less irritated when God gives you grace to handle annoying circumstances!  Irritations can be worse with chemical imbalances in our bodies as well as eating foods to which we are allergic.  So, we can pray for physical healing from these conditions and seek medical assistance if God leads and enables us to.  Taking supplements for healthy intestines may help you, as well, not to overreact to vexing situations!  I have found Shaklee B-Complex extremely helpful for irritability.  I take 4 with breakfast and 4 with lunch.  That’s what works for me.  It lengthens my “fuse”!  (These are water-soluble, so I don’t overdose.)  Plexus products have been very helpful for me to correct my intestines, which have improved my weight, energy, and mood.  If you would like to know more about either of these supplements, send me an email on my Contact page.  (The link is below.)

Jesus Is Praying for You!

     Are you irritated?  Jesus is praying for you!  God told me this one time when I saw a wonderful painting of Jesus at my friend’s house!  It meant so much to me because I was very depressed at that time!  I got the poster of that painting, and it is hanging in my living room!

     Romans 8:34 tells us:  “Who is he that condemneth?  It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”  Jesus Christ died and rose again from the dead!  No one can condemn us if we trust in Him, because He is interceding for us!  Intercession means He is praying for His and our Heavenly Father to help us with mercy, grace, and forgiveness!  He also is praying for our circumstances to change, but also that the Heavenly Father will use our circumstances to change us and make us more holy!

     Hebrews 7:25 gives us another confirmation of Jesus’ praying for each of us who have given our lives to Him for Him to save us from the wrath of God!  It says, “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”  Jesus will save you to the uttermost!  In John 17:9-10, Jesus’ precious prayer is recorded, “I pray for them [His disciples]:  I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given Me; for they are Thine, and all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them.”  Have you prayed for Jesus to save you from the wrath of God?  If so, Jesus is praying for you!

Have You Not Prayed for Jesus to Save You from the Wrath of God?

     Have you not prayed for Jesus to save you from the wrath of God?  You can pray right now if you believe that Jesus died on a cross about 2,000 years ago and that He was raised back to life for the forgiveness of the wrongs you have committed!  You can pray a simple prayer like this:  “Lord Jesus, I believe You died on a cross to pay the penalty for the wrongs I have done, and that the Father raised You back to life again.  I ask You to come into my heart.  Please wash me clean with the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.  I choose to live for You from this day forward.  Amen.”  If you prayed that or something similar and believe it, You, my friend, are now saved from the wrath of God!  You will go to heaven when you die!  Get a Bible and start reading it every day.  You might want to start in the New Testament beginning with the book of Matthew and read to Revelation.  Then you can read the Old Testament, starting in Genesis at the very beginning.  When you finish, keep reading it every day of your life as you are able.  Find a good Bible-believing church where you can grow in your new faith!  Get water baptized to show you are living for Jesus and tell others about Jesus.  Congratulations, and welcome to the Body of Christ!!!  All of heaven is rejoicing over you!!!  Send me an email on my Contact page and let me know if you just prayed this prayer or something similar!  I would love to pray for you!  Now Jesus is praying for you, including when you are irritated!

Irritations Have a Right to Happen

     Are you irritated?  When irritating things happen to us, we have a tendency to feel or even say, “This isn’t fair!  This doesn’t have a right to happen!  I’m mad!  [Angry.]  This isn’t going to happen again!”  My friends, these irritating things actually do have a right to happen!  God is using them for our good!  I have shared this verse before, but it bears repeating.  Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”  We need to give our anger and control to God and ask Him to take them away.  We need to repent of trying to act like God, which none of us are.  Only the Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are and ever will be God!  Isaiah 45:5-6 says, “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me.  I girded thee, though that has not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me.  I am the LORD, and there is none else.”  God is our Lord and has the right to choose the circumstances and trials that come our way!  As we read above, He will be right there with us to help us out and deliver us!

God Uses Irritations to Shape Our Characters

     You see, God does not enjoy afflicting us and allowing inconveniences to come our way.  However, He will use them to shape our characters to be more like Jesus!  First Peter 1:3-9 gives us some comforting explanation why God allows us to suffer inconveniences and gives us wonderful reasons to rejoice about it!  There it is written:

     Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

These verses tell us the incredible news that God saved us because of His abundant mercy and has given us a lively hope by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead!  We are promised an incorruptible, undefiled inheritance that will not fade away that is reserved in heaven for us!  God keeps us by His power through all our trials so that our faith, more precious than perishable gold, though it is tried with fiery circumstances, will be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ!  That would refer to His return as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 where He comes back to the clouds to rapture His Church, the Body of Christ, to Himself and take us to heaven!!!  Though we haven’t yet seen Jesus yet, we love Him and believe in Him and our awesome destiny!  For this reason, we can rejoice with unspeakable joy which is full of glory and receive the reward of our faith, the salvation of our souls!  Our souls are comprised of our minds, wills, and emotions.  God is using our irritating circumstances to save our souls!

The Fruit of the Spirit

     What do saved souls look like?  Galatians 5;22-23 (New International Version) gives us a clue:  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance [self-control]:  against such there is no law.”  Are you irritated?  God is using our irritating and other bothersome circumstances to develop in us the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control!

     Are you irritated?  Some people when irritated snap in anger at others, say hurtful things, and may even become abusive!  God does not want us to snap in anger at those around us when we are irritated!  They don’t want you to snap at them, either!  Let us pray for God to develop in us the fruit of the Spirit listed above!  Self-control is a big part of what we can learn when we are tempted to snap at someone!  Before snapping, we can stop and pray out loud or in our heads, “Lord, please help me not to explode in anger!  Please give me self-control and patience!”  He will do that, although it may not happen all at once.  If we have already snapped or exploded at someone, we need to ask God to forgive us and to help us not to do it again!  Then we need to apologize to that person, if possible!  God can use apologies to work miracles in mending our broken relationships!

     Proverbs 16:32 says, “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”  The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) this verse this way, “Patience is better than power, and controlling one’s emotions than capturing a city.”  Wow, when you pray and God helps you to be slow to anger and to rule your spirit, or control your irritated or angry emotions, you will be stronger than mighty men and will accomplish more than conquering a city!  Think of it!  Working out and being in the army is good, but patience and self-control are even better!

If We Suffer, We Will Reign with Him!

     Are you irritated?  Second Timothy 2:12a tells us the amazing news, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him [Jesus]…”    The other half of the verse gives us this sober warning, “If we deny Him [Jesus], He also will deny us.”  If you suffer irritations with the fruit of the Spirit, godly character, as well as suffer persecutions, then you will reign with Jesus in the next age and forever!!!  Hallelujah!!!  These irritations are worth going through for such a glorious destiny!  On the other hand, let us not deny Jesus as our Savior, or else He will deny us entrance into heaven!  If we are alive, we have time to repent right now and get right with God!

God Will One Day Make Us Perfect in Heaven!

     In Song of Solomon 4:7, Solomon, a type of Jesus, tells his Shulamite bride, a type of us believers, “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.”  Wow, friends!  The purpose of our irritating trials, any trials, is to purify our characters until we are free of spiritual and soulish blemishes, or spots!  The Holy Spirit is making us beautiful in character for Jesus, our heavenly Bridegroom!  One day in heaven, He will speak these unspeakably invigorating words over each of us believers:  “You are totally beautiful, My love!  There is no spot in you!”  Do you cry out for God to make you pure like that?  I do!  I want nothing more than God’s approval!  Do you feel the same way?

     We see a verse with the similar idea in Ephesians 5:25-27:

     Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

     Did you get that?  Jesus loves each of us believers in Him like a husband loves and cherishes his wife!  He gave up His life for us on the cross so that we could be holy!  He is cleansing us with the Word of God, the Bible, as if washing us with water, so that He can present us to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle, or any other blemish, spot!   He is going to make us holy and blameless!  If you are tired of failing God when you get irritated or at any other time, Jesus promises here that He is going to make us perfect as His Bride by the time we reach heaven!  This is incredibly good news!  Glory be to God!  Take heart, my friends!

     Our sufferings have a purpose to purify us!  When we get irritated, it gives us practice living in the Spirit instead of giving into tantrums, even in our attitude, if not outwardly.  We learn to walk by faith and to bear the fruit of the Spirit!

What Do We Do When We Get Irritated?  Rejoice!

Are you irritated?  We all get irritated.  What do we do when those irritations come our way every day?  Philippians 4:4-7 offers us some helpful advice:

     Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.  Let your moderation be known unto all men.  The Lord is at hand.  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

We are told twice to rejoice in the Lord always!  God really intends for us to do this as He puts special emphasis on it!  We are told to let our moderation be known to all men.  Moderation is defined in Strong’s Concordance of the Bible (see bibliography below) as “appropriate, i.e. (by impl. [implication]) mild:–gentle, moderation, patient.”  God wants us to act and speak appropriately, mildly (not with outbursts of anger), moderately, and patiently. The reason we are given for showing moderation, appropriate, mild, gentle, and patient behavior, is that “The Lord is at hand.”  The Lord is near and is watching.  Jesus is recording our good deeds and our bad ones.  Those bad deeds we repent of will be erased out of the record!  Hallelujah!  Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  Jesus not only loves us immensely, but He will also judge every human.  We ought to fear, or reverence and respect, Him as He will be judging us based on our works.

     Romans 5:19-21 (New International Version of the Bible) says:

     But the acts of the flesh are obvious:  sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery [New American Standard Bible (NASB) says “indecent behavior”]; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage [NASB says “outburst of anger”], selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

God does not want us to live in the flesh, or it could cost us reigning with Jesus in His kingdom if we don’t repent!

Jesus Will Judge Every Human!

  Second Corinthians 5:9-11 says,

     Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”

Be Anxious About Nothing

     Are you irritated?  Continuing the explanation of Philippians 4:4-7 above, we are told to be careful for nothing.  Strong’s defines this as “to be anxious about….”  God doesn’t want us to be anxious about anything, including about that which irritates us.  Again, we are told, “…but in everything by prayer and supplications with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  God doesn’t want us to worry and stress about anything.  He just wants us to pray and ask Him (with supplications) our requests through prayer, offering thanksgiving to Him!  When we do, the peace of God, which will be the means by which we receive understanding of Him and the Bible and even insight into our problems, will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus from stressing out!  Amen!

     Psalm 118:24 tells us, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  God wants us to rejoice in Him every day, no matter what kind of day we are having, no matter what irritating or disturbing trials come our way!

Let the Peace of God Rule in Your Heart

     Colossians 3:15-17 advises us, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.

Are you irritated?  We are told to let the peace of God rule in our hearts.  That is a delightful command!  The whole Body of Christ is called in one Body to let peace rule in our hearts.  We are advised here to be thankful.  Also, we are told to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom.  That comes from diligently reading and studying the Bible.  It may also include materials that help us understand correctly the Bible.  When we have the Word of Christ dwelling richly in our hearts, we can teach and admonish one another in psalms (praise and worship songs from the book of Psalms in the Bible), hymns, and spiritual songs.  We are to sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord.  And whatever we do or say, we are to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father as Jesus enables us to!  Singing to God or listening to godly, anointed music is a great way to feel less agitated when you are irritated!

Offer God the Sacrifice of Praise

     Are you irritated?  A similar admonition is found in Hebrews 13:15:  “By Him [Jesus] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.”  It is easy to praise God when things are going our way!  Hallelujah!  But when we are irritated, then we must offer God a sacrifice of praise.  We are told to offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, even when irritating things are happening!  It feels like a sacrifice because our flesh nature would rather complain.  Let us praise God always, no matter what kind of day we are having!

     So, the car won’t start.  Praise God that you have a car, and that God knows you need transportation and will provide a solution.  When the groceries and taxes are higher than you want, thank God that there are grocery stores and markets to buy from.  Thank Him in faith that He will make a way to pay the taxes.  Thank Him for a government so there isn’t anarchy.  When your friend didn’t reply to your phone call or text, praise God that you have a friend!  When your computer stalls again, thank God that you have a computer and internet service at all!  When you are stuck in traffic, thank God that there are roads!  When your husband, wife, or children are irritating you, thank God that they are still alive and still around you!

     Look at the proverbial “half-full glass” instead of focusing on the “half-empty glass”!  (The glass is one and the same with different perspectives describing it.)  Giving praise to God not only pleases Him, but it also helps to adjust our frustrated attitudes and will help to restore our joy!  It will also make us more pleasant for others to be around!

     Make it your life’s aim to please this wonderful God who loves you so very much and has done so very much to save you and help you!  And thank God that there won’t be any irritations in heaven!!!

Word definitions taken from:  Strong, James, S.T.D., L.L.D.  Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible.  Royal Publishers, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee 37203.

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I am so happy to share this song I love so much!  It has special significance to me because the Christian Rythm and Blues (R&B) singers Lisa, Andrea, and Joi, now called Danielle, were in my Sunday school class years ago when they were children, and I was 21 years old!  I even sang a duet with Joi/Danielle at church!  I went to their house once!  This group of sisters is called Out of Eden.  God touches my heart deeply through this song, and I pray He will touch your heart deeply through it also!  Lisa wrote this precious song!  They recorded six albums and are getting ready to record more!  Yay!

This song blesses me to the point of tears!  May God encourage your heart with this song “The Blessing” from Kari Jobe and her husband, Cody Carnes, with Elevation Worship:

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  Are you so busy racing through each day taking care of responsibilities that you neglect your relationship with God, which leaves you feeling empty?  Are your shortcomings and bad habits eating away at the fruitfulness of your heart?  Is someone trying to destroy the vineyard of your heart?

     The Shulamite in the Song of Solomon, who is a type of each of us believers in Jesus Christ, had a similar problem.  She says in Song of Solomon 1:5-6:

     I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.  Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

She says she is black as the tents of Kedar and as the curtains of Solomon.  “Black” means she is sunburned by the sun; yet she knows she is still comely, or beautiful.  At the same time, she does not feel as beautiful as she could be.  She is so busy tending to other vineyards that she has no time to keep [lit. “guard”] her own vineyard.  Can you relate to her?  Sometimes I can.  I get so busy working for God that I burn out.  As Jesus’ spiritually beautiful people, we need to spend time with Jesus Christ, who is God and the Son of God, and get refreshed!  We can do this by praying, reading the Bible, and attending a good church that helps us grow spiritually closer to God.

     Proverbs 4:23 advises us, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.”  This is another way of saying to guard the vineyard of our hearts.

Amazing Reasons for Spending Time with Jesus

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  Why would we want to spend time with Jesus?  Jesus Himself gives us amazing answers in John 15:9-17:

     As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love.  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.  These things have I spoken unto you, that might joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you.  These things I command you, that ye love one another.

     Jesus says He loves us as much as the Heavenly Father loves Jesus!!!  That is such an incredible truth, it will take forever to grasp the depth of His love for us; and we will never reach the end of His unconditional, infinite love for us!  This is a truth worth meditating on!  Jesus wants us to continue in His love.  If we obey His commandments, we will abide, or remain, in His love.  Then we will have His joy, full joy!  His love will enable us to love others, so our love will brighten the world!  Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  My friends and His friends, this is what Jesus did for you!  He allowed sinful men to crucify Him about 2,000 years ago so that He could pay the penalty of all the wrongs we and every human have done!  He satisfied the wrath of God for our disboedience because He loves us with the greatest love possible!  Of course, He came back alive three days later and is now seated in heaven next to the Heavenly Father and praying for us!  Knowing that and His wonderful love, He can help us to love others sacrificially, too!  Obeying Jesus will qualify us to not only be servants to God, but Jesus will call us His friends!  I don’t know about you, but that motivates me to obey Him!  If we obey Jesus, He will tell us secrets the Father told Him about Themselves!  There is no higher honor than this to be approved of and taken into confidence by God!  Jesus chose and ordained us to produce fruit that remains that whatever we ask of our Father God in Jesus’ mighty name, He will give it to us!  Abiding in Jesus’ love will enable us to keep His command to love one another.

     This wonderful God, this wonderful Jesus, are worth obeying because They created us!  Jesus bought us with His blood, His life!  He wants us to bask in His love and be filled to overflowing with joy!

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  To abide in Jesus’ love requires guarding the vineyard of our hearts.  Sometimes we must put aside all the busyness, even ministry, and just spend time praying, reading the Bible, and allowing God to refill our empty hearts with His love, joy, and peace!

Ask Jesus to Capture Your “Foxes”

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  The Shulamite had a problem in her vineyard described in Song of Solomon 2:15:  “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes [literally blossoms].”  She had foxes knocking the grape blossoms off her vines!  She asks Solomon, a type of our Lord Jesus, to capture the foxes so this won’t spoil the harvest of grapes any longer!  Are there any foxes in your vineyard?  What sins (wrong thoughts and behaviors) are spoiling the fruit, or grapes, in the vineyard of our hearts?  Do we have pride, bitterness, other sins, or bad habits?  Let us take these to Jesus to remove!  This is one way we can guard the vineyard of our hearts!

     Deuteronomy 22:9 (New International Version) gives Israel instruction from which we can learn:  “Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.”  So, God did not approve of cross-pollination of crops for the Jews.  We can glean a spiritual insight from this that God does not want us to sow both to the Spirit and sow to the flesh in the vineyards of our hearts.  Galatians 6:7-8 instructs us, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”  God does not want us to feed our spirits and also feed our carnal natures with worldy “fare”.  Guarding the vineyards of our hearts includes praying and feeding our spirits the Word of God, the Bible, worship and other Christian music, going to a good church that helps us grow spiritually, and involving ourselves in godly activities.  It also means that we starve our carnal nature from feeding on sinful thoughts, words, habits, hobbies, and actions.

“Arise, My Love, My Fair One, and Come Away”

     Solomon spoke the following words to the Shulamite, which give us another very good reason for guarding the vineyards of our hearts.  This passage is Jesus speaking the same words to our hearts in Song of Solomon 2:10-14:

     My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.  For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape [lit. blossom] give a good smell.  Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.  O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

Oh, for the glorious day when Jesus will tell His Church, made up of all true believers in Him, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away…”!!!  This will happen at the rapture of the Church described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18!  I have discussed this in other blogs.  What I want to point out to you now is that Jesus can give this invitation to our hearts even NOW!  He invites us to more glorious adventures in revelation of Him through the Bible, His Word!  Jesus declared in John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world.  He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  Communing with Jesus, who is Light, fills our hearts with light and dispels the darkness!  He will give us the light of life!  Psalm 119:130 tells us, “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”  Here we learn that reading the Bible, God’s words, gives us light.  It gives us understanding and helps us not to be simple, or naive.  John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  If we keep reading that chapter, we will clearly see that the Word described in this verse is Jesus!  Putting it all together, reading the Bible sheds light on Jesus, who is the Word of God!  Reading the Bible is one way we can guard the vineyard of our hearts!  Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?

     Looking at Song of Solomons 2:11 again, “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.”  Do you feel like you are in winter inside?  Is everything drab and bare in your heart and life?  Listen for the voice of your Beloved Lord Jesus, and He will bring you out of these winters and into the springtime of His life and love!  The ultimate winter being over is when Jesus takes us, His Church, up to the clouds when we leave earth behind and go to heaven to be with Him!  Until that happens, Jesus will change the seasons of winter with its coldness and hardships, trial and suffering, and will cause beauty and life to spring up within the vineyards of our hearts and our lives!  New revelations of Him will come!  We will experience new levels of joy!  Psalm 30:11-12 says, “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent.   O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever.”  God will turn our mourning into dancing!  We will praise God and not be silent!  We will give thanks to God!  New opportunities will be presented to us!  This is all symbolized by the fig tree putting forth her green figs, and the vines blossoming with a lovely fragrance!  For a second time, Jesus tells us, “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”  If God/Jesus repeats something, it is because it is especially important to Him!  I think it also demonstrates His excitement to delight us with new glorious revelations of Himself!

Jesus Longs to See Your Face and to Hear Your Voice!

Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  Let us look at Song of Solomon 2:14 again for another reason to do this:  “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.”  I love this verse!  It is such lovely inspiration to our hearts!  Jesus calls His faithful followers His “dove.”  He calls each of us individually His doves, as well!  A dove is a meek bird which chooses one mate for life and is utterly devoted to that one mate.  When Jesus is the only One we adore as God, as our Bridegroom, as our Brother, and as our Friend, then He sees us as His dove!  He sees us in the clefts of the Rock, hiding in Him from the pressures, strains, and hurts of life!  He sees us ascending the secret places of the stairs, step by step ascending closer to Him in heaven!  What is His opinion of us who are doing that?  He asks to see our countenances, to hear our voices!  Why?  Because He says our voices are sweet and our faces are comely, or lovely!”  My friend, if you are sold out to Jesus, this is how He sees you!!!  If you are not sold out to Jesus, you can repent right now and ask Him to make you right with Him!  When you sincerely follow Him, then He will long to see your face and hear your voice!  Even before you repent, He is longing to see your face and hear your voice and for you to become His beautiful dove!

     Jesus misses us when we are so busy, even so busy for Him!  He wants to see our faces and hear our voices talk to Him and praise Him!!!  He hungers for our company!!!  We need to set aside daily responsibilities and make time to be with our Beloved Jesus!

Let Us Humble Our Hearts Before Jesus and God the Father

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? Psalm 138:6 tells us, “For though the LORD is exalted, yet He regards the lowly; But the haughty He knows from afar.”  To have these wonderful experiences of getting caught up in Jesus’ glorious Presence and Word, we must first humble our hearts before Him.  Pride is a fox we can give Him so that we can draw near to Him, and He will draw near to us!  God will not get close to us if we are proud towards Him!

     I like to start each day by asking the Lord, “What are we going to do today?”  That is part of abiding in Jesus’ love, to do the whole day with Him, responsibilities, leisure, and most importantly, time alone with Him.

Jesus’ Advice to Get Closer to Him

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  Many of us want to do this.  We really yearn to know Jesus better!  The Shulamite longed to know Solomon better.  She is a type of us longing after Jesus.  She said in Song of Solomon 1:7, “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?”  Can you relate to this verse?  The Shulamite wanted to know where Solomon fed his sheep and made them to rest in the heat of the day.  She did not want to chase after other shepherds, Solomon’s friends.  Do you want to know where Jesus feeds His sheep and makes them rest in the burning heat of our trials?  Do you feel like you would rather get to know Jesus personally instead of only knowing pastors and mentors?

     Solomon gave the Shulamite an answer to her question.  He said in Song of Solomon 1:8, “If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherd’s tents.”  Hmmm.  He told her to hang around His companions, the other shepherds.  That is where she didn’t want to go!  Jesus tells us the same.  To get to know Him better, He advises us to hang around other shepherds, His friends, made up of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers as listed in Ephesians 4:11.  Anyone close to the Shepherd is His friend and can help mentor along a younger believer to know Jesus better.  Her longing to be intimate with Him spiritually is commendable!  However, Jesus deems it beneficial for her to remain in fellowship with other believers who are His friends and keep His commandments.

     It is popular today for many who have been hurt by churches to stay at home alone with Jesus/God and not to fellowship with other believers.  My friends, Jesus knows that fellowshipping with other true believers in addition to our wonderful times alone with Him is the best way for us to grow closer to Him.  Psalm 133 tells us the wonderful news:

     Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

We May Spend Seasons Alone with God for Just a Time

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  It is true that sometimes God calls us to spend some protracted time alone with Him as Paul did in Galatians 1:15-17:  “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace, To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.”  God may have us in seasons of seeking Him alone for a time.  In the next verse in Galatians, verse 18, Paul says, “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.”  Paul did not stay in isolation.

     Sometimes we may find we need a season to isolate ourselves to be healed from wounds we received in church.  However, God does want us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together permanently.  Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”  God wants us to meet together with His friends to exhort one another and help us to guard the vineyard of our hearts.

Warnings to Church Leaders

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  Are you guarding God’s vineyard, the Church of Jesus Christ?  Isaiah 5:1-7 tells us that God’s people Israel are His delightful vineyard and what He will do to those who oppress them.  Jeremiah 12:10-11 tells us the sobering commentary from God, “Many pastors have destroyed, they have trodden My portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.  They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.”  Herein is a caution not only to Israel’s leaders, but also to the Church’s leaders, not to abuse God’s people, His vineyard!  Are you someone whom a church leader has trodden underfoot and made you a desolate wilderness?  Are you mourning to God because of those who just don’t care, who don’t lay it to heart?  God sees your broken, desolate heart!  He will cause beauty to spring again from the vineyard of your heart if you bring to Him your brokenness and barrenness!  In Isaiah 35:2, He is the One who said, “[The desert] shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing….”  Just as Israel’s barren land was prophesied to blossom abundantly, your barren heart will blossom abundantly, and you will rejoice even with joy and singing!

      Here are some passages cautioning spiritual leaders to treat His people, His vineyard, well:  Matthew 20:1-16, Matthew 21:28-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-18.  I encourage church leaders to read those passages.

Without Abiding in Jesus’ Love, We Wither Up

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  We looked at some of John chapter 15 and the benefits of abiding in Jesus, the vine.  We learn other reasons to abide in the vine, a form of guarding the vineyard of our hearts.  Jesus advises us in verses 1-8 of that chapter,

     I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.  If ye abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.

Jesus is the vine, and we Christians are His branches.  If we don’t bear fruit, He will take away our branch as far as His purpose in fruit-bearing goes.  If we bear fruit, He will purge us, or prune us, to make us more fruitful.  That is the same as His capturing the foxes in our vineyard.  Jesus’ words make us clean.  Again, He enjoins us to abide in Him because we cannot produce any fruit unless we do!  We can do nothing without Him!  If we abide in Him and His love, we will bring forth much fruit that came from Him as the vine!  If a man doesn’t abide in Him, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered.  Have you felt like that sometimes?  Just burnt out, lacking God’s love, withered?  I sure have!  That is why we must guard the vineyard of our hearts and spend time alone with Him again which will help us to abide in Him and His love!  If we do this, God will grant our prayer requests that are according to His will as revealed in the Bible!  If we bear much fruit, we glorify our wonderful Heavenly Father!  This is how we are Jesus’ disciples!

A Sober Warning to Us Christians

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  Luke 13:6-9 tells us a parable of Jesus:

     He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.  Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?  And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

This passage refers to Jesus’ ministry while He was on earth physically to Israel.  Israel’s leaders rejected their Messiah, Jesus; and consequently, the nation of Israel was “cut down” in A.D. 70 when Rome destroyed it, and Israel ceased to be a nation until 1948.  However, I want to look at how this is a warning to us Christians.  God planted a “fig tree” in the vineyard of our hearts.  Are we bearing fruit?  He is fertilizing our hearts to bring forth fruit.  Are we producing figs?  If we are still barren after much of God’s ministry to us, God may leave us alone to our own devices until we sincerely surrender our hearts to Him!  We may be cut off from helping to bring His kingdom to earth now.  May we cry out to Him today to make us fruitful!

A Good Prayer to Pray

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  David in the Bible offers us a good prayer to pray in Psalm 139:23-24:  “Search me, O God, and know my heart:  try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Jesus Invites Us to Sup with Him!

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  Jesus invites anyone, including His people in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”  Jesus stands at the door of the vineyard of your heart.  He is knocking for entrance.  Pray to hear His voice and open the door to Him!  He will come into you and sup with you, and you with Him!  He will call you to come away with Him to new heights of glorious revelation of Himself!  He will call you to a deeper oneness with Him as you abide in Him and He abides in you!  Your heart will be a fruitful vineyard for Him, your Beloved Solomon!

     Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?  We learn another thing about the vineyard of our hearts from the Shulamite in Song of Solomon 8:11-12: 

Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.  My vineyard, which is mine, is before me:  thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

Those who tended Solomon’s vineyards were to bring him a thousand pieces of silver.  The Shulamite gave Solomon her thousand; and those who helped her tend her garden, also Solomon’s garden, she paid two hundred pieces of silver.  We see here that God deserves the very best of our love and devotion!  We are inspired here to love and serve Him far more than anyone else in our lives!  He is worthy of our deepest praise and worship!!!

Send me your prayer requests on the contact form on the Contact page!

Contact – Bride Of Jesus Ministry

Here is a poem I wrote about spending precious time alone with Jesus.  It is #3 in my poetry booklet The Bridegroom and His Bride:  a collection of poems based on the Song of Songs [Song of Solomon]:

Make Time With Me

Make time with Me and I’ll come in

Make room for Me within your inn

Put chores aside though they may pile

Sit at My feet and learn awhile

Push entertainment far from thee

I am refreshment that you need

Redeem the time in evil days

I’m calling you, “Please come away”

I’m drawing you, run after Me!

Delightful beauty you will see!

I leap on mountains, skip on hills

I’ll make your feet, too, like gazelles’

Throw off the ankle weights of sin

And run the race so you will win

To be rewarded with the prize

You have to daily exercise

So, turn your eyes upon My face

And daily look to Me for grace

Whate’er you need, I’ll give to you

I’ll help you in all you go through

Your strength is small, you’re weak indeed

But I am all you’ll ever need

Just lay your head upon My breast

I’ll take your cares and give you rest

Deny yourself and sin you see

Take up your cross and follow Me

For if you choose to heed My call

You must surrender to Me all

Consider rubbish everything

That you may share My suffering

To know My resurrection power

And feel My presence every hour

If you would find, forget the clock

You’ll also find Me with My flock

I’ll show you what to do each day

My holy footprints lead the way

Pursue with all your heart and might

And call My Sabbath a delight

The hungry feed, to poor reach out

I’ll satisfy your soul in drought

Then you shall cry and I will hear

I’ll wipe your tears and say, “I’m here”

You’ll be a garden without ail

Your spring of water will not fail

Fight not as one who beats the air

Do not be caught with worldly cares

But in My righteousness be found

You’ll win an everlasting crown

Here is a link to this poetry booklet:

The Bridegroom and His Bride – Bride Of Jesus Ministry

A song I wrote about this matter is “You’re The Reason.”  Click on the link below and then Song #8 on My Music page to hear it:

My Music – Bride Of Jesus Ministry

Here is a precious song “Garden” by Kelly Willard.  The concept of our being a garden is similar to our hearts being a vineyard:

Love this one by Sara Groves, “How Is It Between Us”.

Here is a wonderful song by Danny Gokey called “More Than You Think I Am”:

Here is another wonderful song, “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again”.  This is Danny Gokey’s version of Randy Phillips song:

Here is a beloved song I grew up with called “Fill My Cup, Lord”:

     Do you have a wounded spirit?  Do you sometimes feel all alone in the world with no human on earth to listen or comfort you in your sorrows?  Has someone said or done something to you that plunged you into a dark cloud of confusion?  And if you try to explain what you are feeling to others, they either don’t understand what you are saying, just plain don’t care, or change the subject?  Do you feel like you’re hanging on by a thread, and living takes difficult effort?

God Is the Only One Who Fully Understands Us

     When we have a wounded spirit, God is the only one who fully understands.  People just can’t be there for us as fully as we need.  Proverbs 18:14 (King James Version of the Bible) says, “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?”  How many of you would agree with me that you would rather have a flu than a wounded spirit?  If you are full of faith, cheerful, and “under the weather”, it is not as difficult as being spiritually wounded!

     Do you have a wounded spirit?  Many things can wound us.  Angry, hurtful words.  False accusations.  Condemning comments from the devil or people.  Loving someone more than they love you.  The pressure to perform.  The list goes on.

Jesus Came to Send Us a Sword, but You Are Never Alone!

     If you draw very close to God, you will find that less and less people understand you and support you.  I do not say this to discourage you from getting close to God because He is the One who loves you the most!!!  Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:34-36, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”  I share this only because maybe something like this has already happened to you.  Even those who love us can at times persecute us when we step out into a new spiritual calling or revelation of the Lord.  I hope this scripture passage comforts you and explains to you what is happening when Jesus’ sword comes to your relationships.  While others’ persecution and/or misunderstanding and the resulting division cause pain, the comfort comes in knowing that you are in God’s will, and He is with you!  You are never alone!!!

     The apostle Paul felt left alone and forsaken by people.  He said in 2 Timothy 4:16-17,

     At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.  Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.  And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

All men forsook Paul, and He prayed for God to show them mercy for that.  Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with him and strengthened him that he might fulfill his calling to preach to all the Gentiles.  God even delivered him from the lion’s mouth!  He claimed that the Lord would deliver him from every evil work and would preserve him unto His heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory for ever and ever!  Amen!  If all forsake you, pray for mercy for those people.  The Lord will stand with you and strengthen you that you might fulfill your calling, too!  He will deliver you from the devil who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour!  First Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same affliction are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

     Paul also said in 2 Corinthians 12:15, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.”  Can anyone relate to that scripture?  I sure can!  Praise God for our loving Lord who stands with us and strengthens us during times like these!

God Can Bring You “Jonathans”

     God can also bring others to you like He brought Jonathan to encourage David before he became King!  First Samuel 23:15-17 tells us, “And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.  And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.  And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.”  God can send you people, “Jonathans”, who strengthen your hand in God and pray for you!

     A best friend of mine shared years ago that getting closer to God and escaping the fleshly nature is like a crab trying to climb out of a bucket.  Family members can be like crabs trying to pull you back into the bucket!

Not Everyone Will Openly Support You, But You Will Get More Rooted in God

     You may even find that a family member will support you secretly like Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night so no one else would know His loyalty to Jesus.  John 3:1-2 says, “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher came from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”  Thank God that He is with us even when others don’t take a public stand to support us!  These kinds of trials help us to get more rooted in God and His approval, like a tree being buffeted by winds will dig its roots deeper in the soil.  All our trials, even a wounded spirit, have a good purpose!

Weeping May Endure for a Night, But Joy Comes in the Morning!

     Do you have a wounded spirit?  It will not last forever.  Psalm 30:5 gives us the wonderful promise, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  You may be in a darkest night in your heart and life.  You may be in a trial so very painful!  However, God will not keep you in this trial forever!  When you put your trust in God, joy is on the way!  John 8:12 tells us, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  What a promise, my friends!  Someone may have spoken words that just plunged you into darkness!  But hold onto Jesus, who is the Light of God, and read His Word, the Bible.  He will shine His light into your dark situation and bring the clarity of His love back to your heart!  You will have the light of life again!

The True God and the True Jesus Love You the Most and Are on Your Side!

     Remember, the true God and the true Jesus are the Ones who love you the most!  They are on your side!  They care about all your heartaches, sicknesses, and trials!  They will help you if you look to them as your Rock!  Psalm 56:9-11 offers us this hope:  “When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.  In God will I praise His Word: in the LORD will I praise His Word.  In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.”  No matter what someone said or did to you, if you follow God and Jesus, then God will heal you!  He will give you victory over your enemies, including the devil!  God is for you!   Psalm 18:31 tells us, “For who is God besides the LORD?  And who is the Rock except our God?”  God is your Rock, my friends, if you put your trust in Him!  He is your oasis and shelter in the storm!

Your Trials Will Not Destroy You

     Do you have a wounded spirit?  Second Corinthians 4:8-18 offers us this helpful advice:

     We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.  For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.  So then death worketh in us, but life in you.  We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore speak; knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.  For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

     Are you troubled on every side?  You do not have to be distressed if you trust in God!  Are you perplexed?  You don’t have to be in despair!  Are you persecuted?  You are not forsaken by God!  Are you cast down?  You will not be destroyed!  God allows these trials to put to death our fleshly natures so that the refreshing and fragrant life of Jesus will be made manifest in our mortal bodies!  Through the daily “deaths” we die in our trials, we can bring life and encouragement to others as God gives us His life and encouragement!  I hope I am doing that right now!  As we read the Bible and God’s promises, we get faith about what God is going to do for us.  Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  That is one important reason why it is so important to read the Bible!  We are told above that God gives us all things through His abundant grace which causes us to thank God and glorify Him.  Because of this, we don’t faint.  Though our outward man perish–that is, they age and die–yet the inward man is renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!  My friends, our heart-wrenching trials may not seem like “light affliction” to us sometimes; but from God’s perspective they ARE light afflictions!  Best of all, God will use them to give us glory; and they will go away soon!  We can believe God’s Word has more authority than our feelings, as important as they are!

We Look Not at the Things Which Are Seen, but at the Things Which Are Unseen

     Okay, so here’s the part I’m asking God to help me with:  “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal [temporary]; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  It’s hard not to notice the “things which are seen” when they are in our faces every day discouraging us!  However, our hope comes from looking, or thinking, about the “things which are not seen”, such as the unconditional love of God and all His promises, including seeing Jesus face to face and going to heaven!  When we meditate on our trials, it brings us down.  When we meditate on the Lord and His goodness, it lifts us up!  Those trials are temporary!  Again, they WILL GO AWAY!

God Will Heal Your Wounded Spirit with His Truth and Dispel the Lies

     Do you have a wounded spirit?  Bring your heart to God.  He will heal you like no other can!  He will tell you the truth about Himself that dispels the lies!  John 14:6 tells us, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”  I want to point out here that Jesus is the Truth!  The devil will tell you lies.  People will speak lies to you that the devil inspired them to say.  These lies will weigh your heart down with rejection and condemnation.  However, the Lord will reveal His Word, the Bible, to you and lift these lies right back off of you every time!  He loves you so very much and cares about all your heartaches and trials!  First Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.”  Cast all your care upon God!  He cares for you and understands you perfectly!

The Glory of the Lord Will Be Risen Upon You!

     Do you have a wounded spirit?  Israel and us are offered this wonderful promise about our future in Isaiah 60:1, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.”  My friends, hang onto God and Jesus!  Glory awaits you!  Even now, He will fill you with His glory incrementally!  Second Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”  As you gaze upon the glory of the Lord in the Bible and in your spirit, you will be changed into the same image from glory to glory!  Your wounded spirit will be healed!!!

You Are Headed for Victory!  You Will Help Others!

     You, my fellow follower of God and Jesus, are headed for victory!  You are on the winning side!  Second Corinthians 2;14-16a says, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish; to the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life….”  God will always cause you to triumph in Christ!  He will fill you with the savor of His knowledge so that you can share it with others!    Those who are on the flesh’s and the devil’s side will find you a savor of death.  However, those who are hungry for God will find you a savor of life!  God will heal your wounded spirit because He loves you!  He will also use your healed spirit to help others get healed, too!

     Please send me a message on my Contact page how I can pray for you, including if you have a wounded spirit!  I hope to be your “Jonathan”! 🙂  Here is the link to the Contact Page:

Contact – Bride Of Jesus Ministry

     Here is a poem I wrote when I had a wounded spirit in the past.  God told me, “Empty your pain.”  I picked up a pen, and this is what came out:

5.  Jesus, I Come

Jesus, I come to Your beautiful face

Needing to feel now Your loving embrace

Your tender compassion; Your deep, precious care

Your gentle, sweet presence which always is there

Into Your secret place now I do come

Praying Your holy will for me be done

Pour in my wounds Your pure oil and wine

Hold me and tell me again, “You are Mine”

For when I went searching to find You once more

The watchmen mistook me, they thought me a whore

They thought I was wandering in search of some sin

When really I panted for You from within

A deer, I was hunted and in deep distress

Needing Your water and still, peaceful rest

O, come to my rescue and do not delay

Save me from lions and take me away!

Call me to come to Your mountain so fair

Love me and comfort me, refresh me there

Take me from winter and bring me to spring

Blossom the flowers and cause me to sing

Turn now my darkness to beautiful day

Rise in my heart, chase the shadows away

Wash me and cleanse me from selfishness, pride

Clothe me and make me Your glorious bride

Turn all my mourning to laughter and joy

Make me a planting for You to enjoy

Anoint me a priest and a servant to You

Change all the pain and the grief I went through

Into a way I may know You yet more

And comfort the sorrowful, thirsty, and poor

To listen so patiently, to understand

As You live through me and reach out Your hand

May I embrace all the weary and worn

Bandage their wounds as they also were scorned

Take to the inn to recover and rest

As they learn also to lean on Your breast

Savior, our Comforter, King, and our Friend

Draw us all to You and keep to the end

You can find this poem, #5, and other poems in The Bridegroom and His Bride: a collection of poems based on the Song of Songs.  Here is the link:

The Bridegroom and His Bride – Bride Of Jesus Ministry

I also highly recommend you read two poems from another poetry booklet I wrote.  They are #10, “A Needy Child Loved Totally”, and #13, “As We Gaze In His Eyes” found in Journey To The Promised Land.  Here is the link:

Journey To The Promised Land – Bride Of Jesus Ministry 

This catchy song sung by Mandisa called “Leave It In The Valley” really encourages me when I have a wounded spirit or am struggling with trials:

Here is a beautiful, touching song by Shannon (Wexelberg) Adducci that will encourage you while you wait on God for answers to prayer: