What God Loves - Quick Word Study

What God Loves (Love, Loved, Loves)

 ....Love....

"The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, (Deuteronomy 7:7 NASB)

He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. (Deuteronomy 7:13 NASB)

Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them,  even you above all peoples, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 10:15 NASB)

He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. (Deuteronomy 10:18 NASB)

"He has brought me to his banquet hall,  And his banner over me is love. (Song of Solomon 2:4 NASB)

The Tale of Two Songs

Hi Beloveds...

I have two songs on my heart today and would like to share them with you.  Before I do that I would just like to reiterate the intent of this blog is healing and to help others know they are not alone.  I do not apologize for talking often about what I have gone through in my marriage and life.  If any of this helps to save one person or marriage then it is worth it.  Pain is real but there is healing and hope in God!  This is the true battlefield and real life examples help.

The first song on my heart is The Motions by Matthew West...

This song has a special place in my heart.  There was a time when my wife and I were seeing counselors at our church.  Things had been getting much better but then we hit a rough spot again.  In one of these sessions she came to the table with a heartfelt letter written to me.  This letter was full of pain.  I took it with the

Giving Him Pleasure - Quick Word Study

Giving Him pleasure...


Yet, the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and in the house of Judah, my father's house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. (1 Chronicles 28:4 NASB)

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;  No evil dwells with You. (Psalm 5:4 NASB)

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;  He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. (Psalm 147:10 NASB)

Pleasing To The Lord - Quick Word Study

Pleasing to the Lord...


Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. (1 Kings 3:7-10 NASB)

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;  I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him;  As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD. (Psalm 104:33-34 NASB)

Psalms In The Key Of Me #1

Father God I love you so much!

You know my heart.  You know my weaknesses.  You know even though I fall short I still try.  Thank you for loving me as I am.  Thank You for Your forgiveness, grace, and mercy.  I am Yours!

My heart is heavy today.  Please be with me.  My thoughts are with my wife.  Father God please be with her.  Please send your ministering angels out to comfort and care for her.  Bind up her heart and let Your love surround her.  I believe where I have failed as a husband You are shown to be strong.  I know You love her more than I ever could.  I want that for her Father God.  I want You to be her true lover.  I want so badly for her to be healed.  I know all things are possible though You.

Though I will never be able to see her heart as You do, as her husband I have seen much.  I have seen how much she loves You!  I believe You have intended her for great things.  Father, with any and all authority

War

"Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me." ~ Psalm 144:1-2 (NASB)

Beloveds...


Shortly after I published my last post I came extremely close to deleting it.  As I looked it over one last time I thought to myself...  "This has to be some of the worst writing you have ever done".  It was not the image I wanted to put forward.  My finger was on the button but then a smile came to my face.


You see, since I have decided to start writing again, I have been suffering from writer's block.  I have thousands of things to say but when I sit down to put them to screen I jam up.  I start over-thinking things, sacrificing the good for the perfect.  So I sat back and I said to myself, SCREW IT!  :)  What you see is what you get, an imperfect warrior who has a bleeding heart for God and has laid everything at His feet.


I heard His voice say,  "That post was written for someone, as is, and I am going to bless them with it".  If that happens to be you... bon appetit.  He loves you!

It boils down to this...  This is a war.  The enemy of your soul would like nothing better than to keep you

What is good? What is right?

Hi Beloveds,

I was thinking today about my life and all the challenges I have before me right now.  I was even starting to feel a little down on myself.  We all make mistakes.  Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is forgive ourselves.  I was experiencing this.  I was thinking about my wife and marriage.  I was thinking about all the mistakes I had made.   How I had left her vulnerable and our marriage in the condition it's in.  Though we have been separated and not had contact for a long time there are still mistakes I make even today that have an impact.  I hate that so much.

It gets easy to focus on the negative.  (I get in this place where I start to think of all the things I could do to make things better.  There in lies the rub.  It has never been about what I can do.  It has always been about what God can do.  The best I can do is passionately seek Him and submit to His will.)

As I mentioned I was in one of these moments this morning when God started to work on me.

He is so crafty!  I love it!  I Love how He knows His child.

I was remembering a moment my wife and I had before our separation.  We were still in a place where we were working on things.  She was moved out of the house and staying with friends but we were still talking on the phone.  At one point in one of these conversations I told her that I missed her.  She asked me "What

Back

Beloveds...

It's approaching a year now since the last time I have posted. I apologize for that. The truth of the matter is shortly after my last post I was dealt a heavy blow by the enemy in a longstanding spiritual battle for my family. To say it knocked me on my ass would be an understatement and I needed some time with God.

This blog was initially intended to be a place for me to vent and heal. (Everyone needs this. Everyone is broken in some way. I don't care how "perfect" your life might seem.) At the time I was struggling to save my marriage, desperately trying to find God's direction on how to be the man that He and my wife needed me to be. To cry out and bleed on paper, or screen as it may be, helped.

That struggle has continued for years. The level of spiritual warfare that has occurred is enough to make even the most hardened spiritual warrior wince. I would like to sit here and blame the devil for every bad thing that has happened to my marriage, but I can't. As I look back I see countless decisions I could have made differently. I see opportunities given to me by God and my wife. We make decisions. Decisions have consequences. I take full responsibility.

For me it felt a lot like the Natalie Grant song "Held"...

For a man who has wanted nothing more than from the age of 12 to be a husband and father it was devastating. 

Please hear me clearly. I know we serve a God of healing. A God who continually glorifies Himself through transforming that which is dead into something that is vibrant and alive. To this day I believe that level of

Gloves are off...

Things may get a little crazy around here. The proverbial gloves are coming off. I have for a long time wanted to use this blog as a form of ministry and to serve God’s people. I have decided the best way to do this is being raw and honest. We all face many of the same struggles, pains, and fears. Most of the time we wallow around in it to proud to ask for help. To embarrassed to acknowledge our struggles and sin. You will not find that here! We are going to operate under a James 5:16 mentality. We will struggle together to find God’s truth and use the Word as our sword (Hebrews 4:12).

I no longer wish to stand idly by watching the enemy kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). So I will share myself with you. I pray and believe He is going to find a way to use me to bless those who visit. I will not hold back any more though, there is too much at stake.

Some of the topics I would like to talk about might not be the most comfortable topics. Some embarrassing. Some painful. Rest assured of this… I will always do my best to be lead of God. I will always be gentle and walk in love.

With that being said…

House Rule 1: Author is fallible and flawed just like you. Confirm everything said here by the Holy Spirit and your own study of the word. If something I say doesn’t line up, go with God.

House Rule 2: We do not make a doctrine out of one. God’s Word is good, amazing, and it confirms itself. If we are going to call something a rock we will have multiple scriptures to back it up. We WILL NOT take a single scripture and twist it to fit our need! We will not make the Word say something it does not! This is the job of satan and we will not participate. NON NEGOTIABLE!

I am feeling in a way like this is a fresh launch. I am going to try and post more frequently. I have held back a little up to this point. There are personal reasons that at some point you will catch on to or will bluntly be shared.

With that, let me introduce myself… and my Husband…

Sidewalk Prophets – The Words I Would Say

This is such a great song. Amazing lyrics! I have also always been a sucker for live performances.

In the second of these two videos, the Fireproof montage, I especially like the final scene where the husband (Cameron) is leading the wife (Bethea) to the cross (Christ)! The symbolism is so simple, yet so beautiful and powerful. (As she hesitates at the end and he gently takes her hand and prompts her to take that last step, even with him.) I have to admit it gets me choked up a bit. I probably could / should do an entire post on that scene alone.

This is so funny...  you will never guess what time I am posting this...  That's right...  3:00AM!  No joke.  Not even planed.  Just looked at the clock...  I love God's sense of humor!  :)  Good night beloveds.