But let all who take refuge in you rejoice...

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

    let them ever sing for joy,

and spread your protection over them,

    that those who love your name may exult in you.

For you bless the righteous, O Lord;

    you cover him with favor as with a shield.

-Psalm 5:11-12

The blessed and inviting truth is that God is the most winsome of all beings and in our worship of Him we should find unspeakable pleasure.   -A.W. Tozer

You did not choose me, but I chose you...

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. -John 15:16 Image

“A soul filled with large thoughts of the Vine will be a strong branch, and will abide confidently in Him. Be much occupied with Jesus, and believe much in Him, as the True Vine.”  ―Andrew Murray

I Will Wait For You (Psalm 130)

 

 I Will Wait For You (Psalm 130)

Jordan Kauflin

Verse 1

Out of the depths I cry to You

In darkest places I will call

Incline Your ear to me anew

And hear my cry for mercy Lord

Verse 2

Were You to count my sinful ways

How could I come before Your throne

Yet full forgiveness meets my gaze

I stand redeemed by grace alone

Chorus

I will wait for You

I will wait for You

On Your word, I will rely

I will wait for You

Surely wait for You

'Til my soul is satisfied

Verse 3

So put your hope in God alone

Take courage in His pow’r to save

Completely and forever won

By Christ emerging from the grave

Chorus

Verse 4

Now He has come to make a way

And God Himself has paid the price

That all who trust in Him today

Find healing in His sacrifice

Tag

That all who trust in Him today

Find healing in His sacrifice

Chorus

Chorus 2

I will wait for You

I will wait for You

Through the storm and through the night

I will wait for You

Surely wait for You

For Your love is my delight

For the invasion of my soul by Thy Holy Spirit...

You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. -2 Corinthians 2:2-3 Image

For the invasion of my soul by Thy Holy Spirit:

For all human love and goodness that speak to me of Thee:

For the fullness of Thy glory outpoured in Jesus Christ

I give Thee thanks, O God.    

-John Baillie

Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God...

And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. -1 John 3:23-24  Image

A genuine Christian should be a walking mystery because he surely is a walking miracle. Through the leading and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Christian is involved in a daily life and habit that cannot be explained.  -A.W. Tozer

“Ask, and it will be given to you..."

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! -Matthew 7:7-11

Such is our dependence upon God that we are obliged not only to do everything for His sake, but also to seek from Him the very power. This happy necessity of having recourse to Him in all our wants, instead of being grievous to us, should be our greatest consolation. What a happiness is it, that we are allowed to speak to Him with confidence, to open our hearts and hold familiar conversation with him by prayer! He Himself invites us to it.  -François Fénelon

For his anger is but for a moment...

For his anger is but for a moment,

    and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

    but joy comes with the morning.

-Psalm 30:5

We who live in this nervous age would be wise to meditate on our lives and our days long and often before the face of God and on the edge of eternity. For we are made for eternity as surely as we are made for time, and as responsible moral beings we must deal with both.  -A.W. Tozer

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes...

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;

    and I will keep it to the end.

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law

    and observe it with my whole heart.

Lead me in the path of your commandments,

    for I delight in it.

Incline my heart to your testimonies,

    and not to selfish gain!

 -Psalm 119:33-36

A loving Personality dominates the Bible...

When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” -Luke 24:30-32 Image

A loving Personality dominates the Bible, walking among the trees of the garden and breathing fragrance over every scene. Always a living Person is present, speaking, pleading, loving, working, and manifesting himself whenever and wherever his people have the receptivity necessary to receive the manifestation.  -A.W. Tozer

Holy Forever

 

Holy Forever 

CeCe Winans

A thousand generations 

Falling down in worship

To sing the song of ages to the Lamb

And all who've gone before us 

And all who will believe

Will sing the song of ages to the Lamb

Your name is the highest

Your name is the greatest

Your name stands above them all

All thrones and dominions

All powers and positions

Your name stands above them all

And the angels cry, Holy

All creation cries, Holy

You are lifted high, Holy

Holy forever

If you've been forgiven 

And if you've been redeemed

Sing the song forever to the Lamb

If you walk in freedom 

And if you bear His name

Sing the song forever to the Lamb

We'll sing the song forever and amen

And the angels cry, Holy

All creation cries, Holy

You are lifted high, Holy

Holy forever

Hear Your people sing, Holy

To the King of Kings, Holy

You will always be, Holy

Holy forever

Your name is the highest

Your name is the greatest

Your name stands above them all

All thrones and dominions

All powers and positions

Your name stands above them all

Jesus

Your name is the highest

Your name is the greatest

Your name stands above them all 

Above all thrones and dominions

All powers and positions

Your name stands above them all

And the angels cry, Holy

All creation cries, Holy

You are lifted high, Holy

Holy forever 

Hear Your people sing, Holy

To the King of Kings, Holy 

You will always be, Holy

Holy forever

You will always be, Holy

Holy forever

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness...

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. -Romans 8:26-27

It is not necessary to maintain a conversation when we are in the presence of God. We can come into His presence and rest our weary souls in quiet contemplation of Him. Our groanings, which cannot be uttered, rise to Him and tell Him better than words how dependent we are upon Him.   -O. Hallesby

Jesus! Where’er Thy people meet...

Jesus! Where’er Thy people meet,

There they behold Thy mercy-seat;

Where’er they seek Thee, Thou art found,

And every place is hallow’d ground.

 

Dear Shepherd of Thy chosen few!

Thy former mercies here renew;

Here to our waiting hearts proclaim

The sweetness of Thy saving name.

    -William Cowper Image

“I will make with them a covenant of peace..."

“I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them a renowned place for planting so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. -Ezekiel 34:25-29

What we have been told is how we men can be drawn into Christ—can become part of that wonderful present which the young Prince of the universe wants to offer to His Father—that present which is Himself and therefore us in Him. It is the only thing we were made for. And there are strange, exciting hints in the Bible that when we are drawn in, a great many other things in Nature will begin to come right. The bad dream will be over: it will be morning.-C.S. Lewis

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses...

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  -Hebrews 12:1-2 Image

We get our moral bearings by looking at God. We must begin with God. We are right when, and only when, we stand in a right position relative to God, and we are wrong so far and so long as we stand in any other position.-A.W. Tozer

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me...

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:12-13

Faith is to the soul what life is to the body. Prayer is to faith what breath is to the body. How a person can live and not breathe is past my comprehension, and how a person can believe and not pray is past my comprehension too. -J.C. Ryle

When you walk through fire you shall not be burned...

When you pass through the waters, 

I will be with you;

    and through the rivers, 

they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire 

you shall not be burned,

    and the flame shall not consume you.

-Isaiah 43:2

Image

As sure as ever God puts his children in the furnace, 

He will be in the furnace with them.  -CH Spurgeon

Your Word Endures

 

Your Word Endures 

 Sovereign Grace Music

VERSE 1

Your Word, O God, endures, 

unbound and never-changing 

Your promises are sure, Your purposes unfailing 

You speak and earth and heaven shake, 

oceans roar, stars awake

VERSE 2 

Your Word, O God, endures, 

it binds the broken-hearted 

With riches for the poor and light for those in darkness

You speak and free the captive slave,

dead are raised from the grave

CHORUS

Your word is forever, holds all things together 

Your heart revealed with mercy unreserved 

Your Word, O God, endures

VERSE 3

Your Word, O God, endures 

revealing your salvation

It sanctifies your church through every generation

You speak and we behold Your Son, 

Word made flesh, God with us

CHORUS

Your word is forever, holds all things together 

Your heart revealed with mercy unreserved 

Your word is forever, our joy and our treasure  

Your matchless works and wisdom seen and heard 

Your Word, O God, endures

Your Word, O God, endures

The spiritual life is a stern choice...

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18

The spiritual life is a stern choice. It is not a consoling retreat from the difficulties of existence, but an invitation to enter fully into that difficult existence, and there apply the Charity of God and bear the cost.  -Evelyn Underhill

For the grace of God has appeared...

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. -Titus 2:11-14

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name...

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

    bring an offering and come before him!

Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

     tremble before him, all the earth;

    yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,

    and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

    let the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy

    before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    for his steadfast love endures forever!

     -1 Chronicles 16:28-34

So we do not lose heart...

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.    -2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth..."

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

-Isaiah 55:9-12

Trust in the Lord, and do good...

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

    trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

    and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

    over the man who carries out evil devices!

 -Psalm 37:3-7

Lead Us To Repentance

Lead Us To Repentance

Sovereign Grace Music 

VERSE 1

Lord, where can we hide? 

There’s nothing hidden from Your sight

You know every heart, 

You’ve seen the depths of who we are 

But when our shame says “run,” 

Your mercy calls us home

CHORUS

Lead us to repentance, make us know Your presence

Even when we fall, You are never far    

Draw us with your kindness, with You there’s forgiveness

Condemnation’s gone, all the work is done, lead us to repentance

VERSE 2

There’s no greater love, our Savior bled and died for us  

Guilty ones are dressed in Jesus’ perfect righteousness 

So when we go astray, Lord, give us grace to pray

CHORUS

Lead us to repentance, make us know Your presence

Even when we fall, You are never far    

Draw us with your kindness, with You there’s forgiveness

Condemnation’s gone, all the work is done, 

lead us to repentance

BRIDGE

Father, Your lovingkindness never has failed to find us

You have been patient with us, You always will be 

Father, Your lovingkindness never has failed to find us

You have been patient with us, You always will be    

CHORUS

Lead us to repentance, make us know Your presence

Even when we fall, You are never far    

Draw us with your kindness, with You there’s forgiveness

Condemnation’s gone, all the work is done, 

lead us to repentance

“Seek the Lord while he may be found..."

“Seek the Lord while he may be found;

    call upon him while he is near;

 let the wicked forsake his way,

    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, 

that he may have compassion on him,

    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

    and do not return there but water the earth,

  making it bring forth and sprout,

    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

    it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

     -Isaiah 55:6-11

Receive therefore every day as a resurrection from death...

O Lord, our Lord,

    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

    to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

    and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower 

than the heavenly beings

    and crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him dominion 

over the works of your hands;

    you have put all things under his feet,

all sheep and oxen,

    and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,

    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

-Psalm 8 Image

Receive therefore every day as a resurrection from death, as a new enjoyment of life; meet every rising sun with such sentiments of God’s goodness, as if you had seen it, and all things, new-created upon your account: and under the sense of so great a blessing, let your joyful heart praise and magnify so good and glorious a Creator.   -William Law

The wonder of the life of Jesus is this...

The wonder of the life of Jesus is this—and you will find it so and you have found it so if you have ever taken your New Testament and tried to make it the rule of your daily life—that there is not a single action that you are called upon to do of which you need be, of which you will be, in any serious doubt for ten minutes as to what Jesus Christ, if He were here, Jesus Christ being here, would have you do under those circumstances and with the materials upon which you are called to act.  -Phillips Brooks

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance...

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ -Revelation 3:10-13

And I will give you a new heart...

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.  -Ezekiel 36:25-27 

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak...

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,

    for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;

    but let them not turn back to folly.

Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,

    that glory may dwell in our land.

-Psalm 85:8-9

God is always speaking; He is never still. Just as in prayer it is not we who momentarily catch His attention but He ours, so when we fail to hear His voice it is not because He is not speaking so much as that we are not listening. 

-Charles H. Brent

Hymn Of Heaven

 

  Hymn Of Heaven

Phil Wickham

How I long to breathe the air of Heaven

Where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets

To look upon the one who bled to save me

And walk with Him for all eternity

There will be a day

When all will bow before Him

There will be a day

When death will be no more

Standing face to face

With He who died and rose again

Holy holy is the Lord

Every prayer we prayed in desperation

The songs of faith 

We sang through doubt and fear

In the end we’ll see that it was worth it

When He returns to wipe away our tears

There will be a day

When all will bow before Him

There will be a day

When death will be no more

Standing face to face

With He who died and rose again

Holy holy is the Lord

On that day we join the resurrection 

And stand beside the heroes of the faith

With one voice a thousand generations

Sing worthy is the Lamb who was slain

On that day we join the resurrection 

And stand beside the heroes of the faith

With one voice a thousand generations

Sing worthy is the Lamb who was slain

Forever He shall reign

So let it be today 

We shout the hymn of Heaven

With angels and the Saints 

We raise a mighty roar

Glory to our God 

Who gave us life beyond the grave

Holy holy is the Lord

Holy holy is the Lord

Holy holy is the Lord

So let it be today 

We shout the hymn of Heaven

With angels and the Saints 

We raise a mighty roar

Glory to our God 

Who gave us life beyond the grave

Holy holy is the Lord

Holy holy is the Lord

Holy holy is the Lord

Good and upright is the Lord...

Good and upright is the Lord;

    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

He leads the humble in what is right,

    and teaches the humble his way.

All the paths of the Lord 

are steadfast love and faithfulness,

    for those who keep his covenant 

and his testimonies.

 -Psalm 25:8-10

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly...

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

-Colossians 3:12-17

And every one of us is a temple of God...

The Temple of Solomon was absolutely surrendered to God when it was dedicated to Him. And every one of us is a temple of God, in which God will dwell and work mightily on one condition—absolute surrender to Him. God claims it, God is worthy of it, and without it God cannot work His blessed work in us. God not only claims it, but God will work it Himself...

...Come and cast this self-life and flesh-life at the feet of Jesus. Then trust Him. Do not worry yourselves with trying to understand all about it, but come in the living faith that Christ will come into you with the power of His death and the power of His life; and then the Holy Spirit will bring the whole Christ - Christ crucified and risen and living in glory - into your heart.    -Andrew Murray  Image

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace...

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. -Hebrews 4:15-16 Image

Above all, beware of letting go the spirit of peace because of your faults. Humble yourself before God because of them, repent, make such reparation for them as you are able, and then do not dwell upon them any more. It is often mere pride which frets at finding itself beset by the same often renewed faults, and at its lack of spiritual progress. Do not deceive yourself into the belief that such disquiet is humility. A really humble soul accepts its faults with patience, and goes afresh on in confidence and hope. -Jean Nicolas Grou

Trust in the Lord, and do good...

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

    trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

    and your justice as the noonday.

-Psalm 37:3-6

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him...

Behold, the eye of the Lord 

is on those who fear him,

    on those who hope in his steadfast love,

that he may deliver their soul from death

    and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him,

    because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, 

O Lord, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.

-Psalm 33:18-22

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God Is Faithful

 

God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)

Sovereign Grace Music

VERSE 1

God brought out His people with a strong and mighty hand

Took them out of slavery to behold the Promised Land

Mountains fled before them and the seas turned back and ran

And they saw that He was good

 

CHORUS 1

God is faithful to His promise

He is with us, He is with us

God is faithful, God is faithful to His own

 

VERSE 2

God has come to free us from the bondage of our sin

Tasting of His kindness we cannot go back again

Leads us through the desert to the rivers of His grace

Working all things for our good

VERSE 3

We have known Your mercy and Your love as in the past

If days be few or many You will guide us to the last

You have said it, we believe it, every promise holding fast

For we know that You are good

 

CHORUS 2

God is faithful to His promise

He is with us, He is with us

God is faithful, God is faithful to His own

You are faithful to Your promise, 

You are with us, You are with us

You are faithful, You are faithful to Your own

“Beware of manufacturing a God of your own..."

“Beware of manufacturing a God of your own: a God who is all mercy, but not just; a God who is all love, but not holy; a God who has a heaven for every body, but a hell for none; a God who can allow good and bad to be side by side in time, but will make no distinction between good and bad in eternity. Such a God is an idol of your own, as truly an idol as any snake or crocodile in an Egyptian temple. The hands of your own fancy and sentimentality have made him. He is not the God of the Bible, and beside the God of the Bible there is no God at all." ...JC Ryle

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom 

and knowledge of God! 

How unsearchable are his judgments 

and how inscrutable his ways!

 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,

    or who has been his counselor?”

 “Or who has given a gift to him

    that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him

 and to him are all things. 

To him be glory forever. Amen. 

-Romans 11:33-36

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  -1 Peter 1:3-5