A Free Heart

I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, LORD; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding. Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.
Psalm 119:30-39

As a Christian, God sets our heart free from sin, distractions, and anything we put above God. The only reason we can obey God is because he frees us.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
This author is talking about anything we have above God. Since this author is talking about something bad. I get this idea because it's something that this person wants remove. Of course, it doesn't need to be bad, it could be something that gets in his way and the author feels he would be better off without this worthless thing. And by reading the earlier verses "Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart." This guy has already said he wants to follow God's rules. I think it makes sense to think that he's talking about something bad, or something that's not bad in itself, but it was getting in his way of worshiping God. 
I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding...Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
God sets our heart free. Our heart is imprisoned by sin and guilt, but God sets us free from that. Even before before God sent Jesus to die for us, he still gave people the option of having a free heart. God wants you to have a free heart too.
Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.
This author fears disgrace. He wants promises fulfilled and God to be feared. He says that God's laws are good. Every last one of them. I think the author of the song wants to make sure there is nothing between him and God. No fear, no sin. The author wants to make sure he's doing what's right.
Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
The song writer wants understanding, as we all should. If you ask for understanding or wisdom, God will give it to you (James 1:5). So if you lack wisdom, then ask God for it. That is one thing God will give you.

Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—they do no wrong but follow his ways...Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 199:2-3;5-11

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the LORD, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 
"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
Psalm 91


I've said before that christians lives are not going to be easy. You see, God implies that there will be difficult times, as he says, "I will be with him in trouble..." So there are times or trouble. It's easy to overlook those words and just think that life will be perfect. YES no harm or disaster will come near, YES you have an angel protecting you, but there WILL be trouble in your life.
My dictionary defines disaster as evilness or wrong doing. Ir's easy to take this psalm and say it's contradicting, but it's not. If disaster is something evil, God will not let evil be near you if you love God. But there will be trouble.
There's another part of this chapter to take into consideration. 


You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.


What does God consider wicked? Sin? If you sin God will punish you. If you sin, I THINK God considers you wicked, but I KNOW God will forgive you. SOME trails you might be going through are punishment, but NOT ALL! Some are troubles.

I will deliver him and honor him.


DELIVER being the key word. In this case, delivering is rescuing, to release or save. If God is to deliver you, there has to be a problem.
So throughout this chapter, there are clues that the christian life will be hard, but God will be there. God will save you.


You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday...For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.


Theses verse are the most miss leading. They can lead people to think that this chapter is contradicting. "You will not FEAR the terror of night..."
You will not be afraid of terror, but  there is terror. You will not FEAR the arrow, or the pestilence, or the plague. But it's there. You see God makes us courageous though we will not FEAR all these bad things, they will be there. If you " will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."" Then God will PROTECT you "his faithfulness will be your shield" and you will not fear. 


no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.


My dictionary also says disaster is misfortune, or bad luck. If God is testing you, is that bad luck? No! God is TEACHING you something. That is not bad luck! Disaster and hardships are different. VERY different! I already said harm is something evil or wrong. So have faith! God's faithfulness is what shields you from harm. Have faith that faithfulness will protect you! And don't let this Psalm fool you! God IS with you. God DOES shield you. God DOES deliver you when you pray. (He will call upon me, and I will answer him...)

The Road you're Driving on

Are you at one of life's potholes?

...Or a bump in the road. If your on a hill, there's always an easy way down, but God wants us to take the hard way. I find it rare when The road is smooth. When it's easy. 

The road is hardly ever pretty and when it's there, it doesn't last for long. 

No matter were you are right now, God will help you get through.

The reason we hardly get smooth roads is because that the only place we feel we need God. God wants us to rely on him, and it hard to do that if we think we've got what it takes. If your at a smooth place in life, be warned, that's when it's easiest to fall away from him. If your at a bump, or a pot hole, Satan will try to tell God's abandoned you, but I think it's easier to trust in God, because you can't see where the road is heading, but God is your GPS and he will tell you the right way to go, and if you trust in him, he might just let you have a clear picture and or a straight path, but whatever happens, just be faithful because God is in charge. God believes in you, he won't put you where you are right now unless he knew you can handle it. 

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.

Hebrews 4:10 (NIV)

Jesus has been where you are. He was human, he walked this earth. He felt pain and endured suffering. But he didn't sin. The fact that your not God means that your not perfect, but you must strive to be. God forgives you, but he wants you to do what's right.

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.

Nahum 1:3 (NIV)

He almighty and he will do what he wants.

Love is painful. If you love God, you have to strive to please him, you must be selfless and get to know God. You spend time with him and learn his ways...because you love him. 

Love calls calls you to do things you don't want to do. It calls you to step out of your comfort zone and serve. If you love God, you should strive to serve him. If you truly love God, you should WANT to do this.

The love of God

     The                                  LORD 

     Almighty                     has purposed 

        and  who can                 thwart him? His           

      hand is stretched           out, and who can

     turn it back? For in     love a throne will be 

     established; in faithfulness a man will it on 

    it--one from the house of David--one who

   in judging seeks justice and speeds the 

   cause of righteousness. Even the poor-

est of the poor will find pasture, 

and the needy will lie down 

in safety. Isaiah

14:17; 16:

5;14:30 

These verse are a good reminder of God's strength, and while the first verse was talking about how God punishes those who do wrong, it still communicates the same message to me, "God can do what he wants," and he doesn't need us to help him. But God loves us enough to establish a throne, "in love." And while we where still sinner, he died for us. Today is new years, and if you aren't a Christian, following Christ is the best resolution you could ever make. 

Have a wonderful year no matter where you are on the globe.

Welcome 2012!!!

Oh Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas! On this post, I want to tell you about the Christmas Tree. I have always thought of a Christmas tree being a lot like myself.

I try my best to grow in Jesus, and in the same way, a tree grows. Some people have fake Christmas trees, but I get a real tree. If a real one doesn't get water, it will shrivel up and look ugly. If Christians don't read the bible, while it will not effect their physical appearance, they will spiritually shrivel up.

But God wants us to be bright green, he wouldn't stop there, he wants to decorate us!

He wants to give us presents, lots that he will let us unwrap at the perfect time and he gives us lots of lights and  ornaments. And spiritual decoration is virtue and character because when people see virtue and kindness, they like it. It makes others wants to become Christians if they see people who have spiritual ornaments and lights, but they sure don't if all they see are shriveled up Christians. Make sure you keep your lights shining all season long, not just for Christmas. 

A higher focus

This week, I went to a camp that had this theme:
MY FOCUS NEEDS THE RIGHT FOCUS
And I learned a lot there. for example, I learned of a cool verse, a bunch actually, here is one:


Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1


That was the theme verse, but another one which I remind myself throughout the day is this one:


Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8

That camp taught me a lot, and all I want you to remember is to have the right focus, that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.

Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:1-3