Heart – Page 25 – Praying Pint

Praise Him

“But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.”

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?“

Psalms 33:1 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

Psalms 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

Psalms 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalms 147:1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

Psalms 135:3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!

Isaiah 42:10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth

Psalms 98:1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Deuteronomy 5:28 “And the LORD heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

Psalms 106:12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.

Praising God, shouting for joy, singing a new song, being glad, rejoicing, and giving thanks are all actions that come from a heart and mind serving God with reverence, awe and wonder. We choose to do these actions and at the same time they are a natural outpouring of our soul to God for the great compassion and love He has shown and will continue to show to those who seek, serve and follow Him. Do you find these actions a natural outpouring in your life? They should be. If they aren’t ask God to open your eyes to the many wonders and blessings given to us. The blessing of promises that He will guide us, lift us up, protect us, be our strength, our hope, our joy, our peace, our place of rest. The blessings of His word. The blessings of fellow believers. The blessings of the Holy Spirit. The blessings of salvation through Jesus Christ. The blessings of forgiveness. The blessings and wonders of creation. The list of blessings is endless. Praise His name, shout for joy, sing, be glad, rejoice, and give thanks.

Eternal Destiny

“He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.”

” Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”

“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Psalms 28:1 To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary. Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward. Because they do not regard the works of the LORD or the work of his hands, he will tear them down and build them up no more. Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Job 33:28 He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.’

Isaiah 38:18 For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness.

Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 25:46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Psalms 69:22-24 Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them.

In this Psalm David cries out for God to hear him. He asks for to be looked at with mercy. He claims God’s wrath on those who shun God. And then David proclaims God’s promises. There is a difference in the hearts and minds of those who and those who do not. There is also an eternal place reserved for both. Eternal life in heaven await those who believe in, search for, listen to, and obey and trust in God. Eternal punishment await those who do not. Every person is their last breath away from eternity. It is our heart choice now that will determine our eternal destiny. There are no excuses accepted before God.

Fruit of your lips

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself”

“the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise”

Psalms 9:1
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalms 86:12
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

Psalms 34:1
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalms 103:1
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,

Psalms 145:1
I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

Psalms 146:1
Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

1 Chronicles 29:10
Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

Hebrews 13:15
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Luke 10:27
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Isaiah 43:21
the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.

Do you remember the last time you “Praised God” for who He is, what He has done, His steadfast love, His power and might, His creation, etc…? I fear that we are to often seeking something from Him and to rarely praising Him. There is a song form Lauren Daigle:

Before I bring my need
I will bring my heart
Before I lift my cares
I will lift my arms

Before I speak a word
Let me hear Your voice
And in the midst of pain
Let me feel Your joy
Ooh, I wanna know You

You are my treasure and my reward
Let nothing ever come before
You are my treasure and my reward
Let nothing ever come before
I seek You

Remember in loving your God with all your heart, mind and soul we should be having praise flow out of us like a mighty river. Place praise for Him first in your heart and mind.

Be diligent

“But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?”

Judges 16:1
Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.” But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.
After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

Judges 16:17
And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”
When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.

Romans 6:21
But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?

Romans 7:5
For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.

These are quotes from an article I was reading recently and go hand in hand with the scripture today. Sampson lead for twenty years and then for some reason he lost focus on God and more on what he wanted for himself. A good thing to remember to keep us diligent at staying in scripture and living each moment of each day in the spirit.
1. “there are consequences when people open up a doorway to evil into their lives”

2. “Religion is viewed as outdated and not very exciting. So evil can be invited in directly or indirectly”

3. ”If the house has been swept clean but no place has been made for God, the condition can become much worse”

4. “There is still an emptiness within us that is being filled with addictive behavior such as drugs and pornography”

“The decline in faith goes hand in hand with the rise in evil”

Excellent Wife

“An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.”

Judges 14:19 And he said to them,“If you had not plowed with my heifer,you would not have found out my riddle.”And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

Ruth 3:9 And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.

Proverbs 12:4
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

Proverbs 31:10
An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.

Samson went to marry his foreign bride. During the 7 day feast he made a bet with 30 of the men from the city about solving a riddle. His wife had little choice – find out the answer to the riddle or you and your fathers house will all burn. In the end her and her family were all killed however not at this time. I am reminded of what is said in Proverbs – “An excellent wife is hard to find” – “An excellent wife is a precious jewel” – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband”. I wonder how many times I don’t see my wife as my crown, a precious jewel, and my blessing from God. When our eyes are off of God and His blessings in our life we so easily lose sight of them. A crown we would display proudly and wear it with confidence. A precious jewel we would cherish and protect it with all our might. A blessing we would live with a never ending thankful heart.

Think about what you put first before your wife.

Move Forward

Tell the people of Israel to go forward

Joshua 23:1
A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years. And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you.

Exodus 14:14
When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt:‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward

Deuteronomy 20:3
‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies:let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory

It is good to again be reminded to remember what God has done and more importantly who has given you the victory. Also to be reminded that it is God who “Goes With You” and though we see victory it is because of what He has done. We see these victories when we are trusting Him and are obedient. I love the verse in Exodus “Tell the people to move forward”. Think about it – they had the Red Sea in front of them and the very mad Egyptian army approaching from the rear. Many times we find ourselves with no apparent way out of a situation, trial, or battle. Sometimes we are told to be still and watch God work. Other times we are told to move forward against something impossible. In both cases we need to remain firm in our faith to trust God and to be listening to what He is telling our heart. In both instances there is victory because the battle is not ours but God’s. He is all powerful and able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. What are you facing alone today that would be much better off in the Hands of God?

Be Reminded

Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct

Joshua 22:1
“You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you. You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the Lord your God. And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them
Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Exodus 33:14
And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.
Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth.

Isaiah 63:9
I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
For he said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely.”
And he became their Savior.
In all their affliction he was afflicted,
and the angel of his presence saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
But they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit;
therefore he turned to be their enemy,
and himself fought against them

Can we ever be reminded enough times? I love how this is recorded in Joshua. After they had obeyed the voice of God and after their brothers had rest from their enemies they are told that God would now give them rest. And after receiving this word they are reminded: “to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul”. For years they have been obeying and yet they are reminded to Love God, Walk in His Ways, and Serve Him with their whole heart. I think the reason for this reminder is that while we are dealing with issues and battles of the heart, mind, and soul our eyes are focused on our source of strength – GOD. Where does our heart, mind and soul go to in times of rest? This is a good question to ask ourselves. Do we continue to seek God, desiring to hear His quite voice into our heart? How many times have you heard people testify to the closest they were to God was when they were yielding all control over to Him because the issue was greater than they could bear? It is good to be reminded to keep our heart mind and soul desiring God everyday. As well, it is good to ask our brothers and sisters how they are and if they are doing this in times of REST. I love the verse in the old hymn “Turn your eyes on Jesus, look full into His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace”. Let this be a reminder to each of us for every season of our lives, in times of turmoil and blessing.

God’s Sovereignty

So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy

Joshua 11:20
For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Exodus 4:21
And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

Deuteronomy 2:30
But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day

Romans 9:15
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed he says in Hosea,
“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved. ’”
“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.

When Joshua went through the land, obeying God, and destroying all that was living it says that God had hardened the hearts of these people in order that they would be devoted to destruction. I don’t know about you but when I think about how we are living in a time of grace and mercy we often forget about God’s sovereignty, purpose, and plan that in the past included hardening entire nation’s hearts. I read this and wonder what it must would like to have your heart hardened by God and meant for the single purpose of destruction. I have the human thought of “is this fair”??? We can not put our thoughts above God’s. Scripture says our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. I am also so thankful for Romans where Paul addressed this issue of fairness. Man says: “why does He find fault”?, “Who can resist His will”? Why have you made me like this”? Paul continues with who is man that he should question God. The creator can do what He pleases for the purpose He determines without needing our approval or understanding. All I can say is that I am so thankful God softened my heart to hear His calling for the need of redemption, forgiveness, and salvation. Do not neglect His salvation plan and purpose for your life.

Bring To Light

He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart

Joshua 6:18
But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.

Deuteronomy 20:17
but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God

1 Chronicles 2:7
The son of Carmi:Achan, the troubler of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing

Joshua 7:10
The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies.

1 Corinthians 4:5
wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart

There will always be temptations before us. Some of those we can turn from and never look back again. Others are seam to be right in front of us all the time and we can’t seem to shake them from our thoughts and wants. Each day seems to be a battle against our will and what God wants for us. Some of this want comes from our sinful nature and desire. The barrier to acting on these desires is God’s word and our desire and faith to honor and glorify Him. However we live in a sinful culture which easily can easily weaken our barrier if this is what is feeding our heart, mind, and soul. Think about it we spend all our waking hours in a lost world and what it sees as important. Trust me most if not all of what it chases after is contrary to God’s honor and glory. This is why we are continually reminded to write His laws and promises on our heart. Why we are reminded to meditated on these day and night. Why we are to write these on our door posts and teach them to our children. Why we are to continually worship Him. Why we are to be in continual prayer with Him. How are we to be a light to this world if those around us see no difference in us. How are we to recognize what is right, pure, holy, safe, wonderful, worth pursuing, if we don’t spend time with God and His word. Trust me one day a week in study, prayer, and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ will never equip us to fight the battles we face each day.

God First

But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment

Nehemiah 9:25
So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
“Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies

Deuteronomy 31:16
Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us

Deuteronomy 32:15
then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation

Numbers 15:39
And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.

Ecclesiastes 11:9
Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment

Ezekiel 9:9
how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols

Such examples and warnings from the past should remind us to be mindful of the trap of complacency. Note that in their time of blessing they rebelled and followed the ways of their heart and eyes. It is so easy to drift from God when things are going so well. I wonder at times if we truly rely on God for each day but rather stand content in salvation and look no further for personal growth in understanding and living for God every single day. Trust me I know all of the excuses – special projects at work, special projects at him, activities with friends, activities with family, activities with children, and after this we try to work God into the picture. This is not how it is to be. God should be first and all the rest second. Would you be willing to do anything for the person who gave his son for you so that your death sentence was removed? If that person asked anything of you, would you not do it out of thankfulness? God not only gave His son but He also gave His Holy Spirit to us so that we would have an indwelling presence of Him and be able to live in a way that honors and glorifies Him for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do. He also gave precious promises to us so that we would be encouraged to follow this path of honoring Him. Make Him first. Our heart needs to desire Him more than the world and our eyes need to seek to see the wonder of His hand every moment.