daily IMPACT by selahV today

IS YOUR CONSCIENCE CLEAR?

Each evening when I close my eyes and think on events of the day, I reflect on things I’ve said, things I’ve done, and things I felt like saying and things I should have done.   I bring them before the Lord and ask that He point out to me any impure motive and any unbecoming attitude.  I also pray for Him to remove any lingering angst I may have for having witnessed a less than Spirit-filled attitude in others.  When I fail to do this, I cannot sleep.

Now… there are times I cannot sleep anyway.  And some of those times are because I spend time praying for situations I know of in others’ lives that cause me heartache and distress.  But the greatest hinderance to peace in my life is some sin left unconfessed, some attitude left to take root and grow on the morrow.  I don’t like being fretful.  I like being in complete peace with God.  Thus, I spend a lot of time writing things which I feel He would consider the best of my thoughts and the purest of my heart.

“Keep praying for us, for we are convinced that we have a good (clear) conscience, that we want to walk uprightly and live a noble life, acting honorable and in complete honesty in all things.”  Hebrews 13:18.

Sometimes the thoughts we have and the intent of our hearts is as black as charcoal and we are calloused to our own conscience.  It’s hard to imagine, but it is true.  When we allow ourselves license to think we have all the answers–or even one of the answers–without first considering the answer in light of God’s eyes, we walk in blindness and lead the blind with our blindness.

I pray we Christians will seek God’s face in all things.  I pray we are honest with the reasons and motives of our hearts.  I pray God opens our eyes that we may see.  May our discernment reveal any leaven in our house and may our integrity take the steps necessary to remove it.  selahV

[copyrighted, SelahV Today, 2008]

INSTEAD OF SHAME

Sometimes I walk backwards and remember yesterday’s mistakes.  When I do, I linger a minute longer than I should.  For those days are gone. Nothing can change them.  They are forgotten by my Lord, for I have repented of my past and live a new life in Christ today.  But every now and then something happens that causes me to wander through the yellowed pages of antiquity.

Would it not be wonderful if we had the mind of God continually?  If we could so let the Lord hold captive our thoughts that the evil one could never remind us of long ago discretions?  Or even today’s?   When we repent and turn to our Father in obedience, He remembers our sins no more.  In fact, He restores us to abundance.

“Instead of your [former] shame you shall have a twofold recompense; instead of dishonor and reproach [your people] shall rejoice in their portion.  Therefore in their land they shall possess double [what they had forfeited]; everlasting joy shall be theirs.” Isaiah 61:7

God does not beat up on us.  He doesn’t harp on us.  He doesn’t continually bring up the past when we have given it over to Him and repented of it.  Some people bring it up.  They continually beat to death our past–even take pleasure in sharing it with others.  Some folks find sport in digging up as much dirt from personal sin-cemeteries as they can unearth.  They live to destroy others.  But God does not act like that.  It is not in His character.  He is merciful, gracious, longsuffering and steadfastly loving in the justice He exacts on His children.  And God does not need our help in delivering His justice.  We are Light, but not blinding light.  We are salt, but not heaping teaspoons of salt.

What we forfeit by our disobedience and errors in judgment, God returns double to us when we repent.  And then everlasting joy is our portion.  His joy fills our souls and we are unmoved by the schemes and plans of man.  selahV

[copyrighted, SelahV Today, 2008]

BREAK MY HEART!

Have you ever been broken? I am talking about a gut-wrenching, unrelenting piercing painful broken. You are so convicted of your unrighteousness in light of the Lord’s holiness that you break down and sob with a repentant heart. Such is the greatest of all things. It is in this brokenness the Lord is closest to His own.

God rejects the proud. He exalts the humble. He turns His back on sin. He stands afar off from those practicing sin. With His own He will chastize, chasten, rebuke, and correct to bring us to our knees. And that is a good thing. It is in our brokenness that we draw near to God and He draws near to us.

“The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent.” Psalm 34:18.

Not only should we be crushed with sorrow for our own sin, but we should be crushed with sorrow for the sins of others—the lost and also those brothers and sisters who stray from the path of God. When was the last time you prayed for the sin you see in another’s life? It’s so easy to condemn another, to sit in judgement. But can we sit in prayer? In intercession for those we know need to come back to God?

Help us, Lord, to not only receive your forgiveness and grace, but show it to others.

“Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You.” Psalm 33:22. selahV

[copyrighted, SelahV Today, 2008]