The Lord Looks at the Heart

1st Samuel 16:7 -- But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

We look at the outward. God looks at the inward.
We value popularity. God values character.
We look at intelligence. God looks at the heart.
We honor those with money. God honors those with integrity.
We talk about what we own. God talks about what we give away.
We boast about whom we know. God notices whom we serve.

Dear God, please open my eyes to see what You see.
Open my heart to love how You love.
Teach me to value and honor what You do.
Change my heart into one that desires to serve and to give!
Decrease me and increase You in my life, so others will see You when they look at me.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

He Chose Us

In John 15:16 , Jesus said "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

We didn't choose God, He chose us. He chose us before the foundation of the world!

And He called us to be His children, to walk with Him, and live as His children, abiding in Him, living the life He called us to live.

When God calls us to be His children, there is a mighty purpose behind it...

He's got a grand plan for each one of us....and if we stray off the path, we can be sure He'll bring us back, by whatever means He has to...

So I pray we all stay on the path He puts us on...because it's not fun stumbling and falling into a muddy pit, only to realize we should have stayed by His side all along…where it is always full of goodness and love!

Dear Lord,

Thank you for choosing me to be your child! It is an honor and privilege! I pray that I always remain in awe at the fact that you called me out of the darkness and into your marvelous light, to live this wonderful life you have planned for me!

Lord, help remind me everyday to never take my eyes off of you for even a second, and walk and live as the child you created me to be!

In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

The Lord is my shepherd

We will all walk through difficult times in life….but the key word is through.

God will not leave us there, He will bring us through it!

And then, He restores us and gives us rest!

So there is nothing to fear, God is with us!

Psalm 23:1-4The LORDis my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousnessfor his name's sake.

Even though I walkthrough the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Dear Lord, I am thankful today, because I know You are always with me, right beside me, providing me with rest when I am weary! Remind me to seek Your face when I am in need of comfort, for You are the only true comforter and healer!

In Jesus name I pray, amen!

Do all to the glory of God

1^st Corinthians 10:31

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

This has become my life verse lately. I have come to realize that I am nothing without God.

He created me…

He loves me, comforts me, forgives me, guides me…

He fills my lungs with the breath of life…

He provides for all of my needs…and above and beyond!

I owe Him my love, my devotion, my service, my everything….my whole life!

For without His creation of my life and His sustaining my every breath, I would not be…

Lord, please help remind me to have a thankful heart each day…and to give You glory in all I do! For Your tender mercies are new each morning and You lavish me each day with Your amazing love!

In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Love Written in Red

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.John 3:16, NKJV

For God so loved you that He gave His Son,
His only Son, the Son Whom He loved -
He gave heaven's most precious Treasure -
He gave everything He had - in order to offer you eternal life.

Do you doubt the love of God? Why?
Because of the bad things that He allows to happen to good people?
Because of the unfairness and injustice and unkindness and misery
and suffering and pain and cruelty of life?
Some questions we won't have answers for until we get to heaven.
But one thing we can know for sure is that God loves you and me.
How do we know that? We know it by just looking at the cross
where He proved His love for the world that mocks Him and
ignores Him and despises Him and scorns Him and rejects Him.
We look at the cross and see "I love you" written in red - the red of Christ's blood.

Blessings,
Anne Graham Lotz

The Spirit of Truth

When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.

John 16;13, NIV

The Holy Spirit is so identified with the Bible, one of His names is Truth! In fact, Peter reveals that the Holy Spirit is the inspirational Author of the Old Testament Scriptures. (2 Pet. 1:20-21) And Paul wrote to Timothy, encouraging him to stay in the Scriptures because, "all Scripture is God-breathed," referring once again to the Spirit-inspired Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16, NIV).

Have you been trying to work up some kind of emotional feeling? If you lack "it," have you felt you didn't have the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, which means He always works according to and through the Word of God whether you feel Him or not. Have you been seeking some ecstatic experience, thinking that would be the Holy Spirit? Remember that He never acts independently; He always works through the Truth - the living Word of God, Who is Jesus, and the written Word of God, which is your Bible. He is never spooky or silly or superficial or self-promoting. He is the Spirit of Truth.

Blessings,

Anne Graham Lotz

God's Powerful Word

The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword; it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.

Hebrews 4:12, NIV

One of the primary reasons we need to be in a disciplined study of the Scriptures is so we can saturate ourselves in the truth. When we know the truth and we are presented with that which is false, we will instinctively recognize it. Measuring philosophies or theologies or opinions or sermons or books or doctrines or counsel by the Word of God is like exposing the crookedness of a stick by placing a straight stick beside it. The ultimate compliment an audience can pay me is to bring their Bibles and follow along as I speak so they can double-check what I say against what God says. I am authentic as a Bible teacher only in proportion to my faithfulness to God's Word.

And in order to give God's Word out so that others can hear His voice in their ears, I must - it's not an option - I must read it, study it, understand it, and live by it. And when I do, His Word makes a lasting impact and bears eternal fruit, because it's powerful.

Blessings,

Anne Graham Lotz