1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. 13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. 19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! 20 They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 22 I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! I prayed the last bit of this psalm as a prayer when my Pastor asked the congregation, challenged us to ask God to try our hearts. I feel that God heard my prayer and is currently trying my heart. This process has been hard and very trying so far. I would like prayer through this time. Thanks! - E
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Where I come from, there is no depression. You’re like: What?? I’m not saying this because I went from town to town (or village to village) and took psych evaluations to determine this. I’m speaking (very generally) through experience and personal knowledge of many of my fellow countrymen. Suicide is extremely rare if existent where I come from. One thing I've noticed that is different about America, ever since moving here, is that there is a certain solitude and isolation that one experiences on a daily basis here. I basically think that's why so many people are depressed inside and outside the American church.
This video captures everything that made me realize that the "Christian life" I had led previously was a lie. This realization through Matthew 7 was the true beginning of my walk with Christ. I sadly realized that just because I prayed a prayer in middle school, it did not mean that I was saved from punishment for my wickedness. The verses in Matthew 7 that state "Many will say to me on that day and say "Lord, Lord" did we not do x, y, and z in your name" and then Jesus will say plainly to them "Away from me. I never knew you" (Matthew 7:22-23). Those verses gave me one of the biggest shockers of my life! I had somehow deluded myself into believing that I could be like the world and be with Christ too. Yet the truth is that one cannot serve two masters. You either hate one or serve the other (Matthew 6:24). So when the revelation hit that I was on the wide path to destruction, I repented before God to pursue the Narrow Gate - to pursue Him and His righteous. Seek first His Kingdom and his righteousness and all will be added unto you! (Matthew 6:33). Amen.
This is a call to pray for the disaster zone that Tacloban has become. From the pictures, it literally looks like a war broke out. The typhoon hit 3 days ago and 2.5 million souls are without food and clean water.
I have a friend who has been dealing with doubts about Christ for several reasons I won't go into detail in at the spot. Their doubts come from the fact that this person grew up in a secular home with a familiar sentiment, which is that "people are basically good". This friend believes that unbelievers are "good people". Because of this belief in "good people", my friend does not want to believe that if an unbeliever dies, they will be punished by God eternally in Hell. The Bible has a lot to say on this topic of whether there is such a thing as a “good person” and what is considered a “good person”, of course, and I intend to get into that later on. My friend’s struggles come from the fact society tell us that if people do not commit abominable crimes such as pedophilia or rape or murder, they are basically good. In other words, if you have never stolen a car or robbed a bank, you are doing just fine by the world's standards. But you have to wonder at this sort of logic when you put it against the Bible’s logic and you have to ask yourself: if you have to do something really bad like: rape, murder, ruin someone’s life, etc. to be considered a bad person, doesn't that mean, by this logic, that all people are basically good? Mmhm, perhaps. This is what the Bible has to say about that: Matthew 19:16-17 (NIV) Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life? “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” These verses by themselves answer three questions: 1. “Are human beings basically good?” 2. “Can good works get you into heaven?” 3. “Can good works (or the lack of ‘evil deeds’) make a person ‘good’?” Where have I been?? Good question... I'm in school now!! (College)
Always remember He is divine, and we are dibranches. With Love, Evangeline
I highly recommend this sermon! It truly hits the nail on the head of the issue of indifference & the lukewarm attitude within the American Church today and how risky it is.
The Focus in Scripture: Matthew 19:16-26, Luke 19:1-10, Revelation 3:14-22 Additional Supporting Scripture: Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 8:19-22, Matthew 16:24-28, Matthew 25:31-46 Dearest Dave, I went to church today & my pastor's words rang clear & true to what I've been trying to say. After hearing his message, I feel more encouraged to speak to you truthfully.
The Holy Spirit is really convicting me to say this to you. I think that after this message, I've said enough. I will say no more & I will just listen to how you respond to my statements. This will be my last appeal because in scripture, it says not to argue too much and I would like to obey that. I do not agree that salvation consists of willful sin. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that salvation frees you to sin as you please or that Christ died to let you sin without fear of Judgement. It says quite the opposite. Beware of false teachers who preach this sort of Gospel! (2 Peter 2:1-22) So please consider this, if not anything else I've said. Christ bought us with his blood, yes? Before he came into our lives, we were sinners, we were wolves with no righteousness in our hearts whatsoever (Romans 8:7-8, Romans 3:10-18). All you have to do is look at the world around us to truly appreciate my statement. America has left God behind & I think as scripture says, He has left Americans to fulfill their evil lusts. Romans 1:24 For this reason God allowed their lusts to control them. Romans 1:26 For this reason God allowed their shameful passions to control them. Romans 1:28 And because they thought it was worthless to acknowledge God, God allowed their own immoral minds to control them. **Take for example, the Catholic priests who one after another have molested young boys. It's despicable, and it’s really sad. But I believe that that this is a judgment from God. In the past, God protected priests from their wicked hearts, as he protects us, and he kept them from sinning so gravely, however, today, God has let them go to fill their shameful lusts. **One Old Testament example is Exodus 9:12 of how God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Do you remember that story? God hardened his heart so that He would receive glory. He does everything for his Glory of course. Romans 9:9-16 He did that so that the Egyptians would know that the God of Israel is not a god to be messed with. He meant business, so he hardened Pharaoh's heart so that Moses would go to him day after day and plagues would hit Egypt day after day. So we know that God can to this and has done this before.
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