Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the Queen Latifah singing… Fix Me, Jesus … poignantly singing of the humility of coming to Jesus openly/honestly to receive His healing and empowering grace.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Hebrews 4:12 [NKJV] … 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
… Opening ourselves to the truth of God’s word is like allowing a skilled surgeon to cut away a life threatening cancer; but we must be open to to God’s truth to allow it work in us.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Hebrews 4:12-13 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Being real and following God’s word opens our lives to the healing power of God’s grace thru His Holy Spirit.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
…We must be vulnerable/humble to trust God with all our heart, leaning on His truth - not our own understanding - to lead us thru life.
Reference Passage : … John 1:1, 8:32 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus is the living word; and it is thru our surrender to His truth that we are set free from ourselves by His Spirit.
Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Only when will humbly open ourselves to God’s Spirit can we receive the Lord’s healing and empowering grace.
Reference Passage : … Galatians 6:2-5 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, shows us that we’ve got to humbly be willing to share our burdens and pains with others (especially discerning Christians) to all God’s Spirit to work to heal our hurts.
Reference Passage : … 2 Timothy 3:16-17 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Be open to the truth of God’s word is the ONLY WAY we’ll ever be able to be free to follow Christ thru this life.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Elisa Morgan, uses a personal experience to illustrate how God’s Spirit and His truth can only work to free us from our hurts when we’re willing to be open, honest, and real with others. The ODB author wrote: I was guest-speaking in a local church and my topic was an honest story about presenting our brokenness before God and receiving the healing He wants to give. Before closing in prayer, the pastor stood in the center aisle, looked deeply into the eyes of his gathered congregants, and said, “As your pastor I have the privilege of seeing you midweek and hearing your heart-breaking stories of brokenness. Then in our weekend worship services, I have the pain of watching you hide your hurt away.”
Aw, common, admit it; we all have a natural tendency to cover up the real self with masks of worldly acceptance, don’t we? But it’s only when we’re willing to let down the masks (see photo) and reveal our real selves to others - and to God, of course, being humble before God’s Spirit that our Lord can use His truth to heal our longstanding hurts.
That’s the attitude Queen Latifah comes to Jesus with in the linked song; and it’s the only attitude - that of realness and vulnerability - that can allow God, thru His healing word, and the grace provided by His Spirit, to excise the spiritual cancers from our lives and provide real healing for our soul.
So, I pray that all readers have taken in the song and meditated deeply on God’s truth above, and then prayed for God’s empowering grace so that we can take off our masks, … those hiding our pain, … and come, humbly and with vulnerability to God’s throne of grace to receive the healing provided by His truth.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You providing us with Your healing grace when we’re willing to share our pain with You and others.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Help me to be honest and open with my real self today and always … first to You … and then to others whom You might use to help me be strong for You. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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