I am New...everyday! Thank you LORD!

In a previous post, I shared the same link as I have post within this post. It is a song written and song by Jason Gray and it speaks of not just who we are, but Whose we are! In the attached video link, Jason doesn't sing the first verse, but still....it is a great song with an even greater message. The Lord has used this song to minister to me lately as I question myself from time to time and whether or not I am making a difference in the lives of those He places in my path. As I was singing through it today on my way to work, the Lord reminded me of the final words to the song. It struck me in a way that it never has before! These words are powerful and true....and it is what He says I am! Wow! "Forgiven, Beloved, Hidden in Christ, made in the image of the Giver of Life, righteous and holy, reborn and remade, accepted and worthy, this is our new name." Amen and amen! This is who we are now....who I am now...who you are now if you too believe in the One who is worthy to be praised! Today I pray that you and I come to a better understanding of who we are and Whose we are! Hope you enjoy these words and song and that they minister to your heart today!

I AM NEW

You can give me a name
Call me whatever you like
Or weigh me down with shame
To crush me but you won't
My burdens are light

Chorus
I am not who I was, I'm being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy and I'm dearly loved
I am new

Now I won't deny
The worst you could say about me
But I'm not defined
By mistakes that I've made
Because God says of me

I am not who I was, I'm being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy and I'm dearly loved
I am new

Too long have I lived in the shadows of shame
Believing that there was no way I could change
But the one who is making everything new
Doesn't see me the way that I do
Who I thought I was
And who I thought I had to be
I had to give them both up
Cause neither were willing
To ever believe

CHORUS
I am not who I was, I'm being remade
I am new
Dead to my sin, I'm coming alive
I am new

Forgiven, beloved, Hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the Giver of Life
Righteous and holy, reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy, this is our new name
This is who we are now

By: Jason Gray, Joel Hanson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3MgJckIwWw

Scripture Memorization #2

Hosea 10:12 Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.

This verse is going to be a challenge for me not only as a memorization verse, but as a life application. When I took on this challenge, I decided to be diligent about praying and seeking to receive verses that challenge me spiritually. This verse caught my eye and got me to pondering when I came across it a few days ago.

It is interesting to me that it states to:

A. "sow righteousness"

B. "reap unfailing love"

C. "break up the unplowed ground"

D. "for it is time"

E. "until he comes and showers his righteousness"

Logically, when you plant a crop for harvest, you:

A. make sure it is the proper time to sow

B. plow up the ground

C. sow

D. water (showers) and last

E. reap a harvest

Also, I notice that the verse states that we begin and end with righteousness. Interesting.....

Memory Verse #1 for 2011

Psalm 115:1 Not to us, O lord, not to us; but to your name be all the glory for your love and faithfulness.

This is the first of 24 Scripture verses I will memorize this year. Looking forward to how the Lord is going to use the verse to minister to my heart and feel my soul as I learn them by heart and apply them in my life. So excited...yes, I am expectant! Whoot!

Expectation!

Having never made a New Years' resolution, I have never experienced the disappointment of failing to "do" or "not do" a certain thing as the new year begins. This simple fact about my life has saved me a ton of heartache, I am sure.

The women in the church I attend have an online prayer/encouragement group that I belong to. We post prayer requests, share a moment of our life, share a scripture that has influenced us, a thought that we can all ponder and comment on, etc etc. Last year, I sent out a challenge to seek the Lord for a "word"......a word that He would use in 2010 to reveal Himself to us in a fresh new way. It is amazing to hear and see how the Lord worked out the "word" in the lives of the women who accepted the challenge. My "word" was REST. At first, it sounds like a great and easy word to have the Lord work out in my life. No so, or as my son says, "Yeahno!" It was with a lot of work on my part that this word was worked out in my life. Not that I am complaining, just stating a fact. Each time the Lord would allow a temptation or challenge to creep into my life, I was able to pray and rest in Him. To rest, I found is to trust. Now, had He given me the word "trust" I would have run and still been running....so as you can see, the Lord knows me better than I do. What I found is that to rest and trust is a lot easier than I was making it out to be! It is just placing on Him those things that are not mine to pick up anyway. To rest and allow Him to do the work He desires to do in my heart and mind. Really, easier than I thought....once I was willing to turn all things over to Him.

As we head into 2011, once again, the email group I mentioned above is being challenged to seek the Lord for a "word" for our lives. This morning in church, it came to me during a sermon. My "word" for 2011 is Expectation! Can't wait to see how the Lord will work this out in my life as I seek Him, trust Him and continue to rest in Him in the coming year.

Have you found Him to be faithful....reliable...trustworthy? How easy it is for us as humans to look to all of the things we fail at, don't have or lack within. His desire is that we would begin to see ourselves as He sees us. To look to Him for the answers we seek. To know in our heart that He is 100% reliable, trustworthy and faithful. My encouragement to you is too seek Him first in all you do and rely on Him for all of your needs...both large and small. Rest in Him with an expectation for the things He has for you in the coming year! This is gonna be great!