A Spring Song of Worship and Praise adapted from Psalm 97 & 98

Jehovah-Adon Kal Ha’arets “The Lord of all the Earth”

The Lord rules.

Jehovah, You are King! Let the earth be full of joy with me. Let the many islands be glad. It is amazing to me that even the clouds and darkness surround You. My strength comes from the foundation of Your throne that is built upon what is right and fair.

Sing a brand new song to the Lord.

I will sing from my heart as I know that You have done great things in my life. I have experienced Your saving power. You are all that is good and right. Your loving kindness is beautiful to me.

All the earth calls out for joy to the Lord. Join me in song. Sing songs of great joy and praise. Sing praises to the Lord with all that you possess and with your voice.

Fire blazes out before You. Even Your lightning lights up the world. The earth sees and shakes. The mountains melt like a candle before You, the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens tell about how right and good You are. And everyone will see Your shining greatness.

I will worship the one true God.

I am full of joy. For You are the Lord Most High over all the earth. You are to be honored above all. I love you, Lord. This love for Your righteousness causes me to hate what is bad. For You keep safe the souls of Your faithful ones. Light is spread like seed for those who are right and good. I will be glad in You, Who is right and good. I will give thanks to Your Holy name today and every day of my life.

Sing a brand new song to the Lord.

I will sing from my heart as I know that You have done great things in my life. I have experienced Your saving power. You are all that is good and right. Your loving kindness is beautiful to me.

All the earth, call out for joy to the Lord. Join me in song. Sing songs of great joy and praise. Sing praises to the Lord with all that you possess and with your voice.

You are my King and I will continue to sing of your greatness. The world joins with me in praise to You, mighty God. The seas’ waves make a loud noise, the rivers rushing waters clap and the mountains rise to praise You. You will return to put the world, and everyone in it, right.

Shout praises to the Lord.

PRAYER: Lesson 11 Bonus Content

Mar21

Adjusting prayer time to quiet moments alone was so out of my comfort zone. When I came to the realization that prayer is not dictated by place and time; that it’s place is everywhere, it’s time is any time, this revelation was the beginning to a pray life of truly knowing Him and experiencing His presence in my life.

Scripture Memorization: “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.” Jeremiah 29:12

I see how my life was similar to the struggle of Martha in the story of Luke 10. I was so busy serving, working and doing that I was not spending time daily preparing my heart for service by having conversation with God, listening to God, spending time in worship and singing praises, and reading God’s Word.

Read the story of Martha and Mary. Are you a Martha or a Mary? Read their story in Luke 10

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were considered good friends of Jesus, often hosting him in their home in Bethany on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Martha is said to have run the household, although she was the middle child—Lazarus was the oldest and Mary the youngest of the three siblings.

Early historians believed Martha to be the daughter, wife, or widow of Simon the Leper, and that the house became hers when he died. This has not been substantiated, but what is clear is that Jesus did not return to his own home for rest and relaxation during his three years of ministry. It was to the warm, hospitable home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus at Bethany He retired. We also know that their home was large enough to host Jesus and his followers, and we suppose the family had means because the Bible does not mention a family trade, although they were never noted as being wealthy.

All we know about Martha and Mary come from two encounters with Jesus that were documented in all four Gospels. The first is a visit from Jesus to Martha and Mary’s home during one of his many trips to Jerusalem. We realize that because of the casualness of their visit that Jesus visited their home often. On this day Jesus arrived in time for dinner and Martha became angry that she was doing all the work in preparing for the meal while her sister was simply sitting around listening to Jesus. Martha insisted that Jesus tell Mary to get up and help her. Jesus rebuked Martha and told her that her sister had it right—she was focused on what was important (Luke 10:38-42). The next encounter comes after Martha and Mary’s brother fell ill and they’d sent word for Jesus to come, but several days had passed. Lazarus died. Martha meets Jesus outside their home—her brother had been dead four days. After complaining about his tardiness, Martha affirms her belief that even now God will do anything Jesus asks. Jesus says that he is the “resurrection and the life” and asks if she believes this. Martha confesses, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world” (John 11:27). Her words are similar Simon Peter’s reply to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15-16). Martha was a woman with managerial talents, the gift of hospitality, and a woman of means. Once she recognized Jesus as her Messiah and confessed her faith in him, her whole world changed. She found new meaning, purpose, and life.

Have you found success in this world and yet still wonder if all your hard work here amounts to anything? Have you been frustrated that God was not there when you needed him most? Martha can speak to you:

Martha was doing what she thought God was calling her to do—serve him with her gifts and talents, but when Jesus rebuked her, she learned a great lesson. All of her ‘doing’ needed to be balanced with time for ‘being.’ You can’t work your way into God’s favor. He is already impressed with you, so take time to sit at his feet and allow his approval to shine upon you.
Martha’s disappointment in Jesus was great. Have you been disappointed in God? Yet, Martha didn’t hide her disappointment from Jesus. Instead she took her anger, fear, and belief directly to him. Then, in spite of her doubts, she declared her faith. Great was her reward, and great will be yours, too, when you have the courage to share even your disappointments with God. Then declare your belief in spite of your doubts and new life will come to you, too. He is your resurrection and your life.

The Study

Complete page 53 in Excellence with Simple Elegance: The Study.

Both books can be purchased easily by copying & pasting this website to your browser. Purchase The Study (workbook) for $8.99 and Excellence with Simple Elegance will be Free.

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If you have no format for your daily prayer life, please take the opportunity this week to use this simple format from Nehemiah. These will be the beginning steps to having a Mary heart. A.C.T.S.

Adoration

It is a time of praising God for Who He is, His attributes, His Names, and His character.

Exalting the Name of Jesus Christ “If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me.”

I challenge you to select one of Jehovah’s Name each week and praise Him for that particular attribute and character.

Jehovah’s Name (prayertoday.org)

Jehovah – The Lord – Exodus 6:2-3

Jehovah-Adon Kal Ha’arets- Lord of Earth – Josh 3:13

Jehovah-Bara – Lord Creator – Isaiah 40:28

Jehovah-Chatsahi – Lord my Strength – Psalm 27:1

Jehovah-Chereb – Lord the Sword – Deut. 33:29

Jehovah-Eli – Lord my God – Psalm 18:2

Jehovah-Elyon – Lord Most High – Psalm 38:2

Jehovah-Gador Milchamah – Mighty in Battle – Ps 24:8

Jehovah-Ganan – Lord Our Defense – Ps 89:18

Jehovah-Go’el – Lord My Redeemer – Is. 49:26, 60:16

Jehovah-Hamelech – Lord King – Psalm 98:6

Jehovah-Hashopet – Lord My Judge – Judges 11:27

Jehovah-Helech ‘Olam – Lord King Forever Ps10:16

Jehovah-Hoshe’ah – Lord Saves – Psalm 20:9

Jehovah-Jireh – Provider – Gen. 22:14, I John 4:9, Philip 4:19

Jehovah-Kabodhi – Lord my Glory – Psalm 3:3

Jehovah-Kanna – Lord Jealous – Ex 34:14

Jehovah-Keren-Yish’i – Horn of Salvation – Ps 18:2

Jehovah-M’Kaddesh – Sanctifier – I Corinthians 1:30

Jehovah-Machsi – Lord my Refuge – Psalm 91:9

Jehovah-Magen – Lord my Shield – Deut. 33:29

Jehovah-Ma’oz – Lord my Fortress – Jer. 16:19

Jehovah-Mephalti – Lord my Deliverer – Psalm 18:2

Jehovah-Metshodhathi – Lord my Fortress – Psalm 18:2

Jehovah-Misqabbi – Lord my High Tower – Psalm 18:2

Jehovah-M’gaddishcem – Lord my Sanctifier – Ex 31:13

Jehovah-Naheh – Lord who Smites – Ezekiel 7:9

Jehovah-Nissi – Banner – I Chronicles 29:11-13

Jehovah-Rohi – Shepherd – Psalm 23

Jehovah-Rophe – Healer – Isaiah 53:4,5

Jehovah-Sabaoth – Lord of Hosts – I Sam 1:3

Jehovah-Sel’i – Lord my Rock – Psalm 18:2

Jehovah-Shalom – Peace – Isaiah 9:6, Rom 8:31-35

Jehovah-Shammah – Present – Hebrews 13:5

Jehovah-Tsidkenu – Righteousness – I Cor 1:30

Jehovah-Tsori – Lord my Strength – Psalm 19:14

Jehovah-Yasha – Lord my Savior – Isaiah 49:26

Jehovah-‘Ez-Lami – Lord my Strength – Ps 28:7

Jehovah-‘Immeku – Lord Is With You – Judges 6:12

Jehovah-‘Izoa Hakaboth – Lord Strong -Mighty – Ps 24:8

Jehovah-‘Ori – Lord my Light – Psalm 27:1

Jehovah-‘Uzam – Lord Strength in Trouble – Is 49:26

CONFESSION

Scripture says that God is faithful in forgiving us and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.

THANKSGIVING

God requires us to believe and to be thankful. Be thankful in all things. Offer a prayer of praise each morning using the words of the psalmist. Note that I have 2 categories of adapted prayers from the Psalms that you can access Worship & Praise and Petition & Blessings. Simply use these prayers daily to offer your words of admiration to our wonderful heavenly Father.

SUPPLICATION

Scripture says we have not because we ask not. Share with God your needs and your heart’s desires. As you are faithful to His call on your life, watch how He blesses you. Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for me?” Again if you feel you lack the words, please use the adapted prayers found on this blogsite http://www.bonnieliabenow.com and http://www.facebook.com/bonnieliabenow The petitions to God is our ‘want list’ the adapted prayers from the psalms titled Petitons and Blessing will launch you into His presence and into a meaningful personal time with God.

“Pray without ceasing”

Just like many of you there are situations that I have no control. It is in these moments that have driven me to pray. My life as a Christmas tree farmer leads me to pray often as farms are vulnerable to environmental attacks. The beginning days of summer of 2013 had brought extreme heat, dry weather and sunny skies to Michigan which is unheard of up north. And of course My fraser fir farm suffers greatly in these weather conditions. So No problem! I will turn on the irrigation system. But the Irrigation didn’t respond. No water! Equipment breakdown! This can’t be happening and the worse news was it could not be fixed for several days. “Lord, what do I do?” PRAY! I walked thru the fields asking God to protect these trees and to send rain Soon.

My Psalm reading for that day– Psalms 65 “You take care of the earth and send rain to help the soil grow all kinds of crops. Your rivers never run dry, and you prepare the earth to produce much grain. You water all of its fields and level the lumpy grounds. You send showers of rain to soften the soil and help the plants sprout.”

The next day–Rain, 50 degrees and cloudy skies! Thank you Lord for taking care of my “bit of earth”.

**Complete pages 54-55 in The Study.**

Are you excessively critical of the language and style of your prayer? Do you find yourself stumbling along and groping for words? I always felt my language was too simple, kinda uneducated far from sophicated so I didn’t prayer much. But I have since grasped the understanding neither God nor others are concerned with eloquent words, only that genuine communication takes place. Paul assures us in Romans 8:26 that”In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us where we are weak. We do not know how to pray or what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays to God for us with sounds that cannot be put into words.” Many times the best prayer is the one most difficult to express,coming from the heart and reflecting genuine concern. As John Bunyon said. “In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”

The Lord’s Prayer is the model of prayer that Jesus taught us, as recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke consider beginning with this prayer.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. for ever and ever. Amen

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours. Now and for ever. Amen

The Lords prayer, or the “our Father prayer” is prayed daily by thousands of Christians, and can be seen both as a model for prayer, and as to be repeated as part of our daily prayer. It starts by addressing God as our Father in heaven, that although His name is honored, and above all other names, we are His children. As such, we occupy a place of privilege, and He wants us to spend time in prayer with Him. The Lords prayer then moves on to pray that God’s Kingdom, or rule, will become the norm on earth, replacing human rules and governments, which too often are driven by greed and power. Only then do we turn to our own needs, and ask our Father for our basic human needs to be satisfied, and that He would forgive the wrong things that we have done. We ask for God’s guidance and protection as we journey through life. Finally we turn back to God, and acknowledge His supremacy and position as the Almighty ruler.

Pointers for Prayer : Pray the Lords Prayer through, and then take one of the phrases. Spend a few moments reflecting on that phrase, for example, imagining what it means for God’s Kingdom to come, or how we forgive those who sin against us. Then use these thoughts for further prayer, finally coming back to pray through the Lord’s Prayer again.

Promise“Ask…, Seek…, and Knock, and it will be opened to you”

Blessing“May the LORD grant all your requests”

A Spring Prayer of Petition and Blessing adapted from Psalm 15, 16 & 17

Mar21

Jehovah-M’Kaddesh – Sanctifier

God Himself made the way so you can have new life through Christ Jesus. God gave us Christ to be our wisdom. Christ made us right with God and set us apart for God and made us holy. Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from our sins. 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NLV)

May Your favor be upon me. You have tested my heart and have visited me during the night. My steps have followed Your paths. My feet have followed Your leading.

Choosing to live in this manner, I will never be shaken. We are glad for our troubles also. We know that troubles help us learn not to give up. When we have learned not to give up, it shows we have stood the test. When we have stood the test, it gives us hope. Romans 5:3-4 NLV

So I call to You, O God, knowing You will listen to every word and answer me with Your great loving kindness. You save by Your right hand and help in my time of need. O Lord, save me by Your hand and I will see Your face in what is right and good. Keep me, O God, for I am safe in You. You are my Lord. All the good things I have come from You. I will find joy and happiness when I wake.

May I renew my mind daily to Your goodness and may I possess a desire to…

Walk straight, act right, tell the truth.

Speak words that encourage and never hurt.

Never wrong my neighbor or bring shame to my family.

Choose a Godly lifestyle; despise despicable actions.

Keep my commitments and promises even when it costs me or causes sacrifice.

Make an honest living with a giving heart.

Lord, You are all that I am to receive. You are my cup. My future is in Your hands. My life and everything that has been given to me is good. Yes, my share is beautiful to me. I will give honor and thanks to You Who tells me what to do. I place You always before me. Because You remain at my right hand, I will not be moved. And so my heart is glad. My soul is full of joy. My body will also rest without fear. You will show me the way of life. Being with You is to be full of joy and happiness forever.

Choosing to live in this manner, I will never be shaken.

A Spring Song of Worship and Praise adapted from Psalm 21 & 64

Mar20

Jehovah-Mephalti – Lord my Deliverer

O Lord, I delight in Your strength! Yes, How great is my joy in Your saving power!

You bless me with the desires of my heart, keeping nothing from me. For You meet me with gifts of good things, crowning my efforts with success. You give me life, a long life forever and ever. You make me glad with the joy of being with You.

Please hear my voice when I pour out my heart. Keep my life safe from the fear of those who hate me. Hide me from the secret plans of the sinful and from the noise of those who do bad things. Their tongues are sharp like a sword. They use poison words like darts and shoot at me without blame. They are quick and are not afraid to hurt me. For their heart and inside thoughts are deep and pursue sinful things. These things rob me from the joy I feel when I am with You.

Because of Your loving kindness, I will not be shaken. I will pray as written in the book of Isaiah:

“Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness;

Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together…”

For Your hand will find all who fight against You. Your right hand will find those who hate You. They will be made to trip and fall. Their own tongue is against them. But for the one who is right and good, they will be glad in You and will give You praise.

O Lord, our deliverer, Your righteousness will prevail. In Your strength, I am glad! Yes, How great is my joy in Your saving power!

You continue to bless me with the desires of my heart, keeping nothing from me. For You meet me with gifts of good things, crowning my efforts with success. You give me life, a long life forever and ever. You make me glad with the joy of being with You.

A Winter Prayer of Petition and Blessing adapted from Psalm 115,140, 142 & 143

Mar17

A Prayer for Help

Jehovah-Ma’oz – Lord, my Fortress, my strength and my strong-place, my safe place in the day of trouble. Jeremiah16:19

O Lord, You are faithful, kind and loving. You are my strength. Bring light where there is darkness, heal where I am weak and love where my heart fades. Let my life bring glory and honor to Your name and not to me, O Lord, not to me.

Hear my prayer, O Lord. Listen when I ask for help. Answer me because You are faithful and right. Do not find me so guilty where there is no forgiveness, for no one living is right and good in Your eyes. This world is cruel and the one who hates me has made it hard for my soul. This torment has crushed my life to the ground and I live in darkness. My spirit is weak and my heart fades.

I cry with a loud voice and pray with my voice to You. I talk and complain, telling You all my trouble. When my spirit grows weak within me, You know my path. My enemy has hidden a trap for me in the way where I walk. There is no one who thinks about me. There is no place for me to go to be safe. No one cares about my soul. Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to You once again.

O Lord, You are faithful, kind and loving. You are my strength. Bring light where there is darkness, heal where I am weak and love where my heart fades. Let my life bring glory and honor to Your name and not to me, O Lord, not to me.

You are my God. Listen to the voice of my prayers, O Lord. You have covered me with Your grace. Please do not give the sinful what they want. Do not let their plans work, or they will be honored. You are my safe place, my share in the land of the living. Listen to my cry, for I am brought down. Save me from those who make it hard for me, for they are too strong for me. Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name. Those who are right and good will gather around me for You will give much to me.

You have been mindful of me, O Lord. I know You will bless me along with those who fear You, both small and great. May You give me increase more and more as I choose rightness and goodness. I will be thankful, as You are my strength.

O Lord, let my life bring glory and honor to Your name and not to me, O Lord, not to me.

A Winter Prayer of Petition and Blessing adapted from Psalm 50, 55 & 56

Mar15

Jehovah-’Izoa Hakaboth – Lord Strong –Mighty.

The Powerful One, God, the Lord, has spoken. And He calls the earth from where the sun rises to where the sun goes down. God shines perfect in beauty. May our God come and not keep quiet.

When I am afraid, I will trust in You for You are my strength. I will praise Your holy Word. I have put my trust in You for You are strong and mighty. I will not be afraid for You give me strength. What can man, alone, do to me?

O God, many have walked on me. All day long they change my words to say what I did not say. They are always thinking of ways to hurt me. Lord, you have seen how many places I have gone. Put my tears in Your bottle.

Listen to my prayer, O God. Do not hide Yourself from what I ask. Hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I have no peace, because of the voice of those who hate me and the power of the sinful. For they bring trouble upon me and in anger they keep on having bad thoughts against me. My heart is in pain within me. The fears of death have come upon me. I have begun shaking with fear. Fear has power over me. Please show me Your loving kindness.

I know that You are for me, O God. I praise Your holy Word. In You I have put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? I am under an agreement with You, O God. I will give You gifts of thanks. For You have set my soul free from death. You have kept my feet from falling so I may walk with You in the light of life.

I would be able to take it if the one who hates me were putting me to shame. I could hide from her. It is not one who hates me who has put herself up against me. But it is a woman like myself, one who has gone with me, my close friend. We shared together and we walked with the people in Your house.

I will call on You and You will save me. I will cry out and complain in the evening and morning and noon, and You will hear my voice. You will save my soul in peace. You sit on Your throne forever. I will continue to give all my cares to You and You will give me strength. You will never let those who are right with You be shaken. O God, I will trust in You, for You are faithful to give me strength.

A Winter Prayer of Petition and Blessing adapted from Psalm 88

Mar9

An Evening Prayer

A Prayer to Jehovah-Keren-Yish’i – Horn of Salvation

Here I am again on my knees, O Lord, in the midst of my darkest night. As You are the One Who saves me, please listen to my cry. Let my prayer come to You. My soul is filled with troubles. My small world is out of control. These troubles haunt me. My limbs shake with fear. My eyes are weak. I am without strength. Every breath I take appears to be my last. God, You are my last chance of the day. As You are the One Who saves me, please listen to my cry.

I will call to You, O Lord. I will spread out my hands to You. Show Your mercy and favor to me. Allow Your great works to be known in my darkness. As You are the One Who saves me, please listen to my cry.

O Lord, My prayer comes again to You as the morning sun appears before me. I have suffered through the night and I cannot win. O Lord, do not turn away from me. Do not hide Your face from me? You are the God Who saves me.

I will call to You, O Lord. I will spread out my hands to You. Show Your mercy and favor to me. Allow Your great works to be known in my darkness. As You are the One Who saves me, please listen to my cry.

A Winter Song of Worship and Praise adapted from Psalm 138, 144, 145 & 146

Mar8

Jehovah-Sel’i – Lord my Rock

Praise and thanks be to You, O Lord. You are my rock, my wall of strength and my strong place. You are the One who sets me free and provides a safe covering. You are the One I trust completely. I will sing a new song and give you all of my praise.

Thank you for my life. Even if I walk into trouble, You keep me safe. You put out Your hand against the anger of those who hate me and Your right hand saves me. You do not turn away from me even though my life is like a breath and my days are like a passing shadow. You have promised to finish the work You started in me. Knowing of this promise brings a smile to my face. Thank you!

Thank you for my children. May they mature to full growth in Your love and be like the corner pieces of a great house that cherishes the praise of Your Name. May there be no cry of trouble in their streets. May they experience Your constant presence and peace.

I will sing praises to my God as long as I live, for my family’s happiness is in You, and our hope lies in You, O Lord our God.

You made the heavens, the earth, the seas and all that is in them. You are faithful forever. You help those who have a bad power over them. You give food to the hungry. You set free those who are in prison. You open the eyes of the blind. You raise up those who are brought down and love those who are right and good. You keep the strangers safe and take care of the children who have no father and the woman whose husband has died.

My God, you are so good! You will rule forever! I will sing praises to You as long as I live. I will sing a new song for my hope lies in You, O Lord our God.

You answered me on the day I called. You gave my soul strength. Daily I will bow down toward Your holy house, giving thanks to Your name for Your loving-kindness and Your truth. Thank you, Lord, for meeting all my needs and my desires. You held me when I fell, raised me up and called me to live at a higher level. You opened Your hand and filled my desire. You are right and good in Your ways. I will give You thanks with all my heart and give You all of my praise.

You are truly near to all who call on You in truth. You fill the desire of those who fear You. You hear their cry and save them. You take care of all who love You. Thank you for Your goodness, Lord. You are too great for anyone to understand. I will think about Your power and Your great works for You are full of loving-favor and pity, slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. My mouth will give You all of my praise.

A Winter Prayer of Petition and Blessing adapted from Psalm 10 & 90

Mar7

Jehovah–Helech ‘Olam: God Is Forever

Lord, You have been the place of comfort for me. Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, forever and ever, You were God. A thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday or like the hours of the night.

You know my sin and have set each wrongdoing before You. My secret sins are illuminated in the light of Your face. All my days pass away in the midst of Your anger. I will finish my years with a quiet cry. The days of my life are short, maybe seventy or eighty if I have the strength to carry on. Sometimes it seems the best of my days are only hard work and sorrow. Oh, how I long for Your mercy and forgiveness.

Rise up, O Lord! Lift up Your hand, O God. Do not forget me. You have heard my prayers. Give strength to my heart and listen to my petitions. For You, O Lord, are King forever and ever.

Teach me to understand. Give me a heart of wisdom so that I may give back to You. Teach me to live well so I may experience happiness. Teach me to live wisely! Fill me every morning with Your loving kindness so I may sing for joy and dance all the day long. Let me see Your best works and the ways You rule and bless Your children. Let Your loveliness rest on me, confirming Your work in me.

Each day I long to experience Your greatness and Your favor. For you, O Lord, are King forever and ever. Amen

THE HEART OF EXCELLENCE: Lesson 10 Bonus Content

Mar6

True beauty comes from the inside. It comes from the heart. This is an everlasting beauty which is most precious to God. It’s a beauty that is gentle and of a quiet spirit. In God’s sight this is of great worth and no amount of money can buy it. 1 Peter 3: 3-4

God is most concerned with what 1 Peter refers to as the ‘hidden person of the heart’. Our heavenly Father understands that out of our hearts, our inner-being, flow the issues of life. He has a way of equipping our hearts for each season of our lives. There are three specific God-given elements to the heart of a woman of excellence: prayer, grace, and forgiveness.

Scripture Memorization

“A sound heart is life to the body” Proverbs 14:30 NKJV

This past winter I read RC Sproul’s book, “The Holiness of God” in his writings he reminds his readers that…The task that is given to us, mankind, is to bear witness to the holiness of God–to be His image bearer. We are made to mirror and reflect the holiness of God. We are made to be His ambassadors.

In this pursuit of excellence we embark upon, Matthew 7:14 tells that the gate is narrow, the path is difficult and only few ever find it. So this speaks to us, that living God’s way and being His reflection is not easy, especially when life experiences brings constant hurt, emotional turmoil and disappointments. So we must draw from the elements of the heart of prayer, fasting, worship,unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness. To be motivated to do this, you have to be passionate about your faith and intentional about living God’s way. In 1 John 5:3 says living God’s way and keeping His commandments are not troublesome to those who truly adore and love Him.
Living out our faith in love and commitment is seen in the way we conduct ourselves; in our family relationship, our work relationships and our community relationships.

The Study

Complete pages 51-52 in Excellence with Simple Elegance: The Study workbook.

Both books can be purchased easily by copying & pasting this website to your browser. Purchase The Study (workbook) for $8.99 and Excellence with Simple Elegance will be Free.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GNJUG5QAZ2EGW

Even with our incredible drive, our energy and among our successes we get off track experiencing exhaustion, discontentment, unfulfillment, maybe even depression and discouragement. I know this has happened to me. Just the other day I must have experienced every emotion that a person can experience. Instead of laying my concerns at the feet of Jesus, I did the opposite I held on to every obstacle and every worry. Thinking I could control others and the situation I was facing, my misguided path only successfully put me on a emotional roller coaster ride.

Distracted and Riding a emotional roller coaster?

In this lesson you have the opportunity to write one of your stories where you were distracted, maybe treated unfairly and hurt. As you write this story. Take time to reread the words you have commited to paper. As you read , you will gain clarity of your struggle then pray for God’s healing. Give it to Jesus. Lay it down daily. Allow God’s divine strength move you pass the brokenness. Once again experience emotional health knowing confidently that God has it in His hands.

Between our work lives and our home lives, we all have moments that are chaotic, crazy, stressful, unpredictable and uncomfortable. This is reality. This is life. Life happens and it throws us off track. In all this chaos, there is one thing that I know is true: Women, we desperately need God and His healing touch. There is only One who can steady your heart. Take time to Worship, Read God’s Word, Pray, Seek His Grace and His Forgiveness. And when you have experienced God’s love, grace and forgiveness; then in His strength you will freely extend love, grace, and forgiveness to others.

“Humility is the mother of all virtues; purity, charity and obedience. It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint you will not put yourself on a pedestal.”
― Mother Teresa, In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories and Prayers

Promise

“a glad heart has a special supper all the time”

Blessing

“May He give you the desire of your heart”