Your Good Shepherd

I thank you all so much for all of your prayers! I am continuing to work hard...there are so many details involved. I pray you are all doing well and I really am so blessed when I get to see you in person...not via the internet! Anyway, I just wanted to encourage you today with what the Lord is speaking to me.

HE IS OUR GOOD SHEPHERD
Are you allowing the work of your Good Shepherd to be accomplished in your life? Do you remember what His work is? Isaiah 61:1-3 describes it.
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

Are you brokenhearted? Captive? Mourning? Depressed?

Take some time away and be immersed in the Lord and His presence. Allow the Good Shepherd to tend to you. Isaiah 40:11 "Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes."

Maybe you're always pouring out and neglect your time with Jesus. Is your cup overflowing? Psalm 23 gives very descriptive ways that the Lord tends to us. He makes us lie down and restores us. He leads us in righteousness. He comforts us. He anoints us so our cup overflows! If you feel like you're trudging forward...go to your Good Shepherd so you can live out of an overflowing cup rather than out of a dry and empty one.

Be Blessed
Love you!

Rach xoxoxoxo

Turn Away My Eyes

Psalm 119:37 NASB "Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in Thy ways."

Wow! What a great verse. The world is all about vanity and appearance. Let this be a verse we hold onto and memorize since we are bombarded with vain images and lifestyles daily. I always remember the verse in Luke 16:15 when Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and He says to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God."
Think about the things that are highly esteemed in our culture today. Do they have any value to God or is it an abomination to Him? Is your value system that of the world's or God's?
Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Is your heart set on vanity? Is it set on temporal and earthly things? Ask God to help you "turn away your eyes" from those things! When you do and you look to the Lord and the truth of His Word, you are free from being a slave to this world's vain ways.
Do you have an appearance of spirituality but no genuine heart devotion? Do you cry over your sin? Are you broken and repentant? Ask God to place in you a heart that is fully His. May we each seek to be genuine and REAL in our relationship with Him and may we all appear to be what we really are. Lord, turn away our eyes from looking at vanity and revive us in Your ways!