Talk Tuesday-A Lesson From Psalm 107

Have you ever gone through a period of discouragement where you felt like your prayers were hitting the ceiling and coming back down? Discouragement is such a deflating emotion. It makes our hearts question God's love, His purpose for our lives, His willingness to help us and it shakes our faith. Ever wonder why in a season of discouragement it feels so hard to pray and connect with God? When emotional weariness and spiritual fatigue set in, the best thing to do is to meditate on God's faithfulness-to remind ourselves of all that He has done for us in the past, and to give thanks.

Psalm 107 boldly begins with the exhortation, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He redeemed from the hand of the enemy,” Ps. 107:1-2. Remember where you were before you came to Christ. I was lost, confused and without purpose. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, He filled me with passion, joy, peace, love and pointed my compass heavenward. This weekend, as I meditated on Psalm 107, this line demolished the wall of hardness that was developing in my own heart, “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses,” (Ps. 107 verses 6, 13, 19, 28). Those who wandered in the wilderness, those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, fools in their transgressions and merchants in their ships all cried out to the Lord in their distress, and in His mercy, He answered their call.

I pondered this greatly. Then I felt the Holy Spirit gently remind me to cry out to the Lord in my distress because He WILL answer. His Word says so. I went home, picked up my guitar and began to sing His praises. I started to recall all that He had done for me in the past and thank Him for it. Suddenly my strength was renewed like the eagle's. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, if today you find yourselves in a dry and weary land, think back on the goodness of the Lord and praise His Holy Name. Let faith rise up! It is good to give thanks for we are the redeemed of the Lord and God will NOT fail you.

Talk Tuesday-Don't Stay Down!

Have you ever felt really down about yourself and distant from GOD? Have you ever felt despondent, discouraged or disappointed by your own behaviour as a professing Christian? Well, I certainly have!

This week I was reminded of GOD's infinite mercy, grace and love. As I considered my own sinfulness, I felt the Holy Spirit encourage me to simply confess, repent and pray. So, I did. I acknowledged my waywardness before the LORD (because that is exactly what sin is!), I asked for forgiveness and petitioned Him for help. Afterwards, I felt refreshed, restored and ready to face the future.

The Bible tells us that, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness,” 1 John 1:9. JESUS CHRIST is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and He advocates on our behalf. “But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world,” 1 John 2:1-2. The HOLY SPIRIT teaches us the Word of GOD and convicts us of sin. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you,” John 14:26. “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment,” John 16:8. 

Today, if you are feeling down, dive into His Word and pray. He has a great plan for your life! “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” Ephesians 2:10. Remember whose you are. "14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children," Romans 8:14-16. Then, remember who HE is. “The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy,” Psalm 145:8. Now, RISE, REJOICE and RECEIVE HIS promises for your life!

"Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways." Psalm 128:1

Talk Tuesday-Me, The Unmerciful Servant?!

Last week I learned a very humbling lesson.

I was mad at someone-very mad. I was right, they were wrong, they hurt my feelings and I was indignant. As I heard their, 'I'm sorry', I immediately said to myself, 'That's not good enough!' The minute I thought that, the parable of the Unmerciful Servant popped into my mind.

"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." Matthew 18:23-35

I had not meditated on that scripture for a very, very long time. I even forgot it was in there, in the Bible (yes, it's true). So imagine my shock when the Holy Spirit brought it to the forefront of my mind at that very moment. There I was, being the Unmerciful Servant. I humbled myself in the sight of my own sin. My attitude changed. I sincerely forgave and my actions reflected my change of heart.

Why is forgiveness so important in our walk with the Lord? Do you struggle with being able to forgive others? Why is our pride so important anyways?

God bless,

Natasha

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