CHALLENGE TO SELF

Zephaniah 3:17 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁷The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17 (New Living Translation)

 ¹⁷ For the Lord your God is living among you.
      He is a mighty savior.
   He will take delight in you with gladness.
      With his love, he will calm all your fears.
      He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”




While I was reading and talking to GOD tonight I asked HIM to show me what I needed to read. First thing was an incredible devotion...which I will share about in a later post. Second, HE brought to my memory a song that I haven't heard in a long time. The name may be; The LORD Thy GOD, I'm not sure. It talks about how GOD is in the midst of us and how "Mighty" HE is, how HE saves us and rejoices over us. So I started thinking that it must come from scripture. I googled it and there it was. I like the Amplified because of how it explains the meaning in each line and the New Living because of what it says about fears. The LORD will "calm" all your fears. You may key in on another aspect of the verse but that is important to me. GOD knows when we need to hear that HE is our SAVIOR! and how HE loves us in ways we can't imagine!! Then HE took me to another passage...

Psalm 51:10-12 (New Living Translation)

 ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God.
      Renew a loyal spirit within me.
 ¹¹ Do not banish me from your presence,
      and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
 ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
      and make me willing to obey you.


For me this Psalm serves as a reminder that I need to be in constant communication with HIM. Everyday...24/7...I am in need of HIS forgiveness and renewal. The LORD wants to give us a clean heart and renew us. HE wants to make us feel right on the inside. My inner being needs to feel the calmness that washes through me when I commune with HIM. When I don't, it gets increasingly harder to keep going. HE is the one that gives me that inner renewal...peace...that we all need. When I don't have that for awhile, that's when I think I have been banished from HIS presence. That is when all the fears come back. Then as soon as I turn back to HIM, HE restores my joy and lets me know HE never left me. It is amazing to me how I tend to do the same things over and over again. Thankfully, the LORD is loving and patient. HE is more than willing to restore my joy. I just have to do my part.


I don't know what you get out of these verses. For me they have been very healing and something that I needed to share. Not so you know about me, but so you can see how GOD works through HIS word if we will only ask HIM. I don't ask HIM nearly enough for these kinds of things. I ask HIM for to many things that really aren't of much importance. Earthly things that won't make a bit of difference once I leave this earth. My goal is to just go after more of GOD. Let HIM change me and give me a more GODLY character. It is said...If you really want something, you will go after it with all your might. Do you really want more of GOD? Are you willing to go after HIM with all you have? That's my challenge to myself...

Step up and just go for it! All I can get!!