Psalm 147

1 Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
6 The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.
8 He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.
10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man;
11 the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
12 Extol the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion,
13 for he strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you.
14 He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
15 He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
16 He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast?
18 He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.
19 He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel.
20 He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the LORD.

From this psalm you can see so many important things about God!

• He is worthy to be praised! (We should praise Him with a thankful heart)
• He is Healer! (We should turn to Him for physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing)
• He knows all! (We should trust Him because He knows the entire picture and we only see what is in front of us.)
• He is Great! (We should realize that nothing is better than Him!)
• He is Mighty! (We should respect Him as a Mighty King)
• He is Powerful! (We should acknowledge His power in and around our lives)
• He understands all! (We should understand that He knows us better than we know ourselves)
• He is the Sustainer! (We should rest in Him.)
• He brings down the wicked! (We should repent from our wicked ways.)
• He enjoys music! (We should enjoy the gift of music and use it as a way to praise our God.)
• He is Provider! (We should rely on Him for our needs.)
• He is Creator! (We should embrace creativity because we serve a creative God who made us in His image.)
• He is Hope! (We should rejoice in the hope that He brings.)
• He is Love! (We should embrace the love He offers us.)
• He is to be feared! (We should respect His authority and power.)
• He is Holy! (We should recognize His bigness and perfection and understand that He is separate from us.)
• He is our Defender! (We should move out of the way and let Him fight the battle.)
• He is our Strength! (We should find our strength in Him.)
• He is Peace! (We should relax in the shadow of His wings.)
• He satisfies! (We should seek Him for He satisfies our every need.)
• He is Ruler! (We should submit to His ways and leading.)

Man! That encourages me so much! I can't tell you how much I enjoyed just writing that out! God truly is my everything! I think I could write an individual blog on each one of those points! Isn't our God truly great?!

Psalm 63

1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
9 They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God's name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Can you hear the cry of David's heart in this psalm? He hungers and longs for God with all that he has! He knows that through every trial and difficulty that God is there and that the best place to always be is in His presence. For some reason when I read this I think of ministry and how easy it is to get caught up in serving the Lord that we forget to spend time just sitting in the presence of the Lord. That, and how easy it is in ministry to get discouraged and lose that hunger and thirst for God.

God, I pray that in the ministry you have placed me to serve at, that everyone involved in it and serving in it would seek you with all they have. God i pray that our inner-most being would long for and thirst for you! I pray that we would see your power and glory in this ministry! I pray that You would move in such powerful ways that no one would be able to doubt you are here doing things! God, I pray that we would be able to see you do BIG things here! I pray that the students and even the leaders would realize that Your love truly is better than anything life has to offer us! I pray that we would fall in love with You and that we would praise You for all that You have done! As You move in the lives of this ministry God, and as You bring life change, may we come together and lift up your name in praise! May we worship You in spirit and in truth lifting up Your name with all that we have in us. When troubles and temptations come I pray that You would help us remember to turn to You. I pray that we all would cling to You knowing that our help comes from You and only You! When we feel discouraged and down I pray that we all would turn even more to You and thirst and hunger for Your presence! Please move in this ministry! Please stir up a fire and a passion in the heart's of the students and leaders that desires You with everything that is in them! In Your Son's name I pray these things. Amen!

Psalm 1

I think one of my favorite psalms is psalm 1. One of the main reasons it has so much importance to me is because it was one of the first passages of Scripture that I ever memorized. There are so many important lessons that can be gained from this passage.

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

This specific verse was the inspiration for a Casting Crowns song that I absolutely love called Slow Fade. In this verse at first the man is walking, then standing, and then sitting. I think the words of this song are so true and great to consider!

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade
Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day
Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

I love how the song talks about the things you see, hear, say, and the places you chose to go. All of those things are things that we choose. It amazes me at how the enemy will get you to rationalize the smallest of things and that it will build and build until you find yourself doing things you never even imagined you'd do. It really is a slow fade into a life that you do not want to live.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

If we want to avoid falling in to sin and out of a life lacking passion and love for God, than we must be grounded in His Word! The law of the Lord is in His written Word. We can't just read it; we must delight in it. We need to read it with a desire to grow and learn.

One time when I was sitting on a porch in the mountains of GA, God gave me this hypothetical situation that I could never forget. It was as if He said to me, "Lynsey, what if I bring the guy that you are going to marry into your life? What if I put him right before you and what if I am physically there with the two of you so that I can tell you that you will marry each other? Then you will know that it is my will." I was thinking wow! That would be amazing!!! Then He said, "But after you two meet, I am going to take him away form you for two full years and you will not be able to talk to each other at all for those two years." Man! That would be two hard years for sure! Then He said, "But I will give you a stack of letters from him, and in these letters you will have all the information you would ever want to know about him. You can read about what he likes and what he does and who he is." Oh wow! If that were to happen I would love those letters! I would read them all the time! I would memorize them and share them with others and carry them around with me all the time! And after those two years, I would run into his arms; so excited that i finally get to be with him! And then I heard God say, "Isn't that how you should feel about My letters to you?" Can I just say talk about a slap in the face?! Why is it that we tend to have more passion for the one we will end up with than a passion for the One that we are with and live for? If that isn't convicting than I don't know what it! I hope and pray that I will have that passion for God's Word where I delight in it and desire to meditate on it day and night!

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Have you ever thought of your spiritual life as a tree before? I read this story once that had to do with crops. It mentioned how most people think that when we have a season of heavy rains that it would be good for crops. That actually isn't true. See what happens is when it rains a lot, the roots of the crops don't need to grow deep into the ground in order to get nourishment. Then when a period of drought follows, all of the crops end up dying from a lack of deep roots. Crops must have deep roots in order to survive dry spouts. If our spiritual life is like a tree, the question to ask is how deep are our roots? The second question to ask is how can we deepen our roots? I believe that when it comes to growing deeper roots, it all depends on how much you are feeding yourself compared to how much you are being fed. Feeding yourself is the way to grow the roots deeper and being fed is more like the rain. We need a healthy amount of rain but if it is all we depend on we will not have deep roots.

4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Chaff is the stuff that is blown off of wheat when it is thrown in the air. It's the unimportant stuff.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Isn't it great to know that the Lord will watch over those who chose to live a righteous life? To live a righteous life takes work. It takes realizing that even the little decisions we make can affect us in big ways. It's the little decisions that can slowly take us away from living right and it can keep us from growing our deep roots in Christ.

Worry

(This is a note i wrote on facebook in November. I hope it is encouraging to some one!)

So a lot of my friends have been telling me all these different things going on in their life right now. Things about job hunting and stress, lack of money and a need for God's direction in their life. A lot of my friends are pretty worried lately and have a lot on their mind. And you know what, a few days ago I was right along with them. If I rewind to a few days ago, all I can remember is being really stressed and feeling like a chicken with my head cut off. I was running around being pulled in a million directions trying to get way too much accomplished. I mean, all the things I was doing were all good things that would glorify God, but were all of these things really what God wanted for me or what I wanted for myself to give to God? All I can say is I was incredibly stressed and the fact that for the last few weeks in October I had no money, and the first week in November I lost the card which is attached to all my money, all just added more to my stress. I pretty much had no food in my house and I had no way of buying any, and I had loads of work to do which were physically impossible to finish. I wasn't getting sleep and I wasn't taking care of myself and finally not only had my body had enough, my heart had enough too. I was feeling overwhelmed and I was certainly being attacked by the enemy. Worse of all, I didn't want to admit it to any one. If I had too much on my plate and had to take some off, all I would here from friends and family is I told you so. But finally, I remembered, who cares what others think, what does God think? I turned to Him and with some advice from people that I respect, I decided to drop a class that I was taking for fun. In dropping it I was able to free up time to become more productive in my other classes, more productive in my ministry, and finally i was going to have more time to spend with God. I was still worried about the money situation and all but at least I wasn't feeling so stressed anymore. I finally had a good amount of time I could spend with God and that is when I sat down and I came to what I am about to share with you....

In Matthew chapter 6 it says the following...25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I LOVE these passages. How easy it i to get caught up in the worries of everyday things. It is so easy to start worrying about the future even. It is good to plan and think ahead but that doesn't mean we should worry and fret about it. God has much bigger and far greater plans for us than we could ever imagine. Instead of worrying we just need to trust in Him. If He will take care of a tiny little bird, then don't you think He will also take care of us? He will provide and take care of you in ways you never even think to imagine. He has been providing for me in such random ways. Simple little things like some one buying me a drink or a meal. Most of those people who did that didn't even know I had no money currently. It was crazy. That and conveniently I had all these events to go to that provided food when i had none. But God knew that way before I did. It was cool how everything worked out. God spoke to me in these words in the Bible. He reminded me that I do not need to worry about how things will work out and what will happen and what people will think. Instead I just need to focus on Him. He is with me.

I love this verse I ran into the other day in Isaiah 41:13 that says... For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

I love that verse! When i read it I get this picture in my head of a little girl walking with her Daddy on a beach. She is looking up at him and He is looking down to her while holding her little hand. I know for me, when I was younger I used to always hold on to some one's arm. Specially if I was outside. It made my mother nervous because she thought that when I got older I would not be able to go places by myself. It wasn't that I needed to hold on to some one's arm in order to walk outside. It was simply that if i held on to some one Else's arm then I knew i did not have to worry about running into things and I would not have to worry about paying attention to things. I could focus on that person and our conversation or I could simply just walk along with out having to worry. This hit me. I can certainly try and live life without holding on to God's hand. A lot of times I unintentionally think that I do not need to hold His hand. But I do. See, when I am holding on to His hand, I can focus on His conversation, or I can simply walk along without having to worry. The key to not worrying isn't to just say to yourself "well..i know God is in control so I shouldn't worry." The key to not worrying is giving your heavenly father your hand and saying "take my hand Abba(daddy) and let's go for a walk." Trust Him and let Him lead you. Listen to what he has to say and talk to Him and just keep walking along knowing that He can take care of all the little details. God is SO much bigger than we are. He can take care of everything for us. If he cares and provides for the little sparrow...how much more He will care and provide for YOU!

Psalm 148

(This is yesterday's post! My Internet was down)

Have you ever sat to watch the sun set or laid out in the grass at night to gaze at the starts? Ever been awestruck by flowering mountainsides or blown away by the beauty of the ocean waves? man! I don't know about you but I love the outdoors! i love gazing at creation in order to praise the Creator! There is nothing like going on a hike through GA mountians in the spring or canoeing on a lake on a warm summers day. Its so amazing to feel the fesh automn breeze and to watch it dance in the trees as they shed their colored leaves! How beautiful MN is in the winter when the land, trees, fences and houses are covered in white fluffy snow! How beautiful God's creation is! It shows us just a small glimpse of his beauty and glory!

1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
6 He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and maidens, old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the LORD.

Take time today to go outside and join creation in praising our Lord!

Go outside And praise the God who mapped the stars out in the sky
Gather ‘round with those who love and sing
He is our King
No one should be left out
No one should be left out
No one should be left out
No one should be left out
If you have air to breathe
Hear your call to sing
-"Go Outside by Robbie Seay Band
(To hear the song go to http://www.lyricsmania.com/lyrics/robbie_seay_band_lyrics_41115/give_yourself_away_lyrics_72788/go_outside_lyrics_723544.html)

Psalm 18/ 2 Samuel 22

So I was reading through 2 Samuel a few months ago and I realized that the same scripture verses were in psalm 18. I love several of the verses in these passages. Here arethe ones I underlined in my Bible.

2 He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent men you save me.
4 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
5 "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.
17 "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
21 "The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
25 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.
26 "To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
28 You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29 You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light.
31 "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the LORD ? And who is the Rock except our God?
33 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
47 "The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!
50 Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.

All I can say is WOW when i read those verses! How awesome to know that our God is our Rock and in Him we find our strength and because of Him we can stand strong against the enemy. He will direct our steps and be a light for us as long as we keep to His path! What an awesome promise! I hope these verses encourage you as much as they do for me?

Psalm 27

So for awhile now I have been really struggling with different temptations and spiritual attacks. I was telling a friend recently about some stuff I had been dealing with and he suggested i read psalm 27. The verses in this psalm really struck the chords of my heart.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. (Everlasting God, My Hope's In You)

It amazes me how much confidence David had in the Lord. It reminds me of when David fought Goliath. He was so angry at the giant for bashing the name of his Lord. He knew that his God was big enough to take care of a giant and he went out in battle to slay him. I have started wondering a few things about myself when reading these first few verses. First of all, how upset would I be if I heard some one bashing the name of the Lord? Would I be upset enough to take action? Would I be willing to at least say something? Second of all, do I have the kind of confidence in God that David did? Sometimes I feel like giving in to the attacks and temptations I have been facing and i wonder if it is because I do not have a big enough picture of who God is.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. (Better Is One Day)

I love that part that says "to seek him." I can hear David's heart longing to be in the presence of the Lord. Man how I long to just sit in God's presence. I hope that all Christians do. I have heard time after time people talking about wanting to feel the presence of God. I think the important thing to realize here though is that if you want to feel the presence of God you have to seek after Him. Just like it says in James 4:8 "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." It takes action on our part before it takes action on His part. I think many times we get upset because we can't feel the presence of God in our lives, yet we are sitting around doing nothing about it. We sit and wait for God to take action when we need to take action first.

5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. (Your Love Oh Lord, Jesus Lover of My Soul)

I love this verse because it gives me the picture of God as my protector. I love how it talks about God setting us on a rock. God is our firm foundation. If we build our house upon the sand, it will come crashing down. If we build our house upon the Rock, it will stand strong. If I want to stand strong against the things I am facing then I need to seek after God and build my life upon His truths.

6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. (Sing, Sing, Sing, Sing to The King, We Win!, Shout Unto God, Make A Joyful Noise/I Will Not Be Silent)

I love verses that talk about making music to God! This verse gives us the idea of music being a sacrifice to God. Because I love music so much and I believe it is an amazing way to connect with God, I put songs in parenthesis that would go with the different Scripture verses from this psalm.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. (Came to My Rescue, Rescue, The More I Seek You)

These verses talk about calling out to the Lord. It reminds me of the importance of prayer. When your heart longs for God, you need to take time and seek God through His Word and through prayer. There are so many different ways to seek God and spend time with Him! I know as crazy as this may sound, I love to go sit on the swing set near my townhouse and listen to music. I can stare at God's beautiful creation and spend time just praising Him for what He has done. It's one of my ways of getting away from the world for a little while and taking time to just spend with God.

9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. (Take My Life, Mighty to Save)

David recognized an important truth; God is the only one who can truly be our helper. People will always let you down, but God will always be there for you. He is our Savior!

11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. (Search Me O God)

David realizes how easily he can get distracted from following what God wants for Him. That is why he is asking God to teach him how to follow God. In order to learn the ways of God we have to spend time reading and learning about God. The best source for this is Scripture. The best way to stand strong against our enemies is by knowing the Word of God which cuts like

13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Hungry, Lord You Are Good)

David ends this psalm by stating his confidence in the fact that he will see the goodness of the Lord. Sometimes when things are going bad it's hard to see how they will be used for God's glory but Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." The main point of this entire psalm is to realize that if we want to see this happen, and if we want to feel God's presence, then we must wait on Him and seek His face!