Between the Blogs

Personal Epiphany: To love is to erase all conditions, all expectations, all hopes, all dreams, all what-ifs—to love is simply to choose, regardless of the outcome, to give your all to another person.

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Personal Commitment: It seems so easy to say, “I give my heart to God,” but the reality of fully surrendering to God is much more difficult; it’s a release of not just my troubles, but also of my hopes, my dreams, and my deepest desires. Who better to release my life to than the One Who created me? So, today, I am recommitting to daily surrendering my all to God, allowing Him to fulfill my dreams, and so much more.

New Hearts for Old (Allowing God to Transform Me)

Along the way I’ve discovered that the world looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. This realization is daily transforming the way I live.

The past few weeks, I’ve been pondering the ramifications of living in the presence of God. This topic is essential because when I invite God into my life that’s exactly what I’m asking—I’m asking God to walk with me every minute of every day, to be a perpetual presence in my life.

So, what does it look like to live perpetually in the presence of God? Does it mean my every hair must be in place, my words must be perfect, my actions flawless, so I look presentable to God? The Bible says: “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7b (ESV).

With this in mind, it becomes evident that if I’m going to be presentable to God it’s my heart I must perfect. I don’t need to clean up my actions, my clothes, or my speech before coming into the presence of God (like I might when meeting someone with worldly power or influence); instead, I must clean up my heart.

Wow! God really has high expectations of me! Yes, but here’s the good news: God doesn’t require me to do the impossible task of cleaning up my own heart. God promises, if I will only ask, He will replace my stony, unfaithful heart with a new fleshly heart that desires to please Him (see Ezekiel 36:26-27). It’s just that simple. My task is clear: I must turn everything over to God. I must surrender my stony heart and ask Him to transform me.

So join me as recognize and embrace this beautiful truth: The impossible work has already been done by Jesus; all I need to do is accept His free gift, surrendering my filthy, sin-riddled heart to God, giving him permission to transform me.

Final Thought: Only when we allow God to work in our lives, to change our heart, can we live continually in the presence of God.

Between the Blogs

Personal Epiphany: When I experience apprehension and fear for the future, my faith is bolstered by reflecting on God’s leading in the past.

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Personal Commitment: It seems appropriate on this Valentine’s Day to commit to living out love in my life—fully embracing God’s love, allowing His perfect love to saturate my life and pour out onto those around me.

Perpetual Presence (Living with the Living God)

Along the way I’ve discovered that without even realizing it I sometimes place earthly achievements, temporal success, and human praise above heavenly achievements, eternal success, and God’s praise.

When I consider my earthly heroes, people I greatly admire, I’m forced to acknowledge I would act different (better) when in their presence. It would be foolish to deny that I modify my actions when in the presence of people in positions of worldly power. I do this out of respect for the person and their position; but at times I neglect to pay this same respect when in the presence of the God of the universe. And here’s the key: I’m always in the presence of the God of the universe (see Psalm 121:7, 139:1-3, and Proverbs 15:3).

God’s greatest desire is be in an intimate relationship with me one hundred percent of the time, not just when I’m at church or when I read the Bible or when I pray—God wants to be a perpetual, intimate part of my life. This sobering truth should change my actions, not because I’m afraid, but because I stand in reverence and awe in God’s presence—a God Who voluntarily left perfection to walk with me on this sinful earth.

So join me as I keep my focus on God, as I allow His continual presence in my life to transform me from within. Join me as I invite Emmanuel (“God with us”) to be a perpetual part of my day—living every minute in community with my living God.

Final Thought: It’s only when I walk away from the light of God’s love that I lose sight of Him and begin to drift away.

Between the Blogs

Personal Epiphany: Living daily in the presence of God must change me; and I am always in the presence of God—always.

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Personal Commitment: In the uncertain moments of my life it is sometimes difficult to hold fast to my faith, but I am committed to building my faith by remembering (even in the dark moments in my life) exactly how God has lead me in the past.

Living Like God is Real (Breathing God In)

Along the way I’ve discovered that God is not a feeling, a nebulous idea, an unreachable divinity, or a vending machine where I put in my good works and out comes a blessing. God is real, alive, and working in my life.

In the past I’ve experienced God as a vague idea. I found some minimal comfort in saying, “There’s something greater than me,” but I failed to treat God like He was real—a tangible, living part of my life. I wasn’t behaving like God was the central force in my life—alive and as real as my friends, my family, or my husband.

There is a vast difference between simply believing in God and in living like God is real and is physically walking by my side.

Walking in friendship with the God of the universe, the Creator of everything, should change the way I live. Living in the presence of the All-Powerful God should elicit reverence, respect, awe, and joy. It will transform me. The perfection and excellence of God, if I live in community with Him, will change me—it must!

So join me as I strive to truly live in the reality that God is real—tangible, like the clothes I wear and the food I eat. Join me as I fully embrace the God Who left heaven to live among men—Emmanuel, God with us.

Final Thought: God is real—like the air we breathe, invisible to the eye, but absolutely necessary. We can experience God with the very essence of who we are, and, just like air, we are totally incapable of living without Him.

Between the Blogs

Personal Epiphany:  Fear is a ruthless taskmaster.

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Personal Commitment: Living without fear can only happen if I put my faith fully in God; so I am committed to focusing on God and His promises, putting my faith fully in Him instead of focusing on my own fears and failures.