Psalm 34.

"I will extol the Lord at all times;

his praise will always be on my lips.

My soul will boast in the Lord;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;

let us exalt His name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to Him are radiant;

their faces are never covered with shame.

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

he saved him from all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,

and He delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the man that takes refuge in Him.

Fear the Lord, you saints,

for those who fear Him lack nothing.

The lions may grow weak and hungry,

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, my children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Whoever of you loves life

and desires to see many good days,

keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking lies.

Turn from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

and His ears are attentive to their cry;

the face of the Lord us against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;

he delivers them from all their trouble.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

A righteous man may have many troubles,

but the Lord delivers him from them all;

he protects his bones,

not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;

the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

The Lord redeems His servants;

no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him."

Wherever you are in life - everything will be okay.

 

  

Currently listening to: Ascend The Hill - Song of the Redeemed

Psalm 18.

Lately, I've been having a hard time dealing with certain people, one of them being a guy at work who is harrassing me and making work feel very uncomfortable. In anguish, when I heard that he was making me out to be the bad person to our co-workers and was spreading a rumour about me, I cried out to God and let out all my feelings of hatred and anger. I felt so alone and unsupported. No one was there to defend me it seemed. I felt like my cries rebounded off the walls, and in desperation I asked God where He was. Immediately, voice spoke into my spirit and said, 'I'm right here.'
A couple of days later, I was watching the movie 'Facing the Giants' and was completely moved by it. It's about a man named Grant Taylor, who is a Christian, but was facing a crisis in life. The football team he was coaching hadn't won a game in 6 years, his car constantly broke down, his house was falling apart, and maybe worst of all, his wife was unable to get pregnant even though they had tried to conceive a baby. In the middle of the night, in utter desperation, he got up and read his Bible and again in the morning when he went out into the fields and read a beautiful passage in Psalm. In the back of my head, I wondered where exactly that passage was. Grant cried out to God and decided then and there to commit everything to Him, knowing that if he did his best, God will do the rest. As the rest of the film progresses, Grant's life gradually comes together in God's perfect will for him. God's blessing pours over him and overwhelms him. I was in tears nearly throughout the whole movie! It resounded with me and just proved that if you give God your everything, even though it may be very little, God can mulitply it and make something truly beautiful.
Later on that night, I had my devotional and it lead me to the exact passage that Grant Taylor read in the movie in the midst of his crisis! I was so humbled and blown away. It was so unexpected, and it is such a wonderful passage. I don't think I have ever been so moved by Scripture before. Be blessed as you read Psalm 18, wherever you are in your life:

"I love you, LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.

He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.

I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
You, LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.

As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.

I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the LORD, but he did not answer.
I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
I trampled them like mud in the streets.
You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
foreigners cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.

The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.

He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever."

Currently listening to: Andy Grammer - Build Me A Girl

Dear boy,

It took me a while to realise that there was deceit behind all your charm. I was blinded by your sweet words and how you treated me so well, but now my eyes are open to the reason behind all you did for me. You took advantage of me and made it seem like it wasn't your fault. You denied me and slept with another girl behind my back. You got my hopes up and didn't end up keeping your word so I was left hanging like a fool. I'm not even surprised or hurt at what has happened - my friends had already foreseen what would happen and they were right. I am just another girl in Auckland you can have fun with for one night. You are no good for me, or, more correctly, I am too good for you. You stopped me from becoming the woman I was meant to be. And so now, I claim this over my life: I am beautiful and worthy to be pursued by a man who values my heart over my body. I'm not going to wait around any longer for you, or spend my precious time thinking about you and wishing I was where you were. I'm done with you and I couldn't be happier.

Love, Jenny.

Currently listening to: Sam Amidon - Relief (R. Kelly cover)

This war is won.

This week was the first week of Bible College for the year. It feels nice to be back - like home. I'm so grateful that my dearest friend Anja is also studying at the same place as me, so this gives me a lot more motivation to go. It's been a fast-paced, non stop week for me since I am also working (I got the permanent part-time position! Thank God :) A typical day for me is going to College early in the morning, and then straight after that I have work till night. It's already been quite draining on me and all I want to do all the time is sleep. Goodbye social life! However, I am looking forward to seeing Bon Iver in Wellington in 2 weeks time. It's going to be surreal.

Tonite I was listening to the album 'Unbreakable' by New Zealand hardcore band 'Saving Grace.' They are my favourite NZ hardcore band by far, simply because they are spirit-filled people making spirit-filled music in an industry which is hard to be spirit-filled. One song, called 'The Determined Drunk' spoke to me, as it describes exactly what I am going through right now in my spiritual journey with God. Here it is:

"Flesh rising,

A bloodied battlefield,

Mass temptation,

A ceaseless bludgeoning,

Constant confrontation,

A flood of decadence tearing at my weaknesses.

Clawing, gnashing at my blistered heels, who can save me now? Who can save me from myself? Can you save me now?

Thus far I've only further tightened the grip of sin around my throat. No strength, no strength of mine. Only God's good mercy. Only His perfect love. (For I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength). Guilty hands are covered with the stink of sin, but perfect, precious blood takes the bitter shame away. Mercy poured out freshly, a flood of righteousness covering my brokenness. Dark deeds are swept away like crumbling ashes.

I accept my death. I embrace the cross, the thorn in my side. I embrace my weakness, the log in my eye. This is me, the face of dependency.

Lord, give me strength, for I am weak. Christ be my strength so I can overcome. I will overcome."

Currently listening to: Saving Grace - All, But The Archer