"Delight yourself in the Lord And he will give you The desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4 
Stepping It Up in Scripture:
- Pick a verse to meditate on and memorize.
- God's Word becomes part of you as you memorize it. This process is called "Protein Synthesis"!
Working it Out in Scripture:
- What other Bible verses talk about God's heart towards us?
- What does it mean to "delight in the Lord"?
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Stepping it Up in Prayer: - What "desire" have you been praying for?
- God answers to prayer are complete and soul-deep
Working It Out in Prayer: - Take time to think through what you're asking God for.
- Ask Him for wisdom to get to "the root" of the desires of your heart.
- He knows your longings better than you do!
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Stepping It Up in the Physical:
- "Delighting" in the Lord includes physical response to who He is.
- What does your body language say about your relationship with God?
Working It Out in Physical:
- Here's couple observations to take note of:
- Are you withdrawn and anxious?
- In worship are you focused on the Lord?
- When do you feel the happiest?
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Click here to learn more. TTRM WEBSITE The content of Stepping It Up is free and solely for educational purposes. Reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than private study. Through the Roof Ministries Strength of Heart PO Box 3333 Akron, Ohio 44309 www.throughtheroofministries.org Strength of Heart Stepping It Up is a biweekly email message written by Shanda Grubb-Gobeli featuring scripture, prayers, and strengthening tips for daily Biblical living. The goal for this outreach is to encourage, equip, and challenge people with and without disabilities to step lively in faith toward holiness and wholeness everyday. Copyright © 2011 Strength of Heart a ministry of TTRM All rights reserved. |
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Your Heart's Desire
Happiness is an universal obsession. Mammoth amounts of time, money, and energy are spent trying to track down its secret. Yet the goal of being happy seems to be just beyond reach for most people. Just when we think we've found it, it slips through our fingers. Happiness becomes an illusion for those who set their hopes on obtaining it. In our materialistic society, credit cards create a quick fix for a bad day - until the bill arrives. Or a gallon of ice cream offers us solace in our solitude - until we need to buy a new (bigger) wardrobe (with credit cards). Even turning a frown upside down requires plastic surgery for some! The world does not deliver on its promises. Scriptures have a lot to say about how to be happy. But popular opinion says otherwise. Pop culture and even most religious rhetoric declare that following The Bible is usually a bummer. After all, where's the fun in dying to yourself? But here's the thing - Who are we going to listen to? Companies trying to make a buck off of people's desperation, or a God who paid the bill for our eternal debt? I'd say he's earned the right to be heard!
God knows our longing to be happy. He created us in his own image (Gen. 1:27). This grand desire is a gift from him! If we look at who God is and his character, we can truthfully say that our God is a happy God. He pours out blessings, overflows with goodness and mercy, and is abundantly gracious and is always at peace. The Spirit of God blossoms with love, joy, peace, etc.. (Gal . 5:22). However, this world dangles counterfeit happiness in front of our faces 24/7. It seduces us into thinking that what we really need is more stuff, a better relationship, more money, greater beauty, health, younger skin, and on it goes. Doesn't it just make you tired? Shanda Grubb-Gobeli P.S. If you would like to discontinue receiving this biweekly email please hit reply and write remove in the body of the email. You or your friends can also request to be on this mailing list by sending an email and writing in the subject line Stepping It Up to soh@throughtheroofministries.org Past Issues will be archived online at: |
Sometimes we lose sight of the Lord's heart for his people. We get caught up in the world's way of doing things and forget God's desire to care for us. Secular circles advocate the advantages of looking out for number one. But when we know, believe, and act upon God's promises, his tender mercies and loving kindness shine and sparkle more brilliantly than diamonds ever could.
Psalm 37:4 highlights God's endearing love to those who trust in him. He is tender toward our deepest desires. Isn't it awesome that he "commands" us to delight in him! God is a delightful God and designed his creation to be tickled pink by him! When he created Adam and Eve, where did he put them... in a garbage bin? Far from it. Well, I guess technically there wasn't any trash back then, but you get the picture, right? He lavished them with perfect beauty of the Garden of Eden. He bestowed peace and joy upon them that only comes from intimate relationship with him. They knew no anxiety or stress, and they took pleasure in the people whom God made them to be.
However, as we all know, their bliss didn't make it to forever. Not because God became hard-hearted or uncaring, but due to their own choices. The Lord deeply desires his loved ones to find joy and purpose. Yet we often forfeit all that he offers by choosing independence from him. Calamity, chaos, and emotional instability rose up the minute the couple went rogue. Since then inner turmoil drives us to find our way back to Eden. God hasn't changed (Rev. 4:8). Our devotion towards him can change like the wind (James 1:7, 8).
Our loving God still reaches through thistles and thorns to find us. When we hide behind manmade defensive mechanisms (Gen. 3:7), he comes to us with a wonderful promise: If you delight in me, I will give you what your heart really wants (Ps. 34:7). Now we must understand the difference between what our mind desires and the deepest longings of our hearts. Otherwise we will not be grateful for all that God provides. When it seems like God is holding back, often he is only waiting until we are ready to receive what we truly desire. He satisfies us with good things that last (Ps. 34:10; Ps. 103:1-5).
The truth is that only the Lord has the resources, the power, and pure motives to fully satisfy us. We are made to need him. Happiness fades quickly if we seek it apart from God. He protects us from false peace and security. Satan tries to beguile us with affections and affinities independent of God's truth (Gen. 3:1-4). But his kind of happiness is never enough. That's why so many people, including Christians, become enslaved to addictions and bondage. Trusting in temporary things leads to despair, disappointment, and separation (Gen. 3:6, 7). The Lord goes beyond the edges of what we desire most. He gives deep-down joy that lasts. His blessings come without guilt or regret (James 1:17)
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