As I was rereading my last post, I just kept thinking about how timely God's work is in my heart. Right now as we're approaching Christmas, the amazing celebration of His birth, I have just been crying out to God for a revival within my heart. I guess since the day the Lord began His work in me, I have always been overwhelmed by the fact of salvation. I've never wanted to get "over" that. I think at times I don't wake up and just Praise the Lord for salvation and a new day...but oh how my heart longs to do that. I remember a song long ago (yup...I'm old!) that said "before my feet hit the floor, I'll praise You Lord, I'll praise You Lord" I just want to do that daily....and by His grace I try to pray before I step one foot on the floor in the morning.
Have you noticed the older you get, the more "sad" stuff you see in the world...people dying, parents abusing their children...I mean that is enough just there, and yet the list goes on and on. So I've just been weighted down by the world lately...at least I feel like it...succumbing a bit to what timothy talks about in 2 timothy 3:6, where he mentioned the weak willed woman who is weighed down with sins. I feel like I've allowed myself to become so "interested" in the news of what's going on around me, that I've succumbed to being joyless and failed to see God even in the bad....at least lately. It's so horrible, and even as I type it, I'm a bit embarrassed but I'm not perfect, and Jesus is, and as I've been rending my heart before Him, He's been showing me areas that desperately need Him and are desperately wicked...how gracious of Him! I talked a little about needing to rend my heart before God so He could revive it according to His word....that I draw from Psalm 119:25, "My soul cleaves to dust; Revive me according to Your word." And as I mentioned that briefly at the close of my last post, God has in His perfect timing led my heart to a place where I am in need of personally being revived by His word as He has been working through the sinfulness of my heart. Revive in the original hebrew means to "be restored to life or health, to be quickened" How amazing....God wants to restore our hearts to live and restore our hearts to be healthy hearts for Him, by...HIS WORD!!! I LOVE this, because in my life, since the Lord captured my heart....I fervently sought "instruction" on how to live this christian life...I must have read at least 20 good Christian living books in college looking for the "formula" as to how to live a godly life. And one day, ever so sweetly, the Lord spoke to my heart as I was reading His word...."Brittany...I've got it all right here, there is no other book that will ever give you an answer that my word can not provide" God just gently affirmed the sufficiency of His scriptures in my life at that time. That day was such a huge turning point for me, I remember pulling an all nighter...through the book of Hebrews...it was amazing...the Lord began a work in me that has given me a passion for His word, and a desire to see sisters in Christ grow in he grace and knowledge of Him...through His word. So here I sit, in two days we're celebrating the birth of the Savior of the world...and yet I feel like I"m going to a friends' birthday party...because over the last 14 years God Himself has pursued my heart, and revived my heart according to His word...He has graciously kept me....in His word....and continues to grow me, even as I walk through the valleys of being a weak willed woman at times...God leads me to repentance through His kindness, and restores the joy of my salvation with His Holy Word!! He revives my heart and restores the health and life of my heart, by renewing the passion for Him that HE gives. I feel so fresh the words He gave me in college, "nothing good dwells within me, except that which is of You"
Just to show you how important being revived by God's word is, I'd encourage you to read through these verses in Psalm 119. (I use the NAS)
119:25, 37, 40, 88, 107, 149, 154, 156, 159
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