Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. Hosea 6:1
How can I praise You Lord
when my sins are ever before me?
How can I speak Your Name
when my eyes are focused on worldly things?
How can I even begin to hear You
when my heart is full of darkness?
Mine enemies are always upon me Lord
my wickedness engulfs my inner being
I come to You, LORD, with a contrite spirit
seeking Your forgiveness and redemption
so my countenance can be as radiant as the sun
my heart whiter than blankets of snow
I bow low, prostrate to the ground a sacrifice of
praise rupturing from the pit of my soul
in thanksgiving as I hear You, quietly say,
“My daughter, it is finished. You are redeemed.”
when my sins are ever before me?
How can I speak Your Name
when my eyes are focused on worldly things?
How can I even begin to hear You
when my heart is full of darkness?
Mine enemies are always upon me Lord
my wickedness engulfs my inner being
I come to You, LORD, with a contrite spirit
seeking Your forgiveness and redemption
so my countenance can be as radiant as the sun
my heart whiter than blankets of snow
I bow low, prostrate to the ground a sacrifice of
praise rupturing from the pit of my soul
in thanksgiving as I hear You, quietly say,
“My daughter, it is finished. You are redeemed.”
~Marcell Warner Bridges
©29 November 2015
All Rights Reserved.
By now you may have come to realize how much I am enjoying Anne Graham Lotz’s devotional book, Fixing My Eyes on Jesus. Lately God has really been impressing on my heart my need for learning what it truly means to obey Him. Anne’s words are nudging me even closer to that understanding and the need to recognize the signs Satan throws my way to distract me from obeying God—keeping my eyes focused on Him so I do not sin. Here’s her devotion from this week (November 27th). Please read it slowly, thoughtfully and carefully. I believe it will have a big impact on your spiritual life as much as it has mine.
LIVING HEART HEALTHY
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
“One
of my children recently had some issues with her heart that landed her
in the hospital emergency room. As a result, I did a little research on
the Internet and discovered that physical heart attacks usually occur
when a clot blocks the flow of blood through a coronary artery, damaging
or destroying part of the heart muscle. Heart attacks can be fatal
because people often don’t take the symptoms seriously. They confuse
them with a minor illness like indigestion and thus delay going to the
hospital. So recognizing the symptoms becomes critical.
of my children recently had some issues with her heart that landed her
in the hospital emergency room. As a result, I did a little research on
the Internet and discovered that physical heart attacks usually occur
when a clot blocks the flow of blood through a coronary artery, damaging
or destroying part of the heart muscle. Heart attacks can be fatal
because people often don’t take the symptoms seriously. They confuse
them with a minor illness like indigestion and thus delay going to the
hospital. So recognizing the symptoms becomes critical.
My daughter’s issues have been addressed, but her rather frightening episode made me think of spiritual heart attacks. While they may not be fatal to our eternal life, they can cause us to lose heart so that we are rendered ineffective in service. Instead of experiencing victory and joy, we plunge into defeat and despair, trudging our way through the Christian life as though walking through heavy mud.
Don’t live with a spiritually damaged heart. Take it to Jesus. Ask Him to reveal the “clots” of sin that may be blocking the flow of His Spirit within; confess them, and ask Him to cleanse you so that you can say with the psalmist, “God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).” ~Anne Graham Lotz, Living Heart Healthy, page 352
From My (Our) Heart to Yours,
Marcie
How do I keep my heart spiritually healthy? (click to tweet) 
Do you know the signs of a spiritual heart attack? (click to tweet)
Oh my goodness. This is SO good. You and Anne must have been thinking of me when you wrote this. This is exactly how I've been feeling lately. Thank you for shining the spotlight so I can begin to identify the clots 🙂
Praying for you Nan that God would hold you close and help you as you continue to see Him and His guidance for your life. You are loved 🙂
Thank you, my love, for this "balm of Gilead" on a long early morning.
Ahhh Honey, I'm so glad this ministered to your heart. 🙂