From God, to the mind, to the heart!

Have you ever had a passage of scripture go through your head over and over but you can't even remember where it comes from? Each morning before I go to sleep, I pray that the Lord will fill my dreams with Him and his word. 
As I slept this morning a scripture song that I listen to often kept going through my head. I used the power of the internet to search down the passage and it brought me to Psalm 86. As I read through it, I realized that this is exactly the prayer that I needed to be praying right this moment! God put this in my mind as I slept. I took action and transferred it from my mind to my heart and prayed it to the Lord God Almighty from the depths of my heart. 
I have been learning over the last few months that God doesn't fit in the box of tradition or "religion" that we often try to put him into. He deals with different people in various ways... He meets you where you are as you are striving to draw nigh unto Him. 
I am so thankful for the reminder of verse 5, that He is "ready to forgive". 
Verse 11 is a verse we should all be praying, "Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name."
Finally, "You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth." is a promise that we should ALL be extremely thankful for!
"Thank you LORD for your work in my life today!"

Psalm 86
New American Standard Bible


A Psalm of Supplication and Trust.
A Prayer of David.
1Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me;
         For I am afflicted and needy.
2Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man;
         O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.
3Be gracious to me, O Lord,
         For to You I cry all day long.
4Make glad the soul of Your servant,
         For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
         And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
6Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
         And give heed to the voice of my supplications!
7In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
         For You will answer me.
8There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
         Nor are there any works like Yours.
9All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
         And they shall glorify Your name.
10For You are great and do wondrous deeds;
         You alone are God.
11Teach me Your way, O LORD;
         I will walk in Your truth;
         Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
         And will glorify Your name forever.
13For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
         And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14O God, arrogant men have risen up against me,
         And a band of violent men have sought my life,
         And they have not set You before them.
15But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
         Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
16Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
         Oh grant Your strength to Your servant,
         And save the son of Your handmaid.
17Show me a sign for good,
         That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
         Because You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Grabbing Rattlesnakes — Harboring Unforgiveness

I read this article and was reminded how devistating this can be in relationships. Being bit HURTS! Let it go... QUICK! Worse than being bit is allowing it to bite so often it consumes you.

A person who harbors unforgiveness always loses. Regardless of how wrong the other person may have been, refusing to forgive means reaping corruption in life. And that corruption begins in one relationship— including the relationship with God, and works its way into all the rest.

Holding onto hurt is like grabbing a rattlesnake by the tail; you are going to be bitten. As the poison of bitterness works its way through the many facets of your personality, death will occur—death that is more far-reaching than your physical death, for it has the potential to destroy those around you as well.

Have you been hurt? Has somebody, somewhere in your past, rejected you in such a way that you still hurt when you think about it? Do you become critical of people in your past the minute their names are mentioned? Did you leave home as a child or a college student with great relief that you were leaving, swearing you would never return?

Whatever your situation, whatever has happened in your past, remember that you are the loser if you do not deal with an unforgiving spirit. And the people around you suffer, too.

Additional scripture readings:
Matthew 18:21-35
Ephesians 4:25-32

Borrowed from http://www.separatedmen.com/articles/unforgiveness.asp

Learn Through Suffering

Although He (Jesus) was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. (Hebrews 5:8)
Are you suffering? As a christian God puts us through suffering for us to learn something. What are we learning? Is suffering "perfecting" (vs. 9) us or distancing us from God? What can you learn today from your current suffering?