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October 30, 2019 by Sherri Woods 10 Comments

Enticements and Temptations

Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey of understanding enticements and temptations.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering we examined Heart Songs. This week we will explore enticements and temptations. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: 1 Corinthians 10:13 Amplified

No temptation (regardless of its source) has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience (nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance); but God is faithful (to His Word-He is compassionate and trustworthy) and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability (to resist), but along with the temptation He (has in the past and is now and) will (always) provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it (without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy).

Temptation and enticement are a common part of our flesh. BUT…God promises that He will always provide us with a way of escape. Is there a temptation in your life that God is providing you a way of escape that you are not taking?

PSALM: I Need Thee Every Hour written by Annie Sherwood Hawks.

I need Thee every hour,
Stay Thou near by;
Temptations lose their power,
When Thou art nigh.
Hawks transparently shares that she is being taunted by alluring enticements. However, she has experienced that staying near to Jesus helps her to resist temptations of the flesh, temptations of power, and temptations of devotion. Individually crafted temptations and enticements will come to us all but God will always provide us an escape that leads us to His will.

PARABLE: Be aware: Just as Satan tempted Jesus, he will approach us with temptations of the flesh (Matthew 4:1-4); temptations of power (Matthew 4:6-7); and temptations of devotion (Matthew 4:8-11). BUT God”s Word is the buckle of hope-giving truth we can tighten around our waist to resist temptations.

Hope-Giving Truths about Temptations

No temptation (regardless of the source) has overtaken you that is not common to man. You are not the only one who has been tempted (1 Corinthians 10:11).
God is Faithful. He will strengthen you and protect and guard you from the evil one (2 Thess 3:3).
He will not let you be tempted beyond what you’re able. His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).
With the temptation He will also provide a way of escape. His Word will light the way (Psalm 119:105).
You will be able to endure it. There is written proof that others survived (1 Corinthians 10:11).

Knowing God and the truths of His Word tightens our belts of faith, empowers us to resist temptations and live Godly lives, and binds us closer to Him where temptations lose their power.

PONDER and WANDER: Temptations of Satan are individualized crafted roadblocks (social media, shopping, eating, drinking, smoking, pornography, lust, sports, material things, isolation, medicine, ambition, status, work, religion, judgement, people pleasing, perfectionism, or performance, rage, envy, and/or gossip, to name a few) to God’s Presence. My temptations don’t look like yours and your temptations don’t look like mine. The commonality is that we all experience these lustful illusions of temporary satisfaction that can distract our minds, our bodies, and our souls from our need for God. BUT…God has promised to provide us His way of escape that directs us away from the enticements toward His Presence where temptations are powerless.

Have you taken the time to examine the temptations in your life and notice the way of escape God has provided? If you choose to disempower the traps Satan is using to lure you away from God, Take a moment to sit with Jesus and ponder the question: In what areas of my life am I most tempted? By the needs of the flesh, by a need for power, or by my devotion?

Take time to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the area where Satan most tempts you.
Next, consider what has yielding to this desire cost you?
Allow the Holy Spirit to notice where God has provided an exit from this temptation.
Acknowledge that you need God to resist the enticements.
Then choose if you will take God’s way of escape.

PRAYER: Father, I need thee! I need you to lead me to the wondrous upward temptations of producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I need you to help me resist the downward temptations of my accuser. Draw me near to you where temptations lose their power. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to thank God for providing a way of escape from enticements and temptations! Let the work of your wandering fill you with the assurance that God is faithful to help you. Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Enticements and Temptations appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image attributions:
He will provide a way out: Pixabay with text
I need thee: Beloved.org with text
Lead me Holy Spirit: Pixabay with text added
Tighten your belt: Pixabay with text added

October 29, 2019 by smattern Leave a Comment

How To Get God to Stay Nearby?

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

I Need Thee Every Hour
By: Annie S. Hawks, 1836-1911 (1872)

Listen to this beautiful piano version as you read, or watch the video then read.

We are going to declare again and again over these weeks how much we need God. We are doing this for our benefit, for the sooner this settles in the better off we will be, for the more enabled we will find ourselves to overcome the power of temptation. Let’s tune our hearts.

Help

The image that comes to mind for me is a little child trying to muster up the courage to do something. They want to do it, and do it by themselves, but they feel much better about trying when mom or dad are nearby. Like climbing the ladder to the sliding board.

They want to do it, but with the moral support drawn from the nearness of a parent, just in case something goes wrong. There is a little danger, but it is mitigated by the power of the parent. The parent gives courage to the child simply by being near. This is a very powerful, positive perspective.

As we get a little older, we still find comfort in the nearness of authority. There is simply something reassuring about the access to someone with the power to help should the need arise. When we know we have the ear of one who can change a scenario it changes everything. The Psalmist put that feeling like this.

Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Psalm 86:1 ESV

But it is not only the access that reassure us. It is the certainty of an answer. And we need that answer when we acknowledge we are poor and needy.

When I embarked on this journey of Resonant 7 several years ago I had a friend who offered me some good counsel. He told be to ask for help when I needed it. Then he said, “You need to act like a poor man and not be ashamed to ask for help when there is something you need that you can not accomplish without help.”

That counsel has served me well on this journey but has also challenged me in other areas as well. Admitting we are poor and needy, especially to one that can help is a humbling and rewarding experience, but not one most of us look forward to. You see it is one thing to be heard. It is quite another to be helped. Ask God to help you call out to Him for help when you need it.

Jesus, help me to be willing to ask for Your help when I need it. And I need it every hour, so I can be certain to have many opportunities to practice it. Thank You Lord in advance for each one.

Nearby

If are going to ask someone for help it is useful to get near them. There are times when we know we need God’s help but He seems distant. It makes me think of the old adage, “If God seems distant, realize He is not the one who moved.” We must address this drift.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 ESV

This Scripture makes very clear the cause fo the drift. Sin. For me it is the temptation to think I am self-sufficient. Though I know this is not true, I often act in a way that is quite contrary to that.

Staying near to God, and drawing near when we have drifted away, is a crucial part of acknowledging our need of Him. Our double mindedness is the issue. We waver between wanting to please God and please ourselves. We need to ask for His forgiveness for the times we have lived for us, and then sin we have gotten into as we drifted away, and for His help to live for Him.

One of the main points of Resonant 7 is to help people cultivate an awareness of God’s presence. When we are mindful He is near, it has a very profound effect on our ability to live for Him. That ability keeps us out of trouble by ensuring we are engaged in His will and ways.

Ask God to help you cultivate a continual awareness of His presence. Ask Him to help you stay nearby, as opposed to wandering off and getting in all sorts of trouble. Jesus is always near. We simply need greater awareness of Him.

Jesus, Your presence makes the difference in every circumstance. Help me to be quick to confess my need of You, and to live in Your presence. In Jesus name. Amen.

Continual Tuning!

Keep coming back and we will work help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

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Everyone enjoy this video and transcript!

Video 11.2 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

Here we are again. Another week, another stanza, and another 168 hours of experiencing our need of Jesus. Maybe you became aware of your need as He seemed distant at some point. Truth is He is always closer than even your breath. Tell Him you need Him.

If He seems distant, as the old adage says, remember it is Jesus who moved. The point is, we often lack awareness of how near He is because we have learned to be comfortable being unaware of His presence. Ask Him to heighten your awareness of His presence.

We all have temptations. The important thing to remember is that temptations do not need to have us. They seem so powerful when we try to overcome them on our own. That apparent power is diminished as our sense of the Lord’s presence is increased.

We cultivate our awareness of His presence when we confess our need of Him. That awareness is the best weapon again temptations and the weaknesses of our lessor selves. Ask the Lord to help you cultivate your spiritual sensitivity every hour.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
I Need Thee – https://pixabay.com/photos/hands-hand-fold-woman-finger-work-2274255/
Every Hour – https://pixabay.com/photos/clock-alarm-clock-watch-time-old-1274699/
Most gracious Lord – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/painting-artwork-art-russian-art-1023419/

October 24, 2019 by smattern Leave a Comment

Can You Hear It?

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I Need Thee Every Hour
By: Annie S. Hawks, 1836-1911 (1872)

Listen to this beautiful piano version as you read, or watch the video then read. Please be sure to experience the worship-cultivating podcast below.

We consider the latter part of this first stanza today. As we do, we delve into our need for peace and the reality that there is no other to be found that compares to what God offers. That said, why do we not pursue it with greater abandon? Let’s think about this.

For Rhyme’s Sake

This is an interesting line that requires a little thinking to confirm the obvious statement at the initial look. It seems to be saying “No tender voice can afford peace like Thine.” It first almost looks like “No tender voice like Thine can afford peace”, implying that any voice like God’s is similarly unable to give peace, which is the opposite of what is trying to be communicated.

Hymns are sometimes guilty of moving words out of order to make the rhyme. I think this is an example of that. Here is what one author suggested our hymn writer is trying to say. “No [other] tender voice furnishes peace [to me] quite as well as yours does.” You can find the explanation of that interpretation here.

Tender Voice

With that in mind, let us consider now the different aspects that make up this second line.

The first thought that comes to me when I think of God’s tender voice is Jesus describing Himself as the Good Shepherd. You can read the larger context in John 10, but we will press in to one verse to grasp the imagery.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 ESV

We have all found ourselves in the position of that lost sheep, only to realize too late that we have wandered away from the protection of the shepherd, sometimes willfully and sometimes not. When we realize that we are in a place void of peace what we long for is to hear the voice that ushers it back to us.

We can trust we will hear that voice when we have first confessed our need of Him. What is truly needful though is to develop an awareness of our continual need. This helps us cultivate a desire to listen for His voice more often, which keeps us from listening to other voices and protects us from some of the trouble we otherwise end up in.

Maybe today you lack peace. We have all been there. Ask your gentle, tender Shepherd to speak to you. Ask Him to help you hear His tender voice, and to move toward it with the confidence He is already moving toward you. If you have peace today, ask Him to speak so you can better know His tender voice and be even more ready when the next threat to your peace comes.

Affords Peace

The use of the word afford here means to give. No voice gives us peace like the tender voice of Jesus. And how we need to hear His voice, not only when peace seems to be slipping away, but every hour.

We must be vigilant to listen for two reasons.

His voice is tender
Other sounds attempt to overshadow it

I think of how God revealed Himself to Elijah in the still, small voice of I Kings 19. Though His voice spoke everything into being in Genesis 1-2, it seldom breaks forth with that kind of obvious power. He wants us to choose to listen, so He speaks with a voice the requires we do, rather than one that demands it.

A little later in John our Good Shepherd offers this promise.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 ESV

Troubles and fears echo in our souls. They threaten to drown out the tender voice of God. We must train our ears to listen for Him.

I heard someone say once that we should speak into our children’s lives in the quiet moments so that when the storms come they are accustomed to our hearing our voices and trust that we will help them. This is exactly what our Father wants to do. But we must be listening in the quiet times so we are ready when the noise comes.

And let’s be honest it is hard to discipline ourselves to do that. When trouble comes we are desperate to hear from God. But if we have not already learned to listen it will be more difficult to identify His voice. When we learn to declare regularly how much we need Him, every hour at the very least, we will be better equipped to hear His tender voice, and receive the peace it affords.

Ask Jesus to help you routinely listen for His tender voice. Discipline yourself to be quiet so you can identify it. Then when troubles and fears assail your soul, you will be able to cling to peace like nothing this world affords.

Jesus, help me to learn how to listen for Your voice. I need You every hour. Teach me to listen every hour, especially in the quiet ones, so when the noisy ones come I can still hear You tender voice. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Peaceful Thinking!

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness? Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, and sometimes to Free Members. Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here. Or check out some other samples at our Free Member Content Library. We have lots of tools and lots of options designed to help you be Resonant! Check them out today!!

Subscribers and Free Members enjoy this podcast! Everyone else the transcript below! It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

I need Thee every hour,

Psalm 40:17 ESV

As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!

This is a great place to begin, confessing our need of God, and why not? This Scripture speaks what we know to be true, the Lord takes thought of me. We know it to be true because He has delivered us before, so cry out every hour with the Psalmist, “Do not delay, O my God!”

most gracious Lord;

Isaiah 30:18 ESV

…the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

And He will not delay because of this incredible promise, that He actually waits to be gracious, and exalts Himself when He shows mercy. He is just and faithfully blesses all who wait for Him. Tell Him you need Him, then wait for His grace to flow.

No tender voice like Thine

John 10:27 ESV

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

He is our gentle shepherd. He speaks and we hear His voice. But we not only hear it, we obey. Why? Because we are convinced He knows, knows what is best for us, and has the authority to bring it to pass. Ask Him to help you hear His voice as you wait.

can peace afford.

John 14:27 ESV

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

And this is what we hear when we listen to His voice. Peace. Not like the world gives, but as only He can. Peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is the presence of God. Tell Him you will listen for His voice in trouble and when fears come so you may receive His peace.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Tender Voice – https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-sheep-statuette-161289/
Peace? – https://pixabay.com/photos/lamb-baby-animals-sheep-animal-1081950/
None Like Thine – https://pixabay.com/photos/religion-faith-shepherd-schäfer-3450127/

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

How Great Thou Art
By: Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940)

Listen to this orchestral version as you read. Please be sure to experience the worship-cultivating podcast below.

We close out our five week look into this classic hymn with some final thoughts about the refrain. Two things we will consider. There is a deliberate response to a definite subject. We must not be careless in our response to God, and He is undeniably the object of our affection. Let’s think about this.

Deliberate

We must be thoughtful and determined in our response to God. Throughout the hymn we see the author actively pursuing a deeper awareness of God. Here are some of the words that reveal this.

when I…consider
I see…Thy power
when I look
when I think
I shall bow

He is living with eyes wide open, ready to receive any revelation that God gives of His greatness. On every occasion he then responds to what he has encountered with a determination to sing from His soul to the greatness of God. His deeper awareness prompts Him to offer praise, but he did not stumble upon that deeper awareness. He diligently pursued.

Are you willing to pursue God as intently? Are you determined to be very deliberate in your response when you see the greatness of God revealed? We could learn some lessons from this hymn about how to look for the greatness of God around us.

We will know we have learned those lessons when we find ourselves…considering, looking for, thinking about…God’s greatness. We will practice what we have learned when we commit to a deliberate, calculated and intentional response to Him by lifting our souls and our voices in praise. We will echo the Psalmists words with our lips and our lives.

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. Psalm 104:33 ESV

But that reasoned response does not mean it is dispassionate. Quite the contrary. That deliberateness informs our passion, and is actually the first step on the journey towards it.

Duty, Discipline, Delight

We know we should long to be a soul that is ready to sing at any and every moment, but sometimes we just do not feel like it. Still it is our duty. Even when it is not easy.

As we begin to develop patterns that remove hinderances to worship and cultivate a watchful heart, what once felt like duty slowly transforms into something else. It has a different rhythm to it. It becomes our discipline. And each of us needs to find our own rhythm, which will not be identical to anyone else’s.

As we become more comfortable with our unique rhythm, it becomes easier to maintain. It seems less and less like work. There may be seasons when we fall out of rhythm, but we are able to find it again. That is when the discipline has become something like breathing, and it is just as life-sustaining. It is delight.

This does not happen overnight, but it can become a way of living if you keep at it. If you are deliberate, but with grace. Where are you on the duty-discipline-delight continuum? Wherever you may be, are you ready to continue your journey, or find your way back as the was may be?

Jesus, I want to be deliberate in my relationship with You. I want to have eyes and ears and a heart wide open to You. Help me cultivate this everyday, until I find myself routinely and spontaneously singing of Your greatness. In Jesus name. Amen

Definite

The one thing that makes this entire pursuit possible, and at the same time worthwhile, is the very object of this passion. He calls us to Himself, makes the way for us to come, enables us to move toward Him, and is Himself the satisfaction discover when we get there. We know the One that our soul loves because He has made Himself know to us.

He is our Savior God. And there is no one like Him.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. Psalm 96:4 ESV

We are not seeking to experience some out-of-body experience. We are not trying to numb or dull your senses to achieve some measure of peace. We are not expressing our wonder to the universe.

Instead we are seeking a greater awareness of God with heart, soul, mind and strength. We are attempting to heighten our senses so as to find peace in the greatness of His presence. We are expressing our wonder to our Great Savior.

He is our Savior God. And there is no one like Him.

We have identified and are continuing to identify His worth far above all the other gods that would clamor for our affection and attention. We have examined them in light of Him and found them lacking. They can not save us. He already has.

We sing of Him and for Him, but we also sing to Him. To the glory of His greatness!

He is our Savior God. And there is no one like Him.

Ask Him for His help as you seek to praise Him from deep in your soul.

Jesus, I want to praise You in every situation for all You have done and all You are. You are my Savior, my God, and there is no one like You. Help me today to be deliberate and definite in declaring Your greatness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Great-ful Thinking!

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness? Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Everyone else enjoy this podcast and the transcript below! It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Podcast 10.5 Transcript

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,

Psalm 104:1 ESV

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

The Psalmist instructs his soul to bless the Lord, and we enter the refrain with our own praise in light of how God has revealed Himself through each stanza of this hymn. In the wonder of the universe His greatness is on display. Commit to sing of His greatness.

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

2 Samuel 7:22 ESV

…you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

He is great and our voices must declare there is none like Him. In the beauty of the created world in which we live, His greatness is on display. Determine to echo His greatness in your soul.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,

Psalm 104:33 ESV

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

We sing from our souls our whole life long to the One who gives us breath. He breathed His last on the cross to enable our praise. In the sacrifice of our Savior, His greatness is on display. Vow to sing praise to Him.

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Psalm 96:4 ESV

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.

And I will be a part of that praise. Certainly here, but just as well when I finally see Him face-to-face. In His Second Coming, His greatness will be on display. Plan to give Him praise that day, but get ready by declaring His greatness today, and everyday.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
How Great Thou Art – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/cross-jesus-christ-easter-3254876/
Then Sings My Soul – https://pixabay.com/photos/microphone-boy-studio-screaming-1209816/
My Savior God to Thee – https://pixabay.com/photos/people-woman-microphone-dark-2600800/

Enticements and Temptations

Image attributions:
He will provide a way out: Pixabay with text
I need thee: Beloved.org with text
Lead me Holy Spirit: Pixabay with text added
Tighten your belt: Pixabay with text added

How To Get God to Stay Nearby?