Chapter 8
Remember the
father is seeking for us to stand in the gap
The Holy
Spirit is drawing us to a standing point
as we go
forward we may at some point
as we stand
in the gate be reminded
of someone
or something to reach out to.
If a
scripture opens this then pause for a while
and allow
the Holy Spirit to reveal it.
.
Heart, Being to the Praise of God’s Glory 120
Heart, listen to what we are saying.
believe, love,
and be thankful for the truth!
the success we love is NOT in coveting earthly
things in order to try
and dull our thirst for God.
It is the presence of God that is our delight.
we love that we can love God with praise
and that we can give the Holy Spirit
reason to enjoy being near us
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
heart, we are turning away from defining success
by how well we find reasons
to praise ourselves inside.
to praise ourselves inside.
The success we love is in KNOWING
that we really are exalting God in a big way.
God IS being honored
by our childlike dependence
by our childlike dependence
on His being God to us here
heart, our success is to keep drinking from God
and to let Him work as He pours Himself
on and through us.
Heart, believe that we are before the Lord
and that He is before us here.
Enjoy that the radiance of God is shining on us
and on those around us
because we are standing before the Lord.
Heart, believe it because God says,
“from Me comes our fruit”
(Hosea 14:8).
the success we love is NOT to exalt ourselves
when we think
we have things figured out.
God is the God of all understanding.
we will love Him with a continual
sacrifice of praise
sacrifice of praise
that normally would go toward us
the success we love is NOT to exalt ourselves
because of how much
we help other people.
The success we love is
NOT to daydream about our saving the world.
Jesus is the Messiah and Savior, not us.
we humble ourselves before You Lord.
Heart hear this!
Because we have entered the throne room,
it is right to trust that Jesus is walking with us
and that HE is being the Savior and ministering
to the people around us here
the success we love is NOT by what we do for God
it is by what God does
because He is in us and walking with us here.
we will keep on drinking from You Jesus
so that together,
we can glorify the Father
the success we love is NOT to satisfy ourselves
with how much other people enjoy us.
Heart. feed on God!
we will exalt the Lord
with any glory that comes toward us.
Inside, we will erupt with praise toward God.
we demonstrate our love for God that way.
Heart, God is our friend
and it is heaven that rules
and it is heaven that rules
we grab our soul
and we turn it from exalting ourselves.
Lord, we turn and give You praise
we give You a sacrifice of praise
that normally goes back toward us.
Lord, You are God, not us.
Heart, love that we don’t have
to be afraid about
not having enough discipline
to keep drinking from God
we CAN use our neediness as motivation!
Heart, love that we can receive
from the radiance of God.
we CAN draw near to God
and our need is so great,
that the more we love and enjoy being secure
and strong in God’s presence,
the more it helps motivate us
to keep the drinking to our inner being,
pointed toward
the closeness of Lord
and His kingdom 24 hours-a day.
Thank You for walking with us here Lord!
(Heart, enjoy God with us here!)
we set our heart to live,
“to the end that we would be to
the praise of His glory.”
(Eph. 1:12).
Lord,
“You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28 );
“The Lord is our strength and we will praise Him”
(Exo. 15:2)
Heart hear this:
“He is our praise”
(Deut. 10:21).
“we will say to the Lord,
‘My refuge and our fortress,
My God, in whom we trust!’”
(Psalm. 91:2).
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord”
(Psalm. 34:2);
“Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
But we will boast in the name of the Lord,
our God.”
(Psalm. 20:7)
our God.”
(Psalm. 20:7)
“Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary”
(Psalm. 150:1);
“Ascribe greatness to our God!”
(Deut. 32:3);
“you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious
God, slow to anger,
abounding in love and faithfulness.”
(Psalm. 86:15 ).
“The Lord is our God.”
(Zech.. 13:9)
Heart hear this:
“He is our praise”
(Deut. 10:21);
“My soul clings to You”
(Psalm. 63:8)
“The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassion's never fail.”
(Lam. 3:22)
Heart, Be to the Praise of God’s Glory,121
Heart, listen to what we are saying.
believe, love,
and be thankful for the truth!
the success we love is NOT in the pleasure
we find exalting ourselves with evidence of
our knowledge and understanding:
we will exalt the Lord and His attributes,
not mine.
not mine.
we love praising You Lord,
You are the God of all knowledge and wisdom
the success we love is NOT in how well
we protect ourselves:
Even if we have to praise Him quietly,
we will exalt the Lord instead of ourselves.
It is only God who is strong enough
to provide the protection we need.
we love Your closeness Lord.
we hide ourselves in You
the success we love is to love God
and know that He enjoys it.
we will love God by
praising His attributes and not mine.
Success isn’t to feed ourselves with human glory.
we turn from that and
we set our will to sacrificially love
God with continual praise the success
we love is NOT to find joy in
how well we justify ourselves:
we will exalt the Lord, not ourselves.
You alone are the God who justifies and
we praise YOU for that Lord!
(Heart, enjoy God!)
the success we love is NOT in daydreams of when
we might achieve standards that just keep
getting higher:
Lord, You are the standard.
Lord, You are the standard.
we praise YOU God and we set our eyes are on
You Lord
not on ourselves the success we love is NOT to
thrill ourselves
over evidence of our human significance.
we turn from wanting to feed ourselves
with the praises of people.
When it comes, we will thank them,
but inside we will explode
with praise toward You Lord
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
we turn from living to the praise of our glory.
The Lord is God.
His presence given to us freely is
a far better refuge, a better strength,
a far better refuge, a better strength,
a greater glory than the little gods of this world.
Lord, we praise You
(feel confidence from
the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
Success comes from God because
“from Me comes your fruit”
(Hosea 14:8).
The success we long for comes by our
entering the throne room and trusting that God
is walking with us here.
Heart, receive the shine of God’s face
upon us because,
“the Lord make His face shine on you,
and be gracious to you”
(Num. 6:24-26).
“as the eyes of servants look to
the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until He is gracious to us”
(Psalm. 123:2).
we set our heart to live,
“to the end that we would be to
the praise of His Glory.”
(Eph. 1:12)
“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a
sacrifice of praise to God, that is,
the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”
(Heb. 13:15)
“You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28 )
Heart hear this:
“He is our praise”
“He is our praise”
(Deut. 10:21)
“From the rising of the sun to its setting
The name of the Lord is to be praised.”
(Psalm. 113:3)
Lord, “You are our glory”
(Psalm. 3:3)
“May Your unfailing love rest upon us,
O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”
(Psalm. 33:22 )
“You are our King and our God”
(Psalm. 44:4 )
“My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord”
(Psalm. 145:21)
Lord, You are “our rock and our fortress.”
(Psalm. 71:3);
“we will say to the Lord,
‘My refuge and our fortress,
My God, in whom we trust!’”
(Psalm. 91:2);
“we will be glad in You O most High.”
(Psalm. 9:2).
Be to the Praise of God’s Glory 122
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love,
and be thankful for the truth!
not to thrill ourselves with how
well we perform spiritually:
we will exalt the Lord instead of ourselves.
we set our affections on You Lord
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
Heart Success is to exalt God and to keep
drinking from Him like a
branch drinks from the trunk of the tree
AND like a branch drinks from the rain.
we rest into opening up and
drinking like a branch.
we determine to keep our eyes and
the love of our heart set on You Lord
the success we love is NOT in the joy of exalting
ourselves with
subtle forms of internal praise:
we love exalting God because He alone is worthy.
enjoy believing the truth
that our praise greatly honors God
the success we love is to keep abiding in
the radiance around God and to
keep drinking from Him
like a branch drinks from a tree.
we set our heart to believe Your glory Lord.
we open ourselves to receive by soaking up
the Holy Spirit of glory that radiates from You.
we delight that it is God’s will to produce
fruit through us that glorifies the Father
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT in daydreams
of how well we achieve perfection.
we love the closeness of Your perfection
touching us Lord.
You are our God
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT to exalt ourselves
because of the new things we learn.
we love the closeness of Your wisdom Lord.
You are the God of all understanding.
we turn our ears to listen to the Holy Spirit
who is close and inside us
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT in how well we avoid
all possibilities of risk:
we praise You Lord,
even if it has to be quiet. You are our protection.
And, our God is the commander
of all the angels of heaven
the success we love is NOT to drink
from the glory
from the glory
of our being what people think we can be:
Lord, You don’t hold back Your plans for good
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
we turn from looking for reasons to believe
we have glory humanly speaking.
we grab our soul and turn it toward
exalting God—not ourselves.
we praise You Lord!
You are a far better refuge, a greater strength.
My freedom in worship, our praise toward God,
and our childlike dependency on the closeness of
His kingdom,
GREATLY exalts and honors Him
before a vast audience of heavenly beings!
After having explained about
entering the throne room
(Heb 10:19-22),
“we have witnesses surrounding us”
(Heb. 12:1);
describes the audience in
Heb. 11,
“rulers and the authorities
in the heavenly places”
(Eph. 3:10);
“spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places”
(Eph. 6:12).
So heart, believe
and enjoy the eternal value of our worship
that GREATLY exalts God
before a vast audience in
heavenly realms,
even when nobody here sees.
“have boldness and confident access
through faith in Him”
(Eph. 3:12).
“for through Him we both have our access
in one Spirit to the Father.”
(Eph. 2:18)
“You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28 )
we set our heart to live,
“to the end that we would be
to the praise of His glory.”
(Eph. 1:12)
Heart hear this:
“He is your praise”
(Deut. 10:21)
When we come to You Lord,
You wash us clean
You wash us clean
(Heb. 10:19,22).
we don’t have to wait to draw near
because You are our good;
we welcome Your presence
(Psalm 73:28).
“You are our glory”
(Psalm. 3:3);
“You are our King and our God”
(Psalm. 44:4);
“we know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all the gods.”
(Psalm. 135:5);
“we will be glad in You O most High.”
(Psalm. 9:2).
“the Lord will not abandon His people
on account of His great name”
(1 Sam. 12:22).
Heart, Being to the Praise of God’s Glory, 123
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love, and
be thankful for the truth!
the success we love comes from
the shine of God’s face.
And, it thrills our heart to praise Him
when human glory comes our way.
we exalt You Lord.
we delight that our praises give the Holy Spirit
reason to enjoy being close to us in power,
love, compassion, and righteousness
the success we love is NOT in how
well we use stress
well we use stress
as a tool to help us achieve more:
we rest into allowing God to work through us.
we set our affections on You Lord
not on what we achieve.
we love the closeness of the Holy Spirit
who is our helper.
Our confidence
does not rise or fall when nobody notices
the good things we do:
God knows and He is writing His own
set of history books.
As for us, we will keep on trusting that God
is with us here and that He is producing
spiritual fruit through us
by our absorbing His radiance
and letting the Holy Spirit flow through us
not in the evidence we find of our own
creativity:
we will exalt the Lord of all creativity and not
ourselves.
we praise You Lord
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love does NOT in how well
we get someone to make us feel secure.
God is our strong security.
we love Your closeness Lord.
we have no security apart from You.
My heart rests and is confident in You Lord
Not in ourselves
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
we turn from looking for reasons to believe
we have glory humanly speaking.
we grab our soul and turn it
toward exalting God
toward exalting God
not ourselves.
we praise You Lord!
You are a far better refuge,
a greater strength.
Our freedom in worship,
our praise toward God,
and our childlike dependency on
the closeness of His kingdom,
GREATLY exalts and honors Him
before a vast audience of heavenly beings!
“we have witnesses surrounding us”
(Heb. 12:1);
“rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places”
(Eph. 3:10);
“spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places”
(Eph. 6:12).
heart, believe
and enjoy the eternal value of our worship that
GREATLY
exalts God before a vast audience in
heavenly realms,
even when nobody here sees.
We “have boldness and confident access
through faith in Him”
(Eph. 3:12).
Lord, “we have become a marvel to many;
for You are our strong refuge.”
(Psalm. 71:7)
“The Lord is our strength and our shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and we are helped;
Therefore our heart exults,
And with our song we shall thank Him.”
(Psalm. 28:7)
“It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.”
(Psalm. 118:8)
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord”
(Psalm. 34:2)
Lord, we praise the closeness of all Your
attributes.
we praise Your name, not ours.
“God is to us a God of deliverance's”
(Psalm. 68:20)
Lord, You are “our rock and our fortress.”
(Psalm. 71:3)
“God said,
"we will dwell in them and walk among them;
and we will be their God,
and they shall be My people”
and they shall be My people”
(2 Cor 6:16).
And Lord,
“You are our hiding place and our shield”
(Psalm. 119:114)
“the Lord will not abandon His people
on account of His great name”
(1 Sam. 12:22)
“we will say to the Lord,
‘My refuge and our fortress,
My God, in whom we trust!’”
(Psalm. 91:2)
“It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.”
(Psalm. 118:8)
Heart, Be to the Praise of God’s Glory, 124
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love, and
be thankful for the truth!
the success we love is NOT to find pleasure in
how well we protect ourselves from being
embarrassed:
we put on the humility of Christ
and will thrill our heart by exalting
the Lord with praise
even if we have to do it quietly.
we turn our eyes to look at You Lord
not at ourselves
the success we love is NOT to feed ourselves
with praise toward us.
Lord, You are the God of all glory.
Lord, we praise You for the closeness
of Your attributes not ours.
we praise Your power,
Your beauty, Your awesomeness,
Your kindness,
Your wisdom, Your strength
the success we love is NOT to be more attractive
in order to get what we need.
Success is in exalting God.
You have the beauty, the majesty, and the glory.
Nothing on earth will ever comes close.
we love knowing that our praise honors You Lord
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT to push ourselves
to be something that others want to pursue:
Lord, only You are worthy of our pursuit
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT to achieve
the praise of people in order to be ok
It is God that we love.
we rest into enjoying the touch of
Your approval Lord
the success we love is NOT in loving how well
we measure up to the people around us:
it is far better to thrill ourselves by exalting God
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT to delight in what
people think about us.
My delight is the closeness of God.
we love that by trusting
we are in the throne room
the Kingdom of God is here.
My eyes are on You Lord
and we are trusting You to work through us
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
we turn our soul away from having to find
reasons
for praising ourselves.
we don’t have to feed ourselves that way!
we will exalt and honor God
He is a far better refuge,
a greater strength and glory
(Heart, feel confidence from
the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
“worship in the Spirit of God
and glory in Christ Jesus and put
no confidence in the flesh,”
(Phil. 3:3)
“to the end that we would be to the praise
of His glory.”
(Eph. 1:12);
“You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28);
You are our King and our God”
(Psalm. 44:4);
Heart hear this:
“He is your praise”
(Deut. 10:21)
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.”
(Psalm. 84:11)
“we will be glad in You O most High.”
(Psalm. 9:2)
“My soul clings to You”
(Psalm. 63:8)
“we know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all the gods.”
(Psalm. 135:5)
“You are our glory”
(Psalm. 3:3)
Success comes from God because
“from Me comes your fruit”
(Hosea 14:8).
The success we long for comes
by our receiving the shine of God’s face upon us,
“the Lord make His face shine on you,
and be gracious to you”
(Num. 6:24-26).
“as the eyes of servants look
to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until He is gracious to us”
(Psalm. 123:2).
Heart, Be to the Praise of God’s Glory, 125
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love,
and be thankful for the truth!
the success we love is NOT
in the joy of exalting ourselves
with subtle forms of internal praise.
Success is depending on God and exalting Him.
we set our heart to enjoy that God is
honored by our praise and
by our dependence on Him.
My God is the commander of
the armies of heaven
and it is heaven that rules
the success we love is NOT to love having
other people want to be like us:
we will love the Lord and thrill ourselves
to exalt Him by praise
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT
to enjoy dominating people
in order to achieve:
My eyes are on You Lord.
we will trust You to bear fruit through us
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT to drink
from respect other people have for us:
we can exalt God in spiritual realms
even when nobody here sees.
Because the scriptures say it,
we are believing that we are exalting God
before an audience of angels,
saints who have died before us,
and before demonic rulers and authorities
the success we love is NOT to keep talking
until they think we are important:
we can significantly exalt God by loving His
presence and praise
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT in finding evidence
that our words have influence:
It is God’s word that has power.
Success is in exalting You Lord
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT to push ourselves to
be more impressive when
others around us are competing:
Lord, Your glory is greater
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
we grab our soul and
we turn it from exalting ourselves.
Lord, we turn and give You praise
we give You a sacrifice of praise that normally
goes back toward us.
You are the Lord, not us
(Heart, feel confidence
from the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
“You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28)
“The Lord is our strength and we will praise Him”
(Exo. 15:2)
Heart hear this:
“He is your praise”
(Deut. 10:21)
“we will say to the Lord,
‘My refuge and our fortress,
My God, in whom we trust!’”
(Psalm. 91:2)
we set our heart to live,
“to the end that we would be to
the praise of His glory.”
(Eph. 1:12)
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord”
(Psalm. 34:2)
“Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
But we will boast in the name of the Lord,
our God.”
(Psalm. 20:7)
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary”
(Psalm. 150:1)
“The Lord is our God.”
(Zech.. 13:9)
“Ascribe greatness to our God!”
(Deut. 32:3)
“you, O Lord,
are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger,
abounding in love and faithfulness.”
(Psalm. 86:15 )
Heart hear this:
“He is your praise”
(Deut. 10:21)
“My soul clings to You”
(Psalm. 63:8)
“The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassion's never fail.”
(Lam. 3:22)
Heart, Be to the Praise of God’s Glory, 126
Heart, listen to what we are saying.
believe, love, and
be thankful for the truth!
the success we love is NOT in our having to
keep talking until we sense their approval of us.
our honor and praise comes from God
(Rom. 2:29; 1 Sam. 2:30; Jer. 13:11)
the success we love is NOT to exalt ourselves
with evidence of our being right:
we love the closeness of God’s righteousness.
we love that You told us to
seek Your righteousness
(Matt. 6:33).
You also commanded us to let righteousness
“roll down” like “an ever-flowing stream”
(Amos 5:24).
we set our affections to keep doing that Lord
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the success we love is NOT in our having
religious status where people are impressed
with our spirituality.
It is the glory of God that we love.
we set our affections on You Lord.
we love Your closeness
the success
the success
we love is NOT in quenching our thirst
with what we earn:
the Lord is the adequate God.
He is worthy of our praise.
we rest into receiving the touch of
Your adequacy Lord
we don't have to believe the lies of the enemy,
to get what we need by our having
to achieve the glory of God.
we denounce these things!
Lord, You are our God—
rebuke any enemy pushing us,
And Lord, we ask that with Your authority
and power You would command
the forces of evil to leave us alone
and to never come back
(Heart, believe
that He is doing it)
that He is doing it)
we turn from living to the praise of our glory.
The Lord is God.
His presence given to us freely
is a far better refuge,
a better strength,
a greater glory than
the little gods of this world.
Lord, we praise You
(Heart, feel confidence from
the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
Heart, we love that we can receive from
the radiance of God like a sponge.
we CAN draw near to God
and our need is so great,
that the more we love and enjoy being secure
and strong in God’s presence,
the more it helps motivate us to keep the
“drinking straw” of our inner being,
pointed toward the closeness of Lord
and His kingdom 24 hours-a-day.
Success comes from God because
“from Me comes your fruit”
(Hosea 14:8).
The success we long for comes
by our receiving the shine of God’s face upon us,
“the Lord make His face shine on you,
and be gracious to you”
(Num. 6:24-26).
And so,
“as the eyes of servants look
to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until He is gracious to us”
(Psalm. 123:2).
When we draw near to God,
He draws near by bringing heaven
around us here.
And, our God is
the commander of the armies of heaven!
It is heaven that rules
“You are our hiding place and our shield”
(Psalm. 119:114)
“The Lord is our strength and we will praise Him”
(Exo. 15:2)
“My soul clings to You”
(Psalm. 63:8)
“God is to us a God of deliverance”
(Psalm. 68:20)
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord”
(Psalm. 34:2)
“we will be glad in You O most High.”
(Psalm. 9:2)
“My soul clings to You”
(Psalm. 63:8)
“we know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all the gods.”
(Psalm. 135:5)
Lord, “You are our glory”
(Psalm. 3:3)
Heart, God is Our Thrill and Pleasure 127
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love, and
be thankful for the truth!
our pleasure is not to come to the place where
we think that we deserve Your presence God.
Lord, we love that it is by our faith in the truth
of Your word and Your grace that
You draw near to us.
You DO give us Yourselves!
And, we love that You don’t hold back
(Heart, feel
confident and be reassured!)
the pleasure we long for is not from
the twisted glory there is in sin
there is far more glory
in being near and in experiencing You God.
Lord God of all glory and life,
it is Your presence close to us that
is our thrill and our pleasure
(Heart, feel confidence
and be reassured by God’s presence!)
the pleasure we need most is not
to change our earthly circumstances
we turn to God because He is our thrill
and our pleasure.
Lord, we love Your grace to draw near to us
and soothe us when things aren’t going well
(Heart, hear, believe,
and love it as the truth!)
and love it as the truth!)
the pleasure we love is not the evidence
we find of our being strong
the nearness God is our strength
and our pleasure.
Lord God, we love the touch of Your strength.
we love Your grace and
love that draws You to want to be near to us.
we rest in You
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the pleasure we need is not from evidence
of our human adequacy
the closeness of God is our adequacy.
Lord, we love Your grace to draw near
so that we can depend on You as our God.
we rest into letting You touch us
with Your adequacy
with Your adequacy
we turn away from earthly sources as our
greatest thrill and pleasure.
Lord, we love the awesome thrill
and pleasure of standing right here before You.
we welcome the rush of Your LIVING presence,
Your LIVING power,
and Your LIVING love into and all around us
Heart hear this:
“Delight ourselves in the Lord”
(Psalm. 37:4).
we turn our heart to You God!
The presence of the God is our pleasure.
we set our heart to find the thrill
we need in enjoying God with us here:
“great is Your love toward us”
(Psalm. 86:13 ).
we are making God our treasure:
“For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.”
(Mat. 6:21).
God as our treasure is what we want.
we grab our soul and we turn our affections
Heart hear this:
“He is your praise”
(Deut. 10:21).
My soul will love the Lord
and we turn away from loving earthly things.
we take pleasure in You God,
and heart hear this,
“the Lord takes pleasure in His people”
(Psalm.149:4).
we are making God our delight and our thrill:
“the children of men take refuge in
the shadow of Your wings.
They drink their fill of the abundance
of the river of Your delights.”
(Psalm. 36:7,8).
we turn our heart to love Your presence God!
“O Lord, we love the habitation of Your house
And the place where Your glory dwells.”
(Psalm. 26:8)
we are making God our greatest love.
“we love You, O Lord”
(Psalm. 18:1).
And, when God draws near to us,
He brings heaven with Him.
Angels are here.
It is heaven that rules
heart hear this
and find the delight that you need
by enjoying that
“Splendor and majesty are before Him,
strength and beauty are in His sanctuary”
(Psalm. 96:6).
we are making it our greatest love
to be close to God and to thrill ourselves
with His splendor and majesty.
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God,
to receive glory and honor and power”
(Rev. 4:11).
we turn our heart to love giving praise toward
God and not toward ourselves.
Heart, God is Our Thrill and Pleasure 128
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love, and
be thankful for the truth!
the pleasure we love is not from the power
we feel from being over other people
God is our thrill and our pleasure.
Lord, we love that it is from Your sanctuary that
You give strength and power to the people
(Psalm. 68:35)
(Heart, feel confidence and be
reassured by God’s presence!)
reassured by God’s presence!)
the pleasure we long for most will never come
from daydreams of what we would say to.
God will lead us and give us what we need to say.
God is our glory we turn to You
the pleasure we need is not from forcing
circumstances
and people to cooperate with our plans for
achievement.
My glory is to let God
work through us as He chooses
the pleasure we need most is not from making
comparisons
of our status to that of other people.
The presence of God is
The presence of God is
our thrill and our pleasure.
we love that we can exalt and honor God
by depending on Him to quench our thirst
(Heart, feel confidence and be
reassured by God’s presence!)
reassured by God’s presence!)
the pleasure we long for will never come from
sexual sin or lust.
The presence of God is our thrill
and our pleasure.
It is God’s glory, strength, and His beauty
touching us that we love far more
we turn away from earthly sources as our
greatest thrill and pleasure.
It is the rush of God’s presence
around us that we love.
The closeness of God our greatest joy
because doing anything else is evil
rather than loving,
we are setting our heart to love You God.
Heart don’t be afraid:
“the Lord loves His people”
(2 Chron. 2:11).
we are determined to rest in the truth about
God to love Him and to
let God love us back
“great is your love toward us”
(Psalm. 86:13 ).
heart hear this:
“Delight ourselves in the Lord”
(Psalm. 37:4).
we set our heart to find delight and
pleasure in loving You God
we repent of wanting as our treasure.
we are declaring to our heart that
God is our treasure because
“where your treasure is,
“where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.”
(Mat. 6:21).
It is the presence of God that we love!
You are our treasure Lord.
we are setting our heart to praise God
rather than ourselves:
“Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary”
Praise God in His sanctuary”
(Psalm. 150:1)
(Heart, feel the closeness of
God’s power and glory!)
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
the humble shall hear it and rejoice.”
(Psalm. 34:2)
rather than praise toward us
we are telling
we are telling
our heart that praising God
is far better:
is far better:
“The Lord is our strength and we will praise Him”
(Exod. 15:2).
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God,
the Almighty,
who was and who is and who is to come.”
(Rev. 4:8);
“You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28 )
we are determined that our heart will find the
thrill and pleasure that we need in God:
“take diligent heed to
ourselves to love the Lord your God”
(Jos. 23:11).
heart hear this:
“you are to cling to the Lord your God”
(Jos. 23:8).
we are stopping right now and are trusting
that we are taking hold of God.
we are confident and we are secure because
“the Lord takes pleasure in His people”
(Psalm. 149:4).
“we love You, O Lord”
(Psalm. 18:1)
(Heart, feel confidence from
the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love, and
be thankful for the truth!
Believing and Enjoying God 129
Our greatest thrill and pleasure is not to compare
ourselves to other people and
find that we are better than they.
Lord, we grab our soul and turn away from
having to feed ourselves by comparisons.
we love that receiving from You
is so much easier
(Heart, feel confidence
and be reassured by God’s presence!)
the pleasure we want most will never come from
our getting more toys
only the Lord will satisfy.
only the Lord will satisfy.
we love that we can so freely turn to You Lord
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the pleasure we need will never come from
earthly possessions, a house, a car.
Lord, we love that Your grace to draw near to us.
we can trust You to lavish Your presence on us
because You want to be God to us
(Heart, be reassured by God’s presence!)
the pleasure we need is not to feed ourselves
with how we appear to others.
Instead, we are trusting that we are before
the Lord in all His glory
and that having His glory touching us
is a far greater pleasure
the pleasure we love most is not to look at friends
as evidence of our being worthy.
God is our glory
it is not the glory we receive from people.
Lord, we love that we can receive Your presence
without having to earn a sense of being worthy
(Heart, be reassured by God’s presence!)
we don't have to believe the lies of the enemy
that we have to get the thrill and pleasure we
need apart from drinking Your presence.
Lord, You are our God.
we pray that You would rebuke any enemy
pushing us to delight ourselves
in earthly things.
we denounce these things!
And Lord, with Your authority and
power we ask that you would
command evil to leave us alone
and to never come back
(Heart, believe that He is doing it)
we turn away from earthly sources
as our greatest thrill and pleasure.
Lord, we love the awesome thrill
and pleasure of standing right here
before You.
we welcome the rush of
Your presence upon us
Your presence upon us
(Heart, be reassured by God’s presence!)
we are training ourselves to
“Delight ourselves in the Lord”
(Psalm. 37:4);
making God our delight and treasure helps
us to turn from sin because
“where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also”
(Mat. 6:21).
“May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.”
(Psalm. 33:22 ).
“You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your might.”
(Deut. 6:5);
“cling to Him.”
(Deut. 13:4).
(Heart, hear, believe,
and love the God who is close!)
“'For as the waistband clings to
the waist of a man,
so we made the whole household of Israel
and of Judah
cling to Me,' declares the Lord,
'that they might be for Me a people,
for renown, for praise and for glory;
but they did not listen.'”
(Jer. 13:11).
(Heart, believe and love
the God who is close!)
the God who is close!)
“Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”
(Psalm. 96:6)
“Around God is awesome majesty.”
(Job 37:22)
“How blessed are the people who know
the joyful sound! O Lord,
they walk in the light of Your countenance.
In Your name they rejoice all the day,
and by Your righteousness they are exalted.
For You are the glory of their strength
For our shield belongs to the Lord,
and our king to the Holy One of Israel.”
(Psalm. 89:15-18);
“My soul clings to You”
(Psalm. 63:8)
(Heart, feel confidence from
the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
Enjoying God as Our Thrill and Pleasure 130
Heart, listen to what we are saying.
believe, love,
and be thankful for the truth!
the pleasure we need most is not from having
acceptance and approval from people.
The Lord is the acceptance we love.
By our salvation we have God’s acceptance
by our faith, we have His pleasure
the pleasure we long for is not to feed ourselves
with how great we might think our personality is.
God is our thrill and our pleasure.
we love knowing that our praise exalts God
before an on looking audience of angels,
saints in heaven,
and demonic rulers and authorities
the pleasure we long for most is not to feed
ourselves with our own human intelligence.
The understanding of God
is greater.
Lord, we lift our hands up to Your word
(Psalm. 119:48).
we wait expectantly for You to speak.
The pleasure we need is not from feeding
ourselves with how good we might think we are.
The nearness of God is our God
His presence is our pleasure
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
the thrill and pleasure we long for most
is not from earthly pleasure .
God’s presence is our pleasure.
we love that we don’t have to deserve
our willingness to draw near
the pleasure we long for most is
not from our sophistication and
being “above” other people.
It is the Lord who is God, not us
(Heart, hear, believe,
and love it as the truth!)
and love it as the truth!)
the pleasure we need is not from security
provided by earthly things or people.
God is our security and our pleasure
(Heart, feel confidence
and be reassured by God’s presence!)
we turn away from earthly sources
as our greatest thrill and pleasure.
Lord, we love the awesome thrill
and pleasure of standing right here
before You.
we welcome the rush of Your presence upon us
(Heart, be reassured by God’s presence!)
“God said, "we will dwell in them
and walk among them;
and we will be their God,
and they shall be My people”
(2Cor 6:16).
Heart hear this:
“Delight ourselves in the Lord”
(Psalm. 37:4)..
“For where your treasure is,
therewill your heart be also.”
(Mat. 6:21)
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
the humble shall hear it and rejoice.”
(Psalm. 34:2)
“take diligent heed to ourselves
to love the Lord your God.”
(Jos. 23:11)
“you are to cling to the Lord your God”
(Jos. 23:8);
“we love You, O Lord”
(Psalm. 18:1)
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God,
to receive glory and honor and power;
for You created all things,
and because of Your will they existed,
and were created.”
(Rev. 4:11).
“Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”
(Psalm. 96:6)
“Around God is awesome majesty.”
(Job 37:22)
“My soul clings to You”
(Psalm. 63:8).
(Heart, feel the closeness
of God’s power and glory!)
“the Lord your God turned the curse
into a blessing for you because
the Lord your God loves you.”
(Deut. 23:5);
“He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
(Zeph. 3:17 ).
“The Lord is our strength and our shield;
our heart trusts in Him,
and we are helped;
therefore our heart exults,
and with our song we shall thank Him.”
(Psalm. 28:7)
(Heart, hear, believe, and love the truth!)
“our soul shall rejoice in the Lord;
It shall exult in His salvation.”
(Psalm. 35:9)
God as Our Thrill and Pleasure 131
Heart, listen to what we are saying.
believe, love,
and be thankful for the truth!
the pleasure we long for will never come from
how much we get done today
it is better to drink like a branch
during our activities and
let God work through us.
we love exalting You Lord
the pleasure we long for most will never come
from thinking back over how well
we protected ourselves
it is God
who is our thrill and our pleasure.
Lord, we love Your grace to draw near to us
and be our protection
the pleasure we love is not from
our always being right.
The nearness of God is our good
He alone is our righteousness.
we rest into letting You touch us
with Your righteousness
the thrill and pleasure we long for most
will never come from what we could eat.
Lord, we love that we can
feed ourselves with You
(Heart, be reassured by God’s presence!)
the pleasure we love most is not from
how well we make people laugh.
we love that our faith causes God
to feel pleasure.
It thrills our heart to know that our praises
make the Holy Spirit enjoy being with us
in power, love, compassion
(Heart, be reassured by God’s presence!)
the pleasure we long for most is
not from our having people
who are impressed with us.
Lord God, we delight that You take pleasure
in Your people
and that includes us
we set our heart to find the thrill we need
by standing before the Lord,
enjoying that He is here in all His glory:
“Around God is awesome majesty”
(Job 37:22).
we set our affections on You God
and it thrills our heart that
“the Lord loves His people”
(2 Chron. 2:11).
we are setting our heart to love You God
and we are determining to let you
love us back.
(Heart, hear, believe, and love
the God who is close!)
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
the humble shall hear it and rejoice.”
(Psalm. 34:2)
Heart hear this and do it:
“take diligent heed to ourselves to
love the Lord our God”
(Jos. 23:11);
“you are to cling to the Lord our God”
(Jos. 23:8).
heart hear this:
it is God that we want because
“love is from God”
(1 John 4:7);
“God is love, and the one who abides in love,
abides in God and God abides in him.”
(1 John 4:16).
“abide in His love.”
(John 15:9);
“keep ourselves in the love of God”
(Jude 1:21).
“The Lord is our rock and our fortress
and our deliverer,
My God, our rock, in whom we take refuge;
My shield our salvation, our stronghold.”
(Psalm. 18:2)
Lord, “You are our hiding place”
(Psalm. 32:7)
“he who takes refuge in Me
will possess My holy mountain.”
(Isa. 57:13)
“To You, O Lord, we lift up our soul.
O our God, in You we trust”
(Psalm. 25:1,2)
“You are our God
My soul thirsts for You,
our flesh yearns for You
Thus we have seen You in the sanctuary,
to see Your power and Your glory
My soul is satisfied”
(Psalm. 63:1,2,5).
“the Lord takes pleasure in His people”
(Psalm. 149:4).
“To You, O Lord, we lift up our soul.
O our God, in You we trust”
(Psalm. 25:1,2);
“we will be glad in You
O most High.”
(Psalm. 9:2).
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty,
who was and who is and who is to come.”
(Rev. 4:8).
(feel confidence from
the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
Enjoying God as Our Boast 132
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love,
and be thankful for the truth!
Heart, rejoice in the truth that our glory is not to
exalt ourselves by trying to make
God submit to our demands.
we turn from loving that and we love and
praise You Lord
(Heart, feel confidence because of it!)
Heart, rejoice in the truth that
our glory is not to boast in ourselves
instead of us, we will boast in God.
Oh, how we love You Lord.
we set our eyes and our ears on You Lord
(feel the closeness
of God’s power and glory!)
Heart, rejoice in the truth that our glory is
not to boast in our being God;
we don't have to be the sovereign “I AM.”
God is who we love to praise
(Heart, feel confidence because of
the truth!)
Heart, rejoice in the truth that
our glory is not to boast in being king
in order to be ok
we love and praise You Lord.
we submit to the truth that it is right for us to
love and believe that we are
in the throne room
and the You Lord are walking with us here
our eyes are on You
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
Heart, rejoice in the truth that it is
right to boast in God.
right to boast in God.
we delight to grab our soul and turn it away
from letting the boasting and praise
come back toward ourselves.
The Lord is God not us.
we praise God for the glory of
His attributes not mine.
My eyes are on You God
(Heart, believe it)
Heart, listen and love
the presence of God as our boast!
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord”
(Psalm. 34:2).
t(Heart, hear and believe it)
“How blessed are the people who
know the joyful sound! O Lord,
they walk in the light of Your countenance.
In Your name they rejoice all the day,
and by Your righteousness they are exalted.
For You are the glory of their strength
For our shield belongs to the Lord,
and our king to the Holy One of Israel.”
(Psalm. 89:15-18).
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
God has promised with an
“everlasting covenant,
to be God to you and to our descendants”
(Gen. 17:7; Gal. 3:29).
“we know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all the gods.”
(Psalm. 135:5)
“You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28 )
“the nations will bless themselves in Him,
and in Him they will glory.”
(Jer. 4:2).
“worship in the Spirit of God and
glory in Christ Jesus and
put no confidence in the flesh,”
(Phil. 3:3).
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
“the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory”
(Psalm. 84:11)
“to the end that we
would be to the praise of His glory.”
(Eph. 1:12).
(Heart, hear and believe it)
“The Son of God appeared for this purpose,
to destroy the works of the devil.”
(1 John 3:8)
“God is to us a God of deliverance's”
(Psalm. 68:20).
(Heart, hear and believe it)
“The God of peace will soon crush
Satan under our feet”
(Rom. 16:20).
(Heart, hear and believe it)
“You know of Jesus
God anointed Him with
the Holy Spirit and with power,
and He went about doing good and
healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with Him.”
(Acts 10:38)
“The Lord performs righteous deeds and
judgments for all who are oppressed”
(Psalm 103:6).
Enjoying God as Our Boast 133
Heart, we delight that we don't have to glory
in being above other people who
don't achieve
don't measure up don't have health
we repent and turn from directing
internal praise toward us.
The Lord is God.
we praise You who are close to us
we praise Your power, Your love, Your wisdom,
Your goodness, Your glory,
Your strength,Your beauty.
And by faith we are trusting that our eyes are
looking at Your presence close
and all around us here
(Heart, feel be reassured by God’s presence!)
Heart, listen and love
the presence of God as our protection!
“Some boast in chariots, and some in horses;
but we will boast in the name of the Lord,
our God.”
(Psalm. 20:7)
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
“You are our King and our God”
(Psalm. 44:4).
“let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise
to God”
(Heb. 13:15);
“He is our praise”
(Deut. 10:21).
“Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face continually.”
(1 Chron. 16:11).
(Heart, hear and believe it)
“O God, You are awesome from
Your sanctuary God gives strength
and power to the people.
Blessed be God!”
(Psalm. 68:35).
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary”
(Psalm. 150:1).
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord”
(Psalm. 34:2).
“The Lord is our strength and we will praise Him”
(Exo. 15:2).
“By entering to stand before the Lord of hosts,
we have made the Lord the Most High,
“our dwelling place.”
(Psalm. 91:9).
“O Lord God, You are our confidence”
(Psalm. 71:5).
My “confidence is through Christ before God
our competence comes from God”
(2 Cor. 3:4,5 ).
My “praise is not from men, but from God.”
(Rom. 2:29).
“Ascribe greatness to our God!”
(Deut. 32:3).
(Heart, hear, believe,
and love the God who is close!)
Enjoying God as Our Boast 134
Heart, we delight that we don't have
to glory in being above other people who
are not impressive
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
Our glory is not to exalt ourselves by
trying to make God submit to our demands
we can keep redirecting the praise toward God,
even when they like our jokes.
we set our eyes to keep looking at You Lord
not on them or on ourselves
(Heart, hear, believe, and love the truth!)
we are free to show appreciation
when someone compliments us.
Inside we will keep the flow of
praise going toward God
we repent and turn from directing
internal praise toward us.
The Lord is God.
So Lord, we praise
Your power, Your love, Your wisdom,
Your goodness, Your glory, Your strength,
Your beauty.
Your beauty.
we boast in You.
Our eyes are on Your power and
beauty close to us here Lord
(Heart, believe it)
Heart, listen and love
the presence of God as our protection!
“But seek first His kingdom and
His righteousness”
(Mat. 6:33).
“righteousness and justice are
the foundation of His throne.”
(Psalm. 97:2).
“Then he showed us a river of the water
of life coming from the throne of God”
(Rev. 22:1).
“But let justice roll down like waters
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream”
(Amo. 5:24).
“ Righteousness and justice are
the foundation of Your throne;
loving kindness and truth go before You.”
(Psalm. 89:14).
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
“it is Heaven that rules.”
(Dan. 4:26).
And, by drawing near we can welcome
the kingdom of God here:
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”
(James 4:8).
(Heart, be thankful and love
the God who is close!)
“we have boldness and confident access through
faith in Him”
(Eph. 3:12).
“for through Him we have our access in
one Spirit to the Father.”
(Eph. 2:18; Heb. 4).
“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord”
(Psalm. 34:2).
(Heart, believe and love the God who is close!)
“we know that the Lord is great,
And that our Lord is above all the gods.”
(Psalm. 135:5)
God has promised with an
“everlasting covenant,
“everlasting covenant,
to be God to you and to our descendants”
(Gen. 17:7; Gal. 3:29).
“God said, "we will dwell in them
and walk among them;
and we will be their God,
and they shall be My people”
(2Cor 6:16).
“The Lord is our strength and our shield;
our heart trusts in Him,
and we are helped;
therefore our heart exults,
and with our song we shall thank Him.”
(Psalm. 28:7).;
“The Lord is our God.”
(Zech.. 13:9).
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
Avoid and Believe Lies About God 135
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love,
and be thankful for the truth!
we don’t have to agree with pressure
to doubt whether
to doubt whether
God’s promises apply to us
they do apply to us
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
we don’t have to agree with pressure to
pride ourselves because of the presence of God
that only weakens us for spiritual battle.
we enter and draw near to God
and the God who is before us here is the
commander of all the angels of heaven
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
we don’t have to agree with pressure
to live in dullness or apathy.
An river of the Holy Spirit is not
too much for us to expect
we love that we can quench our thirst with God.
we have full access into the radiance
shining from God.
(Heart, be reassured by God’s presence!)
we don’t have to agree to close up
and avoid receiving the Holy Spirit
because of pressure to believe
lies that we need to do something
to deserve God’s presence somehow
we don’t have to agree with pressure to believe
lies that we should feel shame
and avoid receiving
the Holy Spirit from the fountain of God
the power of the washing from God
burns away our shame
we don’t have to agree with pressure to believe
lies that evil is good, God is good.
It is evil that’s evil.
And, we don’t have to agree with pressure
to believe lies that self-condemnation
will help us somehow
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
“Who will bring a charge against God's elect?
God is the one who justifies;”
(Rom. 8:33).
we don’t have to agree with pressure
to stay away from because of lies
that God doesn’t want us close
God does want us to turn to Him and draw near.
it is right and good for us
to stand before the Lord of hosts
and drink from Him
(Heart, feel confidence
because of the truth!)
we don’t have to avoid God
because of pressure to believe lies about Him.
we don’t have to harden our heart
when He speaks to us.
It is right and good for us to trust that God is
good, strong, loving, and kind
we don’t have to agree to live within ‘religious’
boundaries put on us by pressure:
it is right and good
for us to stand before the Lord of hosts,
praise Him, and welcome
the presence of the Holy Spirit
because of the truth about God
and the availability of the Holy Spirit,
we don’t have to agree with pressure to
find refuge in despair because of
spiritual intimidation from demons.
The Lord is our God
we delight to turn away from agreeing with
pressure to hide from God
because of intimidation or fear
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
It is the Lord who is God
not the spiritual forces of evil.
My God is a stronger fortress
and a better refuge.
we trust we are before the Lord
and we are putting on the armor of light
(Rom. 13:12 Psalm. 27:1-8)
“Though war arise against us,
in spite of this we shall be confident
For in the day of trouble
He will conceal us in His tabernacle”
(Psalm. 27:3 and 5)
“we have set the Lord continually before us;
because
He is at our right hand,
we will not be shaken.
Therefore our heart is glad and our glory
rejoices;
our flesh also will dwell securely.”
(Psalm. 16:8,9).
“The Son of God appeared for this purpose,
to destroy the works of the devil.”
(1 John 3:8).
Avoid Believing Lies About God 136
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love,
and be thankful for the truth!
we don’t have to agree with pressure to harden
our heart when we hear God’s voice
we don’t have to agree about cowering away
from the throne room
and from standing before God
because of the truth about God
and our access to the throne room,
we don’t have to agree with deception and
lies from the worldly intended to keep us away
(Heart, hear, believe, and love the truth!)
because God is our God,
we don’t have to avoid praising Him
because of pressure from for world.
And, we don’t have to agree to avoid
the throne room of God
because of deception from the enemy.
When we draw near to God
He draws near by bringing heaven with Him.
Angels are here all around us and
our God is the commander of all
the angels of heaven
we don’t have to agree with pressure to enjoy
criticizing other Christians
we don’t have to believe lies from
the enemy regarding our weakness:
the God who is with us is strong
“armed in the presence of the Lord”
(Num. 32:32)
we don’t have to agree with pressure
to stay away from God
because of people who care about us
think we are wrong
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
we don’t have to agree with pressure by finding
the security we need by staying away from God
we don’t have to agree with pressure to believe
lies that sexual pursuits are better because of the
thrill and pleasure of having intimate closeness with
the Spirit of God who is beautiful,
strong, and loves us greatly
(Heart, and be reassured by God’s presence!)
we don’t have to agree with lies that we should
avoid God because religious people
make us feel ashamed
we don’t have to agree with the pressure to avoid
God because of criticism we receive
from people we love
because of the truth about God,
we don’t have to agree with strong delusion
to stay out of the throne room and
avoid ‘drinking’ the Holy Spirit like a sponge
we don’t have to agree with pressure to avoid
God because of accusation and
gossip from other Christians
(Heart, feel confidence because of
the truth!)
It is the Lord who is God
not the spiritual forces of evil.
My God is a stronger fortress
and a better refuge.
we trust we are before the Lord
and am putting on the armor of light
(Rom. 13:12 Psalm. 27:1-8)
“Though war arise against us,
In spite of this we shall be confident
For in the day of trouble
He will conceal us in His tabernacle”
(Psalm. 27:3,5)
“we have set the Lord continually before us;
because He is at our right hand,
we will not be shaken.
Therefore our heart is glad and our glory
rejoices; our flesh also will dwell securely.”
(Psalm. 16:8,9).
“The Son of God appeared for this purpose,
to destroy the works of the devil.”
(1 John 3:8).
Avoid Believe Lies About God 137
Heart, listen to what you are saying.
believe, love,
and be thankful for the truth!
we don’t have to agree with pressure
to feed ourselves with praise
because of God’s presence
we delight to turn away from accepting pressure
that it is wrong somehow for us
to praise God freely
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
we turn from agreeing to pride ourselves
with the lie that we are above needing
to praise God for some reason
we delight to turn away from accepting pressure
to avoid putting our hope in God
we don’t have to agree with pressure
that it is wrong somehow to pray
we don’t have to agree with pressure to live
in dullness or apathy
we can quench our thirst with God
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
we don’t have to avoid reading and believing
the Bible because of pressure
we denounce and reject pressure to
put our hope in despair
because of the abundant availability
of the Spirit of God,
we don’t have to agree with pressure
to feed ourselves with food
as our best hope for thrill and pleasure
we reject lies about their power because
our God is a strong fortress
His Light is a thick shield
(Heart, feel confidence
and be reassured by God’s presence!)
we don’t have to agree
to avoid standing before the Lord
because of threats of physical harm
we don’t have to agree with pressure
to stay away from God
when people we care about, make us feel bad
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
we don’t have to agree with pressure to harden
our heart when we hear God’s voice
we don’t have to believe the lies
that push us to fear.
we don’t have to be afraid.
You are our God!
Holy and awesome God,
we will fear You alone.
Lord, rebuke any enemy
pushing us to fear or dread.
we denounce fear!
we denounce any fear that is
or was passed on to us by our parents.
God, You are the Commander
of the armies of heaven.
And Lord, we ask that with
Your authority and power You would
command the forces of evil
to leave us alone and to
never come back
(Heart, believe that He is doing it)
It is the Lord who is God
not the spiritual forces of evil.
My God is a stronger fortress
and a better refuge of strong power
(Heart, feel confidence
and be reassured by God’s presence!)
we set our heart to trust that we are before the
Lord here and that the armor of God
is all around us because of
the radiance that is all around us from Him.
By this we
“lay aside the deeds of darkness
“lay aside the deeds of darkness
and put on the armor of light”
(Rom. 13:12 )
(Heart, hear, believe,
and love the God who is close!)
Heart hear this and turn to face toward God!
“The Lord is our light and our salvation;
Whom shall we fear?
The Lord is the defense of our life;
Whom shall we dread?”
(Psalm. 27:1)
“The Son of God appeared for this purpose,
to destroy the works of the devil.”
(1 John 3:8).
Pressure from People to Avoid God 138
Heart, our confidence to stand before God
is not prevented by people who
protect themselves by making us feel like
we shouldn’t go outside
their spiritual boundaries
their spiritual boundaries
reject us, criticize us, or accuse us wrongly
reject truth that would set them free
try to make us agree with their disbelief
try to make us feel unacceptable to God
look for ways to trap us doing something wrong
won’t forgive us try to hurt us
It is the Lord who is God
not other people
(Psalm. 46:10) .
we turn our soul away from agreeing with them
to hold back from God.
It is right, safe, and good to stand before God
and keep our spiritual eyes on Him;
“why is our freedom judged
by another’s conscience?”
(1 Cor. 10:29)
(Heart, feel
confidence and be reassured
because you are trusting
we can receive Your presence Lord)
“How precious is Your loving kindness,
O God! And the children of men
take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They drink their fill of
the abundance of Your house;
and You give them to drink
of the river of Your delights.
For with You is the fountain of life;
in Your light we see light.”
(Psalm. 36:7-9)
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
we draw near to God and the God who
draws near to us is the commander
of all the armies of heaven.
It is heaven that rules;
“we know that the Lord is great,
And that our Lord is above all the gods.”
(Psalm. 135:5)
“You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28 )
we can drink
because of drawing near
to the radiance around You Lord,
“the heavens were opened and we saw
visions of God on that which resembled a throne,
high up, was a figure with the appearance of a
man and there was a radiance around Him.
As the appearance of the rainbow
in the clouds on a rainy day,
so was the appearance of
the surrounding radiance”
(Ezek. 1:1, 26b, 27a).
“Seek the Lord and His strength;
seek His face continually.”
(1 Chron 16:11)
“we have boldness and confident
access through faith in Him”
(Eph. 3:12).
“God gives strength and power to the people.
Blessed be God!”
(Psalm. 68:35)
“You are our strong refuge.”
(Psalm. 71:7)
“justice for man comes from the Lord.”
(Prov. 29:26)
“Many are saying of our soul,
there is no deliverance for him in God
But You, O Lord,
are a shield about us, our glory,
and the one who lifts our head.”
(Psalm. 3:2,3)
People to Avoid God or Disbelieve 139
(Security coming from God rather than
self-protection by staying away)
Heart, our confidence to
stand before God
is not prevented by people who
try to intimidate us with their power
make it seem that it is somehow wrong for us
to oppose their being in control
use disapproval to try and control us
protect themselves by making us feel like
we shouldn’t go outside
their spiritual boundaries
their spiritual boundaries
try to twist the truth and say that evil is good
make it seem that criticism is the
right thing to do
act like they believe
right thing to do
act like they believe
their glory is greater than God’s glory
in their being right and our being wrong
in their being right and our being wrong
It is the Lord who is God
not other people
(Psalm. 46:10) .
we turn our soul away from agreeing with them
to hold back from God.
It is right, safe, and good to stand before God
and keep our spiritual eyes on Him;
“why is our freedom judged
by another’s conscience?”
(1 Cor. 10:29)..
(Heart, feel confidence because you
are trusting that God’s presence is here)
When we come to You Lord,
You wash us clean.
we are trusting we can
“draw near with a sincere heart
in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled
clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed with pure water.”
(Heb. 10:22).
“To You, O Lord, we lift up our soul.
O our God, in You we trust”
(Psalm. 25:1,2)
“It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.”
(Psalm. 118:8)
Lord, “You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28)
(Heart, hear, believe, and love the truth!)
“we will say to the Lord,
‘My refuge and our fortress, My God,
in whom we trust!’”
(Psalm. 91:2)
Lord,
“When we are afraid, we will put our trust in You.”
“When we are afraid, we will put our trust in You.”
(Psalm. 56:3)
“justice for man comes from the Lord.”
(Prov. 29:26)
(Heart, hear, believe, and love the truth!)
“Many are saying of our soul,
there is no deliverance for him in God
But You, O Lord,
are a shield about us,
our glory, and the one who lifts our head.”
(Psalm. 3:2,3)
“Praise the Lord, O our soul!”
(Psalm. 146:1)
“My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord”
(Psalm. 145:21)
Heart hear this:
“He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
(Zeph 3:17)
(Heart, hear, believe,
and love the God who is close!)
My
“confidence is through Christ before God
“confidence is through Christ before God
competence comes from God”
(2 Cor. 3:4,5 ).
“David was greatly distressed
because the people spoke of stoning him,
for all the people we're embittered
But David strengthened himself in
the Lord his God.”
(1 Sam. 30:6)
People to Avoid God or Disbelieve 140
Heart, our confidence to stand before God
is not prevented by people who
remind us of sin
that God has forgiven and washed clean
don’t think God is enough to wash them clean
laugh about their sarcasm and mockery
make us feel we should try to be impressive
“like they are” strongly justify their sin
justify their disbelief and love their arrogant
pride threaten and try to intimidate us
mock our trust in God in order
to try and protect themselves
glory in the weaknesses of others
try to keep the truth from being known
we turn away from fearing
the “gods” of other people
their reasons for confidence
and security are no match
for the nearness of God as our refuge,
glory, and strength.
The Lord is God, not other people;
“why is our freedom judged
by another’s conscience?”
(1 Cor. 10:29)
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
we don’t have to wait to come to You
because “the nearness of God is our good;
we have made the Lord God our refuge”
(Psalm. 73:28).
“we have become a marvel to many;
for You are our strong refuge.”
(Psalm. 71:7)
“their unbelief will not nullify
the faithfulness of God”
(Rom. 3:3)
“My soul clings to You”
(Psalm. 63:8)
“The Lord bless you, and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine on you,
and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up His countenance on you,
and give you peace.”
(Num. 6:24-26).
Lord, we rest into receiving
the shine of Your presence onto us
(Matt. 11:28-30; Gal. 3:14).
“You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28 )
we submit into believing
that God does not hold back
His presence from us.
we believe Your Word when it says,
“Draw near to God
and He will draw near to you”
(James 4:8)
“we have heard the slander of many
they took counsel together against us
But as for us, we trust in You,
O Lord, we say, ‘You are our God.”
(Psalm. 31:13,14)
“O Lord God, You are our confidence”
(Psalm. 71:5)
“we know that the Lord is great,
And that our Lord is above all the gods.”
(Psalm. 135:5)
Pressure From Religious People to Hold Back 141
(Security coming from God rather
than self-protection by staying away)
Heart, our confidence to draw near
and delight in God
is not prevented by religious people who
want to believe but won’t take steps to repent,
nurture their faith,
and rest into drawing near to God
protect themselves
by trying to limit our faith and hope
protect themselves
by making us feel like we shouldn’t
go outside their religious boundaries
lack childlike and idealistic faith,
who can’t see what God is doing, won’t listen,
and don’t want to change
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
reject or ignore what the scriptures that
teach about drawing near to God
and receiving from Him
avoid or try to suppress the truth
about sin of the heart
glorify their spirituality
and make the presence of God
a thing others should try to achieve
make us ashamed
to draw near by reminding us of sin
that God has forgiven and washed clean
make us feel we should try
to be impressive ‘like they are.’
My God is the God of all glory and beauty.
And, My God is the commander
of all the angels of heaven.
protect themselves by making it seem wrong
for us to freely praise and worship God
are not helping people to drink from the
fountain, but want to feed
the people with themselves
the people with themselves
are insensitive, inconsiderate, or unkind
we delight that we don’t have to agree
with the disbelief of religious people.
The Lord is God, they are not.
we denounce and reject
all pressure to join their disbelief.
we refuse to hold back
from standing before God
(Heart, feel confidence
and be reassured by God’s presence!)
“why is our freedom judged
by another’s conscience?”
(1 Cor. 10:29).
Their “unbelief will not nullify
the faithfulness of God”
(Rom. 3:3).
Lord, we rest into believing
and doing what the Bible says:
“let us draw near with confidence
to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need”
(Heb. 4:16)
Lord, “You are our King and our God”
(Psalm. 44:4).
“You are our hiding place and our shield”
(Psalm. 119:114);
“For in the day of trouble
He will conceal us in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide us”
(Psalm. 27:5).
“we love You, O Lord, our strength.”
(Psalm. 18:1);
“Lord, there is no one besides You
to help in the battle between
the powerful and those who have no strength;
so help us, O Lord our God,
for we trust in You, and in Your
for we trust in You, and in Your
name have come against this multitude
You are our God;
let not man prevail against You.”
(2 Chron. 14:11)
(feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
Pressure From Religious People to Hold Back 142
(Security coming from God rather
than self-protection by staying away)
Heart, our confidence to draw near
and delight in God
is not prevented by religious people who
try to find faults and look for ways
to trap us in doing something wrong
try to protect us with their disbelief
about God’s love and His desire to draw near
without our having to earn it
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
make it seem wrong somehow for us to pray.
accuse us wrongly
won’t forgive and seem to hate us
ignore an honest look at the scriptures
and make it seem wrong for us
to stand before God and glory in His presence
are impatient with us
about how we hold tightly to the truth
make us feel we should have to achieve
higher spiritual standards
before God will come to us
try to protect us by demands
that we believe the truth of the scriptures
might be wrong
try to limit our confidence
to glory in Your presence now
won't join us in our struggle
to nurture faith, hope, and love
avoid, or try to suppress the truth
about sin of the heart
hurt weak people
by trying to use guilt as a tool
to make them 'improve'
tie on 'plastic grapes' and call it spiritual fruit
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
It is the Lord who is God not them
(Psalm. 46:10).
we repent of holding back
because of religious people.
Their “unbelief will not nullify
the faithfulness of God”
(Rom. 3:3).
“The Lord is our strength and our shield;
our heart trusts in Him,
and we are helped;
therefore our heart exults,
and with our song we shall thank Him.”
(Psalm. 28:7);
“You are our King and our God”
(Psalm. 44:4 )
“Be strong, and let our heart take courage,
all you who hope in the Lord.”
(Psalm. 31:24)
we rest into believing that we can
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”
(James 4:8)
“For the one who has entered His rest
has himself also rested from his works,
as God did from His.
Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest”
(Heb. 4:10,11).
“let us draw near with confidence
to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need”
(Heb. 4:16)
(Heart, hear, believe,
and love the God who is close!)
“we have heard the slander of many
they took counsel together against us
But as for us, we trust in ‘You,
O Lord, we say, ‘You are our God.”
(Psalm. 31:13,14)
Religious People to Hold Back 143
Heart, our confidence to stand before God
is not prevented by religious people who
try to make us feel that they are more special
to God than us
make the presence of God
seem like something too high to achieve
don’t believe they can confidently
draw near and receive freely
from the fountain of God
want to believe but won’t take steps
to nurture their faith
and rest into drawing near to God
lack childlike and idealistic faith,
can’t see what God is doing,
won’t listen,
and don’t want to change
feed themselves with the sheep
(Ezek 34)
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
try to “love” the sheep by clinging to them,
rather than God
try to find their own security by
controlling our faith
controlling our faith
try to keep the sheep in their fold
by controlling them with intimidation and fear
seem to fear the presence of the Holy Spirit
compete to be in control,
or to call attention to themselves
It is the Lord who is God not them
(Psalm. 46:10).
we repent of holding back
because of religious people
”It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.”
(Psalm. 118:8)
“why is our freedom judged
by another’s conscience?”
(1 Cor. 10:29).
Heart hear this!
we “have boldness and confident access
through faith in Him”
(Eph. 3:12).
we refuse the disbelief of religious people!
we can drink
because of drawing near
to the radiance around You Lord,
“They drink their fill
of the abundance of Your house;
and You give them
to drink of the river of Your delights.
For with You is the fountain”
(Psalm. 36:7-9).
“the heavens were opened
and we saw visions of God
on that which resembled a throne, high up,
was a figure with the appearance
of a man and there was a radiance around Him.
As the appearance of
the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day,
so was the appearance
of the surrounding radiance”
(Ezek. 1:1, 26-27).
(Heart, hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)
“we have confidence to enter the holy place
by the blood of Jesus
draw near with a sincere heart
in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled clean
and our bodies washed with pure water.”
(Heb. 10:19, 22)
“we will give thanks to You,
O Lord our God,
with all our heart,
and will glorify Your name forever.”
(Psalm. 86:12)
( feel the closeness of God’s power and glory!)
”Many are saying of our soul,
there is no deliverance for him in God
But You, O Lord,
are a shield about us, our glory,
and the one who lifts our head.”
(Psalm. 3:2,3)
“You are our God we exalt you.”
(Psalm. 118:28)
“My lips will praise You.”
(Psalm. 63:3)
(feel confidence
from the closeness of God!)
