GET TOGETHER- HE RESTORES DAMAGED GOODS

GET TOGETHER- HE RESTORES DAMAGED GOODS
Ps 23:3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. (NKJV)
Perhaps we have all used the phrase, or had it used about us at some time in our lives “he or she is damaged goods.” To be honest we all have been damaged in some way and we all need our souls restored: Ro 3:23” for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (NKJV) All of us have either been damaged by our own sin, or by someone else’s sin. When this happens we often incur some emotional wounds, and not only are we effected spiritually, but psychologically was well. 

King David as the Bible tells us was a man after God’s own heart “Ac 13:22 “And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” He was a great military leader. He was a great King. And yet he knew that he was damaged goods and needed soul restoration. 

If you look at his life he experienced rejection and jealousy by his own brothers. He fought hand to hand combat in a lot of wars. He was used by God to do a mighty miracle when he defeated the Philistine giant Goliath and saved the armies of Israel. Jonathon a friend that was as close as a brother was killed in battle. King Saul a King that he was loyal to tried to kill him on numerous occasions. He had several wives, children that did terrible things to each other. He was hailed as a hero and booed out of town by some of the same people. He committed adultery and then had the husband of the woman that he committed adultery with murdered. His own son Absalom led a rebellion against him. David wept and mourned when he found out that Absalom had been killed in battle. One time his troops at Ziklag had lost confidence in him and wanted to kill him. You haven’t heard the half of it. So when we think about someone who was damaged goods we can look at David.

On the other hand, when we need someone to look at that knew where to go to for his soul to be restored and get the damage repaired we can look at David. The Hebrew term for restore here is shuwb, shoob. It means to restore, to bring back, and it can also mean to repair.

First isn’t it great that our broken relationship with our Heavenly father can be restored through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ? Ro 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (NKJV) Also isn’t it great that when our emotions have been wounded to the point we either can’t cry anymore, or we have been hurt in such a way that all we can do is cry that there is One who can restore our soul in such a way that we can now as the scriptures tell us in Ro 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep?” (NKJV) Now we are healed and we can laugh when it is time to laugh and cry when it is time to cry. And there will always be those times when we need to cry and when we need to laugh. David’s son Solomon wrote about that in Ec 3:4 “A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance.”

Part of soul restoration is knowing that you have been forgiven. We can look at the things that David had been forgiven of and know that the Lord Jesus stands ready to forgive us. Another vital part of soul restoration is forgiving and releasing those who may have hurt us in some way. Jesus told us how to do this in “Lu 11:4a And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us” David could have drank the poison of unforgiveness when he got the news that King Saul had been killed. He could have said well he had it coming! He could have listed all of the things that Saul had done to him. But he had forgiven King Saul. He also loved God and Israel to much to hold one of God’s anointed in unforgiveness (This didn’t excuse what Saul had done). The scriptures help us to see the heart of a restored soul. 2Sa 1:11 ¶ Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 2Sa 1:19 “The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! (NKJV)
Today as you read this let me ask you something that I have to ask myself quiet often. Is there someone that you are holding in unforgiveness? Let them go. What they did was not right, but God doesn’t want you to drink the poison. That person that you are holding in unforgiveness could be you. Perhaps when you read of some of the things that David had done it brought to your mind some of your sins that you regret that you have committed and you have repented of them. God has forgiven you if you have asked Him. Don’t hold yourself in unforgiveness any longer. He wants to restore your soul. He stands ready to repair and restore us in such a way that we are no longer damaged goods, but we are repaired, restored, and put back in better condition than we originally were in. forgive others and forgive yourself. Then we are ready to be led into paths of righteousness for His name sake. 

Let Us Pray

Lord Jesus we thank You that you restore our souls. You also lead us into paths of righteousness. Help us to forgive those who have wronged us. Help us to receive the forgiveness that You have granted to us and not hold ourselves in unforgiveness. Restore the souls of all that we may have wounded and those who have wounded us. Help us to walk in complete restoration.

In Jesus Name

Amen
            
May you walk as a child of God with a restored soul!

Your friend/Kinfolk

Preston

GET TOGETHER- HE ONLY HAS EYES FOR US

GET TOGETHER- HE ONLY HAS EYES FOR US
Song of Solomon 8:6,7 THE SHULAMITE TO HER BELOVED Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised. (NKJV)

Okay when I use this example preaching at the prison most of the men will acknowledge that this has happened to them before. As you are reading this you are not sitting in your pew looking like you have had it altogether your whole life so relax perhaps it might have happened to you before as well.

Maybe you went to a nightclub, a high school, or college dance and you danced a slow dance with someone. At some point during that slow dance you realized that they were looking at someone else while they were dancing with you. They could have been cutting eyes at them, or making little head motions. Then the next thing that you knew they were gone with that person.

Today I want to tell you that there is One who has eyes only for you. His Name is Jesus Christ and you were created to dance with Him. His love is strong for you. His love for you was so strong that He would die for you. We are told throughout the Scriptures of how much that He loves us. Joh 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. Joh 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. (NKJV) Ro 5:7,8 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 1Jo 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. You get the picture. Someone that loves you that much is not going to cut out on you. They also aren’t going to be dancing with you and have their eyes on another. Here is a great promise for those who belong to Jesus Christ: 2Ch 16:9a “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” He desires to do good for those who love Him.

On the other hand perhaps some of us, or all of us have danced with someone and had our eyes on someone else. If we have God is ready to help us to get our eyes on the One who loves us and not let those eyes go after worthless things, or things that are not a part of our destiny. Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Today be reminded that Jesus Christ wants to dance with you eternally. If you dance with Him you will never want to dance with the devil again. Get in His word, enjoy intimate times of just loving on Him, and letting Him love on you. If you do I promise you that you will not want to cut your eyes toward another again. Because when you look into His eyes you see love that is unconditional, eternal, and life changing. I think that He is about to ask us for a dance. I am going to say yes. How about you?

Let Us Pray

Lord we than thank you for a love that cannot be quenched, or snuffed out. Lord we thank You for a love that cannot be washed away. We thank You for a love that would lead You to die for us so that we could live with You forever. Help us to never take our eyes off of you and to enjoy the dance.
In Jesus Name
Amen

If you see this on Facebook listen to the song that I posted on my page last night. If you didn’t Google in Dance with Me O Lover Of My Soul You Tube

Your Friend/Kinfolk
Preston

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GET TOGETHER- He Won’t Quit On You! Don’t Quit On Him

GET TOGETHER- He Won’t Quit On You! Don’t Quit On Him!Heb 13:5,6 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

 

            I can remember a song by Johnny Mathis from my younger days. It was titled the Twelfth of Never. There is a line in that song that goes like this: “You ask me how long I will love you, I’ll tell you true until the Twelfth of Never I will still be loving you.” I am sure that there are some people that sang that song to someone and thought that they meant it. Some people probably sang that song to someone and knew that they didn’t mean it. And certainly, I am sure that there are some people that sang it to someone and did mean it.

            The Book of Hebrews was originally written to a community of Jewish believers that were considering abandoning following Christ and returning to Judaism. They were facing persecution from their fellow Jews and things were beginning to get tougher with the Romans. The writer is encouraging them not to abandon their faith. There is a faithful promise in this passage. There is a promise from the lips of Jesus that He will not leave us nor forsake us The enemy may try to convince us otherwise, but it is Jesus voice that is the voice of truth and He has made us that eternal promise.

            The Greek terms here for never is ou me, oo may. It is a double negative. It means may God forbid. It also means according to Strong’s Concordance: a double negative strengthening the denial; not at all:–any more, at all, by any (no) means, neither, never, no (at all), in no case (wise), nor ever, not (at all, in any wise). What a great promise! He meant it then! He means it now! He means it throughout eternity! Now that is even better than the Twelfth of Never!

 

Let Us Pray

Jesus, we thank You that You have made us an eternal promise. We thank You for securing this promise with Your precious blood. We thank You for sealing it with the Holy Spirit. As we count on Your faithfulness help us to walk faithful to You.

In Jesus Name

Amen

 

I want to give a shout out to all of the encouragers in our lives! God uses you in mighty ways!

Your Friend/kinfolk

Preston