breathing room for my soul

Friday, February 27, 2015

Covenant Love ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness. Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God IS Faithful! God’s Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope! ~ Donna Oswalt

But I lavish My love on those who love Me and obey my commandments, even for a thousand generations. Exodus 20:6 NLT

Old Testament Egypt worships many gods and believes the more gods, the more blessings. While in captivity for 430 years, Egyptian practices influence the Jewish people. After leaving Egypt, they encounter many other pagan nations who practice idol worship including temple prostitution, fertility rites, and sacrificing children. God gives them specific rules about not worshiping idols but worshiping Jehovah, unchanging and faithful, who lavishes love on His people. Within the Ten Commandments, God gives guidelines for all relationships, first with Him, secondly with others.

Out of His goodness and grace, God promises to love us. The first important lessons of the Ten Commandments establish God as the only God, and warn that to value anything more importantly than God creates an idol, a substitute god. Today’s idols beg our pagan hearts to place work, money, success, and pleasure above God. Shouting for attention, campaigning for importance, hoping we choose them over God’s priorities, these substitute idols cause us to lose focus of the eternal, infinite, Sovereign God.

Holy, Holy, Holy, God of lavish love pour over me. In the noise and chaos, I look for You. Forgive me when I offer You my leftover moments. Great is Your faithfulness - Holy and worthy of my first thoughts – my deepest reverence – my loudest praises! –dho

Focus Point: Out of His goodness and grace, God promises to love us.

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“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Covenant Keeper ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

My covenant I will not break, nor alter any word that has gone out of My lips. Psalm 89:34

Psalm 89 begins by declaring the LORD’s great, everlasting love and His faithfulness and ends with praise to the LORD forever. We read about the blessings of joy, glory, strength, and security the Israelites find in walking with God and God’s promises to sustain David, blessing him with power and victory. In verse 29, God promises, “I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.” Despite humanity’s sin and disobedience, God will not break His covenant.

This ancestral lineage that is to endure forever includes Jesus Christ; the Messiah is to be the last King in David’s dynasty. In John 1:14 the promise is fulfilled when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” God is a covenant keeper!

Holy God, great is Your faithfulness, from generation to generation. Jesus became flesh, suffered for my weakness, died for my failures, and with His resurrection, grace covers my sins and offers me a robe of righteousness. Praises that my unfaithfulness cannot undo Your promises. –dho

Focus Point: Despite humanity’s sin and disobedience, God will not break His covenant.

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“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Unfailing Faithfulness ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly. Psalm 40:10

The Bible tells the stories of many people who stand in the center of adversity but remain obedient to a faithful God. Very visible people, like Abraham, Esther, and Daniel, those in high positions like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Joseph, and Nehemiah, the Disciples of Jesus, Paul and countless first century Christians endure ridicule and persecution for choosing to live in obedience to God. In placing their present and future lives in the hands of the constant, unchanging, unfailing love of God, their testimonies reveal God’s faithfulness to those who honor Him.

Today, Christians face difficulties, endure circumstances, and suffer injustices that test our faithful obedience to God. Seasons of distress and discomfort bind us to pain and grief. Whispers from the world evoke discouragement and create doubt. Trusting God within the events that stressful, daily living brings challenges every heart’s obedience. Then and now, God goes before us and provides everything we need. God’s eternal faithfulness must be the promise we claim.

El Shaddai, All-Sufficient One – find me on my knees, find me in my struggles. You see all my needs, see all my enemies. Let me hear only Your whispers ~ fill me, encourage me, rescue me. Great is Your faithfulness in every moment, now and always. – dho

Focus Point: Then and now, God goes before us and provides everything we need.

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“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

God's Faithfulness, Our weakness ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless…those who trust in the LORD will find new strength…

Isaiah 40:20-31 NLT

When you read Isaiah chapter 40, the greatness of God fills the pages, His majesty full of power, provision and presence. From creating to sustaining, God constantly reaches into the world. God desires to abide with His people and to develop an ever-deepening, intimate relationship. Trusting in God’s faithfulness gives us hope to find new strength.

In verse 25, the Holy One asks, “To whom will you compare Me? Who is My equal?” Clearly, there is only one God Almighty. Only God is more powerful than any chaos or crisis, any fear or foe. In our most ordinary moments, God reveals the beauty, offers the peace, and celebrates the joy. In our weakness, God’s faithfulness sustains and strengthens us.

God Almighty, there is NONE like You. My soul knows both weakness and weariness, but I trust You to help me find new strength. Great is Your faithfulness – to the deepest depths! – dho

Focus Point: Trusting in God’s faithfulness gives us hope to find new strength.

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“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Monday, February 23, 2015

Faithfulness and More ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Psalm 36:5 NLT

Faithfulness, defined in the dictionary, includes characteristics of showing constant loyalty, deserving trust, keeping promises. Words like fickle or false, dishonesty or disregard cannot share space with perseverance or reliability or truth. In reading Psalm 36, the examples of a faithful God stand in sharp contrast to the heart and mind of the unfaithful, the confused, the wicked. While the corrupted heart defines rebellion, hypocrisy, bullying and vulgarity, the faithfulness of God soars higher, reaches beyond, seeks deeper with unfailing love.

God’s characteristics of unfailing love, righteousness, and justice are the foundations of His faithfulness. This holy compassion, safe shelter, and abundant provision bring us peace and rest and fulfillment. God is the unlimited source of life, our unceasing satisfaction in living, and unfailing hope for eternal life.

Yahweh, the One whose love desires me, whose grace completes me, whose abundance overwhelms me. Great is Your faithfulness, my source of all things needed. – dho

Focus Point: God’s characteristics of unfailing love, righteousness, and justice are the foundations of His faithfulness.

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“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Only One Loyalty, Jesus ~ 1st Sunday in Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith – the Lord Jesus Christ.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1Corinthians 1:9 NKJV

God is sovereign, all-powerful! This attribute of God’s character escapes our full understanding but becomes the truth a faithful follower accepts. Our loyalty to Christ reveals itself by our faith in God. When things fall apart, when circumstances become difficult, when we can no longer see God’s purpose – we have a tendency to doubt, blame, and criticize. This eroding of personal faith affects our spiritual health and witness. Our faith must stay grounded in the faithfulness of God, not in our ability to understand the situation.

In our faithfulness to God, perseverance must continue, as well as loyal devotion with Christ as the “object of our faith”. Especially when we do not comprehend, trusting in a faithful God brings the soul true hope and provides rest in fellowship with Christ. On this journey there are many unexpected roads that lead to despair, wind through darkness, or pass over mountains, and God always goes before us. Our continued faithfulness in God “in every circumstance” finds its greatest purpose in allowing God to work through us.

El Shaddai, Lord God Almighty – renew Your gift of my faith. Reach through me to others that need to know of Your power. Let my story be: Great is Your faithfulness to me, in every situation. –dho

Focus Point: Our faith must stay grounded in the faithfulness of God, not in our ability to understand the situation.

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“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Salvation For All ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

Indeed [God] says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen You.”

Isaiah 49:6-7 NKJV

This is the second of four “Servant Songs” in Isaiah, each offering a different messianic image of Christ. In Genesis, God makes a covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3). His chosen people, Abraham’s descendants, are to be a “light to the Gentiles”, but they decline. The prophet Isaiah explains that God’s Servant-Redeemer will be rejected - by those He chose, by those refusing to believe, by powerful rulers of nations. God introduces Jesus Christ, as a “new covenant”, because the promises of God and His faithfulness do not end.

God’s purpose for salvation remains extended to all people through the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The Author of Redemption knows the prisons that hold a soul in bondage – lies, abuses, boredom, greed, words that defeat, actions that destroy, busyness that drains, emptiness that desires. The darkness that crucified Christ attempts to hold us hostage but can be abolished by the Light of Christ. God’s faithfulness extends beyond His chosen people, the Jewish nation. He offers Eternal Hope to the Gentiles, too. God’s faithfulness reconciles each of us – any of us - through Christ.

Redeemer, Holy One - find me in the darkness. Break the chains that try to hold me captive. Be the Light that leads me to You. Great is Your faithfulness. -dho

Focus Point: The darkness that crucified Christ attempts to hold us hostage but can be abolished by the Light of Christ.

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“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Friday, February 20, 2015

Promise of Truth ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.

The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.

Righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for His steps.

Psalm 85:10-13 NIV

When you read The Message, the word used for faithfulness is truth; love and truth meet. Also, the words righteousness and peace kiss are interchanged for right living and whole living embrace. Jesus personifies Love and Truth. In our redemption, He is both Love and Truth eternally mingled within our hearts and souls. The yield is our right living, the sharing of His Love and Truth with others. Our reward becomes whole living, complete peace ~ His Peace. This is God's Holy Harvest!

God's faithfulness is His promise of Truth, the Truth that defines right living and whole living for each of us. He clothes us with robes of righteousness lined with inner peace that exceeds our understanding. We kneel before the Love Most High overwhelmed with thankfulness for His power and goodness. His gift of righteousness, of right living, surrounds us, protects us, leads us into the next moment. Once secure inside this gift, we discover whole living, His perfect Peace! How complete is His Offering! Great is His Faithfulness!

God, this Promise of Truth is for me! Your faithfulness offers redemption to my wandering soul. You make me whole, bring me peace. Holiness surrounds me, embraces me. Great is Your faithfulness! - dho

Focus Point: God's faithfulness is His promise of Truth, the Truth that right living and whole living brings to each of us.

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“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Yahweh's Constancy - Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

For Yahweh is good, His faithful love is everlasting, His constancy from age to age. Psalm 100:4-5 The Jerusalem Bible

This familiar Psalm proclaims thanksgiving to a Sovereign God whose goodness not only creates each person but provides and protects like a good shepherd. Praises and songs of gladness give honor to God. Faithful love never ends. Such goodness embodies both loyalty and truth. The attributes of God noted in Psalm 100 remain true today, just as His unchanging character is constant from age to age.

The LORD, Yahweh in Hebrew, is the one True God. This alone would be reason to worship Him; yet, God’s steadfast, enduring love embraces mercy and offers grace. While we struggle with uncertainty and constant change, comfort seems far away. The Apologetics Study Bible suggests the phrase “make a joyful noise” or “shout” is a war cry, using the same Hebrew verb that describes the shouting of the Israelites when they captured Jericho. The commentary says “this psalm takes the worshiper into the realm of spiritual warfare.” Our greatest peace comes from the Source of Perfect Goodness. For Yahweh is good!

LORD, I believe You are the One True God, Creator and Redeemer of souls. This dark world calls to me, tries to entice me away from You, but Your goodness floods my soul. Great is Your faithfulness in every spiritual battle, every moment of doubt. I come into Your presence with thanksgiving. – dho

Focus Point: His unchanging character is constant from age to age.

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“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Ash Wednesday ~ Mark Me A Sinner!

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

Throughout Scripture, God reveals His faithfulness. At times we see Him as the One generously promising Salvation to a people walking in darkness. On other occasions, the attributes of God distinguish His faithfulness in contrast with humanity’s faithlessness. Omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient describe a perfect, unchanging, and infinite God, while our identity rests more in sinful, shifting shadows. God IS faithful.

This chapter in Isaiah tells God’s plan of Eternal Hope, the Everlasting Hope of living in His Presence for all of eternity. The prophet Isaiah praises God for His enduring power, God faithful and sure. These words sing with thanksgiving. God’s faithfulness gives testimony of His love and mercy, provision and refuge. This faithful Redeemer still offers salvation today – to you and to me.

Faithful Father, mark me a sinner, one in need of grace. Let the ashes remind me of extravagant grace. Great is Your faithfulness even when my faith is small. My hope rests in You! –dho

Focus Point: Omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient describe a perfect, unchanging, and infinite God, while our identity rests more in sinful, shifting shadows.

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“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Friday, February 13, 2015

COMING SOON! ~ Daily Devotions for the EASTER Season!

Preparing for Easter...

Beginning Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2015 - You can read all new DAILY devotions for 2015 on Snyder Memorial Baptist Church’s Facebook and Mangrove Ministries' Facebook, on Twitter @soulchat and onmy blog, Breathing Room For My Soul.

Join me as we reflect and renew our personal relationship with Jesus. Share these devotions with your friends. Not on social media ~ no problem! Read them right here on my blog: BreathingRoomForMySoul.com and sign up there to get emails with every post.

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness! Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God's Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope!

Thank you for the opportunity to share the Perfect Faithfulness of God with you during this Easter Season. ~ Donna Oswalt

A New Beginning

"This is my [new] life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details . . . God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.

And so here I am . . . writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along."
Ephesians 3:7-10, The Message

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Thursday, February 19, 2015

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Friday, February 13, 2015

Preparing for Easter...