breathing room for my soul

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Faithful to Discipline ~ 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

For the Lord disciplines those He loves…God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share His holiness. Hebrews 12:5-13 NLT

Often feeling like punishment, difficult times require strength and endurance of spirit. Sometimes roadblocks and rejection hinder the journey, can discourage the soul. Answers that do not satisfy or silence that baffles weigh heavy on the mind. None of these situations limit God. Although His best for us may require discipline, His motivation consistently comes from deep love for His children.

The Greek word for “discipline” in these Scriptures means “to train a child”; it involves correction and education and nurturing. In His faithfulness, God uses difficult life lessons to train His children for service in the Kingdom. God’s perfect discipline always benefits and blesses, nurturing and nudging the soul toward holy living.

Faithful Father, teach me holy living. In the struggle nurture my sensitivity, in the rejection teach me humility, in the silence foster my patience; when the answer is ‘no’ change my desires, when the sorrow lingers show me perseverance. The presence of Your holiness imparts unfailing love; how great is Your faithfulness! –dho

Focus Point: God’s perfect discipline always benefits and blesses, nurturing and nudging the soul toward holy living.

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

Monday, March 09, 2015

God's Faithfulness Overcomes Sin ~ 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

It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is a war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 7:21-25 NLT

From the beginning when Adam and Eve sin, humanity’s nature begins its sinful journey that will finally end when Christ returns again and all believers will call the New Jerusalem their forever home. Until then, we struggle with carnal thoughts, earthly lust, and worldly cravings. The war with my mind tries to deceive the heart, to manipulate the will. These attitudes of sin, the sin that dwells in me finds itself in direct conflict with the spiritual laws of God. While the law itself exposes our sinful nature, it cannot offer new spiritual life.

While in Corinth during his third missionary journey, Paul writes Romans, a letter to the church in Rome, as a statement of faith. One of the main themes deals with sin, exposing the heart’s disobedience, examining the will’s rebellion. Paul confesses that he loves God and wants to do what is right; yet, he finds himself tempted by sin. Because of God’s faithfulness, Jesus Christ overcomes sin and offers us a spiritual rebirth. Through Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to each of us, lives within us, and empowers our desire to be obedient to God’s laws.

Lord, life gets tangled between spiritual darkness and spiritual obedience. The flesh is weak, easily held captive and powerless, hostage and rebellious. Jesus, You break the chains that bind my soul to sin. In my weakness, great is Your faithfulness. You are the living God, the Spirit that dwells in me. –dho

Focus Point: Through Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to each of us, lives within us, and empowers our desire to be obedient to God’s laws.

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

Sunday, March 08, 2015

3rd Sunday in Lent ~ Our Gift in God's Faithfulness

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

But now God has shown us a different way of being [righteous] in His sight – not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. Romans 3:21-26 NLT

The Lord, the I AM, the same yesterday, today and forever is with us. This is what matters. This is our reason for confidence.

Elizabeth Elliot

In the Biblical temple, in the most holy place, the Holy of Holies, blood sacrifices for atonement are offered on the mercy seat which covers the Ark of the Covenant. God’s righteousness reveals itself anew through Jesus Christ, His faithful promise for everlasting life. With Christ’s blood sacrifice on the cross, He becomes the living “mercy seat”, the eternal “place of forgiveness”. Christ brings God’s righteousness to each of us.

Until Christ, only the most high priest could enter the Holy of Holies and only once a year. Now, Christ invites everyone into the Holy of Holies, into the presence of God – the prostitute, the thief, the murderer, and the unfaithful spouse, the habitual abuser, the child molester, and you, and me. This gift of Grace, this atonement, exceeds all darkness, all destructive habits, all disillusionment, all depraved indifference. Grace comes from the outstretched arms of unfailing love, reaching for all. With faith each one can accept this pure gift, undeserved and unmeasured Grace.

Holy One, sin surrounds me, invades me, lives within me. Grace offers forgiveness and new beginnings. Infinite Righteousness, cover me, cleanse me, complete me. Great is Your faithfulness, great in goodness and generosity. –dho

Focus Point: Grace comes from the outstretched arms of unfailing love, reaching for all.

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

Saturday, March 07, 2015

Complete Power, Absolute 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

photo:in Germany/T/McGirr

Then Job answered the LORD and said: “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. Job 42:1-6 NKJV

IF you can find time, read Job chapters 38-41 to fully grasp the magnitude of Almighty God. In these verses, God confronts Job’s arrogance with a series of questions that proclaim the complete power of God Almighty. God asks Job who and where and when did you create the world and all its glory? Have you and do you know and can you explain how all things work? These Scriptures expose the greatness of an all-powerful Creator. With great humility, Job responds that God’s power exceeds everything.

The story of Job invites us to witness human suffering up close. From great abundance to complete despair, Job struggles to understand his tragedies, but he misses the most important point. God is Sovereign! God asks us the same questions that He asks Job, and in reply, we must confess that God’s ways are higher, beyond our finite minds. Like Job, we should respond with awe and gratitude, “I've been talking about things far too wonderful for me!”

Lord, I constantly talk about things I do not understand, worry about situations I cannot control, try to plan my future without even grasping my present life. Expose my pride and weariness, my doubt and anxiety, my self-righteousness. Great is Your faithfulness. –dho

Focus Point: God is Sovereign!

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

Friday, March 06, 2015

Divine Protection ~ 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

photo: in Germany/T.McGirr

He will shield you with His wings. He will shelter you with His feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:4 NLT

God’s faithfulness provides safe shelter for His own. Whether the metaphor refers to feathers of angels or eagles or hens (see Matthew 23:37), trusting in this living God becomes a shield for the fearful, the forgotten, the desperate, the dying, the wounded, the weary. The world reeks of danger and uncertainty, but we find our refuge, our safe place in the embrace of God Almighty.

Whether the context is Moses reminding the Israelites or Jesus grieving over Jerusalem or the world churning its chaos, God longs to sit in the inner sanctuary, to have communion and fellowship with those who seek Him. So come to a place of safety, a place of Divine Protection, a place of unfailing love.

El Shaddai, You are my safe place, my port in life’s storms, my retreat from daily struggles, my shelter from Satan’s lies. Great is Your faithfulness; be my salvation. - dho

Focus Point: The world reeks of danger and uncertainty, but we find our refuge, our safe place in the embrace of God Almighty.

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

Thursday, March 05, 2015

Faithful in Judgement ~ 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

photo: in Germany/T.McGirr

All who believe in God’s Son have eternal life. Those who don’t believe the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them. John 3:36 NLT

No one likes to talk about God’s judgment preferring to focus only on God’s love and goodness; yet, God cannot be compartmentalized into categories. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, God remains unchanging, always faithful and true, full of mystery and majesty. His sovereignty and power span infinity. God’s faithfulness enters the world through Jesus Christ, His Son, not to judge the world, but to save the world. (John 3:17) God’s promise of Perfect Love brings life, real life, right now!

God’s most extravagant gift of love, His Son, brings new hope to old wounds, compassionate arms for old regrets, gentle smiles for the abused, tender hearts toward the outcasts, healing for the spiritually blind. God’s judgment reveals our true heart, our weakness, our shortsightedness, our stubbornness, our desire to walk on the edge. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more. (John 3:19) Choose Light!

Holy One, my heart overflows to think of such Perfect Love. I do want to walk in the light but confess, sometimes, I find myself dangerously near the shadows. Open my heart and ears and eyes that I can see others as You see them. Great is Your faithfulness, immense in light and love. - dho

Focus Point: God’s faithfulness enters the world through Jesus Christ, His Son, not to judge the world, but to save the world.

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

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

Faithful to Forgive ~ 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

photo: in Germany/T.McGirr

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 NASB

Multiple times in the Old Testament, passages describe God as “slow to anger and abounding in love”. A vast contrast exists between God, being in perfect righteousness, and mankind, struggling with persistent unrighteousness. In His patient, faithful goodness, God continues to reach for us, to shine His Light in the darkness of sin. In this place of longing, God waits. He waits for us.

Sadly, either ignorance or arrogance maintains the barrier between us and God, because even without confession God already knows. To confess our sins means we “agree” or “acknowledge” with God that we are imperfect, that we are unrighteous. God, faithful to forgive, is waiting.

Lord, the world applauds wanting more, self-focused thinking, looking important. It is so easy to slip into the darkness. You are the faithful Light that constantly shines showing me the way back to You. Forgive me for listening more to the lies of the world than to You. Great is Your faithfulness. – dho

Focus Point: God, faithful to forgive, is waiting.

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

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Sign of God's 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

photo: in Germany/T.McGirr

Therefore, the LORD Himself will give you a sign; Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 NASB

Isaiah speaks this prophecy which foreshadows the Messiah some 700 years before Jesus is born. In the New Testament, Matthew1:18-23 recalls Joseph’s dream where an angel of the Lord confirms that the child growing in Mary’s womb is conceived by the Holy Spirit and will fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah. Immanuel, meaning God with us, fulfills God’s promise. Jesus enters the world, and God’s presence literally dwells alongside of humanity. Jesus, fully human and fully divine, becomes God in tangible form.

God gives the law (Ten Commandments) through Moses, but the sign of God’s unfailing love and faithfulness comes completely through Jesus Christ. While Moses speaks God’s law to the people, Jesus comes to personally fulfill the law. God yearns for an intimate relationship with us.

Faithful Father, Promise Keeper, grace comes through the ages with ancient revelations, comes on the lips of angels who sing of Your Glory, comes in the whispers of the Spirit; Grace comes with Immanuel, Grace comes for me. Great is Your faithfulness. -dho

Focus Point: Jesus enters the world, and God’s presence literally dwells alongside of humanity.

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

Monday, March 02, 2015

Mercy and 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

photo: in Germany/T.McGirr

All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. Psalm 25:10 NKJV

Mercy and truth can be translated “unfailing love” and “faithfulness”. In His Sovereignty, God reveals His promise, reveals the Truth, reveals the Messiah, reveals Jesus as The Way. The source of this promise comes from the LORD’s unfailing love, from His desire to unite our spirit with His Spirit. Even when disobedience interferes and distractions ignore the Spirit, God marks the path with mercy and truth.

The world comes at us full force with numerous options for personal entertainment, strong rhetoric within political parties, countless organizations to benefit humanity. Many loud voices seek to motivate, include, and sway our thoughts and commitments. While many of these opportunities can generate good, we must seek the paths of the LORD. Another Hebrew name for God, El Roi, the God who sees me, reminds us that God literally sees each person. El Roi meets us at every crossroad pointing the way of mercy and truth.

Lord, You see my resentment, my indecision, my failure, my uncertainty. So many idols scream at me, demanding allegiance. Holy Father, great is Your faithfulness in showing me unfailing love, mercy undeserved. Help me walk Your paths daily. - dho

Focus Point: Even when disobedience interferes and distractions ignore the Spirit, God marks the path with mercy and truth.

For more information about this ministry visit ~

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

Sunday, March 01, 2015

Our Reply to God's Faithfulness ~ 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

photo taken in Germany/Thomas McGirr

“When I cannot understand my Father’s leading,

And it seems to be but hard and cruel fate,

Still I can hear that gentle whisper ever pleading,

God is working, God is faithful.” A.B. Simpson

If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself.

2 Timothy 2:13

God’s faithfulness does not depend on our faithfulness; rather our faithfulness is demonstrated by obedience to God. The Scriptures are full of people obedient to God’s leading, obedient to complete the journey to their Jerusalem. Despite their faithfulness, many never see the anticipated outcome; instead, their obedience prepares the way and plants the seeds for others. God does not always explain His reasons or ways, but His Sovereignty prevails in goodness and grace.

Blackaby writes, “You will always be one step of obedience away from the next truth God wants you to learn about Him.” God calls each of us to follow Him in faithful obedience - whether we understand or not. Often a partial belief in God limits one’s experiences with Him and can interrupt His work through that person. In Christ, we find the grace that mends our broken relationship with God, we experience the love that teaches us trust. Faith is a gift from God, and obedience writes our ‘thank-you’ note.

Holy Father, Your goodness exceeds the boundaries of time, of imagination. When I seek the easy path or demand my way, when I see a need and look passed, when I hear Your whispers but pretend to be busy – forgive my disobedience. Christ suffered the cross in His obedience to You – for me. Let thankfulness for Your unfailing love, uncounted blessings and unknown sacrifices define my obedience. Great is Your faithfulness. – dho

Focus Point: God does not always explain His reasons or ways, but His Sovereignty prevails in goodness and grace.

For more information about this ministry visit ~

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

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Incomparable 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

O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. Psalm 89:8 NKJV

Yahweh Elohim Tsebaoth! This ancient identity in Hebrew means LORD, LORD of Hosts, God Almighty! Throughout The Message translation of the Bible, this name of God reads “God of the Angel Armies” for there is no one like Him. God reigns as the most powerful, most awesome, most faithful of all. In the next verses (vs. 9-14), historical examples of God Almighty controlling the oceans, crushing Israel’s enemies, creating the whole world validate His power and faithfulness. “Praise the LORD forever!”

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before You.” (Ps. 89:14 ESV) Ethical integrity and moral fairness for all creates the very roots of God’s authority; His unfailing love and absolute truth become grace and secures our hope. This unmatchable, divine offering invites us, you and me, to become righteous and holy, to become part of a holy priesthood.

LORD, Grace brings Your unfailing love to me, calls me by name, invites me to stand on holy ground. Hallelujah; great is Your faithfulness! – dho

Focus Point: Ethical integrity and moral fairness for all creates the very roots of God’s authority; His unfailing love and absolute truth become grace and secures our hope.

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

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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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Monday, March 09, 2015

Sunday, March 08, 2015

Saturday, March 07, 2015

Friday, March 06, 2015

Thursday, March 05, 2015

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Monday, March 02, 2015

Sunday, March 01, 2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015