lily among thorns

By Mia Christine

lily among thorns gives creative guidance to finding contentment in a world of never enough. For every heart overwhelmed with disappointment, difficulty and the uncertainty of life, these poems, songs, and short stories trumpet bold statements for resilient living, leading the unsatisfied into lasting joy and freedom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: miamagination inc.
• Release date: Dec 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9780994053480

Book preview

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lily among thorns

Introduction

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lily among thorns

Chapter One: The God Who Sees

(Hebrews 11:3)

(Daniel 2:22)

(Isaiah 40:6-7)

 (Isaiah 40:18)

lily among thorns

Chapter One: The God Who Sees

lily among thorns

Chapter One: The God Who Sees

lily among thorns

     Knowing that God sees challenges our integrity. Our imagination is under His constant surveillance. We can hide our motivations, thoughts, and meditations from men. But God is not like man. We may be concerned with our skill, appearance, comfort,

security, and achievements. But God places far greater priority on the condition of the heart than on our performance.

     God is looking at the heart (I Samuel 16:7). He is interested in our motivations. He desires to make us like Christ, because He is looking for people who will adopt His perspective. He wants a like-minded

partner in the earth because He wants to reveal

Himself to us and through us. He wants us grow in relationship with Him. With the heart we fulfill the first

commandment and reciprocate the love He has for us.

By the heart and confession we are saved.

     What we think and say is so valuable to God

because He made us in His image: His Word and His character are one. We cannot do any more than what is in our hearts. It is so important to guard it. Jesus said "Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,

murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." (Matthew 15:17-20). The heart was always made to be a storehouse. It must be filled. If we do not yield to the truth we will, by default, be stockpiled with lies.

     Lies are the very foundation of all sin and of all bondage – a throne for pride and fear sit upon. The greatest of all is the lie that human beings are equal to if not greater than God. When we try to conceal a thing from God, we’re really saying that we possess greater wisdom and power. We’re saying that God is blind. We see this demonstrated in the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve believed they could be as gods (Genesis 3). The core of our being fell out of rhythm with His Word and His ways, and since then, the nature of the flesh contests against God. The secret rhythm of the heart seeks to please itself - perceives itself a victim, as if all things were created for man’s pleasure, instead of God’s glory.

     Men are drawn to devour each other in private

hatred and covetousness – never satisfied, hiding

secret thoughts and motivations behind polite speech and subtle mannerisms. We wipe our mouths, thinking we are justified, thinking we are wise.

However,

God will judge us at the heart.

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Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

 (Romans 10:9)

lily among thorns

Jesus to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all