Jubilea

Comment on yesterday's Psalm 13-- Despite all the trials and tribulations of life- some thrust upon us, others of our own making- we can rejoice in God's steadfast love and His gift of salvation! One of my favorite phrases is "But, God!" He is the sustainer and the victory over every difficulty! Praise His Name!

I guess the question for me is not as much "how serious is fornication" as it is "how serious is disobeying God?"

Praying for you today, Kristin ?

May God put His hand of protection over His people in Burkina Faso, and may His Light through them draw the lost to Christ.

Amen. Teach us to pray, LORD. Thank you for sharing this, Jayne. I agree that these are great for self-reflection.

Hmm . . . I wonder how God would answer this question?

“None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a discharge may eat of the holy things until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or a man who has had an emission of semen, and whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or a person from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be— the person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water.” (Leviticus 22:4-6 ESV)

Ayin jade is absolutely right. Some more things you might consider (aka thowing my opinions into the mix ) 1) Be wary of assuming that you will be raising your child in poverty. Neither you nor any of us here knows your future. When I was 20 years old and in school, I was eating Beanie-Weenies to stay alive. I'm in my 60's now, and made it just fine through those lean times by the grace of God. The fact that you're in school (and are doing well!) shows that you have good motivation and a good head on your shoulders. Keep on the course. 2) Using wisdom in managing your money now, no matter how much you have or don't have, will benefit you greatly. If you start practicing good financial habits now, they will have become normal practice when you get a job and earn more income. 3) Decisions based on fear seem to be the ones that bite you in the back down the road. (Ask yourself- Am I considering giving up my child simply because I am afraid he will grow up in poverty?) 4) (With a nod to @ayin jade) The foundation of a home (adopted or not) is love, not things. That becomes clearer and clearer as we continue to age and mature. We are for you, @Figure of eighty, and we want your life to be happy and successful. Don't forget about the Prayer Request forum if you think adding a thread there would be helpful to you.

I looked up "shiggaion" for anyone like me who was unfamiliar with it: Shiggaion from the verb shagah, "to reel about through drink," occurs in the title of Psalms 7 . The plural form, shigionoth, is found in Habakkuk 3:1 . The word denotes a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion; a song of impassioned imagination accompanied with suitable music; a dithyrambic ode. These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain, copy freely.

Amen, and praise God!

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." You have offered your confession, and the LORD surely forgives sincere repentance, so go forward in peace, young man.

I think the depth of sorrow indicates David's sensitive heart toward God and his deep desire to please Him. Seems to me that there is a tendency to over-spiritualize the great men of God we see throughout Scripture and see them as almost one-dimensional. It's easy to forget that, just like us, they were born in sin with all the trapping and bents toward evil-doing that all people have. The great things God did through them isn't as much a testimony of their personal goodness as it is a testimony of the awesome unfathomable power of God to do His work through sinful-minded human beings. God is looking for willing hearts, and as we confess our sins and receive His forgiveness, He can do His work through us as well. Father, give me a sensitive and willing heart.

@Kristin said: Non stop has hiccups. I’m suffering ______________________________________________________ Is there something you can do to redirect your suffering thoughts? (I remember one poster's suggestion to brush your teeth.) Also, is there a way the LORD might show you to help overcome this suffering with good? Your suffering is very real, and I would not minimize it at all. But remember, you are actually suffering for a good thing. You are improving your health and your life. Suffering has a way of magnifying itself over our whole life. Is it possible to view this temporay (good) suffering in the perspective of the many blessings your are enjoying right now and to see it for what it is? Remember that old song chorus? "Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done. Count your blessings. Name them One... By... One... Count your many blessings, see what God has done." (And besides that- Count your blessings of what He's doing right now while you're defeating this, and the ones that are coming when you've overcome it!) Freedom is coming for you, Kristin, if you just stay the course on this now; and every single hour and day that passes brings you that much closer to being out of the grips of this thing you hate! God bless you with confidence in Him and determination to reach your goal.

God bless you in this. I think it would be hard to find anyone among us who doesn't have areas of our lives where we could make changes for the better. I'm praying for you. You pray for us, too. We are all growing up in Christ, and each member's growth affects the whole Body of Christ.

Except for the fact that Christ has come, it seems to me this psalm could have been written yesterday. After all these years, the pattern really hasn't changed. People are still planning vain things and rebelling against God and His people; and God is still warning the rebellious and blessing those who take refuge in Him. What I gleaned from today's psalm- God is oh so very patient with those who rebel against Him; He is faithful to His people; His Word is sure; and His purposes will be accomplished. My response to Psalm 2- As patient as God is, judgment is coming. I need more love and a stronger sense of urgency regarding the lost and my witness in the world.

I'll take the challenge, Jayne It definitely will be a challenge to do one every single day because there is so much richness in each one! Like @ayin jade, Psalm 1 is at the top of my favorites, and I chew on it a lot. Verse 3 makes me think of Isaiah 61:3 "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." Trees of righteousness. Planted by the LORD, Himself. To bring glory to Him. And I say YES!! Make me just like that!

Praying for you and Graham.

No, I didn't know Nigel. As I was reading the thread, I saw on the avatar "graduated to heaven." Thank you for your sacrificial ministry here, George. I'm new here, so I don't know much about you yet, but as I read through the forums, they testify that you are well-loved and respected. God bless you!

I love maps in general, and I do still use paper maps-- bought a new one the other day. But I also use the computer map so I can zoom in on areas. I do not care for GPS because I have found it unreliable.

Couldn't have said it any better!

Praying for you today, Becky!

John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent."

Thanks for letting us know you are safely there. Happy house-hunting!

Amen to that, kevana!

Amen, Not me, and thank you for the encouragement.