Just as I am.

I have permission,
Just to be me.
As God created,
All I can be.
Imperfect, and humble,
but that’s O. K
God’s work in progress,
He made me that way.

I have permission,
To see good in all.
God dusts me off,
Whenever I fall.
Sometimes in shreds,
but I think it’s fine.
Poured out, refilled,
With Sparkling New Wine.

I have permission,
by Grace and with Love.
To live every day,
Blessed from above.
Sunshine and birdsong,
Blossoms and streams,
Children and laughter,
Visions and Dreams.

God gives us permission.
to Love and to live.
Learn from it all,
See beyond, and forgive.
Paid for in full
by The Blood of the Lamb.
Jesus, who Loves me
Just as I am.

I have a Friend

I have a friend I want to share,
Grace and love He does provide
There’s no one that I can compare,
For you and me He died.

He is my hope, my joy, my all,
Nought will take my faith from me
My sin He never will recall
His grace has set me free.

I’ll kneel before the mercy seat,
My life is forever His
Christ’s love for me forever shown,
My faith as simple as it is.

Within the shadow of the cross,
I will lay my burden down
All my shame and guilt to toss,
For I would rather wear a crown

Life Issues – Bible Help Topics

Find more widgets like these at
www.HopeForTheHeart.org/widgets.

Commitment to Intimacy

I will love you unconditionally.

I will never reject you.

I will keep my heart to open to you.

I will never blame you for what i felt.

I will make you to feel secure to say the truth.

I will never use your word to offend against you.

I will be ready to speak about my spiritual fear and my discomfort.

I will never interrupt you if you speak about what you felt.

I will take you into my hope and my wish.

I will never manipulate or controlling you.

I will consider everything from your side of view.

I will never show defensive behavior.

I will be responsible to you.

I will never ask you to fulfill my hope.

I will reach you with love.

I will never pull myself emotionaly or physically.

I will help to boost your spiritual growth.

I will never search for something to blame.

I will view conflict as a chance to spiritual growth.

I will never reject that God is using you in my life.

God’s Call for Intimacy

Intimacy with God

Intimacy with God . . . what is it and how is it attained? There are many methods, and sometimes it seems hard to accomplish. Feeling led to approach this subject from a different angle; I decided to share what I’ve learned from my own experiences.

God created each of us with a longing for intimacy — intimacy with Him. We must, therefore, come to some understanding of what He is asking of us and what He is offering. We must come to the realization that we were created to fellowship with our Creator. We need Him and He desires us.

“God desires us?” Yes! He wants us, desires us. He gave the very best He had in His only begotten Son to redeem what Adam relinquished in the Garden. And He did it for intimacy.

Intimacy never involves just one person. As the old adage goes, “It takes two to tango.” God has gone to great lengths to dance with mankind. From the time He walked with Adam in Eden to this day, His desire hasn’t abated or changed.

So passionate was His desire after Adam and Eve sinned, He worked intensely throughout time to bring humanity back to a place of intimate communion. He gave the ultimate Gift so He might walk with us in the garden of our lives (John 3:16). From the midst of the Garden, the Lord called out to Adam. Today He is calling out our names, waiting to share His heart with us, waiting to hear our hearts expressed to Him.

Now that we better understand God’s desires for intimacy, let’s consider what it entails. What does it mean? Is it hard to attain? I submit to you it is not a difficult endeavor. All it requires is our relentless pursuit of an abiding and growing relationship with God.

The biggest hindrance to communion with God is our perception of who He is. Basing our perception of God’s character on the ungodly actions or attitudes of others will skew our understanding of His nature. Often circumstances in our lives prevent us from drawing near. Yet David says in Psalm 27:10: “Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.” In other words, regardless of who abandons us, betrays us, or hurts us, the Lord is ready, willing and able to embrace us.

God states throughout His Word that He is our strong tower, our refuge, our hiding place — to name only a few. He is our security, although most times we tend to find security in our position, our wealth, even our friends and family. Somehow we think if we become intimate with God, we will lose our security. In fact, just the opposite happens. We meet God, and He infuses all areas of our lives, enhancing each one with His presence, power, and transformation — seating us in a secure place in Him.

So how do we do this? We go to God and cling to Him with the realization we are doing what we were created to do, and He will not turn us away (Luke 11:9). God tells us He never shows partiality to anyone (Job 34:19). He gave so that all should live abundantly in His presence.

You cannot know someone you don’t spend time with. Intimacy develops as a result of close contact with someone over a period of time. Trust is built, confidence grows, and hearts change, becoming endeared to one another. Did you ever think about the fact that He is already waiting for you? What an awesome thought: The “Creator” of all that is or ever will be is waiting to talk with you and me.

But you say, “You don’t know my schedule.” Yes I do. I’m just like you. But life is built of many little moments. The little moments are where you start. You can start by simply saying, “I love You, Jesus.”

What would happen if you went through your day, repeating, “Jesus loves me” and did this over a period of a week? Your heart would change. The first step of intimacy would take place: speaking, sharing.

You could quote scriptures or tell Him, “I love You.” These moments will add up, and your whole life will be consumed with thoughts of Him.

This is what I mean by being simple: If you struggle with a certain area in your life and need to know God’s thoughts on the matter, find a Scripture befitting the need and do the same exercise. You see, not only does God want to have long times of communion with us, but He wants to spill over throughout our day. Before you know it, your desires change, and you find yourself continually in a place of communion — going to Him first, longing for Him, and needing Him in a way that moments are not enough.

When you long to experience deeper times with Him, put on an instrumental CD while relaxing, even while driving or working. Intimacy isn’t always about being verbal. Deep relationship with God can be built by sitting quietly with Him, reflecting on His goodness and love.

When thinking about Him isn’t enough, speak to Him in a conversational tone. After all, Jesus walked as a man and built relationships in the same way we do today. If you spend time in the Word, He will begin to speak those thoughts back to your heart, giving you guidance and encouragement. The more you read and know, the more there is for you to hear in your time with Him.

“Hearing?” you say. Yes, this is the second part of intimacy: listening and hearing. When He speaks back to your heart, “I love you no matter what.” It would be good to have a notebook in which to write down the words and thoughts He impresses on you. These reminders will come in handy during dry times. He tells us to put Him in remembrance of His Word, and that includes what He speaks to our hearts.

Remember, He desires to hear about every thought, desire, and dream. In the Bible, David told God he was angry. Did God know David was angry? Of course. Yet He wanted David to tell Him. This enabled David to hear God’s heart and release his anger to someone who understood without taking it out on others. He chose to remember the faithfulness of God in His life and act upon it.

There is nothing you cannot say to God. There is nothing in your heart or thoughts He wants you to hold back from Him. He doesn’t want you to burden yourself with some yoke He longs to bear (Matthew 11:28-29). Consider this: Nothing ever takes God by surprise. He is aware of every aspect of our lives (Hebrews 4:13). Yet, He still loves us and desires us with an everlasting love.

Take a leap of faith, and pour out your heart to the Lover of your soul. Position yourself to listen, and He will speak. The seeds of intimacy will grow abundantly.

The Preparation for the Marriage Relationship

At this point in our deliberations, let me address myself to those unmarried persons who are looking ahead to marriage. After a person has decided to receive Jesus Christ, the greatest decision ever to be faced in life is the selection of a lifetime partner, a husband or a wife. I cannot stress too strongly that the choice of your mate in marriage is of the gravest concern. No Christian should ever attempt marriage without prayer and a thorough search of the Scriptures. Thirty-five years in the Christian ministry have opened many doors of opportunity for marriage counseling, and I am prepared to say that many married persons who came to me seeking help were no more prepared for marriage on their wedding day than they were as little children playing with their toys. The only claim some brides and grooms have to maturity at their marriage is physical maturity. What difficulties many married couples have suffered because they were unprepared for marriage! Here are some precautionary steps one should consider before marriage.

The First Precaution

A Christian should never, under any circumstances, marry an unsaved person. The Bible forbids a believer in Christ to consider marriage with an unbeliever. Mixed marriages are never countenanced by God in either the Old Testament or the New. No two persons can live in harmony except they are in agreement on life’s most important choice (See Amos 3:3). If the one person has received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and the other has rejected Him, there is no common ground on which to start a marriage. The Bible warns, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (II Corinthians 6:14). This is a solemn command with which there can be no compromise. People with serious marital problems have complained frequently to marriage counselors that they have little or nothing in common. This has caused the breakdown of many marriages. Well then, how can there possibly be a successful marriage if both the man and woman cannot share their common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?

The Christian stands in a totally different relationship to God than does the non-Christian. In Old Testament times the principle of separation was in force, for we read “. . . The Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel” (Exodus 11:7). Woe be to the man or woman who fails to put a difference where God has put one! If the principle of separation applies in business and social life, how much more emphatically does it apply in the most intimate relationship of life, that of marriage! As a minister of the Gospel I am committed to the biblical principle of never knowingly performing a marriage ceremony for two people unless both are committed Christians through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The mere thought of two persons being united in life, but separated throughout eternity, is well-nigh unbearable.

Early in my ministerial career a young Christian woman asked me to officiate at her marriage. Her fianc was an unbeliever. Moreover, he refused to discuss with anyone the question of salvation and his relation to Jesus Christ. When I told her that I could not become involved in such an unscriptural alliance, she angrily said, “But I love him. What do you expect me to do?” I told her that being in love may be a good reason for getting married, but that it is not always a valid one. Now it goes without saying that we should not marry a person whom we do not love. But it is possible to fall in love with someone most unsuitable according to God’s standards. It is also possible to be madly in love with somebody one day, and not feel the same about that same person six months later. Being in love is essential to a happy marriage, but any one of us could fall in love with the wrong person. Love is not the sole basis for marriage. Christian, take care! A mismated alliance in friendship can lead to a mismated alliance in love, and this in turn could lead to a mismated alliance in marriage which could end in disaster.

The Second Precaution

A Christian should not marry merely for sexual gratification. The marriages that are based on sex alone are not happy marriages. Young people in their teens should heed this counsel. In a normal person the psychic energy usually associated with the sexual instinct moves in cycles. It strikes first when we are in our teens, and at such an early age no person is mature enough to assume the responsibilities of marriage. Those first sex drives create a difficult and dangerous time for young people. It is an easy matter for any teen-ager to be carried away by an infatuation for a person of the opposite sex. Too often such an unreasoning and uncontrolled passion has been mistaken for love, and this in turn has resulted in broken marriages.

Now let me speak frankly about this matter of sex. It is wrong to say that sex per se is sinful. Though the word sex does not appear in the Bible, the idea is found throughout the Scriptures. It means either of the two divisions of organisms distinguished as male and female, and this includes the attraction of one sex for the other. The attraction of male for female, and vice versa, is a natural one. Let me add that it is an unnatural condition when this attraction does not exist. A person does not become more spiritual by disassociating himself from the body. The sex urge is a normal function of the body. This is the way God made us. And God has given to us a frank and fearless discussion of sex in His Word. We need to examine the Scriptures prayerfully on the subject of sex, for in them we will find God speaking to us in a way that will prevent demoralization and degeneration. To know the facts and functions of sex is not enough. The knowledge we receive must be linked with our reverence and love for God.

The Bible says, “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). The sexual relation between husband and wife is a beautiful and meaningful experience. It should be a mutually delightful experience for both. Some of the most spiritual people I have known were happily married couples who had children of their own. The sexual relation between husband and wife is an essential one in marriage. Sex without love will end with misery, but sex with love will result in much happiness. Now I am not suggesting that a successful marriage is based purely on a biological and sexual performance, but I am saying that the sex urge is normal and the marriage bed is the one place God has provided to satisfy that urge. There is still some of the old nonsense being passed along to girls that sex is for men only, and that the wifely duty is to submit to the cross of sex. I somehow feel that mothers who are guilty of passing along such distortions to their daughters are women who were frustrated in their own sex lives, and so take advantage of every opportunity to vent their hatred on men.

If you want to prepare yourself for a lasting and happy marriage, take a wholesome view of sex. Keep yourself pure for your life-partner. Remember God will judge the immoral and adulterous person. The Seventh Commandment says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14), a law God has never rescinded. Adulterers shall not inherit the kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9), but they will be judged by God (Hebrews 13:4). Paul admonished Timothy, “Keep yourself pure” (I Timothy 5:22).

The Third Precaution

Do not decide upon marriage as an escape from pressure. A young Christian wife who had been married four years came to me seeking counsel. She was brief in her remarks and to the point. “I believe I made the biggest mistake of my life,” she said as she wept. There was hesitation. Then she continued, “I believe I married the wrong man.” She and the young man she married both were Christians. I had officiated at their lovely wedding four years earlier. She was old enough to be married at 23, and she and Harold seemed to enjoy eleven months of courtship, and now four years to the month from her wedding day she tells me she made a mistake. “Why did you marry Harold?” I asked her. She gave me two reasons why she hastily accepted his proposal. At the office where she was employed dishonesty was a common practice among the firm’s management; the office was always polluted with cigarette smoke; drinking alcoholic beverages was routine; and married men dated single girls. That situation brought on pressure from which she sought an escape.

Now she might have looked for another job, but an unhappy situation at home only added to the pressure. Her father was an alcoholic who abused her mother and her. So in order to escape a difficult home life and undesirable working conditions she jumped at the opportunity when Harold proposed marriage. She felt that she might not have another opportunity to get married. She failed to face the problems and pressures at home and the office as she should have done. She should have come for counsel before she became involved with Harold. Beware of marrying in haste. Marriage is for life!

Taken from http://bible.org/article/marriage-abortion-and-divorce

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT… CHOOSING A MATE?

We know that it is the Lord’s will for people to have a mate if they desire one. In the beginning when God created Adam, God Himself made this statement:

“… It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him” (Genesis 2:18 KJV).

“Now the Lord God said, It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet (suitable, adapted, completing) for him” (Genesis 2:18 Amplified).

The Lord wants to bring a mate to those who will ask Him and have the patience to wait for His choice.

There are some single people who are constantly out looking for a mate, and they are miserable because God has not sent them one yet. They have prayed and prayed, yet they still have no mate. Some settle for Satan’s provision instead of asking God for the patience to wait for the one whom He would send. If they would look to Jesus and seek to please Him, rather than being concerned about a mate, soon they would find the right one crossing their path. Looking for a man or woman to just keep them from being lonely or just to fill their needs or to be a father or mother to their children should not be the only reasons for desiring a mate. They also need to be concerned about what kind of husband or wife they would be for a mate. These single people are still much in the flesh if they just want their own needs met. They should ask the Lord to fill them with His love and peace.

Being single is an important time to prepare us for marriage. It can also be a time to experience a closer communion with God. As we seek God to cleanse us of the world and help us become the kind of wife or husband that would bless someone, we will soon find that we are not lonely. First, the Lord would begin using us to bless others; then we will find we are content in Him. Eventually, in God’s plan and timing, He will bless us with a wonderful mate so that both lives can be a witness for Him. We believe if a marriage cannot glorify the Lord, then it would be better to remain alone. There are worse things than being alone. One of these is to be out of God’s will by compromising and marrying someone who does not feel the same way we do about the Lord.

Marriage is the second major choice we make in our lives, and we should never enter into it without much prayer. To rush into a marriage can be disastrous. The most important decision of our lives, of course, is our decision to follow the Lord. This decision is not a one-time declaration, but a daily determination to follow Jesus above all. If we allow the emotional or soulish realm to dominate our lives we become more susceptible to the enemy leading us astray through someone. This area of the flesh should be brought under the Lord’s subjection so that Satan does not get the advantage and consequently destroy our lives and ministries. So many have failed the Lord because they chose a man or woman over the Lord.

We find this true throughout the Bible, too. Solomon’s heathen wives led him into idolatry. Samson lost his eyes because of a woman, Delilah. David committed murder because of passion for Bathsheba.

Our emotions need to be cleansed as they are not the sign of love. The true definition of love is “God is love.” If God is not in a relationship it is not true love. What this world calls love is really lust since it is built on what the other person does for me, not what I can do for him or her. If the other person fails to keep up his end of the bargain, a divorce occurs because the offended mate is no longer pleased. This is the attitude of the world’s so-called “love.” God’s love loves without receiving back; God’s love is forgiving and patient. God’s love is gentle and kind. God’s love waits. God’s love sacrifices.

1 Corinthians 13 in the Bible gives us a beautiful definition of real love: (In this King James translation the word “charity” means “love.”)

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Man’s emotions are not a reliable gauge upon which to establish a marriage relationship. We must know in the Spirit that it is God’s will. It is much better to marry for character than for emotion. Emotions fluctuate; character doesn’t. Emotions are in the soulish realm, and unless the carnal mind has been renewed, Satan can give us emotions or feelings of love for someone of his choosing. (If he did not have this in his power, he could not split up marriages.) One of his favorite techniques is to suddenly take away the feelings one once had for his mate and give feelings for someone else. When he has successfully convinced a person that he no longer loves his or her mate, then he leads them to divorce, whispering, “You are living a lie.” After he has destroyed that marriage, he then leads one to marry again by stirring their emotions for another. Often after their next marriage something happens that they do not expect. Before too long, friction begins to develop with the new mate, then arguing. Finally, they find the same thing has happened again; they feel no emotion for their new mate and the next divorce is in the making. “Falling” in love is Satan’s way. The very expression of these words should tell us something. A Christian should not blindly “fall” into any trap. Love is bigger than simply falling for someone. Certainly, the Lord gives us a wonderful emotional feeling for the one we are to marry. However, this “feeling” without God’s direction can be disastrous as Satan can tamper with our emotions and feelings too.

Marriage, in a Christian’s life, should be based on a decision directed by the Holy Spirit. A Christian’s love for another is a commitment. Of course, the Lord will supply the emotions for the mate He sends, but that should not be the criterion for making the decision to marry. The Lord should be sought, and whatever He speaks to us we should do. He knows the future and what is best for us. If we trust Him He will not fail us in this or any other important area. Women or men who allow emotions to rule them will never be victorious Christians. Emotions should always follow, never lead.

During Old and New Testament times, fathers and mothers chose the mates for their children. God’s people were very careful to choose those who were “believers.” We find this practice still prevalent in India and other Eastern cultures. The parents, being older and more prudent, made wiser decisions than the children in this area. The divorce rate in India is only about 7%, whereas in the USA, at the present, it is nearing 50%. Marriages that are loveless can be saved and restored simply by asking God to restore the love that was once there. Sexual relationships can also be healed by praying for a desire for one’s mate. Prayer is a mighty weapon. God’s love can mend and heal, providing people are willing to lay down their lives for their mates. His love will not fade, as does the love of the world.

Those who are single and have never been married are cautioned in God’s Word to seek a mate who is a like believer. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).” Many precious people suffer because they are living with unsaved mates. Some did not have Christ when they made their marriage decision, but they have since found the Lord. Those will have God’s grace and love to win their mates for Jesus. The Lord always strives to bring the lost mate to Himself through the partner who knows Him. Mighty miracles of deliverance and salvation have occurred when people have endured suffering in order to bring their mates to the Lord. Those people who have the light, but choose to marry into darkness by yoking themselves to unsaved mates find that their flesh has led them away from God.

The Lord wants to bless marriage unions and see His plans fulfilled in both mates’ lives. What a glorious plan He had from the beginning for both male and female. We can trust Him in this important decision. If we will totally commit to do His will we will never be disappointed in the one He sends into our lives.


Taken from http://www.bible.com/bibleanswers_result.php?id=149

and from the book Neither Male Nor Female by Betty Miller

and Jesus said.

and Jesus said ,’I love you.’
exactly as you are.
Why is it that you cannot see,
I have brought you thus this far.

and Jesus said, ‘forever.’
Close your eyes and see My Face.
When all of this becomes too much.
Find Peace in My Embrace.

and Jesus said, ‘I died for you.’
by Grace, the blind can see.
by Grace, the broken become whole.
by Grace, Eternally.

and Jesus said ,’I love you.’
and Lord, I love You too.
Help me , Precious Savior,
To live my life for You.

A Thousand Tears

How complicated we make Him,
The One who came to Love.
Unconditional,
just you and Him.
The Son of God above.


No strings, no rituals,
just a heart,
open to His voice.
No self to seek,
broken, meek,
longing to Rejoice.


He reaches down to every soul.
Bled for every man.
None above another.
All to say ‘ I can.’


All to taste His Goodness,
All can start again.
All to touch His vestige
God came down for them.


How untouchable we made Him,
for One who came to heal
The lepers and the outcasts
the hurting and the real.


I know He cries a thousand tears,
for all the webs we weave.
My Jesus whispers to the world,
Repent,
Renew,
Believe.


How simple,
and how beautiful.
He will wash us clean.
Fill the heart with Hope anew.
Wonders to be seen.


Simple things,
like honesty.
Sharing with another.
Unity,
and harmony,
holding up a brother.


Yet we had to mess it up,
Salvation, Gods own Plan.
Denominate and Segregate
Sinful, Prideful man.


Forgive us Father.
All fall short.
Bathe us in Your Grace.
Light of Thee,
Shine Bright and Free,
That All can see Your Face.

A Blessed Marriage

A good woman, these days, is hard to find.
She is filled with the Spirit and does not wine.
She respects the man that she has been given.
It’s only by love that she is driven!
How blessed is the man that He’s given her to?
He’s blessed beyond measure and sees it is true.
Because God is the one that has opened his eyes,
Jesus calmed all his fears and answered his cries!
This most blessed of unions that I now speak of,
Is the one that’s created to be centered on love.
The Lord Jesus is love, for Him there’s no measure.
If your marriage bed’s pure He will be your treasure!