Cry of My Heart

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It is the cry of my heart to follow you.
It is the cry of my heart to be close to you.
It is the cry of my heart to follow all of the days of my life.

Teach me Your holy ways, oh Lord
So I can walk in Your truth.
Teach me Your holy ways, oh Lord
And make me wholly devoted to You.

Open my eyes so I can see
The wonderful things that You do.
Open my heart up more and more
And make it wholly devoted to You.

It is the cry of my heart to follow you.
It is the cry of my heart to be close to you.
It is the cry of my heart to follow all of the days of my life.
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AJ Needs Prayer

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Anthony Johnson, a 54 yr old black male, thinks he's the resurrected Son of God. He says you can feel scar tissue in both his wrists and he claims to have scars on top of both feet. He also says he doesn't have footprints but rather, his feet have written scripture on them. Supposedly if you were to take a footprint in plaster of paris and enlarge it you could read the text from his footprint. If he were to urinate on a sheet of paper, instead of saturating the paper it would simply look like written text. God, himself, has told Anthony that he is Jesus. He says he has accurately predicted the recent tornado's and many other natural disasters. He regularly communicates with God, but more noteworthy is the fact that God regularly communicates back; not through urges and hunches, not through written Scriptures, but through a clear voice heard only by Anthony. While walking, if God has a specific mission he wants accomplished he will simply turn the right or left leg (whichever way leads to toward the specific need) and Anthony will know to turn that way.

When I pointed him to Matthew 24:5 Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ', and will mislead many, he said, 'that's why I haven't told anyone until now, because I don't want to mislead anyone.'

The catchpoint is this, though, Anthony will readily admit to being a sinner. When asked how he could confess his depravity while claiming divinity he was without response.

Please pray, with me, for Anthony Johnson (an inmate at New Castle Correctional Facility).

Also, pray for Terry Ashcraft.
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Selfish

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I was talking to a close friend of mine last night and after the conversation, as I was reflecting on it, I realized I was extremely selfish. As the conversation began he was telling me about what had been happening in his life/work/study/family and I slipped into the 'uh-huh, uh-huh, yeah, uh-huh' mode as I impatiently waited for him to quit droning so I could tell him about me, my work, my study, my family. Me! My life is much more exciting than his, just ask me. I really couldn't believe how selfish I was. I honestly didn't think I was, but now I guess it's obvious!
Sorry Sam!
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Words & Thoughts

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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
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Is It Genuine?

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I just came upon this article about a revival in Lakeland, Fla. What do you think? Is it a genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Is it sensationalism? Is it nothing more than smoke and mirrors?
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Sin vs Grace

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I was totally overwhelmed this morning by the exceeding sinfulness of myself. Somehow I couldn't seem to get past it. I was totally connected with what Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:15 ...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. I simply couldn't shake the sense of personal depravity. I am a sinner. Above all other sinners. Or, as Oswald Chambers once said, I know that no criminal is worse in action that I have already been in thought. I am simply undone, I know that in me dwells no good thing.

And then I opened and read 1 Timothy 1:15 in context. Notice this...

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into the ministry even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent agressor. (read that last phrase again, even though...) Yet i was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a true statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

Then I realized that everything I was seeing and feeling about myself was absolutely true. It wasn't necessarily an unhealthy sense of self-worth, but possibly, probably a sense of genuine self-awareness. However, the grace of our Lord was (is) more than abundant and it extends mercy to me in my depravity so that He can show His patience, His love, His glory to anyone else who might believe. Then I remembered this hymn from yesteryear...

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
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I Couldn't Have Said Better

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Oh for a heart to love my God,
A heart from sin set free,
A heart that always feels the blood
So freely shed for me!

A heart resing'd, submissive, meek,
My dear Redeemer's throne;
Where only Christ is heard to speak,
Where Jesus reigns alone.

A lowly and believing heart,
Abhorring self and sin;
A constant heart, which nought can part
From Christ, who dwells within.

A child-like heart, that cries for food,
And pines for Divine love;
An upright heart, by grace renew'd;
A copy, Lord, of thine.

-Charles Wesley
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