What a beautiful name.

'You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain'. - Exodus 20:7


I did not expect the Word of God to be thrust straight through me, like a sharp sword last night in church.

I don't believe there has been a week in all my life where I've been so careless with my words.

So hasty to speak, without considering the power of words.

I was reading Romans today over coffee, I came to chapter 10 and verse 13,

'For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved'.


There is something about His name.


Something Holy... something Glorious.

How often I use his name for humour's sake.


Today even, I muttered something which had me stop right there on the sidewalk and say...


"God, I can't believe I just said that"... "after last night's message".



It's crazy.



No matter how much I purpose to do something, I end up falling on my face.

I suspect this is the Lord's way of drawing my proud self back to Him.


To remind this kid of how lost she would be without Him.



Ahhh.


A good day.


My eyes have been lifted up... I have been reminded that without Him, I'm nothing.

I can't do life without His help.




and to be honest...





I kinda love Him.



Wouldn't want to live it without Him.



xx

ugh.

It's been a big week.

I'm in a little bit of a mood atm.

I'm sorely grieved by offences.


Careless words spoken, upset caused.


I'm just over it.


I want to take to my tongue with a knife.


A big, sharp knife.


Alternatively, I might stop speaking.



ugh.


Thank God we're saved by grace.



For I am hopeless without Him.

Begin the day with prayer.

I remember when I first came to Christ.

I was 14... full of guilt and shame from my wretchedness.

Back in those days Jesus was my everything.

I remember being so pumped about God, I would tell anyone who would listen to me waffle about how they could know Jesus too.


Funny looking back and thinking about how we used to be.

So much zeal, such limited knowledge about Christ.



But I knew He'd saved me.


That He'd reached down, opened my sinful eyes and said...

"Lizzie, come Home".


To be saved and truly know it is freedom indeed.

I'm up to another chapter in E.M Bounds on Prayer and am being brutally convicted each page that I read.


He touches on men of the faith who spent hours each morning talking to God.


Pleading with Him for souls.

Pleading with Him to purge those from within the camp.



I WANT TO BE LIKE THIS.



But the flesh is weak.


I sat on the tram home from school this evening and as I read this chapter I couldn't help but get teary thinking about the fact we cannot do this without His help.


We can't pray unless He enables us to be prayerful.

We're just so hopeless without His help.


The more He shows me this, the more I'm drawn to my knees to seek His face.



I pray He will reveal more and more to us how sinful we truly are and how much we need to spend time on our faces before Him.



Otherwise what's the point of it all?



Religious service?



God takes no delight in sacrifices.

He just wants us.


That's the 'real thing'.



A real and living relationship with the True and Living God.



That's what I want.

powerless without prayer.

The past couple weeks I haven't been feeling quite right.

Just not myself.

I am at home today, having found out yesterday that I've got an ear and throat infection and need to rest.

I woke up this morning, rolled around a bit and started chatting to God.


A much needed chat.

--------------------------------------------------------


A few months ago I purchased this book:




I've slowly been getting through each biography and recently I'd noticed that a chap named E.M Bounds kept appearing.

He was an author of choice for many of the champions of the faith I'd been reading about.

Bounds wrote about prayer.

This is a book containing his writings:




About a month ago I bought this book for $12.99 from Koorong in Franklin St, Melbourne.

I couldn't get halfway through the Intro without busting out the highlighter and pen to draw and comment on his words.


A truly powerful book.


So I sent that off to a friend in Ireland. Last week I went down to get myself a second copy and am SO excited to continue reading this book.

I've realised how much I try to live my life without the Lord's involvement.

I go about my day without starting it in prayer, without committing the day to Him and asking Him to help me glorify Him by my words and deeds.

To bring the lost into my life and help me share the gospel with them.


Am I surprised that my life appears dull and flat?


(answer: No)

Because I've been trusting in my own abilities to get stuff done and am failing miserably.


I get frustrated and angry and end up getting confused at why nothing seems to work.


I know that when I stop praying, sin is usually involved.


There is something I am unrepentant about so I steer clear of God.

This is not good.


So if you're reading this, please pray God will help me to be a prayerful young lady.


I want to trust Him and lean upon Him to meet my needs.




So glad He is patient with us.



Where would I be without Him?