Echoes From Zion

So, today I was reading Joshua 7. It's the one that talks about Achan and how he was killed for lying, stealing, etc. etc. His sin cost him his life and cost Israel a victory in battle. Yeah...it's not one of my favorite passages of scripture! It's one that makes me cringe when I read it. No warm fuzzies. Ready for MORE honesty?! I have reason not to like this passage. I've seen it used within the church as proof to judge and punish someone who has sinned. In fact, I've personally been on the 'receiving' end of that position. It's no fun. Yep. Not one of my favorite passages of scripture. ALL the more reason for me to read it and to ask God his opinion on the passage. It can be really easy to skip over difficult passages of scripture. It can be easy to just skim them and not ponder them at all. But it is still God's word. I want to know why he said what he said. Soooo, I took it to the Lord in all my glorious honesty this morning. I walked rig

This morning, I came across Psalm 11:4-5 - the eyelids of the Lord test the sons of men...He tests the righteous. I love the imagery here. I was drawn to think of Hebrews 12:6 which says the Lord disciplines His kids! The ones he loves. Then, I thought of Deut. 8:16 which says God humbled and tested the children of Israel 'for their good in the end.' It is good to be tested by God. I took some time to ask God about this in my journaling. Beyond the fact that God sees all, what does it mean to be 'tested by His eyes?' Here are some things He spoke to me: My eyes are the window to my Spirit, child. You are created in my image and your eyes reveal much about the clarity of your spirit. Eyes are the window to the soul, to the inner working of a man. So with you, it is with me. My eyes reveal my nature. Look at them and you will see kindness, love, fiery jealousy for your good. I am protector and father and this is seen in my gaze upon your life. I watch diligently over my

I've been doing my Psalm 17:3 challenge for a while now - a year to be exact - and I am still learning how to guard my tongue. The Lord showed me a picture in prayer the other night that dealt with this 'unruly member.' I asked Him, 'what areas still need consecration in my life?' I suddenly saw a picture of a huge tongue lying on an altar, pierced through with a sword, still flopping and fighting for life. Ouch! I had to laugh at the truth of what God was showing me. This little member of my body sure doesn't want to go out without a fight! So, here I am at the end of 2011, still learning to bless, to praise, to be silent at times...still learning to follow the Great Example of blessed speech. I will continue to challenge myself in Psalm 17:3. I'm not gonna give up this challenge. However, I will be changing the name of this blog to Echoes From Zion. You can read the tab above for more information on why that name means a lot to me. So,from now on, my cha