“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and as a cloud, your sins: return to me; for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)
“I am he: before me there was no God, neither will there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior.” (Isaiah 43:10b-11) When people hold things against you, God will hold you up. When people put you down, God will lift you up. When people write you off, God will write you in. When people cut you out, God will graft you in. He never quits, His love never fails, and He will never leave you. And this grace, this love He gives: it is overwhelming. Once you’ve touched it, once you’ve tasted it, once you’ve been wrapped in the soft, surrounding blanket of it—you will never be the same. He came for me when I was drowning in my sin and shame, sinking in the mire of the filth I had created. He didn’t condemn me. He didn’t walk away. He didn’t look on me with disdain. He didn’t reject me. He took me in His arms as if I had never done wrong, been wrong, created wrong. But I had. “Can’t you see Jesus, what I did to her? What I said to him? Where I’ve been? What I’ve done? Can’t you see this dirt, this filth all over my heart and soul?” “Child, you’ve come to yourself like the prodigal son You’ve arrested the attention of the holy angels above For there is joy in the presence of the angels of God Over one sinner that repents and yields to My love.” (Luke 15:10) Repentance is not remorse, although great remorse often comes with true repentance. Remorse is Judas throwing the silver coins of his betrayal of Jesus, at the feet of the Jewish elders, knowing that what he did was wrong. Repentance is the prodigal son coming to himself, getting up and leaving the filth of his soiled life to return to his father even if it meant merely being a servant in his house. But what did the father of the prodigal do? “But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight, and am not worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring here the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry: for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:20-24) Repentance is a change of not only your mind, but of your heart and actions. It is a complete turn around. It is a coming to yourself. It is leaving your pride, insecurities, and hiding, to come into the full light and love of God displayed in Christ on the Cross. It is hearing God say Isaiah 44:22 in the depths of your soul, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins: return to me; for I have redeemed you.” To “blot out” means to obliterate from the memory, from under heaven. (Strong’s 4229) Wiped away, gone, obliterated. Anyone who comes, anyone who turns, anyone who asks, anyone who yields in true repentance will have their slate wiped clean, be made new, be redeemed, made whole, and be filled with the breath and heartbeat of heaven. I am not perfect, only He is. I still make mistakes, fall short, make wrong decisions, yield to my will rather than His. But when I mess up He always takes me back as soon as I breathe His name and turn to Him. He loves me like no other, guides me back to the narrow path, pulls me close and won’t let go. He is amazing. He is mine, and I am His and nothing and no one can change that…(Song of Solomon 2:16) Come to yourself. Return to Him. And watch Him run to you with open arms. Written by Anne Marie Hawke January 2021 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com
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"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
HERE AT THE BEGINNING Here at the beginning Here in the quiet presence of You Here I lay my heart down Come, Conquer, Subdue Here at the beginning Teach me what to ask I don't want vain words Or straws at which to grasp Here at the beginning Show me Your truth Wrap me in Your presence Let Your love infuse Here at the beginning May I come to an end May my every heartbeat Collide with Yours, descend Here at the beginning Begin in me anew Until all of me is gone And there is ever and always You... Written by Anne Marie Hawke January 2021 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing please visit my website at hawkewriter.com “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 KJV)
I am an author. I love words. So much can be expressed through words. But all of the words of every author who ever was or ever will be cannot compare to the Word made flesh. Jesus is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) Then in Genesis 1:1-3 we read, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Jesus was that Word. Jesus is 'the light of the world.’ John 8:12, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” God created everything with His Word: the ocean I love so much, the flowers, birds, animals, the sky, trees, beauty of every kind, and He made us in His own image. (Genesis 3) He breathed His breath into us. He breathed Himself into the womb of Mary; His Spirit once more moving upon the waters, and the Word became flesh splitting the darkness from the light, and dwelling among us—so that He could make a way to dwell in us. Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jesus; the Word made flesh, laid down His flesh and died on the Cross so that now the Word is made flesh in us. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) Hear John 1:14 again: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Every time someone truly repents and accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior the Word is made flesh. God puts Christ in you through His Holy Spirit and you are no longer your own. Jesus is written on your heart. And the world, and all its cares, sin and all its residue no longer controls you, because the Word, who is faithful and true, has been engrafted on your heart. Revelation 21:5-7 says this: “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” The first Christmas the Word became flesh. At the Cross Jesus made a way for flesh to become the Word; so intimately entangled in Him that His life becomes ours. “I have been crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) This Christmas let the Word become flesh in you….. Word Made Flesh Word Made Flesh God Draped In Man Author Of Heaven The Great I Am Infinite Wisdom Outrageous Love Ink Of Crimson Came From Above True Story Penned In Blood Ransom Of Heaven Written For Us Flesh Made Word Veil Torn Christ In Us Hearts Reborn Word Eternal Word Evoked Word Eclipsing Word Spoke Word Magnificent Word Divine Word Made Flesh Love Sublime Written by Anne Marie Hawke December 25, 2020 If you would like to subscribe to my blog or if you would like to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawekwriter.com “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:14 NKJV)
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27 NKJV) “And put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24 KJV) “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, manifold mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.” (Colossians 3:12-14 KJV) “Put on,” used in these verses means ‘to be clothed in.’ Our clothing is a covering for our physical bodies. It is protection from the elements, a covering for our vulnerability, provision for our warmth and comfort. In the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, they made coverings for themselves from fig leaves to hide the shame of their nakedness from God. (Genesis 3:7,10) And we have been doing it ever since; clothing ourselves in everything other than what we were truly meant to wear. Covering With the thread of sin I wove my clothes Thinking I was covered; concealed I stitched a shirt of brokenness My true heart never revealed I fashioned pants to cloak my shame Fine linen, no fig leaves for me I created shoes to disguise my walk Covering what was crippled underneath I donned a bonnet of righteousness Made from my many good deeds I wore a necklace of pride so bright It blinded me to my deepest need I made gloves to cloak my hands Too fair to embrace the sun I crafted a coat of heaviness To cover what had grown numb My face left uncovered, yet still veiled The smile, my eyes, my pleasant voice Clothes of falsehood, a well-fitted mask My wardrobe, each piece, my choice While wearing my self-made attire A man appeared and held my gaze He looked nothing at all like me Wearing only a seamless robe of grace As He passed, He spoke softly “I can see beyond the external show. If you are tired of all your pretense, Follow me if you admire my clothes." I stood there for a moment startled Undone, unsettled, feeling lost Then I began to follow Him Not knowing what it would cost The path ahead began to narrow No room but for only us two The underbrush began to tear and rip At the seams of old becoming new We reached the end of the path A glorious warm light began to glow All I stood in, the clothes I’d made Revealing all I did not know A voice began to fill the air, “Those clothes of yours would never do. They were ill-fitting, unremarkable, They speak nothing of what is true.” “Lay down the garments of all that was Let go of the clothes you’ve worn. I’ve made all the clothes you’ll ever need Take My covering and be reborn.” “You were not made to wear deceit Not made to be covered in death Not made to form the clothes you wear Come and behold the scarlet thread.” “You were made to wear a robe of grace Made for clothes that set you free You were made to be clothed in beauty Covered over in nothing but Me.” “Clothed in my loving sacrifice Clothed in my mercy and love Clothed in all of my glory Covered and seated above.” “Now put on this robe I’ve given Now put on the vesture of peace Now you are covered in all I am Now you are clothed in Me…” So what are you wearing? Are you cloaked in grief, unable to see the closet full of lighter clothes? Are you covered in a false identity, wearing only what others have told you to put on? Are you mantled in pleasing people, validating your worth? Are you draped in shame unable to put on grace? Are you embroidered with guilt rather than enveloped in mercy? Jesus wore a crown of thorns that pierced His brow so you could wear the mind of Christ. He wore bruises so you could wear peace. He wore stripes so you could wear healing. He wore His own blood like a garment so you could wear forgiveness like a flood. He wore a veil of sin and darkness so He could remove the veil from your eyes and give you light. He wore nails in His hands and feet so you could wear the precious jewels of His great love. Jesus wore a Cross so you could wear HIs amazing grace. He wore death so you could wear life. He rose in garments of glory so you could be made new. He is now draped in the Father ever making intercession for you. "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ..." Clothe yourself in Him and Him alone. Written by Anne Marie Hawke December 2020 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing please visit my website at hawkewriter.com "Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity." (Joel 2:12-13 NIV)
"But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and therefore you did not desert them." (Nehemiah 9:16-17 NIV) IF.... If I get down on my knees If I lay prostrate on the floor If I surrender everything Will you show Your mercy Lord? If I repent and return to You If I repent for all we've done If I weep till no tears will fall Will You forgive us Most Holy One? If I seek nothing but Your face If I seek nothing but Your will If I seek nothing but to know You Will Your grace cover us still? If we come together If we cry out for our many sins If we sincerely confess our wrong Will You turn our hearts again? We've neglected Your great salvation We've settled for lesser things We've mocked the God who made us Oh the consequence it brings! Have mercy Holy Father Have mercy precious Christ You died to save us from our sins You live to bring us life Wake us up before it's too late Wake us up to all You've done Wake us up to behold Your glory In the face of Jesus Christ Your Son... I don't know about you, but this year with all of the many things that have occurred, and are still occurring, has made me heavy of heart and spirit at times. There's an unrest, and a knowing that things are changing rapidly and I don't believe they are for the better. Yet, despite that, I also have this peace, assurance and hope growing inside me, if that makes sense? Because I know that His plan is perfect, Christ has come and redeemed us, the enemy of our souls has already been defeated, and God will be glorified in the earth, and in the heavens, and in every place...and nothing and no one can stop that. Alleluiah! So perhaps like me, you need to be reminded that "His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 136). "He is for us and not against us," (Romans 8:31). "He loves us with an everlasting love," (Jeremiah 31:3). "He is the answer to our every need," (Philippians 4:19). And He is so willing to rescue, to save, to draw us close and "cover us under the shadow of His wings" (Psalm 91). We need to remember who He is, to learn who He is, to know who He is, and to allow Him to do the work in our hearts that needs to be done. My first prayer now is "Change me." What I need is more and more of Him and less and less of me. What we need is more and more of Him and less and less of us. What the world needs is more and more of Him, and less and less of ourselves. In every situation, in every circumstance, in every place, in every relationship, in every decision, in everything the answer is more and more of Him... Written by Anne Marie Hawke December 2020 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” (Job 3:25)
What if Job had not greatly feared anything but God? What if he had not dealt in the ‘what ifs,’ but instead had dwelled on the ‘I know’s?’ What if every time a thought of something bad happening appeared in his mind, he had refocused on God? We are prone to dwell on things that may never happen, and most likely never will. We are prone to dwell on our fears rather than on our faith. The interesting thing is that both fear and faith require believing. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Fear is the substance of things dreaded, the evidence of things seen through deception. Faith’s focus is on believing God. Fear’s focus is on believing false realities. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.” Fear has torment. Have you ever had any form of fear without torment? Everything that I am afraid of has torment involved: Speaking in front of people—torment. Large spiders—torment. Being rejected—torment. Something bad happening to myself or anyone I love—torment. Failure—torment. Illness—torment. Even things that are good like meeting new people, doing something new, learning a new skill, traveling by yourself, have at the beginning at least some form of torment involved; uneasiness, stress, fear of the unknown etc. The only form of fear I know that involves zero torment is the fear of the Lord. This kind of fear is the kind of fear that inspires awe, reverence, and honor. Listen to these verses on the fear of the Lord: “And to the man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7) “The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened.” (Proverbs 10:27) “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.” (Proverbs 14:27) “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children will have refuge.” (Proverbs 14:26) “Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.” (Psalm 128:4) “Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” (Psalm 33:8) When we fear anything else other than God, we set ourselves up to bring upon ourselves the very thing we fear. Job was a man who was blessed in every way—he had many children, great wealth, abundant livestock, fullness of health and favor with God, yet this verse in Job 3 suggests that he always had an underlying fear of everything being taken away—and it was. He lost his children, his livestock, his wealth, his health, and even had his wife tell him to curse God and die. The thing he greatly feared came upon him. So, I’ll ask my question again: what if Job had not greatly feared anything but God? What if I choose to not fear anything but God? What if you choose to not fear anything but God? I don’t know about you, but I want to find out…this verse in the book of Job has made me take inventory of the things I fear. It’s made me take a good long look at what I am setting myself up for down the road. It explains much of what I have experienced up until now. It makes me want to heed and do II Corinthians 10:5, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…” It makes me want to hear and believe every “Fear not” in the whole of scripture, like Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.” Or Isaiah 43:1b-3a, “Fear not: for I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; neither will the flame kindle upon you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour…” “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me…” If that “thing” is God, let it be so Lord. Come upon me, overtake me, let me fear nothing but You, and You alone. The Thing I Feared The thing I feared has come upon me Overshadowing everything else Your perfect love is now my shelter My awe of You I cannot tell The thing I feared has come upon me Fierceness of an army set forth Removed the other trifling angsts My soul set free for evermore The thing I feared has come upon me When I breathed His Holy Name I released the other fears that bound me Now my life will never be the same The thing I feared has come upon me Mighty, Awesome, Warrior, King Come in, abide, my wondrous refuge Oh the joy Your presence brings! The thing I feared has come upon me The One who loves and never leaves He is all I am meant to fear forever Unto Him I will yield and cleave… Written by Anne Marie Hawke November 2020 To subscribe to my blog or for more information about my writing please visit my website at hawkewriter.com vs. 4 "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." vs. 6 "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:4,6 KJV)
What brought me to God? What led me to repentance; turning away from the darkness and fully walking in His light? What caused me to surrender to Him? It wasn't: Someone telling me to live right. Attending church. Following some set of rules. Condemnation. Guilt. Shame. A book on 10 steps to salvation. Someone's opinion. It was the love, kindness, and relentless pursuit of God. It was me being crushed in the crucible of my own brokenness and sin until the grace of God poured out of my cries for help. It was in loss so deep I thought I would never find my way out. It was in people walking away and in people staying, even when they knew the depths of the darkness I had touched. It was in heartache and healing. It was in a thousand detours, a thousand missed opportunities, a thousand closed doors. It was falling down and failing until I found the end of myself and looked up to see "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Just as God spoke in the beginning of creation and light shined into the expanse of darkness and dispelled it, so God spoke into the depths of my heart, "Let there be Light!" and the filth of my darkened life without Him was dispelled. I saw His face...not the ground where I saw only the dirt of the life I had lived, not those around me pointing fingers, not my mistakes and failures that so condemned me, not the enemy of my soul who kept calling me back into the darkness...but His face. And He didn't turn away. He didn't look down ashamed of me. He didn't look up avoiding my eyes. He looked at me with such love, such compassion, such care. "The light of the knowledge of the glory of God" washed over me and into me like a mighty flood as I beheld His face. I haven't been the same since. His light exposed the depth of my darkness, it pierced through all my clouded thoughts, and illuminated every hiding place I had made. His love brought me to repentance. And true repentance changes you from the inside out. You turn from everything that is not from Him, by Him, and through Him, not because you are condemned but because you are constrained. You have seen His face as God in man coming in the person of Jesus Christ. You have seen His face on the Cross, marred, bloody, bruised, not because of anything He did but because of what you did. You have seen His face forgiving, kind, loving. You have seen His face risen from the dead, alive, and reigning forevermore. You have seen His face every time you are on your knees in prayer, basking in His presence. Once you have truly seen Him your heart longs to see Him more and more. In Psalm 27:8 we read, "When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Revelation 22:4 says, "They shall see His face..." Where is your gaze today? Are you looking at your circumstances? Are you looking at an illness? A loss? Your problems? This chaotic world we are currently living in? This election? Other people? Family issues? Your finances? There are many places we can look, but only one place we can truly see. There Is A Light There is a Light that casts out darkness The confusion that twists There is a Light that envelopes Sweet untamable bliss There is a Light penetrating the secret No place left to hide There is a Light that surrounds New birth for all that's died There is a Light like a beacon Hope of a distant shore There is a Light that cascades Where fear exists no more There is a Light that mends He speaks the word, 'Restore' There is a Light that opens up Where peace reigns forevermore There is a Light that erases Guilt and shame renamed There is a Light that transforms You will never be the same There is a Light darkness can't withstand Unspeakable joyful mirth There is a Light that has a name Jesus: He of matchless worth He is the Light that never fades Eternal everlasting day He is the True Light shining He is the One and Only Way Bend your knees in true repentance Turn from all that darkness has erased Give your heart in full surrender Let the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God be found in Jesus' face... Written by Anne Marie Hawke October 2020 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:10-14 KJV)
Begotten is a word we don't use much today. It means 'fathered by.' And 'only begotten' means 'being the only offspring of its father.' In these verses Jesus is called, 'the only begotten of the Father.' He is the only 'offspring' of God but not in the sense that at one point He did not exist and then was created by the Father. Jesus has always existed eternally with the Father. Verse 10 above states that 'the world was made by him.' He was present in creation. He was present before creation. He has always been and will always be present. He is the only begotten of the Father because He is uniquely God's Son. Jesus says of Himself in John 17:8, "For I have given to them the words which you gave me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from you, and they have believed that you did send me." (NKJV) Jesus was not created, He originated with the Father, He came out from God, and as such He is the only begotten Son. When Jesus came and was born of the Virgin Mary by the Spirit of God, He was fully God and fully man, the only begotten of the Father; and because of this He could redeem us, set us free from our sin, and make a way for us to become the sons and daughters of God through His death, burial, and resurrection. As Paul opens his epistle to the Romans he says this of Jesus, "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:..." Jesus, a non-created being, Jesus as God the Son, came and took on human flesh. We are created by God and must be born again of the Spirit. Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, when we accept His atoning death as our own, we are 'born of God.' We are born again of the Spirit. In John 3:3 Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Do you see the beauty of it? If you are His, if you are a true believer in Christ you have been born again by His Spirit. This means that we do not have to follow the dictates of our flesh anymore. Listen to 1 John 5:8, "We know that whosover is born of God sins not; but he that is begotten of God keeps himself, and that wicked one touches him not." Jesus was begotten of the Father, and when we are born again we are begotten of God. His Spirit fills us, His love fills us, His life fills us and by faith we can stand against the flesh, sin, the enemy, in power and in victory through what Jesus did. This is the beauty of a relationship with God in Christ and it's something that no other religion or philosophy or "energy" or "light" can give you. It takes me out of the way, and is fully dependent on Him. He is God. And I'm not. He through His Spirit keeps me as I yield to Him and all that He is. We, who are His, are now the sons and daughters of God and our heart is to please Him and to glorify Him, not because we fear judgment or some punishment, but because the love of Christ constrains us to. Only Begotten Before all that was Holy, Righteous Sent from above Lived and died As one of us To redeem, to save To show His love I bend my knee I bow my heart That I may end And He may start Not my own Purchased with blood That I may be A daughter of God I can't earn it It's all His grace Forgiven, free Face to face Jesus, Savior Of matchless worth In You only I have second birth Incorruptible seed Alive in me You gave all To set me free Have you given your life to the Only Begotten Son of God? Have you been born again? If you have been born again, are you living like it? We live in a world today where anything goes, where God has been marginalized or silenced, where we do whatever seems right in our own eyes, but we who believe are to be in the world but not of it. Our lives, who we are on a daily basis should make us different. When people get around us they should sense that there is something about us that is not 'normal.' We are now born from above, and our minds need to be renewed to that truth, and our lives should speak that truth, and our hearts should cleave to Jesus and trust Him in everything....He is enough. Written by Anne Marie Hawke October 2020 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com “Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105 NIV)
“The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130 NIV) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it will eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21 KJV) God created the earth and the heavens with His word. An author crafts words into destinations we can go to in our minds. A journalist uses words to give us the facts of world events. We use words spoken and unspoken to relay our hearts, our emotions, our very selves with others. “…For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) Our words flow with the tides of our heart. At times my heart has been a tumultuous sea and my words followed suit, bringing waves of hurt, pain, and the endless sand of distrust and distance. At times my heart has been a quiet bay, a place of refuge for the weary, encouragement to the dry and thirsty soul. We all have known the damage of words, and we have all known the healing of words. Our words are powerful. I think the sweetest words I have ever heard are the words that brought me home; "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2) "Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness." "The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy." (Psalm 145:8) And Colossians 1:13-22; "Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son; in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell; and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometimes alienated in your mind by wicked works, yet now has He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight:..." His is the sweetest voice I have ever heard, and the only one that truly matters. So if you are listening to other voices: the voice of doubt, the voice of fear, the voice of insecurity, the voice of depression, the voice of accusation, the voice of self-loathing, the voice of guilt and shame, the voice of confusion, the voice of destruction, the voice of unforgiveness...I encourage you to silence them with the truth of what God says about you, your situation, your circumstances, your life and anything and everything that has to do with you. Let Him have the final say. The Fairest Flower I looked across a barren field As far as my eyes could see Nothing living only death Depiction of the depths of me “Get up, walk the barren way,” A voice spoke from behind As I stepped upon the ground Words like water filled my mind “No good, less than, not enough, Abandoned, rejected, alone Despicable, worthless, unwanted.” Seeds that had been sown Each one had been planted Each one had taken root I claimed this barren field Where nothing yielded fruit Each step was torturous Each step I yearned for reprieve Words and thoughts like weapons Struck against my deepest need Halfway through the field Something began to shift Everywhere my feet had stepped Vanished: Ceased to exist In its place the fairest flower White, fragile, and soft “These, child, are the petals, Of all that has been lost.” “Take them in your hand now, Then take another step ahead, And you will see that I bring Life where there was only death.” I picked the precious petals Turning, made another stride There at my feet blooming The hope I thought had died Other words began to form As I looked upon the ground “Beloved, accepted, dearly loved, Once lost but now found.” “I have made you, Knew you before you were born, The words that others planted, Those seeds will grow no more.” “Hear the words that I say, Hear and you will live, No weapon formed will prosper, As you have received, freely give…” Written by Anne Marie Hawke September 2020 To find out more about my writing or to subscribe to my blog, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com “For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.” (Psalm 36:9 AMP)
I love water. I always have. If there was a stream, pond, river, or a puddle around when I was a kid, I was in it, and it's pretty much the same way now as an adult! I adore the ocean; hearing it, seeing it, swimming in it, sitting on the shore watching it…it reminds me of the vastness of God, it reminds me of His power, it reminds me of His oceanic love for me. That God depicts Himself through water touches the deepest part of my heart, ‘for with Him is the fountain of life.’ A fountain in Bible times was “a natural source of living water. These fountains, bright sparkling ‘eyes’ of the desert, are remarkable for their abundance and their beauty, especially on the west of Jordan. All of the perennial rivers and streams of the country are supplied from fountains and depend comparatively little on surface water.” (BibleStudyTools.com) Today when we think about a fountain, we think of a water fountain to get a drink on a hot day, or we think of a man-made fountain in a park or our back yard, but when David says, ‘with thee is the fountain of life,’ he means it in the context of what he was familiar with, and therefore was saying that God is the never ending, pure, inexhaustible, beautiful life-giving fountain. He is the fountain that will never run dry. He is the fountain that washes away all the stain and residue that sin and brokenness cause. He is the fountain that floods a dry, thirsty soul with the life-giving water of His grace and mercy. He is the fountain. And yet so often we find ourselves making our own structures to hold water in; water that has been borrowed and is not nearly so pure. Listen to Jeremiah 2:13; “For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water.” A cistern is a ‘tank,’ then made of stone, now made of concrete, that holds water for all of your household needs. We had a cistern when I was married and lived in Kentucky; it was a concrete ‘tank’ in the ground. To fill it, my husband had a large plastic container that fit in the bed of his truck, and we would have to go to town, fill it up at the ‘filling station,’ then return home and empty the container into the cistern. The water in that cistern supplied all of the water to the trailer we lived in then. (Oh my...a truck, and a trailer in Kentucky!) If that cistern had gotten a crack in it, eventually we would not have any water, and no matter how much we filled the cistern up, it would keep running dry. It was not an ideal way to get water. Likewise, anything we try and fill our lives with that is not flowing from the life-giving fountain of God will eventually leave us dry, parched, thirsty beyond words. In Psalm 63:1 we read, “O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my whole being longs for You, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” I know what it is to be without Him, to thirst and not be able to find any water, when all the while He is right there, the Fountain of Life, waiting for us to come take a drink, to get in the flow, to yield instead of yearn. But in the midst of my desert when I couldn’t see the Fountain, when I kept trying to make other ways and things to hold water in, He just kept coming for me, He just kept loving me, He just kept cleaning me off no matter how dirty I became---that’s what grace is, that’s what mercy is, that’s what love is—it’s what grace does, it’s what mercy does, it’s what love does…it just keeps coming, just keeps pouring, just keeps loving until one day you finally get it: He knew me before I was born, He knew everything I would do, He knew every place I would hide, He knew every pain I would cause myself and others, and yet He still loved me, He pursued me into my darkness and He rescued me from myself, my sin, the enemy, from it all. He destroyed my useless, broken cistern of a heart and gave me a brand new one. He drenched me in the fountain of His love. I didn’t deserve it, I don’t deserve it, but He loves me, He forgives me, He accepts me, and I finally got it. I finally saw me, saw my sin, saw my shame, saw all I wasn’t, saw all I had done…and then I saw Him, saw His righteousness, saw all He is, saw His overwhelming love for me, and even as I write this I still can’t comprehend it fully; how He knew it all, how He knew me and the mess I would make, and yet He still came for me. Jesus speaking to the woman at the well, of Himself, in John 4:10 said, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that said to you, ‘Give me to drink;’ you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water.” In verse 13 He goes on to say, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again: but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst; but the water that I will give him will be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” Jesus is the gift of God, and He is the fountain of life for all who receive Him. God can be trusted to do what He does best—bring life out of death, fountains out of dry ground, light out of darkness, joy out of mourning, and hope out of despair… It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done—He still loves you, He is still pursuing you, He accepts you…don’t you think it’s time to take a life-giving drink from the Fountain that never runs dry? Thirst It exists in every one of us A deep unending burning need To drink something that satisfies To quench our thirst unseen Maybe you’ve tried to drink love Thinking it would stop your ache Only to find there is no one Who can your thirst ever slake Maybe you’ve tried to drink wealth Riches will surely be the cure Once you’ve climbed the mountain You find yourself deeply insecure Maybe you’ve tried to drink pleasure You’ve touched, tasted, and seen You’ve had every high there is Now more empty than you’ve ever been There is a drink that satisfies A fountain of life which never runs dry There is a river of living water Once you drink you will wonder why Why did I reach for anything else? Why did I drink of so much death? Why did I hurt myself and others By drinking poison disguised as breath? Run to the eternal spring Let Him flow over every part Let Him fill you with His presence Let Him restore your broken heart…. Written by Anne Marie Hawke September 2020 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing please visit my website at hawkewriter.com |
qUIET IN CHAOSQuiet in Chaos is a blog about nothing, everything, and all things inbetween…it’s a space, an ellipsis, a deep pause. Life can be chaotic, and often needs more moments of quiet…So join me as I share and give through the written word, the place I find my Quiet in Chaos… Archives
February 2022
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