[CCF-Singles] May you be encouraged...
Wednesday, June 23, 2004 8:54 AM
From:
"Ralph Tupaz"
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To my beloved brothers / sisters in Christ:
Part of my early morning routine has always been to listen to praise songs and sing along with them before I spend my quiet time. I have found that doing this helps to put me in a better frame of mind to read and study God’s word before I head off to face new day that God has given me. However, this morning it was a little different. I had to rush to leave the house because I had to run an early errand and had to avoid rush hour traffic. As such, I didn’t have time for my morning devotional.
They say bad habits are hard to break, but be encouraged because “good habits are even harder to break”. I found this to be true this morning. As fate would have it, I ran into traffic in a company car with no radio to listen to praise songs which I was in the habit of doing. Something in me wanted to sing out and praise God yet without a radio I could not think of what to sing. Then all of a sudden an old song we used to sing in worship came to my mind. The reason I am writing this is in the hope that my reflections as I was singing that song would encourage you as much as it did me. The song’s title is “Hearts Courageous” and here are the lyrics:
Hearts Courageous
Give us ears to hear that still small voice,
give us lips forever willing to rejoice
And may our eyes be lit with wisdom
May we know the path that’s true
And we’ll march with heart’s courageous after You
We’re marching on with heart’s courageous
We’ll follow anywhere You want us to
And should you lead us where the battle rages’
Lord we’ll march with heart’s courageous after you
And when sorrow dims the light along our way,
help us to see each time of darkness through eyes of faith
A time for hope, a time for courage
knowing You will lead us through
and we’ll march with hearts courageous after You
We’re marching on with heart’s courageous
We’ll follow anywhere You want us to
And should you lead us where the battle rages’
Lord we’ll march with heart’s courageous after you
As I was singing the song, it became my morning prayer. I prayed for God to give me ears to always hear Him calling to me to spend time with Him and in his word amidst the hustle and bustle of the day, the noise of traffic, the pressures of work, the distractions of this world. I prayed that by His grace, my lips would always be willing to rejoice in the midst of difficult situations, surrounded by difficult circumstances, persecuted, ridiculed yet still rejoicing because I am redeemed, saved bought by the precious blood of the Lamb and looking forward to the promise of eternity with my Father in heaven.
I prayed for wisdom for me to make the right decisions in all that I would do and how I would act and react to things, situations and people throughout the whole day. For I know that I was called to be a light for this dark world and the way I act would determine whether that light would lead others to Christ or lead them away.
I prayed that God would show me his Will, that I may always follow the true path and not my own misleading, selfish desires that lead to sin. I prayed specially for those of us who were currently in the midst of suffering and trials, that we would see these times of trial and suffering through eyes of faith, faith in the promises of our Heavenly Father.
I prayed that each of us would see these times as a time for hope, a time for courage, a time to exercise our muscles of faith. Faith that He is would never leave us nor forsake us, faith that He would provide for all of my needs according to His glorious riches, faith that even if we feel we are walking in the valleys, He will lead us “THROUGH”.
I prayed for His strength to come alive in me so that even during times when I feel I am inadequate or weak I will still be able to march on with a courageous heart and carry out His will. I prayed that in the midst of the raging battle we wage against the rulers, powers and principalities of this dark and dying world, that we would march on with hearts courageous following Him.
SO, MY BELOVED BROTHER / SISTER IN CHRIST IF RIGHT NOW YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THE MIDST OF A RAGING BATTLE AGAINST SICKNESS, DISCOURAGEMENT, PERSECUTION, IF YOU SHOULD FIND YOURSELF STRUGGLING TO DO HIS WILL BECAUSE OF TEMPTATIONS, FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES, PRESSURES FROM THIS WORLD… TAKE HEART!!! FOR OUR LORD HAS GONE BEFORE US…HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD...FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH…MARCH ON BROTHER!…MARCH ON SISTER!…MARCH ON CHILD OF GOD!...LET US ALL MARCH ON WITH HEARTS COURAGEOUS…FOR EVEN IF THE BATTLE RAGES AROUND US, OUR LORD HAS ALREADY WON THE VICTORY…AND OUR REDEMPTION DRAWS EVER NEARER WITH EACH PASSING DAY!!!
Yours in Christ,
Ralph Tupaz
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