Pure Heart

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Published: Friday, 29 April 2016 06:49

Written by Bethany Looyenga

You have purified your souls by obeying the truth in order to show sincere mutual love. So love one another sincerely from a pure heart.

1Peter 1:22

It is because of Christ Jesus that love exists in hearts today. He is the truth. He is the One that cleanses our hearts. The humanity in me does not see love for others, but only feels compelled to strive from my own drivenness and live my own way. Yet, He beakons me, and you to surrender. He calls us to Him, to truth and purity of souls, so that our love for others will be from His perspective. It is not our way. It's not always easy. It brings sincere truth, hope, loyalty, love, integrity, unfailing faith into our lives. It is Him.

He loves you with an unfailing love. He is the God of hope in your life. He will always be by your side. His integrity towards you is like none other and His faith towards you is unending. He creates in you purity.

Today I am praying for more of His truth, an abundance of His love, and a continual pure heart.

Make your Day Lovely

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Published: Friday, 22 April 2016 07:36

Written by Bethany Looyenga

Finally, brothers and sisters, whaterver is true, whatever is worthy, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent orall  praiseworthy, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

There is so much beauty around you. Each day is a treasure, a lovely gift to hold as a treasure of truth in your heart. Treasure is something you have to dig for, and the gift of seeing all that is lovely and true must be dug for. If you find yourself surrounded by ugly, in the midst of lies, caged in by hopelessness, then seeing whatever is lovely, pure, and true is not so easy.

The Lover of your soul treasures who you are. You are the lovely to Him, and He is the lovely, pure and all that is true to anyone that seeks Him. He is the One that can bring you out of every ugly place and show you how to use it for something lovely, He is the One that can reveal the truth to you, open your heart to hope, and wrap you in His purity. He is praiseworthy all the time, and worthy of all your respect.

Glow

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Published: Friday, 15 April 2016 08:13

Written by Bethany Looyenga

God, I love living with you; your house glows with your glory. Psalms 26:8

There is a peace in the glory of God, His warmth is constant within you. His house is your heart. He is the glow that shines throughout everything you do. He is the restoration in your life, the renewal that builds within you, and the revival that brings your fire. He is the founder of who you are, the bricks that build you and the glue that sticks you together. When the enemy comes and it fills as if your foundation may be cracking, He is the One that is holding you up, the One that never leaves your side. He is the One that shines the light on the dark and stormy nights.  He is the One that whispers "Im right here."  His steady promises glow in the dark, and dance in the sunlight. His laughter jumps through the air and celebrates with you at every turn, His tears wash you when the night is deep with sorrow. 

Always, He glows. Always, He sees through you and finds a way to turn sadness into joy, and He glows. He calls you to Himself because He loves you so very much. 

Restored, Renewed, Revived

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Published: Thursday, 07 April 2016 11:08

Written by Bethany Looyenga

Restored, Renewed, Revived

I prayed for God to restore my brokenness, and He called me to minister to the broken hearted. As I prayed over their hearts and watched Him restore their pain, He restored my broken, invisible soul. 

I prayed for God to renew my mind and soul, so that I would see with eyes anew. He sent me out into the mission of recovery to listen to the stories of others that longed for renewal. He kept me up on long winter nights to pray and to weep for a fresh word from Him. His Spirit poured over me in ways I had not ever seen or felt, and continually I watched others renewed, rebuilt, redone, refurbished, and refined.

"Jesus!" I cried, "renew my heart!" And, His whisper would come so very gentle. "You are daily renewed each time you touch another. My light shines through you. I am always renewing you."

I prayed for Him to revive me. Something wild and crazy with love for others. He sent me hardship in relationships. I wanted to isolate at home and cry to Him. "Revive me!!" He challenged every part of me to go places I hadn't gone before, each time with me praying "Revive me." Then, I looked over at the seat beside me and there He was, simply sitting there. A huge smile on His face. "What?" I thought. "You are Revived, my dear!" He said,  "now go and revive others."