Group 6 – Section 5

…It is the Lord who is God—not other people (Psa. 46:10) . I turn my soul away from agreeing with them to hold back from God. It is right, safe, and good to stand before God and keep my spiritual eyes on Him; “…why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?” (1 Cor. 10:29). (pause to let yourself feel confidence and be reassured because you are trusting that God’s presence is here!)

…I can receive Your presence, Lord: “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house, and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” (Psa. 36:7-9).

…By faith, I draw near to God, and the God who draws near to me is the commander of all the armies of Heaven. Heart, it is Heaven that rules (Dan. 4:26); and, “…I know that the Lord is great…our Lord is above all the gods” (Psa. 135:5); “You are my God…I exalt you” (Psa. 118:28 NIV).

…I can drink because of joyfully trusting I am ear to the gushing radiance around You, Lord, “the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God…on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man…and there was a radiance around Him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance…” (Ezek. 1:1 and 26-27).

…Heart, “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.” (1 Chron 16:11); “…we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (Eph. 3:12).

…Rejoice that “…God…gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!” (Psa. 68:35); “…justice for man comes from the Lord.” (Prov. 29:26); and, “…You are my strong refuge.” (Psa. 71:7).

…Even if “Many are saying of my soul, there is no deliverance for him in God…You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head” (Psa. 3:2,3).

…My confidence about receiving the kingdom and standing before God is not prevented by people who…

…try to intimidate me with their power.

…make it seem that it is somehow wrong for me to oppose their being in control.

…use disapproval to try and control me.

…protect themselves by making me feel I shouldn’t go outside their religious boundaries.

…try to twist the truth and say that evil is good.

…make it seem that criticism is the right thing to do.

…act like they believe their glory is greater than God’s.

…glory in their being right and my being wrong.

…Heart, it is the Lord who is God—not other people (Psa. 46:10) . I turn my soul away from agreeing with them to hold back from God. Standing before God and keeping my spiritual eyes on Him is right, safe, and good; “…why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?” (1 Cor. 10:29). God is my God, and pleasing Him is my intention.

…I am directing my heart into faith that I can “…draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:22). When I enter by faith that the holy place is coming to me here, the Holy Spirit comes and washes me clean; “…washed…in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11).

…Heart, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” (Psa. 118:8); “…O my God, in You I trust…” (Psa. 25:1,2); Lord, “You are my God…I exalt you.” (Psa. 118:28 NIV).

… “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!’“ (Psa. 91:2); and, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.” (Psa. 56:3); “…You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head” (Psa. 3:3).

…My confidence, security, and significance are from standing before the Lord with my physical body here, even when others around me don’t understand. Heart, God “…will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zeph.. 3:17 NIV); and whether I feel that or not, I will direct my heart toward God by saying, “Praise the Lord, O my soul!” (Psa. 146:1); “My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord…” (Psa. 145:21).

…My “…confidence…is…through Christ before God…competence comes from God” (2 Cor. 3:4,5 NIV). “…David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered…But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Sam. 30:6).

…My confidence about receiving the kingdom and standing before God is not prevented by people who…

…remind me of sin that God has forgiven and washed clean.

… don’t think God is enough to wash them clean.

…laugh about their sarcasm and mockery.

…make me feel I should try to be as impressive as they are.

…strongly justify their sin.

…justify their disbelief and love their arrogant pride.

…threaten and try to intimidate me.

…mock my trust in God to shut me down and try protect themselves.

…glory in the weaknesses of others.

…try to keep the truth from being known.

…I turn away from fearing the “gods” of other people—their reasons for confidence and security are no match for the nearness of God as my refuge, glory, and strength. And, I praise You for that Lord, not myself.

Heart, the Lord is God—not other people; “…why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?” (1 Cor. 10:29). (let yourself feel confident from the closeness of God’s great power and glory!)

…I don’t have to wait to trust that God will come to me because “…the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge…” (Psa. 73:28); “…You are my Lord; I have no good besides You” (Psa. 16:2).

…I cut off and turn away from the influence of other people that keeps me from faith that lets Heaven come down upon and around me here. Heart, “…their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God…” (Rom. 3:3).

…Heart, even when “…I have heard the slander of many…they took counsel together against me…But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, ‘You are my God.’“ (Psa. 31:13,14); “…O Lord God, You are my confidence…” (Psa. 71:5); and, “…I know that the Lord is great, And that our Lord is above all the gods.” (Psa. 135:5).

…I cut off and turn away from the influence of others that wants to keep me from believing the Word of God and receiving the kingdom of Heaven with gratitude (Heb. 12:22-24, 28). When I humble myself from earthly sources for reassurance and protection I can make God my refuge and “…My soul clings to You…” (Psa. 63:8). By this, “I have become a marvel to many; for You are my strong refuge.” (Psa. 71:7).

… Heart, God’s Word says to me, “The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26). So, I rest into receiving the radiant shine of God’s presence onto me here (Matt. 11:28-30; Gal. 3:14). Lord, “You are my God…I exalt you” (Psa. 118:28 NIV).

…I repent of agreeing with the disbelief of other people I care about. I set my heart to submit into believing that God does not hold back His presence from me. Lord, I believe Your Word when it says, I am to enter with full assurance of faith and that when I do, God comes and washes my heart and my body clean (Heb. 10:22-24). Heart, when it says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (James 4:8), I am to draw near to God by trusting Him to draw near to me so He can come and cleanse my hands and purify my heart (James 4:8).

…Rather than align with the disbelief of others around me, I am directing my dependencies away from the glory idols of the world so I can more easily believe the Word of God with the faith of a child (John 5:44; 1 Sam. 7:3). Heart, I can “enter” by receiving the “Holy Place” around me here so that God can clean my conscience and wash my physical body here (Heb. 10:22-24; Ps. 24:3-4). I am entering before the Lord by receiving God’s kingdom around me so I can drink from Him like a child and make God and His kingdom my refuge (Mark 10:15; Ps. 36:7-9; Isa. 57:13; Matt. 19:16).