October 14, 2010

• Devil, I know | Lord, You know (letter 81 on assurance & fighting for joy)

  Devil, I know your deceit
  Alluring me to sit in the best seat
  You want to entice me

  Devil, I know that siren song
  You keep stringing me along
  You want to entangle me

  Devil, I know my passions raging
  Envy and jealousy rather than love engaging
  You want to bind me

  Devil, I know my feeble frame
  It seeks fleeting fame
  You want to deceive me

  Devil, I know you conspire
  Dangling lies, you never tire
  You want to capture me

  Devil, I know your ploy
  God's given me joy
  You want to steal it

  Devil, I know your delight
  God's led me into His light
  You want to darken me

  Devil, I know your plan so earthly
  To take my eyes off the heavenly
  You want to distract me

  Devil, I know my lusts are rising
  This temptation so tantalizing
  You want to ensnare me

  Devil, I know you want to constrain
  My heart from breaking forth in Christ's praise
  You want to silence me

  Lord, You know my disgrace
  I shunned the heavenlies, sought the best place
  You want to hedge me

  Lord, You know my pride
  How I scheme and connive
  You want to break me

  Lord, You know I'm a self-seeker
  O, to learn of Christ, to become meeker
  You want to humble me

  Lord, You know my desires
  Deceitful heart conspires
  You want to purify me

  Lord, You know my vain idolatry
  Seeking, ever seeking my glory
  You want to fill me

  Lord, You know my weakness
  I see so much barrenness
  You want to assure me

  Lord, You know my lusts are rising
  Temptations now are tantalizing
  You want to wash me

  Lord, You know my heart is divided
  O, to be wholly Yours, single-minded
  You want to sanctify me

  Lord, You know my feet are slipping
  My ugly feet have been tripping
  You want to hold me

  Lord, You know my feeble frame
  Draw me back for Your eternal fame
  You want to redeem me

  Lord, You know how I am prone to wander
  Abused by lover after unsatisfying lover
  You want to love me

  Lord, You know my burning heart of harlotry
  O, to be submitted to Your pure Majesty
  You want to refine me

  Lord, You know my vile whoring
  Your gracious wooing I kept ignoring
  You want to embrace me

  Lord, You know my contrite heart
  My fleshly lusts have broken me apart
  You want to renew me

  Lord, You know I am poor and needy
  Savior, come to me now, be speedy
  You want to liberate me

  Lord, where is the praise that flowed so freely
  Not one drop of joy comes forth from this idolatry
  You want to discipline me

  Lord, You know my hands are weak,
  My knees are feeble
  You want to strengthen me

  Lord, You know I despised this birthright, this ambition
  So wondrous, so glorious and oh, so holy,
  Have mercy on me

  Lord, You once opened my lips to sing of Your joy
  O, how I long to be back in your employ
  Will You not rejoice me

  I served my idols, which became a snare to me. (Psalm 106:36, adapted)

  
  For although I knew God, I did not honor You as God or give thanks to You, but I became futile in my thinking, and my foolish heart was darkened. Claiming to be wise, I became a fool, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
  
  O God, do not give me up in the lusts of my heart to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among myself, because I exchanged the truth about You for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! (Romans 1:21-25, adapted)

  
  Therefore You have hedged up my way with thorns,
  and You have built a wall against me,
  so that I cannot find my paths.
  
  I shall pursue my lovers
  but not overtake them,
  and I shall seek them
  but shall not find them.
  Then I will say,
  ‘I will go and return to my first Husband,
  for it was better for me then than now.’

  (Hosea 2:6-7, adapted)

  II Timothy 2:19  But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
  
  20  Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21  Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

  Psalm 86
  1 Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
  for I am poor and needy.
  2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;
  save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
  3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
  for to you do I cry all the day.
  4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
  for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

  Psalm 138
  6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly,
  but the haughty he knows from afar.
  7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
  you preserve my life;
  you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
  and your right hand delivers me.
  8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
  your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
  Do not forsake the work of your hands.

  Psalm 51
  1  Have mercy on me, O God,
  according to your steadfast love;
  according to your abundant mercy
  blot out my transgressions.
  2  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
  and cleanse me from my sin!
  3  For I know my transgressions,
  and my sin is ever before me.
  4  Against you, you only, have I sinned
  and done what is evil in your sight,
  so that you may be justified in your words
  and blameless in your judgment.
  5  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
  and in sin did my mother conceive me.
  6  Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
  and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
  7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
  wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
  8  Let me hear joy and gladness;
  let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
  9  Hide your face from my sins,
  and blot out all my iniquities.
  10  Create in me a clean heart, O God,
  and renew a right spirit within me.
  11  Cast me not away from your presence,
  and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
  12  Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
  and uphold me with a willing spirit.
  13  Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
  and sinners will return to you.
  14  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
  O God of my salvation,
  and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
  15  O Lord, open my lips,
  and my mouth will declare your praise.
  16  For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
  you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
  17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
  a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
  18  Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
  build up the walls of Jerusalem;
  19  then will you delight in right sacrifices,
  in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
  then bulls will be offered on your altar.

  Matthew 5
  3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
  5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
  6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

  ---

  Related posts . . .

  my posts on What Is Success? What Is Making a Difference? (Series Links)

  Are You not not a fountain? (let a drop fall here for me)
  "when man reaches the lowest depths of unbelief" (William Williams' "The Experience Meeting")

  my other letters on assurance & fighting for joy including:

  • the laborer's lamentation and affirmation
  • Letter 1 on assurance and fighting for joy
  • Letter 3 on assurance and fighting for joy (Jesus' desire vs. Satan's desire)
  • Letter 4 on joy (true joy is based on our relationship with God through Jesus Christ)
  • Letter 8 on assurance and fighting for joy (sin, assurance and the joy of our salvation)
  • Letter 25 on assurance and fighting for joy (a strong craving ≠ His joy)
  • Letter 16 on assurance and fighting for joy (our prayers, His wise denials and joy)
  • Letter 20 on assurance and fighting for joy (sunk into the arms of sovereign grace)
  • Why, Lord? (Letter 52 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    
  • dear devil/dear flock of God (day in, day out): Letter 63 on assurance & joy
  • take me to that place of quiet rest (letter 68 on assurance & fighting for joy)
  • You whine and complain (Letter 70 on assurance & fighting for joy)
  • a conversation with Jesus about misplaced joy ("do not rejoice in this" - letter 73 on joy)
  • Do you know the LORD as your portion? | a hymn by John Newton - letter 80 on assurance & joy

  on temptation, Biblical mourning and mortifying sin:
  

  • temptation
  • Ash Wednesday: Do you despise yourself? | Job 42
  • Make war (Herod, blogging, appetites, the glory of God & the Word of God)
  • Dealing with past sins & guilt: God does not despise the broken & contrite heart
  • What is Biblical mourning? (Ash Wednesday)
  • Biblical mourning, assurance and false guilt
  • temptation, backsliding & God's immutability (Bible reading: Hebrews 6:17-18)
  • one woman's (not so secret) addiction
  • Fourth Sunday of Advent: Are you preparing Him room?
  • Sin is determined. Are you? (Judges 1:27-36)
  • Keep me away from the paths of the destroyer that I might behold Your face. (Psalm 17)
  • Joseph and temptation: How he kept from falling
  • Temptations come even when the LORD is with us (Genesis 39 - Joseph)
  • Bible Reading - Matthew 3 & 4: what we should expect after the baptism of the Spirit

  on the devil's deception:

  • escape the vial of deception
  • the devil and God, passion and vision, lies and truth

  on examining ourselves and sanctification:

  • the minister's examination: "Who is my master?"
  • Here I stand & from here I cast (devoted to prayer & the ministry of the Word)
  • (9) Kingdom-Obsessed People don't seek "great things" for themselves
  • why we need a new heart (Bible reading - Matthew 5)
  • Postcards from God in England: the frisking at Heathrow
  • Postcards from God in England: sanctification is gloriously messy!
  • the believer's sanctification and calling an "impossible possibility" (Telecast)
  • multiply (a prayer for revival based on Ezekiel)
  • my notes on Tim Keller's talk on idols @ The Gospel Coalition Conference

  Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  • 2:31 PM
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