Understanding the depth of love and the forgiveness of God leads us into fear of God. Not fear in the sense of being afraid of Him, but awe, reverence, and the deepest respect! However, coming to understand the depth of His love comes only by spending time with Him, thirsting after Him on a daily basis, never allowing our thirst to be quenched!

"If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." (Psalm 130:3-4)

Who are we that we deserve such a love? We say we have a "fear" of God, yet we live in disobedience. How many of us have heard that "small still voice" gently guiding us in a particular situation yet we ignored it to do the very thing that our own logic dictated. This goes on in the life of most believers because we have not learned the "art" of fearing God for Who He is through our acts of total submission and obedience.

The fear of God will produce obedience in our lives, obedience to His Word, obedience to the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit . . . obedience.

Do you fear the Lord? Then obey His word, diligently seek His face, and become everything He has intended you to be.

Father, I love you more than anything else in this world. Forgive me, Lord for the times that I have not been obedient to do the things you ask, to go where you lead, and to follow the leading of that small, still voice. I need your help to become an obedient vessel that the fear of God will rule in my heart at all times. Father, You alone are holy, righteous, majestic, marvelous, wonderful, awesome, and so much more. To honor you with my obedience and utmost respect and reverence is my desire for You are so worthy, Lord, You are worthy. Amen.

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)

© Jan Ross
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The news headlines continue to remind us of the desperation of mankind.

Earthquakes. Extreme weather. Unleashed wickedness. Unemployment. Rising prices. Government failures. Political battles. Poverty. Starvation. Homelessness. The list could go on to fill pages. However…

God is in control. We serve a God who is "governor among the nations." No matter how things look in the natural, God is in control. He and He alone.

There is no power in heaven or on earth that can match the power of God. No principality or power can usurp His might and His sovereignty over all. There is no reason to fear … our God is THE "governor among the nations." He and He alone.

"For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations." (Psalm 22:28)

Regardless what we face—natural disaster, disease, financial crises, family problems, loss of income, abandonment, rejection, pain, emotional turmoil, persecution, or whatever else may be going on in your life, our God is the "governor among the nations" and He is in control. He and He alone.

Do you live in fear? Are you afraid of the future? Do you see evil in the days ahead growing worse and worse? There is no one and there is nothing out of God's governing power. Rest in the fact that the end of history is already written and the Kingdom of God prevails because the King Himself has won the victory.

Let the peace of God reign in your heart—the peace that passes all human understanding. There is nothing God cannot do; He is the "governor among the nations" and there is nothing too difficult for Him. God is in control…He and He alone!

O Sovereign Lord, help me to put my trust in Your governorship over all that concerns me. Remind me moment by moment that there is nothing too difficult for You; that You are Lord, the "governor among the nations." You and You alone! Help me to find peace in knowing You are in control. Because of Jesus and in His name I pray, amen and amen.

© Jan Ross
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The mercy of God is one attribute that everyone finds easy to live with. If we're honest with ourselves, we often think, "God is merciful, He'll understand" when trying to ease our conscience as we face difficult decisions. Even those that have not made Jesus Lord of their lives count on God's mercy thinking that He is too "good" to allow them to be eternally separated from Him even though they never made a commitment to Him.

The fear of God, however, is another story. Our relationship with the Lord is nothing to be taken lightly. It is a serious duty we are called to time and time again throughout scripture. To fear Him is to honor Him, to reverence Him, to count Him worthy of our undivided love and adoration. We must be filled with truth and sincerity, godly conversation, true worship, not in show only or in meaningless empty words, but in everything we are, everything we say, and everything we do.

"Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you." (1 Samuel 12:24)

We cannot afford to present ourselves as being divided; as the world looks on they need to see single-mindedness, direction, integrity, love, devotion—all attributes that will point them to the Source of our entire being.

Let the world see that we are bound to Him in service because of all the wonderful things He's done for us. We could never hope to repay him through our works, but we are compelled to work for Him because of our love and gratitude.

Fear Him in truth with all your heart.

Father, help me never take for granted Your mercy which You have extended to me through your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me never forget Your benefits. Put a guard over my mouth, Lord, that nothing be said that would rob You of the glory and reverence due Your name. Be with me today, Lord, and help me fear You with every word, act, and deed, with every fiber of my being. All honor and glory is yours oh Lord, because of Who You are, my God and my King. Amen.

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

[Note: Please check updates on Heart of God Haiti by clicking HERE.]

Godliness . . . what is it? Reverence, respect, piety toward God.

Contentment . . . what is it? Sufficiency of the necessities of life.

The Apostle Paul makes a statement that needs to be heard and heeded by all Christians. "But godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6)

Godliness in itself is great gain and is profitable in all things. And, wherever there is Godliness, there is contentment. This type of contentment is worth all the wealth of the world. To have the world's riches may bring temporary contentment, but that soon erodes away as there is no foundation for life in earthly riches. When the riches are gone, or when they begin to place too many demands on us, we soon lose our contentment only to seek it from other sources.

Godliness is a Christian's gain, the true way to gain. A Godly man or woman has learned, just like Paul, to be content in whatever state they find themselves because they are content with God and don't rely on anything else to bring them peace and satisfaction in life. They are content with what God Himself purposes and provides for them, knowing well that He knows what is best for them in all situations and under all circumstances.

We need to pursue godliness; we need to find contentment. Take the time today to examine your heart. Are you seeking a better physical lifestyle, or are you seeking Godliness? Are you praying for "things" and more of them? Or, are you content in the place where God has you right now? These are tough questions, but they need an answer . . . now.

Father, help me to seek after Godliness with my whole heart and to find the place of contentment for whatever state I am in. Help me remember that the path to true Godliness is reverence, respect and piety toward You. Lord, teach me to pray for the right things in my quest for true contentment, and when I find contentment, help me guard it as the true treasure it is, amen.

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:11-13)

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

The thing we desire the most—to please our Heavenly Father, to live a life which stands out as being contrary to the ways of the world. Just as the moon has no light in and of itself, we cannot truly "shine" without reflecting the glory of the Lord in all we say and do. We have no ability to shine on our own; we only reflect the light of the Sun.

"Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:3)

The blind man was not responsible for his situation because of any sin in his life. His parents were not held accountable, nor his grandparents, etc. He was blind so the Father could be glorified in his life.

Ask yourself a question: Why am I the way I am? The answer is simple: So the Lord might be glorified through our lives. God, the Creator, in His omniscience, knew exactly what you needed to be in order to complete His plans for all of creation.

The next time you look in the mirror, be sure to understand that God made you to be who you are. Praise Him because you are "fearfully and wonderfully made" in the likeness of His image so He might be glorified in you.

Father, my desire is that You would be glorified in my life, that I would become content in who You made me so I could fulfill Your purposes in my life. Lord, help me to appreciate my uniqueness and to use every one of my shortcomings to bring glory to You in some way. Thank you, Lord, for making me special, after Your image, for Your glory! Amen!

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Please Check the Updates on HG-Haiti's Website – Read About Yesterday's Miracles and Praise God with Us!

Many people have the fear that if they ever revealed to someone what they were really like, that person would reject them. There are many people who go through life thinking there is no way anyone could ever know them intimately and still love them. However, God knows us, better than we know ourselves! And, He loves us more than we could ever imagine!

"O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me." (Psalm 139:1)

God is omniscient. He is all knowing. He knows all things about everything, and He knows them perfectly. He knows what we need before we pray. He knows and understands our suffering. He never misunderstands us or anything. We stand naked and open before Him. There is nothing He doesn't know.

Because He is omniscient, we have to remember that His ways are better than our ways. We need to learn to trust Him and be obedient to Him because He knows where each path will ultimately take us. Because of His omniscience, He knows what is best for us. All that is required of us is total trust and obedience.

Take a few moments today and consider the things that you have hidden away hoping that you won't have to deal with them ever again. God already knows they are there and He wants you to know that it's okay; you don't have to hide them away in the secret recesses of your heart. He has already made a way for you to deal with them.

If it is sin, it's under the blood.

If it is shame, He's already dealt with it.

If you're hiding shortcomings, He knows all about them.

He made you and perfectly formed in His image, fearfully and wonderfully made, by His hands and for His glory.

Are you hiding FROM Him or are you hidden IN Him? Search your heart today.

Father, it is so hard sometimes for me to comprehend the love you have for me. It's hard for me to understand how you could love me after everything I've done. I stand before you right now and ask you to forgive me for limiting your power in my life by not acknowledging Your omniscience. Forgive me for hiding from You and help me to live a life hidden IN You. Father, help me to "comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:18-19) Amen and Amen!

© Jan Ross
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HAITI UPDATE: We hope to update the blog this morning. However, urgent prayer is needed as Dicksent is going to try to cross the border into the Dominican Republic to make a connection to purchase food, water and blankets and carry them back to Canape Vert. Please pray for divine protection, for favor at the border, an...d that he'll make the connection as arranged. Pray that provision will reach the people quickly.

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Draw nigh to God, put our trust in the Lord that we may declare His works.

God's divine order would have it that we first and foremost cultivate our relationship with Him, for without it there is no foundation for trust and there is no passion for the testimony of His works. It is a good thing for man to carefully pursue and secure a relationship with God, above all things. As God draws near to us, we must run to meet Him, thus drawing near to Him. It is not only our duty; it should be our desire to have an ongoing and ongrowing relationship with Him.

The next step, however, is putting our trust in the Lord. By putting our trust in the Lord, we proclaim that we will never seek after other gods, we will never prostitute our faith by allowing generic gods to infiltrate our spiritual life. Whom do we serve? Whom do we trust? Whom do we acknowledge in all things? The King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Lord God Almighty. Trust Him with all that is within you and your heart will remain steadfast, never wavering, never seeking after false gods.

Though the mountains crumble and fall into the sea. Though the earth shake from its foundations. Though the sun fail to shine. A steadfast heart will never waver but be assured our God reigns.

Finally, when we have drawn near to Him and placed our trust and faith in Him, a bold declaration of His wondrous works becomes second nature to us. It becomes easy to speak of His goodness and His mercy when we personally have a firm grip on Him, even when life's circumstances dictate otherwise. A heart drawn near will never lose its focus but will continue to declare the works of God, His unfailing mercies, and His faithfulness to us all.

Next time you feel the urge to testify of God's goodness, go ahead. Boldly witness. Be confident that God will use your testimony to produce fruit in the life (lives) of those with whom you are sharing. Don't hesitate. God is glorified when we declare His works with the boldness that comes from drawing near and putting our trust in Him.

"But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works." (Psalm 73:28)

Father, I find that many times I'm distracted and don't take the time to draw near to You as I should. Forgive me, Lord, and help me to change my ways. Help me to build my faith and trust in You so that I can boldly declare Your works to all I come in contact with. Father, I truly want to praise Your name through my words, my deeds, my life . . . that You alone would be glorified! Amen and Amen!

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

The Psalmist was praying: "Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).

What do you do with your time? Have you ever stopped to think about how much time you waste doing "nothing"?

Imagine there is a bank that puts in your account $86,400 every morning. If you don't spend it all by that night, the bank will take it away from you. What would you do? You would spend every single penny of that $86,400. Every one of us has a bank account like that, it's called "time." Every morning we are given 86,400 seconds. Every night the balance that we did not spend or invest wisely is written off as a loss. There is no going back, and you can't borrow against tomorrow. Each of us has to live on today's deposit. Most important is that we invest it to get the most out of health, life, service, and ministry.

Since we are at the beginning of a new year, wouldn't it be wise for us to take account of how we spend our time?

Are we using our time so that we might ultimately "grow in wisdom?"

Are we using our time to do service to the Kingdom of God?

Are we using our time to grow in faith, to increase our knowledge of Him, and to minister God's grace to all we come in contact with each day?

Do we take the time to dedicate each day totally to Him for His use?

Today is the day to examine our lifestyles and our motives. Are we wisely using the gift of "time" that God has given us, or are we wasting it looking for pleasure that will only last for a moment? If we find that we're falling short in wise investments, now is the time to make a quality decision to change, and with God's help, your time will become a precious gift you can present to the Lord as part of your "reasonable service" to Him.

Father, when I look at my days, I find that there is so much time wasted doing things that have no real meaning, that produce no ministry, that are just discarded. Forgive me for wasting such a precious gift as "time." Lord, help me to redeem my wasted time by showing me ways to use my time more wisely, to be a productive Christian, to exhibit a servant's heart in all I do. Lord, I long to live a life pleasing to You—in all I say, in all I do, in every aspect of my life. Thank you, Lord, for showing me how important time is to You, amen.

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

What do we think of when we see prayer answered? If we're like most, our attention is immediately drawn to the answer of our prayer and giving God the glory is not our first priority. Unfortunately, if we don't see answered prayer, praise is often far from our lips, or secondary at the very best. This verse implies something quite different we need to carefully consider:

"Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me." (Psalm 66:20)

The Psalmist is quick to recognize that his prayers have been heard and God's mercy has been provided. But, knowing all that, his first matter of business is to give praise and glory to God; the emphasis is not on answered prayer, but on giving God the glory due His name.

Praise is first, regardless of the outcome of the prayer. Praise should be continually on our lips, long before we see the answer to our prayers.

Praise should be a way of life. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, said, "...for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." (Phil. 4:11) Paul wasn't concerned about his life's situations and circumstances. He understood the Psalmist's statement in today's verse: "Blessed be God...." He first praised God, the number one priority in his life.

Begin to praise God today for Who He is, for what He has done, and for what He is doing. If He has answered specific prayers for you, be sure to acknowledge it, but praise Him first and foremost.

Don't allow your praise to be conditional, but make it a priority in your life, today and every day.

Father, I praise You. I bless Your Name for Your Name is above every name that is in heaven or on the earth. Your glory can be seen in all Your works; there is none like You in all the earth. Father, I thank you for answered prayer and for your unconditional mercy, but first, and foremost, Lord, I give you praise. Be glorified, Lord, be glorified, amen!

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Our God is sufficient in all things; His name is above all names. His name is a strong tower for us where we can find rest when we're weary, and take sanctuary when we are being pursued.

Kay Arthur wrote a short story which gives us a glimpse of what the name of the Lord truly means to us:

"The muffled, distant sound had broken the quiet reverie of his walk across the meadow. The sharp barking of a dog almost irritated him. It was abrasive in that tranquil setting. As the barking grew louder, his eyes scanned the meadow, looking for the culprit. Suddenly a small doe broke through the edge of the woods. Now he understood. Leaning against the fence post, the man watched with compassion as the doe cut across the broad expanse of meadow. She was running straight toward him. He stood motionless, not wanting to add the fear of man to the animal's frustration. As the frightened fawn leaped the fence, she staggered. The chase had taken its toll. Her wet coat gleaming in the sun, the doe stopped, took a few steps in one direction, then, ears held high, looked back toward the sound of the barking. The dog had broken through the woods. Eyes wide with fright, confused, worn out, panting wildly, the doe surveyed her surroundings, quickly discovering the man standing beside the fence. Glancing back for an instant at the dog in hot pursuit, then viewing the expanse of open field before her, she turned weakly and wobbled straight toward the man. She approached him without fear and buried her head in his tummy. Compassion flooded his heart and filled his eyes. She had found a protector." (1)

The doe found a "strong tower" and she ran into it and was safe! This is a beautiful picture of today's verse: the name of the Lord is our strong tower, waiting until we are finished expending our own energy to finally seek out a refuge, a sanctuary. And, casting aside our fears, we run to Him and bury ourselves in the Lord! We then find ourselves engulfed in the reality of His covenants and promises, a strong tower, impenetrable, impregnable, and immovable.

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10)

Where do you find your refuge? Who or what is your tower of strength? Finally, where do you run in time of trouble? The righteous dwell in God and God in; they believe He is their tower of strength and they find refuge in Him.

Get to know your God. Know the strength in the name of the Lord. Learn of His attributes, His all-encompassing power, His never-ending love, His overwhelming compassion.

Father, I need to know you more; I need to know the strength in Your name in a greater way. Father, I long to be like the deer and find refuge in You. I recognize my need for You more each day. Please, Lord, meet me at the point of my need to know You more than ever before! Amen!

© Jan Ross
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(1) From "Lord I Want To Know You" by Kay Arthur, 1992, published by Multnomah Books