July 25, 2023 -- Isaiah 43:22 -- Fighting the flesh in order to renew our first love

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
but you have been weary of me, O Israel!”
Isaiah 43:22 ESV

One of the men I correspond with regularly has been reading “The Enemy Within”. I made a commitment to read this work as well. I have been finding it an inspiration. Very convicting. The book is written by Kris Lundgaard. His goal is to update John Owen’s book “The Mortification of Sin”.

Lundgaard writes:
   The greatest destroyer of first-love is the neglect of private communion
   with God...Two lovers who never speak to each other are not lovers.
   A husband who avoids his wife, who reads the paper when she wants
   to talk to him, who takes up hunting or reading to busy himself so that
   he won't have to commune with her, simply doesn't love her. Period.
      The person who calls himself a Christian, who says he loves God,
   yet does not seek his company and delight in it, can't be a true lover
   of God. His own flesh has deceived him. If he doesn't daily give his
   heart to God and receive God's heart in return, if he doesn't daily 
   renew his hatred of his own sin and his delight in God's mercy, he
   has no relationship to God. page 118

Interesting that in today's passage the LORD Who, at the opening of this chapter, declared His love for His people and explained His saving work for twenty one verses, now refers to His people as "Jacob", which means deceiver. Beloved, how has your heart deceived you? Are you daily recommitting yourself to the LORD Who formed you, Who redeemed you, Who has called you by name?

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. It is easy to speak that phrase in prayer as a throw-away line. Just some opening that need to make so that we can get through today's prayers. But it is by the blood of Jesus Christ that we are reconciled to You. It is His work which allows us to call You Father. It is the Spirit of God Who breaks down every stubborn wall of resistance in our hearts so that we can hear Your call of love and know You as God our Savior. Spirit of the Living God renew in us a holy hunger for a deeper walk with God the Father. Spirit of Power, help us to fight our flesh, our wandering minds and our rebellious attitude so that we will call on the LORD, our Father, and this through the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. Amen.

https://youtu.be/nGlPk7Vzy2M "The Lord's Prayer" Susan Boyle

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