Dear Ones,
Hope your day is filled with the closeness of His presence. Al will soon be going to his men’s group and I will have donuts and coffee waiting when he comes home. Today is Bible Study Day here and grandson, Paul, will be coming this afternoon. Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  The best place to be always is in the presence of the Lord. He desires that we live close to Him in intimacy and to let Him lead and direct our lives. But too often we put ourselves first and soon we find ourselves distant from Him. We may get a warning sign as we are tempted to drift away and we need to pay attention as it is easier to turn back quickly than to go down a slippery slope and then deal with the consequences.

  I was reading today of King David who was walking about on his roof and noticed Bethsheba bathing. She was Uriah’s wife and he should have stopped right then and turned from the temptation; but he committed adultery and had her husband killed in war, and took her as his wife. He tried to cover up his sin, which never works, and God took the prophet Nathan to point it out. There were sad consequences as David and Bathsheba’s son died.

  We all face temptations and when we give in to them, it causes distance between us and the Lord. We may try to blame someone else and as we try to justify our behavior but the Lord sees our hearts and knows. Most of us know what particular temptations cause us to weaken and it is best to avoid places of temptation and situations that may cause us to fall. It is helpful to have a friend whom we can share with and ask for prayer when we find ourselves weakening. But if we fall, we need to come clean, to admit our sin and to ask forgiveness. David’s confession in Psalm 51 asks for mercy and to be washed clean, for he realizes his sin is against the Lord. He asks God to create in him a clean heart and right spirit and to restore the joy of His salvation.  God forgave him and also forgives us when we are sorry and turn back to Him and confess our wrongs against Him. It is a gift of grace, for the Holy Spirit convicts us and we are able to repent and be restored in close fellowship with the Lord. Let us not justify our actions when it is sin, but repent with a contrite heart.

  Challenge for today: Read David’s prayer in Psalm 51 and make it your prayer the next time you sin.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy