Encouraging Words

Yesterday as I sought encouragement from God's Word this is what I found:

Psalm 43:2-4 "You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight."

Psalm 27:1-5 "The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling."

Fear and doubt creep into my mind little by little, it seems, and then suddenly I find myself in this "pit". Then I tend to feel so guilty that I have let those things take hold that it just compounds that feeling of failure and I feel so unworthy. As I read these Psalms yesterday, the realization hit me that even David, and the sons of Korah, had to seek the Lord for encouragement. They didn't write the Psalms when things were going great in their lives. They encountered times of troubles and heavy hearts just as we do today. Not that I didn't know that before - it just spoke to me in a different way as I read it this time!

Casting Crowns has a new song, Slow Fade, that I have been hearing on the radio and it has really spoken to me as well. These lyrics warn that things don't happen "in a day" that it's a slow fade. What a warning to heed! Those thoughts that slowly come in and take hold can lead to a "slow fade" if I am not standing on God's Word. Here's the chorus to that song:

"It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
And thoughts invade, choices are made,
a price will be paid when you give yourself away, people never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, It's a slow fade."