steadfast.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal." Isaiah 26:3-4

so.I've really been meditating on the word "Steadfast". It's been really getting to me. mostly about how, not only is God steadfast in His love for us, but we need to be more and more steadfast in our love for Him as well.
We can define steadfast as this:

stead·fast also sted·fast
adj.
1. Fixed or unchanging; steady.
2. Firmly loyal or constant; unswerving.

check out these verses about steadfastness:

2 Chronicles 27:6
Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God.

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 57:7
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.

Psalm 108:1
My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.

Psalm 111:7-8
The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.

Psalm 112:6-8
Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

Psalm 119:4-6
You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

Isaiah 26:3-4
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

1 Peter 5:9-11
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Steadfast love does not waver, it does not shake. it is solid. it is firm, unshakeable. it is unquenchable, untamable, undeniable. it is strong. it is steady. it reaches for you. it longs for you. it died for you. it protects, guides, leads, fights for you. it brings you joy, and it holds you in grief. it doesnt diminish with the difficulty of the days, it does not back off if you cop an attitude. steadfastness of heart comes with the challenges that the world faces and that we face in the world. the steadfastness of the Lord will never falter or shake. we can have all the riches in the world or be a leper on the gates of the city ,and the Lord is still faithful. always steadfast. yearns, cries out for us to come to Him alone in the throne of Grace.

Ive been struggling lately with the state of the church. After a particulartly beautiful church service today, i got on facebook only to see a ton of just sickening stuff and distracted hearts. When will we rise up, awaken, see the glory of the Lord? to know his LOVE? he has been speaking to me about that lately. HE really has been speaking Love over me.
its beautiful.

anyways. thats my thoughts. any takes?

ive been inspired. i havent had a blog since i was in high school, but lately all ive heard is BLOG this, BLOG that, either from magazines, friends.... so, ive been inspired to start again, not to mention that sometimes i just really REALLY want to write something, not just in my journal though.

in this, i will probably do a "Challenge" at the end of some entries that i do, just to get you thinking. i wont be cheesy and do a "devotional" thing like id do to a youth group.

today i wrote a long letter. i havent done that in a long, LONG time. especially if its a letter for someone else. but its a new thing now i think. it was a 5 page long letter, written to a very special leader in my life. she is just a beautiful spirited person, and i just really felt the Lord wanted to encourage her. she has led hundreds of thousands of people to Christ, witnessed miracles, prayed with thousands, loves people like you wouldn't believe, and somehow, the Lord has let her be in my life. i just really felt like the Lord was saying, "yes, she has an anointing, she is married to a wonderful husband, and has witnessed me work in so many ways, but she gives her all and that never gets appreciated by some people, especially who she pours out herself to". so i wrote her a letter of appreciation. sometimes we all just need a nice long letter. its not intended to flatter. its intended to strengthen. give confidence to them. let them know that someone notices how much they give. i found a joy, a new appreciation, for both her and for letter writing. the fact that i was writing more in one hour than i ever thought possible, made me smile. to get everything out on paper. now, i will probably edit it, but i like it for now. i felt the Lord speaking through me directly to her heart. we all need encouragement, from the homeless man on the street all the way to the President. we all need to feel appreciated, to feel like we hold value to another, to feel we have someone rooting for us. we can see millions of people healed, saved, receive breakthrough, but if we can't have someone rooting for us, we will not be able to go on strong. we will go discouraged. it sounds SO cliche, and completely overused. but its something that we need to do, especially at the end of the age.

When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, ...(Acts 14:21-28)

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Heb. 10:19-25

challenge: i challenge you to write one letter to someone today, just tell them that you love them, tell them that they rock your world. if you do that regularly, do it to someone you wouldn't otherwise do it to. that very well may save their life.