Sharon Sloan, She Speaks Graduate
“I will walk in my house with a blameless heart.” Psalm 101:2b (NIV)
Living a life of godly integrity happens within the walls of our own homes first. That’s really where we are authenticated. For me, what God sees and knows of me in my home and with my family is most important to me, rather than how others perceive me elsewhere. If I am living a life surrendered to Him inside my home and with my family, that life will flow naturally and freely everywhere else. It will be genuine and self-evident.
God sees and meets me when I spend quiet time with Him. God sees me when I love and serve my husband with respect and joy. God sees me when I handle His Word with tenderness and invest it into my children’s hearts. He also sees me when I fail miserably in these areas and fall to my knees for forgiveness as my heart aches with the godly sorrow that leads to repentance and thus brings forth His life. He sees and knows the real me.
If my husband sees and knows that I am seeking God daily and abiding in Him continually, then my heart is at rest and filled with joy knowing he has confidence in me. He knows I desire an authentic life before our God and in our home. My husband’s confidence in me because I love and fear the Lord is priceless. I want the same to be true of me as it is written about the Proverbs 31 woman. “Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.” Proverbs 31:11 (NIV) I want to be that crown on his head and jewel around his neck, and that must happen in our home with deep authenticity. It doesn’t happen in social settings with shallow facades.
A wise woman seeks to have a blameless heart in her home. “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” Proverbs 14:1 (NIV) The destructive hands of pride and selfishness will tear apart the beautiful gifts with which God has entrusted me. I so earnestly and passionately want to be the wise woman building up my home and family.
Walking with a blameless heart is a standard set by God. Blameless does not mean sinless. The NIV study note clarifies that blameless means “spiritual and moral integrity”. Even when we really blow it, our godly integrity, born out of a vibrant relationship with Him, brings us back to a humble heart before the Lord. When we do fail, God and those around us will see our true remorse and desire to be right with Him and with those we have offended.
God does not expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to depend on Him for our godly integrity. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
Gentle Father, You desire me to walk with a blameless heart. You have generously given me all I need for life and godliness. May my life honor you in my home and before my family first, such that Your life spills out to all those around me naturally. Strengthen my heart and hands that they may continually build my house in Your perfect love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Click to learn about Gather and Grow Groups which encourage women in Biblical truths and godly authenticity.
Behind Those Eyes: What’s Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women by Lisa Whittle
God’s Purpose for Every Woman General Editors, Lysa TerKeurst and Rachel Olsen
For more encouragement, listen to today’s Radio Broadcast
Application Steps:
Read Psalm 26.
Pray and ask God to search your heart to see if you are walking with a blameless heart in your home. Ask Him for His strength and passion to do it. If you are not, ask God and your family for forgiveness. Remember He has given you everything you need for life and godliness. Depend on Him.
Reflections:
Are you the same person in your home as you are outside of your home?
Consider how an authentic life before God and your family also has lasting effects on those around you.
Power Verses:
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Psalm 84:11 (NIV)
“Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.” Psalm 26:1 (NIV)
© 2008 by Sharon Sloan. All rights reserved.
“I will walk in my house with a blameless heart.” Psalm 101:2b (NIV)
Living a life of godly integrity happens within the walls of our own homes first. That’s really where we are authenticated. For me, what God sees and knows of me in my home and with my family is most important to me, rather than how others perceive me elsewhere. If I am living a life surrendered to Him inside my home and with my family, that life will flow naturally and freely everywhere else. It will be genuine and self-evident.
God sees and meets me when I spend quiet time with Him. God sees me when I love and serve my husband with respect and joy. God sees me when I handle His Word with tenderness and invest it into my children’s hearts. He also sees me when I fail miserably in these areas and fall to my knees for forgiveness as my heart aches with the godly sorrow that leads to repentance and thus brings forth His life. He sees and knows the real me.
If my husband sees and knows that I am seeking God daily and abiding in Him continually, then my heart is at rest and filled with joy knowing he has confidence in me. He knows I desire an authentic life before our God and in our home. My husband’s confidence in me because I love and fear the Lord is priceless. I want the same to be true of me as it is written about the Proverbs 31 woman. “Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.” Proverbs 31:11 (NIV) I want to be that crown on his head and jewel around his neck, and that must happen in our home with deep authenticity. It doesn’t happen in social settings with shallow facades.
A wise woman seeks to have a blameless heart in her home. “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” Proverbs 14:1 (NIV) The destructive hands of pride and selfishness will tear apart the beautiful gifts with which God has entrusted me. I so earnestly and passionately want to be the wise woman building up my home and family.
Walking with a blameless heart is a standard set by God. Blameless does not mean sinless. The NIV study note clarifies that blameless means “spiritual and moral integrity”. Even when we really blow it, our godly integrity, born out of a vibrant relationship with Him, brings us back to a humble heart before the Lord. When we do fail, God and those around us will see our true remorse and desire to be right with Him and with those we have offended.
God does not expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to depend on Him for our godly integrity. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
Gentle Father, You desire me to walk with a blameless heart. You have generously given me all I need for life and godliness. May my life honor you in my home and before my family first, such that Your life spills out to all those around me naturally. Strengthen my heart and hands that they may continually build my house in Your perfect love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Click to learn about Gather and Grow Groups which encourage women in Biblical truths and godly authenticity.
Behind Those Eyes: What’s Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women by Lisa Whittle
God’s Purpose for Every Woman General Editors, Lysa TerKeurst and Rachel Olsen
For more encouragement, listen to today’s Radio Broadcast
Application Steps:
Read Psalm 26.
Pray and ask God to search your heart to see if you are walking with a blameless heart in your home. Ask Him for His strength and passion to do it. If you are not, ask God and your family for forgiveness. Remember He has given you everything you need for life and godliness. Depend on Him.
Reflections:
Are you the same person in your home as you are outside of your home?
Consider how an authentic life before God and your family also has lasting effects on those around you.
Power Verses:
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Psalm 84:11 (NIV)
“Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.” Psalm 26:1 (NIV)
© 2008 by Sharon Sloan. All rights reserved.
5 Comments:
Thank you so much. This morning I awoke with a grieved Spirit as I recalled the events of yesterday . . . me blowing it with my precious babes- again. It seems that my struggle to have a blameless heart has become more frequent. This Word was precisely what my Spirit was aching for. I pray that I will be reminded of this anytime I find myself being overwhelmed - that He has provided us with all we need & that we just need to rely upon Him to enable us to build our homes up rather than tear them down.
Why is it that we put facades on outside/away from our home/families? This is something I deal with daily. I have never visted this website before today though I have heard about it on the radio numerous times. How powerful our Father is to bring me to it Today to read a devotion that I totally needed to hear(read). I pray that I may reflect on my daughter a Godly heart as my mom does on me and that I may be a Godly wife to my husband as my mom is to my dad. First in my home then in socialization as well. Amen!
Thank you for these words of encouragement. I have been blessed by these verses in the last month. As I wrestled with what God's will has been for my life (to go back into full time employment or continue with my consulting business), I have found that each morning I am given a peace when I sit down and spend time with God. I am not anxious. I am more patient and trusting. I have become more purposeful in my home, with my children and husband. I find that his greatest desire at this point in my life is that I focus on Him and my family. Everything else will fall into place.
My goodness how I needed to hear this today. I daily struggle with what I am called to do and what actually gets done. I daily struggle with perception of others and making our family life authentic. I think I'm probably babbling, but just know this had touched my heart and I will come back to it to help me "get it".
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Praise the Lord, girls! He is faithful! His Word is life!
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