"Key Ingredients" -2

"And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart." (Psalms 104:15)
Yes, it is true, God's word is what strengthens our hearts. Do we really want the truth? Maybe not like we think that we want it; we want to know that it's all going to be okay, so in that regard, that's the truth that we seek after. But I believe that God would have us explore the truth with an open heart; letting every layer of doubt be removed, and letting God's great mercy continually override every single fault in our lives. Are we called to be holy? Absolutely! God calls us unto Himself, therefore it is required of us to be so. The question is more about being holy; to which the answer is layered between effort and failure; repeatedly, on each and every side. It's not that hard to understand if you continually remember that God's mercy is more than enough. I heard a message the other day, it was from Pastor Matt. He was speaking about how Israel only ever occupied 10% of the promised land, and then he related that to how many of God's promises that we ever claim for ourselves. We would be pretty well of if we actually claimed 10% of them, and then lived by that. I know that I have shared this before, but Abraham continually doubted God would provide him the child, and that God would make him a father of more children than the stars of the sky, or the sand of the seashore. It was not until God's agreement with Abraham, the covenant that God alone signed. It was at that time which God had spoken to Abraham about how his seed would be a stranger in a land not theirs, and that they would serve in that land four hundred years; and that He would deliver them out of that land, bringing them out with great substance, (Genesis 15:13-16). It was then that God's promise became real and personal; so much so, that Abraham had made a spot in his heart for those children and all that they would be going through. It was no longer a matter of if, it was now a matter of when. That is how it needs to be with us. God's word is His Word! Each and every promise is there for us to claim and to hold onto; make them real and personal...
""Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors. Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes out from the mouth of the LORD."" (Deuteronomy 8:1-3) NLT