The Tree Church Daily

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (ESV)

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Explanation:

The front of our house faces the east, and every morning we are greeted by the rising sun through our bedroom windows. We no longer have them, but there was a period when we had blackout curtains over the windows, so most of the light was blocked out. It was quite a shock when we would slide the curtains open to let in some light. There was a slight burst of light that stung as our eyes adjusted. These moments of experiencing the brightness of the sun remind me of the glory of God.

In Matthew 17:2, which is commonly referred to as the transfiguration of Jesus, it says that Jesus “was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun.” It’s jolting how bright the sun can be at times, and imagine the radiance that the disciples who were with Jesus during His transfiguration got to experience. Moses too got to have several encounters with the glory of God, which left his face so bright that he had to cover it with a veil so he did not blind everyone around him. Now that is some powerful stuff!

As we look to the reading from today, I want you to use that same imagery and apply it to what is being communicated by the Apostle Paul. The glory that was veiled before is now available to each one of us who turn to Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. As it says in in 2 Corinthians 3:16, the verse that precedes today’s reading, “the veil is removed” and we get to now have that glory in us. The very Spirit of God radiates His glory in us and through us. When we submit to His power at work within us, we are transformed, and get to experience a life full of the freedom and glory that comes with His Spirit.

Application:

1. In what ways does the sun and its radiance remind you of God’s radiance?

2. Why are we a blessed people to now have an “unveiled face” through the Spirit of God?

3. How have you experienced the freedom and glory of God through His Spirit in your life?

4. How do you feel the Spirit of God has transformed you to be more like Christ?

Devo Plus:

Read Matthew 17:1-8. What does this story tell you about the glory of God?

Prayer:

Jesus, help me to submit to Your Spirit, so I too get to experience on a more consistent basis the freedom and glory You have given me. I want to be transformed to be more like You. I want to bring Your glory and light to the world around me.

John 1:9-13 (ESV)

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God.

Explanation:

The book of John reads like a poetic sermon to the Jewish followers of Jesus. John’s writing is reflective of the beginning of the Bible, and serves as a reminder to teachings that had been previously told. The Jewish followers were straying away from Jesus, and this was John’s reminder.

The true light is the presence of God. Jesus gave light to a dark world.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him. God created the universe.

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. The Jewish people were rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. They were not faithful to the commands of God.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. God wants to have a personal relationship with those who believe and put their trust in Him.

Application:

1. Why do you think it was important for John to remind the Jewish followers who Jesus was? When was the last time you needed a reminder of who God is?

2. In the light, we can see clearly. But in the dark, we are blind. How differently does it feel to stand in the light versus the dark?

3. God wants a relationship with you. Today, take a step of obedience to nurture that relationship.

Devo Plus:

Listen to “Come Holy Spirit”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3EsfWucNQw

Prayer:

God, shine Your light on me so that I may never be in darkness. Cover me with Your grace and forgiveness. Remain steadfast in Your pursuit of me, even when I sin against You. God, I believe You are the creator of the universe and the Savior who desires a relationship with me. These truths will forever remain. Amen.

Romans 8:12-17 (MSG)

So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

Explanation:

I have several friends who have gone through the process of adopting a child internationally. Many of these children experienced a tough life before their new family, life in an overcrowded orphanage with not enough love to go around. Although the process was not simple on any account, my friends all share a common story. They gave their child a new life—one full of love and hope and promise for a better future. It’s not much different than what God has done for me. He rescued me from a world full of conditional love and broken promises, and adopted me as His own, giving me more than I could ever imagine.

I chose The Message translation of today’s Scripture because it simplifies Paul’s words and makes his point very straightforward. Put this life to death, and get busy with the new one that God has ordained for you! God has adopted us into His kingdom, and He has amazing things waiting for us. We have a role in this, though; we must allow the Holy Spirit to guide us and truly take off our old selves. When we ask for forgiveness of our sins, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. He doesn’t force us to follow Him, though. We must continually and daily ask for His guidance and strength to do His will. He warns us that it’s not always going to be rainbows and unicorns and lollipops—there will be hard times. But we have the promise that if we stick with Him, we are going to experience an eternal reward!

Application:

1. “Adoption gives us a new identity, experience and destiny.” (Anonymous) Think about each of these words and what knowing Jesus has done to transform your definition of identity, experience, and destiny.

2. How is our adoption into God’s family (the spiritual realm) similar to that of adoption in the physical realm? How is it different?

3. Why do you think it’s important that we experience hard times as we navigate our path here on earth?

Devo Plus:

J.I. Packer was a famous and influential theologian who died last year at 93. He wrote a book in 1973 called “Knowing God,” from which this excerpt is taken:

“The immediate message to our hearts of what we have studied in the present chapter is surely this: Do I, as a Christian, understand myself? Do I know my own real identity? My own real destiny? I am a child of God. God is my Father; heaven is my home; every day is one day nearer. My Savior is my brother; every Christian is my brother too. Say it over and over to yourself first thing in the morning, last thing at night, as you wait for the bus, any time when your mind is free, and ask that you may be enabled to live as one who knows it is all utterly and completely true. For this is the Christian’s secret of—a happy Life?—yes, certainly, but we have something both higher and profounder to say. This is the Christian’s secret of a Christian life, and of a God-honoring life, and these are the aspects of the situation that really matter. May this secret become fully yours, and fully mine.”

Prayer:

Spend some time today thanking God for giving you a new identity in Him. Thank Him for His faithfulness and willingness to take our brokenness and redeem it into something good. Thank Him for being a loving Father who adopted us into His eternal family. Ask Him for the strength to be obedient.

John 14:15-17, 26 (ESV)

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Explanation:

This passage gives me so much comfort. When I read these words, I can feel the heart of a parent loving and caring for their children, wanting to do whatever they can to love them well and to take care of them. Jesus is doing just that. He is having a conversation with His disciples, explaining to them what they have to do (obey the commandments), and letting them know they will not be expected to do all of this on their own. God will give them a helper to dwell inside of them, the Holy Spirit, to continue to teach them and also to help them remember everything Jesus has taught them.

We are so lucky as Christians to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Think about that for a minute! We have the Creator dwelling inside of us every second of every day, always available to speak truth over us, to encourage us, to convict us, to share wisdom, to love us. That is such a gift! As I am writing this, I am feeling convicted on how much I take this gift for granted. How many times do I try to figure something out on my own, or ask a friend for advice instead of asking God for help first? I am also guilty of feeling conviction from the Holy Spirit to do something out of my comfort zone, and choosing not to do it because I am afraid. I know when I disobey in those situations, it usually doesn’t only affect me, but someone else as well. I know when I do obey when God is telling me to do something that makes me uncomfortable, it always increases my faith. I want to be a child of God who obeys their heavenly Father, and who is consistently utilizing the helper that God has graciously given us to get through this crazy life.

Application:

1. When you read this passage, how does it make you feel? Do you feel comforted?

2. Do you find it hard to sit still and be quiet to listen to God? Take some time today and find a quiet spot with no distractions, and sit. Ask God to speak to you; sit and be still for 10-15 minutes.

3. I would encourage you to incorporate quiet time into your routine. I would start with once a week, spend 15 minutes or so just sitting and listening.

Devo Plus:

Listen to this live version of “Holy Spirit” by Cody Carnes and Kari Jobe. Spend some time worshiping God.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPPMSfCdUng

Prayer:

Lord, I am so thankful that You have given us the Holy Spirit to help us. I pray that You help us to have a sensitivity to Your voice, and to be obedient when You are calling us to something that can be difficult or uncomfortable. I pray that You soften our hearts and give us a passion to be more dependent on You. We are so thankful for the way You love us and care for us. Help us to remember that today! Amen.

Galatians 5:19-25 (NKJV)

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Explanation:

We don’t have to look far to see the works of the flesh in this world. Most news outlets or social media platforms bear witness to the dark and depraved behavior we are capable of indulging. Notice in the passage that “works” is plural, yet singular in the sense that not everyone will necessarily engage in every sin on the (incomplete) list. Notice also there is no ranking of behavior least to most sinful. In God’s economy, envy is judged right alongside witchcraft and murder. Those who never repent of such rebellious lifestyles will be judged accordingly.

Contrast that with the glorious display of attributes God bestows upon every believer in Jesus Christ. The “fruit” of the Spirit is singular, yet plural in the sense that when we are saved, we cannot choose which of these virtues we want to keep and which ones we want to leave on the table. When we get one, we get them all, but no one is running 24/7 on all nine cylinders, so to speak. We will spend the rest of our days building, shaping, and sanding the rough edges of these characteristics to glorify God with our lives. This is part of what Paul means in Philippians 2:12 when he says we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Character development happens when we “walk in the Spirit,” in other words, when we obey what God commands instead of what our flesh demands.

Application:

1. How would you explain to someone that thoughts will be judged the same as actions?

2. What does it mean to have our flesh crucified with its passions and desires?

3. Which part of the fruit of the Spirit would your family and friends say you struggle with the most?

4. What is the Holy Spirit’s role in helping all of us develop these Christ-like characteristics?

Devo Plus:

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5, NIV). A short but powerful explanation of why we should diligently build gentleness—and all of the fruit of the Spirit—into our lives.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You saving me and instilling in me the characteristics that reflect Your image. Help me to build these attributes and display them faithfully to everyone. I pray for strength as I obey Your word, and grace where I fall short. Amen!

Romans 8:5-11 (ESV)

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Explanation:

Paul is writing in reference to living life in the Spirit. He explains that there are only two types of people: those who live of the flesh and those who live of the Spirit. Paul then emphasizes the importance of the mind to our faith. Those of the flesh will have their mind on flesh, which is death and hostility. Those whose minds are of the Spirit are full of life, peace, and submission to God and His law. Paul says that if the Spirit of God is not in you, you do not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, you will be given life. Even when our bodies are dead, of the flesh, and sinful, the Spirit of God gives life to mortal bodies and righteousness to the broken.

It is always convicting to be reminded of how important our minds and the Spirit of God are to our faith. Because we have the Spirit of the living God inside us, we should live differently; our minds should be set on righteous things, and we should live in a way of spiritual freedom.

Application:

1. Why is it important to compare those of the flesh and those of the Spirit?

2. Think about your life. Is your mind set on the things of this world or on the things above?

3. What ways can you reset your mind to submit fully to God?

4. What are some practical ways to listen to God in obedience before listening to the world?

Devo Plus:

Read 1 Corinthians 2:14 and Colossians 3:1-3 to get more insight into this passage.

Prayer:

God, we thank You for the many blessings You give us. We thank You for the many ways You have provided for us and given us grace when we don’t deserve it. Allow our minds to be set on the things above, the things that truly matter. Lord, please protect our hearts and our minds to live in freedom, life, and complete obedience to You. Lord, we love You. It’s in Your Name, amen.

Romans 8:1-4 (NLT)

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

Explanation:

If you want POWER in your spiritual life…embrace grace!

At one point in my life, I decided to focus fully on understanding the New Covenant. I instinctively knew I had been missing something.

I was living a “Jesus + Obedience= Right Standing with God” life.

I was consumed with the “trying” and was spiritually listless.

So for a period of time, I only read books, listened to teachings, and read Paul’s words on grace. I wanted desperately to feel what the words of Luke 22:20 were referencing.

Paul explains in Romans 12:1 that we only change by the renewing of our minds. What freedom followed.

My weary mind was changed and the grasp of God's plan finally soaked in.

No more condemnation for sin!

No more control by sin!

No more continuance of sin!

And...

I BELONGED to Jesus!

If a cup slips off the table, the law of gravity will begin to pull it to the ground until I grab it. At that point, my “hand grab” overcomes the law of gravity. This does not mean that the law of gravity has ceased to exist, but it shows a higher law has come into force: my hand.

Do you see the same correlation regarding the Old Covenant (law) and New Covenant (grace)?

You are included in the New Covenant and are reconciled to God by grace alone, apart from anything you do. Jesus purchased you by His death on the cross so that you, for whom He died, received full forgiveness of sins and a beautiful, reconciled spiritual life.

We can get caught up in the fact Jesus lived a sinless life...as though that will empower us to follow. But the effect that focus has is the absolute opposite. It totally condemns us and causes our hearts to wither under the impossibility of it all.

As essential as His sinless life was to the completion of the redemptive plan, it is not His life that saves us; it is His death.

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Application:

1. The expression “in Christ” is one of Paul’s favorites. The Bible is clear that God shut Noah in the ark; Noah did not shut himself into the ark. Complete security. God has clearly put us “in Christ.” Can you feel the emphasis of that, and how life-changing this realization is? Such security to relax and let His Holy Spirit mold us.

2. Feeling safe is a basic need all humans have. More than anything, God wants you to feel safe with Him. You are not playing spiritual lottery. It was a one and done moment when Jesus died, so you would never have to. Exhale and release yourself to rest in the security of God’s love and provision for this life and eternity. He longs for you to enjoy what He has provided.

Devo Plus:

“In God's garden of grace, even broken trees bear fruit.” (Rick Warren)

Prayer:

Jesus...My Redeemer...My Restorer...My Hope...My Salvation…the Potter of my life.

I love You.

At this moment, I bow my heart before Your nail-scarred hands and feet, and surrender:

What I don’t want to be.

What I don’t want to feel.

What I don’t want to have.

What I don’t want to know.

What I don’t want to do.

What I don’t want to remember.

What I don’t want to participate in...

All my “don’t wants” are Yours...covered, forgiven, and redeemed.

Take them and realign my heart with Yours. Flush me out with Your grace, Your gaze, and Your touch. Renew me in You...as I live in You. Amen.

Galatians 5:16-18 (ESV)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Explanation:

Paul has shown us in the previous verses that when we accept Christ into our hearts and into our lives, we are given the Spirit, freeing us to love others. He is now ready to give instruction on how to do that. It’s not our human nature to function outside of our own desires. As humans, our desires can be all over the place. We desire things that bring us joy, pleasure, peace, justice, etc., all of which are based on our own perspectives, which are naturally self-centered. We are led by many things that dictate how we put these desires into action. But Paul explains how freeing it is when you allow the desires of the Spirit to guide your actions instead.

This can feel like a battle in our hearts at times when it doesn’t align with what we want for ourselves. It requires dying to ourselves and our own desires to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us. We are commanded to “love our neighbors” in verse 14, and the only way to do this is to serve them according to the way the Holy Spirit instructs, not by serving the desires of our hearts. The Spirit resides in us to help battle the selfishness we all face every day. We each can live out our calling when we allow the Spirit to lead us in our actions to love others the way Jesus would.

Application:

1. What are some of your own desires that get in the way of how you serve others?

2. Identify the desires you face on a day-to-day basis. It could be as simple as coffee or more complex like companionship. Write them down.

3. Take a moment to ask for the Spirit to move in each one before you act on any of them. Pause to allow God to equip you to love others in your own desires or to change your desires.

Devo Plus:

When we allow the Spirit to lead our desires, the truest fruits are produced. Read Galatians 5:22-23.

Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit. I submit all of myself to Your will. Guide my heart in the ways You want me to go, and give me wisdom and discernment in my own desires. Amen.

1 Corinthians 15:56-57 (ESV)

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Explanation:

In these short verses, Paul explains to the Corinthians that sin is the unwanted “sting” that we experience due to being part of the human race. He also says that it is the law that gives sin its power over us. This was a radical concept because the Jewish people in Corinth believed that God gave them laws to help them counteract their inherent sinful nature. However, the written law was outlining explicit ways people could sin against God, coupled with the already present implicit ways we sin against God. As if we needed any help writing down more ways we could be terrible! However, Paul says these things not to condemn us, but instead to impress upon us just how amazing the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice is. He is encouraging us to rest not in the law, but in His grace. It will never run out, and will ALWAYS be enough to cover our sins completely!

I have always been an excitable person, for better or worse. So, I will admit that Paul’s use of a period to end Verse 57 is confusing to me. If ever there was a time for a triple exclamation point, it is here! Paul said that because of sin in our lives, we will constantly break the law, all day, every day, until we die. HOWEVER, because of Jesus’ sacrifice alone, not only can our lives look different right now, but our eternal destination can be changed. God looks down on us and instead of seeing us as giant balls of sin and awfulness, He sees us as saved brothers and sisters of His First Born Son. Let us murmur this no more - THIS is worth shouting! We should never get used to this truth, and should continually respond, “Thanks be to God!”

In our sin-riddled lives, we have a choice. He is our necessary Guide toward all things good. We may need to constantly keep making the choice to let Him lead, but God doesn’t care how many times we make that decision: He only cares that we do. Sin doesn’t have to be our own period, our end game. Let God’s victory in Christ always be your final sentence. And make sure to end it with an exclamation point!

Application:

1. Think about the ways your life will look different in Heaven, free from the sting of sin and death. What do you spend most of your time thinking about right now? Is this a reflection of sin’s sting in your current life, or of the hope and freedom in your life to come?

2. Think about your prayers. Are they a laundry list of situations or people that you think God needs to “fix”? Or do you rest in His victory, knowing and trusting that His plan is always best, even if it doesn’t make sense?

3. As Pastor Chris said last week, “We can’t not talk about sin.” But what this passage reminds us is that we don’t have to stay where sin tells us to. Thanks be to God!

Devo Plus:

1. Read more about the ways the Resurrection delivers victory over every rule, authority, power, and even death in 1 Corinthians 15: 20-28.

2. Listen to “Forever” by Kari Jobe, and rest assured of the power of Jesus’ resurrection over sin and death in our life forever. Thanks be to God!

Prayer:

Father God, Thanks be to You for all things! Let us never grow tired of this response to all You have done and continue to do for us. Help me acknowledge my sin and about face toward You, knowing that it was never my job to keep Your laws perfectly. That job was for one person only, Your Perfect Son. Thank you for Your beautiful plan fulfilled in Him, and for Your Spirit, which promises to lead and guide us into all truth. Yours is the Victory! Amen.

James 1:13-15 (NLT)

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

Explanation:

My husband is an amazing cookie baker. In fact, he’s so good at it that he started a side hustle a few years ago selling his cookies. They are absolutely amazing… and full of all the good stuff that people trying to lose weight should not have. A few weeks ago, he spent an afternoon baking while I was in my office on conference calls. The amazing smell of cookies baking caused my stomach to growl and my sweet tooth to rage. It’s funny, though - once the baking was complete and the cookies were packaged and ready to be sent off to their destinations, the temptation to sneak into the kitchen between calls and snag a cookie from the cooling tray was gone. He had literally put away that thing that was tempting me.

Think about sin and the things that try to pull you in to your old life before you met Jesus and began following Him. Those desires and temptations come from our flesh—not from God. God cannot tempt us because He is fully good. James reiterates in today’s passage that temptation comes from our own desires. Even after we choose to follow Jesus, we are going to face temptation to go back to our old ways. Temptation is that nagging feeling inside of us that says, “Just do it. You won’t hurt anything if you do it just once. Go for it.” Before we know it, we are pulled back into the sin of our old selves before we knew Jesus. It grows in our hearts and puts us on the fast track to death. We have to be purposed in recognizing the temptation and putting it away.

Let’s go back to those amazing cookies again. If I’m working hard to restrict my sugar intake, it’s probably not a great idea for me to “tour” the kitchen while my husband is baking. I know how good they taste. I know that his cookies—particularly his snickerdoodles—are my weakness. Should I surround myself with trays of freshly baked snickerdoodles if I know that stopping with one is impossible? I have to consciously set them aside and stay out of the kitchen, and recognize that this desire is not what’s best for me. I need to put the desire of my flesh away before it snowballs into something that leads to death.

Application:

1. What’s the “snickerdoodle” in your life that you must purposely set aside?

2. How do small desires compound and lead you to death?

3. What can you do to avoid tempting situations in your life?

Prayer:

Today, let’s pray the words of Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"

Devo Plus:

Listen to “Lord, I Need You” and reflect on the lyrics. Lean on God when your fleshly desires push you to succumb to temptations. Give them all to Jesus and allow Him to guide you through them.

“Lord, I Need You” sung by Matt Maher

Lord, I come, I confess

Bowing here I find my rest

Without You I fall apart

You're the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more

Where grace is found is where You are

And where You are, Lord, I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

Teach my song to rise to You

When temptation comes my way

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You

Jesus, You're my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

You're my one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You