When your spirit leads, healing follows: Unlocking Divine Benefits in Psalm 103

Psalm 103 stands as one of the most profound meditations on God's character in scripture, and this episode unpacks its riches layer by layer. Together we'll explore David's command to his own soul to "bless the Lord" – a revolutionary approach to worship that acknowledges our need to intentionally direct our inner world toward praise rather than waiting for feelings to lead us.

At the heart of this psalm lies a divine ordering of our being: spirit, soul, and body. When reversed, we experience spiritual fatigue, emotional turmoil, and physical strain. But when properly aligned – spirit led by the Holy Spirit, soul submitting to spirit, and body following the soul – we unlock the "benefits" David describes: forgiveness that removes sin "as far as east from west," healing that addresses soul wounds before they manifest physically, redemption that transforms our pain into purpose, and restoration that crowns us with loving kindness.

The episode delves into the stark contrast between human love (fleeting like flowers in a field) and God's love (eternal as the heavens). While human affection often wounds and abandons, God's love heals and restores. This divine love isn't just personal – it flows generationally to "children's children" who keep His covenant.

Through personal testimony and scriptural insight, we examine how proper spiritual alignment allows us to face trials with divine perspective. Rather than fighting spiritual battles with emotional weapons, we learn to command our souls to praise even in difficult seasons. The God who "executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed" becomes our advocate, defender, and vindicator.

Take time to reflect on your own spiritual alignment as we read the entire psalm and close with a transformative prayer addressing your spirit, soul, and body. What wounds from human love still need divine healing? How might God be calling you to command your soul toward praise today?

Transcript

Introduction to Psalm 103

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 0:04

Hello, welcome to Destined for Greatness Ministries. I'm Marie and I'm destined for greatness. Today I want to discuss Psalms 103, one of my favorite Psalms. I really, really love the Psalms because it basically covers so many different aspects of God his goodness, his mercy and, just like the glory of God. It reminds us of his goodness as a provider, a merciful and loving God, but also reminds us that he is a just God. So in this Psalms we see that David begins with an exhortation essentially right Because he's blessing the Lord that serves as our invitation to basically to praise God, to praise Jehovah, to praise Yahweh, you know, with all our soul and all that is within us, and to not forget the benefits of God. What follows is a stunning catalog of divine mercies right Forgiveness of sins, healing of diseases, redemption from destruction and renewal of youth like the eagles. These aren't just abstract theological concepts, but deeply personal experiences of divine care that David had encountered firsthand. You know, we're able to praise God, but through prayer and praise, praising him. Um, there are a lot of benefits that we reap, um, you know, from praising God, not to say that it's by works, but just saying this is how, um this Psalms, it basically is telling us to praise God because of what he has done for us, not because if we praise him we'll get these things right.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 2:11

So we see that the Psalms most powerful imagery comes in its depiction of God's extravagant forgiveness. We see that as far as the East is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. And, unlike north and south, which eventually meet, east and west never converge a beautiful metaphor for the complete separation between us and our failings in god's economy of grace. And that's very, that's very profound, if you think about it, that East and West never converge. And so for David to actually say as far as the East is from the West, that is very profound. He didn't compare it to North and South, although there is a comparison of God's love for us. There is a comparison of God's love for us, you know, as high as you know the North is from the South. So, so high is God's love for us. But the fact that he compares God's removal of sin from us as far as the East is from the West, and I can say as a testimony, it's, it's just, it's, it's. It's interesting and pretty, uh, funny to me because, um, I actually am originally from the East coast and I just relocated to the West coast. We'll see how far God removes my sins. For me, I mean, I know that God has already already removed my sins.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 3:43

It's just, um, you know, individuals try to keep to basically anchor you in your past. They try to anchor you in things that you know, mistakes that you have made and even things that you haven't done. They try to add to your story. So you know, it's pretty interesting, but I digress.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 4:06

So perhaps the most comforting here is the acknowledgement of our human frailty. And so he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust and in a culture that often demands superhuman performance and perfection and you know, I am somewhat of a perfectionist, not because I want things to be, I don't know, it's just I'm very like, particular about certain things, and so sometimes that becomes crippling, because before you do something, you want to make sure that, okay, it's the best, you're putting your best foot forward, right, and so God doesn't require that from us, right? He doesn't require us to be perfect because he's perfect, right, and so he's our righteousness. So, because he's perfect, we're perfect. So there is profound relief in worshiping a God who fully understands our limitations and essentially loves us completely within them.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 5:12

And so join us today in this, basically reflection on the Psalms, psalm 103, particularly with personal gratitude, psalm 103, particularly with personal gratitude and basically, let's basically dissect this psalm section by section to look at exactly what God is saying through David right, because this is a psalm by David through David, and how this could possibly pertain to us in our daily walk with God, you know, as Christians, as believers. And so let's get into it. So the first section of the Psalm opens up with bless the Lord, oh, my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Now, this isn't just like poetic, it's actually personal, it's a command from the deepest part of David's being. He's not speaking to the crowd, he's not speaking to himself, he's speaking to his soul, the seat of his mind, will and emotions.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 6:28

Right, we are spirit, soul and body, and hopefully we should have um, it should be in that actual order spirit, soul and body. And oftentimes we find ourselves where it's body, soul and spirit, and then we're just basically in complete chaos. Right, we're out of alignment with God's will. So, our soul? Well, firstly, our spirit should be subject to the Holy Spirit. And then, because our spirit is subject to the Holy Spirit, then our soul can be subject to our spirit and then our body subject to our soul. That is the divine order, right? We are supernatural beings, um, and I believe that we're spiritual first because, um, god even says it, before you were in your mother's womb, I knew you, right, flesh, um. So God is not speaking, um to the crowd, he's speaking um.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 7:31

Excuse me, david is not speaking to the crowd, he's speaking to himself, to his soul, the seat of his mind, will and emotions, right. So why the soul? Um, as I mentioned before. So why the soul? As I mentioned before, the soul is our will, mind and emotions and not the lips, right, not the heart, not even the mind.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 7:56

David calls on the soul because it holds power to think, to choose and to feel. And it's where worship actually begins not just the sound, but a decision as a decision. So we see here that the soul can remember God's goodness, the soul can choose to praise, the soul can feel the weight of mercy. But here's the tension. The soul is also influenced, right? So the soul can be influenced by the body, by circumstances, by culture, by trauma, by temptation. Obviously, as I mentioned before, it can be influenced by our spirit. Right, it's capable of worship, but it's also vulnerable to distractions, discouragement and deception. And so, because of that, david doesn't just assume that his soul will worship, he commands it. He commands his soul to worship God. Bless the Lord O my soul. It's not a suggestion, it's a summons. I'm summoning my soul to worship God, to praise his holy name. Bless the Lord, bless the Lord O my soul, holy name, bless the Lord, bless the Lord O my soul. So, even if so, basically, he's saying even if my emotions are low, even if my thoughts are scattered, even if my will is weary, I will call my soul into alignment with God.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 9:20

And as believers, we often find ourselves in this predicament where we're in spiritual warfare, we're in what we would call the storms, we're facing storms and things like that, but we know that God is our firm foundation and that we stand on the word of God. And so we push through. We push through with prayer, we push through with praying the Psalms daily, we push through with praying to God and standing on his word Because, despite what we are experiencing, despite what we are going through, god said that his peace surpasses all understanding. Right, the winds may come and they may blow. God said that his peace surpasses all understanding. Right, the winds may come and they may blow, but if God is our firm foundation, we will not be shaken. And so, as a result, this Psalms is basically showing us that we should command our souls to bless the Lord, to praise God, regardless of what the circumstances may be.

Divine Order: Spirit, Soul, Body

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 10:26

And so now, here we look at divine order, right. So, as I mentioned, the divine order is spirit, soul and body. So we are spirit, soul and body in that order. So the body responds to the soul, the soul must submit to the spirit, to the soul, the soul must submit to the spirit, and our spirit must be surrendered to the Holy Spirit. When this order is reversed, when the body leads and the soul follows, we fall into confusion, compromise and spiritual fatigue.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 10:59

Ladies and gentlemen, I am guilty of this. I am guilty of this um, I'm not a perfect person, but God is perfect, and so thanks be to God that he is my righteousness right. And so when I am off course, when I miss the mark, he can kind of bring me back to alignment, to where I need to be. And so we have to work out our salvation daily and remind ourselves is my spirit subject to the Holy Spirit? Is my soul subject to my spirit and is my body subject to my soul? In that order? So when the spirit leads, the soul aligns and the body responds, worship becomes transformation. Right, we need to be transformative as Christians and it shouldn't just kind of be like we're walking through things.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 11:58

I'm all about rituals. I'm very ritualistic In certain instances. There are certain things that I do as a Christian, daily or during different seasons, but it's not only about the motions that we go through, right, it's not about the activities that we do. It's about how does that impact our life? How does the word of God reflect in our life? And if it isn't, why isn't it being reflected in our lives? And what changes do we need to make? How do we need to come back into alignment with God and how do we need to be not just hearers but doers of the word? So, um, you know, with that being said, uh, the soul is powerful. Um, you know, it can choose, it can feel, it can think, but it must be led. So true worship isn't just spontaneous, it's intentional, it's the soul saying I will bless the Lord even now. So there is David actually commands for his soul to praise the Lord.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 13:15

This actually reminds me of Phil Thompson's song. I love this song. It talks about the title of the song is my Worship, and basically it says that I will not be silent. I will, you know, always praise the Lord. You know, and that actually reminded me of Luke, chapter 19, verse 40, which reminds us that praise will happen with or without us. So, um, I think I don't know what inspired um Phil's uh song.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 13:53

Um, well, I think I remember his story. I think he said he was mute until the age of five and so, um, that was part of his testimony, and so he kind of basically dedicated himself to basically being able to praise God and not be silent, because God gave him the ability to speak after the age of five. But, you know, I can't help but think to make that connection to Luke, chapter 19, verse 40, which says that, you know, if you don't praise me, if you keep quiet, the stones will cry out. And so it's a stunning statement, a reminder that praise is inevitable, that creation itself is wired to respond to the presence of God, and if we stay silent, nature won't right. And so those that don't believe in nature. Nature is live and living right. The trees are living, like nature is living right. God created everything that is on this earth, and so we're not the only ones that God created. So Jesus wasn't exaggerating when he was declaring a spiritual truth Worship is not optional, it's essential and it will rise. And so, in contrast, um, you know, I will not be silent. In contrast, I will not be silent. I will always worship you. As long as I'm breathing, I will always worship you.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 15:42

I think Phil Thompson here is basically refusing to be replaced by other, a human being, the one that is actually worshiping God. So it's a soul saying I won't let the rocks do what I was created to do. I won't let any other creature do what I was created to do. And so, in parallel, luke 1940 speaks to inevitable praise, even in humans. If humans are silent, creation will cry out.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 16:09

Phil Song speaks of intentional praise, a personal vow to never be silent, to worship. As long as breath remains Together, they form a powerful truth. Praise will happen. The question is, ladies and gentlemen, gentlemen, will it come from you? Will it come from you or will it come from the rocks?

Commanding Your Soul to Worship

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 16:35

Now let's look into divine order in trials. Right, so when life is, it's easy to say I trust God, right. But in trials our true alignment is revealed. And often, and too often, we respond from the bottom up right Body first, soul second, spirit last. The body feels the pain, the fatigue, the fear, and so the soul reacts with emotion, confusion or even doubt. And then the spirit which is meant to lead is now drowned out by the noise that is coming from the soul and the body. And so when the order is reversed, trials feel heavier. Right God says for us to cast our cares on him because his burden is light and his yoke is easy. So we need to make sure that we are in divine alignment and we're not allowing things to be heavier than they need to be, we're not carrying false burdens. Hope feels distant when the order of spirit, soul and body is reversed, worship feels forced. And because we're trying to fight spiritual battles with emotional weapons oh God, help me. I need deliverance from that.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 18:04

Because we're trying to fight spiritual battles with emotional weapons, we often feel defeated or are even defeated, and the trials feel a lot heavier. So the word of God says that we wrestle against not flesh and blood, but principalities and powers and things of that nature. So oftentimes our battles in life, what may seem to manifest in the natural, are actual battles that started in the spiritual realm. And so if we tackle it from that standpoint, we're more likely to have a lot, for things to be a lot easier for us and for our burdens to be a lot lighter. So, as we reorder the storm right, reordering in the storm. So when we flip the order, when the spirit leads, even in suffering, right so I mean, god didn't promise that we would not suffer, right, it even says it in the word of God. Right so trials will come. Right, god didn't say we won't have trials, right, so the soul finds peace and truth. The body follows with endurance.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 19:17

Worship becomes a weapon, not a performance, right, and so we're not performing for anyone. We're not seeing. Okay, who has the best prayer, or articulated prayer, and there's nothing wrong if you pray, you know, if your prayer is articulate, and there's nothing wrong with reading prayers. I have a book of prayers that I read all the time. Or if you're praying just kind of like that, as the spirit leads you, um, or if you're praying just kind of like that, as the spirit leads you, um, it depends on your situation and what exactly you're trying to tackle. Um, but you're not. You're not performing for anyone. The only person that's your audience is God. Right Cause, even when you're fasting or you're praying, um, god says you're not doing it so that man can see, oh, she's fasting or she's praying. God says, go in your closet and pray. And so this is why um, david commands his soul, um, you know, to bless God.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 20:13

Not because he's feeling strong, right, we know that David did not have an easy life. He had a very hard life. He had a lot of trials, he struggled with sin, um, so you know. And he committed a lot of things that were against what God's commandments said, because at that time he was under the law, right, and so he broke a lot of laws. Um, you know, according to um, you know, know, according to um, you know Levitical, uh, you know laws or um, the, the, the, the 10 commandments, um, he, he broke those laws. So, but because he knows, um, where the strength, where his strength comes from, he's saying so don't follow the pain, follow the spirit. And so that's what I respect. Uh, you know, uh, you know. That's one reason why I respect David.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 21:08

Regardless of what he's done. He's never ashamed to come before God and basically make his supplications before God and say God, bless me, um, forgive me you. Psalm 51 is another great example, one of my other favorite psalms, where he basically says he asked God to create in him a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within him. He asked God to forgive him from blood, guilt and all of these things. So we see that constantly in the psalms which David wrote, basically his trials, the things that he's gone through and how he's in constant communication with God, regardless of what he's done, regardless if he's done something that was against the word of God, that did not stop him from, one, praising God. Two, coming before God to ask God for forgiveness and then, three, making his supplications known to God.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 22:11

And that's actually the order that prayer should be right. It should be prayer, repentance, hallelujah, asking God and then yielding, right. So, like if you look at prayer as an acronym, it is that you praise, you repent, you ask and you yield. So that's what pray is. I got this acronym actually from, uh, pastor David, ireland, from Christ church, so I want to give credit to him for that. Um, that's where I've heard this acronym um before Um. So, yeah, it's, it's a great acronym and it's a great reminder in like, what order, um you know, our prayers should be we should and the our father.

The Benefits of God

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 23:04

If we look at the our father, it is in that order, right, we, we start with our father, we're giving him praise, then we ask him to, you know, forgive us, and then we ask um him to give us our daily bread, and then, basically, we were yielding, and so, um, you know, to get back to the topic at hand, so David is essentially saying that his soul won't follow the pain, it will follow the spirit. Right, it's, it's survival, it's how we worship through the storm, not just after it. When the spirit leads, the soul aligns and the body follows. That's how we bless the Lord, even now. So, um, this actually deepens the emotional arc of your um you know of, uh, psalms 103 and like what we'll be discussing further. So let's um integrate uh, the soul, the spirit, soul, body framework, right, and into this section, um, here that we'll be discussing. So we'll be looking at the benefits of God and what alignment unlocks, right, and so that's what I want to get into in this segment. So we kind of went through the overview of Psalms 103 and what it means, and you know, potentially where, what David was feeling and what we go through as know humans. Um, now we want to look at the different themes, essentially verse by verse. So, um, again, when, when we align with God, we receive benefits that restores our spirit, soul and body.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 25:01

Psalms 103 we'll see this as we go through the different areas and segments of the Psalms. That Psalms 103 is not just a list of blessing, it's a blueprint for holistic renewal. So when we align God with God through praise and surrender, we gain access to his restorative power, not just in the visible but in the hidden places of our lives, right In our souls, our souls. We you know a lot of people have soul wounds, we have cracks in our souls that need to be healed, and that's where the enemy is often able to come in, because we're not healed, and so it's able to get into these cracks in our soul. So when we look at Psalms 103, it reveals a God who doesn't just act on our behalf, but a God who heals, he redeems and restores us from the inside out.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 25:59

So let's look at God as the forgiver. Right we start off with bless the Lord, o my soul, and forget, not all his benefits. So what are the benefits of God? One of the benefits of God is that he is a forgiver. God, the forgiver, god who forgives all our sins. God who forgives all our iniquities. Who forgives all our sins. God who forgives all our iniquities. So the insight here is that sin is more than just wrongdoing. It's a wound, right? I just mentioned that sometimes we have deep-rooted soul wounds. It's a wound that infects the soul.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 26:41

God's forgiveness is not just a pardon, it's a cleansing right. So the benefit here is we have freedom from guilt, freedom from shame and condemnation, right? Um, the spirit here has a wreck. Uh, it's reconnecting with god, right? So?

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 27:02

So sin separates us from God, but forgiveness restores intimacy with God, and so what the enemy wants to do is to keep you in sin. The enemy wants to keep you in a cycle of sin so that you can be separated with God. But because of Christ, who died for us on the cross, and because of his blood, we can come boldly before God and, you know, before his throne of grace and ask for forgiveness. Right, but what the enemy tries to do is not only does he try to keep you in a cycle of shame in a cycle of sin. Rather, he tries to shame you and makes you think and tricks you into in a cycle of sin. Rather, he tries to shame you and makes you think and tricks you into believing that, oh man, I can't go before God because I sin. Um, you know, I'm unworthy, right? Um? So no, god said we all have sin and fallen short of the glory of God. Um, god, right. And so we have full access through the blood of Jesus. God has removed our sins and we have the right to repent and to ask God for forgiveness, regardless of what we've done. And so once we get that reconnection and that healing because God says, even before we had the new covenant here, we see that God forgives all our sins, right In the Psalms, which is in the Old Testament. So if God could say that in the Old Testament, how much more right, how much more can he forgive us under the new covenant that we have, right that God has died for us. And it's one atonement, one sacrifice, once and for all, right, and a blood, the blood of Jesus, cries better words than the blood of Abel, so that nothing can basically separate or come between us because of that. So sin separates, but forgiveness restores intimacy. Now the soul. The soul is now released from guilt, shame and condemnation. The soul now has freedom from the emotional weight of failure as a result. And then the body. Now the body becomes relieved from stress, right, which is basically related to the physical symptoms, right, so the peace begins to manifest physically, right. So things start in the mind and the soul and the spirit first, before you start to see the symptoms in the body, and that could be good or bad, negative or positive symptoms. So it's good that we have things in alignment. It's good that we have our spirit, soul and body in alignment.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 29:53

So now let's look at let's look at this a little closer. Let's look at Psalm 103, verse 12, right, the connection of, as far as the East is from the West means infinite separation, right, I mentioned earlier in the opening, east and West never converge. That is amazing, which means it's infinite separation. Your sin is not stored, it's erased, regardless of what anyone can be trying to say to you, anyone that may try to bring up your past. So when we repent and receive his grace, we walk in freedom and not fear.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 30:39

Forgiveness is not just pardon, it's purification. When God forgives, he removes the stain and the sting. God removes sin as far as the East is from the West. It's gone, ladies and gentlemen. It is gone, right? God says I remember your sins no more. Like it's gone, no one can hold it over your head, not even you, Right, cause sometimes God forgives us and sometimes other people forgive us, but we're still trying to. You know, we still like, uh, basically play a guilt trip on ourselves, like we're still condemning ourselves, even though God has already forgiven us. And so you know, we should know that we can't even hold it over our head.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 31:27

If God says that you've been forgiven, you are forgiven. And you know, as the word of God says, if God be for you, who can be against you? Who? God bless. No man curse, you know, no one can hold anything against you, right. So thanks be to God. God says there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Jesus right. For what we could not do in the flesh, christ came and did for us. So thanks be to God for that. Thanks be to Jesus Christ for dying on the cross and coming not to abolish the law but to uphold the law. Thanks be to God for that. And so this brings us into God the healer. Let's look at God the healer. God heals all of our diseases, right? So not all diseases are physical right. We kind of saw that as I was basically going through the examples of how, when God forgives you, um, you know, and then you see the impact on your spirit, then the soul, then the body, so then now your body's released of stress. So not all diseases are physical right.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 32:39

Um, god heals emotional trauma, soul wounds and spiritual fractures, things that doctors can't diagnose but that shape how we live. Right, and I don't want to say all doctors. I think therapists can typically help us with the emotional trauma and soul wounds. Maybe they might not be able to address the spiritual elements as much as a spiritual leader would be, but I think you know they could probably assist with the soul part, whereas if you're dealing with a spiritual leader, they could probably help you with both the soul and the spiritual aspects, which will then have you know, you know positive impacts on your, your body. So they all work hand in hand, right? Um, it's not either or it's, it's all. So, um, what are the benefits, right Um, of God the healer?

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 33:38

So God the healer um provides us restoration of body, mind and soul. So healing from spiritual dryness, disconnection or oppression, right, restoration from trauma, this is the soul aspect, right. So grief, anxiety, depression, wounds that are invisible, but real wounds that that are deep-rooted in our soul, that impacts the way that we think, that impacts the decisions that we make on a daily basis, um, so it's very important that we're healed holistically and then, once we have the spiritual and soul basically healed, now we can have a renewal in our physical body. We have renewal of physical strength, vitality and health. So here we see a layer of healing where God mends what was broken by betrayal, and it could be abandonment, addiction, generational pain, cycles of sin, addiction, things of that nature.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 34:56

So, god, many diseases begin in the soul, right, and bitterness, fear and unresolved pain can manifest physically. So God heals at the root, not just the symptom, right, and so. You know, sin equals death, right, we see that in the Bible. You sin, you die. That is what is in the Bible, right and so.

God the Healer and Redeemer

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 35:30

But thanks be to God that he is a healer and he forgives us, right, we saw that in the first part. Now he's healing us after. He forgives us, because sometimes we know, just because you know we ask God for forgiveness and we know that we he forget if he forgave us. We're not healed at that point. You know we knew we need to go through that process and it could just whether it's just to kind of, um, you know, to have that personal time with God and the Holy Spirit, to stay in God's presence, in his word, for him to do the work and surgery on your heart and your soul. But sometimes it requires the help of spiritual leaders and things of that nature to help you in your process to heal.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 36:21

You know the soul wounds, the bitterness, the fear and all of that, because you know that is going to result in bodily pain, bodily harm and you know, also manifest in other aspects of your life. You know in every area of your life, right, whether it be work, your personal life, your relationships, things of that nature, right. So now let's look at God the Redeemer. God, it says, who redeems your life from destruction. God, it says, who redeems your life from destruction. Destruction is a very powerful word, right To destroy destruction. Like from personal experience that I have been in what has felt, at least I can say what has felt like a phase of destruction where others may have tried to destroy my life, where others may have tried to slander me, where others may have tried to block opportunities, where others may have tried to destroy, bring destruction upon my finances, upon my relationships, upon my well-being, right, but we serve a God who is a redeemer, who redeems our life from destruction. And so what is the key insight here? And so what is the key insight here?

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 38:00

Redemption is not an escape, right, it's transformation. God doesn't always pull you out. He gives you a new reason to live, he repurposes your pain for purpose, and that's what I've learned in my daily walk with God, in the circumstances that I'm currently faced with and, um, in all the challenges that I've been having, is that God has a purpose for me in all of this. And, um, what seems like, uh, something that is impossible, is possible through God, because God would never give you what you could not bear. And so, if God, if you're going through something, god has equipped you to go through it and you just kind of have to stick to it and stick with God and know that he's with you, god says he will never leave you, nor forsake you. And so, God, even when it's because Habakkuk, chapter two, says the vision is for an appointed time. Though it tarry, it will not delay or surely come to pass.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 39:09

So sometimes things may seem that like they're not going to happen, or that they're, you know, um, continuously delayed. But you know, don't despair. Don't despair that God is an on-time god, he's never late, and so god will rescue you. He will rescue you from cycles of despair, from dysfunction and spiritual death, and from any other destruction that the enemy is trying to bring upon your, your, whether it's your spiritual life or your life in the natural, in the things that you're doing. So, when we look at rescue from a spiritual standpoint, god is basically rescuing us from spiritual death and purposelessness. Right, we know that sin equals death.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 39:57

So God is restoring us. First spiritually, right, he has given us a redeemer, christ Jesus, and then our soul. Our soul is being restored, right, it's a restoration of our identity and hope is essentially being rewritten. And then God, he's preserving us. He's a preserver, right. So he's his preservation from. He's preserving us from self destructive habits and cycles, right, cause sometimes it's not only others that are basically bringing destruction upon us, it's our choices, right, we make bad choices, I've made bad choices, um, you know? Uh, so it's. It's God redeems us from all of that. God redeems us from all of that. God redeems our life from destruction, and I decree and declare that right now that God will redeem me from any destructive thing that has come upon my life. I believe that God has redeemed me, is redeeming me and will redeem me from destruction. So let's look at the healing layer here.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 41:14

So he writes your story. So, basically, god turns your shame into your testimony. So your tests, the trial that you're in, the storm that you're in, is going to become your testimony. Right, the test will turn into your testimony. You know we like to be promoted, but we don't like to be tested. Be promoted, but we don't like to be tested.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 41:45

And sometimes tests aren't easy. But in order for God to promote you or push you into your purpose, sometimes we have to be tested. Sometimes our tests or trials last longer than they should, because you know disobedience, delayed obedience or other things. But sometimes it's just God's process for us, you know, and so it could be either, or it could be both. But we just have to trust in God and know that. You know he is a redeemer and he's able to basically restore us and redeem us from destruction, so bringing us back into alignment, and we have to surrender our brokenness to God, and when we do that, he builds something beautiful from the rubble right, from what others thought was, you know, destruction. When we trust in him, with our hidden pain, he begins a healing process that transforms how we see ourselves and others right, and he does that from the inside out, right, and so that's kind of like what we need to remember and focus on.

God the Restorer and Advocate

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 42:54

So let's look at God as the restorer right, and as we see this theme here right, we talked about God who forgives, god who heals, god who redeems, and now God who restores. But the common theme here is that, throughout all these different aspects of God, we're still being healed. Right, as God is forgiving us. We're being healed. As God is healing us. We're being healed right, as God is redeeming us. We're being healed, and now God is restoring us. We're being healed as well. So God is a restorer, right. So, after he has gone through this pruning process, where he's restoring us from destruction, he's healing us, he's forgiving us. Now he's crowning us with loving, kindness and tender mercies. Right, god always brings us to better. Right, the Bible says it God will give you double for your trouble, right? He's not going to give you the same thing that you had. He's going to give you better. You just have to be patient and trust in God's word.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 44:08

So the insight here is that after healing and redemption, god will not leave you empty. He honors you. He honors you and it's important that you feel that. You feel it up. You feel it up. You know there is a scripture that says that. You know how, when someone was, basically when a spirit was cast out, the house was swept and left clean, but then seven more spirits came in. Why? Because they didn't fill it up with what it needed to be filled up with.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 44:44

So you know, in our spirit, in our soul, sometimes we might go through that deliverance, we might go through that season of fasting, we might go through whatever it is that we go through in our Christian walk to basically heal, but then we don't fill that space back up and that makes us susceptible to basically going back or to allowing things to come back in our lives, to basically wreak havoc and to influence us negatively. So here we see, god is a restorer who doesn't leave us empty. He honors you. So, thank God, god has given us the Holy Spirit and we have the fruits of the Spirit. So we have to make sure that we stir up all the fruits of the Spirit and make sure that we're filled with that, but not only that.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 45:39

The word of God, hallelujah. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. So the benefits here is that restoration. God gives us, restoration of dignity, identity and worth. It's not what others are saying about you, it's what God says you are right. God says you are chosen. God says you're not forsaken. God says that you are wonderfully and fearfully made Amen. So God has ransomed you. Right, you're not your own, you know you belong to God. And so here, uh, we can say that the spirit has like an affirmation of your divine sonship or daughterhood with God.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 46:26

And then we go into the soul the healing of rejection or from rejection, healing from abandonment and low self-esteem, low self-worth or, you know, caring what others think about you, being people pleasing or whatever it is that you may be battling with, or what have you not allowing fear to be what leads you right? God says he hasn't given you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and a sound mind. Can we pause here and just think and look at how fear can actually drive you to become crazy, and not in the literal sense, but basically your mindset is out of whack because you're being driven by fear. But then if you reverse it right, if you remove that fear and you put it in the order that it should be, where God says I've given you a spirit of power. I haven't given you a spirit of fear, I've given you a spirit of power. If you take hold of that spirit of power, you'll have a sound mind.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 47:36

Whatever the enemy is trying to do to cause havoc, to try to make you lose your mind, it won't work because you are operating out of God's spirit of power, the spirit of power that you have through Christ Jesus right, because we know it's not by might, not by power, not by our power right but by the spirit of God right. So it's the spirit of God which gives us the power that we need and the sound mind. God is our source, we're not our source, because then, if we become our source, then we reverse that order right, where we were now basically living from body, soul, spirit versus spirit, soul, body. So now, once we have that, um, we now have confidence, we have peace that affect posture, energy and presence. Right, if your spirit is low, your soul is going to be low, your body's going to be low, um. So, and I, I I'm going to bring up Anthony Robbins here because, um, I, I listened to Anthony Robbins, I've been to a few of his conferences and, um, posture actually does affect your energy, um, and so sometimes, you know, I know, in his conferences, he like every like I don't know, I can't remember if it's like every 30 minutes or every hour he'll make you stand up to basically get into state.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 49:12

He's. He calls it get into state, um, basically, because sometimes, people, your posture actually drains your energy, right. So if you're slouched over, if you're, uh, on the couch all day, like, hey, I'm guilty of it, I'm on the couch all day, you know that's going to affect your energy, right, and so, but we have to kind of see what is actually causing us to be in that posture. Do we need to do some soul searching? Is there something in our spirit that needs to be healed? Is there something that we need to give to God that we're not giving to God? What's keeping our posture low? Because, again, if we're in that state, then we know that we're in the complete reverse order. So now our body is basically taking control and now our body is now ruling over our spirit and soul, and so our energy is low, right, anyway.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 50:15

So the key insight here is restoration is about dignity. God doesn't just fix you, he honors you, right. So he doesn't just want to heal you, he wants to honor you. So the healing layers here we see that God replays rejection with belonging, um, and shame with honor. Right, when we receive his love, we begin to live from a place of divine confidence. Right, we have to trust in what God's word says. You know, we're chosen, we're not forsaken. We are who God says we are. I love that song, by the way. We are who God says we are, so we have to believe in what God says. We are not what others say. We are not what others are trying to paint us as right. We have to remember who God says. We are right.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 51:12

And you know, speaking of destruction, as we were speaking of destruction earlier, you know what does the enemy come to do. The enemy comes to kill earlier. You know what does the enemy come to do. The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy, right, and they can kill you not only physically. Right Killing could be, you know, killing your spiritually, killing you, killing you your reputation, killing you, killing opportunities. So there's different ways that the enemy can come in to kill, steal and destroy right. And stealing doesn't only mean stealing from you physically. It could be stealing your opportunities, stealing spiritual gifts, stealing different things. So you know, as someone that's very spiritual and have seen things spiritual and have seen things you know in my lifetime that have actually with my physical eye, that you know, I know that there is a spirit realm, right, it's not just bogus or someone hallucinating, like the spirit realm exists and it's more real than the natural world, if I might say so myself.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 52:21

So now let's look at God as our advocate, right. Often we think about the courts of heaven, and I mean, I guess the courts of heaven we can look at it in two different ways, like you know, we can look at it as a royal court right, where you have a king and queen, they have like a royal court, but I believe we can also look at it as an actual court right, like a courtroom where you know there's judgment, and I've read a couple of books on the courts of heaven and things of that nature. And so God is our advocate. Right. And in the Bible it says God is our vindicator. God even says that the battle is not ours, it's his right.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 53:12

So God is a God who executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed and justice for all who are oppressed. And that's what I like about Psalms 103, right, god says his word will never return to him void. That's one. So we know. If it says it, then it is so, right. We know. If the word of God says it, we know that it is so. So it doesn't say who executes righteousness and justice for some, right, it says for all. So I have no other choice but to believe that God will work and execute righteousness and justice for me if I'm being oppressed. Right, I have to believe that because that's what his word says.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 54:05

If I believe in his word, if I believe in the Bible, if I subscribe to what the word of God says, I have to believe what the word of God says, right. So, even if it was basically inspired or written by someone else, right, because we know that the psalms is written by david. But it is the word of god. Right, and that's something that christians and even non-christians, use the psalms, the psalms and even the our father. I think I remember I was reading, um. No, I was watching something where, um, like some other, they're not Christians, but whenever they're starting, whatever they're doing, they start with the our father, and that was pretty interesting to me. That shows you the power of the word of God. The word of God never returns to him void. It has to accomplish what it says it will accomplish.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 55:06

So let's look at this closer. Let's look at this a little bit more closely. God sees what others overlook, right. He defends the voiceless and vindicates the wounded. Divine justice and defense. That is the benefit of God as our advocate Divine justice and defense. And it may not look like what you think. It may look like, right, we may have justice and vindication, may look like one thing in our minds, but God may have a different idea of what that looks like. So we have to trust in God, right, and we can't take it into our own hands, right? Because then we might be. By taking it into our own hands, we might be doing something that's against the word of God and may actually be going against the word of God, right, um, by trying to take things in our own hands.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 56:09

Um, you know, I, I believe there are certain things that we need to do in the natural, um, especially, you know, for example, if someone robbed you and you want to, you need you, and you actually need to go into the police station and file a police report, now that's what you need to go, but you're not going to go after that person, right? So that's kind of like. So we have to kind of make sense, right, we're super, unnatural, no-transcript by the spirit, the spirit of God, and that we're basically allowing God to lead. But when the time comes for you to take necessary steps in the natural, whether it's filing a police report, getting attorney representation or whatever it is that you may need to do, um, you know that you take that step because that's what God is leading you towards. And so, um, divine justice and defense, right, so that is the benefit that we have as having God as our advocate, and, spiritually, that's an assurance that God sees and defends you. We know that God sees. God is El Roy, he is the God who sees, he's omniscient, he knows everything, he knows everything. So, even if someone is trying to do something against you that you don't even know about. God knows. God sees it Right, um.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 58:12

And then, from the soul aspect, healing from injustice, right, whether it's betrayal, um and silencing God. God will heal you from that. He will heal you, um, because sometimes you know we're like God, you know they're getting away with it or you know they're not getting away with anything. They're not getting away with anything. God um, god's time is divine. He has um divine timing and even in in in Psalm 64, god talks about suddenly, you know how suddenly God will come and vindicate you. Suddenly, you know, god's power will be seen.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 58:53

So, even if someone thinks that they're getting away with something, um, they're not. You just have to trust in God and trust in his timing and trust in his, his, his, his vindication and justice, because his word says it and his word says he executes righteousness and justice for all, for all who are oppressed. So what relief. So let's look at the body. So, when we know that god advocates for us, he's our advocate and he works righteousness and justice for all, um, we have relief from the physical toll or stress and fear that we may have, you know, because of something that we, we may be facing right, like, for example, myself, my my experience as someone who is a targeted individual and who is being cyber-stalked, harassed, as well as in person and online, and it's on a global scale. I have to just trust in God, especially in this situation. This is like this situation. It's so much bigger than me. It's so much bigger than anything that I could do to stop it, that I have no choice but to trust in God.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:00:20

Um, feel free to stop by and follow my podcast. It's called the diary of a sane black woman. Um, you know I'm not going to get into um, you know too much into uh, that here, but I, you know, I just thought I would share that if you want to hear more about my story as a targeted individual, want to hear more about my story as a targeted individual, so, yes, so God relieves us from the physical toll of stress and fear, and the key insight here is that God is not passive. He is your defender and his justice restores what was stolen right. We know that God will give you double for your trouble. We know that God is the God of the impossible.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:01:05

What man says can't be done, god says can be done, right. He's able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ask for or think of. Right, he is El Shaddai, the God who is more than enough. We know that God, he restores what was stolen. He restores our peace, reputation, safety, and it may not look like what we think, it may not look like what we want it to be. Right, because when you restore something and God is a transformative God right, he is not going. It's not gonna look like what it looked before, it's gonna look like something completely different, right, and so we have to accept that and we have to trust God in that.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:01:50

So, when we walk in truth and humility, we stand under God's protection, and so we need to humble ourselves before the Lord. Right, we need to cast down every vain imagination that exalts itself against the Lord, and that vain imagination can be, you know, listening to what someone else is saying about you, paying attention to what they're doing to attack you. You know, taking your eyes off of God's word, and taking your eyes off of God's word and taking taking your eyes off of God, um, we don't want to do that. We want to stand um under his protection, as, as Psalms 91 says, you know, he who dwells in the shelter of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty Hallelujah, I will say of the Lord. He is my fortress, hallelujah. We know that. So god commands us to abide in him, right, so if we abide in him, he will abide in us.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:02:51

Now let's look at god as the provider. It says that in psalms 103 right, he satisfies our mouth with good things so that our youth is renewed, like the eagles. So this is not just talking about things for, like, obviously, natural food. Right, god is our provider. He's obviously going to provide for us. He's going to give us our daily bread, right, and again, daily bread is not just daily bread for eating in the natural, but it's also our spiritual food. And so here too, I believe that this is not just, um, you know, food in the natural, but it's also a spiritual, uh, food that God is giving us, um, in order to renew us, to renew our youth like the eagles.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:03:43

God doesn't just meet our needs, right, he renews our strength, he gives us vitality and joy. He's not only providing us here with, he's not only a provider here, but he's preserving us. Right, he's a preserver because he's renewing us. Right, he's providing us with good things. He's providing our mouth with good things, but he's also preserving us by renewing us, so renewing us like the eagles. He's renewing us, so he's preserving us.

God's Love vs Human Love

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:04:20

So, from the spiritual aspect, our spirit is being nourished through his word. Um, the presence of God and the promises of God are essentially, um, renewing our spirit, his word, his presence, his Holy spirit and our soul has satisfaction, that quiet, that basically silence, all restlessness and longing. Right, because our spirit is full, our soul will also be full. And anything, you know the flesh, and that's why it's good to fast sometimes too, because we need to quiet the flesh, we need to silence the flesh. The flesh is always trying to act up and that's how we need to. That's why that's also a good reason to fast. It's just a reminder. It's just basically dying to the flesh and trying to kill the pride that the flesh, the pride is, is in our flesh. Um. So renewal of strength Uh, so we have renewal of strength, energy and vitality because God has nourished our spirit and we then see the benefits in our soul and then we see it in our body. So the key insight here is that provision isn't just about food, it's about fulfillment, and when God satisfies, you are renewed from the inside out. The healing layer here is he feeds the soul with hope, purpose and spiritual nourishment. So when we depend on him we are sustained and refreshed, not just physically but spiritually. So basically, here we saw that the benefits are activated through alignment and alignment activates holistic healing.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:06:24

Right and again I just want to reiterate, right. It's not saying that praising God we're doing, we're praising God so that we can get benefits. No, the Psalms is actually reminding us to praise God because God has already given us all these things. He has given us everything before the foundation of the world. God is a God. It says. It's saying praise God because, right, praise the Lord, oh my soul, who forgives all my sins. It's not saying praise the Lord, oh my soul, because he will forgive all my sins, or praise the Lord, oh my soul, so he can forgive all my sins. No, it says praise the Lord, oh my soul, who forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. So God is already doing that.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:07:12

We just need to actually come into alignment with what God's word is saying and allowing us to be led by the spirit of God. Our spirit to be led by the spirit of God and our soul to be subject to our spirit and our body, to be subject to our soul so that we can experience what God has already given us right. We are not experiencing what God has already done. God said it's finished, talal, it's finished. God has already done it right. We should receive it. We should walk in our victory. We're not, you know. Often, like I hear and it's a reminder that we're not, you know, if we're in a spiritual battle or whatever it is, we're not. We're not boring like from a place of defeat or we're fighting for victory. We're fighting, we're walking in our victory, because God has already given it to us Right.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:08:10

So the holistic healing provides us forgiveness Right. It releases us from shame. Right Provides us forgiveness right. It releases us from shame right. Healing restores what trauma broke and redemption gives purpose to our pain. Restoration reclaims our identity, justice defines our dignity and provision renews our strength. So let's look at it from the spirit, soul and body. So through the spirit, we have a reconnection, purpose and divine identity. So we have emotional healing, peace and restored self-worth. And through the body, we have strength, vitality and freedom from stress-induced symptoms.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:08:58

So this last segment, I want to look at the nature of God. So we're still going through Psalms 103, and we're just breaking it up section by section, based on what God has done for us. God has already, right, he has given us everything before the foundation of the world. And so God, um, the nature of God's love, that's what we want to look at here. So God's love is eternal, unshakable and unmatched. So God's love is not like human love. Right, it's not conditional, it's not temporary or fragile. Right, it is eternal, unwavering and deeply rooted in his character. Right, we have agape love. Right, we have agape love through Christ.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:09:51

So Psalms 103 paints a vivid contrast between the frailty of man, which we can call phileo love, and the faithfulness of God. Right, the word of God says that God is faithful even when we're not faithful. That is profound right. That is a good reminder. God is faithful even when we're not faithful. What an awesome God we serve. And it also says he will never leave us nor forsake us. What an awesome God we serve.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:10:26

So in Psalms 103, towards the end, we see that in the scriptures. In the Psalm it says that basically, it demonstrates that human love fades like flowers. Right, it says as for man, his days are like grass, as a flower of the field. So he flourishes, for the wind passes over it and it is gone. So human affection is often seasonal right here today, gone tomorrow, right, some people, like people that you went to school with in middle school. Maybe some of you still keep in touch with them, maybe you don't Things of that nature, right, people that you were once close with, maybe you're no longer close with, and that's just humans. We're human, we're fallible, we're imperfect, but God's love is perfect, right?

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:11:34

So here, as a result, um, many wounds come from love that failed, right, the soul impact right when we have hurt because you know a close friend hurt us, uh, you know. Uh, you know a loved one hurt us, whether that be a, um, a partner, um, you know a, uh, you know a family member or something like that. You know they hurt us, they failed us, right, someone that we thought would love us forever actually failed us because they're human, right, or someone that we didn't think would hurt us because their blood ended up betraying us. It happens, you know, we're all humans, and so God, however, has agape love. God's love is faithful, and so, um, unfortunately, when we look to man, you know first and we we don't recognize that they are imperfect. We end up having these soul wounds. You know that comes from the failed love and the broken promises, or people who left um. Or you know people that didn't stick around. Um.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:12:57

In contrast, god's love doesn't wilt right. It doesn't change with moods or circumstances. God is faithful even when we're not. We're unfaithful, right, even when we're in deep sin. God is still there. Right, god is still there. God loves us. Um and uh.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:13:16

We see this in the new new Testament, in the chapter of the, the, the shepherd that went back, you know, for the one left the 99, for the one Um. So God is a faithful God. He doesn't will for us to uh lose our salvation to um, you know, to miss out, or um to be condemned Um. God wants the best for us and God has given us everything before the foundation of the world. We just, we just have to believe that. You know, what God has for us is for us. Can no one uh keep us, keep us from our purpose, can no one obstruct us from the progress of the destined state? No matter how hard they try, they don't have the right to so. God's love is everlasting right. The mercies of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:14:19

So the spirit impact here is that this is covenant love unchanging, eternal and rooted in God, who God is right. So when we look at covenant love right, agape love verse, god is giving us unconditional love right, so it doesn't matter what we do, he's still going to love us. And also, because God is a faithful God, even when we're not faithful he's still faithful. Right, so he, it doesn't matter if we're falling short of the covenant that we have with God. God is saying no, like I'm, I need to stay true to my covenant. Right, I need to stay true to my covenant. So, even when you're not faithful, I'm faithful.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:14:58

God is unchanging. He gives us agape love, and so it's eternal and rooted in who he is. And so the soul impact here is that it heals the ache of abandonment and the fear of rejection. The body impact becomes living under. This love brings peace, rest and renewal. The word of God says that he gives us peace that surpasses all understanding, and that's part of that peace. Right, when we're casting our cares on God, the burden is light and the yoke is easy. When we're living in the love of God, his agape love, we have the peace that surpasses all understanding. And so we have rest, we have renewal Right, we're trusting in God, we're surrendering to God. That's what we have, you know, that's how it manifests in the natural Right From spirit, soul to body, how it manifests in the natural right From spirit, soul to body.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:16:01

God's love is also generational, his righteousness to children's children. It says that in Psalms 103. And we have to accept that. We have to receive that, we have to take it. If God's word is saying that we're going to take it, right, and if this is the benefits that God is giving us and that's what his word is saying, I'm going to take that. I'm going to take that. I want my children's children to be blessed. I want my children's children to have the righteousness that God has provided. Right, the righteousness of God, the benefits of God. Because, ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says that our sins, the sins of our forefathers, or the sins that we commit, will follow for generations. Right? So here we're seeing we can have that for the good things, for the blessings as well, right. So I want to have these blessings across generations. I want to have generational love. I want to have generational blessings, right. So God's love doesn't stop with me. It flows through me. It flows through me. May my generations, my children's children, you know, be blessed legacy impact.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:17:34

When you align with his love, you create a spiritual inheritance, right. So what are you leaving for your loved ones? What are you leaving for your children, right? Soul impact you become a wellspring of healing for your family and community. That is deep.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:17:58

Next, we see that God's love is rooted in compassion. So, like a father pities his children, god's love is not distant, it's tender, empathetic and nurturing. The soul impact he understands your frailty and meets you with mercy, not judgment. The spirit impact you are not just tolerated, you are cherished amazing. So, in summary, when we look at God's love versus man's love, human love is fleeting like flowers. God's love is eternal, like the heavens. Human love is conditional and fragile. God's love is unchanging and covenantal. Human love is based on performance. God's love is based on relationship. Human love is often self-serving. God's love is always self-giving. Human love can wound and abandon. God's love always heals and restores and he never abandons right. We know that. God says he'll never leave us nor forsake us.

Reading of Psalm 103 and Reflection

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:19:13

So this closes out our discussion on Psalms 103. I want to just take a brief moment now to reflect on the spirit, soul and body. I invite you all those who are listening, to reflect or journal for a few minutes as I read Psalms 103. Or a journal for a few minutes as I read Psalms 103. Please feel free to meditate on the scripture and the verses that I'll be reading and what the Holy Spirit is depositing into your spirit. In addition, I'm going to provide some additional questions as just guides, just suggestions, just so, if you're not coming up with anything, maybe those questions can kind of stir up some things in you to consider. So first, from a spiritual standpoint, you can ask yourself am I aligned with the eternal love of God or am I chasing temporary affection? So again, am I aligned with the eternal love of God or chasing temporary affection?

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:20:29

The second question you want to ask yourself as you're listening to this psalm is, from a soul perspective, what wounds from human love still need healing? Right, that's a big one. From a soul perspective, what wounds from human love still need healing? I know for myself I can reflect, like you know, things that happened to me when I was younger and even now that are still impacting me that I haven't fully healed from right. So we have things like you know, historically that has happened to us that we haven't healed from. That is now impacting us, impacting our relationships, impacting our lives. So, if we can identify that right, Awareness is the first step of change. I'm also a change manager. Awareness is the first step towards change. So you have to identify what needs to be healed first, right and so, in order to heal, so think about what wounds from your human love still needs healing.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:21:41

So, from a physical standpoint, your body how has stress or rejection affected my physical well-being? How has it affected your physical well-being? Has it raised your blood pressure? Your physical well-being, you know. Has it raised your blood pressure? You know? Is your insulin out of whack? Have you gained more weight? Things of that nature? Are you? Is it, you know, manifesting in other forms of sickness? Are you like tired and things of that nature, like, how has stress or rejection affected my physical well-being? So these are the three questions that I, you know, in addition to whatever the Holy Spirit is depositing into your spirit as you listen to the psalm. These are three questions that you can kind of consider as you're listening to the psalm.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:22:36

Hallelujah, praise the spirit unto your mighty name. Psalm 103, a Psalm of David from the World English Bible Translation. Praise Yahweh, my soul, all that is within me. Praise his holy name. Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don't forget all his benefits, who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed. Like the eagles, yahweh executes righteous acts and justice for all who are oppressed. Hallelujah, he made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:23:41

Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness. He will not always accuse, neither will he stay angry forever. Will he stay angry forever? He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities, for as high as the heavens are, high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness towards those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him, for he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust. As for man his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant to those who remember to obey his precepts. Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:25:16

Praise Yahweh, you, angels of His who are mighty in strength, who fulfill His word, obeying the voice of His word. Praise Yahweh, all you, armies of His, you, servants of His who do His pleasure. Praise Yahweh, all you, works of His, in all places of His dominion. Praise Yahwehweh, my soul. Thank you for reflecting on this psalm with me and sticking around for um, basically, the breakdown of the, the scripture um. Now I want to take this sacred journey with a prayer, um, a closing prayer, one that speaks to your spirit, soul and body and honors the depth of what Psalms 103 revealed. So let's close in prayer.

Closing Prayer

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:26:11

Father, redeemer, healer, advocate, provider, you are all these and more. Advocate, provider, you are all these and more. We come before you not just as presenters or listeners, but as sons and daughters in need of your touch. You have forgiven our iniquities, sins that wounded our spirit and fractured our soul. You have healed diseases that we couldn't name trauma, grief, shame and silent suffering. You have redeemed our lives from destruction, rewriting our stories, father, stories we thought we were over, stories we thought were over. Father, you have crowned us with loving kindness, restoring dignity where rejection once lived. You have satisfied our mouths with good things, renewing our strength like the eagles. Satisfied our mouths with good things, renewing our strength like the eagles. Oh, father, you have loved us with love, a love that does not fade, does not flinch, does not fail.

Marie Destinee a La Grandeur 1:27:09

So today, we align. We align our spirit with your truth, we align our soul with your mercy, we align our body with your presence. Let this word not just be spoken, let it be lived. Let it not just be heard, let it be embodied, let it not just be remembered, let it be transformative. We receive your benefits, we rest in your love, we rise in your strength In Jesus's mighty name. Jehovah, we praise your holy name, we bless your holy name and we thank you with all our soul, all our spirit and all that is within us. Amen, amen, amen, taleo, taleo, taleo.