"Made Perfect"

"For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." (Psalms 61:3) I thought I might join these two verses together, but. You know, something that struck me as odd, is that I guess without Christ, I am up that creek, and I have no real hope at all! I look at my ability to follow God's commands, just the two that instruct me to love, and I get so overwhelmed by guilt and shame, that it actually hurts my heart to even think about it. When I read Deuteronomy 11:22, which says, "Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the LORD your God by walking in His ways and holding tightly to Him"(NLT); there is absolutely nothing I can say, except that I have been anything but careful; carefree may better describe it, and not in a good way. The point that Moses was making to Israel was in regards to, letting the people that currently possessed the land in which they were getting ready to enter, to influence them in any way, or to cause them to worship their idols. Let's get something straight, it did not go so well for Israel when it came to abiding by those commands; they might have started strong, but things got terribly ugly; especially the part about "Show love to the LORD your God". You see, God's plan for our redemption is not based upon our ability to "obey all these commands"; if it were, we would all have nothing to cling to! If you get right down to it, the real enemy is sin; it just so happens that we are all sinners; sinners that are not sinners because they sin, but we sin because we are sinners! Only Jesus Christ can claim that He had no sin; and only Jesus is the way of God's redemption of the sinner that I am; this stupid sinner that just keeps on sinning! Here's my point: I know that I am a sinner, and I know that I am going to disappoint God; almost every day, I have to shake my head at myself over the stupid things that I find myself doing or saying; so as far as having some kind of perfect track record on being holy, there really isn't anything there to brag about. So what about the part about "Or Else"? Come on; don't tell me you have not heard about the love of God for His people; those stiff necked people that could never show God the love that He deserved...
"But you are My witnesses, O Israel!" says the LORD. "You are My servant. You have been chosen to know Me, believe in Me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God - there never has been, and there never will be. I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Savior. First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are My witnesses that I am the only God," says the LORD. "From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of My hand. No one can undo what I have done." (Isaiah 43:10-13) NLT  

"Picture Perfect"

"From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I;" (Psalms 61:2) God surely has His own way of doing things, and even though we cannot figure out what it is, and why, He allows us the privilege of knowing that He loves us. Whether you realize it or not, we are beyond blessed; for the God of all creation knows our name, and He has let us know that He knows us! Yesterday I heard a message given by Pastor Jon; when he actually have recorded it, I do not really know, but the timing could not have been better. The message was about when Moses struck the Rock instead of speaking to it, as God had commanded him to do (Numbers 20:7-10). The Rock was an illustration of Jesus, the Word of God, who not only is the Word, but is the One through which all of our blessings flow. I find it rather interesting that the Rock did what God intended it to do, even though Moses smote it instead of just speaking to it; it still brought forth water, enough for everyone and all the animals. The way Jon was describing it, Jesus upon the cross was smote for our transgressions; and even though He was stricken, He still brought forth the love that He was sent to represent. Not only did His sacrifice provide for us the forgiveness of sin, but His manner of dealing with being smote provided us with an example of taking something bad and making into something good. Jesus took a really bad day, and He made something good come from it; besides His redeeming sacrifice, which is a given, He used the last moments of His life on that cross to show forth love, the kind of love that makes a difference in people's lives. Isn't that what we are meant to be about? They will know we are His children by our love! Not by the way that we judge, or by the way that we pray, or even by the way that we proclaim God's word; it is by the love of God that flows forth from our lives, even in the midst of being stricken! The first example that Jon gave was about the forgiveness, as Jesus proclaimed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). It is one of the most important things that we need to do, is to forgive those that might harm us or come against us; to pray for those that spitefully use us or try to harm us. It is the gateway to the love of God! In other words; that is where it starts, by praying for those that you should otherwise by angry at, and giving over to God; only then, when you can actually feel God's love flowing through your heart, is when you feel the compassion upon those that do not know the truth, or that have lost their way...
"So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has use our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength." (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)    

"Let's Get Serious"

"Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer." (Psalms 61:1) First of all, I love this Psalm; I have sang this Psalm many many times, at least the first three verses; and usually in times when I feel all alone, this is the song that comes into my heart. To be truly confident in God's protection, I believe there are three basic principles that need to be established in our hearts: one, that He is, and that He is Mighty; second, that He chose me, I did not choose Him; and thirdly, that He loves me unconditionally. You get those three basic principles established in your heart, and having confidence in God's protection is yours; now all you need to do, is to stand your ground; and no matter what might be happening, you continue to stand upon those three basic principles of your faith in God's protection of your eternal soul. Oh, did you think I was going to say life? as in, my life here; as if God's protection is to be upon all my worldly goods and concerns. Why would we think that, seeing how Jesus has shown us how little these things matter? James had something to say about this, and I believe James had some first hand knowledge when it came to having our eyes on the wrong things; for James, although he was the eldest half-brother of Jesus, he did not believe who Jesus was until after His resurrection. Funny how a resurrected life can change your perspective on the Truth! In James 4:3, he says, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your own lusts." If you are totally honest with yourself and God, you know this is true of you; as I know that it is true in my own life. How many times I have asked God for something, expecting to receive it because I obviously deserve it in my own mind, yet it never happens; it never happens, because it is lusted after in my heart! God's unconditional love for us is not a gateway to unconditional blessings. God is more concerned with our eternity that He is with keeping us comfortable in this life; as a matter of fact, He does not want us to get too comfortable in this life, because this life can take our focus off of Him. Jesus put it this way, saying, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:19-21) When we pray, what are we more focused upon, this world or the next? Seriously...

"Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from our sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD." (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)     

"Confidence in God's Protection"

PSALMS 61 [To the chief Musician upon Neginah, A Psalm of David] Before you get all riled up over yesterday's post, it was me that I was speaking to more than anyone else, so don't take it personal. I am a very hard-headed man, when I get something into my head, I am not going to change my mind without some serious intervention. And yes, this is the title written above Psalms 61 in my Bible; and wouldn't you know it, it seems to flow right off the end of the previous Psalm! We must, without a doubt, have the utmost confidence that the God who loves us, so much that He would be willing to send His only Son in order to be slain for us, is also more than willing to protect us; more than willing is actually an understatement, He is fiercely loyal to His children, and will do whatever it takes to get us through to the very end! It might be hard sometimes to feel protected, especially if we are constantly being beaten up by the forces that surround us; but this is only but a brief moment compared to what awaits us on the other side. Who is in control? It is God that is seated on the throne, not the devil; the devil might have dominion over this fallen world, but this fallen world is still under the throne of God, and God Rules! Pretty soon, I believe that sickness will no longer be our biggest concern, because the church is being more and more restricted to have a voice; what was once something that seemed wrong in the eyes of the world, is now somehow not only right, but it has become something of a special right, something protected. Pretty soon, The King is Coming! Personally, I think that a person who has been given only a few months to live, has been given a gift from God; not that God has given them the disease that they have, but He has allowed it; but if they know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, then they can look forward to being in His presence, and can do so with clean hands! What that means, just in case your mind was on something else, is that those who have been given time to get ready, can actually prepare to get ready, seriously...
"The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent." (1 Corinthians 1:18-19)

"Through God!" -2

"Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies." (Psalms 60:12) Listen to God; that's what the Lord is saying: stop pretending to know what He is saying, and listen! You just don't get it: God is that Strong Young Lion! Do you think the devil wanted Jesus nailed upon that cross? Personally, I think that when God revealed His plans to the devil, that is what caused him to revolt; but that's just my weird way of thinking. If you are honestly going to consider your life dead to this world, who do you think is going to assure it is so? I hope that you are not counting on yourself to make it happen; you might have a little courage in you, but not what it takes to shake up your own life in that manner. When you really stop and count the cost, you do not have enough fortitude in you pull it off; it must be God that makes it happen, we just need to surrender our lives over to Him. Think about the picture painted in Isaiah 31:4, because it shows something that I believe is important for us to understand; that God's intentions on our lives, although they might appear sometimes to be cruel and wrong, they must be done, in spite of the shouts that come from those that might care about what we might be going through. God is the one who shall destroy our enemies! Unfortunately for us, we are our own worst enemy! Mount Zion and Jerusalem are one in the same! That said, God is also the one that shall bring forth and protect the new life, like those young birds in the nest from Isaiah 31:5; through God we must be slain and resurrected, but it's not complete until we are glorified in heaven; go figure...
"The Assyrians will be destroyed, but not by the swords of men. The Sword of God will strike them, and they will panic and flee. The strong young Assyrians will be taken away as captives. Even the strongest will quake with terror, and princes will flee when they see your battle flags, says the LORD, whose fire burns in Zion, whose flame blazes from Jerusalem." (Isaiah 31:8-9) NLT

"Through God!"

"Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies." (Psalms 60:12) Here's a crazy thought I had this morning; you know how sometimes things look so good, and then they seem to just never happen; well, if I could somehow share my mind's emotions on this brief little vision that the Lord gave to me, a vision on the instant end of all life as we know it. If like me, you truly believe that God holds all things together, then try and imagine in an instant, that He stopped; the earth quit spinning, and the distance between us and the sun no longer stayed the same; imagine, if you can, how that realization might make you feel if it were to happen; if it could happen, what if anything could you possibly do? How much courage do you need? How much peace do you really want? How much joy can you handle? Through God, all things are possible! There is nothing that is too difficult for God! And yet, we somehow worry and concern ourselves with the most little issues; things that involve our tiny little lives, we make out to be problems that are blown way out of proportion. If we could only see the things that really matter, maybe our lives would appear to have more purpose, and just maybe, we could actually see what we are worth to God! We are His treasure! No wonder the devil is jealous of us, because God has placed us in such a special place in His heart, and His plans for us are far greater than we could ever imagine. Now then, as for that crazy thought; if you can imagine how you might feel towards that totally uncontrollable situation, now try and imagine the opposite of that, and God's amazing ability to do anything that He wants to do in your life. It's the same amount of effort that you put into the end, that goes into the beginning, because it's not by your strength that things happen, it's by God's...
"But this is what the LORD has told me: "When a strong young lion stands growling over a sheep it has killed, it is not frightened by the shouts and noise of a whole crowd of shepherds. In the same way, the LORD of Heaven's Armies will come down and fight on Mount Zion. The LORD of Heaven's Armies will hover over Jerusalem and protect it like a bird protecting its nest. He will defend and save the city; He will pass over it and rescue it." Though you are such wicked rebels, my people, come and return to the LORD. I know the glorious day that will come when each of you will throw away the gold idols and silver images your sinful hands have made." (Isaiah 31:4-7)   

"Never Give Up!"

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man." (Psalms 60:11) Will not God, who freely gave us His all to save us, gladly give us the help that we need? The problem with us, is that the help we need and the help that we want are most times entirely different! There are two ways that we can look upon the second part of this verse, "for vain is the help of man"; we could take it to mean that getting help from man or seeking to be helped by man is vain, because we are looking for solutions from the world, which is the way most will read this Scripture; or we could read this another way, which is that anything that man can do for me stops at the grave, and does nothing to provide for my eternity. The word "vain" is shav', a word that basically means emptiness or worthlessness; in other words, it's not seeking man's help that is vain, it's the fact that any help we receive from man in the grand scheme of things is ultimately worthless. Here is the thing that we have need to understand, that what God can give us is free! It's yours, absolutely free!!! We are not just talking about your eternal salvation, we are talking about what you really need here and now! You might want physical healing, but what you really need is to experience God's peace and His joy; peace that takes away all of your worries, and joy that gives you strength in times of suffering. Nothing that man can do for you can even come close to doing that; unless it's is temporary help in the form of a pill, which I am sure they will more than gladly try and give you. It seems that has become the solution for everything, take a pill and make it seem to go away; which is really not actually giving up, it's not even attempting to try; try God, that is. Yea, but I already tried God, and it didn't work; is that what you say? Because if it is, then you obviously are looking for the wrong work, because God wants to do far more in your life than save your wretched body; God wants to make you a Star, because that's what you are...
"What sorrows awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. In His wisdom, the LORD will send great disaster; He will not change His mind. He will rise against the wicked and against their helpers. For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the LORD raises His fist against them, those who help will stumble, and those being helped will fall. They will all fall down and die together." (Isaiah 31:1-3)

"No Matter What!" -2

"Wilt not Thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and Thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?" (Psalms 60:10) Sometimes God just says no. As hard as it might be for us to understand why, sometimes God has something else in mind than what we want. But yesterday God reminded me of something very very important, which is that He is in control! It's not my will or wants that count, it's His; He ultimately knows what's best, so we should not try to force His hand on anything; as if we even could! I can think of a few instances in the Bible where it might appear that God's hand was forced, but don't think for a moment that it was; God always knows what's going to happen next, He just wants us to see what happens with the bad choices that we make. But, as bad as things turn out, God can still use them, and He does, to bring glory to Himself! One such instance was Israel's choice to have a king rule over them, which God allowed, even though He let them know how much that would cost them; but look how He used that bad choice for His glory. King Hezekiah is another, yet Manasseh is listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ; which is quite fitting, because he is surrounded by other sinners, he just happened to be the worse. Yesterday I heard a message, I believe it was Pastor Jack, saying, "There are a thousand steps to get into heaven, and God has performed nine hundred and ninety-nine of them, leaving us just one: to believe!" Then later on in the day, I heard Pastor Matt confirm that, saying, "It really is all about what God has done, and it is not about what I can do; there is absolutely no way that I can ever do anything to earn my way into heaven!" You don't think that God does not know that! One stupid little thing, that's all that it was, one stupid sin, and death followed after it for all of mankind! Now let me ask you, What is the most important thing that matters more than anything else? Wilt Not Thou, O God, Take My Place?
"Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink - even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk - it's all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to Me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. Come to Me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David. See how I used him to display My power among the peoples. I made him a leader among the nations. You also will command nations you do not know, and peoples unknown to you will come running and obey, because I, the LORD your God, have made you glorious." (Isaiah 55:1-5) NLT

"No Matter What!"

"Will Not Thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and Thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?" (Psalms 60:10) Here is something to ponder, if you are into numbers: 3,000 men died when the law was first given to Moses (Exodus 32:28), and on the day of Pentecost when Peter first preached, 3,000 souls were added to the kingdom of heaven (Acts 2:41). Not that God was not making a point, as I believe that He was; but can't you see sharp contrast in the difference between the Law and grace? Paul uses a question in Romans 7:7, saying, "What shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." God's law reveals our sin, our sinful nature, and our desperate need for God's redemption! If God has "cast us off", or has refused to "go out with" us, He has done so because of sin; and the same God that has given us the law in order that we might see our sin, has given us the redemption from our sin, for all that will ask. God does not change: God did not change His way of dealing with sin, because the penalty for sin is death; and every since God told Adam, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:17), He pronounced death to be the result of sin; but Jesus paid the price for our sin with His death on the cross; Jesus paid the price for all sin, including the sin of Adam. So, what that actually means, in case you were not listening, is that death which came with the sin of Adam was made null and void, thereby giving the gift of life to all that believe in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17). Are you still pondering? Maybe you might be wondering what the point is, and how this relates to anything to do with Psalms 60:10? Although God does not change, He does change His how we stand with Him, which is based upon where we stand in receiving His free gift...
"Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:18-21) NLT

"Take Him at His Word"

"Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me into Edom?" (Psalms 60:9) I can not help but think of all the times that I have doubted God in times of need; as if, just because I could not see the solution to my problem, that somehow meant that God could not answer, or was not listening. Somehow God always did come through! Thinking back, it is hard to remember what was so impossible for me to understand, and why it seemed so difficult to just trust God for the help I needed. Most people would probably have given up by now, thinking that God can still perform a miracle in a situation that has been going on for almost twelve years; but I am still holding on; I am still believing that God is able to do whatever God wants to do. He can! I know that, and I believe it with all of my heart! There is really nothing much that matters more to me than to have my wife healed, and to be able to share special moments with her. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy time with her now; it's just that, it sure would be nice to get a response or word of encouragement from the one that I love. Enough of that, let me tell you what God can do for you. God can give you peace in every single circumstance and in every trial, if you will just take Him at His word; as simple as that might sound, it is not something that comes automatically; you must almost force yourself to listen and wait upon the Lord. It is a little like going on a long journey to a special place, where you are so excited to get there, that you can't really enjoy where you are, or what you are going through, because you are so focused on getting to where you want to go. Yet, God would have us to enjoy the journey; using the time of, between where we are and where we would like to be, as a time of rest, not as a time of apprehension or wanting; which is only possible with the peace that God gives you through trusting in Him. But you might say, I don't feel the peace you are speaking of; to which, I would say, Then try harder to trust God with all of your heart, and take Him at His word... "You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the LORD'S name; they will be an everlasting sign of His power and love." (Isaiah 55:12-13) NLT  

"Try To Understand"

"Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver; Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me." (Psalms 60:7-8) The basic difference between what I can try to figure out and what God already knows is a lot like the following saying that I heard yesterday: "Man can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." I thought that statement pretty much summed it up as to the mass difference between our capacity to know anything close to what God knows; all that we can ever see is what we have available to work with, but God sees the work that is done through anything that we do. That work we do might also include the trials which God puts before us; it's not just about doing ministry work that brings people to Christ, it's also about living a life that gives others hope. You might not even think that your life is that important, especially compared to those that are obviously winning souls to Christ; but God uses the simple things of this world to produce great results, far greater results than we could ever imagine. In God's economy of worth, it's all about giving the glory to Him, because it is Him that holds all things together. As simple of a statement that might seem, it requires the heart of a servant to understand that it is so; not just to say it, but to believe it, and to live by it. In other words, you have got to see how little that you know, and then trust God with all that you cannot see...
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts", says the LORD. "And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same for My word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it." (Isaiah 55:8-11)

"Separated Servants"

"God hath spoken in His holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth." (Psalms 60:6) In this world, filled with awe and wonder, there is plenty of death and destruction; I try to figure out sometimes which has more influence upon my life, the awesomeness of God's creation, or the darkness of the death and destruction; but I guess that is all dependent upon the way you look at things, don't you think? I am convinced that we can find beauty in death, if it is death that has the ability to give life; and I might even consider that there can be beauty in destruction, if that destruction makes way for meaningful restoration; but where in this world do we obtain such as these? If you notice, I have titled this posting "Separated Servants"; which, whether or not it was my idea or His, the basic meaning of the word "separated" implies that it is something that has been made separate outside of it's own capacity; or, if you will, "to keep apart or divide, as by an intervening barrier or space." The general idea of what God is showing us, is that He, in His holiness, has shown us by His word, where the dividing lines are between what is good and what is bad; in other words, His word is the something that divides and sets up the intervening barriers between this or that, what is wrong and what is right, the good and the bad; and more importantly, what is truth and what is false. The second part of the title, "Servants", implies that there is a willingness to serve; and based upon the phrase "I will rejoice", it is also implied that the willingness to serve is with a glad heart; meaning, that the heart is glad to serve in the capacity of being separated. Oh, I know this is going to speak into my heart; I just hope I listen! Where can I find peace in a world that is filled with such chaos? As I thought about that this morning, I was reminded of something that I realized over 33 years ago, that God's word has the answers to all of my concerns, and all of my needs; it is up to me to accept what He says, and to believe that they were written to me. I am sure that is what God requires of us, more than any other thing, that we believe that what He says in His word is written and spoken to us, as His servants. And, if what is said, is intended for me, and I am His servant, then whether I agree with it or not, I am obligated to perform what I have been instructed to do. And, if I am His faithful servant, then I will set out to do what I am instructed in, by rejoicing, even if I may not like it or agree. The big difference that divides my understanding and His, is holiness; as misunderstood as that might sometimes become...
"Seek the LORD while you can find Him. Call on Him now while He is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that He may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for He will forgive generously." (Isaiah 55:6-7) NLT  

"Upon His" -Too

"That Thy beloved may be delivered; save with Thy right hand, and hear me." (Psalms 60:5) There is a war going on for your soul; it's not a warfare against your heath and well being, although that is what we are mostly focused upon, and where we tend to place the battlefield. It is really easy for us to misplace the area that must be protected, which is the area of our eternal destination, and to focus upon the here and now; I have seen way more tragedies than I care to remember, all because the battlefield is misplaced, and the enemy rages on in the arena that matters the most. Obviously we cannot see all of the spiritual warfare that is going on around us, but if we pray hard enough, we can see how it plays out in the things we can see. The point I believe that Paul was making in Romans 8:38-39, was not about how any of those things can separate us from God's love, which is pretty much true; it was more about the fact that God's love is far more important and unending that anything in all of creation. Therefore, if you were going to take any sort of vantage point to focus your attention, it should be God's love; in other words, if you need to place your attention to anything, then place it upon His love, and you can never go wrong by focusing on the wrong area of the battle. That might sound a little over simplified, and maybe even come off as missing some sort of solution for whatever you might be going through; but I assure you, if you put off concerning yourself with the physical side of what ever it is, and you just focus upon His love for you, your solution will be no longer the thing you are really caring about, it will only be about God's love...
"But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend, I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.' For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." (Isaiah 41:8-10) NLT  

"Upon His"

"That Thy beloved may be delivered; save with Thy right hand, and hear me." (Psalms 60:5) You do  know that God loves you, Right? I was listening to a message yesterday about "the good bad", and how what we see, and others observe, to be bad happening upon us or to us, is actually being meant for good by the God that loves us. Let me restate that in terms that you might best understand: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good." (Genesis 50:20 NLT) Now, just in case you did not quite get that, how about a more modern version: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." (Romans 8:28 NLT) There really isn't any reason to feel bad when bad things might happen, because God has your back; more than that, He will make whatever it is that happens in our life work for the good, no matter how bad it might appear! Don't try to figure it out before hand, because you can't! Only God knows what awaits us at the end of something bad that happens in our lives; only God can take the bad and make it good; not only does He make it good, but if we agree with His purpose for our lives, we feel good in the bad situation. That might be the one area where we need to be helped, and the area where God really does want to help us, to feel good in the bad. If you are not feeling good going through something right now, you are not alone, so don't beat yourself up over it. But know this: God can and will give the peace and joy that you need to feel good in any situation, even if that might involve death, that being the worst things that could happen. If you are His child, you are in good hands; and there is nothing in this world that can take you from His hand; absolutely nothing...
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) NLT  

"His Touch" -2

"Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the Truth. Selah" (Psalms 60:4) That word "Selah" means to pause and think about what is being said; I thought maybe I might aught to try that, seeing how three messages I heard yesterday confirmed what God was speaking into my heart. Jon Courson, Ed Young and J Vernon McGee all were speaking about the same thing, which was how the world will make you privatize your faith, or be tolerant to others beliefs; as if it really does not matter what you believe, as long as you believe in something and don't try and push your belief on anyone else. Why do you think the followers of Jesus were all put to death; all except John, but it was not like they did not try. They were all put to death because they believed in the Truth of God! They knew the Truth, and they died for the Truth; if it was not the Truth, would they have died for it? Would you die for a lie? Beyond that, we know that He is real because He has revealed Himself to us; so others can think what they will, but those that have received His Spirit, they know with all "Certainty" that there is absolutely no other name but Jesus that will assure that we have eternal life in heaven, none whatsoever! People don't like to hear us say that, but it is the Truth! And how do I know with all "Certainty" that what I believe is the "Truth", because of His Touch upon my life: that it was not something I had to work at making a change in me; I asked Him to come into my life, and He instantly changed me! You can't make it any plainer than that...
"We proclaim to you the One who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This One who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen Him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that He is the One who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then He was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy." (1 John 1:1-4)

"His Touch"

"Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the Truth. Selah." (Psalms 60:4) Almost immediately I thought of Jacob, who by just a touch to his side, he was changed for life; not only was he changed, but God gave him a new name, one that meant, "Governed By God". I still can't get that picture out of my head, the one where Jesus is weeping and praying in the garden; what pain He suffered on our behalf; what needless pain we suffer by not walking in His victory! The word "banner" is one that represents something that is lifted up, and that can be seen far off, like that which is upon a mountain, or the top of ship's mast, or the top of a flag pole. Now, I know this might be something of old news to many of you, but Jesus was that Banner! And I know I have said it before, but just in case you missed it, that display was God in His weakest form; beaten, tormented, humiliated, and killed upon a cross, that was God giving Himself as a Sacrifice for our sins; you can't get much lower than that! Jacob wrestled with God all night long, prevailing against Him; and yet, with just a touch, God prevailed and changed Jacob for the rest of his life. Maybe you can't see the power in that, or you don't understand what that has to do with anything about this verse; but here is the thing about "them that fear" God, they understand God's power and might, and how the very weakness of God is mightier than the greatness of man! Talk about "Truth", the world can't handle the Truth! The world will tell us that we need to be tolerant of what others believe, and that we should not be so narrow minded when it comes to what we believe; but if it does not line up the written Word of God, it is not worth considering, and it surely is not the "Truth"! This word "truth" appears only twice in the Old Testament writings; it is the word 'qoshet', and it appears again in Proverbs 22:21 as the word "certainty". How do I know that what the Bible says is the "Truth"? Because of His Touch...
"As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God's peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God." (Galatians 6:14-16) NLT

"Beyond Belief"

"Thou hast shown Thy people hard things: Thou hast made us drink the wine of astonishment." (Psalms 60:3) Yesterday I was reminded of something I had heard before, but had not grabbed me like it did yesterday; it was a saying, "You may never know that Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have" (Corrie ten Boom). As I thought about that, I imagined what it must be like to experience that kind of traumatic trial where you have nothing left to hold onto; we are talking about something so devastating, that it is all swept away, and there is nothing; no money, no family, no strength to carry on; it was really not that hard to imagine it, but it sure was hard to think about. The world will try and tell you that you control your own destiny, making you believe that what God wants for your life really does not matter; but God takes us through whatever we need to go through, just so we will see His point of view on the things that really matter. If you stop long enough to listen, God really does want us to be astonished by His love for us; so much so, that it literally rocks our world 'beyond belief'!!! Some mornings I just sit here and shake, barely able to see what I am typing, and broken by the love I so easily trample upon. No wonder the angels in heaven are so astonished at God's grace for us: they see what we do, yet they still see that He loves us! Think about this "wine of astonishment" and what that might represent, seeing how wine is made by the crushing of grapes; it takes us to a whole new understanding of what "hard things" might represent, and how little many of us have actually tasted it for ourselves: talk about astonishment...
"They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, "Sit here while I go and pray." He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." He went a little further and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting Him might pass Him by. "Abba, Father," He cried out, "everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine." (Mark 14:32-36)   

"A Breaking Point"

"Thou hast made the earth to tremble; Thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh." (Psalms 60:2) It is considered "A" breaking point, because it's not the only one, but it is a pretty good place to start; I mean, consider the options: heal my broken heart, or heal the planet, they both result in putting trust in God that He is able to restore something that is broken. Yes, but did you catch how it was broken? I picture the earth like a giant Snow Globe, where God shakes things up a little (or a lot, depending on His objective), to get the attention of whom ever might be paying attention. If you have not noticed, God has certain order to the way that He wants things to happen; and when they get of track, He will redirect the way things are going. It works in our personal lives in the same manner, just on a much smaller scale. God is extremely patient with us, but even He has a breaking point; a point where He will shake things up a little to get our attention. I think that the most important lesson we can learn by any trial, is that God is faithful to His word; if He says "All things work together for good", then we had better accept it to be true, and then rest in His loving ability to work things together for good; after all, He is God, Right? That is the whole point! We are constantly in need of being reminded of what God can do, in every situation, and in every area of our lives. God does not make threats, He makes promises; promises to what our lives will be like if we keep His commands, and promises of what will happen to our lives if we don't. There are some people that refuse to accept God's existence for just that reason, they really do not want to enter into accountability; because as soon as you put your faith in God, you are accountable to trust in Him, for better or for worse! He has never promised that He would not stretch us, because being stretched builds character; and He is all about making His children right...
"Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when He adopted as His own children. Now we call Him, "Abba, Father". For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are His children, we are heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering." (Romans 8:12-17) NLT

"Reaching Out To God"

"O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast scattered us, Thou hast been displeased; O turn Thyself to us again." (Psalms 60:1) So, if God changes not, then how do you think it is that He turns away? I was thinking about my relationship with my son, and how it was that I felt so convicted when I turned my back on him; and how God spoke to my heart about His love for me needed to be lived out in my life to others. Think about this, because I think a God that would suffer and die for us the way that He did, would also not turn His back on the ones that He died for! It is really more about Him making us want Him more, because He wants us to depend upon Him, not the world, and especially not ourselves. The world will try and teach you that you need to be self-sufficient, and they say that God is just a crutch for real believers; but I will take their statement a step or two further, and say that Jesus is more of a wheelchair than a crutch, because I can go nowhere unless I am seated in Christ! If I could, I do not think that God would let me get away from Him; at least that is how I see myself in Christ; once I am His, I am always His; and technically, I have always been His, even before I ever existed, He knew me. We can easily see the situation the way it is explained in this verse; more times than I care to think about, I question if God has given up on me or not; if He is really so displeased with my life, that He has cast me off as His child, and has turned His back on me for good. I think that there is really just one answer for any thinking like that: "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned"...
"Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children. And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father". Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are His child, God has made you His heir." (Galatians 4:1-7) NLT

"A Prayer for Help"

Psalms 60 [To the chief Musician upon Shushaneduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aramnaharaim and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand.]
This is a rather interesting Psalm, that just so happens to take two different views upon the outcome of events; something of a basic lesson in the economy of God. 'Shushaneduth' is a word that is thought to mean "the lily", a work or ornament resembling lilies; maybe a musical instrument like a trumpet. Which reminds me, are the "trumpets of God" good or bad? I guess it depends where you are standing with God when they are sounded! The event that David is speaking of is recorded in two separate Books, 2 Samuel 8 and 1 Chronicles 18; but don't bother looking for "Aramnaharian" or Aramzobah" in those Scriptures, because you will not find them; from what I can see, they pretty much mean the same thing: the first is to be high, or the exalt oneself; while the second is exalted conflict, but also means to exalt oneself. It is interesting because in 2 Samuel 8 it appears that Israel won the battle with Edom, but in 1 Chronicles 18 they did not, Edom had the victory, being those that lived on the southern tip of the Dead Sea. You know, you can be serving God in all sorts of capacities, be it a preacher, a healer, a prophet, and even an evangelist, and you might still need for yourself to get right with God; you really don't want to be left, when you could have been right...
"If I could speak all the languages of the earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would gain nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) NLT    

"For Today!" -2

"Unto Thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy." (Psalms 59:17) I know that it might not appear some days as though God is working, but even the bad days are days that bring about His purposes into our lives. You know that old saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life", well it is really kind of true for those that wake up everyday asking God for forgiveness and wanting to love as God commands us to love. Yesterday I heard a message about love and patience, and how David really did show patience towards Saul; twenty seven times Saul tried to kill David, yet David did not set out to kill Saul, even when he had the opportunity to do so, he still was waiting upon God; and he still somehow found it in his heart to love Saul, that blows my mind! To that point I made yesterday about our will to love, we really do need to want it; it's never going to happen if we don't want it to happen; just like that sin you keep holding onto is not going to go away until you don't want it anymore, you have got to want God to change you! He is waiting, and He wants to help!!! Forget about all those other laws and commands, just focus on the two that matter, loving God and loving others; if we can just want to keep those two, then all the others will be satisfied; but we have got to want it more than life itself; it needs to be the number one thing that we think about, love! God, please show me how to love like You love! We will never reach the level of love that God has for us, but that does not mean we do not try, because who can honestly say, "I love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength"? I know that has not been a reality in my life; how about yours? And yet, God will never ask us to do anything that we are not able to do, with His help! That is the key to all that we need, God's help! He has never asked us to do it on our own...
"Now may the God of peace - who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with His blood - may He equip you with all that you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21) NLT

"For Today!"

"Unto Thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy." (Psalms 59:17) You know, I really believe that God is for me; more than that, I believe that He is right now rooting for me; like the loving Father that He is, He is encouraging me and applauding enthusiastically when I get something right. Only God can make me feel this way! You cannot describe the peace that comes from knowing how much God loves you regardless of your endless failures, He still loves you! I have a son that I need to love! Talk about being an unfaithful servant, I am just that and more; only if I would treat my son the way that I want God to treat me! But you see, there is the little twist in my thinking: God has already treated me the way that I should be treating my son, now it is my turn to live out the mercy that I have been given! It is like that in all of our relationships, not just with our children, but everyone; we must love the way that God loves us, and it needs to be real!!! The word "defense" is more about being a refuge than it is about being a defender; it's about the fact that God is always there for me to take refuge in His loving arms, no matter how bad that I have been, or how bad I have screwed up, He is always there with open arms! So where do we get the strength to love like that? The Holy Spirit? Yes, I believe we do; but we also need to die to our selfish flesh! The Holy Spirit will not force us to do anything; He will lead us, guide us, and strengthen us, but He will not make us love one another; we must perform the action of loving each other in our own will; and if we don't have the will to do it, then we need to ask God to give us the will to really love: His real love endures all things...
"Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God's grace, not from rules about food, which don't help those who follow them. We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make His people holy by means of His own blood. So let us go out to Him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace He bore. For this is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name. And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God." (Hebrews 13:8-16)

"Daily Deliverance"

"But I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning: for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble." (Psalms 59:16) Here is the thing that God has shown me about what true deliverance is all about, it's ongoing! We need to understand that, because if we don't, then we are always going to doubt where we stand with God, and whether or not God is actually working things out in our lives. When you look at the children of Israel as they journeyed in the wilderness, they were always dependent upon God for everything; which was a good thing, because that is right where God wants us to be, dependent upon Him; their problem came from complaining and missing the pleasures of Egypt. I was thinking of the manna, and how they needed fresh manna every day; not only did they need it to be fresh, but they needed to go out and gather it early, before the sun had a chance to dry it up. The manna represents God's Word, and just as they needed fresh manna every morning, so we need God's Word every morning to guild and direct our day. It's really about daily deliverance from the world, a world that has so much to offer, but has nothing that satisfies; and it's about a daily dependence upon God for His protection and strength. We are always going to need to be delivered from something; whether it be sickness, or stress, or anything that causes us to take our eyes off of Jesus; it's all part of being justified, and living in an unjust world. Look at the "rest" the children of Israel did not enjoy, all because they could not trust God to be their "defense and refuge"; even after all that they saw Him do, they still doubted Him as soon as they came to another place where they needed His strength, protection, or provision. The writer, or writers, of Hebrews wanted us to understand that it is God's power that keeps us going; it's was God's power that saved us, and it is God's power that sustains us; and it is God's power that will deliver us from this body and from death! Our salvation is from heaven, as hard as that is to remember; it's not of this earth, nor is it derived from earthly things; it is heavenly! Jesus came from heaven and He returned to heaven; therefore, our salvation does not save us from this earth, because it is not for this earth, it's for heaven...
"Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don't believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown love to Him by caring for other believers, as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and endurance." (Hebrews 6:9-12)

"No Satisfaction!"

"Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied." (Psalms 59:15) Obviously God's will is the answer, because everything that I want turns to dust, ashes, or vapor, and cannot be held onto. There is really only one way that we can satisfy the discomfort of our souls, and that is to surrender everything to God! Hold nothing back; everything must be go; because to die, you bring nothing with you into the next life! That might not sound like it makes any sense, since we physically have not died, but it is more about what we care for than what we have; because God can take it all away, if that is what it takes to get out attention. That whole point about "God is a consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24), although it is something we attribute to anything else but ourselves, it is very much about each and every one of us; everyone that is one of His children most be consumed in the fire of God, so that everything that is not of Him can be burnt away. So, how do you want it to happen? Because God offers easy answers for those that seek His will; they might not look so inviting, and they might appear to be difficult and hard to face, but that's because we are looking at it through our understanding and not through God's. Personally, I can see a few things right now in my life that God still needs for me to surrender to Him; and I am sure that there are more, but I believe God takes us through stages; at least that is the preferred way! For those of us that are more stubborn, He has the way that consumes everything, leaving just the ashes; from which He will make all things new. So really, it is going to happen one way or another; how do you want Him to do it? Let me tell you what God is putting on my heart through this verse, because it has a lot to do with being a satisfied sheep, one that is not always trying to find greener pastures; but one that is satisfied with what God has for me, not trying to feed a desire that is outside of His will for my life. All those things that we keep holding onto, they are never going to satisfy us, but will actually do the opposite in us; not only will we be unsatisfied by those things, but we will be unsatisfied in our relationship with God. We see this example so plainly given in the lives of the children of Israel, as they were wondering around in the wilderness, always wanting, and never satisfied. Even their relationship with God was never satisfied, always accusing God of bringing them into the wilderness to kill them, and never really trusting God to be their God, THE LORD GOD...
"So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don't need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don't need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding." (Hebrews 6:1-3) NLT

"Self-determination"

"And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city." (Psalms 59:14) The problem with free will, is that it has a will; a will that often is resistant to the will of God. If we could only see what God sees, then we might make different choices when it comes to having things our way, verses doing what we believe God is asking us to do. I know it's a stretch, but don't you think this verse is a repeat of verse six; which, if it is, it should have already been dealt with; that is unless there happens to be something beyond just pride that needs to be dealt with; something like stubbornness, which is "the steadfast adherence to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments or persuasion". We might tend to think that pride is the primary factor in this malfunction, but I don't know if I buy that, because I think it is more about reasoning and determination; not counting the cost, if you will, is what I think brings out the stubbornness in our ability to make the right choices. Here is another seed illustration, if you will, as Jesus explains what it is to do God's will, saying, "Verily, verily, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it adideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it: and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." (John 12:24-25) So, yes, one could make the case for pride having something to do with us holding unto the things of this world; in mean, if your stuck on wanting to see what you can get out of this world, then that could be considered the pride of life; but if you are just not yet convinced that none on this really matters, then that could just be pure stubbornness! It really comes down to counting the cost, as to what really matters, and then making a determination from that point on as to what direction you are headed in; am I going to follow my will, or am I going to follow God's will? Jesus continued, saying, "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour." (John 12:26-27) So it was not pride that Jesus was speaking of, but more about the things that matter most, which is based upon what I want...
"If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, He said: The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to My covenant, so I turned My back on them, says the LORD. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, 'You should know the LORD'. For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know Me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins. When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear." (Hebrews 8:7-13) NLT         

"Made Ready"

"Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah." (Psalms 59:13) I know it is sometimes not pretty, but that does not mean God is not in it; if you think about what Jesus went through on that cross, it was horrible to even look at, but God was all over it! God's will sometimes does not make sense, it can even sometimes look as if the enemy has the upper hand, and that there is no way that God is involved with what is going on; but that is what is so amazing about God, His will is always made complete, in one way or another. It is rather interesting how David moves from "the God of Israel" to "God ruleth in Jacob", because before there was an Israel, there was a Jacob; if you understand what that stands for, it involves somewhat of a transformation itself. Jesus used an interesting illustration, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." (Matthew 13:31-32) God can do big things from hardly anything, and He can do wonderful things through tragedy and death. In other words, God's will is always the greatest, even though it might appear to be the weakest; His will is always the best, even though it might appear to be the worst; we can't see what God sees, we only see what we can see, and sometimes, what we see is just ugliness and death. Imagine what it must have been like for those that believed in Jesus, as they stood by and watched, seeing Him tortured and then crucified upon that cross; they had to be wondering where God was in all of that, and why He was allowing this to happen to someone that loved Him so much. Talk about "wrath", if there was ever a display of God's wrath, it was displayed in what God did for us unto Himself!!! I can't imagine it, yet it happened; who would have thought something so brutal and horrible could even be considered as lovely, or even have the word love associated with it at all; but it was all about God's love for us; He took our place; He allowed His flesh to be crucified so that we could reckon our's done! Talk about weak becoming strong, the Creator of the universe becomes flesh and blood, to have His flesh and blood destroyed, so that we might have life...
"For in one place the Scriptures say, What are mere mortals that you should think about them, or the son of man that you should care for him? Yet you made them only a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them authority over all things. Now when is says "all things" it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. What we do see is Jesus, who was given a position "a little lower than the angels", and because He suffered death for us, He is now "crowned with glory and honor." Yes, by God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that He should make Jesus, through His suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation." (Hebrews 2:6-10)

"Self-preservation"

"For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their own pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak." (Psalms 59:12) Before you go and think this is about being selfish or having a survival instinct, it's totally not; it's about one of the biggest barriers between being stuck in bondage and true deliverance, pride! Not just the kind of pride that thinks, I can do this on my own; no, this is the kind of pride that refuses to let go of self; that kind of pride that does not want to be fixed, because being fixed would mean changing who I am, and that I cannot tolerate or allow; even to the point lying about who I really am, I am determined to preserve this sinful nature. If that is you, then listen up; if that is not you, then listen very closely! I say that only because we are all sinful creatures, and as long as we remain in these earthen vessels, we will struggle with sin and the things of the flesh, it's just a fact; and if you say that you don't, then you are not being very honest with yourself; and you are especially not being very honest with God. But God needs you to be honest before Him before He can honestly fix you! It's not just a matter of saying, Lord forgive me for my sins, because there are multitudes of sins that we need to be forgiven for, and that kind of blanket request is not going to breakdown the wall of pride. It's a good start though, but God wants to take it to the next level, and the next, and the next, and on and on till eternity. We are never going to be totally fixed until we are safely in glory; until then, we must let go of our selfish pride, and let God do what He does best, transformations! From ashes to beauty, from sinner to saint, from death to life; He takes that which is broken and rotten, and He makes it whole and fresh; but it requires that we be totally honest and transparent before Him! He already knows everything about you, so the only thing holding you back is your pride, because it surely is not a secret...
"So God's rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering His rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: Today when you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts. Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable." (Hebrews 4:6-13)

"Forget-me-not" -Too

"Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by Thy power; and bring them down, O LORD our shield." (Psalms 59:11) Because of what today represents, I thought I needed to complete what I started; or more importantly, let God complete the message He wants to speak into my heart. The New Living Translation has this verse written as such: "Don't kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons; stagger them with Your power, and bring them to their knees, O Lord our shield." It is very similar, yet it adds a certain thing about "lessons" and "knees", both of which are important things to what is required for true deliverance to take place in our lives. I was reminded of something very important this morning; two things, actually: the first of which, is that of Jesus the night before, and how He battled the temptation to not go through with what He was sent to do; the second, is that Saul represented something metaphorically in comparison to David, whereas Saul represented the worldly king, and David represented God's anointed king. Both of these thoughts are very closely related, because they both are based upon two very different arenas, if you will; in other words, they both consider God's Kingdom over the kingdom of this world, God's will verses our will, God's power verses man's power, God's strength verses what man can do; I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Whether you can accept it or not, we are able to keep His commands, because God will never ask us to do something that is impossible to do; but we can never do it without His help! That is where "lessons" come into play, because we know by experience what our weakness and strengths are; and we know by experience the power of God's Spirit in our lives; which is where "knees" come into play, because that is where we need to be when we are tempted. If you doubt that for even a moment, then you need to think where Jesus was in the hour of His temptation, and then consider the difference between His strength and yours: you need knee pads! The finial point that needs to be made, is very similar to those other two, which is the word "shield"; because it speaks of a smaller shield, as in the one in our hands, which God holds, and is powered by Him. I mean, think about this for a moment, because the power of God to defeat sin and death was displayed in God's weakness; as Jesus became flesh and blood to be able to die, that we might all live! Man, my little temptations are so weak and pitiful...
"We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; He came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested." (Hebrews 2:16-18)  

"Forget-me-not"

"Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by Thy power; and bring them down, O LORD our shield." (Psalms 59:11) I think we sometimes loose the awe and wonder of cross; not that we do not remember that He changed us, but that we don't remember how He transformed us! The writer, or writers, of Hebrews were transformed, and they wanted to make that transformation abundantly clear; like the huge difference between Sinai and Zion, so is the power in the transformation of our lives. No longer are we scared little creatures, fearing the wrath of a Holy God; but we are now faithful children, secure in the arms of a Loving God! Who changed, us or God? That's a rhetorical question, because God never changes. We not only changed, we were relocated; my mailing address is now a PO Box in heaven, because this place is no longer my home. Do you know that to be the case in your life? I don't know if I remember it as much as I should; no, in fact, I honestly seldom think about it the way that I just expressed it; it's more like, I think about one day being in heaven, but I have not yet been made a citizen of heaven. That my dear friends is what we would call stinkin-thinkin, because we have not only been made citizens, but our presence in heaven is more secure than our presence here; if we could just accept it that way, then we might not hurt so much. One thing is for sure, we would not hurt each other so much! But seriously, are we still afraid? and if so, why? What are we afraid of? or what makes us fearful of anything in this life? Honestly, I am not quite sure how this all ties into anything...
"Because God's children are human beings - made of flesh and blood - the Son also because flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying." (Hebrews 2:14-15) NLT

"Roots" -2

"The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies." (Psalms 59:10) Now that you have seen where I stand, let me tell you that we all must take a stand, and why; because our God is holy, we must take the side of holiness! More than that, we must proactively walk out the love that we have been given; which means that we are to love!!! There is absolutely no way we are ever going to be delivered if we do not love! And I know this is not popular, but love requires sacrifice of yourself; your needs, your wants, your feelings, none of that matters when it comes to love, because love is not about you getting what you need and what, or even how you feel; it's about obedience to God's commands, and His commands are not suggestions! I'm sorry, I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed; actually, I really did not have a choice which side to wake up on, because my wife's bed was on one side. But I think you get my point, because sometimes we really can destroy hope for the hopeless, without giving the law without the gospel; the law on it's own will never save anyone, and it was never intended to do that. God gave us His law to show us how much we need His mercy and grace; and just because we can't keep them, that does not mean we don't try; and just because others don't keep them, does not mean we become the judge of their lives; we have enough to be concerned with by just working on ourselves. Judging others will never win them to Christ; the love of God is what wins the lost to Christ!!! Okay, maybe I have got off track this morning; and then again, maybe the Lord is trying to show me something about what it requires to really be delivered; because real deliverance requires that we totally die to ourselves, which is something that takes all those things we care about and leave them at the cross. That is hard to do! Those things have roots, and it is really hard to get those roots out! But God, "the God of my mercy", He can take them out!!! He is more than able to replace those bad roots with roots that lead straight to His heart; but it requires my heart to surrender... "You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God's command: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death. Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, I am terrified and trembling. No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God Himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who now have been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel." (Hebrews 12:18-24) NLT