"God Rules..."

"The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:" (Psalms 12:3) Here we have the first response that David gives on God's behalf. It is a response that answers the plea for his desire for edification to be poured out among his people. If you notice, it is not an answer that changes their speaking habits, but is one that proclaims that they shall be cut off, or fail to achieve that which they are intent on doing. The meaning of "cut off" is something on the line of 'to be castrated'; which does not mean that they will stop what they are doing, but rather, what they do will produce no offspring or fruit. Another meaning that goes a little further, is that of 'to cut down trees'; which would speak to the fact that they will not provide comfort to those to whom they speak. But the one meaning that I like the most, speaks of, 'to be cut off, as part of a garment'; which could mean that they are exposed for the troublemaker that they are, and not being able to cover up the deception that is in their conversation. Putting it all together, we could say, that there will be no fruit to what they say, it will give no comfort to those that receive it, and they will be exposed as the fool that they are! Therefore; when it comes to a desire for edification, we must endeavor to edify when we speak, so that our words are those that produce fruit, give comfort, and are a covering for all that might otherwise be exposed..."Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8)...Think It; Speak It; Live It...

"Desiring Edification"

"They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak." (Psalms 12:2) If you hang around with clowns you are likely to either join the circus or feel like a fool. One more reason why it is important to keep ourselves in fellowship with those that speak of truth and life; because, if you have ever been forced to hang out with people who are vile, or who do not believe in God, then you might understand what I am talking about. David had some first hand experience in this matter, as he dwelt among the enemies of God and of Israel; although he acted the part of a crazy man while he was living among them, he still was able to keep his faith in God from being marred by their pagan ways. However, this is not the time that David is speaking of, but it was within the kingdom of Israel for which he spoke, and where this was taking place. As some of you may know, any time that a new pastor is given the privilege to take over a church, there is usually a period of several years before he will actually become that church's pastor. Not that he is doing anything wrong in his endeavor to be the pastor, but that there are those within that body who wish to conform him to the image of what they think their pastor should be. Therefore, there are usually several splits that will take place; and sometimes, this transition may require at least six years of service before it has taken hold and is complete. Sadly, some will not survive this transition period; for it is harsh, and requires a heart that cares for nothing more than serving God; sometimes, at all cost. In the transition period between the rein of Saul and David, not all of Israel were behind their new king; not even those that were loyal to David did all that they could to make his rein start smoothly; being more interested in their own position and reputation, they would tear at the fabric of the kingdom in order to do so. Edification builds up; it does not tear down! In this verse, as David says, "they speak vanity every one with his neighbor", the idea of neighbor is one of friend or companion; in other words, someone with whom they agree most closely with, or with whom their will most closely aligns. The vanity that they speak is empty words, or words of falsehood and worthlessness; of which nothing of any good will come forth from what they speak. I like what Paul says on this subject, and how that when we edify one another, we are also building up ourselves as we build up each other; for we are all one body!!! "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not to one another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." (Colossians 3:8-17)  

"Feeling Alone"

"Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men." (Psalms 12:1) So, if you ever wanted a reason to share why it is important to be in fellowship with a body of believers, this is a good one to bring forth. It is not to hard to understand why someone might feel discouraged in a world gone mad; especially if you are not regularly in fellowship with people who feel the same way. The good thing about living in a time, such as this time we are living in, is that we know that Jesus will be coming back very soon; the bad thing, and what makes us feel such discouragement, is that so many we know will not be ready! This word "help" is a word that has a primary meaning of 'to be spacious', 'ample', or 'broad'; in other words, the signification of ample space is in Hebrew applied to liberty, deliverance from dangers and distresses, as on the other hand narrowness of space is frequently used of distresses and dangers. When it comes to feeling alone in a world gone mad, your space of security is threatened and brought to the point of only feeling safe in your own home; and even then, you still need to guard all entry points. When David is speaking about "for the faithful fail from among the children of men", he is speaking about the disappearance of those that are faithful; much as Elijah felt when he fled to Mount Horeb, saying to God, "I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine alsword, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away". (1 Kings 19:10) Yesterday, as I laid around enjoying a holiday, I thought it would be nice to watch some of the Christian channels on TV; apparently I don't know where to find them, since everything that I saw seemed to either have a secular view, or a view that I found hard to digest and did not seem to be based upon Scripture, but more upon other books and philosophers opinions of what the Bible says. I have something like 800 channels, but I only ever watch two: the Golf Channel and Fox News; Fox News is on most frequently, but the Golf Channel is on Thursday thru Sunday. It seems like such a waste of money to pay for all those other channels just to get the two that I want to watch; but that is how it is, oh well. Then when you look at what is happening in some of our churches, and some of those who claim to believe in God, it is hard to understand where they get their understanding of His Word, and if they even believe that His Word is valid. I believe this may have something to do with wanting to be conformed to this world, because it just feels so liberating to be a part of all that is going on. That little space which is all that is left of holiness, just did not give comfort or pleasure; therefore, it was time to become part of  the world. This is why it is so very very important that we do not forsake fellowship with one another..."Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised; and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:22-25)

"The Soul Cries Out"

As I mentioned yesterday, I have a title above this Psalm in my Bible which says, "A Plea for Help". Someone who might not understand the relationship that we must have with God, may not get the reason for a plea for help, if we are trusting fully in God for His protection and guidance. Really, there is not much difference from that of a newborn child, and the trust and needs that are present in that child's heart; they trust the parent for protection, yet continue to need nurturing and affection. When that child feels a need for something, whether it be nourishment or affection, then that child will cry out to the one that they trust will provide it. Just because we trust God fully for His provision, guidance, and protection, does not mean that there will not be needs; it means that when we have needs, or think we have needs, we cry out to God to satisfy whatever it is that we need help with. Would you want your small infant to come to you when they have a need, or to try and satisfy that need on their own, or somewhere else? Small children left to fend for themselves, usually make the wrong choices on what to eat, or what to do with that stuff in their diapers; let alone, what they can get into trying to amuse themselves in lieu of affection. Our heavenly Father wants us to come to Him with all of our cares and our concerns; and I really doubt that He does not listen if our request or need might seem unworthy of being asked; He may just remain quite, until that need should pass. With all that said, there is still something very important that we are always in need of, and that is to be as close as possible to our Creator! Fellowship with God is something that requires us to draw near to Him; of which, we are always in need of help with doing, for we cannot draw near to Him on our own, but He must provide the way for us to enter into His presence. In the introduction to this Psalm, we have that word which was in the introduction to Psalms Six, the word "Sheminith", as in "To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David". If you recall, this word was somewhat of a mystery, and was said to perhaps be an eight-stringed musical instrument, or perhaps a musical notation, like an octave; however, after searching for anything that might tie into this message, I ran across something rather interesting; whether or not it means anything at all, I am not quite sure. But the primary meaning of the root word "Shemiyniy" is eight, as in eighth; which made me begin to wonder, What did God do on the eighth day? I don't know, but after He rested on the Seventh Day after creation, it seems He was made busy redeeming man. I'm just sayin...

"Great and Powerful is He"

"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Philippians 1:6) Before moving into Psalms Twelve, there is something that I believe must be confirmed in our hearts regarding trusting God, and how it is that we must! We must trust Him with all of our heart; which involves an action on our part to make this trust real. Now I know that there might be some who will play the 'grace card', and say that there is nothing we need to do but believe and we shall be saved; however, even belief without action has no merit! In other words; if you believe that Jesus Christ has set you free sin and death, then your life will show proof of that, in that you will desire to be made complete in Him. Coupled with this desire to be complete in Him, will be the confidence in knowing that He is God Almighty, and there is nothing that He cannot do, nor is there anything that is beyond His reach or care. This I believe is what we require to bring our faith to life: a desire to be changed, and a confidence that God is able to do all things! Just as faith without works is dead, so too, trust is established by the action of taking refuge in a God that is able to deliver, and then resting in Him for that deliverance. Oh, it might sound as though there is no action required, but to just sit and wait for God to show up; however, as with faith, trust does require us to surrender up our will, and our desire, so as to let God do what He wants to do in us, or through us. Trust is falling and believing that you will be caught; not that we should fall on purpose, but that as we are falling, which means that there is nothing within our power to correct the fall, He is able to catch us and place us upon solid ground. Trust is knowing, that though there might be a gun loaded and aimed at your head, God is able to stop that bullet, if that be His will; and if not, then it's time to go home! Because real trust in God requires us to trust that He knows what is best for us, and how best we are to be used for His kingdom. If we can understand and believe this, we can then know how and what to ask for, as we plea for help; which just so happens to be the title above Psalms Twelve: "A Plea for Help"...

"Overwhelm!"

"For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; His countenance doeth behold the upright." (Psalms 11:7) As I see this played out in my mind, it is something that requires commitment to trusting God for His hand to be upon our life; believing that it is He who has established us, controls that which might overwhelm us, and will complete His work in us, until the day is done! Again, we have this last verse expressing the point that David wanted to make in this short, but very powerful song about Trusting God; because it is not about our power, or our ability, or even our righteousness!!! It is about Him performing His work in us! He loves to see His work played out in our lives; to see us put our trust in Him delights His heart. Do you trust God in all things? If so, then you will not be overwhelmed by anything that this world might dish out, or anything that might be part of your cup or lot; even if that might seem to overwhelm, putting our full trust in God will never let us be without hope. The point is this: that God wants us to be overwhelmed by His love for us and by His grace that He so abundantly pours out to us; each and every day of our life. In this kind of relationship with a God who loves us we are never without hope, no matter what circumstance we are in may appear to show, or what those around us may judge is happening; we know that God is in control, and that He loves us; Period!!! On the other hand; we have those who do not trust in God, and who wickedly live their lives as if God is not watching, or concerned, or that He even exist; these are they who shall be overwhelmed with destruction in the day of His judgement, and shall be overwhelmed by the truth; the real Truth; truth that will not set them free, but will crush them as grapes are crushed to make wine; they will be learn in an instant what is meant by 'cup of trembling'. There are only two paths that we have to choose from: one that leads to life everlasting, and the other leads to destruction; one is based upon Grace and Love, while the other is swallowed up in His fury; one is overwhelmed by His Love, while the other; well, let's just say, It's not pretty...

"...Your Lot..."

"Upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup." (Psalms 11:6) Something else that my mother would say, was, You made your bed, now sleep in it. I remember thinking about this saying as I went to sleep one night while camping; as I had gathered pine needles from the surrounding area to make a mattress to lay my sleeping bag on, thinking that it would provide cushion from the ground; which might have been good if the bag was about 3" thick, because it took me at least an hour to get use to the feel of pine needles! When you think of lot, as in your lot in life; which many might associate with destiny or chance; however, when it comes to the difference between salvation or damnation, a 'lot' is determined by the choice that we make! Moreover; if you have a choice that has been set before you, then I would gather by that, that you have been given a choice!!! If you have been given a choice, then you have a chance to change your destiny! As I was looking at the meaning of "portion of their cup", I was quick to notice something about the meaning of 'cup', and how it represents something used to gather something together, like a purse might be used, or a cup is used to hold liquid together. After having envisioned this, I thought about what Jesus spoke concerning the wheat and the tares, and how that at the time of the harvest, the angels would then separate the wheat from the tares, gathering the tares together to be burned. This led me to my next thought, which was about the choices that we have, and how it is said, how that we have so many choices in life; yet, I only see two: to be gathered for the kingdom, or to be gathered to be burned...

"...Or Else..."

"The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth." (Psalms 11:5) In this verse we have two very interesting ways that God will view man; both of which are dependent upon the man and his actions. If there ever could be an argument for how much our actions do matter, then this might be a verse to bring to the table. To understand the first part of this verse, we must understand what "the righteous" are in the context of this verse and what David is saying within this Psalm. The meaning is that of being just in rewarding and dispensing judgement; a little unusual twist to the standard meaning of this word, but one which requires an attention to detail; because that is what the word "trieth" is speaking about; whereas, God will scrutinise our judgement. The main idea that is being put forth, is that God will examine the heart of the righteous, to prove their heart, and to rub upon it as to test the life that is within it. The point about rewarding and dispensing judgement has to do with the hearts reaction to love, and to the affects of love; in other words, what makes the heart tick! James 1:2 & 3, says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience". If there is one thing that I have come to understand more than anything, it is how love is patient; besides being forgiving, there must be a patience that is slow to anger and not quick to judge! Try it some time, and see if I am not right! Say to yourself, I am going to show love for the next 20 minutes, and then see if there is a difference in how your heart reacts to certain circumstances. I say only 20 minutes, because I think we need to remind ourselves every 20 minutes about what our character should be!!! My point is; the God will put forth His hand upon the life of those who are loving with a sincere heart; something that He will know, for God cannot be fooled; and in His knowing, He will try that heart, in an effort to bring forth more love, and to conform it more to His heart. However, "the wicked and him that loveth violence" are those that have a unrighteous cause and are wrong in their justice; meaning that there is something missing in their hearts; something called love! Of which, "His soul hateth"!!! When we are talking about the soul of God, we are talking about the person hood of God; which means His character and His will, will meaning His desire towards us. Also, hate is a pretty strong word, but it is one which speaks of opposing, as one would oppose an enemy in battle. Therefore; as we consider what this verse is speaking about, and reflecting back to yesterday, how that God is watching our hearts, and He is concerned about how we treat the widows, the orphans, the stranger; our brothers and sisters, our fellow servants, and our leaders; we must realize how important it is to get real, or else...

"Get Real..."

"The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men." (Psalms 11:4) What we have now is David's answer to those that would try to persuade him away from his principle stand, that being, "In the LORD put I my trust". When you really think about it, nothing that anyone can do or say, changes anything about who God is, or how He governs His kingdom! So, then, how should we react? Should we make a large sign, to stand on a busy corner, that says, What are you doing? God is watching!!! No, that is not going to do much in light of how little reverence is given to God. Besides, it is precisely for the reason that they have choose to do that which is right in their own eyes, that they do not want to acknowledge the God of the Bible; instead they will teach our children that there is no God, that we have evolved from slime, and that only the Government can give you peace and security. God still is upon His throne! His eyes behold the mischief and the wickedness that is being filtered into the hearts of the nations; into the hearts of His very own children! That is what I envisioned as I meditated upon this verse; that God beheld the world with His eyes wide open, and when He gazed upon His children, seeing that they too were being led astray, He closed His eyes in sadness, yet was still able to see their hearts! The really sad thing about the meaning of "children of men", is that there will be no excuse for the children, and for those that are led by that which they have been taught; because everyone will be judged by the same law, not a new law that they have created. Therefore, all the changes made to God's law, or all the commandments that are stricken from the books, walls, or even our hearts, will not matter in the slightest, when it comes to God's judgement upon the earth... "And I will come near to you to judgement; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not Me, saith the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 3:5)

"Hopeless Without Hope"

"If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalms 11:3) As I have said many times before, I can not imagine where I would be without Jesus; especially over these last eight plus years! There are several ways to look at the meaning of this verse: socially and personally are two that obvious right off the bat. If we see what is happening in America, as well as around the rest of the world, when you take God out of the governance of our nations, things can go to hell really quick! Right now in this country, there seems to be a stepped up assault against the church and anything that has to do with God. When you step back and look at the whole picture, we are in fact being instructed to break all of His commands, in one way or another. God says, Thou shalt not kill; so what then is abortion, if not the taking of a life! God says, Honor thy father and thy mother; yet, our children are being instructed that parents are not to be honored and obeyed! God says, Thou shalt not covet; yet we have a president that invokes the poor against the rich! God says, Thou shalt not steal; this has gotten ridiculous, because well intent people steal every day, thinking that if it's available for the taking, then why not get mine! God says, Thou shalt not commit adultery; wow, I am pretty sure we have went past this one, long ago! God says, Thou shalt not bear false witness; I really doubt that anything true is being said anymore!!! Never mind the first four commands, which are about honouring God, because I believe we have as a nation moved far beyond giving honour to God! This is what happens when the foundations are destroyed; when you remove the founding principles that were established by those that spent days, weeks, and even months to find a way that a nation could govern itself, based upon the belief that God establishes and maintains a nation that honours Him! As for the personal foundation, it is our hope in Christ Jesus! "Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." (John 6:68 & 69) If you have faith in any other, where will you be? This is not that difficult to figure out; and yet, there are plenty of people around us to discourage us as to put our faith in something else; be it riches, or government, or the latest craze to be successful, or even in ourselves. There will always be the "Ya buts", who will try and get us distracted from that which is our sure foundation; those that say, Okay, go ahead and trust God for future, but make sure you have enough money set aside just in case! In case of what? In case He is not really there? Is that the whole idea??? Or, is it that we are to be good stewards of all that He has given us, so therefore we invest wisely for our retirement? What then are we placing our hope in, God or riches? Besides all of this, there is the question of our righteousness, and where we would be without God's grace? If we are looking upon our own righteousness as a compass of what we are, or where we are headed, we are hopelessly lost...

"Bewildered"

"For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart." (Psalms 11:2) The meaning of bewildered goes a little further than discouraged, in that it includes confusion in the mix of things; taking on the questions of why and what for, as in, Why is this happening? However, it is not the character of trust to be bewildered by Him who trust is in; just the opposite should be the case in the heart of the believer, because how can we be confused at the same time we are trusting? Bewildered is best meant for those that might be looking upon the one who is trusting God, and saying, How is that they trust God with all this affliction in their life? They scratch their head and wonder if there might be more to be seen than meets the eye; to which, we know that there always is! Primarily, the difference between these two points of view is all about God's power to overcome any and all obstacles that might get in the way of His promises. To some, without realizing their failure to trust, they question if God will do this or that  in order to facilitate His plan; when in reality, God's ways are not our ways; therefore, how can we, from our position, assume that we know His plan and how it will all play out? With that said, there is also still a question of why which must be asked; not for the sake of not trusting, but for the sake of knowing why it is so. The word "privily" is a word that has a double meaning; primarily it means to ambush, but it also means 'and what for' or 'for whatever reason'. In the case of Saul wanting to kill David, the obvious reason was that of jealousy; being driven by the green monster, he was really no longer in control. With that; what do you suppose drives the devil to "shoot at the upright in heart"? Jealousy may very well be that which drives his desire to destroy those who have committed their hearts to the Lord; but is it because he did not, or because God choose us? When it comes to discouragement, I can tell you from my own person experience, that it is something which can happen often; not that there is really anything wrong with it, because it causes us to look up, take a breath, and then confirm our trust in God. However; when it becomes bewilderment, that is when we get into trouble; not only are we discouraged, but then we begin questioning God's reason for using us, and why He would even do such a thing, or for what reason am I even here. The devil loves to play upon our discouragement; taking it to the next level, and causing us to question our worthiness to serve God; which is real easy to do, seeing that we do not see what God sees! God sees a vessel to be used for His kingdom; as the Master Potter, He molds and makes us as He wishes; taking away a little here, adding a little there; until we are the vessel that He desires us to be; not by our desire, but by His..."But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we are the work of Thy hand." (Isaiah 64:8)

"Taking Refuge"

"In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?" (Psalms 11:1) Back in the day, before man could fly, to be as a bird was something that was wished for; which is to say, If only I could fly like a bird! It is believed that David wrote this Psalm after Saul had thrown the javelin at him for the second time, after having promised that he meant David no harm. It was also at this time that many of David's closest friends had advised him to take the kingdom from Saul, seeing that he had been anointed to be the king, and that it was obvious that Saul was not stable and no longer had God's hand upon his life. David refused the council of his friends, but instead said, "I shall not go up against God's anointed"; therefore taking his refuge in God's plan and timetable. There were also those who then advised David to flee, and not to count so much on the anointing that he had received; to which David was grieved in this notion, given that he had always said, "In the Lord put I my trust". And then, there were those who no doubt mocked David, as they taunted him, saying, You say you trust in God, then flee to Him, and see what comes of that! When it comes to trusting God, sometimes we do not see how things shall come to pass; nor do we know how God will bring to pass that which we believe that He has promised, or even if the vision He has given us will unfold the way that we thought that it would, or should. I think that the term "Flee as a bird to your mountain" is a term that best resembles that of moving in our own strength or abilities; something by which it is easy to want to do, as it is the logical solution. In other words; we see a way forward, so take it; but is it the way that God would have us to go? If we really are putting our trust in God, then we must expect that God will work His plan out, without us having to figure out the way that He will get it done...

"Seeking Refuge"

There is only really one way that we can find real peace, and it requires a shelter that can not be moved, and that has complete protection. Moving into Psalms Eleven, we can see that there are similarities in the subject of knowing real peace: peace that comes from abiding in a God that loves us! The title of the Psalm is simply called, "Trusting God". I have something interesting written at the end of this Psalm; I can't remember when I wrote it, or where I was when I did; but it must mean something spoke to my heart, because I usually do not just write things down in my Bible for just any reason. The words that I wrote are these: "Trust, divided by Discouragement, plus Testing, take away Wickedness, times Love, equals Communion With God". As you can see, that is quite the equation, and it takes a little thought to figure it out, which might be the reason that Jesus said, "Learn of Me; and you shall find rest for your soul". One thing that I know for sure is that I wrote this equation in my Bible more than ten years ago, because it is written in blue ink, which would have been when I was using a Cross Pen; which I have not used for quite awhile. Another thing to note about this Psalm is the introduction, which simply says, "To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David". This could speak of either the simplicity of trusting God, or the complexity of getting past ourselves in order to place all of our trust in Him. One thing for sure, is that discouragement waits around every corner, and is a constant threat to the peace available in simply trusting in Him for His protection and the refuge that He has made for us to dwell in. This discouragement comes from every angle of our lives, and from various outside sources; yet, there is only one way that we can overcome it, and that is to focus upon Jesus!

"The Governed" -3

"Another Prayer for Justice", having been given to Psalms Ten as a title, is no doubt more than just a prayer; it is a real look at the heart of man, and the beginning of knowing true peace. The Psalm starts off  by asking why God is standing far off, and seems to hide Himself when we are in trouble; then moving as thou in a house of mirrors, looks at various conditions of the heart, and the wickedness that can dwell within each and every one of us; and then finally ending with what could be the best feeling that man can ever know, and the opposite of oppression, which is peace! This is no ordinary peace that we are talking about here, but the kind of peace that can only come from knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour: the Captain of our soul; the Governor of our life; our King and our Lord! It is then and only then, that we can truly know the what and the why of the meaning, 'Prince of Peace'; a title given unto Jesus as the one who would usher in a government of peace. Yes, it may be true that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink; but there is something that will, and it is called the desire to be filled! Looking again at the Book of John, as we see in John 6:66, it says, "From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him". Then Jesus asked the twelve that He had called, "Will ye also go away?" Having tasted what real peace is like, it is hard to walk away from something that can bring such comfort to our soul; much as the horse, who is led to water, will drink if it knows the refreshing that will be given by that water. This is something which John speaks about in 1 John 5:3 & 4, as he speaks about what the love of God really means, saying, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith". Faith is believing that He is the answer, that He holds all the cards, and that He will see us through to the very end! Jesus said about resting in Him, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:29 & 30) His commands are not grievous nor do they oppress us and cause us to feel burdened by trying to be something that we are not! I have a picture in my office that sums up everything that I am trying to say; it has a title below the painting that says, "Righteousness"; and in this famous painting, it shows a man who is kneeling at the foot of the cross, face down and blackened by sin. Surrounding the cross is a pool of rain water, and within that water is the man's reflection; yet, he is not looking at himself in that reflection, but the reflection of this man looking down, is looking up, and is radiantly glowing with righteousness... "Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the Living God." (John 6:68 & 69)  

"The Governed" -2

"To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress." (Psalms 10:18) If you could for a moment, stop and quickly think about the word "oppressed"; I will wait, but take just a brief moment and think about what that might look like, to be oppressed. Okay, so if you did what I asked of you, you might have envisioned something along the lines of those statues of men holding up those pillars in the movie 'Dispicable Me'; as he is walking into the Bank of Evil, each one gets worse and worse, until finally, all that you see is arms and legs sticking out from underneath a pillar. Crushed is the word that best describes the meaning, and I am getting a feeling that I might not be quite done with this Psalm yet! The word 'judge' that is used by David, is a word in the Hebrew that means to decide; to hear a cause and render a decision, and to deliver the sentence. The word is 'Shaphat', and is the most common word to designate the function of government in any realm or in any form. After the death of Joshua, without leadership, the children of Israel became very disorganized and repeatedly fell into idolatry; therefore God raised up "judges" that they might deliver a given local tribe from apostasy and then govern them. This period of time for the children of Israel was considered by many to be their Dark Ages; where fore about 350 years, they continually kept losing their way: during which time, you can decipher seven apostasies, seven bondages, and seven deliveries; and the Book of Judges begins with compromise and ends with anarchy. The last verse in the Book of Judges, reads, "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes". (Judges 21:25) As we consider what it is that God has called us to, there is always the fear of being brought into something and then left unattended, or ungoverned. I know that some may not agree with that notion, and we all should not accept it as so; but nonetheless, I do believe, that whether you realize it or not, there is some doubt that rises up in us as to where God will lead us, and what that ending will look like. The way that we correct that fear or doubt that rises up inside of us, is by committing our way completely to the Lord; thereby, we are no longer responsible for the way things might go, but it is left fully in His hands. I find it somewhat interesting that the Book of Ruth follows the Book of Judges; for Ruth, although depicted as a love story, it is also the story of what it looks like to surrender our lives over to be governed by God; by which there is no way of detecting what shall happen or how each chapter of our life will end; only that we want to be governed by the One who knows all the answers...  "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you." (John 6:53)

"The Governed"

"LORD, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble: Thou wilt prepare their heart, Thou wilt cause Thine ear to hear." (Psalms 10:17) What is the desire of the humble? If we were to think that this Psalm was all about nations being oppressed by other nations, then their desire would be for a deliverer. However, if we could, maybe we could see the desire of the humble to be something more closer to our heart; say something like a longing, delight, or an object of desire. Going back to what Jesus was telling those who followed Him because they were filled, Jesus clearly told them, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed". To which they straightway answered, "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" So what was the problem? Come on, do we really think that we can do anything outside of Christ? "He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear." How many times did Jesus say this, trying to stress the importance of being able to hear; not saying, Hey, listen up!; but saying, If you have an ear to hear, then listen to what I am saying. Later in John 6:41, it says that the Jews murmured, saying, How can this man be from heaven; is not this the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know. And we can see in John 6:44, Jesus is answering their murmurings, by saying, "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day". That is what being governed is all about! There is a drawing that takes place in our lives, where we are given the desire by the Father to be filled. It is this desire that we are given which causes us to humble our hearts and to listen. The word "Thine" in Psalms 10:17, as in, "Thou wilt cause Thine ear to hear", is a word that I believe has a plural meaning; which would mean that it speaks not just that God would hear, but that all might hear; or more specifically, all that will listen. These would be those that are willing to receive instruction; having their hearts softened, they desire something which will lift them out of their lowly state. When David is speaking of "Thou wilt prepare their heart", it is the inner man that God prepares, and establishes in him His kingdom; whereas, that heart which has been established into His kingdom, now desires to be governed by a King; and that King is Jesus!!! I can recall the day that I received Jesus Christ into my heart, and how there was a drawing to God that took place; which caused me to run towards where I thought I could hear from Him. After coming to that place, I had a heart that was prepared to listen; desiring to know God, not to know what God might do for me, but to know Him! In the process of my desire to know Him, I was able to see what He had already done for me, and my heart of stone was broken in that instant; rendering me, not just able to hear, but able to receive also that which He was offering me: The Bread of Life..."Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am that Bread of Life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the Bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I give for the life of the world." (John 6:47-51) 

"True Grit"

"The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his (His) land." (Psalms 10:16) 'Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait, based upon a individual's passion for a particular goal or endstate coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective. This perseverance of effort promotes the overcoming of obstacles or challenges that lie within a gritty individual's path to accomplishment and serves as a driving force in achievement realization', (or so the definition says). Hence, True Grit is the trait of such a individual which is based upon truth or is founded upon true principles; coupled together with the power of the Holy Spirit, and you should have a force to be reckoned with! Now, I don't know what you believe about the kingdom of God, or by what standard that you believe His kingdom is established; but from what I have been told, we that are born again into the kingdom of God are no longer of this world, but are merely pilgrims here, awaiting to go home and to be with the Lord. The first issue that must be settled within us is that He is LORD; no ifs ands or buts, He must be Lord of our life! In that same venue, King is established as ruler over land, peoples and armies; whereas, a King has a Kingdom over which He rules. Secondly, we must understand and accept within our heart of hearts that "of His Kingdom there shall be no end"; period!!! I know it's hard for us to see that far, therefore we can't really persuade our intellect of that reality; but that is what faith is for! Then finally, we have this very unique and challenging perspective to realize within our minds, and then to get gritty about: we are a prince in His kingdom! For you Lady's; you are a princess in His Kingdom! Therefore, His kingdom is also our kingdom, and we are overseers of that kingdom with Him, as His princes and princesses, we are duly allowed to represent Him as our King, and to be subject to His authority along with all other of His subjects. Then, we have the subject of "the heathen", as in "the heathen are perished out of his (His) land"; because, if recall, 'heathen' means the other guys; primarily, strangers to the true religion, or in simpler terms: Strangers To The Truth!!! And what happens to these strangers to the truth, is that they are "perished out of His land", or if you choose to accept it: "perished out of his land"; meaning our land, as His princes and princesses! And then we have the meaning of this word "perished", which is a word that speaks of being lost, as in to be lost in the desert, as in to flee away into the desert, as a wild beast, and there to disappear as it where, to be seen no more! It also means to reckon as lost, and to give up; much as we should give up on our foolish ways and our foolishness, and get down to the nitty gritty...

"Breaking Through"

"Break Thou the arm of the wicked and evil man: seek out his wickedness till Thou find none." (Psalms 10:15) Now I know what you are thinking, and how David must be talking about the enemies of God; and you very well, might be right. But; what if he were looking into the darkness that dwells within his own heart; as if to say, "See if there be any wicked way in me"; which happens to be the first part of the last verse of Psalms 139, one which is titled, 'God Can Do Anything And Knows Everything'; the other part of that verse is, "and lead me in the way everlasting". The primary reason for this to happen, is because we fail to see our own wickedness more times than not; we see our sin, and know most of the time when we are sinning; but the wickedness, that we keep hidden, even from ourselves; but God knows our hearts better than we do! Let's just say, for the sake of argument, that David is speaking about his own heart, or our own hearts: what would that look like when compared to this verse? Okay; the first part of this verse is speaking for God to "break Thou the arm of the wicked and evil man"; arm meaning strength, or that which enables him; which could mean power, as in that which gives power to the darkness that is within his heart. It's not to difficult to picture this, if you are wanting to get to the bottom of what it is that keeps causing you to stumble; because it is all about finding the root to the problem, not just rooting out the sin; for in many cases, if not all, the sin is the manifestation of a deeper problem. For example; if our sin is that of pornography, them the root of that sin could be that we lack a real reverence for God, and that we really don't believe that He can see our sinfulness. If our sin is drunkenness, then we could lack the desire to remain sober and vigilant. Either way, we fall short in our desire to please Him! The other part of this verse is more telling; for it says, "seek out the wickedness till Thou find none"; whereas, wickedness could be defined as falsehood, or fraud; of which, there is an implication of being deceived; as in thinking that either God does not see, or does not concern Himself with that which we do. If you do not know this, here is the thing which God does in those that He has chosen for His purposes: although the ministry is important, and is near to His heart, the person whom He has chosen is nearer, and although He is doing a work through them, He is also doing a greater work within them! Does that mean that God cares more about the messenger than He does the message? O, that we could see the truth that is in that...

"The Evolving Heart Too"

"Thou hast seen it; for Thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with Thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto Thee; Thou art the helper of the fatherless." (Psalms 10:14) Jesus continued, by saying, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed." (John 6:27) It's a strange thing, the heart is, for it aims to be pleased on it's own terms; evolving into something for which there is no rhyme nor reason. We could call it selfishness, maybe, or, just selfish pride; but what is it that makes us look for a way that we can take credit for that which we could not have done? For there is none righteous but Jesus Christ; and when man begins to assume that he can achieve righteousness, on any level, even the very wickedness of his heart he will seek to justify; and by making the law his law, he therefore lowers the standard by which the law has been set. Having seen what our hearts are capable of doing, we should know better than to think that we can achieve righteousness; let alone, try and move forward without God as our guide! However; this word "requite", as in, "to requite it with Thy hand", is a very interesting word that speaks about what God allows, as if He grants or permits man access into his own destruction. The further that the world pulls away from God, the more we see the need for Him in our lives! Therefore; we that do put our trust in Him, are made more aware of the fact that this is not our home; being orphans in this world, we seek to be somewhere else, somewhere where we are better meant to be, and seeing more and more that this world has nothing to offer us. So, in a sense, our hearts are evolving also, but in the opposite direction; therefore, in His granting of the wicked to move forward, He is helping those that are committed unto Him to draw closer to Him. The lines are being drawn in the sand: choose this day who you will serve!!! "Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14 & 15)

"The Evolving Heart"

"Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? He hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it." (Psalms 10:13) Having no doubt confused some of you, and made you wonder what I was really getting at; I thought it best to try another way to express what I believe that God was speaking into my heart. There was something that Jesus first said to those that had followed Him because they were filled, which took me a little while to think about, as I wondered about how it is that people can change so easily. It had to do with that which we put our faith in, and that which our flesh is satisfied by; in other words, at the heart of the flesh is a living organ, and it's called the heart; whose duty that it is to supply the life force into the rest of the body of flesh, and therefore, keep it alive. It pumps faster when it is excited, and slower when it is depressed; but as long as it continues to pump, life in this flesh goes on. Anyways; as those that found Jesus on the other side of the sea first saw Him, they asked Him, "Rabbi, when camest Thou hither?" In other words, they wondered how it was that He had gotten there so quickly; something that they thought was strange, because they actually thought that they would have been waiting for Him to arrive. But Jesus, knowing their hearts, and what it was that they were actually seeking after, said, "Yerily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled". Can you see what Jesus is speaking about in this statement? The miracles were the evidence of who Jesus was, and the power that He had been given from above; yet, the loaves were what satisfied their flesh, and they were looking to be satisfied. Recently there has been several items in the news which have caused me to pause for a moment and wonder how they might be connected. One was the announcement by our President that he has changed his heart on Gay Marriage, thinking now that it is okay, or right to be allowed; the other was the Circuit Judge who is wanting to strike out four of the Ten Commandments, most likely those that deal with God and giving honour to Him. There are two things that strike me about both of these matters, and that coincide with what Jesus is speaking about; notwithstanding the obvious wrong that we can see in both of these, there is something else which goes more to the heart of the matter. The miracles that Jesus did were a testimony to who He was, and of the power of God; and it is only by the power of God that our hearts can be made right! If we take God, and God's word out of the equation, then man's heart is made worse, not better; as a matter of fact, without God, the heart will evolve very quickly into a seriously wicked thing. The six of the Ten Commandments which remain, are those which speak about our actions one to another, of which we require the first four in order to achieve! Additionally, there is the satisfaction of the flesh, and what makes man feel better about themselves. Taking God's standards of right and wrong, and making them something that is our own choice, or up to what our heart feels, means that we have basically told God that we do not need His governance in our lives, and that what He says no longer matters. This is what David is speaking about here in verse Thirteen; asking, 'Why do the wicked contemn God?' is a question about the heart of the matter, and is based upon the hearts ability to move away from what God commands in His word. It does not start with direct disobedience, but with thinking in our hearts that God no longer requires such strict adherence to His commands; as if that was then, but this is now, and therefore God must change with the times, and evolve with us...    

"He Is Aleady Stronger" -2

"Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Thine hand: forget not the humble." (Psalms 10:12) Do we think that God will force His hand upon us to make us obey Him? Much like that horse which is led to water, cannot be made to drink, we are given a free will by God, that we might choose righteousness. It is a choice that is based upon a matter of the heart; which really comes down to a desire that is within us to be conformed into His image. If the horse that is led to water wants to drink, then he will drink, and he will do so naturally and without having to be forced to drink. If those that want to seek after righteousness are placed in a righteous place, then they will find righteousness, and they will do so naturally. This is what Jesus has done for us! For we are placed in His righteousness, and have nowhere else to find righteousness but in Him; and that righteousness comes naturally; so much so, that not doing that which is right seems unnatural to those who are in Christ! I believe we can see this example given to us in John 6, which is expressed as 'The Bread of Life'; and there were many who quit following Jesus because they could not grasp what He was saying, and that it was He who could satisfy their hunger, forevermore! You might know the story, and how Jesus fed over 5,000 people with five barley loaves and two small fishes; and after all those people had been filled, there were twelve baskets full of the fragments which remained of the loaves which were divided. Then Jesus departed from them, for He perceived that they wanted to make Him king because of the miracle that the witnessed, and because He could give them food. After finding Jesus again, those people that were filled asked Him for the secret of being filled in such a manor; but Jesus instructed them to believe on Him, and that they would never hunger again. To which they asked for a sign that they might believe, as was the sign of the manna which was given in the wilderness; in other words, something which they could go out and gather for themselves and be filled. To which Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father giveth you the True Bread from heaven. For the Bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." To which they answered back, "Lord, evermore give us this bread"; or in modern lango, "Show me the money!" This is how we sometimes expect God to work in our lives, and how we expect Him to manifest in us His righteousness, as if it were something that we would go out each morning and gather up, as they gathered manna in the wilderness. But that is not how it works! For we are not given righteousness based upon our own abilities to gather it, but by Him who gives it to us, and by His righteousness alone! Therefore, when David concludes this verse with "forget not the humble", it is speaking of those that know that they are unable to achieve righteousness on their own; for the humble are those who want to be led and to drink naturally; and in Jesus we do never thirst! "And Jesus said unto them, I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

"He Is Already Stronger"

"Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Thine hand: forget not the humble." (Psalms 10:12) Do we actually realize that which we believe? Yes, we say that we believe, and when walking in the Spirit, we walk as though we believe; but what about those other times, when we act as though we do not believe? Is there such a thing as a part time Christian? God does not change, and if there is any changing that has occurred, or that need to occur, then it is us who must do the changing, not God! As for asking God to "Arise", there are those to whom God must arise to, which are those who walk in darkness; but to those who believe, He is risen up in our obedience to His word. In other words; it is by obedience unto God that we will realize His power and His might; and when we are disobedient, what we realize is how weak we are, and how far we fall short of His righteousness! My mom had a little saying, You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. This is not only true for horses, but for those that seek after righteousness...To be continued...

"The Deceptive Heart"

"He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: He hideth His face; He will never see it." (Psalms 10:11) If you want to know what a deceptive heart might look like, then this is that picture, painted as plain as day! Beginning with the word "forgotten", what we see is the heart of a man which says, God does not care what I do; for He ignores the things that are done in secret. Some people get confused by the thought that God does not look upon sin, and think that He does not see those things which they do, as if God turns away from viewing evil; therefore, they are not viewed by God when they do such things. Now I do not pretend to know all that there is to know about God, but what I do know, is that He can see our sin. He does not look upon sin, as for pleasure, that much I am sure of, for He is Holy; but His eyes are upon us, and He sees our sin, which does bring Him displeasure! Time and time again, God says in His word, I have seen their sin, or I see the wickedness of their hearts, or I see the imaginations of their minds. I don't know about what you think that might mean, but I think it means, God pretty much sees right through us! One example which comes to mind, is when Moses was with God in the mountain for forty days, and the people said, Where is that Moses? We will make unto us a god to worship. And then they made a golden calf to worship; at which time, God told Moses, "Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a golden calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." (Exodus 32:7 & 8) Did not God see their sin that they were committing? Yet, how often do we think that He is not watching as we do those things that we do in secret; thinking that because no one else can see us, therefore, neither does God? Do we actually know what this does to our own heart when we think such things? That saying, "Either He is God, or He is not", just took a back seat to the sin that we think He does not see; therefore, how can we honestly believe that He is All Knowing, All Powerful, Almighty God, and yet deny in our hearts that He can see us? Is it any wonder that the church is weak in expecting God to do great things, if they do not expect Him to see the little things that they do? And then, we have another perspective that is given; one that assumes that God carefully hides His face from that which we do; as if, God knows what we are doing, but because of His Holiness, He turns away, and awaits our repentance; at which time, He shall turn back, and somehow everything will then be okay; 'Hogwash!!!' This too will cause our hearts to imagine God to be less of the God that He is, because we will somehow think Him permissive of sin in our lives. But the Bible says, "Be ye Holy, for I am Holy, saith the Lord"; which speaks about the fellowship that we must have with a Holy God. In other words; if we want fellowship with God, then we must want holiness to rule our lives; otherwise, we have made God out to be more like us within our hearts; which will not bring Him the glory that He deserves, nor will our hearts trust Him to be just. Which brings us to this final perception and deception of the heart, which is, "He will never see it"; OMG; can there even be such a thought? If we base that which we hold everything to be true, which is that God is eternal, and by Him is given eternal life, then how can it be said, God can never? Isn't never associated with forever? Yet, then what does that make our God out to be? Absolutely desolate, and unable to see that which we do? Think about that which is being said, and how it might be that we can honestly count upon a God that we do not think sees the things that we do; how can we have any power in a prayer that says, God, please hear my cry!, and yet, at the same time think that He does not watch over you! Or, do we think that His mercy can erase those things, therefore we are free to do whatever it is that we want? Therefore; we do that which we want, knowing that He will forgive us, and thinking that He does not look upon the bad, but that He only sees the good...That my dear brother and sister is the picture of a deceptive heart...

"The Hardened Heart"

"He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones." (Psalms 10:10) So, here we are, with what might seem like a verse that depicts the actions of one who deceives with humility, and the triumphs over his prey with the work of his underlings. Does this sound like the work of someone familiar? Maybe so; but do we actually know the power of desire? Sure, we might think that we have a grip on what desire can become, or that it is something that we can switch off, as if it were to be controlled in such a way; but it will only rest until it is sparked up again. If by chance we were speaking of the wickedness that is within a man's heart, then who might the "poor" be, and what is David speaking of? The primary definition of this word "poor" is that of defence, as in that which would be considered as fortification; much like a ditch that might be surrounding the walls of a castle; which is really a poor excuse for a deterrent from the enemy. It can also mean an army, or a host; primarily rendered as the host of the afflicted. Then when we look at the meanings of "croucheth" and "humbleth", we are given a picture of a broken heart that has cast down it's defences. This I believe is something that can be closely associated with a parable that Jesus shared about the seeds that were sown on stony places, or a hard heart. In Matthew 13:20 & 21, Jesus explains this parable as such: "But he that receiveth the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended". Now, you may be wondering how desire fits into that which Jesus was just talking about, yes? In John 12:25, Jesus says, "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal". To put this in a little better perspective, we can look at the meaning of "fall by his strong ones"; for it is a picture of falling into a snare which is made up of something stronger; not necessarily something which is stronger by nature, but has been made stronger than that which is poor. What this would be, is the desire that we have to be loved and accepted in this life, for whatever reason that might be, whether it be for companionship, or prosperity, or to just be accepted into the social network; but whatever the reason, because there was no ground for the word to take root within our heart, the word that was received with gladness has been diminished, and has been taken over by the desire for this life; a life of fellowship with this world, over the fellowship with the Living God...

"The Shallow Heart"

"He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doeth catch the poor, when he draweth them into his net." (Psalms 10:9) When reading this verse, you could really get the impression that David was speaking of the devil, and they way he is like a lion waiting to devour us; but these are the actions of man and his wicked intentions. Although sometimes brought on by the very nature of the devil, for he is the father of lies and wickedness, this is speaking of the deepest darkest areas within our heart, and no matter how hard we might try, this darkness can surface to the top and be what becomes us, if our hearts are not made new. I heard a brief report on the news the other day, that said some observed a black whole swallow up a star; which I thought was interesting, but never really heard anything else about it. In a way, that is the way wickedness works within our lives; because anything which is light and truth, can be swallowed up in the darkness of our heart. This verse that David is expressing in song, could very well be speaking of Saul as he was waiting in a cave to ambush David; however, Saul did not catch David, David caught him. If I did not know any better, I would think David was speaking of a split personality, as if there were two people living within one. I guess it could be possible, if you were to consider the wickedness of man to be an entity; one which lay in wait within the darkness of the heart, for such a time that anything which is light that enters in, will be immediately swallowed up. It's the poor that takes me back, and makes me think twice about such a scenario; because the poor represents the needy, humble, and those that are in need of piety. However; this could actually work, and very well could be an illustration of how the heart captures a humble spirit, swallows it up, and then brings forth something which is dark and selfish. On the other hand; we have the nature of sin, and that which draws us into a net of destruction! If you are familiar with the way sin works, as most of us probably are, then you should know how sin will lay there in wait, just as a lion in his den waits for his prey to walk by, and then springs out to get it. It is that sin nature which is us that causes us to sin; mostly referred to as the flesh, and that which wars against the spirit; but it is sin which the flesh feeds upon, and which the flesh is satisfied by; however, the flesh is never satisfied, but is driven to be satisfied by sin; therefore, there is a vicious cycle that can occur within our hearts; one which acts just as this verse describes, as a lion in his den, who draws into his net those that least expect it; and then the hunger begins to try and be satisfied...  

"The Shifty Heart"

"He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doeth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor." (Psalms 10:8) I must say, that without a doubt, I am terribly convicted by this verse! Not because I have murdered anyone; all though, I have most likely done so in my heart; but because I have passed by so many people that have signs which say, Please Help; I am hungry. Be it the lack of time, or that I have judged them to be someone who is working the common cause; either way, I feel guilty for not stopping to at least say hello, and that God loves them. But you know, in doing so without providing that which they might need, will not help them, nor will it bring glory to God. The way that this verse starts out is the reason for my guilt; for it says, "He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages". What I saw in my mind, was me sitting in my truck, the windows up and the doors locked; while right outside my door in the center island of the road is a person standing with a sign; meanwhile, I am fidgeting with whatever I can to pass the time until the light changes to green, and I can be gone. Now I know that some of those who panhandle are doing so because it can pay pretty good, especially if you have a good corner and a catchy phrase or plea; for I too once did this as a young teenager, and would go twenty miles on a bus to the beach, just so I could ask for money to get home; by the end of the day, I had bummed at least $20.00, a quarter at a time! But there are those who are destitute and in need of real help; some of which have nothing more than that which they have on them. And yet, who are we to judge those who are worthy or not; yet we do; at least I know that I have, as I described above, sitting in my truck! And I have to ask myself, What do I base giving on? For I know that I love to give to those in need: I do it all the time; but what makes me not give to some, but give to others? Is it just what my heart feels like on the day that I pass by? And if so, what is my heart feeling that day? Let me share with you what I saw: "He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages"; starts with the word "sitteth", which I saw to mean 'to remain' or 'stay'; which was not that alarming, until I looked up "lurking places", and then I saw the vision of me in my truck; for the definition that hit me, was that of 'where one is placed'; making me think of my placement in my truck, at the red light, with a person right outside my window holding a sign, and here I sit securely in my place! Oh, it only gets worse; for the next statement that is made, says, "in the secret places doth he murder the innocent"; with "secret places" meaning a hiding place, but also meaning 'the secret place', that of the heart! Which made me think of some of my thoughts towards those outside of my window, and how I could be so judgemental! And then, that last statement which is made, really convicted me as to where my treasure is actually stored! Do I not help them because I do not want to part with my money? Maybe so; and if so, then I might need to seek the Lord on that one! For "his eyes are privily set against the poor" spoke to me about how I judge them for not working a real job, and instead they stand and beg. Maybe they cannot find a job! If they stink, are filthy, and have clothes that are all torn up, who would hire them? It was the part "privily set against the poor" which really makes me wonder about the giving part; because the word "privily" speaks about 'to hide' or 'treasure' or 'treasure up'; which made me think of the words that Jesus spoke in Luke 12:33 & 34: "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in heaven that faileth not, where no thief approcheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there your heart is also." 

"Profanation"

"His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity." (Psalms 10:7) Having learned how to dance, we move on to something that begs to be reckoned with: the tongue! I am sure that we all have said something at one time or another that we which we could take back; it really is hard to control this thing that spews forth whatever, especially if it is not brought under control of the Holy Spirit! James chapter three has some really good counsel on this subject, and puts this in perspective of the proper issue, that which is the heart, and how our tongue is a member that cannot be left in control of that which we do not know; for we do not always know what our heart will do! In verse 3:8, James says, "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison". For some, this whole issue of the tongue may not seem like such a big deal, at least until someone speaks out against them with one; but this little mischief maker has destroyed kingdoms, churches, and lives, over and over again. Why is it so hard to control? I think it is because our tongues are controlled to easily by our hearts; thereby, we speak sometimes before we even think about what we are saying. As we move through this Psalm, I have detected a pattern of something that relates to each and every one of us; which is that of our frailness and abilities to adhere to that which is holy and righteous: we have no ability to do so! And as soon as we start thinking that we do, we fall prey to every sort of weakness imaginable. "Another Prayer for Justice" is not just another title for a Psalm, but it is a prayer for mercy regarding the condition of our heart! To put this in a way that can be easily understood, we could relate this to what Paul said in Romans 10:3, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God". We are not able to achieve the righteousness that is required to enter into the righteousness of God; but through Jesus Christ, we have been made the righteousness of God. And it is only in Jesus that we can ever be free of that which is unholy and is naturally of ourselves; the tongue being that which is proves the condition of our hearts. The word 'Profanation' is a word that means violation or irrelevant treatment of sacred things; which is the state of our character when we walk in the flesh and do not adhere to that which has been established in us who are in Jesus Christ; for He is our righteousness...

"Fandango"

"He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity." (Psalms 10:6) Have you ever had the experience of thinking you were strong and bullet proof, only to find out that you were weak and already riddled with holes? This can go back to that rich man who stored up his wealth, and then sat back thinking, Now all is well; I never need to worry again. It also can be compared to Saul, who thought that he was able to do whatever he wanted to do, because he knew best, and thought himself to be strong enough to survive the battle. Yes, Fandango is also a dance; which is a animated Spanish dance in triple time, that seems to portray a contest of who can outdo who by stomping their feet and clicking their fingers, as if stamina is more important than grace. However; it also means informal, as in unceremonious: not adhering to convention, or casual; nonsense, as in silly talk or actions, and absurdity; tomfoolery, as in foolish behavior. It is foolishness to think that we cannot be stumbled or that we cannot fall to any particular sin; though I have heard many Christians proclaim, I would never do that! They speak so boldly, as if that there is something which could never enter into their minds, and that they are far protected from; which can be related to the Pharisee, who stood up boldly, saying, I thank you God, that I am not like all these other sinners. Are we masters of our own destiny? Many there are that believe that it is so! We cannot be the master of our own destiny and still call Jesus LORD! Ask Peter, and he will tell you how there is only One who is truly Master! Jesus foretold how that all of His disciples would leave His side as soon as He was taken, but Peter, quickly responded, Lord, I will never leave you; I will even die for you! Yet, Jesus answered, Peter, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times. You would think that Peter would have used that knowledge as a way to strengthen his resolve, and to guard himself from denying the Lord; but we really do not know our own hearts, for the Bible says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) It is pure foolishness to believe in ourselves that we could never fall into any particular sin; especially with all that is available now that can cause us to stumble. One of the greatest threats that I have seen recently is that of pain medications, which it seems that there is almost a conspiracy behind the movement to force them upon us; this I know first hand, as I was almost forced to take them from my doctor when I broke my collarbone. She even tried to persuade me that I needed them to enhance the healing process. But, the number of Christian families that I have seen destroyed because of the use of these drugs is staggering, and is a move of the devil upon the church; let alone, all society as a whole. To say, "I shall not be moved", is to say that you are beyond reproach, or are unable to be stumbled; which is pure foolishness of the heart. And to say, "for I shall never be in adversity", is to say that you shall never be evil, or displeasing towards God; of which there is no truth, for it is pure Fandango...

"The Tango"

"His ways are always grievous; Thy judgements are far above out of his sight: as for all of his enemies, he puffeth at them." (Psalms 10:5) I have never been one for dancing, with the exception of a brief period while in the Philippines during the late 70's; at which time I spent many nights visiting all the local bars in the little town just outside of base. Even then, The Tango was not a dance that I ever attempted to do. With that said; if you study the dance moves you would get an indication as to why it is a popular dance in so many different cultures; for it expresses the freedoms and the restraints that are part of relationships. Why am I even talking about this, you may be wondering? Mostly because of the meaning of the word "grievous" that David is using within this verse; for it is a word that can mean 'to dance'. More to the point, it is a word that speaks of twisting, as in to twist, to turn, to turn around; to be twisted, turned, turned around; to dance in a circle. So you might see why I thought of The Tango as I pictured this definition in my head. But seriously; what this is speaking of is a way that has no real direction; which speaks of a ship that has no ruder, and just aimlessly moves about in the water; mostly being taken in whatever direction that the sea will move it. When thinking of someone whom this might relate to, I couldn't help but think of King Saul towards the end of his life; who went to seek direction from a woman that had a familiar spirit, of which he had previously commanded that such be put to death. This he did because he was not hearing from God as to whether or not he should go up against the Philistines. 1 Chronicles 10:13 says, "So Saul died for his transgressions which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it". If you can imagine what is meant by "Thy judgements are far above out of his sight", and how that would have related to Saul and his situation; for it means that God's ways are not determined or realized because they are out of reach; primarily because he was no longer in fellowship with God, therefore he thought he needed to seek counsel of one who he had known to be in fellowship with God, who was the dead prophet Samuel; and who actually was not much help, because he actually had cursed Saul, and told him, "and tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me". (1 Samuel 28:19) And yet, what did Saul do with this information? He went out there anyways; as one who was bent upon proving God to be wrong, he let those words that were spoken excite his effort to go against his enemies; which is a meaning to the word "puffeth", which is to bring a snare"; except it was Saul's snare that he was bringing upon himself, not a snare upon his enemies...

"Tangled Up in Self"

"The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts." (Psalms 10:4) As I drove home yesterday from down in Southern California, I had taken some time to meditate upon the verse, and after several hours, I had to stop from thinking about it, because it was really becoming very complex. Anytime that God is doing a new work, He calls certain people to step up and get involved; some will be grateful for that calling, and willing to submit to whatever it is that God has in plan for their life, as well as for the movement. As it is with any new movement, those that get involved should expect to be moved; which means that they should expect for God to change them in one way or another; if nothing else, to get them out of their comfort zone and spark new life into them. The problem is that some people do not like to be taken from a place where they are comfortable, and they don't like to be changed. No doubt, David had experienced this within the actions of his own court, and even through the actions of those who were closest to him. Putting this in the context of what I believe is being said within this verse, some will no doubt not understand what it is that I am talking about; while some, having lived this experience, will be all to familiar with it's meaning. Okay; let's look at this verse from a little different perspective than one might get from just reading it, but rather, from the perspective of someone who has lived it. "The wicked"; although generally applied to those that are living a wicked life, can also apply to those which have an unrighteous cause; which can apply to someone who might otherwise be righteous, but for one reason or another, their current cause is unrighteous. You might be wondering, How can a righteous man have an unrighteous cause? Well; if you want to see an example, we could look at Moses and the moment that he struck the rock twice; for it was out of anger towards God's people that he disobeyed what God told him to do, which was to strike the rock once, and then to speak to the rock after. David clearly says, "through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God"; which speaks about three different actions that are being played out; all three of which we can find ourselves doing, if things are not quite going the way that we think that they should be. The first is that of "pride"; which involves the satisfaction of self, and is that which causes us to not consider others in our actions; in other words, through his pride is man wicked! Secondly, we look at this word "countenance", which is man's emotion, or his anger; which, when combined with his pride makes him a ticking time-bomb, just waiting to explode! The definition of this action is one of hard breathing, much like that of a horse, breathing hard through it's nostrils just prior to being ridden into battle. And then thirdly, we have "will not seek after God"; something which a little hard to define, as well as to apply to, or point out in any given situation; but it speaks about enquiry into what God's will might be within any situation; which basically means, that his pride and anger prevents him from actually taking the time to seek God's will. Therefore, he just presses forward into that which he has already set in motion, with really no regard for what God's will might be in a particular matter. Further more; David adds this little key to the end of that statement, saying, "God is not in all his thoughts"; which basically means that he does not consider what God might want in all of his actions, but only in those which agree with his own state of mind. In other words; he ignores the things that might correct his pride and anger, so as to continue in the plot that he has established; yet knowing full well that he is wrong, his pride refuses to accept correction. One might wonder how this could possibly happen, and how it is that someone who is righteous might hold onto an unrighteous cause; but such is the case with pride, because pride blinds the heart from seeing the truth; causing us to ignore the truth so as to facilitate that which satisfies ourselves; even to the point of doing that which we know to be wrong, we do so because if feels good to do it. Such was the case with Moses; who knew very well what God had instructed him to do; and yet, because of his pride and anger, did what he wanted to do anyways; which cost him from entering into the new work that God was going to do...

"Tangled Up in Wealth"

"For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth." (Psalms 10:3) A question that so frequently arises among those that are blessed with wealth and prosperity, is, To what extent is enough to much? It is really not an issue of how much that we have that is the question, but rather, how much does what we have have us! In other words; are we captivated by our wealth to such a degree that it now controls how we think, or how we plan our tomorrows? Again, we can go to what Jesus said on this matter for the answer, and to understand the difference between living for this world and living for God. In Luke 12:15-21, Jesus give us an illustration of what it means to have our focus in the wrong place, and He does so using a wealthy man who plans his future according to his wealth. Beginning in verse 12:15, Jesus says, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." He then goes on to show a parable of a rich man who had great wealth; so much so, that he needed to build large storage areas in order to keep it all in. After having stored all of his great wealth, he then said within himself, "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry". The point that Jesus was making had to do with man trusting in his wealth as the rest for his soul; as if that which he possessed was enough to sustain his life; but, what is life? For in Luke 12:20, Jesus says, "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall these things be, which thou hast provided?" It is this principle that David is speaking of when he says, "For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire"; for the heart that David is speaking of, is the seat of appetites, or the passion of the wicked; and the desire, is the lust he has for those things of the world which he believes will fulfill the passion that burns within him. Then to make matters even worse, David says, "and blesseth the covetous"; which is a way of saying that he kneels down to that which he believes to be complete, as if to say that he has accomplished all that he requires for his soul to be complete. It is this attitude of man's heart that God rejects, for it flies in the face of all that is truth; because there are two ways to measure the worth of a man's soul: what his soul is worth without those possessions, and what his soul is worth without this life..."So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God." (Luke 12:21)