"The Acknowledgement"

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."  (Psalms 20:7)  Whether you know it or not, God is the one who is in control! But, you might say, Then why do so many bad things happen? First of all, this world is broken; since the fall of man, this has been a fallen world; a world where even the elements of the earth have turned against man, and have added to the curse of death that was caused by the sin of disobedience in the Garden. It is easy to see the bad things that are happening all over the world, and then consider that God has stepped away and has removed His hand of love from off the face of this earth; however, this is not the earth that God had created, nor is it the one which will be seen in the end. What does it take for us to put all of our trust in God? I know; some of you are thinking, What is he talking about? I always put my trust in God! Good for you! I am proud of your firm belief in yourself, and your ability to rise above all of us that are not like you and Enoch; but truth be told, we all have something in common when it comes to falling short in this area of trusting God in all things. Sure, we will trust Him in the common things, or those things which we know are beyond any control of our own; but when it comes to trusting God in everything, there is one little problem that we keep running into, time and time again: our flesh! This stinking flesh just keeps getting caught up in the things of this world; and no matter how hard we try, we keep finding ourselves in a place where we are being dependent upon the things of this world, instead of remembering the name of the LORD our God! Maybe it might take a Job experience to get us to take our eyes off of the things of this world which we count on for strength; those things that we hold ever so tightly, as if the very God that we trust in has given them for us to depend upon. That what we have, we have because God has provided it for our protection and our livelihood, and we only feel threatened when those things are threatened. I am here as long as God wants me to be here, yet I have asked that God allow me to be here as long as my wife needs me to care for her; beyond that, I have no other desire to stick around; except maybe to go snowboarding! (Just a few more weeks!!!) "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Philippians 3:7-11)

"The Affirmation" -3

"Now know I that the LORD saveth His anointed; He will hear from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand." (Psalms 20:6) When we consider what it means to have the absence of hostility, we must consider what Jesus said about having the peace that He gives; peace which passes all understanding, which is peace that is not as the world gives, but is peace that can only come from a true relationship with Jesus Christ. It is by this relationship with Jesus, whereby the Holy Spirit dwells within us, as we abide in Jesus as our Lord and Master; and where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is peace. Unlike those who practice their religion, and set out to make amends with God based upon acts of doing things, and hoping to be found acceptable in the eyes of God; we that abide in Jesus Christ have our hope satisfied, and are driven to do those things that are pleasing in His sight; not for lack of needing to be accepted, for Jesus has already assured our acceptance with His blood; but what we do is done out of a grateful heart, which is ever amazed by His mercy and grace. This is where the absence of hostility comes from, because hostility is based in fear and anger, which are two things that are not present in a grateful heart! Do we need affirmation of His salvation in our hearts? One thing that is sure, is that we do not need anyone to tell us in the affirmed, because if He is dwelling within us, then we already know. John's first letter to the church is pretty much all about this affirmation, and was written to express what it is that constitutes a true believer in Jesus Christ. A true believer does not let sin dwell in them, because sin is hostility towards God; a true believer cannot have sin dwelling in them, because sin has no place in God, and liberty will not be established, seeing that there are opposing forces at work in us; and a true believer will seek righteousness, because being righteous gives us peace with God, which is peace that is based upon liberty of being one with God. The bottom line to what John is saying in his letter, is that those who are truly God's children will strive to please their Father, and will take every opportunity to do so by being free from sin; which is the beauty of what Jesus Christ has done for us, in that He has cleansed us from all of our sins; therefore, if sin should have an occurrence in our lives, we have opportunity to ask His forgiveness, and He is more than willing to forgive us of our sin! However; if we do not ask forgiveness for our sin, then sin dwells within us, and we have hostility with God, which means we do not have peace, and we do not know His forgiveness... "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." (1 John 5:13-15)

"The Affirmation" -2

"Now know I that the LORD saveth His anointed; He will hear from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand." (Psalms 20:6) You know, there is something about this verse that causes me to wonder when David had quit knowing that God listens and saves. As a young man, David slew a mighty giant with just a sling and a stone; knowing that God was able to deliver that giant into his hand, because of who God is, and because of the challenge that the giant put forth against God's people, and therefore he was challenging God. But you know, that was before David was anointed to be the king of Israel, and before he was put into a position to lead God's people. The arena changes when you are placed in the role of leadership; you have now become a bulls eye in the enemy's scope, and someone whom is of great interest for the enemy to come against. When we are talking about those who are anointed of God, we could be speaking of a whole array of people, from those that are saved and teach Sunday School to children, all the way up to those who are not saved and are leading countries; because God will use those that are not His children to bring about His perfect plan. However, when we are talking about the LORD saving His anointed, that is something all together different and involves liberty; liberty being something that is only gained by security and strength! To most that think of liberty, they think of peace and in every sense of the word, peace is defined by liberty; however to experience true peace, liberty must be established in our hearts and minds, and we must be one with the One who has the power over our lives. The definition of the word liberty means that you have freedom from external or foreign rule; which means that you have control over your own actions and life. Here we get into some very interesting concepts of what it means to truly abide in Christ; because if we are truly abiding in Christ, then the liberty we have to do whatever we please, is limited to those things that are pleasing to Him; and because we are at liberty to do all those things that are pleasing to Him, we have peace established within our hearts and in our minds. I know that some might think that this is off subject, but believe me, nothing could be further from the truth! David was always one who trusted God; from a small boy out in the fields tending his father's sheep, David began to establish his relationship with God, and by the time he had come up against that giant, he was more than sure that God would deliver that giant into his hand. Once David was placed in the position of king, his outside forces became multiplied; from those of his own people, to the people of other lands, and even the powers of the air; he became the topic of discussion in several different circles. But what mattered most, is that David would keep his focus upon his God; and in so doing, his heart would not be taken captive by any other. It is when we are taken captive by the things of this world, or even pride, that we find ourselves no longer living out liberty; which means that we are not experiencing the true peace of God. Peace, in case you did not know, means the absence of hostility...  

"The Affirmation"

"Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed, He will hear him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand." (Psalms 20:6) Here we have the kings response to the prayers of those that care for him, and to the saving grace of a God that listens to the prayers of His people. Over and over, throughout the Bible we see it proclaimed in one way or another that God hears the cries of His people; even in the beginning, when Cain had killed Abel, God said, "What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." (Genesis 4:10) It is interesting to me that God can hear the voice of our blood, because it is said that there is life in the blood, and that without the blood, there is no life for our flesh. I do not claim to know much of anything about science and all the discoveries that have been made about the human body and the way it works, but I know enough to understand how important the blood is to our life, and how it is the blood which provides everything needed to every part of our bodies. I have seen the magnified videos of blood flowing in the veins of a person, and I know that there is life in each and every cell that moves through that system; bringing oxygen and life to every organ of the body. David was strengthened in his heart by the trials which he was faced with; each and every trial brought another avenue of life for him to experience God's saving power, and to affirm that he was anointed for that which God had called him into. God will allow certain things to happen in our lives, so that we might learn to trust Him and to call upon Him in times of tribulations. Our biggest problem in our times of difficulties, is that we look for God to supply an instant solution to our physical problem, when it is our spiritual condition that God is mostly concerned about; which means that every trial is meant for our spiritual benefit. This is why we are told to "count it all joy" when we are in the midst of any battle, trial, affliction, persecution; even unto death, we must affirm in our hearts that God is in control, and that He will see us through anything with a greater understanding and love for Him. That is really what it is all about; that we would be brought into a deeper and greater understanding of who He is, and how much He loves us; making our love for Him stronger and stronger with each and every trial that we are privileged to experience. I know that might sound a little morbid, but if we are to count every trial or tribulation as joyful, then shouldn't we also count it as a privilege to experience those things that cause good things to happen to our spiritual life; after all, which life will we be living in the longest??? "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." (1 Peter 4:12 & 13)

"The Distinguished One"

"And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" (Mark 4:41) As we have looked at this prayer as being one for David, or as those who have influence over the lives of others, each and every one of these first five verses can be ascribed to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David. Whether it be considered to be prophecies of those things in which He would go through, or those things in which He would exemplify to us, Jesus Christ had waged war upon the powers of darkness, providing the victory for us! Those first two verses, which say, "The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion", are closely in line with the prayer Jesus prayed that night in the garden before His death on the cross. It was a night that He displayed great fear for what He was about to go through, and He had been sent an angel of the LORD to strengthen Him, and had been changed from sorrow to strong determination by the majesty of all that was involved in what He was about to suffer through. Hebrews 5:6-9 says, "As He sayeth also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared; though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him". Within these verses written in Hebrews, we have not only a close association with these first two verses of Psalms 20, but we also have a close association with verse 5, which says, "We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up banners: the LORD fulfill all thy petitions", because we are able to not only rejoice in the salvation which Jesus Christ has established for us, but we are more than able to set up banners which proclaim what He has done; we are instructed in His word to proclaim what He has done!!! Then as we look at verse 4, which says, "Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice"; though Jesus was not burnt up and turned to ashes, He was brought through great sacrifice: the greatest example of 'Beauty from ashes' that could ever be displayed; "Selah". The brutal death in which He suffered, was to pay the price for all of our sins, and to be the multitude of offerings that would have been required just to have God wink at our sins; yet His sacrifice upon that cross did more than become a covering of our sin, it took away the sin! And then we have verse 4, which says, "Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfill all thy counsel"; aren't we so very glad the Father hears our Lord's petitions and intercessions for us... "That one too is mine; I died for him, Father"... "Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:12) "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." (Romans 8:33-37)

"The Distinguishment"

"We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfill all thy petitions." (Psalms 20:5) When it comes to living a life that is dedicated to serving God and putting forth a image of what it means to trust in the salvation of the Lord, we must realize the impact that we have on those that are around us. This is not something that we should ever take for granted, because those that are watching our life, are hoping to see a proof of God's existence in us, and in the manner in which we respond to trials and tribulations that come upon us. David was not a perfect man, but he was a man that believed in the great love that God has for His people, His forgiveness which He provides for sin, and His offer of everlasting life; the three basic principles to settle in our hearts that nothing here can ultimately harm us, as long as we are abiding in the Lord. Therefore, no matter what it is that sets itself against us; whether it be a sickness, a false accusation, the end of employment, the destruction of all worldly possessions; nothing that can come against us can take us from those three basic principles of God's assurances: He loves us, He has forgiven us, and He has given us eternal life with Him! Sadly, these three principles are always being challenged by the enemy of our souls; as he tries to get us to doubt one of the other, he makes us question God's love for us as individuals, whether or not God has actually forgiven us our sins, or even if we have been assured of receiving eternal life. The banners that are set up are basically praise reports of God's workings in the king's life; as the people have distinguished David to be a man who has rested in the salvation of his God, they have set up their banners of praise for him and themselves, as those that are ruled by such a king who puts his trust in God. Again, they proclaim that God would fulfill all of his petitions, because they have confidence in his ability to rule as a man of God; making the right choices and taking the right petitions before the Lord. As we pray for God's victory to be demonstrated in our lives, may we pray that we are distinguished as people who trust God in the process of bringing about the victory; no matter how hard to gets, or how difficult things look to overcome; we put our complete confidence in God's ability to make things happen for the good, and to bring us safely to the other side... "And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was in the ship. And there were also with Him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and said unto Him, Master, carest Thou not that we perish? And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?" (Mark 4:35-40)

"The Acclamation"

"Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfill all thy counsel." (Psalms 20:4) When you have a leader that is determined to follow the leading of God and His word, you have someone within whom you can trust to be seeking God's direction. Just as David, who was known to be "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14), those that prayed for him to have victory could rely on his heart being set towards those things that would please God and not ruling in a way that gives glory to himself, or to gain more than that which he deserves. It was David's established pattern of reacting to certain trials and tribulations in his life that had demonstrated his heart towards God, and had been the proof of his earnest desire to seek God's will first above that of his own. This pattern of seeking God's will entitled him to be prayed for, that God would fulfill all his counsel, because his counsel was one that was governed by God. When they say, "Grant thee according to thine heart", they are speaking as those that know the heart of David is one that is set after the things of God, and is a heart that wants to do those things that are pleasing in His sight. Therefore, those that prayed for his victory, did so knowing that his judgements in matters which could ultimately affect them, would be judgements that he would seek God's direction in. How can we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, be privileged to receive this kind of acclamation? How do we establish for ourselves, a heart that is after God? One way that this is possible, is to simply ask, "What Would Jesus Do", in everything that we do, or in everything that we think of doing. If we establish a pattern of doing only those things that Jesus would do, then we too will have people praying for God to grant us the desires of our heart, and that God would fulfill all of our counsel. This is the path to real victory in Christ; it's doing everything as unto the Lord, and seeking His direction for everything that we do. By doing this, we will establish ourselves to be children of God, and as such, our brothers and sisters will be praying for us as someone who is worthy of acclamation... It's all about LOVE! "I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we heard from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." (2 John 4-6)  

"The Acceptance" -2

"Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selah." (Psalms 20:3) I am sorry for that little rant yesterday, but I needed to get that off my chest. As I was saying, before being interrupted by the political rant; if you read this Psalm as a prayer for those that are leading others, whether that be in that of a king, employer, teacher, or parent, it is set towards that person being equip to lead as a spiritual leader. These first three verses are all the same sentence; with one asking that he in which he is praying for to be right with God, and that he is able to lead as one who is governed by principles set towards pleasing God. When it comes to being right with God, our biggest problem in that area is believing that we are forgiven, if indeed we have asked for His forgiveness. If we truly come to God with a heart that is repenting of the sin that we have committed, then God is faithful to forgive us; therefore, the main ingredient in receiving the forgiveness of sin, is for repentance to take place; which makes offerings or sacrifices of none affect, if they are not offered with a heart that is repenting of those sins. Offerings unto God were meant as a covering for the sins that were committed, that God would wink upon those sins and not judge for them; however, if an offering was given with out remorse and repentance, then God would not accept the offering which was given, and the offering was given in vain. It is also the same principle with our faith in Jesus Christ, because the sin in which we are forgiven for must be sin that we have repented of, and we have turned towards God; no longer letting that sin have dominion over our lives, but living as a child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! His acceptance of our sacrifice, which is that turning towards Him, is based upon our acceptance of His forgiveness; the forgiveness that has washed us totally from that sin, and has placed us upon a path of righteousness that has been established in Jesus Christ. Therefore; in this first sentence of this prayer, the prayer is for God to hear him because there is a relationship that has been established; that God's reputation would be his guild in that relationship; that any help received by God would purify him and draw him closer to the holiness of God; and that God's forgiveness would be established by his offerings that were given with a heart that was repenting towards God. In the midst of this, we have the basic prescription for victory to take place in our lives as a believer in Jesus Christ, and for the taking down of strongholds that might have us bound and unfruitful for His kingdom. Our first act of believing is to open the door of our heart and to ask Jesus to come into our lives; after which, we accept His gift of cleansing and the eternal life that comes with it, based upon that which He has established; receiving new life in Christ Jesus, we are purified and justified in Christ, no longer separated from the Father; and the forgiveness of our sins has been guaranteed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross, providing that we have repented of those sins, and they have been left at the cross. Now then; if we are dealing with something that has us unfruitful and unfit for God's kingdom, then we need to figure out which one of these steps we are leaving out, and make it right, before we get left... "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)

"The Acceptance"

"Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selah." (Psalms 20:3) Remembering that this is set as a prayer for the king and for all that are in some form of leadership, we first must see the meaning of the offerings offered up by those that are in that position, especially that of the king. If you know anything about the history of all the kings of Israel, then you are no doubt familiar with the great influence that each of them had upon the spiritual condition of the nation. Besides all of their own personal sins and the condition of their own hearts, each and every one of those that are in a leadership position are causing waves and ripples in the stream of life, which are motions that cause an affect in everyone who is following or around them. Here in the United States, we are privileged to vote for someone to lead this great nation for the next four years, and there are some among us who do not feel as though their vote is necessary, or even care to be a part of something that so many have given their life for us to have the privilege of doing. I for one do not believe that God does not want us to be informed and involved in the process of selecting those that will be in leadership over us; whether it be the mayor of the town in which we live, or the president of the country in which we pledge our allegiance, every single one of us who cares about the direction of the country in which they live should be praying for those in leadership, and praying for God to place those in leadership that will live out righteousness for the sake of the nation in which they serve. Yes, I believe that God will be the one who allows him who is selected to be placed in the position; but I also believe that it is the selection process which is within each nation, that God will use us for that to be considered. In other words; if this United States is actually a Christian nation, then the president who is selected by the people should be someone who is set towards Christian principles; providing that those that say they are Christians are participating in the voting process. In the time of the Old Testament, when a king was not doing those things which pleased God, then God would send forth a prophet to try and correct him; and if that king did not heed the prophets warning, then God would many times replace that king with someone else; unfortunately in many situations, the son who replaced the sitting king was no better than the father was, and the nation just got worse. Here is this situation we have an election; and, whether you believe it or not, the church is the prophet now and is directed by the Holy Spirit; at least that is how it should be viewed. However; what I see happening in the church does not differ much from that of the world, so really, how will there be a vote for righteousness?

"The Sanctification"

"Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;" (Psalms 20:2) When it comes to praying for someone, especially for someone who wields great power, it is important that they are going to be instructed in holiness. This is no ordinary prayer for God's help in time of trouble; but is fashioned in a way that the help provided is generated towards holiness and a knowledge of God's awesome power. Some people think that it is okay to test God in certain matters, such as fornication, stealing, or lying; but the only thing that testing God in such matters does, is to weaken the persons faith that does such things; because God is not tested, but their faith in the holiness of God is, and is found wanting! We must understand that our God is Holy, and that He puts forth holiness whenever He comes near; therefore, the sin that dwells within us is illuminated by His very presence, and we are made fully exposed in His light. This is the prayer being asked for in the first half of this verse; that God's help would come forth from His holiness, as to expose anything that is sin in the life of him who is being prayed for. After all; if we are really wanting prayer for victory, then shouldn't we expect it to included all areas of our life? You can actually gain a victory in one area of your life, while suffering defeat and loss in another. God would have us to be victorious in all areas of our lives, because we are to be a testimony of His greatness and power; not an example of weakness and defeat; because He has not called us into a life that is filled with devastation and sadness, but a life full of light and salt, so that we can be a testimony of who He is, not of what were before He sanctified us by His Son. Which brings me to the second half of this verse, and the unmovable sanctification of the blood of Jesus Christ! We are victorious in all things, as long as we are under the covering of the blood of Jesus! All is a word that pretty much means every area of our life; and if Jesus Christ is Lord of all of your life, then there is nothing in your life that can have defeat; absolutely nothing! No Way; No How!!! "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: this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:3-5)

"The Preparation"

[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.] "The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;" (Psalms 20:1) One of the best ways that we can have victory in any situation that we might be placed in is to be prepared for whatever might come our way. The actual word 'preparation' is a word that means to be prepared beforehand, or readiness; it is the act or process of preparing for that which may happen, or that which you know will happen. Given that this Psalm is 'A Prayer for Victory', it would appear that this may have been a prayer which David prescribed unto himself, and that those who served under him would pray in preparation for anything that might come against him. This morning as I was in prayer, the Lord gave me a quick glimpse of the 'five foolish virgins' standing outside the door and knocking, and having their lamps empty of oil, they were not allowed to come into the marriage. If there was anything that we should get from that parable which Jesus shared, it is the importance that we be ready and prepared for His return!!! The most important thing that we need in our preparation for that day, is that He knows us! That is something that requires a relationship to have been established between us and Jesus, and is one that involves our communication with Him in both words and deeds. The first half of this verse is one that specifies communication between David and his LORD; that in the day of trouble the LORD would hear him when he cries out to Him; which requires that relationship to be established between him and the LORD. The second half of this verse is speaking of an action; although it speaks regarding God's action of defending, it is an action based upon reputation and the establishment of the kingdom of which he was king. In other words; what God has established to happen within His kingdom was so much bigger than anything that could come against David, or anyone else for that matter; because, what God has established to happen is going to happen regardless of anything else! Now then, regarding these 'deeds' that I made mention of: if a person is to prepare for something to happen, then don't you think that might require an action towards getting prepared? As for those 'five foolish virgins', making sure that their lamps had oil in them was something that required an action on their part; for they had kept themselves pure and undefiled, but had not prepared themselves for that moment when their Lord would arrive. If they had known what they required to have been ready, then they would have not been called foolish, and they would have been prepared; but they lacked the relationship required to known what was required of them... "And while they went to buy, the Bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage; and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore; for ye know neither the day or the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 25:10-13

"A Prayer for Victory"

As odd as this may sound, there is a case for victory that is against God's perfect will to take place in our lives. Something to seriously think about; especially if you are praying for victory for something that takes you away from that which God has intended for you to go through. I am not necessarily speaking about a trial that involves sin; although I do believe that God uses those experiences that we learn in falling to the betterment of our service to Him; at least He can do so, if we are currently yielding our lives to Him. What I am primarily speaking about is victory over certain situations that might be totally beyond our ability to control. You have no doubt heard that old phrase, "Winning the battle but losing the war"; a term that is often lived out by many who suffer through a nasty divorce, or trying to deal with an unruly child. Sometimes it is best to suffer a temporary defeat in the present, in order to assure a victory will be waiting in the future. When it comes to God's will for our lives, our way of winning may not bring us into that victory that He has intended for us to experience or the desire that He has for us to be in a place where we are drawn closer to Him. As you may have already guessed, the title for Psalms Twenty in my Bible says, "A Prayer for Victory"; and, although that may not  be the title that is written in your Bible (if you even have a title), let me assure you, this is a Psalm that is a prayer for victory; whether it is a Psalm that was written for a particular situation that David was going through, or something that was prescribed within his court and to those that served under him, it is a king asking for corporate prayer to have victory. There is a reason that prayer for victory is so very important in the life of those that call upon the name of the Lord; besides the fact that we want God to intervene in those things that come against us; prayer is our communication with God in the simplest form, for allowing God is adjust our way of thinking; not so much as our petition to Him, that He might bend to our will, but that we might come closer in line with His will for us. Take the life of Joseph for instance; no doubt the he was a man of dreams and visions, but he was also a great man of prayer; and how many years did he pray for God to restore him to the house of his father, while being taken further and further away from that which he had no doubt sought in his heart for God to do. All the while, God had taken from defeat to defeat: from the pit to slavery, from slavery to prison, and from prison to victory. God had brought him to a place where he had not only gained victory for his own life, but where he had opportunity to offer victory to all that were in his father's house and throughout all the land. Whether we are suffering through a sickness, or pestilence, or even incarceration, God's victory may or may not involve having the victory over that certain situation; but, He will have the victory in the lives of every single child of His, even those that might appear to be unruly, because those that are His are His, that's just how it all works out... "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and unbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." (James 1:2-7)

"Are We Listening?"

"Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name. And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand hath He hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in His quiver hath He hid me; and said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified." (Isaiah 49:1-3) Before moving on into Psalms Twenty, I felt led by the Lord to talk about us listening to what He is speaking into our hearts. I know that might sound like something that really does not need mentioning, because we all try and listen for His voice to guide and direct our lives; at least we should be doing that; but this has to do with something altogether different, and is more about listening to the call upon our lives. Each and every one of us have been called into a special purpose for His glory, and each and every one of us have a particular gift that He has given for us to be used for His express purpose in this world. It's true; you are special! And you have been fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14); which means that we are all distinguished and set apart for amazement and to cause astonishment. I have got to get back to praying earnestly for those that are in my life; not just for their livelihood, but for their gifts to be revealed and flourish to the utmost of their abilities. Preparing for starting Psalms Twenty has made me realize how important it is for us to pray for one another, and to ask for pray in my own life; that I might be used as God would have be used, and as He has intended for me to be used from my mother's womb. As called as the apostle Paul was to his ministry, he still asked for prayer in delivering the gospel message, and in pressing forward to fight the good fight. We must not forsake the prayers of those around us, or even of those that might be placed below us in stature; for, as we shall see, even a mighty warrior, preacher and king such as David pleaded for the prayers of those that were under him. I know that I have said this before, and have repeated it over and over; but we are living in a very special day and time; a time of awakening and calling fourth of those that will take part in the preparation for the soon return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Are we listening? Because He has spoken into each and every one of us His plan for our lives! It's in your DNA to be that which God has made you to be; and you are so very special at what it is that you were called to do...

"God's Integrity"

In understanding the parable of the accused steward from Luke 16:1-13, we must understand who it was that was unjust in that parable; for it was not the steward who was unjust, but it was his lord who had wrongfully terminated him because he was accused of being wasteful of his master's goods. The accuser in almost every case is the devil, for he is just that, and his accusations are always false. The title above this portion of Scripture in my Bible says, "How to Get a Welcoming Committee in Heaven", because the steward is preparing for his departure from this life and into the next. What is the most important thing that we have to express or engage in as a believer in Jesus Christ? It is forgiveness!!! In verse ten, Jesus says, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much". Being forgiven of all unrighteousness is something that brings with it a heart of gratitude and the desire to express that gratitude into those that do not know of His forgiveness. Whether or not you are called to be an evangelist is not the issue of sharing God's forgiveness with others, because His forgiveness that He has so freely given unto us is something that cannot be contained within us, it must be shared with others as we so gladly forgive them. If we do not have this ability within us to express God's forgiveness to others, then sadly, we have not yet accepted God's complete forgiveness for ourselves. The whole message of Psalms Nineteen is about the integrity of God and His never ending ability to deliver upon the integrity of His word. Therefore, when God says that our sins are forgiven, then our sins are forgiven!!! However; the enemy of our souls will always falsely accuse us of sin that we have been forgiven of, thereby giving us reason to continue in sin, and robbing us of the joy that we should otherwise be experiencing in our lives. As John so assuredly expresses in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". That word "all" in the Greek means ALL; so when we have come to God and asked Him to forgive us of our sins, and we have repented towards His Son Jesus Christ, then there is no more to be said for that which we have been forgiven of: "It is Finished"... "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life; for the Life was manifested, and we have seen It, and bear witness, and show unto you that Eternal Life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us; that which we have seen and heard declare we onto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:1-4)

"Our Relationship"

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my Redeemer." (Psalms 19:14) This is not about religion, or about keeping a law that was etched into stone; but about a heart that yearns to be united with the God that created us, and to do all that we can to be pleasing in His sight. He has given us the principles of what He expects of us, now we must seek to adhere to those basic principles. And the amazing thing is, that He knows our frame and our real intentions; for those that truly seek to adhere to those basic principles, He gives assistance and power to be over comers; and to those that are only fooling themselves with lip-service and half-hearted intentions, He allows to continue until that time when they will truly surrender; hopefully they will before that day when they no longer have a chance to. This relationship that we have with our God is about us responding to His amazing and unconditional love for our eternal souls; the soul that was created by His very breath, and has been given eternal existence by His Spirit. Whether you like it or not, you have have an eternal soul; we just are so attached to this world and all of it's amazing tangible goodness, that we cannot detect that which is hidden within us; but it's there, sometimes groaning, sometimes rejoicing, but always longing to make the connection with the One who breathed it into existence. What Jesus did on that cross, was to give us the blessed assurance of making that connection; not based upon our ability to keep those basic principles, but based upon His obedience in fulfilling them, and then taking our place in paying the price for our inabilities. Therefore; we have been given something that we could not only never have paid for on our own, but we have been given something that we never deserved from the first place! It is in that frame of mind and heart that we must come to God; always! The word "Strength" that David is speaking about is a place of refuge and protection, and is consisting of three basic components; with one being that of beauty, one being that of a rock, and the other being that of an edge of a sword; all of which make our abiding in Him all that we need to be satisfied and content. It's all about relationship; making Him the Master of our soul, and then walking in the blessed assurance that He will bring us through and into His eternal kingdom. With that, we have the basic principle of our eternal existence with Him: FORGIVENESS... "And He said to His disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; and to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Luke 16:1-13)

"Our Attention"

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my Redeemer." (Psalms 19:14) There is nothing that is too big or difficult for our God to do; neither is there anything that is too small that He does not care about. If He knows the very number of hairs upon your head, then He is surely concerned with the other little details in your life. This is the most amazing thing that I have discovered about our Creator, is His attention to detail, and the fact that even the smallest particle that man can discover, when explored to it's fullest, is beyond explanation. It is this attention to detail that is apparent in the God who loves us, that makes me take pause, and makes me evaluate all my many blessings that He has surrounded me with. There is a really good reason that we are to count our blessing, and we are to name them one by one; because the enemy of our souls would have us focus upon those things that are looked upon as curses, and make us to have a discontent heart before our God. You have no doubt heard the phrase, 'Behind every cloud is a silver linning'; well I am beginning to think that we need to start looking for those silver linings, and we need to quit paying so much attention to the clouds. All that the clouds should be to someone who believes in the love of God, is something that makes us look for what goodness God is going to work into our lives, and something that gets our attention for what is going to happen next. I could not help but think of Job this morning, as he complained and sat in ashes, feeling as though God should have never have let him be born. God's answer to Job's disparity was, "Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding". (Job 38:2-4) As soon as we start to question what it is that God is doing, we begin to give area for the enemy to discourage our hearts, making us question God's intentions towards us, and giving us a natural tendency to focus upon the clouds instead of looking for the silver linings. With all the attention that our God has put into every detail of His creation, is it not surprising that He would also put detail into the shaping and molding of His children? His desire for us all is that we would be perfect; without wrinkle or spot, and having a heart that is paying attention to Him; always looking for His goodness and blessings, and never doubting His love, and His care for what is best for us. If you really think about what went into Him laying the foundations of the earth, and how much preparation would have been involved for someone like you or I to design such a planet; where it's orbit around it's sun alone, is something to be amazed at; yet it continues spinning and rotating, by just the words of His commands... "The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth the transgressors." (Proverbs 26:10)  

"Our Humility"

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my Redeemer." (Psalms 19:14) The first thing that I was thinking of for a title of today's post was, "Our Communication"; and then, this morning as I thought again, I was going to title it, "Our Approach"; but after thinking about this weekend and all that I learned about, I decided that "Our Humility" was the one best suited for the task at hand. I am one that puts a lot of thought into a Title; maybe even more than I actually put into the content, at least it is that way some days. I have to think that life is a lot the same way, and many of life's Titles are more reverenced than the actual content that goes along with it. Take the title of 'Christian' for instance; many there are who use that title as a badge of honour, yet fail to honour all that goes with the claim of wearing it. Take a simple thing, like reading our instruction manual on a regular basis; if this book that God has given us is meant to instruct our lives, then shouldn't It be used as such in the course of our daily life? If your Bible is sitting on a bookshelf somewhere in your home, instead of being at hand for you to use in a moments notice, then how much credit have you given to It's value for the direction of your life? I was very convicted by that very thing this weekend, as I thought how often I fail to take my Bible with me as I set out upon my day. Fortunately, I do have a Bible app on my phone, so I am not a total idiot; but to have something that I can be prepared to share as the Words of God, I think should be presented in a form that can be handled and touched; which an image on a 3" screen just does not replace. There is only one thing that we have available to use to defeat the enemy's attacks and to combat the power's of darkness that are always present around us, and that is the Word of God; for it is only the Word of God that the devil has no defense against, and he cannot argue with the Truth that is contained in the whole of what It says. He might be able to use a verse to persuade us that he has some power, but in the context of what he says, the actual Word of God does not agree with anything that he represents. Therefore, I have been reminded of something that I was made very much aware of when I first became a Christian: the Bible that we have been given is alive, and is the very Words of God; given from our Father as a letter of His love for us, and as an instruction manual for each and every thing that can ever present it's self in our lives! There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that we can ever need an answer about our life that is not contained within written Word of God... "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Timothy 3:16-4:4) 

"Our Attendance" -3

"Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression." (Psalms 19:13) There is one more meaning of the word "Attendance", and it has to do with role call! You know what I am talking about? It's the thing we might call 'showing up'; where we are present and ready to be used by God, as He sees fit to use us, and ready to see Him do something amazing in and through our lives. Again, a lot is riding on our ability to conform to that role of being His servant; are we willing to be that servant who will be there when He calls? I don't mean that we are prepared or think that we are prepared to serve Him, but that we are in attendance as a servant who is waiting to do His work, always just outside the sound of His voice, and expecting Him to speak that which He wants us to do. Being in that kind of readiness is where we must be in order for Him to have a control over our lives that is required to be kept us back from presumptuous sins. In other words; if we are always standing in attendance, then we are never that far out of His control. I truly believe that God wants to use to usher in His kingdom; for the time is now for those that are His children to proclaim His Word, and to shine their light for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ! In order to shine that light, we must be willing to step out from under the bushels of everything of this world that has covered His Light from shinning within us. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says, "Ye are the light of the world, A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid". One of the things that I see Jesus saying in this, has to do with us not being of this world, but that we must be placed above this world; and in so doing, we are shinning as a light for all the world to see. It is Jesus who places us upon that hill because of the cleansing power of His blood, and because He was not of this world, and therefore we are not of this world also. That is the attendance that I am talking about; that we are those lights that are shinning for Him, and that we are always ready to be used as a light for His kingdom... "Neither do men light a candle, and put in under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one title shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." (Matthew 5:15-18)

"Our Attendance" -2

"Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression." (Psalms 19:13) If you look up the meaning of "great transgression", you will find that it means numerous, or too many to number. It also has another meaning that really struck me as something that needs to be paid attention to, which is that which is overwhelming or too powerful to be dealt with. Some things just our beyond our power to deal with, and they must me taken to the Lord for Him to take care of. I am a firm believer that Jesus wants us to hand Him our unbearable and uncontrollable passions, so that He might take them and make them His to do away with. If we do not surrender them to Him, then He cannot take them from us; it is just that simple. The word "attendance" is a very interesting word and is one that means to hold to something or someone; however, it also has a meaning that expresses addiction to, or to be given, whether that means that we are captured by something, or that we are surrendered to something, either way, we are addicted and cannot let go. In light of what I know about my own sin that so easily stumbles me, I know that giving into that sin is a whole lot easier that other sins; as a matter of fact, must other sin is easy to turn away from, but the sin I like, it is not only hard to resist, but it has a hold on me that cannot just be shaken off; because as soon as I say no, my flesh almost immediately says not so fast. I think I would call that a sin that has dominion over me; wouldn't you? It is that kind of sin which is something that requires intervention from God, and is something that He must assist us in dealing with; and He will, if we just allow Him to do so. But; and here is the kicker to our serious problem: sin that we like, we tend not to release it completely to Him! That my dear brother is why His mercy is so important to cling onto; as something that we are addicted to more than anything else, we must cling to His mercy as something that is far greater than anything else; anything at all!!! That includes that sin which so easily takes us down; it must be given over to the Lord, never to be taken up again. When we seriously will do this, then God will hold us back from that which we cannot resist; much like a mother who holds a child back fro reaching the candy at the checkout stand, He will hold us back from reaching what it is that we want, until we are out of harms way. If, by chance we have given in and sinned again, it is because we were resisting His hand, squirmed away and we grabbed onto that sin. It's a good thing that God has lot's of new days...  "Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is the LORD's mercies that are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:19-23)

"Our Attendance"

"Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression." (Psalms 19:13) There is something about pride that makes it very difficult to see the errors of our way; be it that we just serve ourselves, or that we have our priorities so messed up, that we can't even begin to see the darkness that we are walking in. Ultimately, God will have His way, we have got to understand that, and we have got to be prepared for the result of what that actually means. Presumptuous sins are those that are arrogant and are based upon a proud heart that is determined to do what it wants to do, no matter what the outcome or result might be. Be it our inability to detect our own sinful passions or our ignorance of the power our passions have over us, we all have the same issues when it comes to pride: we cannot die to ourselves when we are shielding ourselves in pride! What makes us think that we deserve something that we know in our heart is wrong? If you look at David's sin with Bathsheba, it was sin that was conceived in a proud moment; a moment where David was not where he belonged to be, and he had decided in his heart that he had earned a rest from the battlefield. In so doing, he had taken liberty to sin; not just because his passion was kindled for the woman that he saw bathing, but because he was not doing that which he should have been doing. If you really want to keep yourself from falling into sin, then you need to keep yourself busy serving the Lord! I cannot tell you how many times that I have sinned out of boredom, and it's not because I can't remember, it's because I have lost count of the hundreds, if not thousands of times that I have let boredom be a reason to do whatever I felt like doing; especially things that I knew that my Lord would not approve. Don't ask me why, because I have given it a lot of thought; but the simplest answer that I have come up with, is that I have made idle time my time; starving to fill it with whatever satisfies my hunger... "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger." (Proverbs 19:15)

"God's Response"

"Who can understand his errors? Cleanse Thou me from secret faults." (Psalms 19:12) God's grace is that which takes us beyond the mercy we are looking for; although we know that we so desperately need His mercy, we just don't always know how much we need it! All of our sins are errors in living out that which God has designed for us, and errors are always so easily overlooked; I mean really easy to not realize that we have transgressed until we can be shown the error of our ways. Take this blog for instance; as I type words and sentences to make a point, I sometimes have so many errors in them, yet I don't see them until someone else points them out to me; mostly stupid things like the word that in place of the, or meat in place of met. Those are things that spell check will not pick up, and unless I read my own posting without acting like I already know what it says, I sometimes don't see those mistakes for myself. Much like it is for those sins which we have committed unknowingly, as we move so swiftly throughout our lives sometimes, we fail to acknowledge God in each and everything that we venture into. God's grace is there to provide a plank for our feet to step on when we may have just stepped off a cliff. How often we have been saved from our own destruction is any one's guest; but God knows, and He continues to be there, even when we don't know that He is assisting us, He is by His grace keeping us the harm resulting from our own errors. That is why it is so important that we walk in His Light, and that we continue to let His Light illuminate each and every area of our lives. There are so many things that we just do not confess about ourselves, mostly because we do not know everything that is wrong within us, but also because we don't always search our own hearts long enough to find all those secret faults that are hidden deep within our hearts. As the apostle John explains in 1 John 1:5-10, that God is Light, and in Him that is Light, there is no darkness whatsoever; therefore, as we are walking in that Light, we are not able to walk in darkness, because within Him does no darkness dwell. If we are knowingly walking in darkness, then we are seriously not walking in His Light, period!!! There is no way that we can have fellowship with His Light while walking in darkness; therefore, everything that belongs to darkness that God reveals to our hearts, must not be a part of us, must be repented of, and we must repent towards the Light and away from the darkness. Everything that we do not know, such as sins that have not yet been revealed to us, are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, as long as we are abiding in His Light. Therefore; God's response to our sins confessed, as well as our unknown sins, is still the same; as long as we are remaining in fellowship with His Light, we are totally washed and cleansed... "This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."

"Our Response"

"Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward." (Psalms 19:11) The first thing to consider about this response to God's law, is that this response is to be looked at from that of a servant. There is a world of difference between the actions of that of a servant and that of a slave: a slave must do what he is told to do by his master, while a servant gets to serve his master and is eager to do what he is told. In every aspect of life there are ordinances that govern our actions and our outcome or benefits. Take marriage for example; a husband that is mean to his wife, is not a very happy husband; there is just no joy in that relationship, which is the result of his fruit towards his wife. To keep a friend happy and a friend, you should not expose something that was given in confidence; for in doing so, you have abandoned the trust of your friend, and that is a hard road to repair. And in being a faithful servant, one must know those things that upset the Master, and those things that are pleasing; making sure to always do only those things that are pleasing, and never do anything that is not. The servant is not warned the same way that a slave would be, nor is a servant needing to be instructed the same as a slave; because a slave must be told how they are to perform certain duties, while a servant looks to perform all that they do well, so that they might please Him who they serve; therefore, with a servant, the servant will pay attention to the way that the Master likes everything done, and will do things to fall in line with his Master's desire, in all things! And in so doing, there is great reward; reward being the end result of pleasing the Master; which is the consequence of doing that which is pleasing in His sight. What that comes down to, and I am sure there will be some that do not understand what this means, is that there is wages of doing good; meaning that there are rewards for doing that which is pleasing to the Lord!!! Just as with sin, and that the wages of which are death; with doing all that is possible to please the Lord, there is life; abundant life now and greater rewards later! "And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:12-14)

"God's Holy Word" -3

"More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." (Psalms 19:10) Sometimes we really fail to ask for directions; such a simple thing that it is to do, yet we don't take the time to stop and ask God to show us the way. He has given us an instruction manual, and yet we try over and over to put the pieces together on our own. I know that you have most likely heard these two examples before; but don't you think that they have a lot of truth in them? How many times have we not asked Him for directions and ended up at a dead end? How many times have we tried to put broken pieces of our life back together without reading His instruction manual, only to find out we left out a very important part, and what we thought we fixed does not work? What is more to be desired than gold and sweeter than honey? It is His ordinances and His law! Do we think that we know better what is good for our own lives than God? I think sometimes we do, although without saying so, we practice at making things work without asking Him for any assistance at all; we just ask Him for things to happen, and then try to make them happen on our own; when really, maybe that thing we asked for was not even meant to be. Am I saying that every answer that we need is found within God's Word? Yes, I do believe that it is so; if we truly believe that every word is true and meant for us, then yes, we will find the answer for every need in our life; all of our wants, that might be another matter all together; but for every need, God has given us an answer within His Holy Word. As a matter of fact; I believe that God will speak to the difference between those wants and those needs; because, I have found that the wants show up as words of discouragement, where we are reading for answers and then find a passage that speaks against what we want. Does that mean we take that to heart? Sad to say, most of us will probably not, but will somehow manipulate the message given into something that is meant for someone else, or ignore it's meaning altogether. Please don't think that I am just making accusations, because these things I know from my own experiences; and I know I am not alone; if I were, then I would surely be one unique individual. However, I know that I am not, because these things that I am talking about are written within His Word; many of which are written in Proverbs, seeing that the Preacher that wrote them was someone who had practiced many of them himself... "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: for length of day, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil." (Proverbs 3:1-7)

"God's Holy Word" -2

"The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgements of the LORD are true and righteous altogether." (Psalms 19:9) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) When we really get down to the root of our problem, that problem is sin! Sin brings death! Now I know what some might be thinking, as to the death of Jesus for that sin, and how sin no longer has power to keep us in bondage to death; but what the Lord is speaking into my heart about is death of living for Him. Jesus came not only to give us life, but to give us abundant life in Him. It is this abundant life that we have been given that spreads life unto others, because that life is beyond that which we need, so it has nothing more to do than to spill onto those around us. Sin that we let into our lives has a way of robbing from that abundant life, and choking off that which is meant to be spilt onto those around us. Oh, we can continue to live in Christ, for He will not forsake us; but the victory that He has won over sin will not be that apparent in our lives; not as long as we continue to let sin dwell within us. Some might argue that if you have sin in your life, then you are not really saved; which may or may not be the case; but I would prefer to not wait until I am standing before Him to find out! I have come to the conclusion that sin is sin; not that there are big sins and little sins, but that sin is something that can rob us of our victory we have in Christ, no matter how little that sin might be. Take lies for example: little white lies, as some people call them; thinking that a lie told for the benefit of another, or for someones own good is something that is acceptable to do. I used that example because I have discovered myself to be guilty of such things, or at least a part in them, especially when it comes to answering the phones at my home and office. If I am at home, then I should not tell someone to say that I am not; is that a lie, or is it not? We tend to look over little things like that in our lives; but enough of those little things can make a powerful influence upon those that are watching for the fruit in be apparent in your life. Personally, I do not think that the Lord will send me packing because I had someone tell someone on the other end of the phone that I was not there, but what does that do to testimony of being honest? When we are speaking about the judgements of God we are speaking about His ordinances, which are the things that He judges by, not what we judge to be right or wrong. Jesus lived a sinless life to show us the way that we should live! "Pick up thy cross and follow me" was meant to mean more that suffering for Him, but was meant to include living a sinless life. "Go and sin no more" means that we sin no more! Instead, we take something that we think is not such a big deal and hold onto it as if that little sin will not fester into something else; but it will and it does! Sin is sin, no matter how small of a sin that it might be, it brings with it death; though that might not mean death to the life that we have been given, it will surely rob us of the abundant life that we are meant to be living...

"God's Holy Word"

"The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgements of the LORD are true and righteous altogether." (Psalms 19:9) Not surprising to see the word Holy come to light, is it? The more I come into His marvelous light, the more stuff is revealed that I need to repent of; it's like peeling an onion; layers upon layers of stuff, in every area of my life there is something else that is revealed that needs to be dealt with. Last night was a really long night; as I watched the clock from 12:30am until about 3:15am; and then my phone goes off at 4:00am reminding me that it is time to pray. Sad to say, I did begin to pray, but then I fell back to sleep as I was praying for my wife; I probably should not have curled up next to her as I prayed for her; you think? So here we have a verse that goes beyond converting the soul and rejoicing the heart; fear is being spoken of in this verse, and it is a reverence for God that is based upon Holy fear. Something must happen within our churches very soon, or the next generation will be totally lost! That is another reason I believe that we are in for something spectacular to happen within us; something that sparks great revival around the whole earth. God is not willing that any should perish, and is going to present a choice to each and every person that able to listen. The sad thing is, that in many of our churches, people are not really being presented with a clear choice. The choice must be clear; as clear as heaven or hell is as to where you will end up for eternity; but pastors are afraid to scare away their people, so they stick with warm and fuzzy messages that sooth the heart, and make people want to come back for more. The reason that the fear of the LORD is clean, is because it is not mixed with pollutants that make for filthiness to hang around in us; because when we have a Holy fear for God's word, whether spoken or written, we will cherish the refiners fire! We will look for God to burn away every filthy thing that is in us, and we will be blessed to have Him do it in us; and I mean, that we will count it all joy!!! Maybe I am making to much of something that might not even happen; but I cannot see our loving God allowing millions of children to go to hell without a clear choice...

"God's Precious Word" -2

"The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." (Psalms 19:8) When we are talking about being in the Light, we are speaking about a place where darkness is not welcomed, nor does it have place to be there. The "statutes of the LORD" are the precepts of God, which are those commands required to stand in His presence. Just because Jesus Christ has died for our sins, and has taken from the darkness and into the light, does not mean we are free to go back into the darkness any time that we feel free to do so; on the contrary, we are to remain within that light by making His precepts our precepts to live by. Does that mean we are to observe all of the commands that are written in the Bible? Not necessarily, because many of those commands were written to prepare His people to be Holy before Him, by giving them a sense of reverence for all the different areas of their lives, by which they were constantly reminded of how Holy God is, and how much they lacked His holiness in them. However; what I see the New Testament covenant to mean, is that we are to love God with everything that is in us, which then causes us to adhere to all that He commands us to do personally in our lives. Along with that love which we have for God, we must also love one another as much if not more than we love ourselves; putting others first, means that we put others before ourselves, which is an action required form of loving and requires doing that which demonstrates the love that we have for them. This is what God has done for us, in that He sent His Son to die upon that cross in an effort to show His forgiveness and His love for each and every one of us. He could have just said, I forgive you, and then left it up to us to accept or rejects His offer to forgive us; but He demonstrated His love for us by showing us His mercy and grace that was freely given through the sacrifice of His Son. In a way, God did speak out His forgiveness in the form of His Word, the Word being Jesus Christ... "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1, 14)

"God's Precious Word"

"The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." (Psalms 19:8) Did you ever wonder how joy is part of the salvation you received through Jesus? Such uncontainable joy, that just causes you to leap within your heart; it is actually a reaction of our soul within us being able to experience fellowship with it's Creator for the very first time. When we accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts we were washed in that instance and made pure as the driven snow. It was that total washing that gave us fellowship with our Heavenly Father for the very first time, and it was only because of our spotlessness that we could even stand in His presence; let alone kneel at His feet. Can you get a small glimpse of what His perfect law is meant to prepare our hearts for? Each and every one of us, whether saved or not, are going to be standing in the presence of a Holy God; and each of us, whether we have made Jesus Lord of our lives or have rejected His leading, will kneel before Him and confess that He is LORD: so why put off that which is going to happen anyway? Every sin that is not covered by the precious blood of Jesus Christ shall be revealed. I think that might mean that we need to ask Him to forgive us of the sins that we commit, and not sweep them under the rug, or bury them in the back yard; but seriously place them at the foot of the cross along with ourselves, that He might restore us to the fellowship that brings full joy. Jesus Christ came to restore fellowship between fallen man and a Holy God; something that requires that the fallen man has been redeemed to holiness in order to have fellowship with He who is Holy. Does that mean we are now sinless? Only when we have confessed all of our sins; which took place the day that we first were born into the kingdom of God; since then, we have walked into all sorts of stuff that has made our feet dirty, and some of us have reached down and played with it, thinking that it could not hurt to see what it was made of. Worse than that, some of us have tried to clean that stuff off of our feet on our own, thinking that we can somehow do something that can only be performed by Jesus Christ, and He alone. We can not just stop and turn from our sin, just like we cannot wash that stuff off of our own feet: we must repent and turn towards God; only then can we again experience the complete washing and the joy that comes from knowing pure holiness before our Holy God...We must be prepared to be in the Light...

"God's Perfect Word" -3

"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." (Psalms 19:7) Now then, that we have glazed the pleasantries of God's perfect and sure word, may I speak to the power that is found in them? Can I even begin to express what is contained in them? In John 5:39, after the Jews had sought to kill Jesus for not only working on the sabbath, but for making Himself equal with God, Jesus said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me". Before I accepted Jesus into my heart, I was one that searched the scriptures for answers, thinking that by reading the word of God I would be enlightened and made to see things in a different light; not really such a bad idea, if only I had some clue of what I was reading. The difference between reading what you think is beneficial and that which speaks to your heart is something that cannot be explained, but must only be experienced for yourself. Having said that, I firmly believe that God has chosen this generation to usher in His kingdom; which, in case you do not know, means that Jesus will be coming very soon! To some, the sign that they are looking for is that of the Beast who will be slain and live again; something that I do not expect to see from this vantage point. The sign that I am looking for is revival; which is something that I believe God will cause to happen just prior to the rapture of His church. Having come to understand how much God loves us, and how much He has sacrificed to have a relationship with us, I can only believe that He wants us to turn from our wicked ways and repent towards Him. The sacrifice that Jesus  paid upon the cross was for the eternal life spoken of throughout the Holy Scriptures; life that had been lost because of sin, and because man had chosen sin instead of life. What makes the law of the LORD perfect, is that it is complete, unimpaired; having integrity and without spot; that life is actually contained within the law, because the law of the LORD is the testimony of God's goodness. Sometimes I wonder if we truly understand what kind of affection God has towards us; sure we call it love, but what kind of love is it that would sacrifice all to save those that do not love you? When we begin to see the reason that His law was given to us, we start understanding why it is important to cherish it, and to let His testimony draw us closer and closer to Him. We really need to prepare ourselves to be in the Light...

"God's Perfect Word" -2

"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." (Psalms 19:7) When we speak of God's testimony, we are talking about the witness of God; and to some, if not all of us, we could say that it is the revelation of God, and how God should be approached, worshiped, or even viewed in our minds and hearts. Adding to that the fact that His testimony is sure, and we have the equivalent to that of "faith like that of a grain of mustard seed". There are five places within the Gospels that Jesus speaks about "faith of the grain of a mustard seed", and they all have the same basic message about putting our faith in God alone. Mark's Gospel is probably the easiest to understand, and is found in Mark 4:30-32. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus was speaking of he who has and he who has not; then He went into speaking about the seed that a man plants in the ground and day by day in grows, the man knows not how, but it becomes fruit and is immediately used for the harvest. After this, Jesus says in verse thirty, "Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in all the earth: but when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all the herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it". God's testimony is not something that comes and goes with every wind of doctrine; it is sure because it does not change and is not based upon what we think or where we place our trust. Our ability to know the kind of faith that Jesus is speaking about is based upon who we put our faith in, not how much faith that we might have; because we all have the same ability to have faith of a grain of a mustard seed, it just requires that we place our trust solely in God. To some of us that are blessed with great faith, greater things shall be required of us; while to the simple at heart, they are still required to place their faith in God, and they will see great things. Either way, we are all meant to experience God's testimony of who He is and what He is able to do in and through us; all of which requires that we place our faith in Him and not in ourselves...

"God's Perfect Word"

"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." (Psalms 19:7) Considering all that we know about God's perfect plan of redemption for our lives, you would think that we would have a better understanding of what His law is meant for, and how important it is for our being brought to a place of turning. You might have noticed that I have replace the word "law" with "word" in the title of my posting, not only for today, but even yesterday; as the title in my Bible above verse seven is "God's Law", as I had said in the opening post leading into this Psalm. The reason that I have changed this from Law to Word is because God's law is His word, His law being that which is instruction and direction into understanding who He is, and how much we need Him. In other words, there really is no separating between God's law and His word, because they are one of the same; and for those of us that desire instruction, "the law of the LORD is perfect", for it has integrity, meaning that it is safe and secure. If ever you wanted to know of God, 'Lord, what would you have me do?', then obedience to His word or His law is a good place to start. If you start with the Ten Commandments, and examine them as if they were not just the Law that was given to be obeyed, but that they were instruction for us to brought into a closer relationship with our God, then maybe they might seem more appealing and less of a burden that is a weight to heavy to lift. Everything that God does, He does to draw us closer to Him; His law is no exception, but is actually the main lesson to bring us into a relationship by faith, knowing the importance of His mighty redemption. The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 3:24, "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith". This word "schoolmaster" is an interesting term for explaining how God's law brings us to the understanding of our need for redemption; and we may think it just means a teacher, such as would be the case in our modern way of thinking. But among the Greeks and the Romans, the man applied to trust worthy slaves who were charged with the duty of supervising the life and the morals of boys belonging to the better class; the boys were not allowed so much as to step out on the house without that trust worthy slave before arriving at the age of manhood. The Law is likened to a tutor because it arouses the consciousness of sin, preparing our soul for Christ; much as those trust worthy slaves were for instruction to the seriousness of remaining moral, and showing those better class of boys how living moral required instruction that was beyond their own capabilities. So too, we have learned by experience to trying to adhere to God's perfect law, that it is something beyond our capabilities to achieve the letter of the law; therefore, our need for God's redemption is fulfilled, and we more eagerly are ready to receive His offer of salvation given through the death and resurrection of His Son...

"God's Word"

As we move from God's creation, which was made for His glory and for goodness, we come to the perfect law of God. There are some among us who discount God's law as being something that was left on the other side of the cross, not to be relevant in the new covenant that was established by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I must beg to differ in this line of thinking, because God's law is perfect in every way; so why would He take away something that has so much benefit to us and to our relationship with Him and with each other? Jesus had never said that the law was canceled out by His new covenant, but rather that the law was fulfilled in it, and that by the act of love was the law now established as just that, an action of love! Every article and precept of God's law was given man for his own good, that if a man should follow them, then they were better off than if they were not to follow them; besides the challenge of keeping the law, something that none of us is capable of doing, just striving to adhere them is beneficial to the life we live, no matter what part of it we might not be able to keep. It is the simple act of wanting to do what God has said we should do; not because we might have to do it, but because He has said so, we should aim to please in every area of our life. I know that we are in for some interesting discussion in these next several verses, because there are so many churches that have made God's law out to be something of the past, and have placed it in the category of temple sacrifices, circumcising, and keeping the Sabbath; all of which were Old Testament requirements and should not be categorized in the same light as what God requires for actions of love to one another and for Him. In light of what is taking place in our world today, we that are called to God must be diligent in prayer for the pressing evil that needs to be pushed back, and praying for revival to take place in our homes, cities and countries; expecting God to work in us and through us to achieve His perfect plan...Look up; for our redemption is drawing near!